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Researching Passenger Arrival in the United States

Of all the US documents genealogical researcher search for, the Passenger
Arrival document, is probably the most sought after and valuable. It is the
bridge that helps us cross from America to Europe because it can tell us from
where our ancestors came. To find the document you must search the paper
trail left by your ancestor working BACKWARDS through the many US documents
they left.

Although not mandated by governments, the Master of the Vessel, or Captain,
kept a ship's manifest for hundreds of years listing its cargo and
passengers. It wasn't until 1 January 1820 that the US federal government
first started to regulate immigration by keeping track of incoming ship
passengers. In 1882 the US Passenger Act was passed requiring all captains to
keep a list of their passengers. Each arriving ship was required to submit a
passenger list (manifest). A world law was finally passed in 1891 requiring
the captains of every vessel to make a list of their passengers.

US passenger arrival documents are available for most ports from 1820 to
1954. They can be found on microfilm at the National Archives and from the
Latter- Day Saints Family History Center Library. Some large libraries, such
as the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, have collections
of passenger arrival on microfilms.

There is a catalog available from the National Archives, which provides a
description of the publications (microfilms) for all ports it is called
Immigration and Passenger Arrivals: A Select Catalog of National Archives
Microfilms (#200012). It covers the period from 1820-1954. You can order it
for about $2.00 by writing to:

National Archives Trust Fund
Dept 510
P.O. Box 100793
Atlanta, GA 30384

The Document:

Over the years there have been as many as seven different forms used for the
passenger arrival document. With each new form, the information provided
became more detailed. From 1820 to 1891 these documents were known as Customs
Passenger Lists, and from 1891-1954 they were known as Immigration Passenger
Lists. Here we will refer to them as Passenger Arrival Documents.

In 1820 for arrivals to the US, a Captain was required to keep a list, which
included only the passenger's name, age, their occupation, and Native County.
Before 1880, the town of origin was rarely asked for. The ship's name, date
of departure and arrival, and the Captain's name were also provided on the
list.

With the passage of the 1882 law, a Captain was now required to keep a
Passenger Arrival document with the following information:

The name of the ship
The ship's Captain
The date of departure and arrival
A list of all passengers
For Steerage Passengers information was kept on the passenger's name, age,
race, sex, marital status, occupation, literacy, native country, who was the
sponsor in the US, final destination, and if ever in the US before and when.

By 1906 more information was required on the passenger:

Personal description such as color of hair and eyes, height, complexion, and
identifying marks.
Exact city town or village of birth
Name and address of nearest living relative in their native county
Amount of money carrying

Finding the Document:

You must have approximate information to even begin your search for the
passenger arrival document;
a surname, age, and an idea of the year of arrival and to what port.

A family interview is always one of the best places to start. Maybe a
relative remembers being told a story about grandpa's arrival that could
provide you with the clue you need to start your search. "Grandpa said when
he arrived to New York there was a big snow storm!" Two clues, New York and
winter!

Ask for family documents. Maybe someone has an old passport, or ship's
ticket, or even a newspaper obituary that states when Uncle Joe arrived, and
you know that Grandpa came just after him. More clues!

The Federal Census records, 1900, 1910, and 1920 asked for the year of
immigration, how many years in the US, as well as citizenship status. Many
State Census records also asked these questions. A census record is a great
source to help you determine the year of arrival, research them! City
directories can help narrow down a year. Don't over look them.

A death certificate and even marriage records often give the length of time
in the US. Check these records for clues to your ancestor's arrival.

Naturalization document are a good source for finding the passenger arrival
document, as well as where your ancestor was born. The Declaration of
Intention or Petition for Naturalization can provide you with the exact
birthplace, and the ship, date, and port of arrival. Most of this information
was provided on the documents from after 1906, but some of the earlier
documents have this information and should be researched.

A passport record, US or foreign, can provide you with date and place of
birth for your ancestor. The US application can give you the information on
date of arrival.
Information for US Passports obtained between 1906-1925 are in the custody of
the Civil Reference Branch, Textual Reference Division, National Archives and
Records Administration, Suitland, MD 20409. The FHC has microfilms for
passport applications from 1795-1920 and indexes for years 1830-1831,
1850-1852, and 1860-1925.
Information for US Passports issued from 1925 are in the custody of the
Passport Office, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520. You must provide
death certificate or letter from applicant.

Land records many times contain information on immigration. The Homestead Act
of 1862 allowed free land from the government to all. Applications were taken
and information kept in a file. These files are at the National Archives.

The Big Myth:

"My family's surname was changed when they arrived to Ellis Island."

Probably not true!

The Passenger Arrival document, which contains a spelling of your ancestor's
name, was actually completed by the Steamship Companies at the PORT OF
EMBARKMENT (departure) most before the ship even sailed, others while on
board. The passenger was asked for his name and it was then written on the
document. The spelling error occurred for many reasons. A shipping officer at
a German port translates a Russian name with the way he heard and understood
it using his German alphabet, or using Latin letters. These unfamiliar names
were spelled as best as the officer could by phonetically.
Many of our ancestor's could not read and write these Latin languages and
therefore could not correct the spellings. When the passenger arrived at the
US port, the US Immigration Officers only verified the information that was
already provided on the document by the shipping companies.

So when looking for your ancestor's surname on arrival documents, or any
document for that matter, keep in mind various spellings. It is also
important to know that women often used their maiden names even if they were
married.

Indexes:

Once you have a basic idea of the spelling of your ancestor's name, his age,
port of arrival, and an approximate year of arrival, you can begin a search
for the passenger arrival document. Use the many Indexes available. They are
arranged by port, period, surname, ship's name, and even ethnic groups.
Knowing the approximate age of your ancestor at the time of arrival is
important because most Indexes are arrange by spelling first and age second.
Age will help you determine your Grandpa from someone else's, and a father
from a son.

Europeans arrived through many ports in the US. Most ports have an index to
help you find your ancestor, but be aware that not all years are indexed so
you will have to work around this. If you do not know the port, you might
take a guess and search the busiest ones used, such as New York,
Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, and New Orleans.

Baltimore City has a list from 1833-1866 with a Soundex Index. Other lists
for Baltimore that are indexed are for years 1820-1897, 1897-1952, 1954-1957.
They are all available on microfilm from the LDS.

Passenger Arrivals for Philadelphia, Penn are available for 1800-1906 on
LDS#0419424, 1906-1926, 1883-1948 all are Indexed on National Archive
microfilm #T526 LDS#1380256

Here is an example of some of the Indexes available for New York:

Register of Vessels arriving 1789-1919 is found on microfilm at the LDS FHC
Library and on National Archive group M1066. Arranged in chronological order
then alphabetical by vessel or owner.

New York Arrivals for 1820-1846 can be found in an alphabetical Index at your
local Latter-day Saints Family History Library, or at the National Archives,
Washington, DC or the Regional Division of the National Archives in New York
City in National Archive group M261.

Passenger Lists of Vessels 1820-1897 by Dates on microfilm at the LDS FHC
Library and in National Archive group M237.

If your ancestor arrived to New York between 1897-1902, you can look for the
arrival information in the Alphabetical Index at your local LDS FHC Library
and the National Archives group T519 all on microfilm.

Index for 1897 - 1957 arranged by Dates found on microfilm at the LDS FHC
Library and in National Archive group T715.

The New York Passenger Arrivals are arranged by Soundex for the years
1902-1943. You will need to Soundex your surname with the Code, which is
found at LDS FHC Library or the National Archives. Then order the microfilm
for that code. If your ancestor's surname is in the Soundex, it will tell you
the date and ship your ancestor arrived on. You can then either order the
microfilm for this date at the LDS FHC Library, or order it directly from the
National Archives in Washington, DC in group T621.

1906 - 1942 Index is an alphabetical index arranged by shipping line then
chronologically by date of arrival on microfilm at the LDS FHC Library and in
National Archives group T612.

Index 1944-1948 Soundex for passengers on microfilm at the LDS FHC Library
and in National Archives group M1417.

If you use the LDS FHC Library, you will be ordering the microfilm from their
main library in Salt Lake City, Utah. The microfilms will cost about $3.25 -
$3.75 depending on your library. They will keep the films at the local
library for about 6 weeks (leave a postcard with them).

There is no index for New York for 1847-1896. The WPA program that President
Roosevelt started in the 1930s ran out of money to Index these years.

When there is no Index, you will have to use other methods to locate the
arrival document and information. Look for Naturalization Records. You might
have to search a whole year on microfilm or a shipping company in the time
period. Use publications such as the William P. Filby Passenger and
Immigration Lists Index.
Ira A. Glazier's Migration from the Russian Empire:
Lists of Passengers Arriving at the Port of New York. There are many ways to
work around not having an Index of names.

Patience and time are required with all methods. And be aware that there are
error and omissions in any index. Handwriting can be illegible, ages
incorrect, spellings wrong, children omitted, and illegal entries not
mentioned.

Ports of Departure:

You might be able to find your ancestor's arrival using an Index for the Port
of Departure. Some do exist. Unfortunately for the busiest port, Bremen
Germany, all the records were destroyed during WWII. But there is a card file
that was microfilmed by the LDS based on the Bremen Lists. It is the
Namenskartei aus den Bremer Schiffslisten 1904-1914 card index arranged by
country. It is not complete, but just might have your ancestor's name on it.

Hamburg Germany was the second busiest port of departure and the passenger
records are available on microfilm at the LDS indexed for 1850-1934. The
records are divided into to groups, Direct (passengers going directly to
their destination without a stop over port) and Indirect (passengers stopping
at a European or British port before going to the US).

If you don't find them on the LDS microfilm, you could write for a search in
Germany.
Passenger lists for Hamburg are held in the "Steamship Werner", The Museum of
Hamburg History, and can be searched for 1850-1914.
Write to:

HAMBURG HISTORIC EMIGRATION OFFICE
Bei den St. Pauli
Landungs-Brucke
2000 Hamburg 4,
Germany
Cost:$30.00 first year, $10.00 each additional year (1995 costs).

For other European ports with departure or passport application lists, check
The Source, A Guidebook of American Genealogy.
The Morton Allen Directory has information on vessels arriving at New York
for 1890-1930. Only the name of the ship and date of arrival are given no
passenger names. The same information is available for the ports of
Baltimore, Boston, and Philadelphia for the years 1904-1926.
Check fiche #6046854 in your local Family History Center Library for the
Morton Allen Directory.
Tony Cimorelli has retyped the entire Morton Allan directory of ship arrivals
on line for the port of New York 1890-1930.
You can find it at: http://www.cimorelli.com/pie/nara/selldate.htm

For information on ships and passenger lists, you can subscribe to the Ships
List Server by sending email to>> TheShipsList-L-REQUEST@rootsweb.com
put the SUBSCRIBE in the Subject area
use just the word SUBSCRIBE in the main message area
The list provided questions and answers related to Ships and Arrival
Documents.

Once you find your ancestor and the date and ship, you will want to get a
copy of the document. If your local LDS FHC has a microfilm-copying machine,
and you have rented the film for the ship's list, you can copy the page at
the center. Or you might want to receive the document from the National
Archives.
The send it in a large, readable form of two pages for $10.00.
To Write for Passenger Arrival Document from the National Archives, use NA
Form 81 (Ship Passenger Arrival Records) and send to:

General Reference Branch
National Archives and Records Administration
7th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20408

You must know the arrival date, port, and ship.

You can order forms from the National Archives by email. To request forms
just send email to inquire@arch2.nara.gov
in the subject put in Form
in the body of the message: put in your mailing address (not email) the
number of the form, and number of forms needed.

If you know the ship your ancestor arrived on, you can get a picture and info
about it by writing to:

The Mariners' Museum Library,
100 Museum Drive
Newport News, VA 23606-3759
Phone: (804) 596-2222 Fax: (804)591-7310

Steamship History Society, University of Baltimore Library
1420 Maryland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone (410) 837-4334
Cost: $10.00 for photo & history of ship

Peabody Maritime Museum in Mass
Peabody Essex Museum
East India Square
Salem. MA (zip?)

The information give above is just a small amount of what is available for
Passenger Arrival documents. It would take a book to give details on
everything out there.

Web Sites:

Passenger and Ship Web Sites

Cyndi's List - Ships, Passenger
Lists & Immig...
http://www.cyndislist.com/ships.htm

THE OLIVE TREE GENEALOGY: Index to Passenger L...
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/indexshp.htm

Emigration.html at www.geocities.com
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5978/Emigration.html

Passenger Lists
http://freespace.virgin.net/alan.tupman/sites/ships.htm

TheShipsList Digest's On-Line at (with Soundex converter)
http://www.cimorelli.com/vbclient/shipmenu.htm

CIMO - Cimorelli Immigration Manifests Online
http://www.cimorelli.com/vbclient/shipmenu.htm

Arnie's Home Page & Immigration and Ship's Pa...
http://home.att.net/~arnielang/

Historical Maritime Information: Sources
http://www.lr.org/information/maritime/m-historic.html

Immigrant Ship Information
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/3649/ships.html

ISTG
http://istg.rootsweb.com/

New Steamship Consultants - Ocean Liner Memor...
http://www.oceanliner.com/

Public Record Office | Finding Aids | Registr...
http://www.pro.gov.uk/leaflets/ri005.htm

Ships
ftp://pixel.cs.vt.edu/pub/ships/grhspass.txt

Steamship Historical Society of America
http://www.sshsa.net/

World Register of Ship Portraits
http://www.fineartemporium.com/wrosp17.html

Document Information:
Document URL: http://www.infoukes.com/culture/lemkos/genealogy/arrival.html
Acknowledgements:

Information researched and written by:

Susanne M. Saether in Florida
E-mail: Susanne Saether@aol.com

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Page Updated Sun Aug 6, 2000 2:59pm EDT