South Carolina, Charleston U.S. Citizens Passenger Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains passenger lists of U.S. citizens arriving at Charleston, South Carolina for the years November 1919 to December 1948. These records correspond with NARA publication A3647 and were filmed at the NARA facility in College Park, Maryland.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

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

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?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * If available, check the image for additional information
 * Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family
 * 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

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

 * 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

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of South Carolina.
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records
 * Beginning Research in United States Naturalization Records
 * South Carolina Guided Research
 * South Carolina 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

 * Michael Tepper, American passenger arrival records: a guide to the records of immigrants arriving at American ports by sail and steam Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, c1993 FS Library 973 W27am 1993
 * John Philip Colletta, They came in ships: a guide to finding your immigrant ancestor's arrival record. 3rd ed. Orem, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, c2002 FS Library 973 W27c 2002
 * Michael J. Anuta,Ships of our ancestors Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1993, 2006 FS Library 973 U3an 1993
 * South Carolina, Charleston U.S. Citizens Passenger Lists, 1919-1948
 * Index to passenger lists of vessels arriving at ports in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, 1890-1924 : NARA RG85 publication T517

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.