American Samoa, Passenger Lists and Travel Documents

Record Description
This collection will include indexes and images from 1932-1961, including passenger lists, passports, travel permits, letters of identity, affadavits of birth, visas and visa requests, and naturalization petitions from American Samoa.

American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Samoa, located west of the Cook Islands, north of Tonga, and south of Tokelau. American Samoa is the southernmost territory of the U.S. and one of two U.S. territories south of the Equator.

A passport is a travel document, usually issued by the government of a nation, that certifies the identity and nationality of its holder for the purpose of international travel.

A permit to travel allows passengers to travel when they have not purchased a ticket in advance and the ticket office of the station they are traveling from is closed.

Ship passenger arrival lists typically include the name of the ship, the names of passengers, ages, ports of arrival and departure, date, country of origin, and occupation.

A visa is legal permission given by the authority of a country for a person who is not a citizen of that country to enter and to remain there for a specified length of time.

An affidavit is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made under an oath to a person authorized to do so by law.

Record Content
Visas may include the following information:


 * Name of Petitioner
 * Residence of Petitioner
 * Date of Birth
 * Month and Year of Visit
 * Intended Length of Stay in the Country
 * Areas authorized to Visit

Petitions for Naturalization may contain the following information:


 * Name of Petitioner
 * Residence of Petitioner
 * Date of Birth
 * Month and Year of Immigration
 * Court where Petition is filed

Passports may contain the following information:


 * Name of Petitioner
 * Residence of Petitioner (Sometimes included)
 * Date of Birth
 * Nationality
 * Physical Description of Petitioner

Passenger Lists may contain the following information:


 * Name of Petitioner
 * Residence of Petitioner
 * Month and Year of Immigration
 * Name of Ship
 * Date of Departure and Arrival
 * Ports of Departure and Arrival
 * Occupation
 * Names of Family Members
 * Purpose of Travel

Search the Collection
To search by index:

Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

To search by image:

To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link on the initial search page ⇒Select the "Record type" category ⇒Select "Year or year range" category which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

When searching:

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives.
 * Don’t overlook the possibility of finding ancestors who were visiting relatives, traveling for business, or for pleasure.

Related Websites

 * American Samoa Birth Certificates, Death Records and Marriage Licenses.
 * American Samoa Vital Records.
 * American Samoa Death Records.
 * American Samoa Kindred Trails.

Related Wiki Articles

 * American Samoa
 * American Samoa Census
 * American Samoa Vital Records
 * American Samoa Archives and Libraries

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information (often called citing your sources). This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection citation:

Image Citation: