Immigrant Documents and Documentation
Immigrant at Registration Desk at Ellis Island ca 1910s. Bain News Service. Photograph shows a man waiting, with others in queue behind him, at the registration desk in the immigration station on Ellis Island; an immigration official is seated at the desk. Library of Congress # 97501640. GGA Image ID # 148505c990
Index to immigrant / immigration documents available at the Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives that include Vaccination Certificates, Immigrant Identification Cards, Immigrant ID Tags and Alien Cards.
Genealogists will find these especially useful in identifying the documents they have in their family heirlooms. Students often find the illustrations and information ideal for completing reports on immigration for school.
Immigrants passing through Eilis Island were occasionally detained and chalked with a code letter to indicate the reason for the further examination —“K” for hernia, “L” for lung, “E” for eye, “H” for heart, “X” for mental disorder. Other numbers commonly found on the Immigrant Inspection Card were the manifest page and line number where their information was recorded. Holes on the bottom of some inspection cards were punched by the ship's surgeon during daily inspections.
Immigrant Documents Available at GG Archives
1821-11-04 Cowpox Vaccination Certificate
Koefoppe Indpodnings Attest - Norway. One of the earliest examples of the these certificates that immigrants would take with them as evidence of being vaccinated for smallpox.
1893-03-06 Vaccination - ID Card
Card given to passengers to provide evidence of that passengers' vaccination for smallpox issued in 1893 by the American Line SS City of Berlin.
1893-05-04 Inspection Cards To Steerage And Cabin Passengers
Information and instructions relating to the labeling of baggage and the issue of inspection cards to steerage and cabin passengers. Issued May 4, 1893 by the U.S. Treasury Department.
Proof of Registration for Inclusion in the Roll for Danish Emigrant - 1900
This document was carried by a Danish emigrant when he later immigrated to the United States in April 1903. It was proof of where he registered for conscription into military service.
1900s Immigration Card, Second Cabin Passenger
Immigration card that dates from the early 1900s was provided to Second Cabin passenger John Grant, who arrived via a Canadian port on the SS Corsican of the Allan Line.
The second card is a U.S. Immigration Service Landing Card issued to Clara Gale on board the S.S. Corsican, presented to U.S. Immigration Officials before landing at Quebec. Undated, circa the early 1900s.
1901-06-05 Immigrant Inspection Card - RMS Oceanic
Inspection Card for Immigrants and Steerage Passengers on the RMS Oceanic, Departing Liverpool for New York on 5 June 1901 and Arriving in New York Ellis Island on 14 June 1901, Provided to Norwegian Immigrant from Trondheim.
1902-04-02 Immigrant Inspection Card - White Star Line RMS Germanic
Inspection Card issued to an immigrant traveling in Steerage by the White Star Line RMS Germanic in April 1902 that provided information about the immigrant including Name, Last Residence, evidence of Immunization, Port of Departure and Steamship name.
1904-10-18 Immigrant Inspection Card - Cunard RMS Carpathia
Inspection Card issued to an immigrant traveling in Steerage on board the RMS Carpathia of the Cunard Line dated 18 October 1904 that provided information including Port and Date of Departure, Name of Ship, Name of Immigrant, Last Residence and evidence of Immunization.
1909-11-04 Canadian Immigrant Inspection Card
Canadian Immigrant Inspection Card, SS Dominion Sailing from Liverpool to Québec, 4 November 1909. Passed Medical Examination at the Port of Québec on 14 November 1909.
1910-07-09 Immigrant Inspection Card - Cunard RMS Lusitania
Immigrant Inspection Card issued by the Cunard Line RMS Lusitania dated 9 July 1910 for Swedish Immigrant K. E. Paulson from Gothenburg, Sweden. When landing at New York this card was pinned to the coat or dress of the passenger in a prominent position.
1912-04-24 Inspection Card - Austrian Immigrant
Fine example of an Immigrants and Steerage Passengers' Inspection Card issued on 24 April 1912 by the Hamburg America Line for an Austrian Immigrant on board the SS President Grant that departed from Hamburg, Germany arriving in New York on 7 May 1912. Passed American Ellis Island Inspectors on 8 May 1912.
1912-06-27 Canadian Immigrant Inspection Card - Steerage Passenger
Canadian Immigrant Inspection Card issued in 1912 to a steerage passenger on board the Allan Line SS Corsican. Card provided essential information including name of immigrant, Steamship, port and date of departure. The card was intended to be kept by the immigrant for three years. It would be shown to government officials whenever required.
1913-05-29 Norwegian Bank Note - Loan for Immigrant to U.S.
Example of a Norwegian Bank Note from Spareskillingsbanken Trondhjem dated 24 May 1913 that was used to fund the expense of traveling from Norway to the United States by a Norwegian Immigrant.
1913-06-10 Immigrant Inspection Card - Cunard RMS Laconia
Immigrant Inspection Card issued in 1913 by the Cunard Line on board the RMS Laconia to a Norwegian Immigrant traveling in Steerage. The card provided important information including port and date of departure, name of ship, immigrant name, last residence, medical inspection stamps and evidence of immunization.
1913-07-14 Australian Immigration Control Card, Fremantle, Australia
Example of an Immigration Control Card for Australia, issued by the North German Lloyd for a German immigrant on 14 July 1913. The immigrant would have carried this card with him and showed Australian Immigration Officers at Fremantle as required.
1915-03-13 Canadian Immigrant Inspection Card - SS Missanabie
Canadian Immigrant Inspection Card issued to a Steerage Passenger on board the Canadian Pacific steamship SS Missanabie departing from Liverpool 13 March 1915. This represents a very rare immigrant document from a ship in service less than four years.
1915-07-02 Certificate of Innocence - German Immigrant
The GG Archives curated an essential German document "Zeugnis der Unbescholtenheit" that loosely translates into Certificate of Innocence. The text dated from 2 July 1915 and was carried by a German immigrant on his 1921 voyage from Bremen to New York.
1921-09-29 Transmigrant Certificate, Third Class Passenger
Transmigrant Certificate, issued in 1921 to a third class passenger on the White Star Line RMS Olympic. It is intended as a health certificate notifying anyone that the carrier had been inspected, vaccinated, examined and vermin-free.
1922-06-15 Passenger Transport Notification
You will need a passport to your (Homeland) which a registration will be accepted he must exit from Hamburg to New York until the day of departure elected ships tips or a week longer applies.
1922-09-09 Canadian Alien Card, White Star Dominion Line
The Canadian Alien Card was issued to each non-Canadian passenger indicating the number of sheet and line on sheet their name was listed on. The Card was to be presented on arrival, to the Canadian Aliens' Officer.
1923-09-15 Inspection Card - Swedish Immigrant
U.S. Inspection Card (Immigrants and Steerage Passengers) for Earnst O. W. Carsuer, Sailing from Gothenburg 15 September 1923 on the SS Drottningholm of the Swedish American Line, Arriving in New York 25 September 1923.
1923-09-26 Ellis Island Immigrant Document Collection
A Superb collection of Immigration Documents
From 1892 to 1954 Millions of immigrants were processed through Ellis Island. This is a collection of documents that pertain to a 65 year-old Lithuanian immigrant, Barbara Vitkiene, who arrived at Ellis Island in 1923 including the Immigrant Inspection Card, Immigrant ID Tag and passenger manifest extracts and images.
1928-07-26 Immigrant ID Card for Non-Quota Immigration Visa
Example of an Immigrant ID Card issued by the US Department of Labor for Non-Quota Immigration Visa in 1928 to a Peruvian refugee Jose Mario Farban of Lima, Peru.
1928-10-27 US Immigrant Inspection Cards - RMS Scythia
Inspection Cards used as a landing card and shown on request to a U.S. Immigration Inspector. Norwegian Immigrants Lauri A. Grava and Josua Grava from Haugo made the journey from Liverpool to Boston on board the RMS Scythia of the Cunard Line.
1930-10-25 Immigrant ID & Vaccination Certificate
Health Certificate and Photo ID: Italian Immigrant Salvatore J. Milluzzo sailed on the SS Conte Biancamano of the Lloyd Sabaudo Line departing from Naples on 25 October 1930.
1931-08-22 United States Landing Card, Canadian Pacific CPOS
United States Landing Card issued to Elizabeth Hausen traveling on Canadian Pacific Steamship RMS Duchess of York, examined and found admissible by U.S. Immigration Inspector on 22 August 1931. Article about the History of Landing Cards follows below these images on this page.
1939-09-22 Canadian Immigration Identification Card - Third Class Passenger
An example of a Third Class passengers' Immigration Identification Card for Canadian Immigrant Rose McMahon on board the Duchess of York of the Canadian Pacific Line. Stamped by Immigration Office 22 September 1939. Card provided information such as Name of Passenger, Steamship Name, Manifest No where individual appeared on and inspection stamp.
