The United States is a country built by immigrants. The beginning of European settlement in what is now the U.S. also marked the beginning of immigration here. The origins of these immigrants have changed over time, from English to Irish to German to Chinese to Eastern European to Italian to Asian to Hispanic. Many came to the U.S. in the hopes of a better life. They sought religious freedom, a better economic situation, or something else.
Most residents of the U.S. today are either immigrants themselves or descended from immigrants. Below is an overview of what kinds of immigration records are available for family history research and where to find them.
What the Records Are
Ship Passenger Arrival Records
These records are lists of people who traveled on a ship at a particular time. They may contain information about someone's birth place, last known residence, occupation, who they are going to live with in the U.S., and a brief physical description. There will in general be more information on the lists the newer they are.
Good Things to Know
- A resident of the British Empire wasn't required to register on a ship if they were traveling from one part of the Empire to another, making records from the Colonial Era spotty
- Many immigrants from Europe, particularly from Ireland, would travel first to Canada before going to the U.S.
- The U.S. government did not require passenger ships to file manifests until 1820
- The National Archives holds records from about 1820-1982 covering numerous ports
Where to Find Records
BPL Resources
Books
- Passenger listing indexes - A listing of books held by the BPL containing passenger listings information
- They Came in Ships - Author and genealogist John P. Colletta prepares you to undertake the search. He tells you not only what fundamental facts you need to know about your immigrant ancestor before beginning, but suggests where you may find that information as well.
- North America's Maritime Funnel: The Ships That Brought the Irish, 1749-1852
- Morton Allan Directory of European Passenger Steamship Arrivals for the Years 1890 to 1930 at the Port of New York and for the Years 1904 to 1926 at the Ports of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Baltimore
- Migration from the Russian Empire - Compiled from original customs passenger lists & immigration passenger lists held by the Temple-Balch Center for Immigration Research
- Italians to America - Transcriptions of passenger lists containing Italian surnames for ships entering all U.S. ports beginning in 1880. Arranged by ship date and indexed by passenger names.
Databases
- Ancestry Library Edition, opens a new window - The Immigration & Travel search category of Ancestry Library Edition includes multiple collections of passenger listings, primarily from the 19th century.
- HeritageQuest Online, opens a new window - HeritageQuest Online provides access to a limited collection of immigration records covering the U.S. and various other countries around the world.
Microform
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Immigration and Restriction League of Boston - 6 microfilm reels; contains a scrapbook of newspaper clippings
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Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906 - 117 microfilm reels: reel 1-38 Connecticut, reel 39-46 Rhode Island, reel 47-117 Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont
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Also available online, opens a new window.
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Passenger Lists of the Holland-America Line: 1900-1940 - 272 microfiche, covering 40 years of passenger lists of the Dutch-based Holland-America Line
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Also available online, opens a new window.
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Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, 1820-1891 - 115 microfilm reels; index covers 1848-1891
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Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Mass., 1891-1943 - 454 microfilm reels; does not include index
Other Resources
Online Records and Guides
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Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930 - A web-based collection of historical materials from Harvard's libraries, archives, and museums that documents voluntary immigration to the United States from the signing of the Constitution to the onset of the Great Depression.
- One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse - Contains tools for finding immigration records, census records, vital records, and for dealing with calendars, maps, foreign alphabets, and numerous other applications.
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Passenger Search at the Ellis Island site - Information on more than 12 million immigrants arriving in New York City from 1892 to 1954
- FamilySearch.org
Government Resources
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Boston Passenger Manifests Lists, 1848-1891 - From the Massachusetts State Archives
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Immigrant Records at the National Archives - Information about related collections at the National Archives
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Immigration Records - From the National Archives, provides an overview of what immigration records are and how to find them
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Search Strategies for Ships - From the National Archives at Waltham
Further Reading
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U.S. Immigration Timeline - From History.com
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Immigration Timeline - From the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
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How U.S. immigration laws and rules have changed through history - From PewResearch.org
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