Ireland is a country characterised by emigration. It has a long history of people leaving its shores to travel to various parts of the world. In fact, it is estimated that half of all the people born in Ireland since 1820 have emigrated and that more than 70 million people worldwide can claim Irish ancestry.
Although Irish migrants travelled all over the globe, the United States of America was the biggest draw. Not everyone heading to America made it there, many didn’t get beyond Liverpool, but it’s estimated that over six million people born in Ireland have emigrated to the US since 1820.
During the 18th century approximately a quarter of a million Irish settlers travelled to America. These were predominantly Presbyterians from Ulster, who were originally descended from the Scots Presbyterians, and who mainly settled in Pennsylvania. In North America they were referred to as Scots-Irish. In the first American census in 1790 it showed that out of a population of three million people, 44,000 were Irish-born and 150,00 claimed Irish descent.
Paying for passage, even in steerage, was beyong the means of many. According to an article published in the Sligo Journal of 1846: “The cost of passage from Sligo to Quebec, and thence to New York will not exceed £2 1s 6d”. This was at a time when the the average labourer in Ireland, if he was lucky enough to be in work, was earning just 2s 6d a week.
There were a number of alternative ways to pay for passage, including via charitable institutions and private philanthropists. Irish Poor Law Boards of Guardians also financed emigration. Formed in 1838, the boards had responsibility for administrating public relief and emigration was considered an effective way of reducing an impoverished population.
The Irish parliament also passed legislation which subsidised transport. Some went through assisted emigration schemes financed by landlords, who gave their tenants enough money for a passage or even hired ships to transport them. In the 17th century, Irish migrants to Virginia went as indentured servants, providing seven years of labour in return for their passage as well as board and lodging.
The passage took about six to 10 weeks, most journeys happened in the spring and summer, and those travelling in steerage (the cheapest option) had to provide their own provisions. Mortality rates were, at one point, as high as 40% in what were known as “Coffin Ships”. In a first-hand account of the journey on the Ajax in June 1847, Robert Whyte from Dublin wrote in his book, 1847 Famine Ship Diary, of the hardships as disease spread. He described one woman whose “head and face had swollen to almost unnatural size, the latter being hideously deformed”. In 1845 Brunel’s steamship, the SS Great Britain, completed the journey in just 14 days and 21 hours. By the 1860s sailing ships had been almost entirely replaced by steamships, making the journey faster and safer.
There were myriad reasons why people left Ireland: oppression by British landlords; vanishing economic opportunities; poverty and the Great Famine in the 1840s. The United States Homestead Acts of the 1860s enticed migrants by offering the opportunity to buy land cheaply. Also, family members who had already gone out to America sent letters back promoting the new life and encouraging family members to follow often helping to pay for the fare, leading to chain migration.
If you are trying to trace someone who emigrated to America from Ireland, then here are five places you should be looking for records.
Passenger lists
Ancestry, Findmypast, TheGenealogist and MyHeritage have lists of passengers leaving the UK from 1890-1960 for long-distance destinations, including America and Canada.
America has comprehensive passenger lists for ships arriving in their ports from 1820, which provide the origin of the emigrant, the port of departure of the ship and the nationality of the passenger. It wasn’t until 1893 and the Immigration Act that the former address in Ireland of an emigrant was recorded. The Statue of Liberty website provides free access to 65 million records of passengers arriving in the port of New York from 1820–1957.
In 1895 it was also noted that 40% of all passengers arriving in Canada were actually bound for the USA, as the fare was cheaper. Unfortunately few records have survived.
Quarantine station records
When Irish migrants arrived in Canada they were usually quarantined at Grosse Island for approximately 15 days. Records from 1832 to 1937 are available on the Library and Archives Canada website.
If a passenger arrived in New York between 1820 and 1890 they went to the quarantine station at Castle Garden. In 1892 Ellis Island was opened and it continued until 1924, welcoming 3.5 million Irish migrants through its doors. When ships entered New York harbour, they would dock at the East River or Hudson piers to allow first and second-class passengers to disembark. The third-class passengers were then taken by ferry to Ellis Island and there subjected to hours of medical and legal inspections. In order to enter the US, they would need to show they had at least $20. The process could take anything from a few hours to several days or even weeks. Lists of arrivals at both stations can be searched on Ancestry and FamilySearch.
Famine records
The US National Archives has records for passengers who arrived in the port of New York during the Great Famine (1846-1851), when an estimated two million people fled Ireland to begin new lives abroad. By 1870, the total population of the US numbered 38,558,371, of whom 1,855,827 were Irish-born. The US National Archives have provided access to their records for this time period here. FamilySearch also has a collection of passenger lists for the period.
Naturalisations
Although it wasn’t necessary, it is worth checking to see if someone subsequently got naturalised. These records contain information on residence, the ship of arrival and the date and rough place of birth, (usually it will just state Ireland). Later records are more detailed and may even include a photograph. A useful guide is available here.
US census records
A census has been taken every 10 years in America since 1790. From 1850 the returns provide the country of birth and occasionally, if you are lucky, a more specific location. These records are fully searchable for free on FamilySearch.
