Perhaps, the most chief port in the European arena is the German port of Hamburg. Lists of persons departing the port of Hamburg are available beginning with 1850 and extending to 1934, with a gap from August 1914 through 1919 (due to World War I). The earliest of these lists, those compiled between 1850 and 1910, are actually divided into two sets. The Direct Lists include the names of passengers traveling directly to their final destinations without stopping. The Indirect Lists contain the names of those whose ships made stops prior to arriving at their final destination. Each of these sets has its own index referred to as the Direct Index and the Indirect Index respectively. Beginning in 1911, the two sets of lists were combined, and the result is covered by a single set of indexes. Before using any of these indexes, you should be aware that they are not indexes in the usual sense of the term. Rather, they are calendars, that is, annual lists arranged alphabetically by the first letter of the surname, then chronologically by the departure date. Under this system, if you are searching for someone with the Schmidt surname who emigrated to America some time between 1860 and 1865, you would have to search all of the "S" entries in the six calendars dated 1860, 1861, 1862 through 1865. Each passenger is listed by name, with his or her age, sex, place of origin, and destination. Although the U.S. arrival lists also give a place of origin for each passenger, these departure lists are more likely to give a detailed location, making it easier to determine the exact town of the emigrant’s previous residence. This can be invaluable in searching parish registers and other records of genealogical value. Sally Rolls Pavia Sun City, AZ [email protected] List Owner: [email protected] "Without genealogy, the study of history is lifeless." All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus 2002 .