Before 1865 passenger lists for ships arriving at ports in Canada did not have to be archived. It is therefore a challenging time period in which to find passenger lists.

The good news is that there are alternate records such as shipping agent records, emigration agent ledger books and newspaper extracts, to name a few. These records may record your ancestor’s name showing his or her arrival.

Finding these alternate records is not an easy task. Some are online but a few are only available offline in Archives or Museums. This book has gathered together all known resources for those pre-1865 passenger lists.

Each item in this book provides a brief overview of what is in each record set and where it can be found. I have also transcribed some passenger lists exclusively for this book and have not published them online.