California, San Francisco Airplane Arrival Card Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of index cards which are arranged by series then chronologically by date of arrival by passenger then alien arrivals. This collection corresponds with NARA publication A3361: Register of Citizen (1943-1947) and Alien (1936-1949) Arrivals by Aircraft at San Francisco, California part of Record Group 85 Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

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

Arrival Index
 * Name
 * Date of birth
 * Place of birth
 * Age
 * Sex
 * Occupation
 * Nationality
 * Address
 * Date of arrival
 * Airport of arrival
 * Airplane number

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The full name of your ancestor
 * The date or place of birth
 * 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 NARA Roll Number - Contents 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?
If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record at the California Archives San Francisco.

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

 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in census records
 * If applicable, search for military records
 * Look for the Declaration of Intent soon after the immigrant arrived. Then look for the naturalization petition five years later, when the residency requirement would have been met. Look for naturalization records in federal courts, then in state, county, or city courts. An individual may have filed the first and final papers in different courts and sometimes in a different state if the person moved. Immigrants who were younger than 18 when they arrived did not need to file a Declaration of Intent as part of the process

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

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching other possible localities or ports of entry
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of California.
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records
 * Beginning Research in United States Naturalization Records
 * California Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research: 1850-1905 | 1905-Present

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.