I had a chance this week to read through a new reprint of an old book with a very long title. The Morton Allan Directory of European Passenger Steamship Arrivals For the Years 1890 to 1930 at the Port of New York, and for the Years 1904 to 1926 at the Ports of New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore was originally published in 1931 by Morton Allan. This is the definitive listing of almost all ships that arrived in those years. It has long been one of the standard reference books of genealogy. Now Genealogical Publishing Company has reprinted the book, making it available to all.
The Morton Allan Directory of European Passenger Steamship Arrivals is exactly what its name implies: a listing of ships by port of debarkation, steamship line, and date of arrival. Here is a sample list for the port of New York in 1908:
Navigazione Generale Italiana
Mediterranean - New YorkNY Arrival Steamer
Jan. 8 Sannio
Jan. 31 Lazio
Feb. 17 Duca degli Abruzzi
Mar. 20 Sannio
Mar. 31 Duca degli Abruzzi
Apr. 23 Campagnia
May 12 Duca degli Abruzzi
May 29 Liguria
Jun 17 Duca degli Abruzzi
Jul 11 Sannio
Aug 6 Liguria
Sept 1 Duca degli Abruzzi
Many people think of New York City as the only port of entry, but this book proves otherwise. Here is a sample for ships that traveled from Lisbon, Portugal, stopping in the Azores and then in New Bedford, Massachusetts, before going on to New York:
Linha de Vapores Portuguezes
Azores, Lisbon - New Bedford, Mass., New YorkNY Arrival Steamer
Feb 2 Dona Maria
Feb 19 Olinda
Mar 29 Dona Maria
Apr 19 Olinda
May 19 Dona Maria
May 28 Oevenum
Jun 12 Olinda
Other ships stopped at still other ports. The Uranium Steamship Company sailed from Rotterdam, stopped in Halifax, and then went on to New York. The Russian-American Line departed Libau (Latvia), stopped in Rotterdam, and then stopped in Halifax before going on to New York. The Red Star line sailed from Antwerp, stopping in Boston and Philadelphia but apparently not in New York. The French Line (also known as Compagnie Generale Transatlantique) apparently sailed a circular route: Havre to Vigo to Bordeaux to New York to Halifax to Plymouth (England) and back to Havre. There are many, many other steamship lines listed in this book.
You can often find the ship that an ancestor traveled on from his naturalization papers and occasionally from other documents. This book will help you find which dates she or he possibly arrived. This allows you to look up the passenger lists and immigration documents that are on microfilm (and some have been transcribed to computer databases). In turn, the passenger lists and immigration documents often give many details about the person's origins in the old country, often listing the exact place of birth, parents' names, marital status, possibly the names of siblings, and more.
The Morton Allan Directory of European Passenger Steamship Arrivals contains 268 pages of such listings and little else. It is the standard reference and belongs on the shelf of every genealogy library as well as in the personal collections of many serious genealogists.
The Morton Allan Directory of European Passenger Steamship Arrivals For the Years 1890 to 1930 at the Port of New York, and for the Years 1904 to 1926 at the Ports of New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore sells for $25.00 and is available directly from Genealogical Publishing Company at http://www.genealogical.com/item_detail.asp?ID=80. it should also be available from other bookstores if you specify ISBN#: 0806308303.
