Personal Documents Carried by Immigrants
Personal Documents Carried by Immigrants
This section provides examples of the types of personal documents sometimes carried by immigrants to America. These documents normally cannot be found in archives such as the Family History Library, but rather will be found among the personal papers of immigrants or their descendants.
An Apprenticeship/Work Book documents the education and experience of a man in a trade. This example is for a "kovács segéd" -- ie. a blacksmith's helper. An emigrant would likely bring such a book with him to America in the hope it would assist him in getting a job here.
A Military Record Book documents a man's military service record, and most importantly for an emigrant, that he has completed his service. Young men, not yet of draft age -- ie. less than 20 or so, could emigrate without performing military service. But, once a man had reached draft age, he was normally not permitted to emigrate until his military obligation (including reserve duty) was completed.
A Passport was required of all people leaving Hungary -- both male and female. While passports could be obtained for a variety of reasons, the vast majority were secured for purposes of emigration.
