Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of the index and images of passenger arrivals in Baltimore, Maryland. This collection contains records from three NARA publication including M255 (Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, 1820-1891); M596 (Quarterly Abstracts of Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, 1820-1869); and T844 (Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, 1891-1948). Passenger arrival lists from July 1, 1948 to November 30, 1954 do not exist.

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 America. Only two percent of the prospective immigrants were denied entry.

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

See also Baltimore Passenger List Index, 1820 -1897

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

Ship manifest of alien immigrants


 * Ship's name with port and date of departure
 * Date of arrival and U. S. port of entry
 * Name of immigrant and nationality
 * Age, gender, marital status and occupation of immigrant
 * Birthplace, and last permanent residence
 * Who paid for passage
 * Intended final destination
 * Able to read and write?
 * Any physical impairments?

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate date and place of naturalization

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?

 * Use the information to find other records such as emigrations, port records, and ship’s manifests
 * Look for the Declaration of Intent soon after the immigrant arrived, and then look for the Naturalization Petition five years later, when the residency requirement would have been met. Look for naturalization records in federal courts and 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
 * Learn foreign and “Americanized” names
 * Learn the place of origin and find church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records. Also search for military, land and probate records
 * Use the information to find additional family members in census records
 * Search for church records

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

 * Try viewing the original record. Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relatives that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search
 * Try variant spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Maryland.
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records
 * Searching Passenger Lists
 * Maryland Guided Research
 * Maryland Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Index (Soundex) to passenger lists of vessels arriving at Baltimore, 1897-1952 : NARA RG85 publication T520
 * Index to passenger lists of vessels arriving at Baltimore, (city passenger lists) 1833-1866 : NARA RG85 publication M326
 * Index to passenger lists of vessels arriving at Baltimore, 1820-1897 (Federal passengers lists) : NARA publication M327
 * Maryland, Baltimore, passenger and crew lists of vessels and airplanes, 1954-1957
 * Passenger lists of vessels arriving at Baltimore, 1820-1948 ; Quarterly abstracts of passenger lists of vessels arriving at Baltimore, 1820-1869 : NARA M255, T844 and M596
 * United States, Eastern US ports, passenger lists
 * general editor, Michael H. Tepper, general editor; transcribed by Elizabeth P. Bentley, Passenger arrivals at the port of Baltimore, 1820-1834 : from customs passenger lists Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, 1982 FS Library 975.26 W3p

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Maryland, Baltimore, Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels and Airplanes, 1954-1957
 * Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists Index, 1820-1897
 * Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists Index, 1897-1952

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * compiled by Harold Lancour ; with a list of passenger arrival records in the National Archives by Frank E. Bridgers. A bibliography of ship passenger lists, 1538-1825 : being a guide to published lists of early immigrants to North America New York, New York : New York Public Library distributed by Readex Books, 1975
 * Forrest R. Holdcamper, comp. Preliminary inventory of the records of the Bureau of Customs, record group 36 Washington, D.C. : National Archives & Records Administration, Central Plains Region, 1968

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.