Emigrants from England to North America After 1776

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Emigrants from England to North America After 1776 © Lorine McGinnis Schulze

The Public Record Office in Kew, England holds records regarding emigration to Canada, and some for the United States of America. The chief sources of information are the records of the Colonial Office, and those of the Board of Trade and the Treasury.

Modern records of the Board of Trade can give assistance in tracing emigrants. The sea going Passenger Lists, Outwards (BT 27), from 1890 to 1960, contain the names of the persons leaving the United Kingdom from ports within England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland for final destinations outside of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.

The lists are arranged under the names of the ports of departure. Many lists earlier in date than 1890 were destroyed by order of the Board in 1900, but a few escaped destruction and are included in this series.
Records of the Colonial Office
Colonial Office records mainly deal with the North American colonies which later became Canada. The following records are available:

• Colonial Office: Emigration Original Correspondence, 1817 to 1851 (CO 384 ) includes letters from settlers, or prospective settlers
• Entry Books, 1815 to 1833 (CO 385 ) has names of settlers
• Land and Emigration Commission papers, 1840 to 1876 (CO 386 ) also has names.
• Colonies, General: Original Correspondence (CO 323 )give some details of land grants and applications.
• Entry Books (CO 324 , 1662 to 1872, and CO 381 , 1835 to 1872) give some details of land grants and applications.

The following correspondence for North America has emigration records:

• CO 6 , British North America Original Correspondence, 1816 to 1868
• CO 326 , General Registers, 1633 to 1849
• CO 327 , British North America Emigration Registers, 1850 to 1863
• CO 328 , British North America General Registers (including emigration 1864 to 1868)
• CO 329 , British North America Registers of Out-letters, 1872 to 1880

Records of the Treasury

Correspondence of the Treasury, to 1920, is in T 1 , Treasury: Papers. Registers in T 2 , T 3 , and T 4 , and indexes in T 108 , show colonial business handled by the Treasury, and include references to individuals in the colonies or planning to emigrate.

The following records contain references to America.

• Treasury: General Out-letter Books, 1668 to 1920 (T 27 )
• Minute Books, 1667 to 1870 (T 29 and T 99 )
• Entry Books of Royal Warrants, 1667 to 1857 (T 52 )
• Entry Books of Warrants relating to the Payment of Money, 1676 to 1839 (T 53 )
• Entry Books of Warrants concerning Appointments, Crown Leases and other, 1667 to 1849 (T 54)
• Order Books, 1667 to 1831 (T 60 )

Records of the Foreign Office

Passport Registers, 1795 to 1898 (FO 610 ) contain entries, in chronological and numerical order, of the names, destinations and referees of all those who applied for passports. Indexes of names in FO 611 give the date of issue and serial number of each passport (1851 to 1862, and 1874 to 1898).
Records of the Board of Trade

Board of Trade Outwards Passenger Lists, 1890 to 1960 (BT 27 ) are lists of passengers leaving the United Kingdom by sea, arranged by date and port of departure. The name, age, occupation and place of residence of each passenger is given. Lists earlier than 1890 no longer exist.

Registers of Passenger Lists, 1906 to 1951, are held in BT 32 . Before 1920 they give, under the different ports, the names of ships and the month of arrival and departure. After 1920 the exact date of arrival and departure is recorded. Before 1908 the registers relate only to the ports of Southampton, Bristol and Weymouth.
Other Record Sources
Privy Council Registers, 1540 to 1978 (PC 2 ) contain entries about the colonies as well as petitions and letters of people going there or already resident there. Also see the Calendar of Acts of the Privy Council of England, Colonial Series, 1613 to 1783.

• Audit Office Declared Accounts, 1779 to 1827 (AO 1 ) include references to the pensions and allowances paid to emigrants, American loyalists and others in the colonies, as do the Declared and Passed Accounts, 1803 to 1848 (AO 2 ), which also give lists of establishments in some of the colonies. The Various Accounts, 1539 to 1886 (AO 3 ) list the names of some individual settlers.
• TS 12 , 1675 to 1921, West Jersey Society Records relate to tracts of land in West and East Jersey, Pennsylvania, New England and elsewhere, divided up as shares of the company. The records contain names in the original correspondence, minute books, registers of shares, original deeds, and papers about claims.
• Ministry of Health Poor Law Union Papers, 1834 to 1890 (MH 12 ) include material about parish-assisted emigration under the New Poor Law of 1834, arranged alphabetically under county and union. Correspondence between the General Board of Health and the Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners, 1853 to 1854, is in MH 13/252 , and between the Poor Law Authorities and the Emigration Commissions, 1836 to 1876, in MH 19/22 .

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