Daily AncestorPort of entry
A port of entry is a seaport, airport or border crossing where people lawfully entered the U.S. and were inspected by officials.
New York took most immigrants, but Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans and San Francisco were busy ports too. From 1895, U.S. inspectors also worked at Canadian seaports and at land ports along the northern border.
Naturalization papers from 1906 on name the port of arrival. If no ship list turns up at the port named, check border records: many immigrants landed in Canada first and crossed by train, and the papers may give the border town instead.
As seen in a recordDeclaration of Intention, 1910s
Port of entry: Detroit, Mich., April 14, 1909
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Port of entry." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/immigration/port-of-entry. Last checked 2026-10-03.