Brazil, Bahia, Passenger Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Listas de Passageiros do Porto de São Salvador, Bahia, Brasil.

Collection Time Period
This collection of passenger arrival lists into Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, includes the years 1855-1964.

Record Description
Passenger lists from the Sea Port of Salvador in the State of Bahia, Brazil.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in passenger lists may include:


 * Name of passenger
 * Age
 * Occupation
 * Port of destination
 * Port of embarkation
 * Sometimes place of origin or birth place

How to Use the Record
To begin your search, it is helpful to know the full name of your ancestor and the approximate date of immigration. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

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 that can 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 names and their Portuguese translations
 * Find records in his or her country of origin such as emigrations, port records, or ship’s manifests

You may also find these tips helpful:


 * 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 area 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.

If you do not find the name you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the name.
 * Look for an index. Records are often indexed by local historical and genealogical societies.
 * Search the passenger lists year by year.
 * Search the indexes of other port cities.

Record History
The passenger arrival list was used by legal inspectors to cross-examine each immigrant during a legal inspection prior to the person being allowed to live in Brazil. As immigrants arrived to the port of Salvador, they were registered by the Agência Central de Imigração (Central Agency for Immigration).

Why the Record Was Created
Passenger lists were issued at time of embarkation to account and document all passengers traveling on board a ship. On arrival at the destination, this passenger lists were used to register each passenger as they disembarked.

Record Reliability
The information was supplied by the immigrant and his identification documents. Incorrect information was occasionally given, or mistakes may have been made when the immigration officer guessed at the spelling of foreign names.

Related Websites

 * BrazilGenWeb
 * Arquivo Público da Bahia
 * Colégio Brasileiro de Genealogia

Related Wiki Articles
Brazil Emigration and Immigration

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection

 * "Delaware Marriage Records," index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org): accessed 4 March 2011, entry for William Anderson and Elizabeth Baynard Henry, married 23 November 1913; citing marriage certificate no. 859; FHL microfilm 2,025,063; Delaware Bureau of Archives and Records Management, Dover.
 * “El Salvador Civil Registration,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org): accessed 21 March 2011, entry for Jose Maria Antonio del Carmen, born 9 April 1880; citing La Libertad, San Juan Opico, Nacimientos 1879-1893, image 50; Ministerio Archivo Civil de la Alcaldia Municipal de San Salvador.

Sources of Information for This Collection
Brazil. Agência Central de Imigração. Listas de passageiros, 1855-1964. Arquivo Público do Estado da Bahia, Salvador, Brasil.

Detailed instructions for adding citations are also listed in the wiki article: How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.