45 Reasons to Research Immigration Records

When I first started my ancestor research, after I had gotten over the initial excitement of reviewing census records and interviewing my living relatives, I almost immediately began trying to find my immigrant ancestors and how they got to America. Through free repositories such as Ellis Island and Castle Garden and other sites, as well as records available via subscription sites I plugged away.

 After collecting a few records, I began to analyze the contents of those records. There are tons of information included in them, and thorough analysis can lead you to discover familial relationships that are much beyond what ship they arrived in, and on what date they immigrated. My first few records were from the mid-1850’s and all that was on the passenger lists were name, age, sex, occupation, and where they were coming from. Make sure that you analyze the hospital/medical detainment information for the trip also. Later lists have much more information requested and on the passenger lists, as you can see below. Online Immigration Resources are below the table.

Name of the Immigrant – Despite the legend that names were changed at Ellis Island – they certainly were not. But folks did change their name later.	How Much Money in Your Possession?
Family – families certainly did travel together and sometimes not, not necessarily on the same ship or in the same year.	Been to The U.S. Before?
Age	Height
Gender	Hair Color
Marital Status	Eye Color
Occupation	Complexion Type
Ability to Read and/or Write – also indicates which language they were proficient in.	Marks of Identification
Nationality /Citizenship	Name of Ship
Race	Port/City of Departure
Place of Birth – City/town and country	Date of Departure
Place of Last Residence – City/town and country	Part of the Vessel for Travel – which deck, for example
Name and Address of Contact for Location from Whence they Came – It may provide information about an unknown family member in the “old country”	Port/City of Arrival
Visa – Number and where and when issued.	Date of Arrival
Final Destination – City/Town and State.	For Aircraft – Carrier and Flight Number
Whether Going to Visit a Relative or Friend – name and complete address is n this entry. This entry can also provide terrific clues as to other relatives of the immigrant.	Purpose for Coming to the U.S.
Ever Been in Prison, Almshouse, Mental Institution or Supported by Charity?	Length of Intended Stay
Polygamist?	Ever Excluded from U.S., Deported or Arrested?
Anarchist?	Detained Aliens – Name
Labor Contract?	Detained Aliens – Reason for Detention – usually medical; the form is not shown here but is a separate form
Physical and Mental Health Condition?	Detained Aliens – Final Disposition
Deformed or Crippled?	Detained Aliens – Date of Discharge
Do You Have a Ticket for Final Destination?	Detained Aliens – Number of Meals Provided
Who Paid for Your Passage?

Resources

Read the National Archives article Immigration Records Overview at

https://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/overview

Read the FamilySearch Blog article U.S. Immigration Records Research Guide: Passenger Lists, Naturalization, and More at

https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/immigration-records-research-guide/

Read the FamilySearch Wiki article United States Emigration and Immigration at

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Emigration_and_Immigration

Read American Family Immigration History Center and research Ellis island at

https://www.statueofliberty.org/ellis-island/family-history-center/

Find Links to Free Online Immigration and Travel collections in The Ancestor Hunt’s compilation of links by state at

https://theancestorhunt.com/immigration.html

Visit Cyndi’s’ List for useful information links regarding Immigration, Emigration & Migration at

https://www.cyndislist.com/immigration/

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