On January 1, 1892, Ellis Island opened its doors as a federal immigration station and began receiving immigrants. From 1892 to 1954 it was one of the major entry points for immigrants, processing more than 12 million people in 62 years.
The original wooden building was destroyed in a fire in 1897. A new fireproof building opened in 1900. The purpose of the facility was to provide medical examinations for immigrants.
The National Archives has a wealth of immigration records. Some records have been digitized and are available in the National Archives Catalog, some are available online through their partners, and others are only available for in person research with many located at National Archives regional facilities around the country.
It’s important to remember that in most cases you are unable to simply search for a name in the Catalog. Visit the National Archives Catalog Guide for Genealogists and Family Historians for tips and tricks when searching the Catalog for immigrants.
Among the records at the National Archives are passenger arrival records, sometimes called “ship passenger lists,” for arrivals to the United States from foreign ports between approximately 1820 and December 1982 (with gaps). The records are arranged by port or airport of arrival.
Passenger arrival records may provide researchers with information such as: one’s nationality and place of birth; ship name and date of entry to the United States; age, height, eye and hair color; profession; place of last residence; name and address of relatives they are joining in the United States; amount of money they are carrying, etc.
Naturalization Records deal with the process by which an immigrant becomes an American citizen. It is a voluntary act; naturalization is not required.
Prior to September 27, 1906, any “court of record” (municipal, county, state, or Federal) could grant United States citizenship. Beginning September 27, 1906, US naturalization law imposed a fee structure that encouraged the transfer of naturalization to Federal courts.
Alien Files (A-Files) were created by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) beginning in April 1944, A-Files contain all records of any active case of an alien not yet naturalized as they passed through the United States immigration and inspection process.
An A-File might also be created without any action taken by the alien; for example, if the INS initiated a law enforcement action against or involving the alien.
A rich source of biographical information, A-Files may include visas, photographs, affidavits, and correspondence leading up to an alien’s naturalization, permanent residency, death, or deportation.
Passport Records, such as passport applications can be an excellent source of genealogical information, especially about foreign-born individuals. Foreign travel in the nineteenth century was much more frequent than one might expect.
Overseas travelers included businessmen, the middle class, and naturalized U.S. citizens who returned to their homelands to visit relatives.
The National Archives has passport applications from October 1795 to March 1925. The U.S. Department of State has custody of passport applications from April 1925 to the present.
Illustrations, from above, courtesy National Archives: Ellis Island line inspection of arriving aliens, 1923; List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States Immigration Officer at Port of Arrival, R.M.S. Carpathia, June 18, 1912; and Petition for Naturalization for Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, May 25, 1939.
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