Prince Edward Island Emigration and Immigration

Because British ships entering a British colony such as Prince Edward Island did not have to register the passengers nor the ship’s arrival, early immigration records for the province are practically nonexistent.

The National Archives of Canada has microfilm copies of passenger manifests for ships arriving in Québec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick from 1865–1919. However, the lists have not been indexed. (See the “Archives and Libraries” section for the address of the National Archives.)

The Family History Library has a few Prince Edward Island sources of passenger lists:

Prince Edward Island Ship Passenger Lists. Salt Lake City: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978. (FHL film 1036774 item 8.) These are photocopies of the original records in the Public Archives and Records Office of Prince Edward Island. They are 9 ship passengers lists for 1775 to 1848 and a list of arrivals for 1855. Most of the ships embarked from Scotland.

Miscellaneous Records on Emigration from England and Scotland to Canada. . . Ottawa, Ont.: Microfilmed by [the] Central Microfilm Unit, Public Archives of Canada, [196?]. (FHL film 0393997.) These are copies of the original records at the National Archives of Canada. They include treasury register extracts for people who emigrated from England and particularly for those who went to Nova Scotia, Québec, and Prince Edward Island.

Canadian Border Crossing Records

The United States kept records of people crossing the border from Canada to the United States. These records are called border crossing lists, passenger lists, or manifests. There are two kinds of manifests:

Manifests of people sailing from Canada to the United States. Manifests of people traveling by train from Canada to the United States.

In 1895 Canadian shipping companies agreed to make manifests of passengers traveling to the United States. The Canadian government allowed U.S. immigration officials to inspect those passengers while they were still in Canada. The U.S. immigration officials also inspected train passengers traveling from Canada to the United States. The U.S. officials worked at Canadian seaports and major cities like Québec and Winnipeg. The manifests from every seaport and emigration station in Canada were sent to St. Albans, Vermont.

The Family History Library has copies of both kinds of manifests. Because the manifests were sent to St. Albans, Vermont, they are grouped under St. Albans District Manifest Records of Aliens Arriving from Foreign Contiguous Territory. Despite the name, the manifests are actually from seaports and railroad stations all over Canada and the northern United States, not just Vermont.

Border Crossing Manifests. Manifests may include each passenger's name, port or station of entry, date of entry, age, literacy, last residence, previous visits to the United States, and birthplace. The manifests are reproduced in two series:

Manifests of Passengers Arriving in the St. Albans, Vermont, District through Canadian Pacific and Atlantic Ports, 1895–January 1921. (608 rolls; FHL films 1561087–499; computer number 423848.) Includes records from seaports and railroad stations all over Canada and the northern United States. These manifests provide two types of lists:

–Traditional passenger lists on U.S. immigration forms. –Monthly lists of passengers crossing the border on trains. These lists are divided by month. In each month, the records are grouped by railroad station. (The stations are listed in alphabetical order.) Under the station, the passengers are grouped by railroad company. Manifests of Passengers Arriving in the St. Albans, Vermont, District through Canadian Pacific Ports, 1929–1949. (25 rolls; FHL films 1549387–411; computer number 423848.) These list travelers to the United States from Canadian Pacific seaports only.

Border Crossing Indexes. In many cases, index cards were the only records kept of the crossings. These cards are indexed in four publications:

Soundex Index to Canadian Border Entries through the St. Albans, Vermont, District, 1895–1924. (400 rolls; FHL films 1472801–3201; computer number 423848.)

The Soundex is a surname index based on the way a name sounds rather than how it is spelled. Names like Smith and Smyth are filed together. Soundex Index to Entries into the St. Albans, Vermont, District through Canadian Pacific and Atlantic Ports, 1924–1952. (98 rolls; FHL films 1570714–811; computer number 423848.)

St. Albans District Manifest Records of Aliens Arriving from Foreign Contiguous Territory: Records of Arrivals through Small Ports in Vermont, 1895–1924. (6 rolls; FHL films 1430987–92; computer number 423849.) The records are arranged first by port and then alphabetically by surname. Only from Vermont ports of entry: Alburg, Beecher Falls, Canaan, Highgate Springs, Island Pond, Norton, Richford, St. Albans, and Swanton.

Detroit District Manifest Records of Aliens Arriving from Foreign Contiguous Territory: Arrivals at Detroit, Michigan, 1906–1954. (117 rolls; FHL films 1490449–565; computer number 432703.) Only from Michigan ports of entry: Bay City, Detroit, Port Huron, and Sault Ste. Marie.