Emigration Agents

Tracing an Emigrant’s Journey Through the Booking Agent

Norwegian emigration registers often record the name of the agent who sold the ticket without identifying the shipping line or the vessel used for the Atlantic crossing. Finding out which line the agent represented at the time can therefore provide an important clue when searching for ships and passenger lists.

The ship named in the register may have carried the emigrant only from Norway to a British port, such as Hull. The Atlantic crossing was then made aboard another vessel. Identifying the agent’s shipping line helps narrow the search to that company’s services. By comparing this information with the Transatlantic Crossings database within a suitable date range, researchers can often reduce the number of possible voyages considerably.

This database is not complete. At present, it mainly includes agents from Kristiania (Oslo) and Trondheim.