It's easier to count the number of fireflies flitting through a back yard on a warm summer night than to find your original immigrant on a passenger ship list - and sometimes just about as rewarding.
Aside from Ellis Island, a one-stop shopping venue for lucky rooters whose ancestors arrived there between 1892 and 1924, no central repository exists for passenger ship records. See www.ellisisland.org.
Even if you do locate an Adam Schneider on a ship manifest after trolling through hundreds of them, you'll need additional evidence to prove that the man you found is your Adam Schneider.
One of the primary reasons for determining which ship your ancestor came in on is to ascertain his or her country of origin and the location of the ancestral home for the masochistic thrill of trying to elicit records from a foreign country.
But finding your kin on a ship's list may be a hollow victory. Immigrants may be referred to only as British citizens because they hailed from a country belonging to the United Kingdom like Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Likewise, the port where the immigrant boarded the ship may bear no relationship to where he or she lived. A port may have been chosen simply for convenience. Liverpool was a favorite. Overall, the chances of ship records pinpointing your immigrant's country of origin or the precise location of his or her ancestral home are slim.
Despite the tediousness of the task, most people wish to pursue this avenue of research. If you're one of them, learn what records are actually available before launching an all-out search. Start with the National Archives and Records Administration Web site at www.archives.gov/research_room/genealogy to see what is available. More records are routinely being added. If you discover a potential candidate, use Form 81 to order a copy of the passenger's arrival records. The cost is $17.25. Obtain forms by e-mailing inquire@nara.gov You'll pay $17.25 per file.
You should also check to see what records are available online. Many sites have free, online searchable databases, such as www.immigrantships.net and www.maxpages.com/poland/passenger_lists. Other online sources include www.cyndislist.com and olivetreegenealogy.com. For more options, put "passenger ship lists" in your search box. Public libraries, historical societies, museums and Mormon Family History Centers also keep compiled lists.
Before 1820, ship captains filed reports with local authorities on passengers who had embarked in a foreign port and disembarked at a U.S. port.
The Steerage Act of 1819 required ship captains to keep a list of immigrants who landed in the United States. A record of each immigrant's arrival has been kept since Sept. 30, 1820.
On Aug. 3, 1882, Congress passed the first federal law regulating immigration, which compelled captains to keep separate lists for immigrants. Standardized forms that included each immigrant's marital status, last place of residence, destination city and names of relatives they planned to meet in this country made their debut about a decade later. Additional data, such as an immigrant's physical description, were added in 1906 and 1907.
Beginning in 1920, captains were mandated to report arrival information to U.S. Customs officers at the port of entry.
Unfortunately, no law specified who got custody of these lists and these days they could be anywhere, including a landfill.
If you know at which port your ancestor arrived, contact the local historical society to see if someone there knows where the records are for that particular port. The state's archives are another good resource.
Immigrants who crossed the border from Canada to America during the mid to late 19th century usually did not have their arrival recorded.
Many immigrants chose this entry route because it was faster and less of a hassle. The shortcut ended in 1894 when the U.S. Immigration Bureau reached an agreement with Canadian authorities to treat all immigrants as though they were landing at a U.S. port.
-- Read past Donna Murray Allen columns online at www.sptimes.com Type "Donna Murray Allen" in the search box. You can write to Allen c/o Floridian, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail her at rootscolumn@yahoo.com Her Web site, www.rootsdetective.com includes information on classes and lectures. Allen welcomes your questions and will respond to those of general interest in future columns.
