Connecticut Emigration and Immigration

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United States

U.S. Emigration and Immigration

Connecticut

Emigration and Immigration

United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records

How to Find the Records

Online Resources

• 1500s-1900s All U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s at Ancestry; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Connecticut; Also at MyHeritage; index only ($)
• 1620-1635 New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1635 at Ancestry; index & images ($)
• 1789-1939 Mystic Seaport Index
• 1804-1959 Connecticut, passenger and crew lists, 1804-1959 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1895-1956 United States, Border Crossings from Canada, 1895-1956 at MyHeritge; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Connecticut
• 1911-1954 United States, New England Passenger and Crew Lists, 1911-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1957-1962 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1957-1962 at Ancestry; index & images ($)
• Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild at MyHeritge; index only ($)
• United States, Passenger and Crew Lists - New England Passenger And Crew Lists at FindMyPast; index & images ($)
• United States, Passenger and Crew Lists - United States, Mystic Crew Lists at FindMyPast; index only ($)

Cultural Groups

• 1920-1939 Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920-1939 at MyHeritge; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Connecticut
• Germans Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritge; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Connecticut
• Italians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritge; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Connecticut
• Russians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Connecticut

Background

• Colonial settlers of Connecticut generally came from Great Britain and neighboring New England states.
• Many Irish and German immigrants began coming in the late 1840s.
• French-Canadian immigration began after the Civil War and continued through the rest of the nineteenth century.
• Late in the century most immigrants came from the southern and eastern countries of Europe, including Italy, Hungary, Poland, and Russia.

Indexes

• United States, Index to Passenger Arrivals, Atlantic and Gulf Ports, 1820-1874 - included in FamilySearch’s Historical Records Collection. This indexes arrivals to 70 ports but not New York City. How to use this collection.
• United States, Border Crossings from Canada to United States, 1895-1956 – included in FamilySearch’s Historical Records Collection. How to use this collection. Records of Canadian border entries from 1895 to 1954 are on FHL film 1472801 (first of 937 films) .
• P. William Filby, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 15 Volumes. (Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1981- ). FHL book 973 W32p Indexes of names of colonial immigrants listed in published sources. The first three volumes are a combined alphabetical index published in 1981. Supplemental volumes and cumulative indexes have been published. At various libraries (WorldCat). Available on Ancestry ($).
  

The Records

The major port of entry to New England is Boston. The Family History Library and the National Archives have passenger lists for Boston for 1820 to March 1874 and 1883 to 1935. The following indexes are available:

• 1820-1874. See United States, Index to Passenger Arrivals, Atlantic and Gulf Ports, 1820-1874 mentioned above.
• 1848-1891, 1902-1906, 1906-1920, and book indexes 1899-1940 These years are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under MASSACHUSETTS, SUFFOLK, BOSTON - EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION.

The Massachusetts State Archives also has Boston passenger lists for 1848 to 1874 and 1883 to 1891. This includes records for the nine years missing from the National Archives records. The 1848 to 1891 index (above) is an index to the state lists but can also be used for the National Archives records.

Incomplete 19th century passenger lists are available for: 

• Bridgeport, 1870 FHL film 830231
• Fairfield, 1820 to 1821 FHL film 830232
• Hartford, 1837 FHL film 830234
• New Haven, 1820 to 1873 FHL film 830235
• New London, 1820 to 1847 FHL film 830236
• Saybrook, 1820 FHL film 830246

These are indexed in United States, Index to Passenger Arrivals, Atlantic and Gulf Ports, 1820-1874 mentioned above.

Also consult passenger lists of other New England ports and for ports in Canada.

Information on ethnic groups, such as African-Americans, French-Canadians, Jews, and Swedes, can be found in Connecticut Ethnic Groups.

Also see United States Emigration and Immigration.

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