Of significance to genealogists, those Hamburg records also list the emigrant's last place of residence, including the province. That information can be incredibly useful in trying to identify the origins of an immigrant ancestor. However, while the last place of residence may not necessarily be the same as the emigrant's place of birth, it is quite possible, perhaps probable, the last place of residence was near the Heimat or hometown. The lists that exist for the years 1850-1854 are not indexed as they are arranged alphabetically. Family historians searching for ancestors who departed between 1856 and 1871 need to search a separate index that covers the years mentioned.
Indexes also exist for the remaining years.
Indexes for the indirect lists end in 1910. Information to be found in the index includes the name of the ship, the departure date, the name of the ship's captain, the destination port, and the page on the original record where the actual information on the passenger can be found. The Hamburg emigration records can be accessed in a number of ways. The original lists can be found at the state archives in Hamburg. The Historic Emigration Office in Hamburg has copies of the original lists on four hundred microfilms.