Many Immigrants Entered Through Canada

HERITAGE HUNTING COLUMN: (MAY 21, 1995): The address to write to Skeleton Closet was omitted last week. Here it is: P.O. Box 91392, Louisville, KY 40291-1606. Checks may be made to Skeleton Closet.

In a two-part column last December, material was presented on Irish immigrants coming to America through Canadian ports. I have since learned that immigrants from all parts of Europe and the British Isles came through Canadian ports to many places in the U.S.

Passenger lists dating as early as 1865 can be found in Quebec City. More extensive lists covering a wider area of geography and beginning in 1895 are located in the St. Albans District, Vermont.

A passage from an article by Charles Addington in the Nov-Dec 1994 issue of Genealogical Helper explains this phenomenon:

“The flow of immigrants to the U.S. via Canada partly reflected settlement patterns. As the settlement of the U.S. continued its westward direction, there was a resulting stream of immigrants whose inland destination was far to the west of ports on the eastern coast of the U.S. Many immigrants were going to places that were nearer to the Canadian-United States border than they were to New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and so on. In this historic and geographic context, the regular passenger service to Canada from ports such as Liverpool and Glasgow became a reasonably convenient alternative route for some immigrants to the U.S., because the U.S.-bound immigrant could complete his or her journey to the U.S. by rail upon arrival in Canada.”

The heartland of America was the ultimate destination for many of the immigrants in the last half of the 19th century. It cost less to come to the middle of the U.S. via Canada than it was to make the longer sea journey - arriving in American seaports then taking a 1,500-mile train ride west. Cheaper fares on ships going to Canada were a big factor in encouraging immigrants to take a Canadian route.

Michael Tepper, in his book “American Passenger Arrival Records,” says that about 40 percent of all passengers arriving in Canada were actually bound for the United States.

Addington’s article continues: “In this connection, the passenger lists for Quebec City, beginning in 1865, are worth noting in some details, as they are the longest continuous set of lists for any Canadian port to survive.”

His article then explains exactly what statistics can be learned from these early passenger lists. But, the main thing I want to mention here is that the lists from Quebec City after the 1860s increasingly state the final destination of each passenger.

Perhaps if you’ve been wanting to experience the thrill of finding your immigrant ancestor’s name on a passenger list and haven’t been so lucky, this bit of news will give you hope. Plan to check these Canadian passenger lists. If you know where your ancestor lived in the U.S., this geographic clue will help ensure that you’ll pinpoint the right person on the lists.

Last January, while we were visiting the Family History Library in Salt Lake, Bruce Austin found a reference notebook giving this same information. It really fired his imagination. A handout on the immigration and passenger lists reference table reads:

“Anyone searching for information on an ancestor or relative who might have entered or attempted to enter the United States from Canada during the period 1895-1924 should consult the St. Albans District manifest records index, a set of 400 rolls of microfilm. These records include information on individuals who entered the U.S. not only in the St. Albans District of Vermont, but also in the states of Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, New York and other places along the U.S./Canadian border.”

It was this last part that caught Austin’s eye - would he finally find the passenger list for his Minnesota ancestor in these records? Who would have guessed to look for Washington or Minnesota information in records field in St. Albans, Vermont?

This flyer further explained the terminology found in these records, outlining the dozen or so points found on the cards comprising these records. It also outlined points of information that can be found on the cards comprising these records.

Information on obtaining these passenger lists from the National Archives of Canada and a short bibliography of further references are also included in this handout. Please note that, with regards to the St. Albans District records, that only the index has been microfilmed, apparently. Once you find your ancestor’s name in the index, then you must write to the National Archives of Canada for the record.

The Helper article explains that other surviving Canadian official passenger lists - including Quebec City, 1865-1919; Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1880-1919; St. John, New Brunswick, 1900-1918; and Vancouver, British Columbia, 1905-1919 - have been microfilmed and are available through both the National Archives of Canada and the Family History Library.

Another source of information on this topic is the article, “Manifest Destiny: Immigrants Arriving in the U.S. through Canada,” by Joan Nichols found in the Winter, 1994, Forum, a newsletter of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. Included in this article are copied examples of what some of the records actually look like.

The references and flyers mentioned in this column amount to seven pages. If you would like a copy of this seven-page handout, please send $1, and a large, self-addressed envelope, with two stamps, to me c/o this paper.

North Idaho genealogists meet

The May 18 meeting of the Kootenai County Genealogical Society will begin at 7 p.m. at the Hayden Lake Public Library on North Government Way. The program will be presented by Melode Hall, and is titled “Preservation of Records.” Hall will bring and show examples of proper storage for photos and papers, and will demonstrate how to turn all your family “stuff” into wonderful family memory books. All interested genealogists are invited to attend.

New catalog edition available

Have you been meaning to send the $2.50 fee for a catalog from The Skeleton Closet? The very latest edition of the catalog has just been published, and is ready for mailing to you. The Skeleton Closet offers a total system of genealogical record keeping; you’ll never be lost again in your genealogy papers if you organize according to these simple guidelines. Say that you read about the new catalog in this column, and you’ll receive a free “Cousin Finder” chart.

Today’s laugh: Always remember that ancestors, just like you, are absolutely unique - just like everyone else.

MEMO: Donna Potter Phillips welcomes letters from readers. Write to her at The Spokesman-Review, Features Department, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Donna Potter Phillips The Spokesman-Review