- Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at US. Ports, 1850 to 1887
- Morton-Allen Directory of European Passenger Arrivals at the Port of New York, 1890-1930, and at the Ports of Baltimore, Boston, and Philadelphia, 1904-1926
- Migration from the Russian Empire: Lists of Passengers Arriving at the Port of New York - note: still in progress; begins in 1875 and will cover the years up to 1910
- General Resources:
- Ellis Island Database - search the online database for your immigrant ancestor!
- Search Ellis Island Database in One Step - search capabilities are easier and more flexible than the official site; please note that is is not a second online database - this is an alternative way to search the Ellis Island Database
- Bremen Passenger Lists 1920 - 1939 - searchable database for passengers sailing from the port of Bremen, Germany; this database is not yet complete
- Ancestry.com - online images of passenger manifests
- PASSENGER LISTS ON THE INTERNET
- Immigrant Ship Lists -- from Firstmom's Genealogy Resources
- Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild -- thousands of passenger lists can be found on this site; new lists are added weekly
- Russian Consular Records
Many Poles who came from the Russian-occupied areas of Poland corresponded with the Russian consular offices in America and Canada. Information contained in these records may include nationality certificates, certificates of origin, visa applications, cancelled passports, birth/baptismal and marriage records, ship arrival information, and military service information. The NARA in Washington, D.C. has a published index to all individuals with a Consular file. Many of the regional branches have the index on microfiche.
- Canadian Passenger Records:
- Immigration Records - information about passenger records from the National Archives of Canada
- inGeneas Database -- contains Canadian passenger and immigration records from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries; well-worth exploring
- U.S. Passenger Records:
- IMMIGRATION AND SHIPS PASSENGER LISTS RESEARCH GUIDE -- a great resource from Arnie Lang
- Available 1800-1957 Immigration Records -- a list of ship's passenger lists available at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
- Australian and New Zealand Passenger Records:
- AUSNZ Passenger Lists -- links to lots of on-line resources
- New Zealand Genealogy Search Engine -- Search on-line New Zealand passenger lists, family trees, surname interest and other genealogical resource pages
- New Zealand Bound -- information about New Zealand immigration and links to passenger lists
- New Zealand Immigration and Shipping Lists -- information from the National Archives of New Zealand; note that this is a .pdf file and requires Adobe Reader to view this page
- Passenger Lists -- from OurStuff!; 557 on-line passenger lists of immigrants to New Zealand
- British Emigration (Departure) Records:
- Ancestors On Board -- surviving emigration lists, 1890-1960
- Naturalization Records -- explains the requirements for the American naturalization process; tips for locating naturalization records
- Naturalization Records Held by Citizenship and Immigration Canada -- about naturalization records in Canada
- Naturalization Records at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
- Naturalization in New Zealand -- info about early naturalizations
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Immigration and Naturalization
Passenger Lists
Each U.S. port of immigration was required to keep records from the early 1800s to the present. Many of these records are on microfilm at various libraries, LDS Family History Centers, and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). You will find the name of the port from where the ship sailed, the name and age of your ancestor, and any persons accompanying them. Port records vary in content depending upon the time frame. Information may also contain last place of residence, place of birth, name of nearest living relative, intended destination once in the United States, among other bits of information.
Canadian port records are available for the years 1865 to 1935 (records after 1935 are closed due to a privacy act). Some records are available for earlier years, but they are few. Information contained on Canadian passenger records: name, age, country of origin, occupation and intended destination of passengers.
I don't know when my immigrant ancestor arrived.
Well, then you need more information. If researching in the U.S. or Canada, consult census records. The 1900, 1910, and 1920 U.S. Census records contain the year of immigration (or at least the number of years in the U.S.). You should obtain copies of all census records for your ancestor. For a variety of reasons, the year of immigration can vary from one census record to another, so be sure to check as many as you can. Otherwise, you could spend a lot of wasted time searching the wrong year, especially if you are searching those unindexed New York port records! Only the Canadian census returns of 1901 includes the year of immigration.
Naturalization records are another source of an immigration date. See the Naturalization section below.
I don't know the port my ancestor came through.
If you are researching in the United States, there are many ports where your ancestor may have entered the country: New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Galveston, to name a few. He/she may also have landed in Canada and made his/her way across the border into the U.S. There are lots of possibilities. The best place to start is by searching these published passenger lists found in many larger libraries (always verify the info contained in these books with the actual passenger record!):
If you don't find your ancestor listed in these books, then you can search the microfilmed indexes at your local Family History Center or NARA (or one of its regional branches). Some larger libraries have copies of these microfilms or can get them via inter-library loan as well. However, the New York port records have not been indexed for the years 1847-1897.
If your ancestors immigrated to Canada, they may have arrived at Quebec, Vancouver, Montreal, or one of the other ports. Visit the National Archives of Canada for more information on immigration records for Canadian ports.
Other Resources for Immigration Information:
Naturalization Records
Don't overlook this potentially valuable source of information! The majority of U.S. naturalization records have been microfilmed. Knowing the date of naturalization is not required if the records are indexed. However, you must know the location of naturalization.
There is a great deal of information to be found on naturalization records, if your ancestor immigrated to the United States after 1906. In 1906, the information required on naturalization records became very detailed and often included the actual date of arrival and the name of the ship the immigrant sailed on.
However, very few naturalization records for Canada are available prior to 1917. Those naturalizations which occurred from 1917 onward contain valuable information, including the entry into Canada, and may include the names of spouses and children.
Australian naturalization records begin in 1904. The National Archives of Australia possesses a comprehensive index of surnames for all naturalizations after 1903. Naturalizations prior to this date were held by the individual states, and these records are located in the State Offices of the National Archives.
Resources for Naturalization Records:
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