Q. My widowed great-grandmother Rosalie (Heinz) Thoendel immigrated from Germany to the United States in March 1877 with her four sons. In May 1877, she moved to Columbus, Neb. How do I find the ship and immigration papers? Being a female, was she required to be naturalized? I am at a dead end.

A: Twenty-five percent of immigrants did not get naturalized, or even "first papers." Females and children were automatically naturalized under their husband or father. In the case of a widow, she may have applied on her own. From 1824 to 1906, minors who had lived in the United States for five years and were at least 23 years old could apply for naturalization immediately without first filing a declaration of intention ("first papers"). Look for naturalizations in the Platte County court (Columbus is the county seat).

The passenger list should normally be in the series Germans to America. Unfortunately, I do not find her and her sons listed.

Since there is no index for 1847-1896 New York arrivals, it will be necessary to look at microfilms of ships arriving in March 1877 in New York. New York was by far the major port of entry, but other ports are possible, such as New Orleans for someone going to Nebraska (up the Mississippi River).

One source that might simplify your search is the Hamburg Direct index, which for May 1877 is on FHL microfilm 0,473,078. A bonus to this index is that if your ancestor is on it, you also find the last place of residence in Europe listed. Hamburg and Bremen were by far the largest German ports of emigration, but the Bremen lists no longer exist.