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What do I need to know?
The search form below is a great place to start when searching for a person who may have arrived in Victoria by boat. An “assisted” immigrant had their voyage subsidised from the UK by the Victorian government for the purpose of being employed on their arrival.
Indexers transcribed the names and ages recorded on lists of passengers aboard ships which arrived at Victorian ports from overseas, between 1839 and 1871).
How do I search?
- Try different spelling variations, or think about how a name might have been misspelt
- Search by any or several keywords you may know (for example, the name, year, ship, and so on)
- Some names may be abbreviated (for example, J Smith or simply Mr Smith)
- Note that young children are sometimes listed as "child with" and their parents' surname.
- For names with apostrophes, type the name as one word instead (for example, instead of O’Mara, type the name as OMara) or use a wildcard (an asterisk) where the apostrophe would otherwise be (*Mara).
What are in these records?
The records were lists of “assisted” immigrants (they had their voyage from the United Kingdom subsidised by the Victorian government for the purpose of being employed on their arrival). You will see: first name and surname, marital status, age, sex, ports of embarkation and disembarkation, native country and county, religion, ability to read and write, occupation, “disposal” (employer on arrival), ship captain, dates of departure and arrival at each port, total number of passengers.
Find passengers in these lists
About these records
The register of assisted immigrants from the United Kingdom was kept by various immigration regulation bodies between 1839 and 1871. An “assisted” immigrant had their voyage subsidised from the UK by the Victorian government for the purpose of being employed on their arrival.
Next Steps
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