Find the correct direction of travel

Begin with a voyage’s approximate date, ship and ports. The UK National Archives distinguishes inward lists, BT 26, for 1878–1960 from outward lists, BT 27, for 1890–1960. These are not a record of every journey through Britain: the guide defines their overseas coverage and notes that outward lists omit passengers who joined a ship en route. It also excludes troop transportation and explains the absence of air-passenger lists. A missing match therefore needs a question about the record’s coverage before a conclusion about the traveller. Keep arrival and departure searches separate, even when investigating one family journey.[1]

Check how an arrival was recorded

Library and Archives Canada describes ship passenger lists mainly covering 1865–1935, with individual Form 30A records used for sea arrivals in 1919–1924. Land entry through the United States has a different series beginning in 1908. A Punjabi family’s overseas story may therefore require identifying the route before choosing a collection. The guide lists possible fields including occupation, destination and money carried, while warning that earlier lists were not standardised. Transcribe the actual field rather than filling a blank from a later family account. A stated destination is a lead to investigate, not independent proof of where someone subsequently settled.[2]

Search the shipping company when appropriate

Royal Museums Greenwich offers a narrower alternative. Its passenger guide identifies New Zealand Shipping Company records, reference NZS, including homeward lists for 1883–1887 and outward passenger books for 1894–1955. It says these are not indexed by passenger name and give very little personal information, making a voyage date essential. This is a particular company archive, not a complete set of New Zealand arrivals. The same guide suggests using Lloyd’s List for shipping movements to establish dates. A record of a vessel’s movement can help locate a passenger list, but cannot by itself place a named ancestor aboard.[3]

Sources & notes

Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.

  1. The National Archives, United Kingdom. Passengers ↗Inspected institutional research guide · Source date: Undated; checked 2026-11-01 · Locator: Complete guide: preparation, BT26 inward coverage, BT27 outward coverage, exclusions and overseas archives. Accessed 2026-11-01.Actual complete institutional guide retrieved and read after text-reader 403. No paywall, passenger search result or individual manifest inspected. The related shorter Passenger lists page is treated as the same guide family; current subscription prices and booking arrangements excluded.Return to Find the correct direction of travel, paragraph 1 ↑
  2. Library and Archives Canada. Immigration records ↗Inspected institutional research guide · Source date: Current institutional guide; checked 2026-11-01 · Locator: Records of arrival: passenger lists 1865–1935, Form30A 1919–1924 and border records 1908–1935; listed record fields. Accessed 2026-11-01.Actual complete public institutional guide read, including expanded collection sections. No individual ship list, Form30A or border record examined. Historic record coverage does not establish a person’s identity or current immigration entitlement.Return to Check how an arrival was recorded, paragraph 1 ↑
  3. Royal Museums Greenwich, National Maritime Museum. Research guide G1: Passengers ↗Inspected institutional research guide · Source date: Undated; checked 2026-11-01 · Locator: Actual National Maritime Museum section: NZS lists/books, date and information limitations; Lloyd’s List direction. Accessed 2026-11-01.Actual complete current guide body read. No NZS volume or Lloyd’s List issue inspected. Earlier cached search text omitted the fuller company-record section; the actual opened body governs this account. No guarantee of a particular passenger’s inclusion or current reader access.Return to Search the shipping company when appropriate, paragraph 1 ↑
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Record PH-COL-0048 · English edition · human review not performed