United States, Index to Passenger Arrivals, Atlantic and Gulf Ports - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions

United States, Index to Passenger Arrivals, Atlantic and Gulf Ports - FamilySearch Historical Records (view source)

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 == Record Description  ==
-This is a card index to passengers arriving at 70 ports along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. New York City is excluded from this index.
+This is a card index to passengers arriving at 70 ports along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts for the years 1820 to 1874. New York City is excluded from this index.
 States covered by this collection include:
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 *Virginia
-This index covers the years 1820 to 1874.&nbsp;
+Ship captains kept lists of passengers to manage their finances and prevent stowaways. Later, immigration laws increased the need for passenger lists, which grew in detail. Eventually the Federal Government began to store immigrant documentation. These lists were first created to keep track of a captain's shipment and paying passengers. Later, they became a means to document immigration to the United States. Although generally reliable, passenger lists were handwritten, causing possible spelling errors.
-Ship captains kept lists of passengers to manage their finances and prevent stowaways. Later, immigration laws increased the need for passenger lists, which grew in detail. Eventually,&nbsp;the Federal Government began to store&nbsp;immigrant documentation.
-<br>Passenger lists were first created to keep track of a captain's shipment and paying passengers. Later, they became a means to document immigration to the United States.
-Although generally reliable, passenger lists were handwritten, causing possible spelling errors.
 For a list of records by surnames currently published in this collection, select the [https://familysearch.org/search/image/index#uri=https%3A//api.familysearch.org/records/collection/1921756/waypoints Browse].
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 == Record Content  ==
-<gallery widths="160px" heights="120px" perrow="3">
+<gallery perrow="3" heights="120px" widths="160px">
 Image:Index to passenger lists of Vessels Arriving at Atlantic and Gulf coast ports 004882056 05185.jpg|Passenger List Index
 </gallery>
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 == How to Use the Record  ==
-Fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.
+To begin your search it is helpful to know
+*The immigrant's name
+*Identifying information such as arrival date or age
-For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at [http://broadcast.lds.org/familysearch/2011-12-03-familysearch-search-tips-1000k-eng.mp4 FamilySearch Search Tips].
+==== Search the Collection ====
-To search the collection image by image you will need to follow this series of links:<br>⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page<br>⇒Select the "Surname Range" which takes you to the images<br>
+To search the collection by name fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.
-If unable to find your immigrant ancestors in the vital records of the state, you may find them in the passenger lists. In order to find ancestors in the passenger lists, you need to know an approximate date and port of arrival. You can narrow the date down with a birth and death date. With these pieces of information, you can search indexes created for the lists that are grouped by nationality or port of arrival.
+If you did not find the person you were looking for, you may need to search the collection image by image. <br>⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page<br>⇒Select the "Surname Range" which takes you to the images
-Keep in mind:
-*There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
+Look at the images one by one. Again you will need to compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor.
-*You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
+Be aware that with either search you may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. Keep in mind:
+*There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
+*You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 *Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.
+*If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
+*Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.
+For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at [http://broadcast.lds.org/familysearch/2011-12-03-familysearch-search-tips-1000k-eng.mp4 FamilySearch Search Tips].
+==== Unable to Find Your Ancestor?  ====
+*Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
+*Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
+*Search the indexes and records of other ports such as New York or Boston.
+*Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals with the same family number.
 == Known Issues with This Collection  ==