Minnesota Passenger and Crew Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection consists of passenger and crew lists from the following National Archive microfilm publications from Minnesota and is part of Record Group 85 Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.


 * Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at Two Harbors, Minnesota, August 1929 to October 1956(A3384). The crew lists of vessels that last departed from a Canadian port are arranged by date of arrival and includes two vessels (John C. Williams and Goderich) arriving in July 1950 from Ashland,Wisconsin
 * Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baudette, Grand Marais, International Falls, Ranier, and Warroad, Minnesota, 1946 to 1956(A3444). The crew lists of vessels that last departed a Canadian or foreign port are arranged by port of arrival then chronologically.
 * Manifests of Alien,January 1912-July 1924, and Citizen, January 1912-December, 1956, arrivals at Noyes,Minnesota and at Dunseith,Neche,Pembina,Saint John,and Walhalla, North Dakota(A3491). The manifests of aliens and citizens(over 17,000 manifests) are arranged by date of arrival.

Record Content
Information found in this collection may include:


 * Name
 * Length of service
 * Position within the crew
 * Age
 * Nationality
 * When and where signed on to crew
 * Significant remarks
 * Name of vessel
 * Port of departure
 * Date of departure
 * Port of arrival
 * Date of arrival
 * Serial number and form of required foreign service or immigration form

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know


 * The name of your ancestor.
 * Some other identifying information such the port and date or arrival or departure.

Search the Collection
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 "NARA Publication" ⇒Select the appropriate "NARA Roll Number" 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.

Using the Information
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 these 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.
 * Find federal immigration records

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Download a copy of the record or transcribe the details.
 * 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 lists to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives 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. You may not know how or if they are related, but the information could lead you to more information about your own ancestors.
 * If you do not find the name you are looking for check for variant spellings of their names.
 * Please note that when you select an image to view, sometimes the manifest includes more than one page, and when you use the "click to enlarge manifest" link, the image that appears is not always the first page of the record. You may need to click on the "previous" or "next" links to view the remaining pages of the full manifest..

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the indexes and records of other localities.
 * 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.

Related Websites

 * National Archives Collection Description A3384
 * National Archives Collection Description A3444
 * National Archives Collection Description A 3491
 * National Archives Immigration Records
 * National Archives Great Lakes Crew Lists

Related Wiki Articles
Minnesota Emigration and Immigration

Citations for 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: