U.S. Officials can’t account for all early applications, but from 1810 to 1925, the State Department issued more than 1.5 million passports. They are housed at the National Archives in Washington. For the most part, the government issued passports only to citizens. For brief periods (1863 to 1866 and 1907 to 1920) the government also issued passports to aliens who had officially declared their intent to become citizens.

Although the majority of the applicants were men, women can be found in the records. If women traveled with their husbands, employers or other male protectors, they were listed on the man’s application. When a man and his family and servants traveled together, they did so under a single passport issued to the man. The others, however, were fully described on the application.

Those records hold valuable genealogical information, such as dates and places of birth, full physical descriptions, and occupations. The foreign destination is stated on some applications.

Naturalized citizens had to provide the date and state where they became citizens and the date and ship on which they immigrated to the United States.

The physical descriptions are especially interesting and valuable. For example, Francis Armstrong described himself as 5- foot-9; having dark hair with gray; gray eyes; a light complexion; and stoutly made, with a full forehead and a “rather large nose.”

Original passport applications are at the National Archives in Washington. Microfilmed versions are available in some regional archives facilities. The really good news, however, is that Footnote.com has digitized all of these applications. Researchers with personal subscriptions can access the database online from home.

Source: Tampa Tribune, June 20, 2010