California Emigration and Immigration

California Wiki Topics

Beginning Research

Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder

Record Types

Adoption Bible Records Biography Cemeteries Census Church Records Colonial Records Correctional Institutions Court Records Directories Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Land & Property Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship Newspapers Obituaries Online Collections Orphans & Orphanages Periodicals Probate Records Taxation Vital Records Voter Records

California Background

Biography Further Reading Gazetteers History Maps Migration

Cultural Groups

African Americans Indigenous Peoples Cultural Groups Swedish American

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Find a family history center

United States

U.S. Emigration and Immigration

California

Emigration and Immigration

United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records

Online Resources

Pioneer Immigration

• 1790-1950 California, Pioneer and Immigrant Files, 1790-1950 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1906-1935 California, Pioneer Migration Index, Compiled 1906-1935 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• California Bound Passenger list of those bound from NY to CA for the Gold Rush.
• Native Daughters of the Golden West, Index to the Roster of California Pioneers
• The argonauts of California : being the reminiscences of scenes and incidents that occurred in California in early mining days, by a pioneer, e-book, 30,000 names of miners, immigrants, and other pioneers in the gold rush. Index (page 640).
• Index to genealogical tables of Spanish and Mexican families of California, index, item 5

California

• 1500s-1900s All U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s at Ancestry; index only ($); includes those with Destination of California; Also at MyHeritage; index only ($)
• 1882-1959 California, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1959 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1893-1957 California Passenger Lists, 1893-1957 at MyHeritge; index & images ($)
• 1895-1956 United States, Border Crossings from Canada, 1895-1956 at MyHeritge; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of California
• 1895-1964 All U.S., Border Crossings from Mexico to U.S., 1895-1964 at Ancestry; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of California
• 1907-1956 California, passenger and crew lists at various ports, 1907-1956 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1920-1939 Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920-1939 at MyHeritge; index only ($); includes those with Destination of California
• 1947-1948 California, Airplane Passenger Lists from Honolulu, Hawaii, 1947-1948 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• One Step Webpages by Stephen Morse Links to free and $ online passenger lists
• Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild at MyHeritge; index only ($)
• Germans Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritge; index only ($); includes those with Destination of California
• Italians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritge; index only ($); includes those with Destination of California
• Russians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of California

Los Angeles

• 1900-1948 United States, Passenger and Crew Lists - California, Los Angeles, San Pedro, and Wilmington Passenger Lists, 1900-1948 at Findmypast — index ($)
• 1907-1948 California, Los Angeles Passenger Lists, 1907-1948 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1907 - 1948 - San Pedro/Wilmington/Los Angeles, index to passenger arrivals 1907-1936 at FamilySearch
• 1907 - 1948 - San Pedro/Wilmington/Los Angeles, arrival lists 1907-1948 at FamilySearch
  

Mexico

• 1895-1964 Border Crossings:From Mexico to U.S., 1895-1964 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• Andrade and Campo (Tecate), alien arrivals 1910-1952 at FamilySearch
• San Ysidro (Tia Juana) alien arrivals 1908-1952 at FamilySearch
  

San Diego

• 1904-1952 California, San Diego Passenger Lists, 1904-1952 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at Findmypast; index & images ($)
• 1905-1923 California, San Diego Chinese Passenger and Crew Lists 1905-1923 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1929-1954 California, San Diego, Airplane Passenger and Crew Lists, 1929-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images; also at Ancestry ($)
• 1929-1954 California, San Diego Airplane Arrivals, 1929-1954 at Findmypast — index & images ($)

San Francisco

• 1850-1864 San Francisco Ship Passenger Lists Vol. I (1850-1864), Vol. II (1850-1851), Vol. III (November 7, 1851 to June 17, 1852) at Ancestry — images ($)
• 1882-1888 United States, California, San Francisco, Records of Chinese Laborers Returning to the US, 1882-1888 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1882-1947 California, San Francisco Chinese passenger lists, 1882-1947 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1882-1953 United States, California Immigration Office Special Inquiry Records at Findmypast — index & images, ($)
• 1883-1924 California San Francisco Register of Chinese Immigrant Court Cases and Foreign Seamen Tax Cards 1883-1924 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1886-1890 United States, Passenger and Crew Lists - California, San Francisco, Shangaiers Crew List, 1886-1890 at Findmypast; index only ($)
• 1893-1934 California, index to San Francisco passenger lists, 1893-1934 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1893-1953 California, San Francisco Passenger Lists, 1893-1953 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at Findmypast; index & images ($)
• 1896-1921 California, San Francisco Crew Manifests, 1896-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1903-1918 California, customs passenger lists of vessels arriving at San Francisco, 1903-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1903-1944 San Francisco Chinese Exclusion List at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1907-1911 California, Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at San Francisco from Insular Possessions, 1907-1911 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1910-1941 California, San Francisco, Immigration Office Special Inquiry Records, 1910-1941 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1912-1943 California, Chinese Partnerships and Departures from San Francisco, 1912-1943 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1912-1946 United States, California, Certificates Surrendered at San Francisco from Aliens Previously at Honolulu, Hawaii, 1912-1946 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1918 California, San Francisco, World War I Enemy Alien Registration Affidavits, 1918 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection
• 1928-1942 California Immigration Registers of Japanese, Filipinos, and Hawaiians at San Francisco, 1928-1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1930-1949 United States, California, List of United States Citizens Arriving at San Francisco, 1930-1949 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1936-1949 California, San Francisco Airplane Arrival Card Index, 1936-1949 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1954-1957 California, San Francisco Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving, 1954-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• One Step Webpages by Stephen Morse Links to free and $ online passenger lists

San Pedro

• 1930-1936 California, San Pedro, Immigration Office Special Inquiry Records, 1930-1936 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1900-1948 California, Los Angeles, San Pedro, and Wilmington Passenger Lists, 1900-1948 at Findmypast — index ($)
• 1907 - 1948 San Pedro/Wilmington/Los Angeles, index to passenger arrivals 1907-1936 at FamilySearch
• 1907 - 1948 San Pedro/Wilmington/Los Angeles, arrival lists 1907-1948 at FamilySearch
  

Ventura

• 1929 - 1956 - Ventura, passenger and crew lists 1929-1956 at FamilySearch
  

Passport Records Online

• 1795-1925 United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection
• 1795-1925 - U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 Index and images, at Ancestry ($)

Offices to Contact

Although many records are included in the online records listed above, there are other records available through these archives and offices. For example, there are many minor ports that have not yet been digitized. There are also records for more recent time periods. For privacy reasons, some records can only be accessed after providing proof that your ancestor is now deceased.

National Archives and Records Administration

• The National Archives (NARA) has immigration records for arrivals to the United States from foreign ports between approximately 1820 and 1982. The records are arranged by Port of Arrival (See Part 5).

• You may do research in immigration records in person at the National Archives Building, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20408-0001.

• Some National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) regional facilities have selected immigration records; call to verify their availability or check the online Microfilm Catalog.
• Libraries with large genealogical collections, such as the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah and the Allen County Piblic Library also have selected NARA microfilm publications.

• Order copies of passenger arrival records with NATF Form 81.

U.S. Citizenship and and Immigration Services Genealogy Program

The USCIS Genealogy Program is a fee-for-service program that provides researchers with timely access to historical immigration and naturalization records of deceased immigrants. If the immigrant was born less than 100 years ago, you will also need to provide proof of his/her death.

Immigration Records Available

• A-Files: Immigrant Files, (A-Files) are the individual alien case files, which became the official file for all immigration records created or consolidated since April 1, 1944.
• Alien Registration Forms (AR-2s): Alien Registration Forms (Form AR-2) are copies of approximately 5.5 million Alien Registration Forms completed by all aliens age 14 and older, residing in or entering the United States between August 1, 1940 and March 31, 1944.
• Registry Files: Registry Files are records, which document the creation of immigrant arrival records for persons who entered the United States prior to July 1, 1924, and for whom no arrival record could later be found.
• Visa Files: Visa Files are original arrival records of immigrants admitted for permanent residence under provisions of the Immigration Act of 1924.

Requesting a Record

• Web Request Page allows you to request a records, pay fees, and upload supporting documents (proof of death).
• Record Requests Frequently Asked Questions

Finding Town of Origin

Records in the countries emigrated from are kept on the local level. You must first identify the name of the town where your ancestors lived to access those records. If you do not yet know the name of the town of your ancestor's birth, there are well-known strategies for a thorough hunt for it.

• U. S. Immigration Records: Finding the Town of Origin

Background

• In the colonial era Spaniards established most of the early settlements, although England and Russia also made expeditions to California. During the 80 years of Spanish and Mexican dominion in California (1769-1848), few immigrants came from Spain and Mexico, and even fewer came from other countries.
• In 1841, overland travelers from the United States began to come to California. In 1846, war broke out between the U.S. and Mexico when American settlers in California protested Mexican rule and set up a republic.
• By 1848, when the U.S. acquired the area, fewer than 15,000 settlers lived there. Over half were Spanish or Mexican. The rest were of various nationalities, including English, Scottish, Irish, German, French, and Italian.
• The discovery of gold in California in 1848 triggered a major exodus from the eastern states.
• Chinese also began to arrive in California.
• From 1850 to 1860, many immigrants came from the countries of northern Europe (especially Ireland) and from China.
• The Chinese continued to immigrate to work on the Pacific railroad, which was completed in 1869. Until 1870, most of the Chinese came from the maritime provinces of China, especially Canton. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act suspended the immigration of Chinese laborers to the U.S.
• Other nationalities who arrived in this period were the Germans, Italians, French, and Portuguese.
• In the 1880s. a southern California real estate boom brought the first large migrations from the Midwest and the number of English and German immigrants increased. Other major increases were among the Italians, Portuguese, and Japanese.
• Japanese laborers could not legally leave Japan until 1885, but after that date, many came to California. The number of Mexicans dropped, and the Irish increased only slightly.
• After 1890, the Italians, Mexicans, and Japanese became the major immigrant groups.
• Other countries that have contributed substantial numbers to California's population are Russia, Canada, the Philippines, and Poland.
• The Irish, French, Italians, and Chinese tended to settle in San Francisco. The Mexicans, Russians, and Japanese settled mostly in the Los Angeles area, as did Anglo-Saxons from the Midwest.
• Few Blacks settled in California until World War II. Those from the southern states usually went to Los Angeles or Oakland.

Immigration Records

Immigration refers to people coming into a country. Emigration refers to people leaving a country to go to another. Immigration records usually take the form of ship's passenger lists collected at the port of entry. See Online Resources.

What can I find in them?

Information in Passenger Lists

• Before 1820 - Passenger lists before 1820 included name, departure information and arrival details. The names of wives and children were often not included.

• 1820-1891 - Customs Passenger Lists between 1820 and 1891 asked for each immigrant’s name, their age, their sex, their occupation, and their country of origin, but not the city or town of origin.

• 1891-1954 - Information given on passenger lists from 1891 to 1954 included:
  • name, age, sex,
  • nationality, occupation, marital status,
  • last residence, final destination in the U.S.,
  • whether they had been to the U.S. before (and if so, when, where and how long),
  • if joining a relative, who this person was, where they lived, and their relationship,
  • whether able to read and write,
  • whether in possession of a train ticket to their final destination, who paid for the passage,
  • amount of money the immigrant had in their possession,
  • whether the passenger had ever been in prison, a poorhouse, or in an institution for the insane,
  • whether the passenger was a polygamist,
  • and immigrant's state of health.

• 1906-- - In 1906, the physical description and place of birth were included, and a year later, the name and address of the passenger’s closest living relative in the country of origin was included.

Information in Passports

Over the years, passports and passport applications contained different amounts of information about the passport applicant. The first passports that are available begin in 1795. These usually contained the individual's name, description of individual, and age. More information was required on later passport applications, such as:

• Birthplace
• Birth date
• Naturalization information
• Arrival information, if foreign born

California Pioneer Project

The Native Daughters of the Golden West have a free 35,000 name index of California pioneer biographical sketches on the Internet. The full record may contain

• the full name of pioneer,
• place and date of birth, marriage and death,
• date of arrival in California,
• method of travel, name of rail or vessel;
• states lived in prior to California,
• place and year of California residence;
• where educated, profession or occupation, public offices held;
• names of children;
• parents' names;
• name, address, relationship of informant (if any);
• date of registration and other comments.

In-country Migration

California Migration Routes

• Applegate Trail
• Butterfield Overland Mail
• California Trail
• Camino Real de California
• Central Overland Trail
• Mormon Trail to Southern California
• Old Spanish Trail
• Atlantic and Pacific Railroad
• Central Pacific Railroad
• Santa Fe Railway
• Southern Pacific Railroad
• Texas and Pacific Railway
• Union Pacific Railroad
• US Immigration Passenger Arrival Records

For Further Reading

The FamilySearch Library has additional sources listed in their catalog:

• United States, California - Emigration and immigration
• United States, California - Emigration and immigration - History
• United States, California - Emigration and immigration - Indexes
• United States, California - Migration, Internal
• United States, California - Minorities
• United States, California - Minorities - Biography
• United States, California - Minorities - Genealogy
• United States, California - Minorities - History

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.