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Introduction It is helpful to know the port of arrival when searching for your ancestor's passenger record in the U.S. But what if you don't know which port he or she arrived at? This page is designed to help you determine which port to search. In some cases you may need to search the records of several ports to find the correct one. Keep in mind that most passenger lists were handwritten. Deciphering this handwriting was often difficult when the lists were later indexed. So always search for alternate spellings of a surname when using the indexes. Five Major Ports of Arrival The five major U.S. arrival ports for immigration in the 19th and 20th Centuries were: New York, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New Orleans. New York was by far the most commonly used port, followed by the others. You can use these links to find information about the available indexes for these ports...
Don't Overlook The Smaller Ports Some immigrants also arrived at a number of smaller ports. You can find a list of nearly every U.S. arrival port at... Where your ancestor settled in the United States can sometimes help determine which port he or she arrived at. See the next section for ideas. Where They Settled Geographic location can sometimes play a role in where you might want to search first. For example, if your ancestor settled in Pennsylvania, he or she might have landed at Philadelphia. If they settled in Maryland, you may want to try Baltimore. If your ancestors did not settle in or near a port city, then consider how they might have traveled from their arrival port to their ultimate destination...
Where They Came From
Using Naturalization Records Naturalization records created prior to September 1906 usually do not list a person's port of arrival. Some do, but most do not. In Naturalization records created after September 1906 the port (as well as date) of arrival is almost always given. For details on locating Naturalization records see... Disclaimer These are merely suggestions to use for help locating the arrival port of your ancestors in the U.S. While there is no guarantee of success, hopefully these tips will provide you with clues for locating your immigrant ancestor's passenger arrival record. Sometimes you will simply have to guess a port and you may need to search the records of many ports to find your ancestor's arrival details. For more disclaimers, see the link below. |