Ancestry releases important database on WWII displaced persons

Researching relatives and ancestors who survived WWII is getting even more easier this summer, thanks to Ancestry.com.

The second newest WWII-related database is Africa, Asia and Europe, Passenger Lists of Displaced Persons, 1946-1971, a resource on 1.7 million people. Arolsen Archives (formerly the International Tracing Service) provided the document scans on Holocaust victims and survivors, Nazi forced laborers and refugees.

The documents in the database provide first and last name, nationality, country of birth, religion, martial status, gender, age or birth date, country of last residence, job title, departure date, departure place, resettlement camp, arrival place and destination on immigrants.

Here is a sample document from the database:

These documents cannot be found online elsewhere. Last week, Ancestry posted Europe, Registration of Foreigners and German Persecutees, 1939-1947 with 10.1 million records also from Arolsen Archives.

Just two months ago, Arolsen Archives added 10 million records to its own database, totaling the records to 13 million. That database doesn’t involve any fees nor registration.

Anyone who has relatives or ancestors who were displaced by WWII should search for records in these databases. It takes one new piece of information to make breakthroughs. Sometimes, the breakthrough could be a different spelling of a first name.

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