Daily AncestorCabin passenger
A cabin passenger traveled in a cabin, in first or second class rather than steerage; arrival lists often recorded them on separate pages.
The customs form used at New York from 1882 had columns for cabin passengers only and others for everyone else; for cabin passengers it asked their country of citizenship. Later lists were printed separately by class.
First and second class passengers were mostly inspected aboard ship at New York, while steerage went on to Ellis Island. If an ancestor is missing from the steerage pages, look at the cabin lists of the same ship, where a late change of ticket may have moved him.
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Daily Ancestor. "Cabin passenger." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/immigration/cabin-passenger. Last checked 2026-10-03.