* Search for Your Immigrant Ancestor in Ports of Arrival U.S.A. | Canada | Australia & New Zealand | South Africa | England * Find Ancestors on Ships Passenger Lists Outbound from USA & Canada * Find Ancestors on Ships Passenger Lists by Year of Arrival

Pre-1820 Approximately 650,000 individuals of all nationalities arrived in America before 1820. Most were English and Welsh. Smaller numbers of German, Irish, Scotch-Irish, Dutch, French, Spanish, African, and other nationalities also arrived. These immigrants tended to settle in the eastern, middle-Atlantic, and southern states. Before January 1, 1820, the U.S. Federal Government did not require captains or masters of vessels to present a passenger list to U.S. officials. The lists that remain for the period before 1820 are varied in content. They range from name only lists to giving the person's full name, age, and country of origin.

1820-1880 Over 10 million immigrants came from northern Europe, the British Isles, and Scandinavia between 1820 and 1880. There was a large increase in the number of immigrants from Germany and Ireland beginning in the 1840s and 1850s. Some settled in large eastern and midwestern cities, but most migrated to the midwest and west.

1880-1920 More than 25 million immigrants, mainly from southern and eastern Europe came to USA. Many came from Germany, Italy, Ireland, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and England. Many settled in the larger cities, including New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia. From 1820 to 1902 Custom Passengers Lists were kept the Customs Department. In 1883 the Immigration and Naturalization Service started keeping the records, and these are referred to as Immigration Passenger Lists

To find your Scottish ancestors on ships passenger lists from Scotland to USA & Canada you can search

• Passenger Lists
• Indexes to Ships Passenger Lists on Microfilm after 1820
• CD ROMS

  CD-ROM Best Buys

• Books
• Online Databases
• Articles & Research Tips
• Newspapers (for ship arrivals)
• Naturalization Records
• Census Records

Online Free Ships Passenger Lists

Ship Henry & Francis From Scotland 1685
Snow Amity Glasgow Scotland to Boston Massachusetts 1716
Ship Diligence Glasgow Scotland to Boston Massachusetts Nov. 15 1763
Snow Douglas Greenock Scotland to Boston Massachusetts July 1764
Ship Stirling Castle from Greenock Scotland to Boston Massachusetts Apr. 16, 1766
Snow Jenny from Glasgow Scotland to Boston Massachusetts Oct. 31, 1766
The Gale from Scotland to New York, May 16 1774
LE DE SPENCER from Falmouth Scotland to Carolina, Feb. 1774
The ULYSSES from Greenock Scotland to Wilmington, North Carolina, August 1774
The Commerce passengers from Broad Albion, Perthshire, Scotland from Port Greenock Scotland to New York July 9, 1775
The AJAX from Greenock Scotland to North Carolina, June 1775
The ULYSSES from Greenock Scotland to North Carolina, April-May 1775
The JACKIE OF GLASGOW from Stanraer Scotland to North Carolina, May 1775
The JAMAICA PaCKET from Kirkaldy Scotland to Carolina, June 1775
Andromache 7 February 1820 Leith Scotland to New York
Passenger List of Ship Brok or Brooke sailing from Greenock Scotland arriving New York 29 August 1829
Hudson, 1850 Dec. 23 Glasgow Scotland arriving New York
Mary Morris 1851 Sept. 23 Glasgow Scotland arriving New York
Sarah 1851 Sep 24 Glasgow Scotland arriving New York
Carlisle Emigration to Canada 1863
Tarifa Glasgow Scotland to Boston Massachusetts 1869
Assyria 1871 May 20 from Scotland to New York
Circassia 1883 Scotland to New York (many passengers going on to Canada)

Search for passengers Use Olive Tree Custom Search Engines to search multiple sites (choose search engines by state of arrival)
Ellis Island Ships Passenger Lists Search passenger records to New York from 1892 to 1924

Census Records

AllCensusRecords.com Search Census Records all years in USA & Canada. Comparison chart of online sites and what census records they have

If you don't know the year your ancestor arrived in the USA, search the 1870, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 census for the year of immigration! Naturalization status is also given.

CD ROMS

What's Available in CD Roms and Books includes

• Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s Indexed CD with names of approximately 3,530,000 individuals who arrived in United States and Canadian ports
• Immigrants to the New World, 1600s-1800s
• Scottish Immigrants to North America, 1600s-1800s Covering approximately 70,000 immigrants from Scotland to USA & Canada
• Scotch-Irish Settlers in America, 1500s-1800s Immigration Records Approximately 215,000 individuals

Online Immigration Records (Fee-based)

Scots-Irish in Virginia, Vol. 1 1745 to 1800; Scots-Irish in Virginia, Vol. 2 & Scots-Irish in Virginia, Vol. 3

Ships Passenger Lists on Microfilm

NARA & FHC Microfilm Reel Numbers Passenger Lists to North America 1820 to 1957

Naturalization Records

For help with Naturalization Records, plus online searchable databases, see NaturalizationRecords.com

Online Articles & Research Advice

Immigration to USA Before 1820
Immigration to USA After 1820
Naturalization & Citizenship Records USA (PART 1) What the Records contain
Naturalization & Citizenship Records USA (PART 2) Where to Find the Records
Manifest Markings: A Guide to Interpreting Passenger List Annotations (1892-1943) by Marian L. Smith, the Historian of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service

Newspapers

If the exact date of arrival of a ship is known, you can read the arrival report in newspapers.

Search for ancestors in Historical Newspaper 1690-1980

For example, The New York Times which began publication in September 1851, is available at many large libraries. The type of vessel is normally indicated on the arrival report, which may also give information about events on the voyage. Sometimes names are also given, although full passenger lists are not. You can search the NY Times online! Search 1857-1880 or 1881-1906 These are off-site pay databases but you may be able to use a free trial offer to view them.

Looking for other USA records? See USA GENEALOGY for searchable genealogy databases

Browse online FREE Ships Passenger Lists Choose by year of arrival in U.S.A.:
1400s           1600s           1700s           1800s           1900s

* Search for Your Immigrant Ancestor in Ports of Arrival U.S.A. | Canada | Australia & New Zealand | South Africa | England * Find Ancestors on Ships Passenger Lists Outbound from USA & Canada * Find Ancestors on Ships Passenger Lists by Year of Arrival