Canada Passenger Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Listes de passagers canadiens

Record Description
This collection includes indexes and images of ships' passenger lists (also known as ships' manifests or seaport records of entry). Contains records for the ports of:


 * Quebec City, 1900-1921;
 * Halifax, 1881-1922;
 * Saint John, 1900-1912;
 * North Sydney, 1906-1912;
 * Vancouver, 1905-1912;
 * Victoria, 1905-1912;
 * New York, 1906-1912;
 * Eastern US Ports, 1905-1912.

The lists for United States ports include only those names of passengers with intentions of proceeding directly to Canada.

The Canadian government did not keep lists of emigrants. Before 1947 there was no Canadian citizenship separate from British, and Canadians moved freely throughout the British Empire. Before 1895, when the United States government began keeping border-crossing records, Canadians moved to the United States with few restrictions.

During the early 20th century, consular officials of the Russian Empire stationed in Canada and the United States kept files on former empire residents who sought their aid (to help in filling out naturalization and passport applications or to obtain proof of military service in Russia). These are especially helpful for documenting Jewish immigrants. Although this collection is considered a list of Jewish immigrants from Russia, many of the records are for other-ethnic immigrants, including Ukranians and Finns.

There are very few passenger lists for ships coming into Canada before 1865. Lists were not made or were destroyed. The Library and Archives Canada website has posted an index of some lists that have survived. Some of these indexed names have been gathered from declarations of aliens and names of some Irish orphans.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org. It may include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content

 * Name
 * Age
 * Gender (male or female)
 * Nationality
 * Date of arrival
 * Port of arrival
 * Name of ship

Beginning your Search
Before you search this collection, make sure you have the following information:


 * Ancestor's name
 * Name of ship
 * Port of departure

Using the information
When you have found the information that you are looking for, you can:


 * Identify the last place of residence before your ancestors departure
 * Calculate the age to give an approximate date of birth
 * Find the names of other family members traveling with your ancestor at the time.

Searching the 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.

Searching the Images
To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page: ⇒Select the “Port of Arrival” category ⇒Select the “Arrival date - year” ⇒Select the “Name of Ship” which will take you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Related Websites

 * Library and Archives of Canada
 * Olive Tree Genealogy: Canadian Passenger Lists
 * Immigrants to Canada

Related Wiki Articles

 * Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
 * Canada Emigration and Immigration

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. 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.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Delaware Marriage Records,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 4 March 2011), William Anderson and Elizabeth Baynard Henry, 1890; citing Delaware, State Marriage Records, no. 859, Delaware Bureau of Archives and Records Management, Dover.