St Albans Instructions

St Albans Instructions Locating the Family History Center Microfilms
JUST PRETEND:
1. Christian WUNSCH, your ancestor, came through Canada and later to the USA.
   The only information you have is his name
[ Later you will duplicate this process with the surnames you are researching.]
2. Click to get the soundex number for the his surname [Wunsch].
    Use browser [back] button to return here.

(Entering WUNSCH you should have gotten W-520.)
3. To find the Film Number the steps to use are:    'Edit'    'Find in Page'    [ 'w5' ]    Ignor the hyphen.    Find W520. by clicking on this   LIST    and doing as instructed above.     Obtain the number of the Microfilm that will include [ W520 ] on it.
You should have found   [ W512 Adeline - W532 Zirle ]  1473193 .
That is the film number to order.
Order the appropriate film from the LDS Family History Center. It will contain pictures of index cards; handwritten extractions of data from the original records.
From these cards you will obtain the date, ship, & port of the Canadian landing and/or the date, location, and railroad of the CAN/US border crossing. Both types are on the same films.
Cards are on the film in order by Soundex # (519, 520, 521,etc) and within each soundex group the cards are in alphabetical order by First Names. (!)
Be sure you check for similar spellings and misspellings. Catherine, Katerine, Kathyn, Caterine,    Remember that all Caterines are together so there may be Caterine Wunsch, Caterine Wong etc until all Soundex W520 Caterines are finished.    All the Catherines will be further along on the film. The Johannes are way down and the Wolfgangs near the end.
As an example, view these Soundex Cards. The handwritten card is below my typed abstract.   Scroll down.
4. Use the DATES (Ex: 7/1/13 or 7/4/13 and 3/5/15) found on the Soundex card to search this list of the Original Records microfilm numbers . You will find the film number to order with the original passenger lists and/or crossing data for the person on the card.

[For July 1913 there are 5 possible rolls of microfilm 1561305, 1561306, 1561307, 1561308, 1561309] For March 1915 there are at least 2 rolls of microfilm to be searched. 1561365, 1561366. It might be necessary to check the rolls before and after these. These records were used to create the index cards in the first Soundex Card examples (another source for human error).
Each ROLL you order will cost about $3.00 to view and will take about 3 weeks to arrive from Utah.

An example of a typical Ships Passenger list page (left side) (right side) is available for your perusal. Some years there were more columns for information. Some examininers meticulously filled in all the columns but these examples show that some examiners left a lot of blanks. This person's handwriting is one of the good ones.

Substitute Your Own Ancestor's Name and GOOD HUNTING. Any film you rent will have other Ger-Rus people besides your immediate family. Jot down all you can and send to me, please.
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Pictures of Soundex INDEX Cards are just below these explanations of the contents.
The Dates for the ship landing in Canada [7-4-13 or 7-1-13] and for the border crossing [3-2-15] can be used to obtain more information by ordering additional microfilms around those dates.
First Card: 3rd Class on the SS Barcelona entering at Quebec on 7/4/13 is WIMSCH, [error] CHRISTIAN. accompanied by Alexander 8 [brother]. Next line: the soundex number 520. Further down he is decribed as born in Russia, age 4 [was 6], male, married [![, a child, can't read nor write. The next line says he is German Russian and his last permanent address was Russia. Further down: Destination is Winnipeg, Manitoba to join a relative.
Second Card: 520 from Winnipeg, Manitoba on 3/2/15. (next line) WUNSCH, [correct] CHRISTIAN accompanied by Katerina Elizabeth 49 (mother). (next line) Born in Kalka (Galka) Russia, age 8 (corr), male, single, and now he can read & write. (next line) He is still German Russian - last permanent address 713 Redwood Ave. Winnipeg, Manitoba. (next line) His nearest relative in the country whence alien came: is Uncle Gottfried of Kamysyn (?) Saratov, Russia. (next line) Destination is Rocky Ford CO to join his uncle Fred Freudenberger. (last 2 lines) Landed in Quebec on board the SS Barcelona on 7/1/13. Traveling on the Canadian Pacific Railway. On the back of his father's card it said he crossed at Noyes, Minn on 3/5/15 (3 day trip)

Click on card to enlarge
You noticed the errors and the difference in dates. The ship SS Barcelona did arrive in Quebec on 7-1-13 and it was unloading passengers for 3 days. All the dates will have to be checked.

Heinrich WUNSCH crossing from Canada to the US with part of his family.
To join his 1/2 brother - Fred Freudenburger (Freidenberger)
His brother Gottfred is still in Russia.
(First discovery of this brother and 1/2 brother)

Click on card to enlarge

The above information is through the generosity of the LDS Church and their Family History Centers. All of the rolls of microfilm discussed at this site are called, collectively, the "St. Albans Border Crossings".