Florida, Key West Passenger Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
Passenger lists of vessels arriving at Key West, Florida. This collection corresponds in part to NARA Publication T940: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Key West, Florida, 1898-1945 and is part of Record Group 85 Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The records are arranged by the date of arrival.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The records may include any of the following

Passenger lists prior to 1906
 * Name
 * Date of arrival
 * Port of embarkation
 * Name of ship

Passenger lists after 1906
 * Name of ship
 * Port of departure and port of entry
 * Name and age of passenger
 * Birth place of passenger
 * Citizenship, gender, marital status and occupation of passenger
 * Height, hair color, and eye color of passenger
 * Nationality of passenger
 * Passenger's last place of residence
 * Name and address of relative living near former residence
 * Destination
 * Name and address of relative or friend in current country

Sample Images
Passenger arrival lists known as customs manifests date back to 1820. Congressional action in 1891 resulted in federal immigration officials recording the immigrants’ arrival. The passenger lists are digital copies of the original records. The earliest records are handwritten pages. Later records are usually handwritten on pre-printed pages. The records are arranged by the date of entry into port.

Arrival lists was used by legal authorities to gather personal information about immigrants prior to the person being allowed to live in the United States.

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.

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 immigration

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

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the Description to view the images.

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 on a passenger list, 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.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?
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
 * 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 indexes of other port cities

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Florida.
 * Florida Guided Research
 * Florida Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying you sources helps others find the records you used.