If by Sea

If by Sea is less a question than probability. Your ancestors came to the Americas, or later the U.S., by land or by sea. While some did come by land, via Canada and Mexico, most came by sea. They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Arrival Record helps the researcher find documentation of their ancestor’s entry point and method.

This handbook helps the reader “navigate through the numerous records, ship passenger lists and indexes, naturalization and immigration records, and genealogy websites, to find your ancestors who came in ships to the New World.” Author John P. Colletta uses his over 20 years experience to help the family historian discover their ancestor’s point of origin, port of arrival, review passenger lists and cargo manifests, and other documentation relevant to immigration. The author even covers ways to determine if your ancestors came as part of a ships crew or as a stowaway.

Just in case your ancestors did come by land, this guide book looks at overland immigration from Canada between 1895 and 1954 as well as entry from Mexico between 1905 and 1955. In addition to the obvious records, the handbook covers finding pictures of ships, peculiarities in records at specific ports of entry, and a thorough vetting of Ellis Island’s facts and myths. Whether your ancestors came in colonial times, to a floundering young United States, or not until the 20th century, They Came in Ships will help you understand the types of records available and how to use them to discover your ancestors arrival in the New World.

Table of Contents

Introduction – What Passenger Lists Tell You About Your Ancestors

• Biographical and Genealogical Information
• The Overseas Link
• The Migration Story

Chapter One – What You Need to Know and Where to Find It

• Basic Facts You Must Know about the Passenger
• Full Original Name
• Approximate Age at Arrival
• Approximate Date of Arrival
• Additional Facts about the Immigration
• Where Can You Find This Information?
• Oral Family Tradition
• Personal and Family Documents
• Civil and Religious Records
• Published Works in Libraries
• Internet Websites and Email
• The Two Major Periods of Passenger Arrival Records
• Prior to 1820
• 1820 and Later

Chapter Two – Passenger Arrival Information Prior to 1820

• Published Pre-1820 Arrival (and Departure) Lists
• Published Works about Colonial Settlers
• Indexes to Published Arrival Information
• If All You Know Are the Three Basic Facts
• If You Also Know Your Ancestor’s Nationality
• If You Also Know Your Ancestor’s “Group” of Place of Settlement
• If You Also Know Your Ancestor’s Port of Arrival
• Bibliography of Published Ship Passenger Lists
• If Your Ancestor Was a Slave
• National Archives
• Museums
• Libraries
• Learning More About Your Ancestor’s Sailing Vessel
• Internet Websites

Chapter Three – Passenger Lists Since 1820

• Customs Passenger Lists 1820–ca. 1891)
• Immigration Passenger Lists (1891–1957)
• 1893
• 1903
• 1906
• 1907
• Births and Deaths at Sea, Stowaways, and Other Informatioin
• Some Peculiarities of the Passenger Arrival Records
• Boston
• Baltimore
• Philadelphia
• Galveston
• New Orleans
• National Archives Indexes
• A Supplemental Index to…Atlantic and Gulf Coast Ports
• Alphabetical Indexes
• Soundex Indexes
• Post-1910 New York Arrivals
• Book Indexes
• Problems with the National Archives Indexes—and Solutions
• Solutions

Chapter Four – Searching Years Not Included in National Archives Indexes

• Method of LAST Resort
• Analyzing Your Search
• Published Arrival Lists and Indexes
• If You Know Your Ancestor’s Nationality
• If You Know Your Ancestor’s Port of Arrival
• CD-ROM Indexes
• American Family Immigration History Center and Other Websites
• Registers of Vessels Arriving at the Port of New York
• If You Know the Name of the Ship
• If You Know the Exact Date of Arrival
• If You Know the Port of Embarkation
• Lists of Vessels Arriving at Ports Other Than New York
• Sailing Vessels and Steamships
• The Morton Allan Directory
• If You Know the Name of the Ship
• If You Know the Exact Date of Arrival
• If You Know the Port of Embarkation
• Galveston Immigrant Database
• Emigration Lists
• Determining Your Ancestor’s Probable Port of Departure
• Locating Emigration Lists
• Bremen Passenger Lists
• Hamburg Passenger Lists
• Le Havre Lists
• European Passport Records

Chapter Five – Other Resources and Information of Potential Value

• Crew Lists
• Lists of Chineses Passengers
• Newspaper of the Port of Entry
• Immigration via Canada
• Immigration via Mexico
• U.S. Departure Records
• Immigration Laws of 1921 and 1924
• Obtaining a Picture of Your Ancestor’s Ship
• The Steamship Historical Society of America

Conclusion – Ellis Island: What’s Myth? What’s Reality?

• Dates of Immigrant Processing
• No Immigrant Receiving Stations: 1624—31 July 1855
• Castle Garden: 1 August 1855—18 April 1890
• Barge Office: 19 April 1890—31 December 1891
• Ellis Island: 1 January 1892—14 June 1897
• Barge Office: 15 June 1897—16 December 1900
• Ellis Island: 17 December 1900—1924
• Summary of Dates
• Frequently Asked Questions
• How Many People Passed through Ellis Island?
• Did Immigration Officials Change Names?
• How Bad Was the Ellis Island Experience?
• Ellis Island’s Place in U.S. Immigration History
• Closing Comments

Bibliographic Note

Select Bibliography

• Records Descriptions and Research Aids
• Published Arrival Lists and Indexes
• Published Departure Lists and Indexes
• Lists of Ships Arriving at American Ports
• Alternative Sources for Colonial Arrival Information
• Images and Information About Sailing Vessels and Steamships
• The Immigrant Experience
• Ellis Island

Index

About the Author

Chart—Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Ship

Order They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Arrival Record from Family Root Publishing; Item #: TP37X.