New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island) - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
Index and images of passenger and crew lists of ships arriving at the port of New York. The Collection includes two National Archive microfilm publications:  Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, 1820-1897, M237
 * Rolls 581 through 675 cover the years 1892 through 1897, Record Group 36, Records of the U.S. Customs Service
 * NAID--6256867
 * For the years 1820-1891 see | New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891. Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels, Arriving at New York, NY, 1897-1957, T715
 * Rolls 1 through 3595 covering the years 1897 through 1924 in, Record Group 85, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service
 * Microfilm publication T715 includes the manifest records from the Carpathia for 1912. The manifest records for 1912 include the list of 706 passengers rescued from the Titanic on April 15. The NARA Prologue Article “They Said It Couldn’t Sink” provides record details of the Titanic losses and the investigation into the Titanic’s sinking.  The article mentions other related record groups and collections that include information on the Titanic sinking and the aftermath

Passenger arrival lists, or customs manifests, date back to 1820. The first official emigration station for New York was Castle Garden, located at the tip of lower Manhattan. Congressional action in 1891 resulted in federal immigration officials recording the immigrants’ arrival. After January 1892, passengers arriving in New York debarked at Ellis Island, located east of Manhattan in the New York Harbor. From 1892 to 1924, almost all immigrants entered the United States through the port of New York. When passengers arrived at Ellis Island, they were asked a series of questions designed to determine whether they would be able to support themselves and did not have any health problems. The information was supplied by the immigrant or a traveling companion (usually a family member). Only 2% of immigrants were denied entry into the United States.

The passenger lists are usually two typed pages divided into columns and rows. When you select an image to view, sometimes the manifest includes more than one page, and when you use the "click to enlarge manifest" link, the image that appears is not always the first page. To view the other page, use the "previous" or "next" links.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Early Passenger lists
 * Name of immigrant
 * Accompanied by
 * Age
 * Sex
 * Occupation
 * Nationality
 * Last permanent residence
 * Destination
 * Port of entry
 * Name of vessel
 * Date of arrival

Later Passenger lists
 * Names of immigrants and close relatives
 * Age
 * Sex
 * Birthplaces, former residences, and intended destinations
 * Marital status
 * Nationality and race
 * Occupations
 * Date of arrival
 * Port of departure

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person you are looking for
 * Location of departure
 * Approximate age

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add the new information to your records
 * Learn an immigrant’s place of origin
 * Confirm their date of arrival
 * Learn foreign and “Americanized” names
 * Find records in his or her country of origin such as emigrations, port records, or ship manifests
 * If your ancestor had a common name, be sure to look at all the entries for a name before you decide which is correct
 * Continue to search the passenger lists to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who may have immigrated at the same time
 * If your ancestor has an uncommon surname, you may want to obtain the passenger list of every person who shares your ancestor’s surname if they lived in the same county or nearby. You may not know how or if they are related, but the information could lead you to more information about your own ancestors

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings. Realize that the indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings and misinterpretations
 * Entry clerks tried to record names correctly; however, mistakes may have been made in spelling foreign names. Often many second or third generation United States citizens Americanized their names, so the spelling in the passenger list may be different than the spelling that you are familiar with
 * Try a different index if there is one for the years needed. You may also need to search the passenger lists year by year
 * Search the indexes of other port cities
 * A fire broke out in the original buildings on 15 June 1897 destroying most of the immigrant records dating back to 1855. Record of your ancestor’s arrival may have been among those records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of New York.
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records
 * New York Guided Research
 * New York Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step New York Research, 1880-Present
 * Searching Passenger Lists

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Voices from Ellis Island : an oral history of American immigration : a project of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
 * Vincent J. Cannato, American passage : the history of Ellis Island New York, New York : Harper Collins, c2009 FHL 974.71 H2cv
 * August C. Bolino, The Ellis Island source book 2nd ed. Washington, D.C. : Kensington Historical Press, c1990 FHL 974.71 W29b

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.