New: Ellis Island and other New York Passenger Lists

We’re happy to announce we’ve added Ellis Island and other New York Passenger Lists to SuperSearch™ with unique content which was never searchable before. This collection is a part of our more than 8.27 billion historical records. The collection, spanning 1820 – 1957, is of great significance for everyone looking to trace their immigrant ancestors’ arrival in America. The plethora of data provided in these 90 million records is expected to invigorate family histories, adding previously unknown stories of how family members uprooted their lives and replanted them in the United States.

Search the Ellis Island and Other New York Passenger Lists, 1820–1957 now.

These passenger lists are an unparalleled source of information spanning 138 years of immigration to the US from around the world. The records begin from before Ellis Island opened its doors on January 1, 1892. The first 72 years of the collection pre-date Ellis Island. Ellis Island remained open from 1892 until 1954, and this collection includes immigration records throughout this entire time period as well. As you get into the last years of the collection, the 1940s and 1950s, transportation methods advanced tremendously, and you can find records of immigrants who arrived via airplane to various airports in and around the city.

Previously, from 1855–1890, the primary immigration station was in New York City at Castle Garden. The Barge Office was used as an immigration station from April 19, 1890 – December 31, 1891, and again from June 15, 1897 – December 18, 1900. Both Castle Garden and the Barge Office were located in Lower Manhattan.

The image below shows the location of Castle Garden (left of center) and the Barge Office (right). Ellis Island and its main building, a mainly wooden structure, opened January 1, 1892, and burned to the ground on the night of June 14, 1897. The Barge Office again became the official immigration station until Ellis Island was rebuilt; it reopened on December 19, 1900.

Annie Moore, 15, from County Cork, Ireland, was the first to enter the Ellis Island immigration building on January 2, 1892. She received a $10 gold piece to commemorate her role in U.S. history. Below is a statue of her and her family.

Statue of Annie Moore, Photographer: Peter Craine

Depending on the year, information recorded about a passenger may include name, age, gender, occupation, dates, destination, physical descriptions, and information regarding place of origin, e.g. native country, citizenship status, race, nationality, birthplace, or addresses of family members and friends. While early passenger lists were single-page manifests and recorded minimal information about passengers, forms were standardized over time and additional questions added.

In 1897, immigration officials began asking the arrivals for the name and address of the relative or friend whom they were joining in the USA and in 1907, they began asking for the name and address of their closest relative or friend in their home country. Importantly for researchers, the responses to these supplemental manifest questions, have now been indexed by MyHeritage for the first time, yielding an additional 26.6 million names to the Ellis Island and Other New York Passenger Lists collection on MyHeritage. These records have been digitized in the past by other organizations, but the answers to these vital supplemental questions have never been indexed — until now!

Many passenger manifests span two pages, and a common issue for genealogists has been to locate the first page and miss the second page. MyHeritage has solved this problem for the first time by stitching together the double pages into single document images, ensuring that users do not miss important information.

See an example of a stitched record below:

Ellis Island and other New York Passenger Lists, 1820–1957 – John Smith, MyHeritage SuperSearch.

Many historical figures of interest are found among these records:

German-born theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein, arrived on October 17, 1933, traveling aboard the Westernland. Einstein remained in the US after learning the Nazis had confiscated his possessions.

–1957 – Albert Einstein, MyHeritage SuperSearch." width="1594" height="699" />

Ellis Island and other New York Passenger Lists, 1820–1957 – Albert Einstein, MyHeritage SuperSearch.

Charlie Chaplin was born in Great Britain in 1889. He was a comedian, actor, filmmaker, and composer who became famous during the silent film era and is considered to be one of the most iconic figures in cinematic history. He boarded the Oceanic, arriving at Ellis Island on October 10, 1912, at the age of 23.

Ellis Island and other New York Passenger Lists, 1820–1957 – Charles Chaplin, MyHeritage SuperSearch.

Madeline Albright, born Marie Jana Korbelová, in Czechoslovakia in 1937, was the first woman to become US Secretary of State. She boarded the SS America, arriving at Ellis Island on November 11, 1948, with her mother, Anna, and two younger siblings.

–1957 – Marie Jana Korbelová, MyHeritage SuperSearch." width="585" height="675" />

Ellis Island and other New York Passenger Lists, 1820–1957 – Marie Jana Korbelová, MyHeritage SuperSearch.

Users with family trees on MyHeritage or those who upload a GEDCOM file will immediately benefit from Record Matching technology that automatically reveals new information about their ancestors who appear in these records.

Searching the Ellis Island and New York Passenger Lists collection is free. A subscription is required to view records and scanned images, and to access Record Matches.

This collection on MyHeritage is the most complete and useful of its kind. Ellis Island and Other New York Passenger Lists are a major asset for family history researchers with ancestors who immigrated to the US during that time.

We’re working to add additional immigration records into the collection from other port cities from around the United States, as well as several important Canadian border crossings, in the near future.

Enjoy!