How can I track my surname through an immigration?

Question:

How can I track my surname through an immigration?

It's Pepin. I know it's French but I can't trace it any further back through Puerto Rico. It's an old one so there's a possibility it came through Spain, given the chance my French ancestors were brave enough to travel through the Pyrenees. There are many Pepin's in Canada but I guess my great, great, great- grandparents didn't want the cold weather.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: French records are difficult to find on the internet. Unlike many major European ports, Le Havre and Marseilles haven't indexed and published the port records or exit visas. But the records do exist and are primarily on microfilm through the LDS. Contrary to what many believe, the Mormons haven't transcribed even a minute fraction of their records. That which is on the internet was mostly donated material. The real records that they possess are on microfilm and circulate that way.

Since you do have the family going to Puerto Rico, I would believe you have a timeframe for your search. That's actually very good news. If you know the approximate year of arrival in PR, then the next step is to look for the passenger records. Your choices are to search exit records from France or arrival records...or both. I'm a fan of the "or both" when you can limit your timeframe to +/- 1 year. If it's broader than that then you need to figure out through alternative means when they might have arrived.

Your thought that they might have gone through Spain is interesting, but I might propose another couple of possibilities. One is that they might have been exiled from Acadia when the Brits took possession of the land. The royal houses of France and Spain were related and many who were exiled ended up in Spanish possessions in the Caribbean between 1745-1785. Many were even sent into slavery in the American colonies and escaped on ships at American colonial ports into the Caribbean for refuge.

Another possibility is that when France and Spain were playing around with their colonial possessions, your immigrant ancestor may have been in military service to the French or Spanish crown.

It's possible that your immigrant ancestor was a buccaneer in the Caribbean. They were plentiful...and they were very often French.

If you want to share what you have with me, I'd be glad to try a little research with my resources. I have both the University of Michigan and Burton Collections available to me, as well as private French resources. I would need whatever names, dates, places, etc that you have. Once we limit it, we may have to start playing with religious and military records. This could get fun!