Full Steam Ahead: Why Ship's Records are Important

Not many Americans can claim roots farther back than 4-6 generations on the soil of this continent. We're a nation of immigrants, and that means that our ancestors had to get here in some fashion.

Many came by ship, whether through Ellis Island or less-famed ports. Searching ship logs for your ancestors can help you to build the story of when they came, where they entered, who came at the same time, and where they came from.

Here are some tips for getting the most from ships logs:

• Search many variations on surname spellings, especially phonetically;
• Don't limit ports of departure, because an emigrant may have travelled to a farther away port to obtain cheaper fare;
• Use only last names for initial searches; although this may net more records to search, you run less risk of missing the "right" name;
• Search at different times; new ship logs are added all the time and a previously unfound name may suddenly become available.

Using ship's records, you can build a historical story for your ancestors and locate family members previously unknown.  Best wishes for a successful voyage!