Hesse (Hessen) Emigration and Immigration

=Including Hesse-Nassau (Hessen-Nassau) and Waldeck and Pyrmont=

For a comprehensive understanding of emigration and immigration records, study the article Germany Emigration and Immigration.


 * Generally, statewide indexes do not exist. However, there is a partial card index to emigration records from Hessen: Auswandererkartei 1800-1900 . It includes general indexes of Hessen and specific indexes which cover emigration from the modern districts of Dieburg, Bergstrasse and Erbach. Cards are all arranged alphabetically. (Except the 1825 index which is arranged in roughly reverse chronological order). It does not cover Hessen-Nassau areas.


 * This collection is also available online at Arcinsys Hessen. In the Search words box, enter the words "Auswanderer-Nachweise". Click Search and look for the line "Findkarteien und Datenbanken: Auswanderer-Nachweise". On the far right, click on "Navigator". Now in the left sidebar, an alphabetical index will appear. Again, this database does not cover Hessen-Nassau.


 * You might try this technique if you are working with a very unusual surname and still do not know your ancestors' town of origin. It won't work with names like Müller, Schmidt, Becker, Schumacher, etc. In the Search words box at Arcinsys Hessen, enter your ancestors' surname. You will be given a list of the records in the archives with that surname.  By studying the entries, you will learn some towns where families with that surname are found.  By studying the original records in that town, you might find proof that your ancestor lived there, in the form of a matching birth record or marriage record to what you already know.  Caution:  Do not assume if the list brings up a name like your ancestors' that it is automatically your family.  There can be many duplicate names in many towns.  You must follow up in the original records to prove the connection.  It would be wise to check each town to eliminate duplicates and find your exact match.

Germany Nationwide Records Websites

 * German Emigrant Data Base,covers 1820-1939, main source: New York passenger lists beginning in 1820, supplemented by material found in Germany, ($)

U.S. and German Passenger Lists and Indexes

 * The Hamburg Passenger Departure Lists 1850-1934
 * Bremen passenger lists, 1920-1939
 * French Lines
 * Ellis Island Records - New York arrivals 1892-1924, limited search functionality, includes images
 * CastleGarden – passenger arrivals in New York 1820-1913, currently not linked to images
 * One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse for the Ellis Island website and Castle Garden allows searches by various fields, with or without a complete name
 * Emigrants coming through Canada
 * Immigrant Ships Transcribers’ Guild