I tried before to get the names of ships abd passenger lists for ships
arriving from England into Charleston,South Carolina. Was told that my
Grandfather John Wiiliam came this way from England.  I paid $50.00
for this information which was supposed to be put on my credit card
but then I had to leave town for a family sickness and death. When I
arrived home you asked for more information about my Gradfather John
Whitehead and I mailed you more information and I have never heard
from you again.  Is it now too late or impossible to get information on
this matter as I have to leave town next Friday.  Plese tell me what
to do about this matter.  I can give you a lot more information. 
Annette Mary Tucker.

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 29 Mar 2004 17:28 PST

Hello rosetta-ga,

On your earlier question, which can be found here:

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=315047

another researcher and I asked you some questions about your
grandfather, and about the type of information you are seeking...I've
duplicated our comments, below.

If you can answer these questions for us, perhaps one of us will be
able to assist you (the only way to answer the questions is to post
additional information, here, on the Google Answers page).

All the best, 

pafalafa-ga

=========

Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 09 Mar 2004 16:41 PST 

Many (if not most) of the available passenger lists have already been
digitized and made available through online services, such as
Ancestry.com.  However, your grandfather's name is a fairly common
one, which can make the research very difficult.

For instance, have a look at this link:

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gsfn=john&gsln=whitehead&gsco=1&gspl=1%2C&Submit=Search&ltpop=1&gl=allgs&prox=1&yeart=a&ti=0&gss=anfp&sourceid=2524

It is the search results for "John Whitehead", and as you can see, it
returns thousands of results, including a number of passenger lists
through New York and other immigration ports.

However, a similar search that includes the name William (in addition
to John Whitehead) greatly narrows down the results:

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gsfn=john&gsln=whitehead&sx=&prox=1&gsco=1&gspl=1%2C&year=1860&yearend=1920&gskw=william&gst=&refine=1&gl=allgs&ti=0&gss=ansmp&hc=&submit.x=49&submit.y=11
 
but now, there do not seem to be any relevant records for passenger
lists.  However, there are a good many other pertinent records, and
some of them may shed some light on your grandfather's history.

In order to really look into it, though, we will need some additional
details -- anything -- about his life.  What was his wife's and/or
children's names?  When did he marry?  When was he born?  When did he
die?  Where did he live?

Anything you can add would be a tremendous help.  

Thanks.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Request for Question Clarification by omnivorous-ga on 10 Mar 2004 16:13 PST 
Rosetta --

Do you know if your grandfather ever became a U.S. citizen?  If so,
his naturalization paperwork may contain all of the information that
you're seeking
(and include his place of birth and his parents' names).

You can find this by requesting a copy of the "Petition for
Naturalization" and "Certificate of Naturalization" from the
Immigration and Naturalization Service using a 'Freedom of Information
Act' (FOIA) request.  This process takes 4-6 months and undoubtedly
will be expedited if you provided a stamped return envelope:
U.S. Department of Justice 
"FOIA Request Form" 
http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/g-639.htm  
  
Incidentally, U.S. Census listings for your grandfather from 1900
onwards would tell you whether or not he ever became a U.S. citizen. 
(Unfortunately the 1890 Census data was largely destroyed by fire.)

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Rosetta,

Note that, since no one posted an official answer to your earlier
question, you were not charged $50.00, but were charged only the
fifty-cent listing fee. The comments and questions of the Researchers
on that question were free of charge. You'll be charged only if and
when an official answer is posted by a Researcher.