Ellis Island before 1894
thelebrity	The Ellis Island database starts in 1894. What about Ellis Island records before 1894? Do they exist? If so; where could one obtain these records. I'm interested in ships landing in New York in april 1886. Per Helge Seglsten
Borge	Beginning January 1st 1820, the U.S. Government required passenger lists to be filed by the ship master with the collector of Customs in the port of entry, to make sure the US passenger act of 1819 was not violated. Most of these lists have survived and are available at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) The lists are filmed and microfilms can be ordered from NARA, for a quite reasonable price. You can also get access to the films through the LDS family centers. This is more closely described in our article "Hunting Passenger Lists": http://www.NorwayHeritage.com/ships/em-prot.htm#us Børge Solem Edited by - borge