People were not encouraged to immigrate to Tasmania prior to 1820. They needed a letter of recommendation from the Secretary of State unless they were a convict or involved in the penal system. Some people could not land in Van Diemen's Land because they did not have these papers.
The first migrant ship to arrive in Van Diemen’s Land, a ship chartered by settlers James, William and Thomas Salmon to bring out their families, was the Adamant, which arrived on 20 September 1816. It was followed by the Harriott, with forty-five passengers in 1817, the Caroline in 1820 and the Skelton in the same year.
After 1820 many more people started arriving as land became available. People brought letters of recommendation from the Home authorities which entitled them to land. The convict system allowed for the assignment of convicts to free settlers as labourers. Lieut.-Governor Arthur encouraged the immigration of people with capital, who could support the convict penal system by making use of convict labour. Land policy favoured wealthy settlers who could take responsibility for a number of convicts.
The Colonial Government encouraged retired military officers to immigrate. Until 1831 they received land grants in return for some local military service.
Sometimes poorer people came out as servants. The Van Diemen’s Land Company paid for farmers to immigrate. Like servants, these farmers had to pay back their fare by working for the company.
- Unassisted passengers – they paid their own way
- Assisted passengers – subsidised or paid for by an immigration scheme
- Crew on a ship
- Military
- Convicts
Most records are for the Port of Hobart. Few records have survived from other ports. It can be worth checking passenger lists for other colonies such as South Australia and Victoria as ships carrying passengers to Tasmania often called there.
Clicking any of the following links will take you to the original registers held with the Tasmanian Government (LINC):
Registers of Ships' Clearances
Search: Lists of Crews and Passengers - 3 May 1817 to 29 Oct 1833
Search: Lists of Crews and Passengers - 3 May 1828 to 16 Feb 1833
Search: Lists of Crews and Passengers - 21 Feb 1833 to 29 Oct 1833
Governors Office
Search: 1831-1834 Despatches Received from the Secretary & Under-Secretary of State - Advances to Emigrants
Colonial Secretary's Office
Search: 1837-1841 Correspondence Relating to Arrivals of Immigrants
- Note: This record set is also available to be browsed on the LDS site familysearch. You will be required to make a free account. Click 'Browse Through Images' - This will take you to an Index of Names. Clicking on a name will bring up the original document.
Immigration Agents Department
- The Immigration Agent was instructed to make lists of all Bounty immigrants arriving under the May 1840 regulations.
- This volume dates roughly from Arthur Davies' appointment as Immigration Agent although a note by him states that some Bounty immigrants had arrived before this record was begun.
- The following information is recorded - the date of the immigrant's arrival; the date of the Bounty application and the applicant's name and address; the name, age, trade, marital status and family of the immigrant and the amount payable to the applicant and the ship's officers. In many cases, the name of the officers and owner of the ship are also listed.
Board of Immigration - Descriptive Lists of Immigrants Arriving in Hobart and Launceston
- This series consists of descriptive lists of immigrants arriving in Hobart and Launceston.
- From 1851 to 1867 each volume contains a number of 'books' and each 'book' lists the immigrants arriving on usually one, but sometimes more, ships. These lists were apparently compiled after the ship's arrival.
- The first two volumes of this series contain lists of immigrants who arrived prior to the regulations of January 1854 while the remainder list immigrants arriving under the 1854 regulations and later amendments.
- Each 'book' (except the first seven) in the volumes covering the period 1851-67 contains a roughly alphabetical list of immigrants and gives the following additional information about each - marital status, age religion, education, native place, trade, sponsor, amount of bounty and a remarks column which contains miscellaneous information about the immigrant including assessments of the immigrant's character. There are also summaries of the number of immigrants, births and deaths, trades, native countries and religion. The names of ships' officers and other officials such as matron and schoolmaster who received payment from immigration funds are also listed.
- The two volumes for 1883 - 89 do not contain summaries of the names of the ships' officers and the remarks column often includes the name and address of the immigrant's employer and the wages paid.
- Arrangement is roughly chronological except for the first two volumes in which the 'books' are arranged in a random fashion.
- Ships in order: Beulah, Calcutta, Northumberland, Australasia, Panama, Sir Allan McNab, Louisa, Coromandel, Northumberland, Sir Allan McNab, Maitland, Duchess of Northumberland
- Ships in order: William Hammond, Columbus, Caroline Middleton, Moolton, Raleigh, Coromandel, Kingston, Ann Bridson
- Ships in order: Honduras, Llewellen/Star in the East, Glasmarsden, Earl of Chester, Wanderer, Fortitude, Indian Queen, Ocean Chief, Boomerang
- Ships in order: Flora McDonald, Zeepaard/Reinzi/Mermaid/City of Hobart, Lewe Van Nyenstein, Katherine Sharer, Blanche Moore/Augustas, Montmorency
- Ships in order: Iceni/Boomerang/Montmorency, Marco Polo/Blanch Moore/Catherine Sharer, Blanche Moore/MarcoPolo/Queen Victoria, White Star, America, Senior/Heather Bell/Boomerang, Donald McKay, Wilhelmsburg, Storm Cloud/Donald McKay/Henry Reid/Startled Fawn, Conway
- Ships include: Conway, Ben Nevis, Montmorency, Campion of the Seas, James Baines, San Fransisco, Donald McKay, Wellington, Emma, Boomerang, Vice Admiral Gobius, John Bell, Lightning, Red Jacket, Duncan Hoyle, Hobart Town, Gibson Bride, Schomberg, City of Hobart, Sultana, Indian Queen, Ocean Chief, America, Mermaid, La Hogue, Marco Polo, Startled Fawn, Tasmania
- Ships in order include: Great Tasmania/Neumuhlen, Mercia, fortune, Prompt, Broomielaw/Alice Walton/forest Monarch, Oriental, Sir w F Williams/antipodes
- Ships in order: Affiance, Persian, Pirate, Trade Wind, Antipodes, Eastern City, Champion of the Seas
- Ships include: Aurora Australis, Florence Nightingale, Indus, Marco Polo, Broadwater, Isles of the south, Primula, Morning Light, Vater Smydt/ Saldanha, Ida, Argonaught, Heather Bell, Harmonides, David G Flemming, Champion of the Seas, Ocean Chief, Percy, Greyhound, Oriental, Broomielaw, Hooghly, Hilton, King of Algeria, White Star, Dawn of Hope, Southampton, British Trident, Empire of peace, J Carling, Indiana, Young America, Suffolk
- Ships include: Isles of the South, Antipodes, Blue Jacket, Donald McKay, Great Australian, Flowers of the Forest, Aurora Australis, Queen of the Mersey/Ocean Chief, King of Algeria/Champion of the Seas, Prince Consort, Empress of the Seas/Heather Bell, Empire of Peace, Lightning, Great Tasmania, Prince of the Seas/Yorkshire/E A Bright/Percy/Lily, Commodore Perry, Solway, Chariot of Fame/Hope/Water Nymph, Morning Light/Harrowby, Lord Raglan, Merchant of Venice, Oceania,
Search: 01 Apr 1855 - 30 Apr 1862 – Descriptive list of immigrants
- Ships include: Commodore Perry, Resolution/Boomerang, Alice Walton, Broomielaw, Solway
- List of ships include: Iberia, Potosi, Orient, Cape Clear, Gulf of Carpentaria, Westmeath, Pathan. Kildare, Nurjahan, Cuzco, Liguria and Mangana
- Ships include: John Elder, Cuzco, Liguria, Orient, Iberia, Tanui, Doric, Duke of Devonshire, Gulf of St Vincent, Arawa, Ionic, Elderslie, Coptic
Board of Immigration - 1853-1862 Nominal Registers of the Hiring and Disposal of Immigrants
- These volumes contain alphabetical lists of immigrants who arrived between 1853 and 1862. They were compiled when the immigrant arrived and list the immigrant's name, age, marital status and trade.
- As each immigrant obtained employment or left the immigration Depot for any other reason the following additional details were recorded - employer, where and when employed, wages, term of employment and whether he was rationed by the employer. The record is usually signed by the employer.
- Each volume consists of loose sheets which have later been bound together.
Search: Nominal Register 1
Search: Nominal Register 2
Search: Nominal Register 3
Search: Nominal Register 4
Board of Immigration – 1867-1884 Lists of bounty immigrants who arrived in Tasmania via Melbourne
- These two volumes list Bounty immigrants who arrived in Melbourne and then proceeded to Tasmania on a second ship. The information given is similar to that in other arrival lists (i.e. name, age, marital status etc.).In addition the following details are listed the name of ship from England to Melbourne and from Melbourne to Tasmania and the port and date of departure in England. Each entry is certified by the Immigration Agent at Hobart or Launceston. Arrangement is roughly chronological although as the lists were compiled in Hobart with Launceston entries added, there are some discrepancies.
Search: 01 Jan 1882 - 10 Jan 1884 – Descriptive Lists - Indexed at Beginning of Volume
Immigration Board – 1870-1872 Register of immigrants arriving from Germany
- This series lists immigrants arriving from Germany although it is doubtful if it is a complete record of all the immigrants sent out by Frederick Buck.
- The information given is - name of immigrant, age, marital status, children, religion, education, native place and trade. There is also a remarks column which usually gives the immigrant's employer and wages.The ship and date of arrival is listed as is the port of departure, although only three ships are listed.
Immigration Office - 1920-1943 Individual files by name concerning the nomination, arrival and settlement of people in Tasmania
- Digital images of this record series are available to view online by scrolling to "Items in Series" and clicking on a link.
Immigration Office – 1924-1935 Returns of Nominations, Immigration and Emigration
- The file comprises administrative correspondence about the returns together with the nominal returns themselves. The file has been digitised for online access and the pages with names and dates have been identified to facilitate searching through the file.
State Immigration Office – 1946-1960 Files of British migrants arriving under the Joint Agreement between the United Kingdom and the Australian Government
- This series comprises files of nominated migrants, their nominators, general enquiries from prospective settlers and occasional subject files. The series has been culled. Files containing letters of enquiry only with no further action other that notification of the despatch of standard literature on Tasmania, or referral to the Commonwealth, have been destroyed.
- Despite its 'case file' appearance, the series illustrates the administrative processes of the agency and provides an insight into the state of land settlement, housing, employment and general living standards from the 1940s to the 1970s. For this reason some prospective settler files have been retained, even if there is no evidence of the person or family having arrived in the state. Some nominations may have been cancelled, deferred or unsuccessful.
- The files indicate the government's policy and preference for various 'qualities' in settlers and settler families. As well as individual files, there are group nominations, e.g. Department of Education recruitment of teachers. In this case individual migrant names are not listed in the file title and the controlling series of cards (AA60) should be consulted.
- Digital images of this record series are available to view online by scrolling to "Items in Series" and clicking on a link.
(Archived by State Library of Tasmania - Our Digital Island Electronic Collection)
Indentured Servants of the Van Diemen's Land Company
The company's charter passed the great seal on 10th November, 1825. Already the search had begun to find the tradesmen and labourers needed to develop the large grant of agricultural land obtained in the north west of Van Diemen's Land to a financially successful wool producing enterprise. Convicts could supply free labour but they had little rural knowledge or mechanical expertise. The aboriginal natives were difficult to train and would not remain on the settlements. So the indentured servant was the most reliable means of maintaining the workforce.
From 1825 the Van Diemens Land Company began to indenture men for their newly formed company. These men, some of them with their wives and families, travelled to Van Diemens Land with very few possessions. All of them left behind loved ones and their homeland knowing full well they may never return.
The rural areas of England and Scotland had very little to offer the poorer class. With promises of wealth and a new beginning, the servants were eager to comply to the companies requests. Very few of these men were literate. With the contract read to them, they would put their mark "X" as a signature.
They mostly came from the depressed rural areas in England, Scotland and Ireland. Among them were builders, shepherds, labourers and blacksmiths. Hand picked for their skill, expertise and qualifications of good moral character and conduct.
So these men were to serve the directors of the VLD Co under contract for a set term. In return they were promised passage to the colony, food, housing, and wages.
If, however, that contract was broken, then the repercussions were severe. After a disturbance in October 1827, the convicts were flogged, free men had their wages stopped. With the closest independent magistrate being hundreds of miles away, they had no defence of their personal rites. The complaints were many. Inadequate food rations, no housing on their arrival and, in being treated as equals with the convicts, together with conditions of low pay and low status, diminishment of their self esteem.
Search: Indentured Servants of the Van Diemen's Land Company 
Where are the records of departures?
ReplyDeleteThe first set of links "Ship's Crew and Passenger Clearances (ie Departures) between 21 Feb 1833 to 29 Oct 1833".
DeleteYou can also use Libraries Tasmania Name Search to search for departures up to 1860 https://librariestas.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/names/search/results?qu=
Note from Libraries Tasmania: People leaving Tasmanian ports, mainly Launceston - Records of people departing were not routinely or comprehensively kept at Tasmanian ports, although for some periods, such as the 1850s, the records are fairly complete. The index covers most available records before 1860 and some beyond that date, and it is being added to gradually.
I have evidence of my ggg Uncle Allan Mclean travelling from Adelaide South Australia on "Navarino" on 6th Jan 1838 and arriving in Hobart (alone) on 12th Jan 1838. But no amount of skill has offered me his return journey as a passenger or crew. Allan Mclean was travelling with a large quantity of cargo purchased in Hobart-the purpose of his journey. We know he arrived back in South Australia because most of the cargo was to sow 20 acres of wheat that WAS HARVESTED in December 1838! His cargo was a new plough, lethering needs for plough on his new purchases of horses/cattle, a vast amount of seed wheat (enough to sow 20 acres by June 1838 that year) and a cat for his mother. Plus Allan McLean was the family ploughman. I have been in contact with SA State Records Office/Archives (Gepps Cross), SAState Library, and SAFamily History Society. I have also source several publications in relation to this topic and many websites. Can you assist please? I considered that he may have travelled via another Australian Port but since it was a hot mid-summer period, he had a significant cargo of live animals to get to Adelaide ASAP, and he was expected back urgently to get the wheat crop in ASAP it seems an unlikely thing to travel on a longer sea trip in consideration of the animals and wheat at sea (dampness). We are aware that the Harbour Master received copy of the arrival at Hobart (states on the end of the arrival report and is signed by the Harbour Master). Can you advise please?
ReplyDeleteHi Lorrai, Thanks for reaching out. I have searched both Libraries Tasmania, South Australian Archives and Passengers in History websites without success. I did come across an interesting entry on FindMyPast for Allan McLean, aged 24, arriving in South Australia 6 December 1837 onboard the Navarino. The original source of the information on FindMyPast was Graham Jaunay. Unfortunately, Graham has now retired is unavailable to be contacted but a search of the ship on his website (http://www.jaunay.com/ships.html) shows the ship departure point was London. A search for Allan McLean confirms the same details of arrival and shows he was travelling alone. The only other suggestion I have is a book held with State Library South Australia: "Passengers arriving at Port Adelaide from South Australian coastal and intercolonial ports between 1837-1845" / compiled by Mary M.B. Hodge for the S.A. Genealogy & Heraldry Society (https://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au/record=b1015036~S1). Sorry I can't be of any further assistance.
Delete