New York, New York, Index to Vessels - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains indexes to vessels arriving at New York, New York, June 16 1897 to December 31 1956. These indexes correspond with NARA publication A3464 and serves as an index to the "Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957" NARA T715.

For additional details about the contents and use of this collection please see the microfilm descriptive pamphlet on the first roll. Images of the pamphlet can be located on roll 1 1897-1912 in the browse. See the "To Browse This Collection" below.

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

Vessel
 * Name of the vessel
 * Dates of departure and arrival
 * Volume numbers for related passenger lists

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know: If you do not know this information, check the census records after 1900.
 * The name of the vessel your ancestor in which your ancestor came
 * The approximate date of immigration

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?
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.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?
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
 * 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
 * Arrival lists was used by legal authorities to gather personal information about immigrants prior to the person being allowed to live in the United States
 * The information was supplied by the immigrant or a traveling companion (usually a family member). Incorrect information was occasionally given, or mistakes may have been made when the clerk guessed at the spelling of foreign 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

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

 * Check for variant spellings of the name
 * Look for other indexes. Records are often indexed by local historical and genealogical societies
 * Search the passenger lists year by year
 * Search the indexes of other port cities
 * Consult the New York Record Finder to find other records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of New York.
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records
 * New York Guided Research
 * New York Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step New York Research, 1880-Present

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * New York, New York, Index to vessels, 1897-1956
 * New York, New York, Index to Vessels, 1906-1942
 * Book indexes to New York passenger lists, 1906-1921 : NARA RG85 publication T612

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * New York, New York, Index to Passengers Lists of Vessels, 1897-1902 T519
 * New York, New York, Index to Passenger Lists, 1820-1846
 * New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Our immigration : a brief account of immigration to the United StatesWashington, D.C. : United States. Government Printing Office, 1972

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.