United States, Index to Passenger Arrivals, Atlantic and Gulf Ports - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
This is a card index to passengers arriving at 70 ports along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts for the years 1820 to 1874. New York City is excluded from this index.

States and portscovered by this collection include: Ship captains kept lists of passengers to manage their finances and prevent stowaways. Later, immigration laws increased the need for passenger lists, which grew in detail. Eventually the Federal Government began to store immigrant documentation. These lists were first created to keep track of a captain's shipment and paying passengers. Later, they became a means to document immigration to the United States. Although generally reliable, passenger lists were handwritten, causing possible spelling errors.
 * Alabama:Mobile
 * Connecticut:Bridgeport,Fairfield,Hartford,New Haven,New London,Saybrook
 * Delaware:Wilmongton
 * District of Columbia:Georgetown
 * Florida:Key West,St. Augustine,St. Johns
 * Georgia:Darien,Savannah
 * Louisiana:New Orleans
 * Maine:Bangor,Bath,Belfast,Frenchmen's Bay,Kennebunk,Passamaquoddy, Penobscot,Portland,Falmouth,Waldboro,Wiscasset,Yarmouth
 * Massachusetts:Barnstable,Beverly,Boston,Charlestown,Digton,Edgartown,Fall River,Gloucester,Hingham,Marblehead,Nantucket,New Bedford,Newburyport,Plymouth,Salem
 * Maryland:Annapolis,Baltimore,Havre de Grace
 * North Carolina:Beaufort,Edenton,New Bern,
 * New Hampshire:Portsmouth
 * New Jersey:Bridgetown,Cape May,Little Egg Harbor,Newark,Perth Amboy
 * New York:Oswegatchie,Rochester,Sag Harbor
 * Ohio:Sandusky
 * Pennsylvania:Philadelphia
 * Rhode Island:Bristol,Warren,Newport,Providence
 * South Carolina:Charleston,Port Royal
 * Texas:Galveston
 * Virginia:Alexandria,East River,Hampton,Norfolk,Portsmouth,Petersburg,Richmond

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 name of your immigrant ancestor
 * The approximate age of your ancestor
 * The date of arrival
 * The port of arrival
 * The names of other family members who may have immigrated with your ancestor

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
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify other relatives
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of other ports such as New York or Boston
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals with the same family number

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the United States.
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * United States Research Tips and Strategies

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 FHL 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 FHL 973 W27c 2002
 * Michael J. Anuta,Ships of our ancestors Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1993, 2006 FHL 973 U3an 1993
 * Supplemental index to passenger lists of vessels arriving at Atlantic & Gulf Coast ports (excluding New York) 1820-1874 : NARA publication M334
 * Copies of lists of passengers arriving at miscellaneous ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and at ports on the Great Lakes, 1820-1873 : NARA RG36 M575
 * 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.

Estados Unidos, Índice das Chegadas de Passageiros, Portos do Atlântico e do Golfo (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)