Brazil, Bahia, Passenger Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Listas de Passageiros do Porto de São Salvador, Bahia, Brasil.

Record Description
This collection of passenger arrival lists into Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, includes the years 1855-1964.

Passenger lists from the Sea Port of Salvador in the State of Bahia, Brazil.

The passenger arrival list was used by legal inspectors to cross-examine each immigrant during a legal inspection prior to the person being allowed to live in Brazil. As immigrants arrived to the port of Salvador, they were registered by the Agência Central de Imigração (Central Agency for Immigration).

Passenger lists were issued at time of embarkation to account and document all passengers traveling on board a ship. On arrival at the destination, this passenger lists were used to register each passenger as they disembarked.

The information was supplied by the immigrant and his identification documents. Incorrect information was occasionally given, or mistakes may have been made when the immigration officer guessed at the spelling of foreign names.

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
Key genealogical facts found in passenger lists may include:


 * Name of passenger
 * Age
 * Occupation
 * Port of destination
 * Port of embarkation
 * Sometimes place of origin or birth place

How to Use the Record
To begin your search, it is helpful to know the full name of your ancestor and the approximate date of immigration. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

For example, you can use passenger lists to:


 * Learn an immigrant’s place of origin
 * Confirm their date of arrival
 * Learn foreign names and their Portuguese translations
 * Find records in his or her country of origin such as emigrations, port records, or ship’s manifests

You may also find these tips helpful:


 * If your ancestor had a common name, be sure to look at all the entries for a name before you decide which is correct.
 * Continue to search the passenger lists to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who may have immigrated at the same time.
 * If your ancestor has an uncommon surname, you may want to obtain the passenger list of every person who shares your ancestor’s surname if they lived in the same area or nearby. You may not know how or if they are related, but the information could lead you to more information about your own ancestors.

If you do not find the name you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the name.
 * Look for an index. Records are often indexed by local historical and genealogical societies.
 * Search the passenger lists year by year.
 * Search the indexes of other port cities.

Related Websites

 * BrazilGenWeb
 * Arquivo Público da Bahia
 * Colégio Brasileiro de Genealogia

Related Wiki Articles

 * Brazil 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: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Argentina, Buenos Aires, Catholic Church Records, 1635-1981,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 28 February, 2012), La Plata &gt; San Ponciano &gt; Matrimonios 1884-1886 &gt; image 71 of 389 images, Artemio Avendano and Clementina Peralta, 1884; citing Parroquia de San Ponciano en la Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Matrimonios. San Ponciano, La Plata, Buenos Aires.