Czech Out Your Ancestors
Menu
  • About
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • DNA
  • Czech Book Club
Menu

Texas Immigration Agents Records: Do they exist, and if so where to start?

Posted on 7 May 2013 by Kate Challis

The 30 September 1887 newspaper “the Galveston Daily News” contains the only known passenger list for a group of incoming Texas immigrants, the majority of whom were German and Czech. (located here, page 8). The arrival manifests were destroyed in the 1900 hurricane in Galveston. The Bremerhaven-Bremen departure lists only exist for the years 1920-1939 (accessible here).


The article states at the end that the passengers are destined for various parts of the state, “having been sought out by agents.”

My understanding is that immigration “agents” were people who helped recruit immigrants, met them somewhere after their arrival (not necessarily the dock), and guided them to their destination. They spoke English while many of the immigrants did not. They were paid for their services, by the immigrant. Sometimes they were unfair, taking advantage of the immigrant‘s ignorance.

My question is: what Texas immigration agent records might still exist, and where might I find them?

I am interested because I keep running into the problem of  25-30 year old females who immigrated “alone” (aka apparently without kin, but almost certainly with countrymen) to Texas and got married a year later, leaving few clues as to a village of origin. If there was an agent, who presumably corresponded with the immigrants in the old country somehow, might the correspondence still exist, perhaps in somebody’s personal papers, a library, or elsewhere?

There are other places to look for village of origin clues, but I was deeply struck by that phrase in that article, and I’m interested in these specific records. 

Thus began my research. I sent most of the above text to my colleagues who are part of the Transitional Genealogists Forum. I got back some good suggestions. Here’s where I’m at.

I contacted the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Here is part of their response:

We do not have the records for the various immigration agents that operated in the State of Texas.  These agents operated either independently or through some private companies or corporations.  They were not a part of any specific state agency of Texas.  Therefore, we would not have their records.  If such records still existed for any of these men, they might be found in various libraries or institutions as manuscript collections.  None appear to be found in our manuscript holdings.


It seems very unlikely I would find any (if they exist) surviving records of an immigration agent working on their own, but it’s implied in the above statement that not all of these agents worked alone; that they perhaps did have a network within their private companies or corporations.

Maybe the records do still exist somewhere.

I think the first step towards tracking down any of these records would be to find more information about the companies themselves. My first thought is to look at advertisements in old newspapers, especially Czech language newspapers printed in Texas, like the Svoboda. But I really don’t know where to find physical copies of these. They are referred to in many books about Texas Czechs, as are some of the first Czech immigrants who wrote home praising Texas as a great land of opportunity. Hmmmmm hmmm.


  • Contact the Galveston Historical Foundation
  • Contact the Bremerhaven Emigration Museum. Maybe the people I’m researching were registered in the city records, if they had to stay there for a length of time before leaving.
  • Look through my personal Texas Czech library for references to agents and other countrymen who extolled the virtues of Texas. Wasn’t there someone named Anton Bergman or something, who came here and wrote home? I read something about that…dig it up, find it, learn more.
  • Find old newspapers that might contain advertisements for agents and companies.
  • Galveston Daily News
  • Newspapers at the Nesbitt Memorial Newspaper Archive
  • Czech language newspapers, like the Svoboda. Where is it even located?!
  • Contact the SPJST. They may have some records pertaining to this. They certainly have records of interest anyway! I have already tried to email them twice with no luck. Perhaps a phone call will work.


What do you know about Immigration Agents of the past? Where do you think is a good place to start looking?



Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search

Categories

Archives

  • March 2025
  • July 2021
  • January 2021
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • October 2019
  • August 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • September 2015
  • July 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
©2025 Czech Out Your Ancestors | WordPress Theme by SuperbThemes