Something to Consider

Tip: Determine if a surname aligns with the birth place of your relative.

I had real trouble trying to find immigration records for ancestors going by the name Crogan from Italy.  Crogan is an Irish name but I knew these ancestors were Italian.  So I spent quite a while trying to find the real last name and found a mentioning of Giuseppe Crocano going by the name Joseph Crogan in a Niagara Falls newspaper.  Success!

I had another experience of a relative I assumed was Irish because she was born in Ireland but found her mother’s maiden name was German.  What brought her mother’s family to Ireland and then to Pennsylvania?  I’m excited to find out.