How did your immigrant ancestors get here? They came on vessels and steamships that sailed to various North American destinations: Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, or any of the other 90-plus US ports.
Records of your ancestors’ journey across the ocean are commonly referred to as passenger lists or ship’s lists. This guide will show how to find them (and what information they hold), plus where to find immigration details when passenger lists aren’t panning out.
CLUES IN PASSENGER LISTS
Two types of passenger lists exist, depending on when the list was created, and it’s helpful for genealogists to understand the distinctions.
Customs lists (1820 to about 1891): Starting in 1820, the federal government required all US-bound ships to keep lists of their passengers. Blank customs lists were usually printed in the United States and filled out at the port of departure by the shipping company personnel.
Because their purpose was primarily statistical, these lists don’t hold extensive details—generally just the following:
