What records are available?
A variety of records are available, including ships’ passenger lists and quarter sessions records.
Records available for emigration to:
America
You can search records from the originating country, but is also worth looking at the archives of the destination country for census records etc.
For the United States go to The United States National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
.
Go to the Ellis Island website if your ancestor emigrated to the United States between 1892 and 1924 and entered via Ellis Island and the Port of New York. You can search the millions of records on the website for your ancestor and view an image of the original Ship’s manifest page.
From England
- The National Archives research guide: Emigrants
- The National Archives research guide: Emigrants to North America After 1776
- The National Archives research guide: Transportation to America and the West Indies, 1615-1776
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The National Archives research guide: Ships’ Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
From Scotland
See the National Archives of Scotland guide to emigration
From Wales
From Ireland
See the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland emigration leaflets: Emigration and emigration to U.S.A.
Canada
You can search records from the originating country, but is also worth looking at the archives of the destination country for census records, immigration records and child migrants.
Visit Library and Archives Canada.
For information on British Home Children look at the National Archives of Canada website section on Home Children. You will find many personal websites on this topic by using a search engine such as Google and entering the phrase “British Home Children”.
From England and Wales
Again, as for the United States, look at The National Archives research guide Emigrants to North America After 1776
The National Archives research guide: Emigrants
The National Archives research guide: Ships’ Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
From Northern Ireland
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland emigration leaflet emigration to Canada
From Scotland
See the National Archives of Scotland guide to emigration
The National Archives research guide: Ships’ Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
Australia
You can search records from the originating country, but is also worth looking at the archives of the destination country.
The National Archives of Australia and their state government archives hold key immigration records including passenger lists.
From England
The National Archives research guide: Emigrants
The National Archives research guide: Transportation to Australia 1787-1868
The National Archives research guide: Ships’ Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
From Scotland
The National Archives of Scotland holds records of the Highland and Island Emigration Society, 1851-1859, established by private subscription to alleviate destitution in the Highlands by promoting and assisting the emigration of Highlanders to Australia. Passenger lists for the years 1852-1857 have survived. See the Scottish Archive Network site for a searchable version of the lists (HD4/5).
From Wales
Assizes: Welsh, 1831-1971: Key to Classes for Criminal and Civil Trials
From Ireland
See the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland emigration leaflets: Emigration to Australia.
The National Archives of Ireland has a Transportation Records database. They also have a research guide on transportation records.
New Zealand
New Zealand’s national archive holds immigration records, probate records and much more.
From England, Wales and Northern Ireland
The National Archives research guide: Emigrants
The National Archives research guide: Ships’ Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
From Scotland
South Africa
From England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland
The National Archives research guide: Emigrants
The National Archives research guide: Ships’ Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
India
From England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland
Various records are available in the Oriental and India Office Collections (OIOC) held at the British Library. For more information see the OIOC section of the British Library website.
Caribbean
From England
The National Archives research guide: Emigrants
The National Archives research guide: Transportation to America and the West Indies, 1615-1776
The National Archives research guide: Ships’ Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
From India
On the abolition of slavery in the early 19th century, plantation owners had to look for new labour - they looked to India - for more information see the India Office Records at the British Library.
