Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Passenger List Index Cards, 1883-1948
This is a Soundex card index to Philadelphia passenger lists from 1 Jan 1883 through 28 Jun 1948. Each card contains the given name, family name, place of birth, age, gender, occupation, nationality, last permanent residence, destination, name & address of relative or friend, port & date of entry, name of ship, and the volume, page, and line number in the passenger lists. The cards are filed according to the Soundex number associated with each family name and then by given names. This collection corresponds to NARA publication T526: Index (Soundex) Cards, Ship Arrivals at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1883-1948.
Start your search
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Passenger List Index Cards
What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of a name index & images from a Soundex card index to Philadelphia passenger lists from 1 Jan 1883 through 28 Jun 1948. Each card contains the given name, family name, place of birth, age, gender, occupation, nationality, last permanent residence, destination, name & address of relative or friend, port & date of entry, name of ship, and the volume, page, and line number in the passenger lists. The cards are field according to the Soundex number associated with each family name and then by given names. This collection corresponds to NARA publication T526: Index (Soundex) Cards, Ship Arrivals at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1883-1948. Passenger arrival lists do not exist from July 1, 1948 to November 30, 1954.
The soundex index is a phonetic index that groups together names that sound alike but are spelled differently, for example, Stewart and Stuart. The index cards are filed according to the soundex number associated with each family name and then by given names. For more information on soundex indexes and help with coding names and using the index, see the wiki article: Soundex
This collection indexes passenger lists on NARA publication T840 Passenger Lists of vessels Arriving at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1883-1945.
Passenger arrival lists known as customs manifests date back to 1820. Congressional action in 1891 resulted in federal immigration officials recording the immigrants’ arrival. Arrival lists were used by legal authorities to gather personal information about immigrants prior to the person being allowed to live in the United States. The information was supplied by the immigrant or a traveling companion (usually a family member). Incorrect information was occasionally given, or mistakes may have been made when the clerk guessed at the spelling of foreign names.
Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.
To Browse This Collection
| You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Passenger List Index Cards, 1883-1948. |
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
- Full name of passenger
- Number of persons accompanying passenger
- Birthplace
- Age, gender, marital status and occupation
- Place of nativity
- Whether passenger is able to read and write
- Last permanent residence
- Name and address of relative or friend in former country
- What is final destination
- Physical description
- Arrival date and port of entry
- Name of ship
- Volume and page number
Collection Content
Sample Images
1893 Soundex Card
Passenger List
_(12-0597)_Soundex_Card_DGS_4759428_28.jpg)
_(10-780)_(10-0781)_DGS_missing_NARA_Roll_91_93.jpg)
Inventory
- For an inventory of all the films/digital folders in this collection see Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Passenger and Crew Lists and Indexes - Inventory
Collection Details
Location of Original Records
National Archives and Records Administration
"Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Passenger List Index Cards, 1883-1948." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 3 December 2024. Citing NARA microfilm publication T526. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
