Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Lists, 1891-1943 - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of Boston Passenger Lists for 1891 through 1943. The passenger lists are from National Archives microfilm publication T843: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Massachusetts and are part of Record Group 85 Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

General Information About These Records
The lists consist of large sheets of paper divided into columns and rows. Earlier lists are handwritten, while most after 1917 are typewritten. Lists after 1906 usually occupy two pages.

Passenger arrival lists known as customs manifests date back to 1820. In 1883, the federal government mandated the creation of ship manifests and in 1891, Congressional action resulted in federal immigration officials recording the immigrants’ arrival.

The passenger arrival list was used by legal inspectors to question 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.

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

Passenger list
 * Port of departure and sailing date
 * Port of entry and arrival date
 * Name and age of immigrant
 * Gender, marital status and occupation
 * Country of citizenship or last country of residence
 * Name and address of relative in former country
 * Birthplace
 * Intended final destination
 * Name and address of friend or relative where going
 * Physical description

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

If you do not know this information, check the census records after 1900.

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.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Make a photocopy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age listed to calculate a birth date
 * Use the last residence or port of departure to find records in his or her country of origin such as emigrations, port records, or ship’s manifests
 * Use the occupation to search for employment and guild records
 * Use the intended destination to search for church, census, and land records
 * 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 had a common name, be sure to look at all the entries for that date before you decide which is correct
 * 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
 * Please note that when you select an image to view, sometimes the manifest includes more than one page, and when you use the "click to enlarge manifest" link, the image that appears is not always the first page of the record. You may need to click on the "previous" or "next" links to view the remaining pages of the full manifest

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

 * Check for variant spellings
 * Look for an index. Records are often indexed by local historical and genealogical societies. There may also be another collection which is an index to the records
 * Search the indexes of other port cities

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

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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.