Port of exit
You can find the name of a port of exit through any of the documents listed below. If you have the minimum information required to find one of these documents, select the name of that document. The items in the list are ordered from most to least important. If you do not have the minimum information required, read the paragraph below this list.
Make sure to check photo albums, scrapbooks, diaries, and family Bibles at home. See the topic Finding information at home for more information. Also check for local histories. See the topic Finding previous research.
Finding a port of exit with passenger lists
Passenger lists will give you your ancestor's port of exit. However, when using passenger lists, you should be aware of their limitations:
- You may not find your ancestor on an arrival list because many lists have been lost or destroyed over the years.
- The government did not require passenger lists until 1820, so the records for pre-1820 immigrants are more sporadic, and the information on these lists varies greatly.
- Some lists may be difficult to locate. The National Archives collection mainly includes lists for Atlantic and Gulf ports in the post-1820 period, and there are large gaps in the records for most ports. Pre-1820 lists are scattered in libraries, historical societies, and other archives throughout the nation. You may need to check with several libraries and genealogical societies before you can locate the list that you need.
- Records for individuals entering through Canada and Mexico were not kept until the 20th century, so if an individual first went to one of those countries and then entered the United States, you may not find them on a list at all.
To locate your ancestor on a passenger list, you must first find his or her name in an index. There is no single index for all passenger lists, but one of the most complete indexes is Passenger and Immigration Lists Index by P. William Filby and Mary K. Meyer. There are many other indexes, some of which concentrate on a specific group of people, such as Germans, or on a specific port of arrival, such as New York. It is possible that you will need to search through several indexes before you locate your ancestor. Check with your local public library, genealogy library, and other resources to see what types of indexes they have. A few examples of specialized indexes are in the list below.
- The Famine Immigrants: Lists of Irish Immigrants Arriving at the Port of New York, 1846-1851 , Ira A. Glazier, editor
- Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at US Ports, 1850-1872 , Ira A. Glazier and P. William Filby, eds.
- Dutch Immigrants in United States Ship Passenger Manifests, 1820-1880 , Robert P. Swierenga
- The Wuerttemberg Emigration Index, 1750-1900 , Trudy Schenk and Rutch Froelke, compilers
- Alsace Emigration Book , Cornelia Schrader-Muggenthaler
- Baden Emigration Book , Cornelia Schrader-Muggenthaler
- Antwerp Emigration Index, 1855 , Charles M. Hall
- If the arrival was after 1820, the source of information normally includes a microfilm roll number that you can look up through the National Archives.
- If the arrival was before 1820, the index will give you information about where the list was published so that you can locate it. To find a pre-1820 list, you may have to contact several libraries or archives.
To look at passenger lists held by the National Archives, you must either go to or contact the National Archives regional branch in your area or the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The passenger ship list holdings for the regional branches vary, so you should call before you go. For more information about contacting the National Archives, see the topic The National Archives and regional centers.
You can also order copies of passenger lists from the National Archives themselves. Chapter 2 of the Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, published by the National Archives, lists all of the ports of entry for which the National Archives has lists and/or indexes. Write to: Reference Services Branch (NNIR), National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. 20408. Request a copy of NATF Form 81. You will need to fill out and return this form to order a copy of a particular list.
In addition, the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has passenger lists. You can access the lists through the library itself, as well as through your local Family History Center.
Finding the minimum information for passenger lists
To find the name of the port of exit on a passenger list, you must at least know the individual's full name and the approximate date of arrival. However, the more information you know, the better. For example, if you know the individual's nationality or the port of arrival, you will be able to narrow down your search.
Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items:
Knowing the port of entry may help you find the passenger list that you need. Contact the state archives or National Archives branch in the vicinity of the port of entry and find out what type of ship arrival records they have for that port. Once you know the names and dates of ships that came through the port of entry, you can begin looking up passenger lists under various ship names. You don't have to look up the lists for all of the ships that came through that port, but only for those that came from a likely port of exit and arrived on the date you think your ancestor entered the country. Eventually, you may come across the passenger list that contains your ancestor's name.
If you don't know the port of entry, then you can make some educated guesses. For example, many people moved hundreds of miles away from their port of entry, but others stayed in the general area. If you can make an educated guess, you at least have a possible place to start looking for passenger lists. If you don't know exactly where an individual lived when they arrived in the United States, you may be able to take a guess at it by finding out where they were at other points in their life. For example, where did they get married? Where were their children born? Where did they die? Where were they at the time of each census? The answers to these questions may help you out. For assistance finding any of this information, return to the main Step-by-Step topic.
If you know that your ancestor departed from Hamburg, you should check the departure records that are available through the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The departure records for Hamburg are indexed by year from 1850-1934, and usually give the individual's town or village of residence in Europe.
Finding a port of exit with naturalization records
If the individual whose port of exit you are looking for became a naturalized citizen, then you should be able to find the name of the port from their naturalization papers. Please note that women were not naturalized prior to 1923. They became naturalized citizens with their husbands.
Before September 27, 1906, a person could apply to a local, state, or federal district court to become a naturalized citizen. Therefore, if your ancestor was naturalized before that date, contact the local, state, and federal district courts in the area(s) where your ancestor lived. The clerk of the court should be able to direct you in your search for naturalization papers. In some cases the court will still have the records, and in other cases, the records may have been transferred to a local library or archive. Many federal district court records may have been transferred to the National Archives or to a regional branch of the National Archives. Chapter 3 of the Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives lists the location of district court records by state. To contact the National Archives or regional centers, see the topic The National Archives and regional centers.
After September 27, 1906, copies of naturalization papers were sent to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in Washington, D.C. If your ancestor was naturalized after this date, you can write to the following address and ask for a copy of the form G-641, Application for Verification of Information from Immigration and Naturalization Service Records: Immigration and Naturalization Service, 425 Eye Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20536.
Finding the minimum information for naturalization records
To find the name of a port of exit on a naturalization record, you must at least know the individual's full name and approximate date of birth.
Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items:
When you're checking for naturalization records, make sure that you check with the courts in all locations where your ancestor lived during his or her lifetime. The naturalization process took several years, because individuals first had to file papers of intent, then fill the residency requirement, and then file final papers. This means that the papers that you need may not be located in the area where the individual was living at the time that he or she became a citizen. If you would like help locating different places where the individual may have lived see the topic Places the family has lived.
Finding a port of exit with newspapers
Some newspapers printed ship arrival announcements. These announcements listed both the names of the individuals who died on board the ship and the names of those who arrived safely. In addition, this type of announcement may list a port of exit.
The directories listed below will help you find the current owners of old newspapers from the time and place when the announcement was published. If the individual spoke a foreign language, check to see if there was a newspaper in that language, too. Once you have located the current owners, you can request to search the appropriate copies. The current owners should be able to direct you in your search.
- Ayer Directory of Newspapers and Periodicals, available at most community libraries.
- Winifred Gregory's American Newspaper, available at community and genealogical libraries
The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) microfiche. The OCLC has a database of the U.S. Newspaper Program National Union List. You can access the OCLC at most university libraries and some community libraries.
Finding the minimum information for newspapers
To get a copy of a ship arrival announcement, you must at least know the approximate date of the arrival, the full name of the passenger, and the state and city or town where the ship arrived or where the announcement was likely to have been published.
Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items:
Knowing where an individual first lived when they moved to the United States may help you find where an announcement may have been in the newspaper. If you don't have this information, you may guess at it by finding out where they were at other points in their life. For example, where did they get married? Where were their children born? Where did they die? Where were they at the time of each census? The answers to these questions may help you out. For assistance finding any of this information, return to the main Step-by-Step topic.