Finding Your Family's Immigration Records in the US

Where to start

FamilySearch's free ship manifest index covers most Atlantic arrivals from 1820–1957. Start there with a surname and a decade — not a year — then drill into specific manifests for physical details (height, eye colour, destination address in the new country).

The overlooked ports

Ellis Island (1892–1954) was the famous entry point, but Castle Garden predates it (1855–1890), New Orleans took huge numbers of Germans and Irish, and Galveston was a significant Gulf port. Many Italians arrived via the Port of New Orleans; many Asians via San Francisco and Angel Island. Widen your search.

Beyond the manifest

Naturalisation petitions, available through the National Archives at a regional branch, are a goldmine — they include witnesses (usually cousins or neighbours from the old country), prior place of residence, and physical description. A single petition can yield ten new research leads.