Hello Listers, I contact NARA via e-mail and thought I would share some of the pertinent information. They told me I could obtain copies of passenger records by mail only if there is an index (so they can find the name) or if I have the necessary data if there is no index. The following major indexes exist: Baltimore (1820-1897) and (1891-1957) Boston (1848-91 and 1902-20) Galveston (1896-1951) New Orleans (1853-1952) New York (1820-1846) and (1897-1948) Philadelphia (1800-1948) San Francisco (1893-1934) Minor ports (1820-74) and 1894-1924 Note: the port of New York is not indexed from 1847-1897 or 1949 - present There are plans to index a portion of these lists. The cost to order copies of records is $17.25 Further: We can search arrival indexes for you if you supply the following: Port of entry Full name of passenger Approximate date of arrival If a list is not indexed, you must send us: Port of entry Name of vessel Approximate date of arrival Full name of passenger For those lists, we can also make a search with the: Port of embarkation Exact date of arrival Port of entry Name of vessel Full name of passenger Names and ages of accompanying passengers, if any. Hope this helps someone else determine if they can find their ancestors through NARA. If you want more information, just go to www.nara.gov where you can e-mail your own question.