Passenger lists document who was on a ship, where they came from and more. Make sure to keep your search broad since immigrants didn’t always depart from their homeland. These records can also help uncover your ancestors’ ultimate destination in the U.S., leading you to passport applications and naturalization records.
Didn’t find them in passenger lists? Try searching border crossings instead.
Scroll to see what you can learn in these detail-rich records:
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Arrival Date
We all like New York in June … or September. But what would the voyage have been like for ships arriving in a particularly stormy March?
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Abbreviations
To save time, inspectors often used terms like “above,” “same,” “ditto” or even an abbreviation of “do” to indicate a repeated entry.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Handwritten Notes
Pay attention to handwriting – it may reveal information about your ancestor that wasn’t required to pass inspection or that clarifies an answer given.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Ship Name
Want to know what the ship looked like? Check the Passenger Ships and Images database at Ancestry.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Sailing From
Country of departure isn’t always the same as the last residence. Use location details on the passenger list to help you determine how far your ancestor had to travel before getting on the boat.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Steerage
Look for details about the travel class at the top of passenger arrival lists – in this case it was “Steerage,” a.k.a. third class. Not clearly marked? If most travelers on the page had little cash and were designated “laborers,” they’re likely in steerage.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Place of Birth
International databases at Ancestry and experts available via the Hire an Expert tab can help you discover more about your ancestor in his or her former homeland or place of birth.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Height, Eye Color
Passenger lists aren’t the only place you may find a physical description of your ancestor. Look for similar information on passport applications and draft cards.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Health Condition
Not all health problems were a quick ticket back home; note the hand-written comments regarding the person on line one.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Miscellaneous Questions
At times, the United States placed restrictions on who could enter the country; admission was determined by the answers a person gave to these questions as well as other factors.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Whether in the U.S. Previously
Pay careful attention to a previous visit: it may lead you to an earlier passenger list containing additional information.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Final Destination
Not what you were expecting? Immigrants often had a destination associated with a friend, relative or job, but they may have moved on shortly thereafter. City directories and census records may help you determine when.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Name of Nearest Relative in Home Country
An entry in this line gives you a new relative to discover. Bonus: if it’s the parent of a married woman, you may have just discovered the woman’s maiden name.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Last Permanent Residence
Information in this column may help you determine where to look for overseas records. Note that, depending on the year, you may be looking at place of birth or last permanent residence.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Calling or Occupation
Occupation was often listed as “laborer,” particularly for steerage passengers, although new jobs were often found after arrival.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Age
Watch for “Yrs.” and “Mon.” particularly in regard to children. An 11-month-old infant would show an entry only in the months column, although occasional mistakes did occur.
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What can you find in a passenger list?
Name in full
All passengers, regardless of age, were listed. Immigrant surnames may not be identical to the ones you know: language barriers and accents resulted in creative spellings, and immigrants sometimes modified their names after settling into their new homeland.
Featured Collections
Passenger List Research Resources
How to find your people
From their destination in America to a relative who remained in the homeland, our tips can help you navigate passenger lists and extract every detail. Learn more
Good to know
These fast facts can help you get the most out of passenger lists. Learn more
Back to the old country
Found an immigrant ancestor who decided not to stay? See which groups were most likely to return to their home country. Learn more
The German connection
Hamburg was Central Europe’s main transatlantic hub in the late 19th century. Did your ancestors depart from here? Learn more
Passenger List Stories
Using a passenger list
as my tour guide
See how one member used a
record to learn more about her
Italian heritage. Read story