To get a copy of a ship arrival announcement, you must at least know the approximate date of the arrival, the full name of the passenger, and the state and city or town where the ship arrived (or where the announcement was likely to have been published). If you do not have the minimum information to access a newspaper article, you can either:

Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items,

Name

Date of arrival into the United States

Port of entry

click the Back button on your browser to return to the list of other places where you can find a ship name, or

read the paragraphs below for a few additional tips.

Finding newspapers

Knowing where an individual first lived when they moved to the United States may help you find where an announcement may have been in the newspaper. If you don't have this information, you may guess at it by finding out where they were at other points in their life. For example, where did they get married? Where were their children born? Where did they die? Where were they at the time of each census? The answers to these questions may help you out. For assistance finding any of this information, return to the main Step-by-Step topic.

Finding the name of a ship

Make sure you check scrapbooks and diaries at home. See the topic Finding information at home for more information.

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