| From the 1400s to the current time period, our | | | | in North America. |
| ancestors arrived in Canada and the United States | | | | Neighbors in the old country tended, in the new |
| by ship, usually in waves of immigrants. | | | | country, to live together, work together, and of |
| Unfortunately it can be quite difficult to find any | | | | course, marry together. This is where keeping |
| proof of this ship trip, as captains were not | | | | track of your greatgreatgrandparents' siblings and |
| required to list every passenger until into the later | | | | their marriages may be helpful in gathering more |
| 1800s. At times the lists are very detailed with | | | | information on your ancestor. Again, finding these |
| occupations, ages of each person, family | | | | groups of names on a ship list - even if spelled |
| groupings noted, country/place of origin. In other | | | | creatively - who are intermarrying 10-30 years |
| cases, only the men are listed by name, (or initial | | | | later - will help strengthen your case for this being |
| plus surname), with wives and children listed only | | | | the correct passenger list and correct ship. This |
| as "family". | | | | clue is particularly helpful in evaluating ship lists at a |
| Your beginning searches will need to focus on | | | | time when spelling was not at all standardized. For |
| where your ancestors landed in North America, | | | | example, my ancestors' surname Kuhn was |
| and as close to the correct date as you can get. | | | | spelled many ways until the early-mid 1800s, so |
| Those dates can often be implied from land | | | | could be listed as Coon, Kunn, Koen, Coen, Cone, |
| ownership registration, or early church registers of | | | | Conn, Koehne, etc. Therefore, you will need to |
| birth, marriage, and burial. Sometimes there are | | | | search online using any/every possible spelling! |
| published histories of early communities which | | | | Every document may list them spelled differently. |
| may list your ancestor family as having arrived in | | | | There are a number of free sites online for you |
| a certain year, even on a specific ship. More and | | | | to search for ship passenger lists from early |
| more of these kinds of histories have been | | | | times onwards - if and only if the passenger list |
| digitized and are online. If not, check with your | | | | even existed! Some lists are lost forever, others |
| librarian to see if you can get access to a specific | | | | are being digitized and put online. Here are only 5 |
| history book you have found; possibly an | | | | of many more excellent guides to start your |
| inter-library loan may be possible. You won't know | | | | searches; use a search engine for the current |
| until you ask. | | | | correct web address: |
| If you know which country your ancestors came | | | | - Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild (includes |
| from, you could read up on the history of the | | | | much details on maritime resources over the |
| country at the time your ancestors left. For | | | | years) |
| example, my Kuhn ancestors came to | | | | - TheShipsList (includes a message board and |
| Pennsylvania somewhere around 1730, settling in | | | | archives) |
| the Goshenhoppen district, later moving to | | | | - Olive Tree Genealogy (watch out for all the paid |
| Conewago Pennsylvania. From research I have | | | | advertising surrounding the actual search |
| done, I realize they came in a wave of "Palatine | | | | information) |
| Immigration". These Germans lived in the | | | | - Collections Canada Passenger Lists |
| Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany, and | | | | - Cyndi's List for "Ships & Passenger Lists" to |
| moved due to the almost continuous wars in the | | | | either or both Canada and the U.S. |
| region. This research has helped me find more | | | | Remember that immigrants may have boarded |
| information on my ancestors: Kuhn and | | | | the ship in a different country than their own - |
| intermarried family lines in Pennsylvania. | | | | one group of Germans boarded ship in Glasgow |
| Immigrant groups of families and neighbors | | | | Scotland! And the ship may have landed in Virginia |
| tended to travel together, so if you have | | | | or Quebec, but the immigrants may have then |
| information of land ownerships and maps in the | | | | moved on to a different state/province, even to |
| new country showing who owns land close by, | | | | the other country. Your American settlers may |
| you may be able to search on those additional | | | | have arrived in Montreal then moved across the |
| individuals to find more information on your | | | | border to Maine and travelled down to another |
| specific ancestors. This is a sideways approach to | | | | state. Keep open to possibilities of travel, and try |
| research, but can be fruitful if you cannot find the | | | | to follow groups of passengers, particularly if they |
| details you want to prove your ancestors' arrivals | | | | arrived in the 1700s and early 1800s. |