A genealogy search can feel overwhelming to someone attempting to document their family history or chart their family tree for the first time. With so many resources to sort through, such as microfilm, historical records, maps, bibliographies, and old family documents, a novice genealogist may not know where—or how—to begin.

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index consolidates genealogical information, making immigration records and content easily accessible through a one-step electronic search. The Gale Directory Library platform enables users to export records to Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive for future research and review.

The content set is cited from more than 3,500 primary sources as well as secondary sources, including ship passenger lists, census records, naturalization records, historical publications, U.S. and international government documents and other original source documents, scholarly journals, and more.

Entries provide information such as name and age of immigrant; year and place of arrival, naturalization or other immigration records, which indicate the person indexed is an immigrant; the source where information was obtained; and associated family members arriving on the ship with the primary entrant. 

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index on the Gale Directory Library platform allows both novice and seasoned genealogists to tap into their history, whether they’re searching for immigrants who entered ports in New York and New Orleans or tracing information on arrivals to Canada. 

Over 100,000 new names have been added in 2020. Plus, new records will be added to the digital database each year, and existing records will be updated continuously.

Several new data points, including immigrant country of origin, immigration occupation, ship names, the port of departure, and date of departure, allow for a more thorough review of the immigrant’s demographic information—helping genealogical researchers find their ancestors and chart their family history faster.