During the 1790s plans to establish an orphan asylum in Sydney gathered pace as the number of neglected and destitute children increased. The first Female Orphan School, championed by Governor Philip King and Reverend Samuel Marsden, opened in 1801. Initially boys were apprenticed out rather...
Chinese migration and settlement in New South Wales has a long history. Early musters and census include Chinese and although Chinese migration was being considered as a solution to the labour shortage in the Colony as early as 1828, the numbers remained low until the middle of the...
These photos are of pit-tops and loading and transport facilities of northern NSW coal mines & include: Australian Agricultural Company's pits at Glebe and the Sea-pit, Burwood No.1 and 3 and Burwood Extended, Cardiff, Co-operative, Duckenfield, Dudley, Durham, East Greta, Ferndale...
This case study has been developed to show what types of records can be found in our collection. References to John Knatchbull, alias John Fitch, turn up in a number of convict records, such as the convict indents, Tickets of Leave and Ticket of Leave Passports. What makes...
Divorce files can be a detailed source of information for the family historian, providing extra details which may not have been discussed or known within the family. And official records can often give a more impartial account than a family story. Researchers have been known to...
A brief list of records relating to Dutch arrivals.
Photo albums of Mr L.G. Watt, NSW Board of Fire Commissioners. These photos are a visual account of the Commissioners' travels around New South Wales and parts of Victoria, Queensland and South Australia covering 1928-1935. To some extent the photos capture the route the...
In 1915 the NSW Police Department advertised for two female special constable positions. Around 400 women applied, with the successful applicants being Maude Rhodes (an inspector for the State Children Relief Department) and Lillian Armfield (a nurse at Callan Park Mental Hospital). At the time...
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One of the more unusual archives in our collection is this red ribbon rosette . It was worn by train driver, Albert Arnold, who drove the first train over the Sydney Harbour Bridge after opening on 19 March 1932.
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The earliest records held in the NSW State Archives Collection relating to the French are contained in the Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825. Included are letters that relate to a number of French vessels visiting Sydney, such as the Surprize asking for...
A number of Germans, such as Augustus Alt (appointed the first Surveyor of Lands on May 1787), the astronomer Carl Ludwig Rümker and Phillip Schaffer who established one of the earliest vineyards in Australia, played key roles in the early development of New South Wales.
The earliest records held by NSW State Archives relating to Greek people arriving in NSW are the convict indents for seven sailors from Hydra convicted at Malta in 1828 for piracy and transported for various terms.
Few Indians arrived and settled in the colony of NSW in the first half of the 19th century. Most were labourers who returned to India once they had completed their contracts. A small number of convicts were transported to NSW from India, including David Cusshon, who was tried at...
Every now and then rare we find rare examples of collection items which may be described as 'treasures'. One example is the intestate estate file for a Mr Patrick Birmingham who died in 1907. Most of the records on this page are not typically found in intestate...
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The first time the number of Italian born immigrants in NSW was reported was in the 1871 Census, when 772 Italians were recorded.
Lebanese migration and settlement in Australia commenced around 1880. 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...
We hope that this local history study of the town of Dalgety will give you some tips and tactics for your own local history project.
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Records relating to Maltese migration to New South Wales.
On the early morning of 17 April 1816 at least 14 people of the Dharawal tribe were killed when James Wallis’ detachment encountered a camp at Appin near the banks of the Cataract River.
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This register is not dissimilar to the modern day television program Missing Persons Unit. Just like today, people did go missing during the early days of the colony. With limited resources, investigations on missing persons were carried out and this register is a record of the process.
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The State of New South Wales is fortunate in having in its archives an extensive collection of records documenting the 'careers' of over 80,000 Imperial convicts transported between 1788 and 1842 (plus the 'convict exiles' from the later 1840s and 1850s)...A better understanding...
These photos show the NSW State Correspondence School, Blackfriars. It began in early 1916 for children living in remote and country areas.
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This photographic series includes internal and external views of the baby clinics, mothers and babies in waiting rooms, babies receiving attention and possibly mothers holding babies being instructed by the nurses.
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These photographs were collected by the NSW Board of Pharmacists and associated with the Board's roll in keeping records relating to people registering as Pharmacists in NSW.
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A small number of Polish-born convicts were transported to New South Wales.
This series by the Government Architect's office includes but is not limited to: departmental buildings such as the Lands Office Sydney and Government House, court houses, general hospitals, post offices, post and telegraph offices, police stations, police barracks, psychiatric...
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On the 27 January 1834 at the Sydney Quarter Sessions, Mary Maguire was convicted of stealing and sentenced to 12 calendar months at the Female Factory as a Third Class prisoner (less privileges).
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The photo series here include: Reference Print Collection, c.1850 onwards; Photos displayed in NSW trains, c.1930s-c.1960s; Eveleigh Workshops during the 1917 Railway Strike; Glass plate negatives of North Shore, Sydney Harbour and general subjects, c.1908.
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The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney celebrated its bicentenary on 13 June 2016. A selection of records are discussed in context in celebration of this milestone being reached.
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This series consists principally of photographs of the Royal National Park including flora and fauna. Many images relate to the recreational facilities around Audley and include photographs of people boating, playing sports, bushwalking, picnicking and participating in ceremonies.
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These photographs illustrate the farm property and buildings, the training programs and aspects of daily life of the people working at Scheyville (near Windsor). Scheyville was a training farm for young men selected from the Sydney area, and those arriving under various British immigration...
These photographs include children being vaccinated; medical staff; and the interior of the Dental Clinic. The photographs bear no captions and although undated they appear to date from 1914 - the year that the School Travelling Hospital was instituted.
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Personnel record books 1884-1955 (NRS 510) detail the career of each fire fighter and include personal information such as date of birth, marital status, number of children and height. Professional information such as...
The Soldier Settlement website: A Land Fit For Heroes? contains 195 case studies using a variety of sources including those held by us and the returned soldiers...
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This volume shows returned soldiers clearing the land, constructing houses, and carrying out farming activities on soldier settlements established following World War 1. The photos also feature their families and cottages in which they lived.
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During the First World War, more than 11,000 of the New South Wales Government’s 66,000 employees volunteered for military service. They were police, teachers, nurses, railway and harbour workers, administrators, clerks, printers, draftsmen, and parliamentarians – from all walks of life and from...
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This series contains 14 albums of c.2000 photographs documenting the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the turning of the first sod to the final steps of construction, the official opening and the early use of the bridge by the public.
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It is rare that we see a photograph of a photographer taking a photograph.
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One of the highlights of the State archives collection for the 20th Century is a highly significant set of documents relating to the iconic Sydney Opera House. They include the 1955 booklet setting out the conditions for the architectural competition, the original set of competition drawings...
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This item was found by one of our volunteers in a Supreme Court Deposition paper. The exhibit related to the trial of Christopher Nowlan, who was charged with cattle stealing at the Maitland Circuit Court in 1845. Nowlan was a a convict who had arrived on the Phoenix in 1826. So what did...
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These photos of prisoners were accompanied by the following details: name, aliases, date when portrait was taken, native place, year of birth, arrived in colony - ship and year, trade or occupation, religion, degree of education, height, weight (on committal, on discharge), colour of...
The wreck of the Dunbar, with the loss of 121 passengers and crew, is one of Australia's worst maritime disasters in peacetime.
A selection of photos of Sydney Harbour Trust staff killed in action in World War I. These oval shaped portraits are printed on thick card and have been cut out of an album or display board. The name of the person has been written in pencil on the back of the prints.
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