Immigration Information

Immigrant Processing Centers for New York:

Aug 1, 1855 - April 18, 1890 - Castle Garden

April 19, 1890 - Dec. 31, 1891 - Barge Office

Jan 1, 1892 - June 13, 1897 - Ellis Island

On June 14, 1897 the building on Ellis Island was destroyed in a fire, so the Barge Office was again used for immigrants.

June 14, 1897 - Dec. 16, 1900 - Barge Office

Dec 17, 1900 - Dec 31, 1924 - Ellis Island

Castle Garden was located on the southwest tip of Manhattan while the Barge Office was located on the southeast tip. Before the Castle Garden center opened in 1855, the passengers simply got off the ship onto whatever wharf they had landed on in Manhattan. There was no central processing center. They were recorded on passenger arrival lists beginning in 1820.

It should be noted that the ships never actually landed at Ellis Island, they landed at Manhattan and the passengers were ferried over to the island for processing. Generally only steerage passengers went to Ellis Island for inspection - MOST of the lst and 2nd class passengers were allowed to leave the ship soon after docking. All passengers, however, were listed on the ship manifest.

The source for this information, as well as further information , can be found at http://germanroots.home.att.net/ellisisland/

Note: There are pictures of the processing centers at the above site as well as lots of additional information :-)

Ships and Ship Lists

Just want to pass on the following as it may be helpful to some who are interested in Ships and Ships Lists for their ancestors. To find passenger arrival records for immigrants arriving before 1820, you must rely on printed sources. These include published lists of immigrants' names taken from newspapers, naturalization oaths, indenture lists, headright grants, and other records.

An excellent index of over 2,500,000 names found in more than 2,500 published sources is: Filby, P. William. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 15 vols. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981-. The first three volumes are a combined alphabetical index published in 1981. Supplemental volumes have been issued annually. There are also cumulative 1982 to 1985, 1986 to 1990, and 1991 to 1995 supplements. This does not index official U.S. arrival lists or manuscript sources, but it does index the names of many people who immigrated between 1538 and the 1900s and who are listed in post-1820 published sources.

Note: These volumes can be found in most libraries with genealogy collections.

They Came in Ships
A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's Ship by John Philip Colletta - 108 pages Revised edition (March 1998) Mr. Colletta not only tells you what you need to know to begin your search, but also suggests the most likely places to find that information. He explains the records, demonstrating in sample research scenarios how to use the available indexes and alternative resources to find the ship passenger list that lists your ancestor's name.

Great book!...a "must read" for anyone trying to locate a passenger list of their ancestor.... easy reading and gives many suggestions for places to find information concerning an ancestors immigration. You can usually buy a copy for $10 or under.

New World Immigrants,Tepper, Michael: a Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists and Associated Data from Periodical Literature. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979 More than 27,500 emigrants who arrived from 1618-1878. The passengers are mainly English, Irish, Scottish, German, Swiss, French, Dutch, Norwegian, and Russian-German.

Passengers to America, Tepper, Michael: Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists From the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. his book contains more than 16,000 passengers who arrived in America from 1620 to 1836 (although most are from the 17th century), beginning with the Mayflower.

Emigrants to Pennsylvania, Tepper, Michael: 1641-1819: a Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists from the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1978 About 6,000 passengers, most of them British and German, who arrived at the port of Philadelphia between 1682 and 1819, are included in this work. The majority are from two lists of indentured servants and apprentices.

Immigrants to the Middle Colonies, Tepper, Michael: a Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists and Associated Data from The New York Genealogical
and Biographical Record. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1978

Many more references see:

Finding Passenger Lists Before 1820
Arrivals at US Ports from Europe
http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/1820.html

NOTE: Use this data as a finding tool, just as you would any other secondary source. When you find the name of an ancestor listed, confirm the facts in original sources.

Back to Main Page

More

Information

"Warning Out"

Information on State Censuses

Immigration Information

NOTES TO RESEARCHERS

When you use this site, please keep in mind the difference between primary and secondary sources and the importance of checking those sources. Accept nothing without further checking. It is our hope that through this collection of data from many sources, you will find a piece of the puzzle that you are working on and that may lead you to other discoveries.

Do not duplicate in any form without permission of Clan Boyd Society International.