California, San Diego Passenger Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains images and an index of Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at San Diego, California from February 10,1904 to March 25, 1952 from foreign ports. These records correspond with NARA publication A3471 part of Record Group 85 Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The lists are arranged by date of arrival.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The records usually include:


 * Full name
 * Age
 * Gender
 * Marital status
 * Occupation
 * Citizenship
 * Race,
 * Last permanent residence
 * Birthplace
 * Destination
 * Port and date of departure
 * Port and date of entry
 * Name of ship
 * Names of persons accompanying passenger
 * Birth date
 * Address of last permanent residence
 * Name and address of friend or relative at last address
 * Name and address of friend or relative in U.S.
 * Physical description and distinguishing marks
 * Who paid for passage
 * Purpose of visit

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person
 * The approximate date of immigration

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the NARA Roll Number - Contents to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record at the National Archives and Records Administration.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the record to learn the place of origin then search there for vital records such as birth, baptism, and marriage
 * Use the information found in the record to find probate records
 * Search for additional family members in census records
 * Look for the Declaration of Intent soon after the immigrant arrived. Then look for the naturalization petition five years later, when the residency requirement would have been met. Look for naturalization records in federal courts, then in state, county, or city courts. An individual may have filed the first and final papers in different courts and sometimes in a different state if the person moved. Immigrants who were younger than 18 when they arrived did not need to file a Declaration of Intent as part of the process

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching other possible ports of entry
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Record Finder
Consult the California Research Tips and Strategies and its Record Finder to search other records

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation:"California, San Diego Passenger Lists, 1904-1952." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 28 July 2017. Citing NARA microfilm publication A3471. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2008.

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