Key Takeaways
Baltimore became a port of entry for immigrants arriving in the British Colony starting in the early 1700s. By the late 1800s, it was one of the busiest immigration ports in the United States.
Immigrants arriving in Baltimore and heading to the Midwest could benefit from the port’s direct link to the B&O Railroad, which served cities such as Chicago, Cincinnati, and St. Louis.
Starting in 1833, immigration records began to include important details beyond passenger names, such as ages, occupations, and departure ports.

When you think of immigration stations, Ellis Island is probably the port of entry that comes to mind. But as you research your family history, you may be surprised to find that some ancestors entered through Baltimore, Maryland. During the late 19th century, Baltimore was one of the busiest ports of entry in the United States, welcoming approximately 2 million immigrants.

For immigrants heading west, Baltimore offered a significant advantage: a port with a direct link to the country's first common carrier railroad. As a result, it was a popular entry point for people who were heading to the Midwest via Chicago, Cincinnati, and St. Louis.

If your immigrant ancestors ended up in the Midwest, and you’re not sure where they first landed in the United States, check the immigration records available at Ancestry to see if you can pinpoint their place of arrival. The answer may be Baltimore. Knowing that information may give you insights into their journey—and how they became part of the American story.

Baltimore's Role in Immigration Before the American Revolution

In the 1600s, people began arriving in the British colony of Maryland. They landed along the Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore regions, such as at St. Mary’s City or St. Clements Island. Baltimore's Locust Point became the entry point for immigrants in 1706. However, it wasn't until Baltimore received a town charter in 1729 that immigration increased.

Germans arrived seeking religious freedom, and as the local wheat industry grew, Irish and Scottish immigrants followed. Others arrived from France and from French-speaking places such as what is now Haiti.

Free or indentured servants of African descent, and enslaved Africans, also arrived during Maryland’s earliest colonial period. (During this time, the legal status of Africans was not yet fully defined, but by the end of the seventeenth century, Maryland law increasingly codified enslavement, firmly establishing hereditary enslavement as part of the colony’s labor system.) By the early 1700s, and until the official abolishment of the foreign slave trade in 1808, Mid-Atlantic ports like Baltimore played a major role in the importation of enslaved people, many of whom were trafficked to the Deep South.

1846 Ship Scotia Passenger List, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., Passenger Lists, 1820-1964, Ancestry.com

Immigration Through Baltimore in the 19th Century

After the United States became an independent nation, Baltimore continued to grow. By the late 1700s, Germans made up around 10% of the population. The Irish came to work on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in the late 1820s, and to escape the Irish Potato Famine, which occurred from 1845 to 1852.

Baltimore became a main port of entry in 1868, when the B&O Railroad opened the new Pier 9 at the Locust Point port. To make the journey even more appealing to prospective immigrants, B&O partnered with the North German Lloyd line to offer combination ship/rail tickets. With a single ticket, immigrants could sail into Baltimore and continue west as far as Chicago and St. Louis.

The rail link set Baltimore apart from other immigration stations, such as Ellis Island and Boston. Unlike the people arriving in those ports, immigrants to Baltimore didn't need to navigate a foreign city and purchase transportation connections. This transition opportunity created a boom in immigration through the Baltimore port; from 1868 to 1914, more than 1.2 million people entered the United States through Locust Point.

If your ancestors were part of the 19th-century immigration wave in Baltimore, the year they entered will determine what records you can find.

Before 1820, official immigration records were sparse.
Starting in 1820, the U.S. government began requiring ships coming from foreign ports to provide passenger lists, also called “ship manifests.” These documents allow you to see who travelled on the same ship. This requirement means you may find your family members who arrived between 1820 and 1834 in port records.

By 1833, Baltimore lawmakers passed a law requiring the captain of each ship to present an accurate passenger list to the city's mayor. Your family members who arrived after March 22, 1833, are more likely to show up in passenger and immigration lists. These records may contain valuable details, including their names, ages, occupations, ship information, and ports of departure.

Locust Point Depot and Bremen Steamer, Baltimore, 1870, New York Public Library

Immigrant Arrivals in Baltimore in the 1900s

Immigration into Baltimore continued until World War I began in 1914. Approximately 40,000 people passed through Locust Point every year before that, most of them German and Irish. Many opted to stay in Baltimore, and in 1914, Germans accounted for 20% of the city's population.

Although immigration to the United States resumed after the war, Baltimore was no longer a major hub. Immigration to the city decreased, and the Locust Point pier burned down in 1917.

Still, people continued to arrive in Baltimore as immigrants, and passenger lists for those arrivals through the 1960s are available at Ancestry. You might just find that someone landed in Baltimore by plane instead of by ship.

1947 British Overseas Airways Passenger List, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., Passenger Lists, 1820-1964, National Archives and Records Administration

Treatment of Immigrant Arrivals

Immigrants who arrived in the port of Baltimore had a different experience from people who entered through ports such as Ellis Island. Medical exams and inspections happened on board the ships rather than in federal facilities, which could have been less intimidating to the new arrivals.

After passing inspection, passengers could disembark and head straight onto the train. In some cases, they stayed at boarding houses while waiting for their departure.

Immigrants who remained in Baltimore often experienced discrimination from already established residents who worried about the increasing population. In the mid-1800s, violence would often ensue around the city on election days as a result of political tensions.

Discovering Your Family’s Immigration Story

If your ancestors passed through Baltimore on their way into the United States, the records available at Ancestry can help you learn more about their experiences and their migration and settlement path.

Start with Baltimore passenger lists and steamship arrival records. Some passenger lists include details about each person's ship and berth type.
Once you know these details, explore records and photos of passenger ships to see what more you can learn about your family's Atlantic crossing.
You can then look for your ancestors’ names in Maryland will and probate records or naturalization records.

As you explore different types of immigration records, keep in mind that names were often misspelled, truncated, or spelled phonetically. Try using different variations or searching for a first initial and a surname.

Exploring Your Family's Connections to Baltimore Immigration

Baltimore played an important role in American immigration history. If your family members passed through this vital port in the 18th, 19th, and even 20th centuries, the immigration records at Ancestry can reveal how they entered the country and where they started their new lives. Start searching for clues today with a free trial of Ancestry.

Exploring Baltimore Immigration Records