St. John, New Brunswick Passenger Lists 1909-1953
The Harbor at St. John, New Brunswick, Canada in 1907. GGA Image ID # 1765299e4c
Passenger Lists available from the GG Archives from the Port of St. John, New Brunswick. Organized by Date of Departure, Steamship Line, Steamship or Ocean Liner, Class of Passengers, Route, and the Ship's Captain.
Saint John is the largest city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, and the second largest in the maritime provinces. It is known as the Fundy City due to its location on the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River, as well as being the only city on the bay.
Prior to the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the late 1950s, the Port of Saint John functioned as the winter port for Montreal, Quebec when shipping was unable to traverse the sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and St. Lawrence River.
1909-04-09 Empress of Britain Passenger List
- Steamship Line: CPR Canadian Pacific Railway
- Class of Passengers: Saloon
- Date of Departure: 9 April 1909
- Route: Liverpool to St. John, NB (Landing Mails at Halifax)
- Commander: Captain J. A. Murray
1913-04-18 RMS Empress of Britain Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)
- Class of Passengers: Second Saloon
- Date of Departure: 18 April 1913
- Route: St. John, NB to Liverpool
- Commander: Captain Jas. A. Murray
1927-02-18 SS Montrose Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Canadian Pacific Steamship Lines
- Class of Passengers: Cabin
- Date of Departure: 18 February 1927
- Route: Liverpool to Saint John, N.B. via Belfast and Greenock
- Commander: Captain E. Landy
1953-12-16 SS Empress of Australia Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Canadian Pacific Line
- Class of Passengers: First and Tourist Class
- Date of Departure: 16 December 1953
- Route: Liverpool to Saint John, NB
- Commander: Captain C. L. de H. Bell, D.S.C., R.D., R.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.
