Rare Passenger Lists from Smaller Steamship Lines, 1883–1954

In addition to major transatlantic steamship companies such as Cunard, White Star, and Hamburg America, the GG Archives preserves rare passenger lists from smaller and regional lines. These collections, often represented by only one or two surviving examples, are especially valuable to genealogists and historians because of their scarcity. Covering the years 1883 to 1954, these lists include voyages on lines such as State Line, Anchor-Donaldson, Yeoward Line, Bibby Line, and Home Lines, among others.

In addition to the well-known transatlantic giants such as Cunard, White Star, and Hamburg America, countless smaller steamship companies carried emigrants, tourists, and business travelers across the seas. The GG Archives preserves a rare selection of passenger lists from these lesser-known lines, many of which survive today in only one or two examples.

Covering the years 1883 through 1954, these lists include voyages operated by lines such as the State Line, Anchor-Donaldson Line, Yeoward Line, Bibby Line, Grace Line, Home Lines, Ward Line, and many more. Some served traditional transatlantic routes to Canada, New York, and Havana, while others connected Europe with South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. These collections reveal the truly global reach of steamship travel in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

For genealogists, these passenger lists offer invaluable clues about family migrations that may not appear in official government registers. For historians and educators, they provide evidence of shipping networks that linked continents far beyond the main North Atlantic routes. And for collectors, the rare surviving souvenir covers from these smaller lines are prized pieces of maritime ephemera, preserving the artistry and branding of steamship travel.

Content Links

Transatlantic & Canadian Routes

• Anchor-Donaldson Line
• Donaldson Line
• State Line Steam-Ship Company
• Ward Line (New York & Cuba Mail S.S. Co
• White Star-Dominion Line

Colonial & Imperial Routes

• Aberdeen Line
• Lamport & Holt Line
• Orient Line (Orient Steam Navigation Comany)
• P&O (Peninsular & Oriental Line)
• Royal Mail Lines

American & Regional Lines

• American Mail Line
• American South African Line (ASAL)
• Grace Line
• Home Lines
• Pacific Line (PSNC)
• Pacific Mail Steamship Co. (PMSCo)
• Panama-Pacific Line

Smaller & Specialty Lines

• Bibby Line
• Dollar Steamship Line
• Donaldson Atlantic Line
• Furness-Bermuda Line
• KNSM (Dutch)
• Nordenfjeldske (Norwegian Arctic)
• Yeoward Line

Aberdeen Line

The Aberdeen Line, founded in the mid-19th century, specialized in the long route between Britain and Australia. Known for steel-hulled vessels like the Sophocles and Demosthenes, it carried emigrants, tourists, and colonial officials. Passenger lists reflect the flow of people to and from Australia during the peak years of British emigration.

American Mail Line

The American Mail Line operated transpacific services in the early 20th century, linking the U.S. West Coast with ports in Japan, China, and the Philippines. Known for its President ships, the line carried both passengers and mail, providing an important link between Seattle, Yokohama, Kobe, Shanghai, Manila, and beyond. Surviving passenger lists capture this unique transpacific trade and highlight the movement of diplomats, businessmen, and emigrants during the interwar years.

American South African Line (ASAL)

The American South African Line (ASAL) provided service between U.S. ports and southern Africa during the 1930s. Its routes connected New York with Cape Town, Durban, and ports along the East African coast, often carrying American businesspeople, missionaries, and tourists. Passenger lists from this line document a less common but historically important link between North America and Africa during the pre–World War II era.

Anchor-Donaldson Line

The Anchor-Donaldson Line was a joint venture between Anchor Line of Glasgow and Donaldson Line, established after World War I. It offered regular service between Glasgow, Liverpool, and Canadian ports such as Quebec, Montreal, and Halifax. Passenger lists from this line reflect both emigrant traffic to Canada and the travel of tourists and businessmen across the North Atlantic during the interwar years.

Bibby Line

The Bibby Line, a long-established British shipping company, ran services to India and the Far East, often carrying colonial officials, businessmen, and tourists. Ships such as the Yorkshire linked Liverpool with ports including Port Said, Colombo, and Rangoon. Passenger lists reflect Britain’s commercial and colonial connections in Asia during the early 20th century.

Dollar Steamship Line

The Dollar Steamship Line, founded in San Francisco, operated ambitious round-the-world and transpacific routes during the 1920s and 1930s. Its President ships carried American businessmen, missionaries, and tourists to Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Europe. Passenger lists capture the cosmopolitan nature of travel in this era, connecting U.S. ports with Shanghai, Manila, and beyond.

Donaldson Atlantic Line

An offshoot of the Donaldson Group, the Donaldson Atlantic Line operated transatlantic services between Scotland and Canada. It became well known for vessels like the Athenia, which carried Cabin and Tourist Class passengers on the Glasgow–Montreal route. Passenger lists reflect emigrant movements as well as tourist traffic in the 1930s.

Donaldson Line

Founded in Glasgow, the Donaldson Line carried passengers and freight between Scotland and Canada beginning in the late 19th century. Known for vessels such as the Cassandra and Athenia, the line served routes to Quebec and Montreal, making it a key emigrant carrier for Scots heading to North America. Surviving passenger lists document both Cabin travelers and emigrants bound for new lives overseas.

Furness-Bermuda Line

The Furness-Bermuda Line specialized in passenger service between New York and Bermuda, focusing on cruising and vacation travel in the 1930s. Ships such as the Monarch of Bermuda catered to tourists seeking leisure in the Atlantic islands. Passenger lists document the rise of short-haul cruising as a luxury pastime in the interwar years.

Grace Line / Panama Mail Steamship Company

The Grace Line, later merged with the Panama Mail Steamship Company, specialized in passenger and cargo services along the West Coast of the Americas. Its vessels connected New York, the Panama Canal, and ports throughout Central and South America. Passenger lists reveal a mix of tourists, U.S. expatriates, and Latin American travelers, reflecting both commerce and cultural exchange in the early 20th century.

Home Lines

Founded in 1946, Home Lines became known for stylish transatlantic and European cruising in the postwar period. With ships such as the MS Italia and SS Atlantic, the line carried emigrants, tourists, and business travelers between New York, European ports, and the Caribbean. Passenger lists capture both traditional ocean crossings and the growth of cruising as a leisure activity in the 1950s.

Lamport & Holt Line

Operating out of Liverpool, the Lamport & Holt Line focused on routes to South America, particularly Brazil and the River Plate region. Its passenger ships carried emigrants, business travelers, and tourists to ports like Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo. Surviving lists are valuable for tracing emigrants and traders linked to Latin America in the early 20th century.

Orient Steam Navigation Company (Orient Line)

The Orient Line provided passenger services between Britain and Australia, often in partnership with P&O. Operating from the late 19th century into the postwar years, its vessels like the Orion and Orient carried emigrants, tourists, and military personnel. Passenger lists document the great waves of migration to Australia as well as return voyages to Britain.

1899-04-28 RMS Orient Passenger List

Steamship Line: Orient Line

Class of Passengers: Cabin

Date of Departure: 28 April 1899

Route: London (Tilbury) to Australian Ports (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Albany) via Plymouth

Commander: Captain A. T. Pritchard, Lt. R.N.R

KNSM Royal Netherlands

The Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij (KNSM), or Royal Netherlands Steamship Company, operated Caribbean and South American services from its base in Amsterdam. Its ships carried passengers between Dutch colonies, the Caribbean, and Latin America, as well as local travelers and European officials. Passenger lists are valuable for tracing movements within the Dutch colonial sphere in the early 20th century.

Det Nordenfjeldske Dampskibsselskab (NFDS)

The Nordenfjeldske Dampskibsselskab (NFDS) of Trondheim, Norway, offered services in Scandinavia and the Arctic. Known for voyages to Spitsbergen and coastal Norway, NFDS vessels carried tourists, scientists, and local travelers. Passenger lists from ships like the Kong Harald capture the spirit of polar exploration and Arctic cruising in the early 20th century.

Pacific Line (PSNC)

The Pacific Steam Navigation Company (PSNC) was a British line that played a vital role in linking Liverpool and the west coast of South America. Beginning in the mid-19th century and continuing into the early 20th, it carried passengers and mail to ports such as Valparaíso, Callao, and Buenos Aires. Passenger lists illustrate the flow of emigrants, traders, and officials traveling between Europe and South America.

Pacific Mail Steamship Company (PMSCo)

The Pacific Mail Steamship Company (PMSCo), founded in 1848, was one of the earliest American steamship lines, famous for its transpacific routes. Its services connected San Francisco with Yokohama, Hong Kong, Manila, and Honolulu, making it a crucial link for commerce and migration across the Pacific. Passenger lists often include immigrants from Asia as well as American merchants, missionaries, and travelers bound for the Orient.

Panama-Pacific Line

The Panama-Pacific Line, active in the early 20th century, offered service from New York to the U.S. West Coast via the newly opened Panama Canal. Its ships connected New York, San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, often carrying tourists and business travelers eager to use the shortcut across Central America. Passenger lists highlight an era when the canal transformed sea travel between the coasts of the United States.

Peninsular & Oriental Line (P&O)

The Peninsular & Oriental Line (P&O) was one of the most important British shipping companies, with global routes linking Britain to India, Australia, and the Far East. P&O vessels carried colonial officials, military officers, and emigrants, making them central to the British Empire’s passenger network. Passenger lists show both long-haul imperial travel and tourist cruises after World War II.

Royal Mail Lines

The Royal Mail Lines operated from Britain to the West Indies and South America, providing both passenger and mail service. Known for ships like the Asturias, the line carried emigrants, business travelers, and government officials. Passenger lists highlight the cultural and commercial ties between Britain, the Caribbean, and South America during the first half of the 20th century.

1935-06-01 SS Asturias Passenger List

Steamship Line: Royal Mail Lines

Class of Passengers: First and Second Saloon

Date of Departure: circa 1 June 1935 (Note 1)

Route: Southampton to Buenos Aires via London (Tilbury), Cherbourg, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Spain (Coruña Galicia, Las Palmas, Vigo), Portugal (Leixöes, Lisbon), Madeira, St. Vincent, Cape Verde Island, Brazil (Bahia, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, São Paulo), Montevideo, Uruguay

Commander: Captain A. Purvis

Note 1: Passenger List did not provide departure date from Southampton - Only the Arrival date (18 June 1935) for Buenos Aires Argentina

State Line Steam-Ship Company

The State Line Steam-Ship Company operated transatlantic service between New York and Glasgow from the 1870s into the 1890s. Although a relatively small line, it played an important role in Scottish emigration. Passenger lists, such as those from the State of Pennsylvania, provide a rare glimpse into Cabin-class travel and the flow of emigrants through Glasgow during the Castle Garden era.

Ward Line (New York and Cuba Mail Steamship Company)

The Ward Line, officially the New York & Cuba Mail Steamship Company, offered passenger service between New York, Havana, and Mexican ports. Particularly popular in the early 20th century, its vessels carried a mix of tourists, businessmen, and Cuban and Mexican nationals. Passenger lists illustrate the close economic and cultural ties between the United States, Cuba, and the Gulf of Mexico region.

Yeoward Line

The Yeoward Line, based in Liverpool, specialized in passenger service to the Canary Islands, Madeira, and West Africa. Its ships such as the Andorinha and Avoceta carried both British tourists and expatriates. Passenger lists illustrate the growth of tourism to the Canary Islands during the 1920s and 1930s.

📬 Help Us Preserve These One-of-a-Kind Records

Passenger lists from smaller steamship companies are often one-of-a-kind survivals. Unlike the major lines, many of these lists were never preserved in large quantities, making them especially rare today. Each surviving example helps fill gaps in the story of ocean travel and immigration.

If you own or have access to a souvenir passenger list or manifest from one of these lesser-known lines, we would greatly appreciate a digital copy. Your contribution will help expand this collection and ensure that these rare records remain accessible to genealogists, historians, educators, and collectors.

📧 Please email scans or inquiries to history@ggarchives.com