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Probably more time is spent hunting for our ancestors on ship passenger
lists than any other type of research. In our naiveté we assume
these records will reveal exactly where in the "old country" our ancestors
came from. It is not always that simple. Depending on when your immigrant
ancestors arrived, American ship passenger lists may or may not provide
this information. In some instances determining the ancestral home can
be discovered by tracking down naturalization papers, rather than ship
passenger lists.
To be sure there is nothing quite like finding your ancestor on a
ship passenger list. But be prepared to do some serious digging. There
are three major time frames important to researching American ship passenger
lists. They are: 1891-1954, 1820-1890 and pre-1820. The two major repositories
for these microfilmed records are the National
Archives and the LDS (Mormon) Family History
Library (FHL).
If your ancestors arrived between 1891 and 1954, Immigration Passenger
Lists are valuable. Immigrants were asked to provide information such
as:
- Marital status
- Last residence
- Final destination in the U.S.
- If ever in the U.S. before, when, where and for how long.
- If going to join a relative, the relative's name, address and relationship
In 1906 and 1907 more questions were added to the above list, including:
- Personal description: height, complexion, color of hair and eyes,
identifying marks
- Place of birth — the exact city, town or village.
- Name and address of closest living relative in native country.
However, if your ancestors landed between 1820 and 1890, you will need
to search what's known as Customs Passenger Lists. These contain only
the following data:
- Name of ship
- Name of its master
- Port of embarkation
- Date and port of its arrival
- Each passenger's name, age, sex, occupation and nationality.
Contrary to popular belief, the National Archives does not have
copies of all ship passenger lists. It does have a microfilm copy
of the passenger lists that were turned over to it by the Customs
Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service when this
federal repository was established in 1935. Inbound federal ship
passenger arrival records at the National Archives date back to
1820 for most East Coast and Gulf Coast ports and a few lists
dating back to 1800 for Philadelphia. The archives staff will
search available indexed lists for you (first request NATF Form
81 from Reference Services Branch (NNIR), National Archives, 8th
and Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20408). You also can search
indices and passenger lists yourself through the Family History
Library system.
When requesting a search by the National Archives you must supply
the following information on NATF Form 81:
- Full name of the passenger
- Port of entry
- Approximate date of arrival
Major indices exist for the ports of:
There were no federal laws requiring ship passenger lists be recorded
prior to 1820. However, some lists exist and have appeared in print in
various publications. The best source for these pre-1820 records is the
multi-volume series, edited by P. William Filby, entitled Passenger
and Immigration Lists Index — widely available in public and
academic libraries. These volumes give information about passenger lists
which appear in books and periodicals, and your librarian can help you
locate such references. |
