Baltimore Passenger Lists Quick Guide 1820-1960s

by Joe Beine


Baltimore Passenger Lists Quick Guide 1820-1960s : Finding Baltimore Immigration Records

This page lists research material for locating Baltimore, Maryland passenger arrival records from 1820 to the early 1960s. For the period from July 1, 1948 to November 30, 1954 the Baltimore ship passenger lists have not survived. However a microfilmed index exists for part of this time frame (1897 to July 1952). Some of the earlier lists (1820s to the 1840s) have also not survived, but there are some alternate sources available for some of that time period.

Baltimore Passenger Lists and Indexes Online
  • Online Index and Images at Ancestry (fee-based):
    • Baltimore Passenger Lists 1820-1964 (with gaps); requires payment - part of an Ancestry subscription.
      • Includes digitized images of the ship passenger lists (1820-mid 1948 and late 1954-1957) from National Archives microfilm publications T844, M255, M596 and M1477.
      • Also includes some airplane manifests for September 1942 to 1964.
      • This database does not include Baltimore ship passenger lists from July 1, 1948 to November 30, 1954. They have not survived. However, see the next section (FamilySearch) for an index to some of these missing lists (to July 1952).
  • Online Indexes and Images at FamilySearch (free with registration):
    • Baltimore Passenger Lists, 1820-1948 (may have some gaps); free; Coverage ends in late June, 1948.
      • Includes records from National Archives microfilm publications M255 (Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, 1820-1891); M596 (Quarterly Abstracts of Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, 1820-1869); and T844 (Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, 1891-1948).
    • Baltimore ship passenger lists from July 1, 1948 to November 30, 1954 have not survived. However, these lists were indexed to July 1952 before they were destroyed. You can access this index from FamilySearch here:
    • Baltimore, Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels and Airplanes, 1954-1957 from National Archives microfilm publication M1477; covers Dec. 1, 1954 to May 7, 1957.

The Missing Lists, c.1820-c.1842 (alternate resources for finding some Baltimore passenger lists in the "gap" years)
  • Quarterly Abstracts of Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, 1820-1869 (with some gaps) (National Archives Microfilm Publication M596) This publication is included in the Baltimore ship passenger lists databases at Ancestry and FamilySearch. See above.
  • State Department Transcripts of Passenger Lists, circa October 1819-circa December 1832 (National Archives Microfilm Publication T-1219)
  • Baltimore Passenger Lists 1820-1840s - Filling in the Gaps discusses Baltimore passenger lists that have not survived with information on how you might be able to locate some of the passenger's names from alternate sources.

Alternate Index, 1820-1897
German Immigrants to Baltimore in Germans to America
Baltimore Passenger Lists and Indexes on Microfilm



German Roots: German Genealogy Resources

Finding Passenger Lists 1820-1940s (arrivals at US Ports)




Port Guides - Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's Passenger List

Boston Passenger Lists | New Orleans Passenger Lists | New York Passenger Lists | Philadelphia Passenger Lists



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