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There are various sources of information available to discover more about
your ancestors emigrating from Scotland, although it may depend on when
your ancestors emigrated as to how much information you can find.
The Knoweldge Base section of the Scan website provides some useful tips on
researching emigration records.
Initially, there was no legal requirement to record emigrants; the
paperwork was all done at the port of arrival. However, official
passenger lists were compiled by the Board of Trade from 1890-1960 - and
these were all kept in the National Archives in London. They have now been
made available online and can be accessed via the Find My Past website, where you will find details of
every passenger who left from a UK port, including all Scottish ports,
for destinations around the world between these dates.
Another useful website for information on ancestors who migrated to the USA
is the Ellis Island website , which has over 20 million
entries.
