United States, Border Crossings from Canada to United States, 1894-1954 - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
This article describes land border entries, passenger lists,certificates of identify and alien certificates issued of aliens and citizens crossing into the United States from Canada via various ports of entry along the U.S.-Canada border between 1894-1954. This collection corresponds with five NARA collections which are part of Record Group 85 Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service:


 * Land Border Entries and Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia,Canada, January 1894-February 1905, A3445, 7 rolls
 * Records of Aliens Pre-Examined at St. John, New Brunswick, ca. 1917-ca. 1942, Prior to Admission at the U.S.-Canadian Border, A3450, 7 rolls
 * Records of Aliens Pre-Examined at Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1922-1954, Prior to Admission at the U.S.-Canadian Border, A3451, 11 rolls
 * Certificates of Identify Issued to U.S. Citizens Pre-Examined at Winnipeg,Manitoba, Who Entered the United States at Noyes,Minnesota, and Pembina and Walhalla, North Dakota, A3478, 2 rolls
 * Alien Certificates Issued to Aliens Pre-Examined at Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1922-1929, Prior to Admisssion at the U.S. Canada Border, A3480, 4 rolls

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Border Crossing
 * Name
 * Age
 * Date of birth
 * Birth country
 * Gender
 * Race or ethnicity
 * Ship name
 * Departure contact
 * Arrival contact

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The residence of your ancestor
 * The age of your ancestor
 * The estimated immigration year
 * The names of other family members

Search the Index
Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned

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.

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

 * Continue to search the index and records to identify other relatives
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Search the records of port cities along the border
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the United States.
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

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.