NC State Papers

All passengers lists have not been published in books. Actually there are only a handful of such publications and there yet remains much of this type of work to be published. The National Archives is the place to search for passenger lists and ship manifests (which lists the passengers). Examining these records is a tedious job, but remember that the manifests were frequently given over to the port authorities months after the arrival date. Another place to obtain arrival information is in State Papers. Example, the North Carolina State Papers contains petitions from various vessels loaded with Scots and Irish persons seeking refuge and land in America. One particular instance before the American Revolution included a vessel loaded with the McDonalds and other clans from the Isle of Skye who had been politically aligned with the Stuarts. They were seeking refuge from British persecution. The petition itself in addition to listing many of the passengers explains the date these clans settled and the large tracts of land they received in Moore County, North Carolina. This is the sort of information we want, isn't it? The historical events and brave struggles of our families.

Jeannette Holland, author of over 100 genealogy books
North Carolina Pioneers