Passenger Lists (including Scotland and Ireland)

Nature of Source

Introduction
Passenger lists are invaluable for tracing the movement of our ancestors. The records provide essential details about the people who migrated, including their names, ages, nationalities, and ports of departure and arrival.

Scope of Records
Passenger lists, often referred to as ship manifests, document our ancestors who travelled by ship to or from the UK at various ports. The records primarily cover long-haul voyages to destinations outside Britain and Europe, including Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and the USA. The records do not include domestic British or purely European voyages.

Historical Context
The British Passenger Act of 1823 mandated the requirement to record those arriving in and departing ports. The Act came into being as a measure to control and monitor emigration in the 19th century. Unfortunately passenger lists originating from the Act of 1823 only survive from 1890. The Board of Trade destroyed most pre-1890 passenger lists apart from the years between 1878 and 1888.

Migration to America
Between 1820 and 1915, approximately 30 million Europeans emigrated to America, including large numbers from Britain, Ireland, and Germany. Later in the 19th century, significant numbers from Eastern and Southern Europe, including Catholics, Jews and Orthodox Christians, joined this wave of migration. About 1.1 million Germans arrived in the United States between 1820 and 1865, escaping political unrest, economic hardship and religious persecution. Between 1820 and 1865, approximately 3.5 million British immigrants arrived in search of economic opportunities. Irish immigration to the US witnessed a surge during the Great Famine (1845-1852), which led to a mass exodus. Immigration patterns began to shift towards Eastern and Southern Europe after 1865. Jews particularly from countries like Poland and Russia as well as Orthodox Christians from various Eastern European countries fled persecution at home to seek a better life in America.

Passenger Lists
The formats and details included in passenger lists can vary significantly depending on the time period, the shipping line and the destination. Some are handwritten lists while others in later years are pre-printed or typed forms. Different shipping lines had their own formats for recording passenger information and may vary in the specific details they include.

Surviving Records

• Inbound Passenger Lists: Available from 1878 to 1960. Surviving lists are found in series BT 26 held at The National Archives. Note that The National Archives records focus only on ships entering the United Kingdom and Ireland sailing from ports outside Europe and the Mediterranean. These passenger lists do not record travel within Europe unless a ship called at a European port before sailing to the UK. Passengers embarking at a European port therefore appear on the ship’s manifest The original records are arranged in date order by port of arrival.

• Outbound Passenger Lists: Available from 1890 to 1960. Surviving lists are found in series BT 27 held at The National Archives. Passenger lists do not record travel within Europe unless a ship called at an intermediate port including those in Europe before sailing onwards. Passengers disembarking therefore appear on the ship’s manifest. The original records are arranged by port and date of departure.

Research Tips

• Search for clues of migration in census returns and birth/baptism records.
• Immigration Records are created when individuals enter a new country and Emigration Records are created at the point of departure.
• Explore immigration records and arrival lists in the country of destination.
• Many US states maintain their own local immigration records.
• Merchant or Royal Naval vessels and troop ships are not included.
• Crew members are not normally listed.
• Local newspapers may also provide printed passenger lists, particularly in port towns and cities.

The following GenGuide sources could assist in researching passenger list records:

• Denizations
• Emigration Records (Including Scotland)
• Emigration Records (Ireland)
• Hamburg Passenger Lists
• Immigration Records
• Lists & Certificates of Aliens/Arrivals
• Naturalisation Papers
• Returns of Aliens

Where Found

The National Archives

• Series BT 32, 1906-1951. Board of Trade: Registers of Passenger Lists. Registers of passenger lists kept by the Board of Trade’s Commercial, Labour and Statistical Department and its successors.
• Series BT 26, 1890-1960. Board of Trade: Inwards Passenger Lists. Passenger lists of people arriving in the United Kingdom by sea from ports outside Europe and the Mediterranean.
• Series BT 27, 1890-1960. Board of Trade: Outwards Passenger Lists. Passenger lists of people leaving the United Kingdom by sea kept by the Board of Trade’s Commercial and Statistical Department and its successors.

National Library of Scotland
Various published lists available in the General Reading Room including ‘Passenger and immigration lists index’, by P W Filby and M K Meyer. This is a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who went to the United States and Canada in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

The Mitchell Library
The library holds a small number of passenger lists for ships leaving Glasgow for New Zealand, 1871-1880 and to Tasmania, 1855-1857.

Merseyside Maritime Museum
Maritime Archives and Library. Liverpool was one of the main gateways for emigration from the UK to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, USA and Canada during the 19th and 20th centuries. The library hold a number of sources for emigrant research including passenger tickets, correspondence and other ephemera, ship registers, diaries and letters and sailing information.

Several overseas repositories hold both inbound and outbound passenger lists and other immigration records such as

Canada
Library and Archives Canada

America
The Library of Congress
U.S. National Archives

Australia
The National Archives of Australia
National Library of Australia
State Library New South Wales

New Zealand
Archives New Zealand
National Library of New Zealand

South Africa
National Archives and Records Services of South Africa

Period Covered

1890 – 1960

Genealogical Value

• Name of passenger
• Occupation
• Age and sex
• Nationality
• Port of departure and arrival
• Name of ship and shipping line
• Intended and last residence, sometimes with addresses
• Later lists may include next-of-kin and place and date of birth

Further References

• Coldham, Peter Wilson. The Complete Book of Emigrants in Bondage, 1614-1775: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1988
• Coldham, Peter Wilson. The Complete Book of Emigrants: 1607-1776, 4 vols: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1987
• Devine, Tom (ed.). Scottish Emigration and Scottish Society: John Donald, 1992
• Devine, Tom. Scotland’s Empire, 1600-1815: Allen Lane, 2003
• Dobson, David. The Original Scots Colonists of Early America, 1612-1783: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1989 (For other David Dobson titles visit the Genealogical Publishing Company)
• Filby, William & Meyer, Mary. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: A Guide to Published Arrival Records, 1538-1900: Gale Research Company, 1981
• Harper, Marjory. Adventurers and Exiles: The Great Scottish Exodus: Profile Books, 2004
• Kershaw, Roger. Emigrants and Expats: A Guide to Sources on UK Emigration and Residents Overseas: The National Archives, 2002
• Kershaw, Roger. Migration Records: The National Archives, 2009
• Kershaw, Roger. Immigrants and Aliens. 2nd ed: The National Archives, 2004
• McCarthy, Angela (ed.). A Global Clan: Scottish Migrant Networks and Identities since the Eighteenth Century: Tauris, 2006
• Richards, Eric. Britannia’s Children. Emigration from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland since 1600: Hambledon, 2004
• Weaver, Jack & Lester, Deegee. Immigrants from Great Britain and Ireland: A Guide to Archival and Manuscript Sources in North America: Greenwood Press, 1986
• Wills, Simon. Voyages from the Past: A History of British Passengers at Sea: Pen & Sword Books, 2014
• Whyte, Donald. A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to the USA, 2 vols: Magna Carta Book Company, 1972 & 1986
• Whyte, Donald. A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to Canada Before Confederation, 2 vols: Ontario Genealogical Society, 1986 & 1995

Websites

The National Archives Research Guide
How to look for records of Passengers. The majority of inward passenger lists from 1878 to 1960 and outward passenger lists from 1890 to 1960 have survived. There are very few records in The National Archives of passengers before 1878.
The National Archives Research Guide
How to look for records of Emigration and emigrants. Use this guide for advice on locating records at The National Archives of emigration and of individual emigrants from Britain
National Records of Scotland
Research Guide: Emigration Records
Cyndi’s List
Ships & Passenger Lists. The site offers a variety of links and resources related to ships and passenger research.
P&O Heritage
The site highlights the history and the collections and archives of the P&O shipping line as well as the companies acquired by the group over the years. The site hosts a number of Family History Research Guides and an online collections catalogue of nearly 2,400 P&O ships and 1,800 object records.
P&O Heritage
Researching passengers and emigration. This is a guide to national records and specific P&O records for researching passengers and emigrants on P&O and P&O group ships.
National Maritime Museum
Research guide G1: Passengers. Find out more about ships passenger lists.
National Maritime Museum
Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records including Passenger records. How you can find out about family history at the Museum.
National Maritime Museum
Research guide G3: Passengers. Discover the ships that sailed to Australia and New Zealand. The guide details various types of ships that were used for passenger voyages including sailing ships and steam ships.
Merseyside Maritime Museum
Information sheet 31. Official records of passengers on board ship in Britain.
Lloyd’s Register Foundation
Information sheet 29: Passenger Lists. Sources for locating ships’ passenger lists.
German Roots
Ship Passenger Lists and Records Online. Internet Sources for Digitized or Transcribed Passenger Records & Indexes.
Family Tree Magazine
How to Research in Passenger Lists, by Lisa A. Alzo.
Family Tree Magazine
14 Websites for Finding Immigration Records, by David A. Fryxell.
Family Tree
How to use passenger lists for family tree research. Find out how passenger lists can help you find ancestors who travelled to the UK from overseas, or left Britain for a new life in another country.
Learn Genealogy
5 Strategies for Locating Ancestors in Passenger Lists, by Kimberly Powell
Family Tree
How to use passenger lists for family tree research.
Who Do You Think You Are? magazine
How to find passenger lists for ships. Simon Wills explains where to find online passenger list collections for ancestors who travelled overseas.
Findmypast
10 tips for finding family that emigrated. Did your ancestor move abroad for a new life? Here’s how to trace their globetrotting adventures.
Genealogy Branches
Tips for Determining Your Ancestor’s Probable Port of Arrival. For Arrivals at U.S. Ports from Europe 1820-1950s, by Joe Beine.
Ancestry Support
Finding Immigration Records.
FamilySearch
Five Strategies for Tracing Your British Immigrant Ancestors, by Dan Poffenberger.
Legacy Tree Genealogists
Passenger Lists: A Gateway to Foreign Lands and a Former Life.
Maritime Archives
Maritime and Historical Research Services. The website offers links to resources and information on maritime history research. Highlights include links to archive catalogues holding maritime records, links to passenger lists resources, information about Shipping Company Fleets and other ships and vessels, links to crew lists and lists of captains, links to digital copies of shipping newspapers, such as Lloyd’s List and Lloyd’s Register. The site hosts a collection of photographs related to maritime history as well as ebooks covering various aspects of maritime history.
MyHeritage Blog
Tracing Your Roots: Using Immigration Records to Find Ancestral Origin.
Scottish Archive Network
Knowledge Base. Guide to passenger lists and Scottish emigration.
U.S. National Archives
Research Our Records: Passenger Arrival Records.
FamilySearch RootsTech
Immigration and Genealogy. Explore a collection of educational resources focused on immigration research and its role in genealogy. The site includes video presentations, webinars and classes covering topics such as migration patterns, ancestor tracing and ship manifests and passenger lists.
National Archives of Ireland Guide
Australian Transportation Records. Irish archives are a major source for Australians researching Irish convict ancestors. Penal transportation to Australia, and later to Bermuda and Gibraltar, covered the years 1791 until 1853, when the sentence of penal transportation was commuted to a prison sentence in Ireland.
Ireland Reaching Out
Researching Irish Passenger List of the Immigrant Ships.
Ireland Reaching Out
Transatlantic crossings: Irish immigration via New York ports (1820-1955).
Joe Beine
Irish Passenger Lists Research Guide. Finding Ship Passenger Lists and Immigration Records, Ireland to America. A Bibliography of Books and Online Records by Joe Beine.

Online Databases

UK and Ireland

Findmypast

• Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960. The passenger lists include long-haul voyages to destinations outside Britain and Europe, featuring countries such as Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and USA. These voyages often called en route at additional ports, including those in Europe, and any passengers disembarking at these stops are included. The original data is from TNA series BT 27 held at The National Archives.
• Britain and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960. Search a collection of historical records documenting passengers who arrived in the United Kingdom and Ireland by ship from ports outside Europe and the Mediterranean between 1878 and 1960. The records may include passengers who joined ships at European and Mediterranean ports en route to the UK. The original data is from TNA series BT 26 held at The National Archives.
• Transatlantic Migration From North America To Britain & Ireland 1858-1870. Search passenger lists for vessels departing from North America to Great Britain and Ireland. Reveal you ancestor’s age during the voyage, the ship’s name and its destination. The original lists are housed in the National Archives of Ireland.
• United States, Transatlantic Migration Indexes. Learn about your migrating ancestors from England, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, and France. Discover details about their migration to Canada and the United States.

Ancestry

• UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960. This database is an index to the Board of Trade’s passenger lists of ships arriving in the United Kingdom and Ireland from foreign ports outside of Europe and the Mediterranean. Exceptions to this are vessels that originated outside of these areas but then picked up passengers in European or Mediterranean ports en route. The original data is from TNA series BT 26 held at The National Archives.
• UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960. This database contains passenger lists recording the names of people leaving from UK and Irish ports for destinations outside of Europe. It includes not only British citizens but also others who travelled through the UK on their way to other destinations. The original data is from TNA series BT 27 held at The National Archives.

The Genealogist
Passenger Lists, 1896-1909. The Outbound Passenger Lists provide details of people leaving from or moving through the United Kingdom by ship to destinations across the globe such as the USA, Canada, India, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere. The original data is kept in series BT 27 at The National Archives.
MyHeritage
Passenger Lists. Early passenger lists typically include the name of the ship, the names of passengers, ages, ports of arrival and departure, date, country of origin, and occupation.
MyHeritage
British & Irish Passenger Lists 1890. The dataset contains abstracts of all passenger lists for sailings in 1890 from British & Irish ports with US and Canadian destinations. The names of 194,000 passengers are included. These have been compiled by Peter Coldham directly from the original lists held at The National Archives, London, augmented by Canadian and US data.
FamilySearch
United Kingdom, Outgoing Passenger Lists, 1890-1960. The passenger lists contain the names of individuals departing from Ireland and Great Britain, the port of departure, and the final destination. Index courtesy of FindMyPast.
Ulster Historical Foundation
The Foundation offers a range of genealogy databases covering Irish ancestry research including Emigration and Passenger Lists such as Passengers to America, 1773, 1789-93, 1796 and State-Aided Emigration Schemes from Crown Estates in Ireland, c. 1850
RootsIreland
Irish Family History Foundation. The site offers a unique database of more than 23 million Irish records from 34 county genealogy centres on the island of Ireland. The main sources on the site are Irish Catholic and other church records of baptisms, marriages and deaths. The site also features Census Records, Gravestone Inscriptions, Griffith’s Valuation for Ireland, Irish Ship Passenger Lists and Census Substitutes for Ireland. The passenger lists are records mostly of passengers on ships from Irish and British ports to ports in North America, United States and Canada.
Genealogy Branches
Irish Passenger Lists Research Guide. Finding Ship Passenger Lists and Immigration Records, Ireland to America. The site provides resources for tracing Irish ancestors who emigrated to America, focusing on passenger lists. The Irish Ship Passenger Lists, 1820-1950s links to various online ship passenger lists.

Scotland

Scots Abroad
National Library of Scotland. The Library offers a variety of resources and databases detailing the experiences of Scots who emigrated or travelled overseas from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Databases include Scots in North America which contains published accounts of Scots visiting North America and Scots in Australasia which covers Scottish visits to Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and Oceania.
Scotland’s People
Highland and Island Emigration Society records. The Society was established in 1852 to assist impoverished Highlanders in emigrating to Australia. Between 1852 and 1857, the Society helped 4,919 men, women, and children leave western Scotland for Australia. The records include the passenger which show the names, ages and residences of the emigrants.
University of Aberdeen
The Scottish Emigration Database. The database has details of passengers who embarked at Glasgow and Greenock for non-European ports between 1 January and 30 April 1923, and at other Scottish ports between 1890 and 1960. The information has been extracted from passenger manifests held at TNA in series BT 27. It contains the records of 21,090 passengers.

Canada

Ancestry
Immigration & Travel: Passenger Lists. Datasets include:

• Canada, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1865-1935. Passenger lists of ships arriving in various Canadian ports as well as some eastern U.S. ports from 1865-1935 are indexed this database.
• Canada, Ocean Arrivals (Form 30A), 1919-1924. This data collection contains individual declarations of passengers arriving at various Canadian ports between 1919 and 1924.
• U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s.
• Canada, Canadian Pacific Steamship Company Records, 1897-1981.
• Canada, St. Lawrence Steamboat Company Passenger Lists, 1819-1838.

Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
The website is a resource for researching immigration history, particularly passenger lists from various ships that brought immigrants to the United States, Canada and other countries. The ISTG has transcribed over 61,000 passenger lists, which are organised by ship name, port of departure and arrival dates. This extensive database allows users to search for specific individuals.
Library and Archives Canada
Passenger Lists, 1865-1922. The database provides access to 21,840 references to passenger lists covering arrivals to Canada
Library and Archives Canada
Passenger Lists and Border Entries, 1925-1935-Nominal Indexes. The database provides access to more than 830,000 references to immigrants entering Canada listed in immigration records. They include the names of all passengers such as immigrants, returning Canadians, tourists, visitors and immigrants en route to the United States.
Library and Archives Canada
Between 1869 and the late 1930s, over 100,000 juvenile migrants were sent to Canada from the British Isles during the child emigration movement. The database provides access to more than 245,000 names of Home Children from records held at Library and Archives Canada and elsewhere.

Australia/New Zealand

Ancestry
Immigration & Travel: Passenger Lists. Datasets include:

• New South Wales, Australia, Unassisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1826-1922. This database contains a collection of unassisted immigrant passenger lists to New South Wales, Australia.
• New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896. This database contains a collection of assisted immigrant passenger lists to New South Wales, Australia.
• New South Wales, Australia, Departing Crew and Passenger Lists, 1816-1825, 1898-1911.
• South Australia, Australia, Incoming and Outgoing Passenger Lists, 1845-1940
• Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923.
• Western Australia, Australia, Crew and Passenger Lists, 1852-1930.
• Fremantle, Western Australia, Passenger Lists, 1897-1963.
• Australia, Coastal Passenger Records, 1852-1924.

Ancestry
Australian Immigration Records. Datasets include:

• Convict Transportation Registers.
• New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia, Convict Pardons and Tickets of Leave, 1834-1859.
• New South Wales, Australia, Settler and Convict Lists, 1787-1834.
• Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930.
• New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Land Grants and Leases, 1792-1867.
• New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Land Grants and Leases, 1792-1867

Findmypast
Australia, Inward, Outward & Coastal Passenger Lists 1826-1972. Search this collection of passenger lists and migration records that contain movement to, from and around the country. The dataset contains millions of records from multiple sources including:

• Australian National Passenger Lists 1898-1972
• New South Wales passenger lists (assisted & unassisted)
• 1881 British census crew and passengers on ships arriving in New South Wales
• Queensland customs house shipping passengers and crew 1852-1885
• South Australia passenger lists 1847-1886
• Passengers to South Australia on board Buffalo 1836
• Tasmania Departures 1817-1863
• Victoria inward passenger lists 1839-1923
• Victoria outward passenger lists 1852-1915
• Victoria coastal passenger lists 1852-1924

FamilySearch
Australia, Victoria, Inward Passenger Lists, 1839-1923. Index and images of the Victoria passenger lists. This collection combines two different records sets, “Passenger lists of unassisted immigrants to Victoria from the British Isles”, and “Passenger list, arrivals in Victoria from foreign ports”. Original images held by Public Record Office Victoria.
FamilySearch
Australia, Victoria, Outward Passenger Lists, 1852-1924. This collection consists of outward passenger lists of those leaving Victoria, Australia, 1852 to 1924. Original records are located in the Public Record Office of Victoria.

America

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
Ellis Island Passenger Search. Search 65 million records of passengers arriving to the Port of New York from 1820 to 1957. The records cover Castle Garden, 1820-1891; Ellis Island, 1892-1924; New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1925-1957 and New York airports. New legislation in the 1920s reduced immigration and Ellis Island shut in 1954. Users can view detailed information extracted from historical ship passenger manifests, which may include the passenger’s name, age, nationality, and port of departure.

Ancestry
Immigration & Travel: Passenger Lists. Datasets include:

• New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957. This database is an index to the passenger lists of ships arriving from foreign ports at the port of New York from 1820-1957.
• S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. This dataset contains listings of approximately 4,712,000 individuals who arrived in United States and Canadian ports from the 1500s through the 1900s.
• New York State, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1917-1967
• Florida, U.S., Arriving and Departing Passenger and Crew Lists, 1898-1963
• Pennsylvania, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1798-1962
• Massachusetts, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1963
• Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., Passenger Lists, 1820-1964
• California, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1959

Findmypast
United States, Passenger and Crew Lists. Search millions of passenger and crew lists from across America of people who arrived in American by ship or by plane. The records include ship manifests kept by shipmasters, crew lists, flight manifests and passenger arrival lists. Collections include:

• New York Passenger Lists & Arrivals
• California, San Francisco Passenger Lists, 1893-1953
• Boston passenger lists 1846-1851
• Baltimore passenger lists 1846-1851
• Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1800-1948
• Washington, Seattle Passenger Lists, 1890-1957
• Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists, 1820-1891

Findmypast
United States, Transatlantic Migration Indexes. Learn about your migrating ancestors from England, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, and France. Discover details about their migration to Canada and the United States.

MyHeritage
Passenger Lists. Early passenger lists typically include the name of the ship, the names of passengers, ages, ports of arrival and departure, date, country of origin, and occupation. Datasets include:

• Ellis Island and Other New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
• New York, Passenger List Book Indexes 1906-1942
• Passenger and Immigration Lists, 1500-1900
• Boston, Massachusetts Passenger Lists, 1891-1943

FamilySearch
US Immigration Records. Find your immigrant ancestor in United States records. Search millions of passenger lists, border crossings, naturalizations and other records. Collections include:

• New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1920. Passenger lists for over 13 million immigrants arriving in New York City.
• New York Book Indexes to Passenger Lists, 1906-1942.
• New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924.
• New York Passenger Lists (Castle Garden), 1820-1891.
• New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957.
• Germans to America Index, 1850-1897.
• Italians to America Index, 1855-1900.
• Russians to America Index, 1834-1897)

National Archives and Records Administration
Access to Archival Databases. The site offers access to various digitised historic records and documents including passenger lists and alien registration forms including passenger list records from the Castle Garden Immigration Center and records of Passengers from Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Steve Morse
One-Step Webpages. This site offers a variety of tools for finding immigration records, census records, vital records and more. The site offers tools for searching Ney York Ellis Island and Castle Garden passenger lists as well as from other ports such Baltimore, Boston, Galveston, New Orleans, Philadelphia and San Francisco. In addition the site includes tools for searching ship arrivals.
Immigrant Servants Database
Price Genealogy. The database aims to create a reconstructed passenger arrival list for people who came to Colonial America as indentured servants, redemptioners (a person who worked as a servant to pay for the cost of the voyage) and transported convicts between 1607 and 1820. Expect to find the name, date of birth, address and occupation of servant; the colony and date of servitude; the port of departure, place of arrival, year of immigration, name of ship and length of indenture.
Massachusetts Archives
Index to Passenger Manifests, 1848-1891. Search an alphabetical card index of over one million immigrants who came through the Port of Boston during this time period.

CD Roms

The National Archives

• Series BT 32, 1906-1951. Board of Trade: Registers of Passenger Lists. Registers of passenger lists kept by the Board of Trade’s Commercial, Labour and Statistical Department and its successors.
• Series BT 26, 1890-1960. Board of Trade: Inwards Passenger Lists. Passenger lists of people arriving in the United Kingdom by sea from ports outside Europe and the Mediterranean.
• Series BT 27, 1890-1960. Board of Trade: Outwards Passenger Lists. Passenger lists of people leaving the United Kingdom by sea kept by the Board of Trade’s Commercial and Statistical Department and its successors.

National Library of Scotland
Various published lists available in the General Reading Room including ‘Passenger and immigration lists index’, by P W Filby and M K Meyer. This is a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who went to the United States and Canada in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

The Mitchell Library
The library holds a small number of passenger lists for ships leaving Glasgow for New Zealand, 1871-1880 and to Tasmania, 1855-1857.

Merseyside Maritime Museum
Maritime Archives and Library. Liverpool was one of the main gateways for emigration from the UK to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, USA and Canada during the 19th and 20th centuries. The library hold a number of sources for emigrant research including passenger tickets, correspondence and other ephemera, ship registers, diaries and letters and sailing information.

Several overseas repositories hold both inbound and outbound passenger lists and other immigration records such as:

Canada
Library and Archives Canada
America
The Library of Congress
U.S. National Archives
Australia
The National Archives of Australia
National Library of Australia
State Library New South Wales
New Zealand
Archives New Zealand
National Library of New Zealand
South Africa
National Archives and Records Services of South Africa