Nova Scotia Emigration and Immigration

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Canada

Nova Scotia

Emigration and Immigration

Online Resources

See also, Canada Online Genealogy Records.

• The Old United Empire Loyalists List, index
• Loyalists and Land Settlement in Nova Scotia ($)
• A List of passengers landing in ships in the Maritime provinces
• Immigration Database, Library and Archives Canada, index.
• Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, Vol. I ($)
• Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, Vol. II ($)
• Immigrants to Canada Before 1865, Library and Archives Canada, index
• 1749 - Cornwallis Ships to Halifax, Nova Scotia - 1749. Passengers, arranged in alphabetical order by surname, for the ships that arrived in Halifax from England in 1749, index.
• 1749-1752 - Germans to Nova Scotia 1749-1752, index.
• 1752-53 - Foreign Protestants who sailed from continental Europe, 1752-53
• 1783 - Book of Negroes
• 1801 - Passenger lists of the ships Dove and Sarah coming to Nova Scotia from Scotland, 1801
• 1819, 1847-1903 - Nova Scotia immigration records, 1819, 1847-1903
• 1880-1899 - Passenger lists, 1880-1899
• 1865-1922 - Passenger Lists, 1865-1922 Index and images. Library and Archives Canada
• 1881-1922 - Canada Passenger Lists, 1881-1922, index and images.
• 1895-1956 - United States Border Crossings from Canada to United States, 1895-1956, index.
• 1895-1954 - Vermont, St. Albans Canadian Border Crossings, 1895-1954, index and images.
• 1895-1924 - Vermont, Passenger Lists, 1895-1924
• 1902, 1906-1909 - Misc. Passenger Lists to Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1902 and 1906-1909 With mention of the final destination of each passenger (in Canada or the United States).
• 1908-1918 - Border Entry, 1908-1918, images.
• 1919-1924 - Border Entry, Form 30, 1919-1924, images
• 1919-1924 - Immigration Form 30A, ocean arrivals, 1919-1924, index and images.
• 1923-1933 - Canada, Nova Scotia, Records of Aliens pre-examined at Halifax, 1923-1933 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1925-1935 - Passenger Lists and Border Entries, 1925-1935 - Nominal Indexes, Library and Archives Canada
• 1925-1935 - Border Entry, 1925-1935, images

Ancestry.com ($)

Records at Ancestry.com may be used free-of-charge at a 'Family History Center near you.

• 1904-1954 - U.S., Records of Aliens Pre-Examined in Canada, 1904-1954, index and images ($).
• 1912-1939, 1953-1962 - U.S., Passenger and Crew Lists for U.S. Bound Vessels Arriving in Canada, 1912-1939 and 1953-1962, index and images ($).
• 1783 - Nova Scotia, Canada, Book of Negroes, 1783, index ($).
• Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, Vol. I, index and images ($).
• The Old United Empire Loyalists List, index ($).
• Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, Vol. II, index and images ($).

Introduction

Passenger lists before 1881 for Nova Scotia are practically nonexistent; however, the Public Archives of Nova Scotia does have a few scattered lists for ships arriving from Great Britain (no more than 30). These cover many of the years between 1749 and 1864. There is one list for ships arriving from France in 1636. Two valuable indexes for this early period are:

• Smith, Leonard H. Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867. 2 vols. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992–1994. (Family History Library book 971.6 W2S)
• Norton, Judith A.New England Planters in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, 1759–1800: Bibliography of Primary Sources. Toronto; Buffalo [N.Y.]: University of Toronto Press in association with Planters Studies Center, Acadia University, 1993. (Family History Library book 971.5 W23n)

The passenger lists from 1881 to 1900 for ships arriving at Halifax are available on microfilm at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia, the Family History Library, or local family history centers (on 12 Family History Library films beginning with 1642682). Many arriving passengers are also mentioned in Halifax newspapers.

British Naval Office Shipping Lists, 1678-1825, have been digitized by British Online Archives (site requires subscription). Names of passengers are not included.

Canadian Border Crossing Records

The United States kept records of people crossing the border from Canada to the United States. These records are called border crossing lists, passenger lists, or manifests. There are two kinds of manifests:

• Manifests of people sailing from Canada to the United States.
• Manifests of people traveling by train from Canada to the United States.

In 1895, Canadian shipping companies agreed to make manifests of passengers traveling to the United States. The Canadian government allowed U.S. immigration officials to inspect those passengers while they were still in Canada. The U.S. immigration officials also inspected train passengers traveling from Canada to the United States. The U.S. officials worked at Canadian seaports and major cities like Québec and Winnipeg. The manifests from every seaport and emigration station in Canada were sent to St. Albans, Vermont.

Contents

Title of Collection	NARA Microfilm (# Rolls)	FHL (Starting Roll#)	Type	Special Conditions
Soundex Index to Canadian Border Entries through the St. Albans, Vermont, District, 1895-1924	M1461 (400 rolls. Missing roll 218)	1472801	Index	Soundex name index to entries at ports along the border and Great Lakes. Includes • ALL manifest lists from 1895-1917. • After June 1917, includes only arrivals east of North Dakota-Montana state line. Anyone entering west of this state line after 1917 was filed in Seattle. • 1915 to 1924 indexes cover ports east of Buffalo, New York only. In most cases, an original manifest exists. Some index cards are the only record of crossing, with no original manifest.
Alphabetical Index to Canadian Border Entries through Small Ports in Vermont, 1895-1924	M1462 (6 rolls)	1430987	Index	Arranged alphabetically by ports of entry, all in Vermont. Especially useful for identifying Canadians who settled in the New England area.
Soundex Index to Entries into the St. Albans, Vermont, District through Canadian Pacific and Atlantic Ports, 1924-1952	M1463 (98 rolls)	1570714	Index	Includes border crossings in New York and Vermont area.
Manifests of Passengers Arriving in the St. Albans, Vermont, District through Canadian Pacific and Atlantic Ports, 1895-1954	M1464 (640 rolls)	1561087	Original manifests	Manifests indexed by the above Soundex indexes. These forms were completed when the immigrant entered the U.S. through a border port station. Most European immigrants will be found in these lists.
Manifests of Passengers Arriving in the St. Albans, Vermont, District through Canadian Pacific Ports, 1929-1949	M1465 (25 rolls)	1549387	Original manifests	Supplement to the above manifests. These manifests list travelers to the United States from Canadian Pacific seaports only.
Card Manifests (Alphabetical) of Individuals Entering through the Port of Detroit, Michigan, 1906-1954	M1478, M1479 (140 rolls)	1490449	Original card manifests	Original card manifests, arranged alphabetically, for Michigan ports of entry only: Bay City, Detroit, Port Huron, Sault Sainte Marie (117 rolls). An additional 23 rolls Include passenger and alien crew lists of vessels arriving in Detroit, 1946 to 1957.

 

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