SS California Passenger Lists 1879-1938
All Digitized Passenger Lists For the SS California Available at the GG Archives. Listing Includes Date Voyage Began, Steamship Line, Vessel, Passenger Class and Route.
1879-05-17 SS California Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Anchor Steamship Line
- Class of Passengers: Saloon
- Date of Departure: 17 May 1879
- Route: London for New York
- Commander: Captain James Donaldson
1907-10-12 SS California Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Anchor Steamship Line
- Class of Passengers: Second
- Date of Departure: 12 October 1907
- Route: Glasgow to New York via Moville
- Commander: Captain James Blaikie
1926-08-19 SS California Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Anchor Steamship Line
- Class of Passengers: Tourist Third Cabin
- Date of Departure: 19 August 1926
- Route: Naples to New York via Gibraltar
- Commander: Captain Alex. Collie
1927-09-17 TSS California Passenger List
Steamship Line: Anchor Line
Class of Passengers: Cabin
Date of Departure: 17 September 1927
Route: Glasgow to Boston and New York via Moville
Commander: Captain W. B. Rome
1929-09-14 TSS California Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Anchor Steamship Line
- Class of Passengers: Cabin and Tourist Third Cabin
- Date of Departure: 14 September 1929
- Route: Glasgow to Boston and New York via Belfast
- Commander: Captain Frank M. Henderson
1930-05-24 SS California Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Anchor Steamship Line
- Class of Passengers: Cabin and Tourist Third Cabin
- Date of Departure: 24 May 1930
- Route: New York to Belfast and Glasgow via Boston
- Commander: Captain Robert Smart
1930-08-20 TSS California Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Anchor Steamship Line
- Class of Passengers: Cabin and Tourist Third Cabin
- Date of Departure: 20 August 1930
- Route: Glasgow to New York via Belfast and Moville
- Commander: Captain Robert Smart
1931-02-23 SS California Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Anchor Steamship Line
- Class of Passengers: Cruise
- Date of Departure: 23 February 1931
- Route: New York to Bermuda and Return
- Commander: Captain Robert W. Smart
1931-07-10 SS California Passenger List
Steamship Line: Anchor Steamship Line
Class of Passengers: Cabin and Tourist Third Cabin
Date of Departure: 10 July 1931
Route: Glasgow to Boston and New York via Belfast and Moville
Commander: Captain W. B. Rome
1938-07-22 TSS California Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Anchor Steamship Line
- Class of Passengers: Cabin and Tourist
- Date of Departure: 22 July 1938
- Route: Glasgow to Boston and New York via Dublin
- Commander: Captain Robert W. Smart
1938-08-19 TSS California Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Anchor Steamship Line
- Class of Passengers: Cabin and Tourist
- Date of Departure: 19 August 1938
- Route: Glasgow to Boston and New York via Dublin and Cobh
- Commander: Captain Robert W. Smart
Passenger Lists contained in the GG Archives collection represent the souvenir list provided to the passengers of each cabin class (and other classes). Many of these souvenir passenger lists have disappeared over the years. Our collection contains a sampling of what was originally produced and printed by the steamship lines.
⚠️ 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.
