Massachusetts, Barnstable Crew Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Massachusetts Barnstable County



What is in the Collection?
This collection contains incoming and outgoing crew lists from Barnstable, Massachusetts for the years 1839 to 1909. It usually contains the name of the vessel, captain's name, the names and positions of the crew along with their birthplace, residence and age.

Collection Contents
The records may include any of the following:


 * Name of ship and port of departure
 * Ship's arrival date and port of entry
 * Names of crew members
 * Position in the ship's crew
 * When and where engaged as a member of the crew
 * Age
 * Gender
 * Race
 * Nationality
 * Height
 * Weight
 * Physical marks or peculiarities

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * Your ancestor's name
 * Other identifying information such as the age and nationality

To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Date Range" ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details and lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example, you can use passenger lists to:


 * Learn an immigrant’s place of origin
 * Confirm their date of arrival
 * Learn foreign and “Americanized” names
 * Find records in his or her country of origin such as emigrations, port records, or ship’s manifests.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * If your ancestor had a common name, be sure to look at all the entries for a name before you decide which is correct.
 * Continue to search the passenger lists to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who may have immigrated at the same time.
 * If your ancestor has an uncommon surname, you may want to obtain the passenger list of every person who shares your ancestor’s surname if they lived in the same county or nearby. You may not know how or if they are related, but the information could lead you to more information about your own ancestors.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, Now What?

 * Check for variant spellings. Realize that the indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings and misinterpretations.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes of other port cities.

Related Websites
National Archives at Boston

Related Wiki Articles

 * Massachusetts
 * Barnstable County, Massachusetts
 * Massachusetts Emigration and Immigration

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: