Texas, El Paso Manifests of Arrivals at the Port of El Paso - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection contains records documenting alien arrivals in El Paso. The manifests include forms from the Immigration and Naturalization Service, including index cards, This Natational Archives and Records Administration title for this collection is Nonstatistical Manifests and Statistical Index Cards of Aliens Arriving at El Paso, and the NARA publication number is A3406. The records cover the years 1905 to 1927, the majority of them are from 1906-1924. These records are part of the Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Record Group (RG) 85.

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

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Passenger lists generally include the following information:


 * Name
 * Birth place
 * Age
 * Gender
 * Occupation
 * Nationality
 * Last permanent residence
 * Destination
 * Name and address of relative or friend
 * Port and date of entry

How to Use the Record
To begin your search, look for your ancestor in the index. It is helpful to know the full name of your ancestor and the approximate date of immigration. If you do not know this information, check the census records after 1900.

Search the Collection
To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Record Type" category ⇒Select the "Range" category 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.

Using the Information
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. 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.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * 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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the name.
 * Look for other indexes. Records are often indexed by local historical and genealogical societies.
 * Search the indexes of other port cities.

Related Websites

 * Find Your Ancestors in One Step *http://www.genesearch.com/ports.html US Ports of Arrival and their Available Passenger Lists 1820-1957]

Related Wiki Articles

 * Texas
 * Texas Emigration and Immigration
 * Texas History

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A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.