This is one of my favorite, not-so-well-known resources for European emigration. Before all the great immigration resources starting appearing online over the last few years (e.g., Ellis Island, the Immigration Collection at Ancestry.com), using FHL microfilm for the Hamburg Emigration Lists was one of the best ways to find folks who left Europe circa 1850-1934. For instance, it's how I found the 1890 departure for my great-grandfather, Peter Smolenyak. That's what allowed me to then find him arriving in the U.S. on the same ship a few weeks later.
At any rate, an index for this resource became available online a few years ago, but had been emerging at a crawl. In a good year, maybe three years' worth of the records would be indexed. I explain all this so you can understand why I'm so excited about this announcement.
To give you a sense, here's the opening of the announcement:
"The Hamburg Passenger Lists – formerly at linktoyourroots.com – have moved!
With construction work for BallinStadt underway, Hamburg’s most crucial source for emigration research – the city’s comprehensive passenger lists covering the period 1850 to 1934 – has moved to another website. As of December 2006, the complete lists will be posted on www.ballinstadt.com and www.ancestry.com, respectively. Please understand that, until then, the lists will not be accessible online for a brief transitional period. Starting in mid-November 2006, BallinStadt will launch a new family research service, staffed with specially-trained genealogists for your assistance. For further information, please see: Familyresearch@ballinstadt.com. "