Archives In Brief 24 - Shipping and arrival records - additional sources
Provides a brief overview of the sources held by State Records, other than those listed in Archives in Brief 1, that relate to immigrant arrivals in New South Wales. For instructions on how to find assisted and unassisted immigrants see Archives in Brief 101 (PDF) and Archives in Brief 102 (PDF).
Printed sources
PA Pemberton, Pure Merinos and Others: The 'Shipping Lists' of the Australian Agricultural Company. Canberra, Australian National University Archives of Business and Labour, 1986.
Ian A Hughes, Index to passengers to Port Phillip from Commonwealth and foreign ports, 1838-51. Ian A Hughes, Melbourne, 1981.
Ian A Hughes, Index to passengers to Port Phillip from Scotland, 1839-51. Ian A Hughes, Melbourne, 1980.
Ian A Hughes, Index to passengers to Port Phillip from Southern England and Ireland, 1839-51. Ian A Hughes, Melbourne, 1981.
Ian A Hughes, Index to passengers to Port Phillip from Liverpool, 1839-51. Ian A Hughes, Melbourne, 1982.
Ian A Hughes, Index to coastal passengers to Port Phillip, 1839-42. Ian A Hughes, Melbourne, 1983-84.
Indexes
Grafton Family History Centre: Index of passengers and crew in and out of Sydney from Sydney newspapers, 1830-41
Fiche 6085-6099
Grafton Family History Centre: Free passengers & crew on convict ships into Sydney, 1830-40
Fiche 5960-5962
Pastkeys: Free railway passes (NSW) index, 1880-92
Fiche 6118-6126
Western Australian Genealogical Society: Passenger arrivals in Western Australia, 1839-90
Available on the stand-alone computers in the reading rooms.
Western Australian Genealogical Society: Fremantle Interstate Shipping Arrivals, 1885-1908
Fiche 6436-6447
Ancestors on Board website
Published in association with The National Archives (UK) and indexes departures from the UK, from 1890. Whilst there is a fee for viewing records, the online index is free of charge.
Western Australian Genealogical Society Passenger arrivals in Western Australia, 1898-1925
Available on the stand-alone computers in the reading rooms.
National Archives of Australia: Index to passenger arrivals, 1926-47
Available via the National Archives of Australia's online database Record Search.
Census and muster records
Many early census and muster records between 1800 and 1828 have been published and are available in the reading rooms as well as other libraries around Australia. They often provide the names of ships, and the year of arrival. Consult Short Guide 12 for a full listing of muster and census records held by State Records.
Correspondence
Colonial Secretary
Correspondence can often provide information on arrival details. A useful series is:
NRS 907, Letters from individuals re land, 1826-56
The letters often contain personal details, and may state ship and year of arrival. An index is available to search online.
Researchers should refer to the Guide to the Colonial Secretary's papers. See also Archives in Brief 64 and Archives in Brief 65.
Immigration
The Immigration Agent's correspondence may be useful for locating an immigrant's arrival. For further information consult Archives Investigator. Select Advanced Search - Agency - Immigration.
Reports
Indexes to these reports arranged by the names of the ships are available in the reading rooms.
NRS 5257, Immigration Board
* Reports by the Immigration Agent on condition of immigrants and ships on their arrival, 1837-95
* Reports by Immigration Board on complaints of immigrants about their passage, 1838-57
Convict Records
Musters and papers of convict ships
Lists of immigrants on convict ships can be located in the musters and papers of those vessels.
Colonial Secretary
NRS 906, Special bundles *ARK
* Convict ships — musters of convicts and other papers, 1790-1849
Reels 2417-2428
Surviving immigrant lists are indexed in the Miscellaneous index to assisted immigrants, in the reading rooms.
See also the Index to Miscellaneous Immigration, 1828-43.
Indexes to Colonial Secretary's correspondence
Correspondence relating to convicts may often reveal the ship and year of arrival of an individual.
Index to the Colonial Secretary's papers, 1788-1825 *ARK
Index to the Colonial Secretary's Correspondence: Convicts and Others, 1826-94
Fiche 5557-5559, 5736-5738, 5907-5909, 5955-5957, 5966-5968, 6069-6074, 6127-6129, 6433-6435, 6448-6450, 6453-6455
This indexes letters relating to convicts in NRS 905, Colonial Secretary: Main series of letters received, 1826-88
Index to the copies of letters sent re convicts by the Colonial Secretary, 1826-55
Fiche 5912-5914, 5921-5925
Applications for marriage
Convicts wanting to marry needed to seek permission from the Governor. An application to marry often included personal details about both parties, even if one was not a convict.
Index to convict marriage banns, 1826-41
Fiche 5270-5277
Principal Superintendent of Convicts
NRS 12212, Registers of convicts' applications to marry, 1826-51 *ARK
Fiche 780-802
Wives and families of convicts
Researchers should also consult Archives in Brief 34 and the Convict Guide, available for use in the reading rooms.
Immigration
NRS 5321, Wives and families of convicts on bounty ships, 1849-55 *ARK
Reel 699
These records provide name, age, marital status, calling, native place, religion and education, as well as the relationship to the convict.
Other records may be identified in Archives Investigator, the Convict Guide and Guide to Shipping and Free Passenger Records (Shipping Guide) *ARK, which are available for use in the reading rooms.
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.
*ARK signifies that a copy of the record or guide is part of the Archives Resources Kit and is held by the community access points.
© State of New South Wales through the State Records Authority, 2003.
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