Nature of Source
Records of outbound passenger lists of about 5 million individuals. Around 80 per cent of passengers travelled to the USA. About two thirds of the passengers originated from eastern Europe and the rest from Germany. The records cover the years from 1850 to 1934 except the years covering 1915 to 1919. The lists are written in German and most online indexes only cover the peak years.
See also
Denizations
Immigration Records
Jewish Records
Jewish Registers
Lists & Certificates of Aliens/Arrivals
Naturalisation Papers
Passenger Lists
Returns of Aliens
Sacrament Certificates
Where Found
Emigration Museum BallinStadt Hamburg (For those who are interested in doing some research about the emigration of their ancestors, the museum offers access to the digitized version of the unique Hamburg passenger lists as well as to the world’s largest genealogical database. It includes further information, such as U.S. censuses and address books)
Period Covered
1850 – 1934
Genealogical Value
- Full name, sex, age, previous residence and occupation.
- Destination and number of persons.
- Names of adults and children over 10 years, children under 10 years.
Further References
- Dearden, Fay & Dearden, Dearden. The German Researcher: How To Get The Most Out Of An LDS Family History Center: Family Roots Publishing, 2007
- Meitzler, Leland K. German Genealogy Research Online – Tips and Links: Family Roots Publishing, 2012
- Minert, Roger & Boeckel, Kathryn & Winters, Caren. Germans to America and the Hamburg Passenger Lists: Coordinated Schedules: Heritage Books, 2007
- Minert, Roger P. Deciphering Handwriting in German Documents: Analyzing German, Latin, and French in Vital Records Written in Germany: Family Roots Publishing, 2001
A number of Place Name Indexes (with reverse alphabetical indexes) by Roger P. Minert covering Switzerland and Germany are available from Family Roots Publishing
Websites
www.germanroots.com/hamburg.html (German Roots Research Guide: The Hamburg Passenger Departure Lists 1850-1934)
www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Hamburg_Passenger_Lists (FamilySearch Research Wiki: Hamburg Passenger Lists)
www.familysearch.org/search/catalog (FamilySearch Catalogue: Search the catalog of genealogical materials including Passenger lists, books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications made available by FamilySearch online and in libraries and centers worldwide)
www.cyndislist.com/ports-departure/hamburg-germany (CyndisList: Links to resource sites)
https://feefhs.org/resource/germany (Foundation for East European Family History Studies: German Resources: The Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934)
www.sassyjanegenealogy.com/translating-hamburg-passenger-list-categories (Sassy Jane Genealogy: Translating Hamburg Passenger List Categories)
www.familytreemagazine.com/heritage/german/german-genealogy-websites (Family Tree Magazine: The 12 Best German Genealogy Websites, by James Beidler)
www.familytreemagazine.com/heritage/german/5-genealogy-sources-for-german-emigration-on-ancestry-com (Family Tree Magazine: 5 Sources for German Emigration Records on Ancestry.com, by James Beidler)
https://blogs.ancestry.com/circle/?p=913 (Using the Hamburg Emigration Lists on Ancestry.com by Juliana Smith)
https://web.archive.org/web/20131224121517/https:/www.progenealogists.com/germany/articles/hambpl.htm (Using Hamburg Passenger Lists by Gary T.Horlacher)
Online Databases
www.ancestry.co.uk (Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934)
https://stevemorse.org/ellis/passengers.php?mode=hamb (Stephen P. Morse: Searching the Hamburg Outbound Passenger Lists in One Step)
Familysearch.org (Various passenger lists including Germans to America Index, 1850-1897; Italians to America Index, 1855-1900; Russians to America Index, 1834-1897)
CD Roms
N/A
