Washington Emigration and Immigration

Online Resources

 * 1500s-1900s All U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s at Ancestry; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Washington; Also at MyHeritage; index only ($)
 * 1724-1956 Manifests of Alien Arrivals at Blaine, Washington
 * 1882-1961 Washington, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1961 at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1890-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at FindMyPast; index & images ($), MyHeritage; index & images ($)
 * 1894-1909 Customs records of passenger manifests inbound, 1894-1909: Port Townsend, Tacoma, and Seattle''
 * 1894-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1895-1956 United States, Border Crossings from Canada, 1895-1956 at MyHeritage; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Washington
 * 1895-1964 All U.S., Border Crossings from Mexico to U.S., 1895-1964 at Ancestry; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Washington
 * 1904-1944 Index to Alien Arrivals at Canadian Atlantic and Pacific Seaports, 1904-1944 at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1908-1917 Passenger lists of vessels arriving at Seattle from U. S. insular possessions, 1908-1917, Port Townsend, Seattle, and Tacoma
 * 1947-1957 Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, Passenger and Crew Lists of Airplane Departures, 1947-1957 at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1949-1954 Passenger lists of vessels arriving at Seattle, Washington : NARA M1398, 1949-1954
 * Paper Trail Database A Guide to Overland Pioneer Names & Documents

Cultural Groups

 * 1882-1916 Lists of Chinese passengers arriving at Seattle and Port Townsend, 1882-1916
 * 1903-1944 North Dakota and Washington, Chinese Passenger Arrivals, 1903-1944 at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1920-1939 Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920-1939 at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Washington
 * Tacoma Public Library Ships and Shipping Index
 * Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild at MyHeritage; index only ($)
 * Germans Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Washington
 * Italians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Washington
 * Russians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Washington
 * Washington och dess svenska befolkning : af Ernst Skarstedt...Med en färglagd karta öfver Washington, 300 porträtt och 87 andra illustrationer; på förf:s förlag under medverkan af F. W. Lonegren (Washington and its Swedish population: by Ernst Skarstedt ... With a colored map of Washington, 300 portraits and 87 other illustrations; på förf: s förlag under medverkan af F. W. Lonegren)

Passport Records Online

 * 1795-1925 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 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.

Washington Ports in NARA Records
See also Saint Albans, Vermont, 1895-1954: Manifests of Passengers Arriving in the St. Albans, VT, District through Canadian, Pacific, and Atlantic Ports, 1895--1954
 * Anacortes, Washington, 1924-1953
 * Blaine, Washington, 1929
 * Danville, Washington, 1931-1956
 * Ferry, Washington, 1917-1956
 * Laurier, Washington, 1923-1951
 * Lynden, Washington, 1923-1952
 * Marcus, Washington, 1923-195
 * Metaline Falls, Washington, 1924-1955
 * Northport, Washington, 1923-1951
 * Oroville, Washington, 1918-1954
 * Port Angeles, Washington, 1929-1952
 * Port Townsend, Washington, see Seattle and Tacoma, Washington
 * Seattle, Washington, and Other Washington Ports, 1882-1957; also 1947-1957
 * Sumas, Washington, 1924-1956
 * Tacoma, Washington, 1894-1909 and 1947-1957

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.
 * 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

Oregon-California Trails Association
Oregon-California Trails Association is an educational organization that promotes the story of the westward migration to Oregon, among other places. Their site includes a personal name index to trail diaries, journals, reminiscences, autobiographies, newspaper articles, guidebooks and letters at A Guide to Overland Pioneer Names and Documents.
 * Search the Paper Trail Database Initial searches are FREE! You can go to the "Search" tab now to begin. These free searches will tell you if a name or document is in the database. It will give you the origin and year of the journey, how the person was mentioned, the name of the party, and the name and author of the document described. Subscriptions give you more complete information including a scan of the original survey. This lists the route taken, ages, and other notes about the document. But most importantly, you will have access to the location of known copies of the original document.

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 early 1800s, traders and trappers came from Canada, Russia, Latin America, and the United States into what is now Oregon Territory.
 * In 1843, more than 900 emigrants came to Washington from Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa.
 * In the 1850s, gold was discovered in eastern Washington and prospectors flocked in.
 * n 1860, gold was found near Walla Walla, and this brought another rush of prospectors, including large numbers of Chinese.
 * After 1870. immigrants came from Germany, Scandinavia (especially Norway and Sweden), Holland, Britain, and the Philippines.
 * Many Japanese immigrated to Washington starting in the mid-1880s.
 * The greatest influx of settlers started in the 1880s, when transport by rail became possible. The first of three transcontinental railroads to Washington was completed in 1888. Most of the settlers of the 1880s and 1890s were from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and other western, midwestern, and eastern states. Others came from Canada and Europe.

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.

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

In-country Migration

 * Paper Trail Database A Guide to Overland Pioneer Names & Documents

Washington Migration Routes
Columbia River· Snake River· Oregon Trail· Great Northern Railway (U.S.)· Northern Pacific Railroad

For Further Reading
The FamilySearch Library has additional sources listed in their catalog: