California, San Francisco Customs Passenger Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States CaliforniaSan Francisco County

What Is in the Collection?
This collection contains passenger lists of vessels arriving at San Francisco, California, January 1903-April 1918. These records correspond with NARA publication M1412 and were filmed at the NARA facility in College Park, Maryland.

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.

Passenger arrival lists known as customs manifests date back to 1820. Congressional action in 1891 resulted in federal immigration officials recording the immigrants’ arrival.

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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Passenger Lists may contain the following information:


 * Full name
 * Age
 * Gender
 * Occupation
 * Citizenship
 * Race
 * Birthplace
 * Final destination

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know :
 * The full name of your ancestor
 * The approximate age or 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 Browse Page. br>
 * 1) Select NARA Roll Number

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.

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 [URL of Custodian (space) Custodian Name].

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * In case you need to find this record again later, copy the citation below in the Citing This Collection section.
 * Use the information found in the record to find other [California Emigration and Immigration] such as emigrations, port records, and ship’s manifests.
 * Use the record to learn your ancestor’s foreign and “Americanized” names, if they were different.
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in the United States Census, 1900 (FamilySearch Historical Records) or the United States Census, 1930 (FamilySearch Historical Records). Search the state censuses as well.
 * Search for death or burial information in BillionGraves Index.
 * If applicable, search for military records as well.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.

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 records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * 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.
 * Check other possible ports of entry
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Citing This Collection
A citation is a note where you found information. Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Using citations allows others to find the same information.

Collection Citation:

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