New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1958

What is in This Collection?

The collection consists of images of passenger arrivals in New York Harbor, corresponding to NARA microfilm publication T715: Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1925 to 1957. Passenger arrival records do not exist for the following periods: U.S. citizen arrivals, January 1-May 20,1944; Alien and citizen arrivals, January 1- September 17, 1949; Alien and citizen arrivals, December 1- December 31, 1954.

Related National Archives Collections

• Passenger Manifests (Nominal Rolls) of Military Personnel Arriving on Vessels at New York, New York, May 31, 1943–July 1, 1955 NAID 2848402

General Information About Passenger Lists

Passenger arrival lists known as customs manifests date back to 1820. However, the first official emigration station for New York was Castle Garden, located at the tip of lower Manhattan. Congressional action in 1891 resulted in federal immigration officials recording the immigrants’ arrival. After January 1892, passengers arriving in New York debarked at Ellis Island, located east of Manhattan in the New York Harbor. From 1892 to 1924, almost all immigrants entered the United States through the port of New York.

The passenger arrival list was used by legal inspectors to cross-examine each immigrant during a legal inspection prior to the person being allowed to live in America. Only two percent of the prospective immigrants were denied entry.

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. The lists usually consist of large sheets of paper divided into columns and rows. The lists usually occupy two pages.

To Browse This Collection

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Passenger and Crew lists

• Name of ship and port of departure
• Ship's arrival date and port of entry
• Names of immigrants
• Immigrants' age, gender, marital status and occupation
• Country where immigrant has citizenship
• Last place of residence in that country
• Name of relative or friend living at last residence
• Name of relative or friend to be visited in this country
• Final destination
• Physical description
• Birthplace

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  1940 Passenger Information Sheet (aircraft arrivals example 1)

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  1946 Passenger Information Sheet (aircraft arrivals example 2)