United States Border Crossings from Canada to United States - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
This article describes multiple collections. The collections consist of indexes of aliens and citizens crossing into the United States from Canada through various ports of entry along the U.S.-Canadian border between 1895 and 1956.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
The information in the records varies with the form used. The database generally includes the following:


 * Name
 * Age
 * Date of birth
 * Birth country
 * Gender
 * Race or ethnicity
 * Ship name
 * Departure contact
 * Arrival contact

Coverage Table
In many cases, the index cards are the only record of the crossing.
 * Ancestry.com has indexes with image links to the index cards. A study was not done at this time to determine if all four sets of indexes are included in this collection
 * Online index is also available at Border Crossings from Canada to United States, 1895-1956 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * The Family History Library has on microfilm all four sets of indexes of the records:

Manifests for Pacific and Atlantic ports provide two types of lists: the traditional passenger lists on U.S. immigration forms and monthly lists of names of aliens crossing the border on trains. These monthly lists are arranged by month, then alphabetically by name of port, and then by railway.

A variety of Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) forms were used to record information about individuals entering the United States. Types of forms used included: Primary Inspection Memorandum; Manifest; Record of Registry; and Land Border Departure Record. Due to the variety of forms, the amount of information available for an individual in this database will vary according to the form used and the questions asked on it.

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The residence of your ancestor
 * The age of your ancestor
 * The estimated immigration year
 * The names of other family members

Search the Index
Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned

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?

 * 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 alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Search the records of port cities along the border
 * 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 that may be your ancestor

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.

"United States, Border Crossings From Canada to United States, 1895-1956." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Various NARA microfilm publications, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, RG 85 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
 * Collection Citation:

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