Arrivals by Name and Port

Ancestry Library Edition.
Location: Library Databases

Best viewed using the Internet Explorer browser. See the "Immigration" section. Has records for ports of New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and more. Some files are indexes only and some include full images of the original records. Also see the Learning Center available free through Ancestry.com.

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index (PILI). 3 vols. and supp. Edited by P. William Filby. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Co., 1980.
Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref CS68 .P36 1981 and CS68 .P362)

The most important source for ship and immigration list information. It is a name index to thousands of passenger lists which have been published in books or articles. Covers passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The cumulated supplements contain thousands of additional records:1982-85 Supplement, 4 vols.; 1986-1990, 3 vols.; 1991-1995, 3 vols.; 1996-2000, 3 vols.; 2001-2005, 3 vols. Use the index and supplements to identify a published source. Then use DELCAT to see if the source is available in this library. Note: the UD Library does not receive the annual supplements.

Passenger and Immigration Lists Bibliography, 1538-1900 (PILB). 2nd ed. Edited by P. William Filby. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Co., 1988.
Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref CS47 .F54x 1988)

This is a list of several hundred published ship and passenger lists which have not yet been indexed in the Filby PILI. These lists will be indexed as more PILI supplements are published. Index includes places and ethnic or national groups. Describes the Swedish passenger lists included in Scharf History of Delaware.

Boyer, Carl. Ship Passenger Lists: Pennsylvania and Delaware (1641-1825). Newhall, CA: Boyer, 1980.
Location: Morris Library (F148 .B76)
Location: Morris Library - Special Collections (Del F148 .B76x 1980)

Castle Garden.
Location: Internet (http://www.castlegarden.org/)

Castle Garden was America's first immigration center. The online records cover 1830 through 1892, the year Ellis Island opened.

Copies of Lists of Passengers Arriving at Miscellaneous Ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts ..., 1820-1873. Roll 16. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, 1964.
Location: Morris Library - Microforms (Microfilm no. 4149)
Location: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m575.pdf) description

National Archives Microfilm M575, Record Group 036. The Library has roll 16 only, which includes arrivals at Wilmington, Delaware, 1820-48. The microfilm is arranged by port, then by date. The microfilm does not include an index. Note: in Ancestry Library Edition.

Delaware Genealogical Society. Journal. Semiannual.
Location: Morris Library (F163 .D35x)

Publishes transcripts of original records. Published since 1980. The Tables of Contents are online.

Dunlap, A.R. "Three Lists of Passengers to New Amstel." Delaware History 8, no. 3 (March 1959).
Location: Morris Library (F161 .D47)

See pp. 310-311.

Ellis Island / Port of New York Records.
Location: Internet (http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/)

Information on 22 million immigrants and ship's crews who arrived at Ellis Island and the Port of New York between 1892 and 1924. Searchable by name, including alternate spelling, results provide date of arrival, age, marital status, ethnicity, residence, gender, ship, and port of departure. Contains information on each ship and ship manifests. “Immigrant Experience” includes The Peopling of America, which covers pre-1790 to 2000 with a “timeline showing forces behind immigration and their impact on the immigrant experience.” Free registration. Note: many of these records are available as digitized images in Ancestry Library Edition.

Family Search. (LDS Church)
Location: Internet (http://www.familysearch.org)

Search for ancestor name using the online search. Additionally, search for the name of a port. Search the Family History Library catalog, using the Place Search option. Search for the name of a place, then look for subheadings such as emigration, naturalization, etc. Note: many passenger and naturalization records have been microfilmed by the LDS.

Footnote.com.
Location: Internet (http://www.footnote.com/)

Website is produced in partnership with The National Archives and contains full records of Archives collections not available in microfilm or online. Site also provides capabilities for members to highlight documents and post comments. Some documents available only to paid subscribers.

Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild.
Location: Internet (http://www.immigrantships.net/)

O'Callaghan, Edmund Bailey. "Early Immigrants to New Netherland, 1657-1664." In The Documentary History of the State of New-York. Vol. 3. Albany: Weed, Parsons, 1849-51.
Location: Morris Library (F122 .D63)

See pp. 33-42 and 52-63.

O'Callaghan, Edmund Bailey. "Emigrants to the Colonie of the Delaware River." In Documents Relative to the Colonial History of New York. Vol. 2. Albany: Weed, Parsons, 1856-1887.
Location: Morris Library (F122 .D66)

See p.183. See also v. 12 of this series, titled Documents Relative to the History of the Dutch and Swedish Settlements on the Delaware River.

Olive Tree Genealogy.
Location: Internet (http://olivetreegenealogy.com/index.shtml)

Passenger Arrivals at the Port of Baltimore, 1820-1834: From Customs Passenger Lists. Edited by Michael H. Tepper. Baltimore: Geneal. Pub. Co., 1982 (1999 printing).
Location: Morris Library (CS68 .T46 1982)

Transcribed from Customs lists. Contains records for 50,000 people. Most of the passengers were German; also large numbers were British or Irish. Also see NARA microfilm: guide at Microfilm Roll Numbers for USA Passenger Arrival Records. Note: in Ancestry Library Edition.

Passenger Arrivals at the Port of Philadelphia, 1800-1819: The Philadelphia Baggage Lists. Edited by Michael H. Tepper. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1986.
Location: Morris Library (CS68 .T464 1986)

The oldest federal passenger lists are the "baggage lists" from the port of Philadelphia. This books contains transcriptions of about 40,000 passenger names taken from 4,767 ship lists. Most of the passengers were from Great Britain and Germany. Also see NARA microfilm; guide at Microfilm Roll Numbers for USA Passenger Arrival Records. Note: in Ancestry Library Edition.

National/Ethnic Groups

Dutch Immigrants in U. S. Ship Passenger Manifests, 1820-1880: An Alphabetical Listing by Household Heads and Independent Persons. 2 vols. Edited by Robert P. Swierenga. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1983.
Location: Morris Library (E184 .D9 S95 1983 v. 1-2)

Arranged by name. Includes ports of Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, and some smaller ports. Extracted from NARA M237. Note: in Ancestry Library Edition.

The Famine immigrants: Lists of Irish Immigrants Arriving at the Port of New York, 1846-1851. 7 vols. Edited by Ira A. Glazier and Michael Tepper. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1983-1986.
Location: Morris Library (E184 .I6 F25 1983 v. 1-7)
Location: Internet (http://aad.archives.gov/aad/fielded-search.jsp?dt=180&tf=F&cat=TS20&bc=sl,sd) (National Archives)

Includes non-Irish passengers. Arranged by ship and date of arrival at port of New York. Each volume has a name index (only for that volume). Compiled from original Customs Passenger lists held in the collection of The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, now at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Note: in Ancestry Library Edition.

Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports, 1850-1897. 67 vols. Edited by Ira A. Glazier and P. William Filby. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1988-2001.
Location: Morris Library (E184 .G3 G38 1988 v. 1-67)

Wonderful compendium of arriving German passengers. Arranged by port and date. Each volume has a name index (only for that volume). The original ship passenger lists may contain additional information. Some omitted persons in these volumes can be found in NARA microfilm. See Microfilm Roll Numbers for USA Passenger Arrival Records.

Baird, Charles W. History of the Huguenot Emigration to America. 2 vols. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1885.
Location: Morris Library (DC111 .B23)
Location: Library Annex (DC111 .B23)

Considered the standard work on Huguenot emigration. Contains narratives and records.

Italians to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports, 1880-1899. 20 vols. Edited by Ira A. Glazier and P. William Filby. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1992-2006.
Location: Morris Library (E184 .I8 I844 1992 v. 1-20)

Wonderful compendium of arriving Italian passengers. Arranged by port and date. Each volume has a name index (only for that volume). The original ship passenger lists may contain additional information.

Migration from the Russian Empire: Lists of Passengers Arriving at the Port of New York. 6 vols. Edited by Ira A. Glazier. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1995-1998.
Location: Morris Library (E184 .R9 M54 1995 v. 1-6)

Arranged by port and date. Each volume has a name index (only for that volume). Information on non-Russian passengers and passengers who died during voyages is omitted from these volumes. The work was compiled from original ship manifests held in the collection of The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, now at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Note: the Russian Empire included parts of what is now Poland.

Swedish Passenger Arrivals in New York, 1820-1850. Edited by Nils William Olsson. Chicago: Swedish Pioneer Historical Society, 1967.
Location: Morris Library (E184 .S23 O43)

Swedish Passenger Arrivals in U.S. Ports 1820-1850 (except New York): With Additions and Corrections to Swedish Passenger Arrivals in New York 1820-1850. Edited by Nils William Olsson. Saint Paul, MN: North Central Pub. Co., 1979.
Location: Morris Library (E184 .S23 O53x 1979b)

Ships

Morton Allan Directory of European Passenger Steamship Arrivals for the Years 1890 to 1930 at the Port of New York and for the Years 1904 to 1926 at the Ports of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Baltimore. Reprint. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987.
Location: Library Annex (HE945 .A2 D5 1987)

A directory of ships, giving arrivals, departures, port of embarkation, and more. Arrangement is by year and steamship company.

New York Times. (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
Location: Library Databases

Searchable digital images of the New York Times from 1851 to 3 years ago. Good place to look for ship arrivals. Useful search term: "marine intelligence". Can search or limit by date.

How to Get Pictures and Information for Your Ancestor's Ship.
Location: Internet (http://home.att.net/~arnielang/ship06.html)

DELCAT Examples

For More Information

Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet.
Location: Internet (http://www.cyndislist.com/)

Delaware Genealogical Research Guide. 3rd ed. Wilmington, DE: Delaware Genealogical Society, 2002.
Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref F163 .D349 2002)
Location: Morris Library - Special Collections (Del F163 .D349 2002)

The most important guide for doing genealogical research in Delaware. It covers specific types of records and where they can be found in the state. Edited by Thomas P. Doherty and published by the Delaware Genealogical Society (http://delgensoc.org).

Immigration Records (Ship Passenger Arrival Records). National Archives.
Location: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/immigration/)

Guide to finding original records. Records which have been microfilmed by can be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan, either from Archives or from other libraries. Other usefule webpage on the site include:

• Genealogy/ Personal History (Selected electronic records through Access to Archival Databases: AAD)
• Microfilm Catalogs

The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Rev. ed. Salt Lake City: Ancestry Publishing Company, 1997.
Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref CS49 .S65 1997)

See pages 441-519.

Tepper, Michael. American Passenger Arrival Records: A Guide to the Records of Immigrants Arriving at American Ports by Sail and Steam. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1993.
Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref CS49 .T46 1993)

United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States. 3rd ed. Edited by Anne Bruner Eales and Robert M. Kvasnicka. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 2000.
Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref CS68 .U533 2000)

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