ADVICE: HOW-TO...
            Learn More About Ship's Passenger Lists from the WPA (Works Progress Administration)
                                    Cook County, Illinois

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Information contributed for use in Cook County ILGenWeb (from Cook-Co-L mail-list)
        with permission of original submitters

Looking for Ship's Passenger Lists ?
------------------------------------

During the Depression the WPA composed personal name indexes to Ship's Passenger
Lists for the Immigration & Naturalization Service.

Information  posted to 3X5 cards included the
  passenger's name,
  age,
  sex,
  occupation,
  country of origin,
  port of departure,
  name of the ship,
  date & port of arrival.
The indexes were microfilmed and the cards were destroyed.

WPA indexes cover :

  Baltimore, MD: 1820-1952
  Boston, MA: 1848-1891 & 1902-1920
  New Orleans, LA: 1853-1952
  New York, NY: 1820-1846 & 1897-1943
  Philadelphia, PA: 1800-1948

  Minor Ports Indexes:
    Atlantic, Gulf Coast  & Great Lakes: 1820-1874
    AL, FL, GA & SC: 1890-1924
    Gulfport, FL 19, FL: 1904-1954
    Pascgaoula, MS: 1903-1935
    Key West, FL: 1898-1945
    New Bedford MS: 1902-1954
    Portland, ME: 1893-1954
    Providence, RI: 1893-1954
    Galveston, TX 1896-1951
    San Francisco, CA: 1893-1934


(thanks to Walter & Joan M. for providing this info)