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- Guide to NSW State Archives relating to Aboriginal people
- Online Finding Aids
- Records in various Government Departments
Please consult the Resources for Indigenous Communities webpage for more generalised information that may help your research.
Guide to NSW State Archives relating to Aboriginal people
This subject guide is an ideal starting point for any research into Aboriginal women and children. It is also available in the reading room.
It lists the surviving records of the Aborigines Protection and Aborigines Welfare Boards and includes a detailed administrative history and timeline of these two agencies. The Guide also has a section on records that can be found in other Government agencies.
Many of the series described in this guide are closed to public access because they contain sensitive personal information. One series, though, that is available to the public is:
NRS 30, Aborigines Welfare Board Photographs, c.1919-c.1961, the Photographs, c.1924-61
Reels 2976-2977, Aperture Cards Numbers 8186-9224, 35 mm viewing contract prints at COD 423.
This series includes numerous images of Aboriginal women and children.
Online Finding Aids
The following list of online resources may help you to track down individuals and details of various government agencies. Please be aware that individuals may be difficult to trace because the records are generally arranged by the public office that created them rather than by the person's name. When searching for individuals, the first step is to determine what dealings the person may have had with the government of the day and then to consider which public office would be likely to have retained this information.
Archives Investigator
Archives Investigator provides information on each New South Wales government agency and which responsibilities or functions it has or had. It also lists the preceeding and succeeding agencies. Name and subject searches are also possible. A simple keyword search using the terms 'Aborigines' and 'Aboriginal' yields a long list of search results, including agencies, records series and government related persons.
Archives in Brief
AIBs are our information leaflets and provide an excellent starting point for your research. The following AIBs contain information specific to records relating to Indigenous people.
- Archives in Brief 42: Aborigines Welfare Board
- Archives in Brief 43: Aborigines Welfare Board Photographs
- Archives in Brief 44: Aboriginal Schools
- Archives in Brief 78: Access to records relating to Aboriginal people
Online Indexes
There will be references to Aboriginal women in a number of the online indexes. Generally however, the indexes will not specify Aboriginality.
The index to the Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825 includes numerous references to Aboriginal people. A list of references to Aboriginal people has been extracted and is available for researchers. There are also some general entries under "Aborigines". Contact the Aboriginal Liaison archivist for more details.
Records in various Government Departments
Court records
- Papers relating to the trial, in Sydney, of those involved in the murder of Aborigines at Myall Creek on 9 June 1838 are located at:
NRS 880, Papers and Depositions, Supreme Court Sydney and on Circuit [4/9090]
These papers can be viewed at the Western Sydney Records Centre.
Bruce Kercher, from the Division of Law, Macquarie University is in the process of publishing selected transcripts of court records on this database, which can be searched by subject or case. The index also includes a number of cases concerning Aboriginal people from later years. Bruce Kercher has used material from the NSW State archives for this project.
Other court records relating to Aboriginal women may also be located in the following indexes:
Includes criminal and civil cases. Name search only.
This index contains entries from the following localities: Bathurst, Campbelltown, Liverpool, Maitland, Newcastle, Parramatta, Sydney and Windsor. Name search only.
Includes cases of persons charged for crimes against named Aboriginal people and Aboriginal people charged with a crime. Name and offence search only.
Contains original documents and transcriptions believed to have been collected by Justice William Burton of the Supreme Court of NSW. General subject index only.
Department of Housing
NRS 5222, Special Tenancy ("ST") files, c.1970-Feb 1990 [14/1413-97, 10/41213-89]
The records are closed to public access and permission to view the files has to be obtained from the Department of Housing. These files relate to persons of Aboriginal descent. They contain the original application and assessment for housing assistance and subsequent correspondence and accounts and have been indexed.
Department of Education and Communities
Easy reference list to subject files relating to the administration of the Education Department and matters relating to education generally.
NRS 3830, Subject files, Department of Education
Premier's Department
There is information in the Premier's Department correspondence on the 'freedom rides' of the 1960s leading to the 1967 Commonwealth Referendum. Two of the key women involved in the campaign were Faith Bandler and Jessie Street. There may be references to them in this correspondence.
Special Bundles
There are numerous references under the terms 'Aborigines' or 'Aboriginal' in the Special Bundles. These can be searched in the reading room only.
Non-government records
Aboriginal legal services are not part of the NSW Government administration. There may be references to the creation in the records of the Premier's Department.
Historical Overview or Introduction (H2)
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List of main record series (H2)
Agency title (H3)
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NRS 1234 Add the class series to the link Add the class agency for Agency links |
Title of record series as listed in Search Brief description if needed different from that in Search |
1835-1856 or Aug 1845-Nov 1873 |
| NRS 847 | Registers of criminal cases tried at Sydney Quarter Sessions (Sydney Deposition books) | 1839-1921 |
Related record series (H4)
- NRS 2713, Court Reporting Office [Transcripts] 1899-1987
Early years are arranged by the name of the judge and the jurisdiction of the Court. Later they are arranged by the jurisdiction of the Court and the name of the person tried
Access to the records
For access to closed records contact:
Agency - THIS IS AN ADDRESS FORMATPO Box ***
Sydney South NSW 2000
Telephone: (02) #### ####
Email: info@records.nsw.gov.au
Further reading
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ARCHIVES IN BRIEF
This content first appeared in Archives in Brief ## - Title of info leaflet
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