American Merchant Lines Passenger Lists 1928-1936
As a Division of the United States Lines, American Merchant Lines operated transatlantic services between the ports of New York, Plymouth, and London.
They uniquely named their vessels -- all starting with the word "American" followed by other common merchant terms including Banker, Farmer, Merchant, Shipper, and Trader.
1928-08-23 SS American Merchant Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: One
- Date of Departure: 23 August 1928
- Route: New York to London
- Commander: Captain not Disclosed
1929-04-18 SS American Trader Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: One
- Date of Departure: 18 April 1929
- Route: New York to London
- Commander: Captain not Disclosed
1929-05-17 SS American Shipper Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: One
- Date of Departure: 17 May 1929
- Route: London to New York
- Commander: Captain not Disclosed
- Other: Maiden Voyage
1934-06-22 SS American Farmer Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: One
- Date of Departure: 22 June 1934
- Route: London for New York
- Commander: Captain H. A. Pedersen, U.S.N.R
1936-06-26 SS American Trader Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: One
- Date of Departure: 26 June 1936
- Route: London to New York via Boston
- Commander: Captain Harold Milde, U.S.N.R
⚠️ About Accuracy in Historical Records Research Tip
Context. The GG Archives presents passenger lists as faithfully as possible to the original documents. While OCR is generally accurate, portions of these collections—especially image captions and some transcriptions—are typed by hand and may include typographical or spelling variations. The original manifests themselves also contained clerical inconsistencies (names recorded phonetically, mid-voyage corrections, etc.).
What this means for your research:
- Search variant spellings of names (e.g., “Schmidt/Schmitt/Smith,” “Giuseppe/Joseph”).
- Cross-reference with immigration cards, passport applications, naturalization files, city directories, and newspapers.
- Treat manifests as primary sources with historical quirks—use them alongside corroborating records.
- For place names, consider historical borders and language variants (e.g., Danzig/Gdańsk, Trieste/Trst).
How to cite. When quoting a name from a manifest, consider adding [sic] for obvious misspellings and include a note such as “spelling as printed in original passenger list.”
Need help? If you spot a likely transcription error in captions, feel free to contact us with the page URL and a brief note—we love community input. 🙏
Curator’s Note
For over 25 years, I've been dedicated to a unique mission: tracking down, curating, preserving, scanning, and transcribing historical materials. These materials, carefully researched, organized, and enriched with context, live on here at the GG Archives. Each passenger list isn't just posted — it's a testament to our commitment to helping you see the people and stories behind the names.
It hasn't always been easy. In the early years, I wasn't sure the site would survive, and I often paid the hosting bills out of my own pocket. But I never built this site for the money — I built it because I love history and believe it's worth preserving. It's a labor of love that I've dedicated myself to, and I'm committed to keeping it going.
If you've found something here that helped your research, sparked a family story, or just made you smile, I'd love to hear about it. Your experiences and stories are the real reward for me. And if you'd like to help keep this labor of love going, there's a "Contribute to the Website" link tucked away on our About page.
📜 History is worth keeping. Thanks for visiting and keeping it alive with me.
