- About this Archives in Brief
- Earliest references to the Lebanese in NSW
- Immigration and shipping
- Population records
- Occupation of early Lebanese immigrants
- Naturalization records
- Hawkers' licenses
- Business and company records
- Insolvency and bankruptcy records
- Probate packets and records of death duties
- Other sources
About this Archives in Brief
This AIB provides a brief overview of the major sources held by State Records that relate to Lebanese settlement in New South Wales.
Other records may be identified in Archives Investigator.
Researchers should consult the Register of Access Directions to confirm the public availability of records. State Records' staff can advise you on the availability of records if they are not listed on the register.
Searching for individuals in the records
Individual people may be difficult to trace because State records are generally arranged in the original order maintained by the government agency that created them. Few agencies arranged records by person's names. When searching for individuals, your first step should be to determine what dealings they may have had with the government of the day. You then need to consider which agency would have created these records. Some records have been indexed by persons' names and the relevant indexes are noted in this AIB.
Earliest references to the Lebanese in NSW
Lebanese migration and settlement in Australia commenced around 1880. While the early Lebanese immigrants were known as Syrians, they were 'classified' as Turks by the colonial government because Lebanon was under Ottoman (Turkish) control until the end of the First World War [1].
Some of the earliest references to Lebanese settlers to New South Wales may be found in the Colonial Secretary: Main series of letters received, 1826-1982, NRS 905, in particular the applications (often referred to as 'memorials') for naturalization.
The Colonial Secretary's main record series are described in Archives Investigator and the Guide to the Colonial Secretary's correspondence. Archives in Brief 64, Archives in Brief 65, and
Archives in Brief 104 (PDF) provide summary information.
Immigration and shipping
The Lebanese settlers arriving in the colony would have paid their own passage. Some may have worked as crew. Research into these records can often be difficult as there is no comprehensive index to the records of nineteenth century passenger and crew arrivals. Some lists record only the numbers on board rather than listing passengers and crew by name. Passenger and crew records can be found in the series Passengers arriving (or Shipping lists, or Passenger lists), 1855-1922,
NRS 13278. These records are described in more detail in Archives in Brief 1.
The Mariners and Ships in Australian Waters Index may be helpful. It is being updated regularly from an ongoing transcription of NRS 13278. The index covers mainly the 1850s-70s and is searchable by both name and the port of departure. The index is hosted on State Records' website.
The Index to Unassisted Arrivals to NSW, 1842-55, Fiche 5709-5720, compiled by Pastkeys also gives a port of departure, although arrangement is by surname.
A CD version covering the period 1842-56 is avaiable in the reading rooms.
Details on a settler's arrival may be found from other sources for example, naturalization records (see below).
Post 1922 immigration records
The National Archives of Australia (NAA) holds post 1922 immigration records. Contact: telephone 1300 886 881.
Population records
There were 136 Syrians recorded as present in the colony when the 1891 census was taken. [2] Although the numbers had risen to 739 by the 1901 census [3], few Lebanese settled in NSW until the 1960s and 1970s, when there was a significant increase in immigration from Lebanon. [4] Collectors' books for the 1891 and 1901 census, listing householders' names, are available. See Short Guide 7 and Short Guide 12 for more information. Reports on both these census are also held by State Records.
Occupation of early Lebanese immigrants
In the report on the 1891 census Coghlan comments that " the Arabians enumerated were probably all hawkers ". [5] Trevor Batrouney notes that while there is no official data on the occupations of Lebanese settlers prior to 1901, naturalisation and marriage records in the late nineteenth century indicate that most were engaged in 'commercial callings' such as shopkeeping and hawking.[6] There is a breakdown of the occupations of the 'Syrian' males in NSW at the time of the 1901 Census. These included: drapers (10); merchants (10); storekeeper, shopkeeper and relative assisting (16); hawker and relative assisting (20) scholars (16) and Maronite Priests (3).[7]
Naturalization records
Naturalization was the means by which non-British subjects gained the privileges and rights of citizenship held by British subjects or people born in New South Wales. Any non-British subject who wished to vote or own land needed to become naturalized. Naturalization records are an important source as they can provide both the date of arrival and the name of the ship. See Archives Investigator and Archives in Brief 3 for a full list of records relating to naturalization.
Example
Margareta Angelina Bouvarry of Muswellbrook was naturalized on 29 Sep 1903, [4/1216] Reel 141. She is the only Syrian-born (Lebanese) woman appearing in the Naturalization Index, 1834-1903 and one of only a handful of women who were naturalized under the New South Wales legislation. Other early examples include Joseph Abouchabki, Salem Bracks and Farge Joseph Sadi who were naturalized in 1891.
Index to 1834 to 1903 naturalization records
An online index to people naturalized between 1834 and 1903 is available.
There are 251 entries for Lebanese-born persons. While the majority (240) gave 'Syria' as their birthplace, 5 gave 'Assyria', 3 gave the 'Lebanon' or 'Mount Lebanon' and 3 gave 'Tipoli'.
Post 1903 naturalization records
The National Archives of Australia holds post 1903 naturalization records and information on alien registration in New South Wales. Contact: telephone 1300 886 881; web site http://www.naa.gov.au. See Fact Sheet 68 Naturalisation records held in Canberra.
Hawkers' licenses
The Lebanese who worked as hawkers in Sydney or country New South Wales had to be licensed. The local Court or police station issued the license and the license information was usually recorded in Registers of applications for auctioneers', hawkers' and other licenses. For more information on the registers and any related records see Archives Investigator.
Business and company records
Business records
Some Lebanese settlers opened small businesses, such as the drapery operated by Basha Bros. of Wagga.
The Registers of firms under the Registration of Firms Act of 1902, 1903-22, NRS 12961 [2/8526-53] includes details about the address and the persons carrying on the business.
The registers records the name of the firm; nature of the business; packet number of papers; place of business; statement number; date of registration; and details of persons carrying on the business. The entry for the Basha Bros. can be found in the register [2/8535] page 367.
The Register of firms are being indexed and the index is available to search online.
Company records
The records of companies, such as the Malouf Holdings Pty Ltd [17/9888, No. 38742], that were incorporated between 1875 and 1969 are arranged by a company number, which can be found in the Australian Securities Commission's Dead Companies Index Pre-1969, available in both reading rooms. More information on these records can be found in Archives Investigator under the agency title Corporate Affairs Commission. Commercial directories such as Sands should be consulted for business names and addresses.
Insolvency and bankruptcy records
Insolvency and bankruptcy records include information about businesses and usually include a list of assets. See Archives in Brief 58. An index to Insolvency records, 1842-1887 is also available.
Bankruptcy files, 1888-1928, NRS 13655 have a similar format to the Insolvency files. They are indexed on Reel 39, which is available in both reading rooms.
Probate packets and records of death duties
Probate packets
The Supreme Court issues probate documents to certify that a will is valid and authorising the executor named in the will to administer the estate. Consult the Probate Index to locate the wills of those who died testate. Microfiche copies of the index are available in both reading rooms.
We are progressively adding the lists of the Probate Packets that have been transferred on to Archives Investigator, which is being regularly updated with the details.
Deceased estate and Intestate records
Under the Stamp Duties Act of 1880 and subsequent legislation no probates (wills) or letters of administration could be granted until a duty was paid or security given. The Act also extended to the estates of people who died intestate (without a will), including those handled by the Supreme Court Curator of Intestate Estates. Death duties were abolished in 1981. See Archives in Brief 29 for more information. Intestate Estate files should be consulted in instances where a person died without a will. See Archives in Brief 53 for more information.
Other sources
Births, Deaths and Marriages, 1788-1945. See the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages online indexes.
Coroners' records. Registers of coronial enquiries can establish basic details such as cause of death, age and birthplace. Detailed reports have not survived for the years 1828 to 1911. See Archives in Brief 4.
Court records. The records from the various court jurisdictions can be found in Archives Investigator.
Divorce Records. See Archives in Brief 77 and the Index to Divorce Case Papers, 1873-1930.
Internment records. The 'classification' of Lebanese-born immigrants as Turks meant that during the First World War — when Australia was at war with Turkey — some members of the Lebanese community were subject to the requirements of the War Precautions Act 1914 and had to regularly report to their local police stations.[8] While there is no indication that Lebanese were interned during the First World War, the records of the Attorney General, the Colonial Secretary's Correspondence and Special Bundle listings as well as the Premier's Department Special Bundle lists may be of interest to researchers.
Land sales and transfers. Records relating to the purchase of land from the Crown can be found in Archives Investigator. Records relating to the transfer of land between individuals are available from the Lands Department of NSW Land and Property Information, 1 Prince Albert Road, Queen's Square, Sydney.
Police Gazettes, 1852-1930, may contain entries and photographs of Lebanese/Syrian people. See Archives Investigator for a description of the Police Gazettes.
Prison records. Records are listed in Archives Investigator by the names of the individual gaols. Post 1870s prison records may include photographs of prisoners with details of conviction and personal history. An index to the gaol photographs is available on our website, and is being regularly updated. One of the search option is by 'Birthplace'.
Professions and Occupations
Short Guide 10
lists a selection of the more significant State archives relating to particular professions and occupations.
School records. Files, from c.1876 to 1979, include administrative documents relating to government schools and may be useful for areas where Lebanese resided. See
Archives in Brief 26
and the
Index to School files and related records.
In addition, there are related records such as admission registers, from some schools.
Footnotes
[1] Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Multicultural Australia: The Lebanon-born Community, Commonwealth of Australia, 2000, p.1
[2] T.A. Coghlan, General Report on the Eleventh Census of New South Wales, Government Printer, Sydney, 1894, p.184
[3] SRNSW: NRS 690, [6/5606], p.271
[4] Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, op.cit., p.1
[5] T.A. Coghlan, op. cit., p.185
[6] T. Batrouney in The Australian People: An Encylopaedia of the Nation, Its People and Their Origin (edited by James Jupp), Cambridge, 2001, p.555
[7] NRS 690, p.350
[8] Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, op.cit., p.1
© State of New South Wales through the State Records Authority, 2003.
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