Netherlands Passenger Lists Holland-America Line - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection consists of passenger lists for the Holland-America Line (Holland Amerika Lijn), which transported numerous refugees from war-torn Europe to the United States prior to 1941. The passenger lists show the name of the ship, its destination, and the date it left port. The passenger's name is included, along with various details of passage arrangements, fees, etc. Passenger lists are available for the following range of dates: 3 May 1900 through 14 October 1974. Original records are available through the Rotterdam City Archive (Gemeentearchief te Rotterdam), Netherlands. This collection is being published as images become available. The text is handwritten in Dutch in a ledger type register. Passengers are listed by passage contract number.

Passenger lists from the voyages of the Holland-America Line, a Steamship Company of the Netherlands that covered the transatlantic routes mainly between the ports of Rotterdam and New York, and occasionally calling on the ports of Boulogne-sur-mer, Plymouth, Southampton, Boston and Halifax. The names of the vessels were: Potsdam, Rotterdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Statendam, Ryndam, Veendam, and Volendam.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

This collection of passenger lists covers the years 1900-1974.

It was necessary to keep a record of all the passengers boarding on to the company’s different steamships traveling from the Netherlands to North America.

The data in these records may be reliable as far as the person that was giving the information; the spelling depended on the recorder.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

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




 * Passage contract number
 * Name of passenger
 * Number of persons traveling together
 * Departure and destination places
 * Date of departure
 * Price of passage
 * Ship name
 * Passenger’s cabin class

How to Use the Records
To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select Van continent-Naar continent ⇒ Select the Vertrekjaar ⇒ Select the Vertrekmaand en-dag ⇒ Select the Naam Schip which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about 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 and 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 and “Americanized” names
 * 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 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.

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


 * Check for variant spellings. Realize that the indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings and misinterpretations.
 * Try a different index if there is one for the years needed. You may also need to search the passenger lists year by year.
 * Search the indexes of other port cities.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Gjenvick-Gjonvik Archives

Related Wiki Articles

 * Netherlands Emigration and Immigration
 * The Netherlands

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 Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Netherlands, Passenger lists Holland-America Line, 1900-1974”, digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 27 March 2012), Europa-Southampton &gt; 1919 &gt; jun. 5 &gt; SS Rotterdam &gt; Image 3 of 19, entry for Mr. A. Boden traveling from Rotterdam to Southampton; citing “Netherlands, Holland America Steamship Line Passenger Lists, 1900-1974”, Images, Rotterdam City Archive (Gemeentearchief te Rotterdam), Netherlands.