IMMIGRATION

As an aide to finding immigration records, the following information may be helpful.

In 1820, the recording of arriving immigrants to the U.S.A. was required. ^siea

In 1828, the British government began requiring that manifests (passenger lists) be maintained by ships' masters. ^siea

In March 1847, the U.S. Congress passed an act requiring that "no vessel is to carry in the lower deck more than 1 passenger for every clear 14 feet nor more than two passengers for every ton of the ship's burthen, and if the number of excess passengers exceeded twenty the the ship could be confiscated."  This led to an increase in emigration to Canada relative to the U.S.A., although many who arrived there later migrated to the U.S.A. ^siea

In 1865, the recording to immigrants was introduced to Canada. ^siea