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Historical immigration records in the custody of the National Archives (NARA) are generally arranged first by port of entry, and then chronologically, and then by vessel, so you would typically need to know where and approximately when your ancestors arrived in the U.S. in order to search for their immigration records, particularly if you do not know the name of the vessel they sailed on. More information is available on NARA’s web pages Immigration Records and Passenger Arrival Records. You may also Browse by Port of Entry.
Some–but not all–of the passenger arrival records have been digitized and are available on Ancestry.com, Fold3.com, and/or FamilySearch.org. Please note that there may be a fee for using these services. Instead, please check with your local library, since many library systems subscribe to these genealogical services, making them free for their patrons to access.
You may also wish to contact the State Archives or Health Department of State where your ancestor lived to request a search for any relevant birth, marriage or death certificates. You may wish to note any name variants or broaden your search for the surrounding years. In addition, the FamilySearch research wiki for How to Find United States Vital Records might also be of interest to you.
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!
