Oregon, Portland, Index and Register of Vessels - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains an Index and Register of Vessels, Portland, Oregon for the years August 1949 to September 1955. These records correspond with NARA publication A4001 and are part of Record Group 85 Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The index is arranged alphabetical by the first letter of the name of the vessel.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Vessel register
 * The vessel name
 * Country in which registered
 * Date of arrival
 * last port of departure
 * Date of departure from Portland
 * Port for which destined

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The name of the vessel
 * The approximate date of arrival or departure
 * The last port of departure

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select the NARA Roll Number - Contents to view the images.
 * Many of these volumes have indexes at the beginning or end. You should search these first
 * There may be more than one vessel with the same name
 * The vessel may have docked or landed multiple times

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?
Use the passenger lists to:


 * Confirm your ancestor's date of arrival
 * Find records in his or her country of origin such as emigrations, port records, or ship’s manifests
 * Search for naturalization records

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the vessel's name
 * Search the records of other port cities

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Oregon.
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records
 * Oregon Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research: 1850-1903 | 1900-Present

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.