Overview
The Pennsylvania State Archives maintains ship’s passenger lists of arriving Continental Europeans (chiefly German, Dutch, Swiss and French) at the Port of Philadelphia, 1727-1744, 1746-1756, 1761, 1763-1775, 1785-1808.
Lists dating before the Revolution do not cover British subjects since their status remained unchanged by their removal from one part of the King's dominion to another. Post-1820 ship passenger lists are maintained by the National Archives.
| Record | Notes | Finding aid | Digital images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ship Lists of German Passengers, 1727–1808 | Arranged chronologically. Three sets of passenger lists possible: A (Captain’s list); B (Oath of Allegiance); and C (Oath of Abjuration from the Pope). Ship lists B and C contain signatures of male passengers 16 years and older. | Records of the Department of State (RG-26) |
Transcription/Index: Pennsylvania German Pioneers (Strassburger/Hinke) |
| Health Officer's Register of Passengers' Names, 1792–1794 | Arranged chronologically. | Navigation Commission for the Delaware River and its Navigable Tributaries (RG-41) | PA Digital Archives |
| Arrivals at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1800–1819 | Federal record held by the National Archives. | Passenger Arrival Records (NARA) | Ancestry.com |
| Federal passenger arrival manifests for ships and airplanes, 1820–1959 | Federal record held by the National Archives. | Passenger Arrival Records (NARA) | Ancestry.com |
Frequently asked questions
The PA State Archives does not hold colonial era ship’s passenger lists of immigrants from the British Isles.
