NARA Immigration Records - Steven Coker
Subject: NARA Immigration Records
From: Steven Coker
Date: March 12, 1999

National Archives and Records Administration - Immigration Records
http://www.nara.gov/genealogy/immigration/immigrat.html
http://clio.nara.gov/genealogy/immigration/immigrat.html
Updated December 5, 1998

Table of Contents 
Part 1: Introduction 
Part 2: 1538-1819
        What NARA Has 
        What NARA Does Not Have
Part 3: 1820-1957 
Part 4: Sample Immigration Records 
Part 5: Available 1800-1957 Immigration Records 
Part 6: Where to Find these Records 
Part 7: For More Information

-=-=-=-=-=-
Part 1: Introduction

Immigration records, more popularly known as "ship passenger arrival records,"
may provide evidence of a person's arrival in the United States, as well as
foreign birthplace. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has
immigration records for various ports for the years 1800-1957. 

-=-=-=-=-=-
Part 2: 1538-1819

What NARA Has. 

Until January 1, 1820, the U.S. Federal Government did not require require
captains or masters of vessels to present a passenger list to U.S. officials.
Thus, as a general rule, NARA does not have passenger lists of vessels arriving
before January 1, 1820. There are, however, two exceptions to this general rule: 

Arrivals at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1813-1819, are reproduced in NARA microfilm
publication: 

Roll 1 of M2009, Work Projects Administration Transcript of Passenger Lists of
Vessels Arriving at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1813-1849 (2 rolls). 

Arrivals at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1800-1819, are reproduced in two NARA
microfilm publications:

Rolls 1-29 of M425, Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, 1800-1882 (108 rolls), which is indexed by M360, Index to
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1800-1906
(151 rolls). Note, however, that M425 undoubtedly does not include everyone
arriving at Philadelphia during 1800-1819. 

What NARA Does Not Have. 

To locate other passenger lists from 1538-1819, consult these books (among many
others), which are found in libraries with genealogical collections: 

Indexes 

Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: A Guide to
Published Arrival Records of ... Passengers who Came to the United States and
Canada in the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries. 3 volumes plus
annual supplements. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1981-__. This series is a
finding aid to published passenger lists. Be sure to read the "front material"
to understand how to use the information you find. 

Bibliographies 

Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Bibliography, 1538-1900.
2d ed. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Co., 1988. 

Lancour, Harold, comp. A Bibliography of Ship Passenger Lists, 1538-1825; Being
a Guide to Published Lists of Early Immigrants to North America. 3d ed. New
York: New York Public Library, 1978. 

Wood, Virginia Steele. Immigrant Arrivals: A Guide to Published Sources.
Revised. (Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Local History & Genealogy Reading
Room, n.d.). [http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/bib_guid/immigrant.html]

Compilations 

Carl Boyer and Michael Tepper, each using a different format, have undertaken to
publish the names in Lancour's lists. Tepper's coverage of Lancour is not
comprehensive: an inventory of those articles omitted appears on pages viii, ix
and x of New World Immigrants..... 

Boyer, Carl. Ship Passenger Lists, National and New England (1600-1825).
Newhall, CA: C. Boyer, 1977. Covers Lancour entries 1-71. 

Boyer, Carl. Ship Passenger Lists, New York and New Jersey (1600-1825). Newhall,
CA: C. Boyer, 1978. Covers Lancour entries 72-115. 

Boyer, Carl. Ship Passenger Lists, Pennsylvania and Delaware (1641-1825).
Newhall, CA: C. Boyer, 1980. Covers Lancour entries 116-197. 

Boyer, Carl. Ship Passenger Lists, the South (1538-1825). Newhall, CA: C. Boyer,
1979. Covers Lancour entries 198E-243. 

Tepper, Michael. New World Immigrants: a Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists
and Associated Data from Periodical Literature. Baltimore: Genealogical
Publishing Co., 1979. 

Tepper, Michael. Passengers to America: A Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists
>From the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Baltimore:
Genealogical Publishing Co., 1977. 

Tepper, Michael. Emigrants to Pennsylvania, 1641-1819: a Consolidation of Ship
Passenger Lists from the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography.
Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1978 

Tepper, Michael. Immigrants to the Middle Colonies: a Consolidation of Ship
Passenger Lists and Associated Data from The New York Genealogical and
Biographical Record. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1978 

Ethnic Groups 

There are numerous published name indexes to 16th through 19th century arrivals
of persons of various ethnic groups, including persons of Czechoslovakian,
Dutch, English, German, Irish, Italian, and Russian descent. For a listing of
some of these indexes, see: 

Wood, Virginia Steele. Immigrant Arrivals: A Guide to Published Sources.
Revised. (Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Local History & Genealogy Reading
Room, n.d.). 

Two online guides to immigration by particular ethnic groups are: 

Douglas, Lee V. Danish Immigration to America: An Annotated Bibliography of
Resources at the Library of Congress. Research Guide No. 28. (Washington, DC:
Library of Congress, Local History & Genealogy Reading Room, n.d.).
[http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/bib_guid/danish.html]

Douglas, Lee V. A Select Bibliography of Works: Norwegian-American Immigration
and Local History. Research Guide No. 6. (Washington, DC: Library of Congress,
Local History & Genealogy Reading Room, n.d.).
[http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/bib_guid/norway.html]

-=-=-=-=-=-
Part 3: 1820-1957

Early records relating to immigration originated in regional customhouses. The
U.S. Customs Service conducted its business by designating collection districts.
Each district had a headquarters port with a customhouse and a collector of
customs, the chief officer of the district. 

An act of March 2, 1819 (3 Stat. 489) required the captain or master of a vessel
arriving at a port in the United States or any of its territories from a foreign
country to submit a list of passengers to the collector of customs, beginning
January 1, 1820. The act also required that the collector submit a quarterly
report or abstract, consisting of copies of these passenger lists, to the
Secretary of State, who was required to submit such information at each session
of Congress. After 1874, collectors forwarded only statistical reports to the
Treasury Department. The lists themselves were retained by the collector of
customs. Customs records were maintained primarily for statistical purposes. 

On August 3, 1882, Congress passed the first Federal law regulating immigration
(22 Stat. 214-215); the Secretary of the Treasury had general supervision over
it between 1882 and 1891. The Office of Superintendent of Immigration in the
Department of the Treasury was established under an act of March 3, 1891 (26
Stat. 1085), and was later designated a bureau in 1895 with responsibility for
administering the alien contract-labor laws. In 1900 administration of the
Chinese-exclusion laws was added. Initially the Bureau retained the same
administrative structure of ports of entry that the Customs Service had used. By
the turn of the century it began to designate its own immigration districts, the
numbers and boundaries of which changed over the years. 

In 1903 the Bureau became part of the Department of Commerce and Labor; its name
was changed to the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization when functions
relating to naturalization were added in 1906. In 1933 the functions were
transferred to the Department of Labor and became the responsibility of the
newly formed Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Under President
Roosevelt's Reorganization Plan V of 1940, the INS was moved to the Department
of Justice. 

-=-=-=-=-=-
Part 4: Sample Immigration Records

Partial list of survivors of the Titanic who were taken aboard the Carpathia,
which arrived at the Port of New York, NY, April 18, 1912. This list was
erroneously filed by the INS with June 18, 1912, arrivals, and can be found in
NARA microfilm publication T715, Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at
New York, New York, 1897-1957, Roll 1883, Vol. 4183.
[http://www.nara.gov/genealogy/immigration/titanic.html]

-=-=-=-=-=-
Part 5: Available 1800-1957 Immigration Records

Various NARA microfilm publications reproduce passenger arrival records from the
ports listed below. This section was last updated December 5, 1998. 

* * * * * 
Record Group 85
Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1891-1957
http://clio.nara.gov/publications/microfilm/immigrant/rg85.html

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, 1890-1924
Alburg, Vermont, 1895-1924
Baltimore, Maryland 1891-1957
Beecher Falls, Vermont, 1895-1924
Boston, Massachusetts 1891-1943
Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1870 
Canaan, Vermont, 1895-1924
Canadian Border (called "St. Albans, Vermont, District")
Detroit, Michigan, 1906-1954
Galveston, Texas 1896-1951
Gloucester, Massachusetts, 1918-1943
Gulfport, Mississippi
Highgate Springs, Vermont, 1895-1924
Island Pond, Vermont, 1895-1924
Key West, Florida, 1898-1945
New Bedford, Massachusetts, 1902-1954 
New Orleans, Louisiana, 1900-1952
Norton, Vermont, 1895-1924
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1883-1948
Portland, Maine, 1893-1943
Providence, Rhode Island, 1911-1954
Richford, Vermont, 1895-1924
Saint Albans, Vermont, 1895-1954
San Francisco, California, 1882-1957; see also Ventura, California
Savannah, Georgia, 1906-1945
Seattle, Washington, and Other Washington Ports
Swanton, Vermont, 1895-1924

* * * * * 
Atlantic, Gulf, and Great Lakes Ports, 1820-1873
http://clio.nara.gov/genealogy/immigration/miscport.html

Alexandria, Virginia, 1820-1865
Annapolis, Maryland, 1849 
Bangor, Maine, 1848 
Barnstable, Massachusetts, 1820-1826
Bath, Maine, 1825-1867 
Beaufort, North Carolina, 1865 
Belfast, Maine, 1820-1851
Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island, 1820-71 
Cape May, New Jersey, 1828
Charleston, South Carolina, 1820-1828
Darien, Georgia, 1823-1825 
Dighton, Massachusetts, 1820-1836 
East River, Virginia, 1830 
Edenton, North Carolina, 1820
Edgartown, Massachusetts, 1820-1870
Fairfield, Connecticut, 1820-1821
Fall River, Massachusetts, 1837-1865
Frenchman's Bay, Maine, 1821-1827
Galveston, Texas 1846-1871
Georgetown, District of Columbia, 1820-1821 
Gloucester, Massachusetts, 1820-1870
Hampton, Virginia, 1820-1821
Hartford, Connecticut, 1837 
Havre de Grace, Maryland, 1820
Hingham, Massachusetts, 1852
Kennebunk, Maine, 1820-1842
Key West, Florida, 1837-1868
Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, 1831 
Marblehead, Massachusetts, 1820-1849 
Mobile, Alabama, 1832-1852
Nantucket, Massachusetts, 1820-1862 
Newark, New Jersey, 1836 
New Bedford, Massachusetts, 1826-1852
New Bern, North Carolina, 1820-1865 
Newburyport, Massachusetts, 1821-1839
New Haven, Connecticut, 1820-1873
New London, Connecticut, 1820-1847 
New Orleans, Louisiana
Newport, Rhode Island, 1820-1857
Norfolk, Virginia, 1820-1857
Oswegatchie, New York, 1821-1823  
Passamaquoddy, Maine, 1820-1859
Penobscot, Maine, 1851
Perth Amboy, New Jersey, 1820-1832
Petersburg, Virginia, 1820-1821
Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1821-1844
Plymouth, North Carolina, 1820-1840
Portland, Maine, 1820-1868
Port Royal, South Carolina, 1865
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1820-1861
Providence, Rhode Island, 1820-1867
Richmond, Virginia, 1820-1844 
Rochester, New York, 1866 
Sag Harbor, New York, 1829-1834
Saint Augustine, Florida, 1821-1870
Saint Johns, Florida, 1865 
Salem, Massachusetts, 1865-1866
Sandusky, Ohio, 1820
Savannah, Georgia, 1820-1868
Saybrook, Connecticut, 1820 
Waldeboro, Maine, 1820-1833 
Washington, North Carolina, 1820-1848 
Wilmington, Delaware, 1820-1848
Yarmouth, Maine, 1820 

* * * * * 
Record Group 36
Records of the U.S. Customs Service, 1820 - ca. 1891
http://clio.nara.gov/publications/microfilm/immigrant/rg36.html

Baltimore, Maryland 1820-1897
Boston, Massachusetts 1820-1891
New Orleans, Louisiana, 1820-1902
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1800-1906

* * * * * 
Port of New York, New York, 1820-1957
(also known as "Ellis Island" and "Castle Garden")
http://clio.nara.gov/genealogy/immigration/newyork.html

* * * * * 
Small California Ports, 1929-1956
Ventura, California, 1929-1956
http://clio.nara.gov/genealogy/immigration/smalcal.html

* * * * * 
Port of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 1921-1923
http://clio.nara.gov/genealogy/immigration/veracrz.html

* * * * * 
Port of Zapata, Texas, 1923-1953
http://clio.nara.gov/genealogy/immigration/zapata.html

* * * * * 
Castle Garden, see New York, New York
El Capitan, California, 1929-1956, see Ventura, California
Ellis Island, see New York, New York
Ellwood, California, 1929-1956, see Ventura, California
Falmouth, Maine, 1820-1868, see Portland, Maine
Los Angeles, California, 1929-1956, see Ventura, California
Pascagoula, Mississippi, see Gulfport, Mississippi
Port Hueneme, California, 1929-1956, see Ventura, California
Portsmouth, Virginia, see Norfolk, Virginia
San Pedro, California, 1929-1956, see Ventura, California
Warren, Rhode Island, 1820-1871, see Bristol, Rhode Island

-=-=-=-=-=-
Part 6: Where to Find These Records

Washington, DC

You may do research in immigration records in person at the 

National Archives Building
700 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20408-0001. 

Go to Room 400, the Microfilm Reading Room. Staff is available there to answer
your questions. NARA microfilm publications may be examined during regular
research room hours in Room 400; no prior arrangement is necessary. 

Researchers coming from a distance may wish to call in advance of their visit
(1) to verify research room hours and (2) to have any additional questions
answered. The Consultant's Office can be reached at 202-501-5400. 

Regional Records Services Facilities

Some National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) regional records
services facilities have selected immigration records; call to verify their
availability. [http://www.nara.gov/genealogy/genindex.html#regional]

Libraries

Libraries with large genealogical collections also have selected NARA microfilm
publications.

To obtain immigration records by mail

Paper copies of immigration records can be ordered by mail using one NATF Form
81 for each person or family group traveling together. 

You can obtain the NATF Form 81 by providing your name and mailing address to
[email protected]. Be sure to specify "Form 81" and the number of forms you need. 

You can also obtain the NATF Form 81 by writing to: 

National Archives and Records Administration
Attn: NWCTB
700 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20408-0001.

-=-=-=-=-=-
Part 7: For more information

For useful guides on the historical and legal background of passenger arrival
records, explanation of what information they contain, and search strategies,
see: 

Colletta, John P. They Came in Ships. 2d ed. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry, Inc.,
1993. 

Tepper, Michael. American Passenger Arrival Records. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical
Publishing Co., Inc., 1988. 

For more detailed examinations of immigration in U.S. history, see: 

Handlin, Oscar, ed. Immigration as a Factor in American History. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1959. 

Handlin, Oscar, ed. The Uprooted: The Epic Story of the Great Migrations that
Made the American People. Reprinted, 2d edition enlarged, Boston: Little Brown &
Co., 1973. 

Higham, John. Strangers in the Land: Patterns of American Nativism, 1860-1925.
Rutgers, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1955. Reprint, New York: Atheneum,
1963-1981. 

Konvitz, Milton R. Civil Rights in Immigration. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University
Press, 1953. 

Wittke, Carl. Refugees of Revolution: The German Forty-Eighters in America.
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Press, 1952. Examines German
immigration to the U.S. following the failed 1848 revolution in Germany.

-=-=-=-=-=-
National Archives and Records Administration 
URL: http://www.nara.gov/genealogy/immigration/immigrat.html 
[email protected] 
Last updated: December 5, 1998

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