Contents
About the ARK
The ARK is held by 40 community access points across NSW. The majority of access points are libraries. The ARK consists of microfilm copies of our most popular and heavily used colonial records. Included are records relating to convict arrivals, assisted immigrants, births, deaths and marriages, publicans' licences, electoral rolls, naturalisation, returns of the colony ('Blue Books'), land grants, and the wide range of functions of the Colonial Secretary (1788-1825).
The ARK was a result of our Access for All initiative to provide people in regional and rural NSW with better access to the State's archives. The Kit contains over 1565 items (962 fiche and 604 reels) of our most popular and heavily used colonial records. It builds on a genealogical research kit issued in the 1980s and already held by some of the community access points. The Kit includes explanatory material and links to information available on our website.
You may find that the ARK (or parts of it) are held at a library near you.
What's in the Archives Resources Kit
Births, death and marriages
| Title | Series | Fiche/Reel |
|---|---|---|
| Abstracts of all licences for marriages granted to free persons, 1813-27 | NRS 1059 | Fiche 836 |
| Registers, 1787-1856 | NRS 12937 | Reels 5001-5048 |
| Reports of inquests, 1796-1828 | NRS 5607 | Reels 2232-2233 |
| Indexes and registers of Coroners' inquests and magisterial inquiries, 1834-1942 | NRS 343, NRS 344 | Reels 2921-2927, 2224-2225, 2763-2769 |
Shipping
| Title | Series | Fiche/Reel |
|---|---|---|
| Indexes to ships arrived, 1837-1925 | NRS 13277 | Reels 2502, 2503A |
| Assisted immigrants, 1828-42 | NRS 5310, NRS 5311,NRS 5314 | Reels 1286-1349 |
| Assisted immigrants (Port Phillip), 1839-51 | NRS 5318 | Reels 2143A-2145 |
| Assisted immigrants Sydney, 1838-96, and Moreton Bay, 1848-59 | NRS 5316 | Reels 2134-2143 |
| Persons on bounty ships to Sydney, Newcastle and Moreton Bay, 1848-91 | NRS 5317 | Reels 2458-2498 |
| Unassisted Passengers arriving in Sydney, 1826-53, 1854-1900 | NRS 13278, NRS 1291 | Reels 399-560, 1263-1280, 2851 |
| Wage agreements & entitlement certificates (Sydney), 1844-45 | NRS 5315 | Reels 2449-2456 |
| Germans on bounty ships (Sydney), 1849-52 | NRS 5320 | Fiche 851 |
| Wives and families of convicts on bounty ships (Sydney), 1849-55 | NRS 5321 | Fiche 837-838 |
| Immigration deposit journals, 1853-1900 | NRS 5264 | Reels 2668A-2676 |
| Members of the Family Colonization Loan Society, 1854-57 | NRS 5322 | Fiche 839 |
| Passenger lists of the Family Colonization Loan Society, 1854-55 | NRS 5323 | Fiche 839 |
| Departures | ||
| Ships musters: passengers departing, 1816-25 | NRS 1289 | Reels 561-562 |
Convict records
| Title | Series | Fiche/Reel |
|---|---|---|
| Index to Convict Indents, 1837-42 | NRS 12191 | Fiche 803-806 |
| Convict Indents, 1788-1842 | NRS 1150, NRS 1151, NRS 1152, NRS 1153, NRS 1154, NRS 12188, NRS 12189 | Fiche 614-744 |
| Musters and other papers relating to convict ships, 1790-1849 | NRS 1155 | Reels 2417-2428 |
| Registers of convicts' applications to marry, 1825-51 | NRS 12212 | Fiche 780-802 |
| Assignment Registers, 1821-24 | NRS 12193 | Fiche 745-748 |
| Register of Tickets of Leave, 1824-27 | NRS 12200 | Fiche 752-754 |
| Ticket of Leave butts, 1827-67 | NRS 12202 | Reels 909-965, 2688A |
| Registers of Conditional Pardons, 1791-1825 | NRS 1170 | Fiche 820-823 |
| Registers of convicts recommended for Conditional Pardons, 1826-56 | NRS 1173 | Fiche 824-835 |
| Registers of Absolute Pardons, 1791-1843 and Registers of recommendations for Absolute Pardons, 1826-46 | NRS 1179 | Reel 800 |
| Convict Deaths, 1828-79 | NRS 12213 | Fiche 749-751 |
Professions and occupations
| Title | Series | Fiche/Reel |
|---|---|---|
| Public Service Lists, 1858-70 | NRS 1286 | Fiche 807-819 |
| Returns of the Colony (Blue Books), 1822-57 | NRS 1286 | Fiche 438-613 |
| Record of Appointments to Government Offices, 1814-25 | NRS 388 | Fiche 755-756 |
| Register of Police, 1862-1904 | NRS 10945 | Fiche 846-850 |
| Register of Chemists and Druggists, 1876-1920 | NRS 10898 | Fiche 844-845 |
| Roll of barristers, solicitors, attorneys, etc, 1824-76 | NRS 13664 | Fiche 852-853 |
| Medical Board Minutes of proceedings and register, 1838-1901 | NRS 9871 | Fiche 840-843 |
| Certificates of publicans' licences, 1830-61 | NRS 14401, NRS 14402, NRS 14403 | Reel 5049-5066, 1236-1242 |
Land
| Title | Series | Fiche/Reel |
|---|---|---|
| Registers of depasturing licences, 1837-51 | NRS 14363 | Reels 5067-81 |
| Indexes to land grants, 1788-1865, and selected registers | NRS 1217, NRS 1219, NRS 13836, NRS 13837 | Reels 2548-50, 2560-2 |
Naturalization
| Title | Series | Fiche/Reel |
|---|---|---|
| Naturalization Index, 1834-1903 | NRS 1042 | Fiche 757-767 |
| Registers of naturalization, 1834-1903 | NRS 1040, NRS 1041 | Reels 128A-141A |
| Letters of denization, 1834-47 | NRS 1038 | Reel 128A part |
Colonial Secretary
| Title | Series | Fiche/Reel |
|---|---|---|
| Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825 | Reels 6001-6072, Fiche 3001-3312 |
Orphans
| Title | Series | Fiche/Reel |
|---|---|---|
| Orphan School Admission registers, 1817-33 | NRS 793, NRS 796 | |
| Applications for admission into and Applications for children out of the Orphan Schools, 1825-33 | NRS 782, NRS 783 | Reel 2776-2777 |
Other records
| Title | Series | Fiche/Reel |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Rolls, 1842-64 | NRS 1199 | Fiche 768-779 |
| 1828 Census Householders' Returns | NRS 1273, NRS 1274 | Reels 2551-2552, 2506-2507 |
| 1901 Census collector books | NRS 685 | Selected fiche |
| The Concise Guide to the NSW State Archives 3rd edition on CD-ROM | ||
Guides and other explanatory material
| Title | Fiche/Reel/Guide |
|---|---|
| Using the Archives Resources Kit (ARK) | Guide |
| Births, deaths and marriages | |
| Birth death and marriage records | Short Guide 2 |
| Attorney General and Justice: registry of births, deaths and marriages: microfilm copies of registers of baptisms, burials and marriages, 1787-1856 | Short Guide 4 |
| Index to abstract of all licences for marriages granted to free persons, March 1813 - December 1827 | Short Guide 5 |
| Shipping | |
| Shipping and free passenger records | Guide 17 |
| Index to assisted (bounty) immigrants, 1828-42 | Reels 30-37 |
| Index to assisted immigrants arriving Sydney and Newcastle, 1844-59 | Fiche 2481-2491 |
| Index to assisted immigrants arriving Sydney, 1860-79 | Fiche 2492-2498 |
| Index to assisted immigrants, 1880-96 | Fiche 2499-2504 |
| Index to assisted immigrants to Port Phillip, 1839-51 | Fiche 2476-2478 |
| Index to assisted immigrants to Moreton Bay, 1848-59 | Fiche 2479-2480 |
| Convicts | |
| Convict guide supplementary list: microfiche copies of indents | Guide 14a |
| Professions and occupations | |
| Returns of the Colony, 1822-57 | Short Guide 3 |
| Professions and Occupations: a select list of records | Short Guide 10 |
| Land | |
| Land grants, 1788-1856 | Short Guide 8 |
| Naturalisation | |
| Naturalization and denization records | Short Guide 9 |
| Other | |
| 1901 Census - collectors books | Short Guide 7 |
| Electoral Rolls | Short Guide 1 |
| Colonial Secretary | |
| Index to the papers of the New South Wales Colonial Secretary, 1788-1825 | Handbook |
| Index to the Colonial Secretary's papers, 1788-1825 | Guide 30 |
| Other finding aids | |
| A guide to New South Wales State archives relating to the teaching of English to post WWII migrants | Guide |
| A guide to New South Wales State archives relating to Aboriginal people | Guide |
| Government (Colonial) Architect | Guide 19 |
| Surveyor General: select list of maps and plans (and supplement), 1792-1886 | Guides 23 and 26 |
| Surveyor General: Surveyors' Field Books, 1794-1831 | Short Guide 13 |
| Department of Education: subject files, 1876-1948 | Short Guide 6 |
| Muster and Census Records | Short Guide 12 |
| Clerk of the Peace: quarter sessions records, 1824-1920 | Guide 24 |
| Archives in Brief | Helpful hints for researchers |
| Now&Then | Our e-newsletter for public clients |
| Vital Signs | Our magazine, launched in April 2002 |