how do I locate ship manifests?

Over 25 million Italians have emigrated between 1861 and 1960 with a migration boom between 1871 and 1915 when over 13,5 million emigrants left the country for European and overseas destinations.
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anitaG
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how do I locate ship manifests?

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I know the name of the ship my dad and his family sailed on from Naples to Boston and even have arrival dates. How can I find the actual manifests? I tried all kinds of searches that have dead ended. Any help will be appreciated!
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mfjp
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Re: how do I locate ship manifests?

Post by mfjp »

Hi Anita,
I tried all kinds of searches that have dead ended.
Where have you done your searches??

You would need a paid subscription to Ancestry.com - US Immigrations Collections... (Boston records from 1891 to 1943)

or you can visit a Family History Center that has computers and internet access with Ancestry... or maybe even a main library in your town... phone first though...

or... if there is anyone in particular you want a ship record, please post info here at this forum if you wish. I am positive someone will look it up for you... :P

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Toscana
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Re: how do I locate ship manifests?

Post by Toscana »

I found my grandfather and great aunt's records on Ellis Island website for free. Printed them right out. I have also heard of the "ancestory" website mentioned, but have not tried--an aversion to $$ for info they may not even have. Good luck--it is there somewhere, keep trying. :D
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soneal
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Re: how do I locate ship manifests?

Post by soneal »

If your ancestor arrived at the port of Boston, I would suggest you contact the NARA research center in Pittsfield, Mass. They have a staff of volunteers who will look up manifests, copy them and send them to you via U.S. Mail.

I was able to obtain copies of the original ship's manifests for two of my great grandparents this way, one who arrived in Boston and one who arrived in New York.

The folks at Pittsfield are friendly, helpful and very prompt in providing assistance. The copies I received are readable and on oversize paper, which is better than what I could have obtained from the Ellis Island site.

The contact info for the Pittsfield NARA office can be found at:

http://www.archives.gov/northeast/pitts ... field.html

Good luck.
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Essgee
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Re: how do I locate ship manifests?

Post by Essgee »

anitaG wrote:I know the name of the ship my dad and his family sailed on from Naples to Boston and even have arrival dates. How can I find the actual manifests? I tried all kinds of searches that have dead ended. Any help will be appreciated!
Give us the names and we will see if we can find him. If you have the name of the ship, this would help. If he arrived after a particular date, you need to contact the NARA at Waltham as mentioned. You can contact them by e-mail...they are quite good with dealing with questions in this manner.

In the mean time, I have access to the Boston Passenger records, so if you have a name..first and last, and the MAIDEN name of his mother, let me know....I will see what I can find.
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