Private Lives, Public Records
Private Lives, Public Records Family History Resources at Public Record Office Victoria Bronwyn Fensham, Barbara Wels and Kasia Zygmuntowicz
Published by: Public Record Office Victoria, PO Box 2100, North Melbourne, Australia 3051 © State of Victoria 2003, reprinted with amendments 2004. This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the publisher. Inquiries should be directed to the publisher. Edited by: Margot Holden Designed by: Luke Featherston Photographs by: Jo Bradley, Kate Morris, Narelle Wilson Indexed by: Max McMaster Produced by: Publishing Solutions Pty Ltd Printed in Australia
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data Victoria. Public Record Office. Private lives, public records: family history resources at Public Record Office Victoria Includes index. ISBN 1 876677 53 8. 1. Victoria. Public Record Office – Catalogs. 2. Public records – Victoria – Bibliography – Catalogs. 3. Archives – Victoria – Catalogs. 4. Victoria – Genealogy – Bibliography – Catalogs. I. Title. 016.929394
Disclaimer The information in Private Lives, Public Records is considered to be correct at time of publication. Cover illustrations Images from PROV's collection (from back to front): [background] VPRS 14/P0 Register of Assisted Immigrants from the United Kingdom, unit 10, p. 103; VPRS 12800/P1 Photographic Negatives: Railways: Alpha-numeric Systems, unit 103, neg. H2555, 'School children greeting Mr Clapp'; VPRS 9559/P1 Photographs, unit 1, photo 25 [Victorian Government Printing Office staff?]; VPRS 12800/P1, unit 187, neg. H5198, 'McKenzie Creek Tramway Horse pulling wagon full of children for picnic'; VPRS 12800/P1, unit 104, neg. H2596, 'Football team R9 V R1 Croxton 1913'; VPRS 4371/P0 Walhalla Photographs, unit 1, Teachers, Walhalla School, 1884.
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Foreword On 9 November 2000, the Victorian Archives building in Shiel Street was officially opened. It was however only a part realization of a permanent home for Public Record Office Victoria (PROV). For three years the facility was shared with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) and PROV maintained an offsite reading room in the city centre that it shared with National Archives of Australia (NAA). In early 2004 the National Archives of Australia and PROV reopened their joint research facilities at the Victorian Archives Centre in the long awaited Reading Room to be named after Victoria’s first Keeper of Public Records, Harry Nunn, OAM. This is an important occasion both for PROV, all together on the one site for the first time and for the community that will have access to purpose built state of the art research facilities at one of Victoria’s key cultural institutions. The release of this new updated edition of Private Lives, Public Records coincides with this important milestone and reflects the service enhancements that the housing of our reading room and collections on the one site have permitted. In parallel with the physical relocation, new online indexes and the facility to find and use digital images of records have been added to our website. Private Lives, Public Records, first published in 2003, was intended as a key resource for both the first-time and experienced genealogists. It has proved to be a much valued guide and no changes have been made to its format. However to ensure its currency and accuracy this opportunity has been taken to make substantial amendments to the text. The work of Shauna Hicks, James McKinnon, Bronwen Merrett, Barbara Wels and Kasia Zygmuntowicz is gratefully acknowledged. It is my hope that this book will continue to guide researchers to our rich and varied collection of records now available at the Victorian Archives Centre.
Justine Heazlewood Director and Keeper of Public Records
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Foreword to the first printing The release of this book has been a long-held goal for Public Record Office Victoria. It has evolved from the idea of updating the popular guide Genealogical Sources (Public Record Office Victoria, 1982, 1984) to a much more ambitious project. Private Lives, Public Records is intended as a key resource for both first-time and experienced genealogists. It offers an introduction to the role, services and collection of Public Record Office Victoria, and provides a road map for family history research using the archives. The preparation of this book was truly a team effort of PROVians past and present. The work of the compilers, Bronwyn Fensham, Barbara Wels and Kasia Zygmuntowicz, the production liaison by Nicole Strang, and the primary vetting group Sally Hall, Diana Logan, James McKinnon, Pam Sheers, Edwina Shooter and Eril Wangerek is gratefully acknowledged. Although this book has been written to address the specific needs of family historians, it provides a clear overview of public records that will prove useful for all types of research, particularly for local and community history. Case studies focusing on Casselden Place, the current site of the Melbourne Archives Centre, demonstrate the use of our collection in researching an individual. Tips and shortcuts are offered to focus and enhance the research process, and guide the reader along paths well travelled and those yet to be explored. The pursuit of family history is a never-ending adventure. I wish you many happy journeys with Private Lives, Public Records.
Ross Gibbs Director and Keeper of Public Records
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Acknowledgments The content of Private Lives, Public Records has been developed with the valued input and advice of many individuals at Public Record Office Victoria. Special thanks to our Director, Ross Gibbs and our vetting group for their feedback and guidance; to the many colleagues who gave generously of their time and expert advice, particularly to Charlie Farrugia and James McKinnon for the detailed attention and information they gave to various drafts; to Nicole Strang for her tireless assistance with the production of the book; and to Bronwen Merrett, who began the original version of this project. Private Lives, Public Records is illustrated by original PROV records as well as by photographs of our staff and volunteers researching their own family histories. Thanks to John Killian, Marge Knight, Val Latimer, Jack McRae, Henry Molloy, Charlie Spiteri and Eril Wangerek for their generous participation in this project, and for permission to publish photographs from their own collections. We also thank and acknowledge the dedicated volunteers who have generously contributed their time over many years to PROV’s immigration indexing project, making these fascinating records much more accessible for everyone. We would also like to thank our indefatigable editor, Margot Holden for her expertise, professionalism and unfailing good cheer. Thanks also to Kristen Harrison at Publishing Solutions for her confidence and buoyancy throughout the project. To provide insights into the research potential of PROV records, this book includes various research case studies that track the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century inhabitants of a little city street called Casselden Place, the 2003 site of the Melbourne Archives Centre. These studies are based on research undertaken by Kasia Zygmuntowicz for Vanished Communities: Forgotten Histories of Central Melbourne. This collaborative project between The University of Melbourne, La Trobe University and Museum Victoria was supported by an Australian Research Council grant. We thank Associate Professor Alan Mayne of The University of Melbourne History Department for his kind permission to draw on this research. Bronwyn Fensham Barbara Wels Kasia Zygmuntowicz
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Contents Foreword Foreword to the first printing Acknowledgments
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Chapter 1 Welcome to PROV Key themes in the PROV collection Getting started Where can I find PROV? PROV services The scope of public records Setting your starting points Finding your way through the records Finding records by citing records Ordering records Record information tables Stories from the archives – Casselden Place case studies
1 2 3 3 4 5 6 6 8 9 10 10
Chapter 2 Establishing your family tree Getting started Koorie family history research Certificates – births, deaths and marriages Indexes – births, deaths and marriages What if there’s no death certificate? Casselden Place case study: Henry Booth Adoption records Divorce records Casselden Place case study: William and Ada Stack Cemetery records Further sources
13 14 15 17 18 20 22 25 26 28 30 31
Chapter 3 Arriving in Victoria Getting started Selected immigration records Casselden Place case study: David Cunningham Other useful immigration-related records Further sources
33 34 35 41 43 46
Chapter 4 Land and housing Background information Getting started Selected records – rural properties Selected records – town properties
49 50 50 51 57
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Casselden Place case study: Owners and residents in 1877 Selected records – all properties Other useful land-related records Further sources
62 64 66 69
Chapter 5 School days Getting started Selected education records Further sources
71 72 74 81
Chapter 6 Making a living Getting started Selected employment and business records Casselden Place case study: Susan Moloney Casselden Place case study: Patrick Neylan Further sources
83 84 85 86 92 101
Chapter 7 Body and mind Getting started Selected health records Casselden Place case study: Joseph Casselden Other useful health-related records Further sources
103 104 104 109 112 113
Chapter 8 Legal matters Getting started – jurisdictions Selected records – civil matters Selected records – criminal matters Casselden Place case study: Joseph Victor Pfeffer Further sources
115 116 118 125 128 133
Chapter 9 Continuing the journey Printed information about the PROV collection Records held jointly by PROV and other agencies Useful agencies and resources A final word
135 136 137 140 143
Appendix A: Archives and citations Appendix B: Restricted records Some useful terms Abbreviated forms Glossary Index
145 151 155 156 156 161
The Victorian Archives building in leafy Shiel Street, North Melbourne
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Welcome to PROV Are you piecing together the jigsaw of a family history? Researching the history of a house, public place or institution? Clarifying the facts and context of an historical event? At Public Record Office Victoria (PROV), you will find valuable documents on all sorts of topics – from the personal to the political. PROV, established in 1973, is Victoria’s official state archival authority. It is responsible for managing the vast array of public records that have been generated by both state and local governments since the establishment of permanent government services in 1836. PROV enables researchers to examine and appreciate its collection first-hand while ensuring that the physical records are preserved for future generations.
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The PROV collection includes wills, inquests, immigration records (such as shipping and passenger lists), correspondence, official ledgers and registers, plans, photographs and court transcripts, and covers the key themes shown below.
Key themes in the PROV collection local government
goldfields
courts land
inquests railways prisons
PUB L IC RECOR D OFFICE VICTORIA
divorce
housing
employment wills and probate health state government
education immigration
Whenever an individual has formal dealings with a government agency or department, a public record is created. Everyday actions such as enrolling at primary school, buying land or property, or being involved in a court hearing are all documented in public records. You can ‘join the dots’ between documented actions, adding other background research to fill in a larger story about the history of an individual or institution. For this reason, public records are a priceless resource for personal, professional, and academic research. TIP
As the state archival authority, PROV holds ONLY Victorian government records – its responsibilities do not include keeping the records of any private business, non-government organisation or individual.
WELCOME TO PROV
Getting started Where to start, and how? The archives are huge and research can be very time-consuming. You can save hours and home in on relevant records by drawing on ‘inside knowledge’ about the way archives and particular kinds of records are organised – using the PROV online catalogue Archives@Victoria (A@V) and publications like this one, or attending regular seminars and workshops. Qualified Reference Officers are happy to assist you when you visit or telephone PROV reading rooms. There are increasing numbers of indexes and digital copies of records available online through our website and catalogue that can satisfy your search needs, or lead you to other records.
Where can I find PROV? PROV has two sites where you may view records at no cost – the Victorian Archives Centre and the Ballarat Archives Centre. You can also access selected permanent public records at certain PROV approved places of deposit in regional Victoria, such as the Geelong Historical Records Centre and the Burke Museum in Beechworth (see Chapter 9 for details). The Victorian Archives Centre (VAC) is a joint research facility of Public Victorian Archives Record Office Victoria and National Centre Archives of Australia (NAA), where you 99 Shiel Street can use records held by both North Melbourne VIC 3051 organisations. The VAC Reading Room Telephone: (03) 9348 5600 collection holds the microform (that is, Toll Free: 1800 657 452 microfilm and microfiche) copies of Fax: (03) 9348 5656 records frequently used by family Email: see website historians. Researchers may order in Web: www.prov.vic.gov.au certain individual records or boxes of records for perusal in the Reading Room. Please check the PROV website for current opening hours.
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The Ballarat Archives Centre (BAC) holds a large number of original records, mostly from the Ballarat Archives Centre Central Highlands region, as well as Level 1, State Government Offices microform copies of the frequently Cnr Doveton and Mair Streets used genealogical records. It is rich in Ballarat VIC 3350 material relating to goldfields, Telephone: (03) 5333 6611 particularly records of courts, mining Email: see website wardens and registrars. The BAC is open to researchers on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. Generally, records created in the Ballarat region are held at the BAC. However, some files which relate to the area but were created at the departmental level – including land selection files, primary school correspondence files, probate administration files, inquest depositions and Supreme Court case files – are held at the Victorian Archives Centre (VAC). For example, if you are interested in consulting the local police inspector’s report book for 1855, you will have to visit the BAC to view the volume. However, general correspondence relating to police districts within the Central Highlands (and other police districts) is held in Melbourne. Check A@V for the location and viewing details of records.
PROV services Reference It is worth consulting A@V before you visit our reading rooms. As well as finding out where to go, you may be able to order records to view when you do visit. A@V can be consulted anywhere you have Internet access, including at VAC and BAC. In the reading rooms, Reference Officers are always on hand to answer queries and provide information and helpful advice but they are unable to take on research work for the public. You may wish to hire an independent search agent to undertake research on your behalf. A list of such agents is available from PROV.
Copying PROV can supply copies of original records, microfilm and microfiche for a fee but, as photocopying poses a conservation risk, not all records can be copied. Sometimes copies will be made from existing microform copies, photographic negatives or digital images of originals. Please help preserve Victoria’s archives by only requesting copies of key documents. • Fast-track copy service – same-day or next-day turnaround (fees apply) • Certified copies for legal purposes (fees apply) For more details about these and other PROV services, check the website or the PROVguide information sheets available in the reading rooms.
WELCOME TO PROV
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The scope of public records Public records are created as part of the activities of state government departments, agencies and local government. They document what happens within government and in exchanges between government agencies and members of the public, and can yield valuable information. For example, exchanges concerning immigration and the purchase of land or property create records that are especially useful in tracking historical information about individuals. But research using public records does have limitations. Not everything comes into the archive – less than 10 per cent of all public records are deemed to be of permanent archival value – and access to a small percentage of records is restricted due to privacy or conservation issues (see the box). Also, our records generally relate only to Victoria so PROV may be only one of several ports of call for family historians.
Gaps in the records Unfortunately, some records shown in listings no longer exist. Some may have been removed, misfiled or misplaced prior to being transferred to PROV. And paper is fragile – not all documents have survived their administrative life. You need to bear in mind, too, that some record types are recent creations and may not have nineteenth- or early twentieth-century equivalents. For example, the type of hospital patient files with which we are familiar today were only introduced into public hospitals in the 1950s. You will also find that some records of a sensitive or personal nature, such as those relating to wards of state, prisons, courts and psychiatric institutions, are closed under certain sections of the Public Records Act 1973. Generally, records relating to an adult can be closed for 75 years from the time of creation; those relating to a child, for 99 years. Closure under the Act does not mean that records are closed forever – in time, all records become available for public access. Meanwhile, under Freedom of Information provisions and special access policies, you can consult closed records in exceptional circumstances. Further information is detailed in PROVguide 14: Special Access, available in A@V and in PROV reading rooms, and in Appendix B. The good news is that records are regularly transferred to the collection, and A@V and other services are always growing. These programs mean that the pool of information PROV can make available to researchers is always expanding.
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Setting your starting points Using archives is quite different to using a library or a genealogical society. The government records held by PROV are organised around government functions and structures that may have changed over time. It is simply not possible to pick documents off shelves and browse through them. Several steps in identifying and ordering relevant items are required before you can examine them. Even then, specific records may only take you a step closer to the required information and not to a final answer. They may also point the way to sources of more information! You can narrow your search through public records by being very clear about what you are looking for and by posing specific questions. An excellent starting point is to establish and write down known information before visiting PROV. For example, for as many family members as possible, gather details of: • full name and any changes of name • date and place of birth • place of residence • place of schooling • profession/occupation • date and place of marriage • date and place of death. These starting points will be vital in narrowing your search through public records. This book follows up the topics that these points may raise about your ancestors’ lives, and provides suggestions for resources and key records to consult.
Finding your way through the records Researchers’ needs are different from those of the individuals or agencies that created the records and research can be slow and complicated. But public records are a source of rich and unique information. PROV provides a range of online and printed information to help you find your way through the archives and to understand how different types of records are organised as well as the type of information they contain.
PROV online: Archives@Victoria There are hundreds of thousands of records within PROV’s collection. Its primary catalogue – A@V – can be found online via our website. The A@V database and our other website resources are also available through computer terminals in our reading rooms. A@V is a time-saver, enabling you to access and browse through lists of PROV records, and to search these lists using key words. All
WELCOME TO PROV
records are ordered through A@V (see page 9). The system maintains a personal and confidential account for users who order records, including keeping a list of every record that has been ordered. You need to register and obtain a password to activate an account. Registration may be done online in A@V, or by consulting our reading room staff. Reference Officers are always on hand to guide you through your first ventures using our online catalogue, Archives@Victoria, the gateway to PROV’s collection.
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Always make Archives@Victoria your first port of call. It is progressively replacing replacing the old print catalogues and provides access to the most popular record series. The collection is not static. New records are received and others are progressively opened.
PROV in print Although A@V holds information on our most frequently used records, you might occasionally need to refer to printed, secondary materials. PROVguides are a good place to start. PROVguides These free, numbered information sheets provide a convenient ready reference to PROV services and some popular research topics. They: • explain the details of PROV services • provide detailed information on locating records • describe the most frequently used records • include a list of professional search agents. PROVguides are available as loose-leaf fliers in the reading rooms, or online in A@V. Chapter 9 outlines some of the other resources available in PROV reading rooms which can help you find information on record series not yet included in the online database.
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Finding records by citing records Each individual record in PROV’s vast collection can be accessed by referring – in a precise, specified order – to certain elements that enable the location, origin and format of the record to be pinpointed, thus facilitating its speedy retrieval. Understanding and using correct citation methods for archival records is also essential for: • ordering in and requesting copies of PROV records (see opposite) • following the trail of someone else’s research • leaving a trail behind your own research (for yourself as well as others)
Untie the red tape on useful records but avoid getting into research tangles by carefully recording all your record sources. (PROV, VPRS 28/P2 Probate and Administration Files, unit 245, file 27/676, Probate papers, John Casselden)
WELCOME TO PROV
• •
referring to public records in research or publications demonstrating that information can be traced back to primary sources. In the following example of a full citation for a particular record, the elements are shown in bold type: Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) [archival authority], VA 2624 Master in Equity, Supreme Court [Victorian Agency (VA) number and title], VPRS 28/P2 [Victorian Public Record Series (VPRS) and consignment numbers], Probate and Administration Files [record series title], unit 245 [unit number], file 37/676 [item number] Probate papers, John Casselden [item details]. Appendix A has a brief explanation of PROV’s archival control system, including a description of the elements and the way they work in citations to help you track down the information you seek. It’s easier than it looks!
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To avoid backtracking, always include a complete citation in your research notes. List the full details of the agency, record series and consignment, record unit and record item for each document you consult.
Ordering records Original records are not available ‘off the shelf’ at the Victorian Archives Centre. To view them you must order them in advance from storage. There is no charge for this service. To order records for viewing, you need to provide your name, user ID number – obtained by registering online in A@V or by visiting our reading rooms – and full record details (see above), including the VPRS and consignment numbers, the unit number, and the item number where available. In this way, the series, unit and item numbers from the record’s citation are used as a reference (see the example above). Orders can be placed through A@V via any Internet connection, including computer terminals in PROV reading rooms. For further information about ordering records, check our website or the PROVguide information sheet available in our reading rooms.
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Record information tables Tables throughout the book provide brief descriptions of some popular and some less well-known record series. The essential information is there at a glance, including VPRS number, title, date range, and a brief description. Use the VPRS number to do a Direct Search in A@V. This will take you to information about the relevant record series (for example, information about the creating agencies, contextual history and access status) and provide links to consignment details and, sometimes, item-level information.
Stories from the archives – Casselden Place case studies
Date ranges The series date range refers to the period over which the series was created. However, the dates of the actual documents within a series may extend beyond the later date, as in the following example: ‘Case books’ of patients in mental asylums ceased being created in 1912, and were replaced by a different form of record known as ‘clinical notes’. No new patients were entered into the case books after 1912, but new information could be added about particular cases/patients therein. So the series date range for case books ends in 1912, but the contents dates might extend for several years after that. The date range given for each record series in this book generally reflects the records in PROV’s custody. For some record series, the date range will change as records become available after periods of restricted access. Always check A@V for the most current date range information for each particular series.
Also dotted throughout the book, you will find case studies which tell the stories of the families who lived in Casselden Place, Melbourne. For almost a century from the early 1850s, this little street was home to a vibrant working-class community of friends and neighbours. Only one small brick cottage now remains in Casselden Place. Casselden Place began as a nameless lane ‘off Little Lonsdale Street’. It became Whelan Lane in about 1859, named after a local property owner Thomas Whelan. In the early 1870s, the Little Lonsdale Street newsagent, John Casselden, bought Whelan’s properties from the then owner, George Simpson. He demolished five of the little wooden cottages on the west side of the street to make way for a row of six three-room brick cottages in 1877. The street then became known as Casselden Street (or Place) after the owner of the newest, and most substantial, homes in the street. More than a century later the last remaining physical reminder of this little neighbourhood is one of Casselden’s brick cottages.
WELCOME TO PROV
Casselden place, Melbourne, was known by many names over the years, including ‘Castletown Place’. Watch out for misspellings like these – they can waylay the unwary. (PROV, VPRS 8601/P2 Detailed Base Plans [DP] 40’ = 1” numeric, unit 3, negative no. 1019)
The Casselden Place case studies illustrate the research process and provide a glimpse into the depth of information PROV records can bring to family history research.
Only one of John Casselden’s row of six brick cottages remains in Casselden Place. Its neighbours are now office buildings, not workers cottages.
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Cuddon family photograph album (Private collection, Eril Wangerek)
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Establishing your family tree Researching one’s family history can be a highly satisfying and worthwhile pursuit, revealing personal links in the chain that connect the past with the present. The information and documents your research uncovers may be exciting and fascinating or disappointingly ordinary. The facts may also be unexpected or contradictory, sad or confronting – family history research can sometimes raise some sensitive issues and complex emotions. Not everyone will want to remember or speak of the past, and people may remember events or details in quite different ways.
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Family history research begins with some everyday questions about individuals. What were their names? Where and when were they born? Did they ever marry, have children, divorce or remarry? When and where did they die? Many of the records held by Public Record Office Victoria can help you to answer these questions and so assist in the task of filling in a family tree. A little preliminary research can focus and speed up the search considerably. It is best to work from the known to the unknown, moving from the present to the past. Begin by gathering and recording information about yourself as well as anything you know about family members and their connections to other people, generation by generation. Chat with relatives, particularly the older ones. Photo albums and visits to personally significant places and people can be very useful memory prompts. Write down everything that anyone can remember about any known (and guessed-at) names, dates, places and key events. At this stage you should include all available information – even if some points seem to contradict others. If possible, transcribe or make careful copies of any existing documents that may have been kept, such as certificates, information written in a family bible and so on.
Getting started From discussions and the documents family members have kept, you can draw a rough family tree outlining the names and significant dates of individual family members, their relationships and the names of places they were associated with. These points (and the connections to any ‘missing branches’) can then focus your further research and unlock the wealth of information available through public and other records. Public records can provide all kinds of details about individuals, including their nationality, immigration details, religion, occupation, place of residence, accumulation or loss of wealth, ownership of property, schooling, encounters with the law, and stays in prison or hospital. Your personal notes on names, dates and places will become an essential reference when consulting the official records at PROV to confirm and add to information provided by family members. So – where to begin? Certificates and indexes are the best way to begin tracing or verifying family relationships. This chapter describes certificates (accessible through the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages) and indexes to the registers of these certificates (accessible at PROV and many other places). In later chapters we will outline examples of other (selected) public records that can help you to add further detail to your family tree.
E S TA B L I S H I N G YO U R FA M I LY T R E E
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Koorie family history research Koories wishing to trace their personal and family history can draw on a range of helpful, specialised services and resources. Childhood experiences such as being adopted or institutionalised can make tracing family history especially important and/or complicated. However, many public records exist that include valuable information about individuals, places and the past activities of agencies and government departments. Help is available for people wishing to track down these records. PROV assistance includes this book and the brochure Finding Your Story: Services and Resources to Help Koories Access Their Records, which is available through the PROV website on <www.prov.vic.gov.au/vkrt/newsletters.html>. A new, larger resource manual to be also called Finding Your Story will be published mid 2004. The brochure lists a range of government departments, Koorie organisations and other agencies that can provide information and practical support. There are also two PROVguides (numbers 65 and 67) entitled Researching Koorie Family History at PROV and Aboriginal Records at PROV, that can be downloaded through Archives@Victoria or picked up in PROV reading rooms. Another excellent resource is ‘My Heart Is Breaking’: A Joint Guide to Records About Aboriginal People in the Public Record Office of Victoria and the Australian Archives, Victorian Regional Office which lists pre-1975 official Commonwealth and Victorian records. Essays in the book tell something of the history of Aboriginal people in Victoria, drawing on information from letters, reports, registers and other kinds of public records. ‘My Heart Is Breaking’ is available from both PROV and the National Archives of Australia. Encouraging people to find their story using public records, The Victorian Koorie Records Taskforce is responsible for a number of initiatives, including events and programs. Check their website at <www.prov.vic.gov.au/vkrt/welcome.htm> for the newsletter Bringing Them Home and links to many other agencies. The Koorie Heritage Trust Inc. is committed to protecting, preserving and promoting the living culture of the Indigenous people of south-east Australia. The Trust offers a Family History Service. The Trust is located at 295 King Street, Melbourne. For further details see <www.koorieheritagetrust.com>. Link Up Victoria helps reunite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who, as children, were separated from their families and placed in care for adoption or fostering, or sent to live in institutions. Link Up offers services associated with achieving family reunions, including research required for accessing family and personal records, obtaining copies of records, arranging and assisting family reunions, and support and counselling. Link Up can be contacted at the Aborigines Advancement League (Victoria) on (03) 9480 6377.
Other sources A Guide to NSW State Archives Relating to Aboriginal People 1998, State Records Authority of NSW, Sydney. A Guide to Records of Indigenous Australians in the Lutheran Archives 1999, Archives Working Group of the Cultural Ministers Council, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra. A Piece of the Story: National Directory of Records of Catholic Organisations Caring for Children Separated from Families 1999, Catholic Social Welfare Commission, Canberra. Records of National Significance: Indigenous Australians – A Report of the Archives Working Group of the Cultural Ministers Council 1997, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.
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Proposed cottages for Aborigines (PROV, VPRS 3686/P1, unit 370, plan ARL 1.40)
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Information is not necessarily true just because it is published in print or on the Internet. Incorrect information is easily passed on, so wherever possible, try to verify facts using a number of sources.
E S TA B L I S H I N G YO U R FA M I LY T R E E
Certificates – births, deaths and marriages Compulsory civil registration of births, deaths and marriages began in Victoria when the Registrar-General’s Department was established on 1 July 1853. Until then records of baptisms, burials and marriages were created by the institutions in which the ceremonies were performed. The returns and certificates of baptism, marriage and burial were sent to either the Registrar of the Church of England Bishop or the Registrar of the Supreme Court. During this early period many births and deaths went unrecorded – not all people were baptised or had funerals (or, indeed, married!). Even after 1853, individuals were reluctant to comply, some churches retained their records, and registry staff had difficulty in collecting data. All this meant that some births, deaths and marriages were never registered. The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages provides unrestricted access to birth certificates after 75 years, to marriage certificates after 60 years and to death certificates after ten years. TIP
Birth, marriage and death certificates contain vital information for your family tree. But the information included may vary over time and you need to bear in mind that the accuracy and completeness of the recorded facts are dependent on the knowledge (or honesty) of the informants. Marriage certificates are generally the most reliable source since the people getting married were the informants, but a death certificate, for example, may have been filled in by someone with little knowledge of the family – a police officer, perhaps, or an undertaker.
A birth certificate may record: • full name of the child • date of birth • place of birth • parents’ names • parents’ places of birth and age at time of child’s birth • mother’s maiden name • parents’ marriage details • previous children born of the marriage • name of the informant.
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A marriage certificate may record: • family names and given names of the bride and the groom • occupations of both parties at the time of the marriage • usual residence of both parties at the time of the marriage • date and place of marriage • dates and places of birth of bride and groom • parents’ names, including the mothers’ previous (maiden) name • signatures of the bride and groom, two witnesses, and the celebrant. A death certificate may record: • full known name of the deceased • date of death • place of death • cause of death and, if known: • place of birth of the deceased • parents’ names • mother’s previous (maiden) name • father’s occupation • marriage details, including children born of the marriage • name of the informant. Copies of certificates can be purchased from the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Some information can be obtained from the indexes to birth, death and marriage registrations, as detailed below.
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Please remember that birth, death and marriage documents available at the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages only hold records of events that took place in Victoria.
Indexes – births, deaths and marriages The indexes to registrations are created by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, and copies are held by a number of organisations in a variety of formats. You will find them in microfiche format in PROV reading rooms.
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While undertaking your family history research, there will be occasions when you’ll want to purchase certificates; at other times you will find that indexes will give you enough information for your purposes. PROV holds the following consolidated indexes (births, deaths and marriages and together). They are organised by family name, given name and then chronologically by the date of the event. (Please note that material is continuously being made available.) • Pioneers Index Victoria c.1837–1888 • Federation Index Victoria 1889–1901 • Edwardian Index Victoria 1902–1913 • Great War Index Victoria 1914–1920 Separate indexes to each type of life event are also available in the PROV reading rooms. These can be useful to check if you are unable to identify an event in the consolidated indexes.
Other BMD indexes The Victorian Early Church Records Index (1837–1853) was compiled by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages from records of baptisms, marriages and funerals which were maintained by authorised clergy of the various religious denominations present in the colony. Some records may still be in the custody of the relevant institution. The Victorian Birth Index (1853–1913) gives the person’s family name and given name, names of the parents, the place where the birth was registered, the year of birth, and number in the register. The Victorian Marriage Index (1853–1930) gives the family names of the bride and bridegroom at the time of the marriage, the year of the marriage, and number in the register. Information is indexed under both the bride and groom’s name. Where a place name is recorded it refers to the place of birth of the first-named party. The Victorian Death Index (1853–1980), arranged in chronological order, provides the deceased person’s name, parents’ names if known, the place of registration of the death, deceased’s age (if known), the year of death, and number in the register. The Death Index Victoria 1921–1985 provides the above information but is arranged by the deceased’s name.
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Remember, some items listed in an index or register may not exist. Not all records survive and some items may have been removed, misfiled or lost during their administrative life.
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What if there’s no death certificate? Sometimes you will need to confirm or establish a person’s date of death through records other than a death registration.
Inquests If you are unable to find the registration of a death, it could be appropriate to search for an inquest. The purpose of an inquest is to determine the exact cause of death and, until 1986, it could also act as a committal hearing. VPRS 24 Inquest Deposition Files (1840–1999) may contain depositions of witnesses, medical reports, and a list of jurors if a jury was involved. The Coroner’s verdict is also recorded: this includes the date, place and cause of death. The most convenient way to access these files is by the Inquest Index. Victoria 1840–1985 (published by Macbeth Genealogical Services), available in PROV reading rooms and at a number of other organisations. This database can be searched by family name, given name, year, and inquest file number. The search results can sometimes yield further information including age, place of death, cause of death and occupation of the deceased. For the period since 1985 you will need to consult the hardcopy index available in PROV reading rooms (VPRS 11901 Database for the Management and Control of Coronial Investigations). The Macbeth inquest index was compiled from original records that included VPRS 1920 Index to Inquests 1840–1959 (microfilm copy of VPRS 23/P0). This microfilm, available in PROV reading rooms, lists the name, registration number and year of each inquest. For some periods it also gives place and cause of death. In the period 1840–80 males and females are listed separately. Once you have found your inquest file number from one of the indexes, you can use it to order the record through A@V. See PROVguide 68: Ordering Wills, Probate and Inquest Records for advice on ordering inquests through A@V. If a person was committed for trial following an inquest, the inquest papers will be located in VPRS 30 Criminal Trial Briefs (1841–1995). Criminal trial briefs are subject to a 75-year period of closure, and therefore may not be accessible. The briefs are also indexed by the name of the accused; this can be another difficulty in obtaining inquest records.
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People’s names can be passwords to historical facts but names may be amended or spelt in various ways over time. Be alert to the possibility of variations, misspellings and nicknames.
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(PROV, VPRS 24/P0 Inquest Deposition Files, unit 338, file 1876/63, Charles Slade) TIP
Place names change. Birth, death and marriage certificates may refer to place names that have been superseded – for example, Emerald Hill is present-day South Melbourne. References listing place names in Victoria are available for consultation at PROV reading rooms – see, for example, Les Blake’s Place Names of Victoria,, available in the VAC Reading Room. Victoria
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Inquest Deposition Files can sometimes provide the answers when you can’t find a death certificate. Key details can then be checked against other records.
Casselden Place case study
Henry Booth Young Henry Booth lived in Casselden Place in the early 1870s. His birth and death certificates were found by consulting the indexes available at PROV and purchasing the certificates from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. These certificates provide the basic structure of his story. His death certificate indicated that there was an inquest into his death. The following tale was constructed from the inquest records kept at PROV and the information found in certificates and in the post office directories of the period. Henry John Booth was born in 1856 in East Geelong, the son of Henry, a Yorkshire farmer, and an Irish mother Dora, who had married at St Peter’s church in Melbourne four years before. By 1865 the Booths had moved to Niagra Lane, Melbourne where another son, Thadeus was born and Henry senior found work as a labourer. Four years later the Booths moved to Casselden Place which, at that time, was still known as Whelan Lane. John Casselden had not yet placed his mark upon the streetscape, and Thomas Whelan’s five wooden cottages stood where Casselden’s brick cottages would be built in 1877. On the night of 22 April 1872, Dora Booth and her two sons attended a meeting at the Temperance Hall in Russell Street. The records recount how Henry John was talking to his brother when he suddenly sighed and began to fit. Blood came out of his nose and mouth, and he died soon after. The body of the fifteen-year-old was taken to his parents’ home in Whelan Lane. The inquest was held in Lonsdale Street before Coroner Richard Youl. One of the Booths’ Whelan Lane neighbours, painter David
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Inquest records can reveal much about your family. Henry Booth’s mother, Dora, was illiterate – she signed her inquest deposition with her ‘mark’. (PROV, VPRS 24/P0 Inquest Deposition Files, unit 273, file 477/1872, Henry John Booth)
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Cunningham was on the jury. Henry’s mother testified that the boy suffered from convulsive fits and had been seen regularly by a doctor, the last time on 10 April, twelve days before his death. Edward Barker, the surgeon performing the post-mortem, found no signs of poison, and stated that the cause of death was ‘bursting of the aortic aneurism’. The ‘good and lawful men of Melbourne’ who sat upon the jury found that ‘Henry John Booth died of an aneurism of the aorta’ (VPRS 24/P0, unit 273, file 477/1872). He was buried in the Melbourne Cemetery in Carlton on 24 April 1872. By 1875, the Booths’ house was listed as vacant and the family had moved on, eventually settling in Euroa, far away from Whelan Lane.
Body cards Until the creation of a new coronial system in 1986, body cards constituted the administrative file for the cases received at the Melbourne Coroner’s Court. Since June 1986, body cards have continued to be created by the State Coroner’s Office as the case filing system for all reportable deaths in Victoria. If you’re looking for information about a person who died after 1959 and there’s no entry in the Index to Inquests (see page 20), you could check VPRS 5524 Index to Body Cards (1959–84) for access to VPRS 10010 Body Cards (1959–94). Indexes to body cards are created annually, with entries arranged in alphabetical order by name; they provide only the name and body card number. The indexes are available in hard copy at the VAC Reading Room. (Please note: Recent indexes and files are held at the State Coroner’s Office.) TIP
Still can’t find a death certificate? Consider checking deaths registered interstate to establish or confirm date of death.
Wills, probate and administration files If you can’t find a death certificate and no inquest record can be found VPRS 3340/P2 Index to Probate and Administrations Issued (1841–1992) (microform copy) could help you to establish a date of death. This index was created by Victoria’s Probate Office and is held by many institutions. It is arranged chronologically in periods of approximately ten years and can be easily searched by family name to establish the year of death. Not all people who have died appear in this index – only those for whom wills, probate or administration papers were filed. (Chapter 8 has more information about wills, probate and administration records.)
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Wills, probate and administration papers can help you determine and understand family relationships. For example, they sometimes contain a marriage date for the deceased.
Adoption records The branches of a family tree take on a different direction – or are sometimes broken or missing – where someone was adopted either at birth or during childhood. To find information about a person who was adopted, you need to be aware of the legislation and the various government departments involved in the process. The first legal adoption in Victoria was registered in October 1929, three months after the Adoption of Children Act 1928 became law. There are no public records that can be called ‘adoption records’ for the period before 1929. Before then, unofficial ‘de facto’ adoptions were sometimes arranged by both government and non-government organisations, as well as by individuals. You may, however, locate information or clues in other records, such as records of state wardship, fostering, boarding-out, court records and maintenance records, and in printed material such as the Victoria Police Gazette. Information may also be available from non-government organisations that are, or have been, involved in child welfare and adoption. Personal or sensitive records relating to children are closed for a period of 99 years. Applications for access to records within the closed period should be made to the relevant agency’s Freedom of Information Officer. (See Appendix B and PROVguide 14: Special Access in PROV reading rooms or online in A@V.) The Neglected and Criminal Children’s Act 1864 required that records be kept of children who were cared for in government reformatory and industrial schools, as well as in government-approved private institutions. VPRS 4527 Ward Registers (1883–1965) (also known as Children’s Registers) are the main source of information held at PROV. These registers record each child’s age, date of birth, addresses, names of relatives, and their history under state care. To gain access to information in the registers, first refer to the AIGS Index to Children’s Registers compiled in 1993 by the Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies. This index lists the children by family name and provides a reference to the appropriate volume. VPRS 4527 and the AIGS Index are available on microfiche at PROV, the State Library of Victoria and other genealogical research centres. (Note that ward registers are subject to the 99-year closure period, so only those that were open to the public in 1993 are on microfiche.)
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For a brief overview of records about adoptions, refer to PROVguide 60: Adoption, Wardship and Related Records, available in A@V and in PROV reading rooms. TIP
Practical assistance is available for Koories who were adopted or institutionalised as children, and now wish to trace their families. (See Koorie Heritage Trust Inc. and Link Up on page 15.)
Divorce records The first Victorian divorce legislation came into effect in 1861. Prior to this a very small number of Victorian residents obtained divorces under English ecclesiastical law. Documents relating to some of these cases may be found in VPRS 282 Equity Case Files Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction (1841–74). Divorce case files from 1861 are found in VPRS 283 Divorce Case Files (1861–1920). To locate a divorce case file, refer first to the Divorce Index Victoria 1861–1900 (published by Macbeth Genealogical Services), available on microfiche in PROV reading rooms and online at <www.macbeth.com.au>. For cases after 1900 you should consult the original index – VPRS 5335 Index to Divorce Cause Books (1861–2002). A copy of this index for the period 1861–1924 is available at the VAC Reading Room only. Both parties to the divorce are listed in the indexes, which provide a case number and date. You will need to check the date range of available files (currently up to 1917). Valuable information may also be gleaned from other series described below. TIP
Seeking records of a sensitive or personal nature? Access restrictions may apply. Some records are closed under certain sections of the Public Records Act 1973. 1973. (Appendix B explains more about restricted records.)
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VPRS NO.
VPRS 283
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
Divorce Case Files 1861–1920 Case files relating to the divorce proceedings in the Supreme Court. The case file may include: the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage; Affidavit of the Petitioner (the party seeking the divorce); Citation; Affidavit of Service of Citation; Appearance on behalf of the Respondent (the other party to the marriage); Respondent’s Answer; and Affidavits verifying answers, among other documents. Accessed through the Divorce Index Victoria 1861–1900 (Macbeth) and VPRS 5335 Index to Divorce Cause Books.
VPRS 5334 Divorce Cause Books 1861–1924 Registers recording petitions for hearings in the divorce and matrimonial jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Details include: date the petition was set down, names of the petitioner and respondent, nature of application (divorce, alimony, separation, nullity of the marriage), hearing date, name of the presiding judge, delivery of the judgment, number of the suit, and names of the attorneys for petitioner and respondent. Accessed through VPRS 5335 Index to Divorce Cause Books. VPRS 5336 Divorce and Matrimonial Court Minute Books 1866–88 A record of court hearings. Details include: hearing date, name of the presiding judge, names of the parties to the case and their attorneys, witness lists or lists of exhibits or other documents presented in the case, and the decision of the court. Hearings are entered in chronological order and there is also an alphabetical index by name of petitioner. Consult Consignment Details in A@V to find the unit containing the date range in which you are interested. VPRS 5515 Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Jurisdiction Court Books 1890–1945 Volumes listing the causes for hearing at each sitting of the court, with the name of the judge presiding and the date of the sitting. Information includes: date the cause was entered in VPRS 5334 Divorce Cause Books (see above), trial date and order number, the names of the parties to the case and their attorneys, number of the action (as allocated in VPRS 5334), verdict recorded, grounds for the divorce. Cases are entered in trial order number, and units organised by date range. Consult Consignment Details in A@V to find the unit containing the date range in which you are interested.
For more information about divorce records, see PROVguide 61: Divorce available in PROV reading rooms or online at A@V.
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Casselden Place case study
William and Ada Stack The residents of Casselden Place often assisted at neighbourhood births and witnessed each other’s wills and marriages. Some families were very close and occasionally their associations became very involved indeed. Consider the Stacks. William Stack and Ada Meyers, both Carlton residents, married in October 1884. She was a sixteen-year-old machinist and he a twentyfour-year-old bootmaker. By the time Ada moved into the cottage at 4 Casselden Street (now Casselden Place), near the corner of Surry Place, the couple had been separated for about ten years. In the divorce papers, William gave a detailed description of his marital woes. The Stacks had moved repeatedly – from Carlton to Fitzroy to Port Melbourne – and, according to William, about three years into the marriage Ada had begun to drink heavily. When he complained, she left him, moving to Baddaginnie near Benalla. He joined her there at her request, finding work as a repairer in the railways service. The couple had been together only four months when Ada began drinking again. She left for Melbourne, and William followed her back to the city. They lived in Collingwood, Fitzroy and Carlton, and Ada’s pattern of drinking and leaving William – for nights, weeks and even months at a time – continued, although William was always able to ‘induce her to return’. The couple finally moved to Richmond. Ada continued to drink heavily and ‘neglected the home to such an extent that [he] repeatedly had to complain about her conduct.’ Finally, one day in June 1893, about nine years after their marriage, Ada left for the last time. William’s powers of persuasion had failed and he was unable to convince her to return. In 1908 William filed for divorce. He stated that he had seen Ada repeatedly between 1893 and 1902, each time asking her to return to him. She always refused, saying, ‘I can get a better man than you to keep me.’ He alleged that he had been unable to bring divorce proceedings earlier because he lacked the means, due to irregular employment, and he denied categorically that he had colluded or connived directly or indirectly with his estranged wife to bring about a divorce. His cousin, another William Stack, served Ada with the papers at 8.00 pm on 27 August 1908 at the corner of Spring and Little Lonsdale Streets. Ada remarked, ‘This is the best thing for both of us that could have happened.’ It was soon clear why. In April 1909 Ada married her ‘better man’. According to the marriage certificate, Frederick Payne was a thirty-four-year-old bachelor, a dealer by trade. Ada passed herself off as a thirty-fouryear-old spinster (rather than a forty-one-year-old divorcee). One of the witnesses at the wedding was a young widow, Clara Jane McGregor, who lived at 8 Casselden Place from 1908 to about 1915.
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Stories behind divorce records can sometimes be troubled, tangled affairs. For Ada and William Stack, divorce was ‘the best thing…that could have happened.’ (PROV, VPRS 283/P0 Divorce Case Files, unit 176, file 1908/129 Stack v. Stack)
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When 10 Casselden Place became vacant in 1912, the Paynes moved in next door to their friend. All of which was very cosy indeed, because about a month after Clara witnessed her friends’ marriage she was again called upon to perform this service – this time for her elder sister, Louisa Naumann, who had found true happiness with Ada’s ex-husband, William Stack. The story of the Stacks and their neighbours, is based on information in VPRS 283/P0 Divorce Case Files, unit 176, file 1908/129 Stack v. Stack, various marriage certificates (Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages) and Sands & McDougall directories (State Library of Victoria).
Cemetery records Cemetery records can also be useful in tracing family connections, and in confirming births or deaths that cannot be located in the civil registration records. PROV holds very few cemetery records. You are advised to consult cemetery authorities directly or to refer to Family and Local History Sources in Victoria (F. Brown, D. Meadley and M. Morgan eds, 7th edn, Custodian of Records, Blackburn, 1996). PROV does, however, hold some records relating to the Old Melbourne Cemetery, which once occupied the site now used by the Queen Victoria Market. The first burial at the cemetery took place in 1837 and the last in 1917, although no new burial plots were issued after 1851. The cemetery was closed in 1922. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 9583 Alphabetical Record of Burials – Old Melbourne Cemetery 1866–1917 The most complete record of burials at the Old Melbourne Cemetery from 1866 (earlier records were destroyed by fire in 1865). Details include: name, age, residence, and place of birth of deceased, date of funeral, person officiating, cause of death, date permission for burial was granted, and to whom permission was given. Please use VPRS 9583/P2 (the microfiche copy) available in the VAC Reading Room. VPRS 9582 Plan of Old Melbourne Cemetery 1873 The whole of the Old Melbourne Cemetery as well as plans of the areas set aside for various religious denominations. Use VPRS 9582/P2 (the microfiche copy) available in the VAC Reading Room. VPRS 9584 List of Burials by Religious Denomination – Old Melbourne Cemetery 1877–1917 A list of burials at the Old Melbourne Cemetery between 9 February 1877 and 30 October 1917, listed according to religious denomination.
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VPRS 9585 Chronological Record of Permissions to Bury – Old Melbourne Cemetery 1877–1917 This series consists of the butts of permission-to-bury slips for the Old Melbourne Cemetery. VPRS 9581 Outward Letter Books – Old Melbourne Cemetery 1877–1910 Copies of outward letters written by the Secretary of the Trustees of the Old Melbourne Cemetery.
Further sources For a general overview of family history resources at PROV, consult PROVguide 51: Records Frequently Used by Family Historians, available in PROV reading rooms or online in A@V. Other PROVguides provide details of family history research contacts and resources. Chapter 9 delves deeper into researching at PROV and offers information about other archives, agencies, genealogical organisations and useful contacts. Hundreds of resources are available to family history researchers!
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View to Williamstown from Port Melbourne, n.d. (PROV, VPRS 8360/P1 Numbered Lantern Slides, unit 1, slide 7 ‘Sandridge Williams Town from Railway Pier’)
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Arriving in Victoria Records of immigration are a valuable resource in tracing details of an individual’s passage to Victoria. They can answer questions such as: Where did they depart from? When did they leave? Who did they travel with? By what means? These records also often provide biographical details – for example, religion, occupation – of family members.
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The types of public records that can provide information on immigration reflect the various ways in which individuals emigrated to this state. For example, particularly in the early years, schemes to assist immigration were necessary to encourage settlers to come out to Australia – some people emigrated to Victoria with the help of an assisted passage. Some immigrants came directly to Victoria while others came on by sea via another colony. Crew members from many ships also came ashore and stayed after being discharged – or after deserting their ships (see ‘Seamen’ in Chapter 6 for more details).
Getting started Hundreds of thousands of migrants came to Victoria between 1839 and 1923, the period for which PROV holds records. In October 1923 many of the state’s responsibilities for immigration were transferred to the federal government. Although Victorian officials continued to create some records after that time, many of the key records (including passenger arrivals by sea and air) are Commonwealth records and are held by National Archives of Australia. When using immigration records, keep in mind that they were created to meet past administrative needs, so you will not always find consistent or complete information. Original record-keeping practices led to some inaccuracies, particularly in passenger lists. Passenger names may have been recorded incorrectly by the clerks compiling the lists or, for various reasons, passengers themselves may have provided inaccurate or incomplete information. In some cases passengers were not listed by name, but only by gender, occupation or family status – for example, ‘Miss Jamieson and servant’, ‘Mr and Mrs Dyson and three sons’. There may be no record at all of some passengers. Despite government regulations, lists of passengers arriving in Victoria were not always created. It is also possible that some lists were removed from official custody; it’s known that a few disintegrated long ago due to poor storage conditions prior to their transfer to PROV. The publication Coming South: Victorian Archives of Immigration 1839–1923 (PROV, 1995) is a comprehensive guide to immigration records held at PROV, and provides a deeper level of detail about the records described in this chapter. It includes a valuable step-by-step
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For a quick reference to shipping and immigration records, check PROVguide 52: Records Relating to Immigration available in PROV reading rooms and in A@V A@V..
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guide for tracing an ancestor through passenger lists. It also describes how other records, including correspondence, accounts and statistics, can be used to gain further information about specific voyages.
SHORTCUT
Before you start your search, check the current status of PROV’s online and CD-ROM immigration indexes with reference staff or on PROV’s website (www.prov.vic.gov.au). Thanks to PROV volunteers, our immigration databases are steadily growing and are periodically updated.
Selected immigration records Assisted immigration from the United Kingdom In order to induce prospective settlers to undertake a long, tedious, uncomfortable and often perilous journey half-way around the world, Australian colonies subsidised a variety of assisted-immigration schemes. Immigration to Victoria was assisted in two main ways: (1) migrant voyages were organised and funded directly by the government; and (2) voyages were organised by entrepreneurs who were paid a subsidy or ‘bounty’ for each suitable immigrant on arrival. The Victorian Government began phasing out assisted immigration in 1873 and by 1883 it had ceased. These schemes were carefully monitored – letters were written, accounts kept and registers compiled – so there is a great deal more official information recorded about assisted immigrants than ordinary passengers.
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Death certificates and naturalisation records may be useful in establishing the approximate date of arrival of an individual in Victoria, although the information is only as reliable as the informant. The applications for naturalisation, which are held by the National Archives of Australia, often contain the date of arrival in Victoria and the vessel’s name. These files are indexed in VPRS 4396 Index to Naturalisation Certificates (1851–1920s) (microfilm copy of VPRS 1190), 1190), available in the VAC Reading Room.
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(PROV, VPRS 14/P0 Register of Assisted Immigrants from the United Kingdom, unit 10, p. 124)
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The series VPRS 7310 Register of Assisted Immigrants from UK (1839–71) (microfiche copy of VPRS 14) is available in PROV reading rooms. The format of these records is relatively uniform, although entries up to 1851 tend to have more information than the later ones. Each entry is headed with the name of the ship, the ports and dates of departure and arrival, and sometimes the name of the ship’s master and the tonnage. The lists of assisted immigrants then follow. An index to the Registers of Assisted Immigrants is now available online through the PROV website. Passenger lists can tell tragic tales of early immigration to Australia. Typhus fever claimed the lives of 168 passengers and crew on the Ticonderoga in 1852.
Passenger lists Passenger lists are divided into two main sections – a nominal list and a disposal list. The nominal list usually gives the details of each immigrant’s name, age, occupation, religion, native place and literacy. The disposal list details what happened to the immigrant after arrival; for example, the name and address of their new employer, their wages, whether rations were included, and the period of employment. The lists, arranged alphabetically within each section, are further divided into three groups, beginning with families (which include children under 14 years), followed by unmarried males, then unmarried females. Thus one family with older sons and daughters may be split within the three groups. Births and deaths during the voyage usually appear after the list of passenger names. Although assisted immigration continued until the early 1880s, after 1871 records of assisted immigrants were no longer kept separately from those of unassisted passengers. The Inward Overseas Passenger Lists described on page 40 are useful resources for the period after 1871.
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SHORTCUT
Visit the PROV website to consult the online Index to Registers of Assisted British Immigrants 1839–1871 (<www.prov.vic.gov.au/access.htm>). Each entry in the index gives book and page number for the register in which details appear.
The Exiles Victoria did not technically accept convicts but a number of prisoners known as the Exiles arrived during the 1840s. These men were sent to Victoria with pardons that took effect as soon as they arrived and were conditional on the men not returning to England for the duration of their sentence. The Exiles are included in VPRS 3990 Index to Registers of Assisted Immigrants from the United Kingdom (1839–71) (see Shortcut above). VPRS 89 Notification of Pardons of Exiles (1844–49) includes copies of the original pardons of the Exiles. A card index to the pardons is available in the VAC Reading Room. A descendant examines the records of her great-great-grandfather, Charles Slade, a convict from England and one of the socalled ‘Exiles’.
Unassisted immigration 1852–1923 It was not until 1852 that ships’ masters were legally required to keep lists of unassisted, fare-paying passengers disembarking at Victorian ports. The lists in VPRS 947 Inward Overseas Passenger Lists 1852–1923 have been microfilmed for conservation reasons. The microfiche are arranged in three subsets for British, New Zealand and ‘foreign’ (outside the United Kingdom or New Zealand) ports of origin. Within each set, the passenger lists are arranged chronologically by the date of arrival of the ship in Victoria.
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Although landing in Victoria as ‘free settlers’, under the conditions of their pardons, convicts known as the ‘Exiles’ could never return home. (PROV, VPRS 89/P0 Notification of Pardon to Exiles, unit 1, Charles Slade)
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Immigration to Victoria index The lists are indexed online (see Immigration Index at <www,prov.vic.gov.au/access.htm>). The index was created over many years with the assistance of a dedicated and enthusiastic team of volunteers. The index includes every name found on the passenger lists that have been indexed to date. Some lists include names of people who contracted to disembark somewhere other than in Victoria, or who planned to travel and were recorded but never actually made the voyage. Remember that the index is a tool that points to the passenger lists – you should always go to the lists rather than rely on the index for evidence. Similarly, don’t discount an index entry if it indicates that the person you are researching arrived from a different port from the one you expected. For example, a passenger list for a journey that started in the UK may include people who boarded the ship en route at a foreign port, but all passengers will be shown in the index as having come from British (UK) ports. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 7666 Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (UK Ports) 1852–1923 Microfiche copy of VPRS 947 Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (1852–1923), subset originating from British ports. Lists are arranged chronologically by date of arrival. The online Immigration to Victoria index refers to UK (British) ports of origin by the letter B. VPRS 7786 Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (New Zealand Ports) (microfiche) 1852–1923 Microfiche copy of VPRS 947 Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (1852–1923), subset originating from New Zealand Ports. Lists are arranged chronologically by date of arrival. The online index “Immigration to Victoria” refers to New Zealand ports of origin by the letter N. VPRS 7667 Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (Foreign Ports) (microfiche) 1852–1923 Microfiche copy of VPRS 947 Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (1852–1923), subset originating from foreign (outside British or New Zealand) ports. Lists are arranged chronologically by date of arrival. It’s useful to check these records if you can’t find your ancestor in the UK lists. The online Immigration to Victoria index refers to foreign ports of origin by the letter F.
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If you are finding it difficult to locate a particular set of passenger lists on the microfiche, and ‘your’ ship comes from a British port of origin, check the List of Ships folder available in PROV reading rooms. The folder contains a fiche-by-fiche, chronological listing of ships arriving in Victoria from British ports. This handy guide makes it easy to locate your ship’s passenger lists on the microfiche. Please note that the guide is a work in progress and may not cover the entire period of arrivals.
Casselden Place case study
David Cunningham We decided to research the life of David Cunningham, one of the jurors at the inquest into the death of Henry Booth in 1872, described in Chapter 2. According to information in Post Office directories, Cunningham, a painter, lived in Casselden Place from 1865 to 1879. His death certificate gave 1879 as the year of his death (from heart disease, rheumatic gout and exhaustion) at the age of forty-nine. It also gave his place of birth as County Tyrone, Ireland, and stated that he had lived in Victoria for twenty-six years. His marriage certificate stated he married in Victoria in 1861.This information suggested that he had arrived in Victoria in 1853 – an unmarried 23-year-old Irish painter. Armed with this information, and the knowledge that certificates are sometimes less than accurate, we set out to find young David in the passenger lists. PROV’s online database, Immigration to Victoria index (1852–99), offered six passengers by that name. The two most likely candidates (from their age and year of arrival) were a 26-year-old passenger arriving on the Henry Moore in April 1854 and a 28-year-old arriving on the Bloomer in July 1853, both from British ports of origin. Both these passengers were older than ‘our’ David’s certificates suggested, but close enough for a look at the passenger lists for the two vessels. The microfiche reference for the Henry Moore was ‘B 67, page 2’ (that is, fiche 67 in VPRS 7666 Inward Overseas Passenger Lists [British Ports], page 2 of the Henry Moore passenger lists). The List of Ships reference guide in the VAC Reading Room lists the ship as the second on the fiche, between the Kate Kearney and the Matilda Wattenbach. Unfortunately, when we consulted fiche B 67, the David Cunningham arriving on the Henry Moore turned out to be a Scottish gardener, not an Irish painter!
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There was more success with the older passenger on the Bloomer arriving in July the year before – found on fiche B 42, page 5. Departing from Liverpool on 18 March 1853, the Bloomer arrived in Melbourne four and a half months later on 5 July 1853. The ship’s master, Thomas Barry Allen, had taken 277 souls safely to the other side of the world. David Cunningham, the 28-year-old painter listed on page 5, was one of 104 Irish passengers. His fellow voyagers were mostly English, Irish or Scottish – only two were listed as natives of ‘other’ places. There were 214 adults, 54 children under 14 years, and nine infants. Seventeen passengers – five families and two servants – travelled in the ‘first cabin’. Cunningham, like most immigrants, travelled steerage. By good fortune (or omission) there were no annotations recording deaths – or births – at sea. Allowing for the five-year discrepancy in age, the profile seemed to fit David Cunningham of Casselden Place – and who hasn’t underestimated their age from time to time?
David Cunningham arrived in Melbourne in July 1853, one of 104 Irish among 277 passengers on the Bloomer. (PROV, VPRS 947/P0, unit 5, passenger list of the Bloomer, p. 5)
ARRIVING IN VICTORIA
Overseas and intercolonial arrivals Sea travel between Australian ports was particularly important in the years before railways were established. Many travellers, business people and migrants made their first landing elsewhere in Australia and came on to Victoria by sea. VPRS 944 Inward Passenger Lists (Australian Ports) (1852–1924) consists of bundles of passenger lists from various Australian colonial ports arranged chronologically in three-month batches. The information in the lists varies but generally includes each passenger’s name, age and occupation. At the time of publication, this series is neither filmed nor indexed, so it can be time-consuming to use unless the name of the ship and the approximate date of the voyage are known. Also, some of the records in VPRS 944 are fragile and access may be restricted for conservation reasons. To find a particular ship, consult VPRS 3504 Inwards Shipping Index 1839–1900 (microfilm copy of VPRS 13), an alphabetical index to ships arriving at Victorian ports.
Other useful immigration records Overseas and intercolonial arrivals 1846–47 If your ancestors arrived in Victoria before 1852, you may find their names listed in VPRS 8794 Register of Inward Shipping (Overseas and Intercolonial Ports) (1846–52) (microfiche copy of VPRS 22, unit 29), available in PROV reading rooms. This register records the arrival and departure of ships at the Port of Melbourne between 1846 and 1852. Passengers are named in lists from January 1846 to October 1847. Access to the records can be obtained through VPRS 8795 Microfiche Index to Register of Inward Shipping (Overseas and Intercolonial Ports) (1846–52), available in the reading rooms. The series VPRS 22 Customs, Shipping and Immigration Records (1839–98) is an accumulation of shipping and immigration-related records including: shipping registers from Victorian ports (e.g. Williamstown, Portland, Port Fairy and Geelong); records relating to shipping masters and seamen; passenger arrivals at Melbourne and customs-related records. For more information see A@V.
Crew members Several series of records relating to the discharge or desertion of crew members are held by PROV. It’s worthwhile noting that crew who left their ships in Victoria may not necessarily have settled here – they may have gone to another state or joined another ship.
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VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 945
Release Books (Mercantile Marine Office) 1857–1922 These books record the mutual release signed by ships’ masters and seamen at the discharge of their duties, and payment of wages at the end of a voyage to Melbourne. Australian, foreign and steam ships are listed separately and, within these categories, entries are arranged by arrival date and ship. An index to ships appears at the start of some volumes, particularly those after 1870. Access to some volumes may be closed for conservation reasons. Please consult reading room staff about the progress of indexing for this series.
VPRS 558
Seamen’s Discharge Certificates (Mercantile Marine Office) 1882–1922 Counterfoils or stubs of the certificates issued to seamen on their discharge or upon final payment of their wages. Information includes: details about the ship, seaman’s age and birthplace, ‘capacity, ability and conduct’, dates of engagement and discharge. They are arranged in order of date of issue and are not indexed.
VPRS 2144 Registers of Deserters and Discharged Seamen 1852–1925 Microfilm copy of VPRS 946. This series consists of: Register of Deserters, Port of Geelong (1852–1925); Register of Deserters (1878–1924); Seamen Discharged Before the Shipping Master, Geelong (1856–1888). Records may include: name of seaman, place of birth, name of ship on which he served, and (for deserters) a brief physical. An index to the Register of Deserters and Discharged Seamen, Geelong, is available in the VAC Reading Room. Ask reference staff for assistance. VPRS 4320 Register of Seamen held at Pentridge 1853–85 Microfilm copy of VPRS 528. Lists of seamen imprisoned for offences such as desertion in the years 1853–56 and 1869–85. Information may include a personal description of the prisoner and details of the offence and conviction.
Correspondence If you would like to delve deeper into immigration records, the correspondence series of the various departments responsible at different times for immigration policy or administration can be useful. The correspondence includes voyage reports from ships’ masters or surgeons-superintendent about such matters as stowaways, illnesses and rationing, letters from immigrants, and information about the
ARRIVING IN VICTORIA
immigrants’ sponsors. Correspondence was usually registered and indexed, so particular subjects or correspondents may be traced through the original record-keeping system. For further information regarding these and other correspondence series, and the registers and indexes controlling them, please consult A&V or the PROV publication Coming South. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 19
Inward Registered Correspondence 1839–51 Correspondence received by the Superintendent of the Port Phillip District. To find information about a particular person or subject, first consult VPRS 2138 Index to Inward Registered Correspondence (1839–43) (microfilm) and then VPRS 2139 Registers of Inwards Correspondence (1839–51) (microfilm).
VPRS 2142 Outward Registered Correspondence 1839–51 Microfilm copy of VPRS 16. Self-indexed books recording outward correspondence from the Superintendent (Port Phillip District) to local recipients and to the colonial government in Sydney, before the separation of the colonies. Subjects include many shipping/ immigration-related matters. VPRS 115
Inward Registered Correspondence I (Immigration Branch) 1849–51 Correspondence includes: applications for passage (free passage, immigration of servants); reports on immigrant ships; reports on the health of immigrants; instructions and discussions on the immigration regulations and procedures, reports on various ethnic groups of immigrants (e.g. Germans); and passenger lists. Access through VPRS 2876 Register of Inward Correspondence (Immigration Branch) (1849–52).
VPRS 116
Inward Registered Correspondence II (Immigration Branch) 1851–52 Correspondence received by the Immigration Branch of the Colonial Secretary’s office. Subjects covered are similar to those in VPRS 115 (see above). Access through VPRS 2876 (see above).
British post-World War II immigration From 1947 to 1983 substantial numbers of British migrants were brought to Victoria under various immigration schemes. Passenger lists for these schemes are held by the National Archives of Australia; however, records relating to personal, employer and state nominations (sponsorship) are held by PROV.
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VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 5978 Sponsor/Applicant Schedules 1947–79 Unindexed registers arranged in nomination number order. Information includes the nominee’s personal details, the relationship of the nominee to the sponsor, employment and accommodation arrangements, and details of the sponsor. VPRS 5979 Shipping Nominal Rolls 1947–76 There may be more than one list for each ship. The lists are arranged chronologically by arrival date, with the immigrants on each list arranged alphabetically by family name. Details of sponsorship may also be included. VPRS 5980 Air Flight Nominal Rolls 1954–79 These rolls are arranged chronologically by flight arrival date, then by migrant family name. The amount of information varies, but it may include name, date of birth, religion, profession, and accommodation arrangements. VPRS 5981 Central Card Index to Sponsors of Migrants 1946–83 May be used to access VPRS 5979 and VPRS 5980 (see above) as it provides the name of the ship or the number of the flight the person arrived on. The cards are in alphabetical order by the family name of either a nominated individual or nominated family group. Details include the name and address of the sponsor. This index and the one below were created to provide access to three series of nomination files (VPRS 5975, VPRS 5976 and VPRS 5977) which are currently closed. VPRS 5982 Card Index to Migrants 1946–83 Information similar to that described in the entry above, but cards also include arrival details if the nomination for sponsorship was successful.
Further sources The series described in this chapter are only a small selection of PROV’s collection on immigration. Consult Archives@Victoria and the PROV publication Coming South: Victorian Archives of Immigration 1839–1923, for further information. For post-1923 immigration records, consult the National Archives of Australia. Numerous other publications may be of assistance in your search for immigrant ancestors. PROV holds a small number in the VAC Reading Room, including the following:
ARRIVING IN VICTORIA
Melton, Jim 1986 Ships’ Deserters 1852–1900, Library of Australian History, Sydney. Nicholson, Ian H. 1990–98 Log of Logs: A Catalogue of Logs, Journals, Shipboard Diaries, Letters, and All Forms of Voyage Narratives, 1788–1988: For Australia and New Zealand and Surrounding Oceans (3 vols), Roebuck Society, Yaroomba, Queensland. TIP
Don’t forget to check the websites of overseas archival authorities and libraries for information about their immigration collections. Australian and overseas genealogical societies, as always, are another important research resource.
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Heatherbrae Avenue, Caulfield, 1971 (Private collection, Zygmuntowicz family)
CHAPTER
4
Land and housing Did your ancestors own, lease or rent their land or house? The details of where people lived can cast light on their place in the world. PROV records relating to residence and land settlement can provide clues to the living conditions and financial position of family members, or the neighbourhoods and communities to which they belonged. Many of the records discussed in this chapter will also be useful to those interested in tracing the history of a particular house, street or local area.
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Background information In order to understand some of the records described in this chapter, particularly those relating to land occupation in Victoria between the 1830s and the 1860s, it is useful to step back and consider the early British settlement of Australia. From 1770, when Lieutenant James Cook claimed the eastern half of our continent for the British monarch, King George III, all the land in that part of Australia was deemed to be vested in the ‘the Crown’. When the new British colony was established several years later, settlement and occupation of land was restricted within specific surveyed areas, known as the ‘limits of location’. The demand for pastoral grazing land constantly pushed, and illegally broached, these official boundaries. The press of pastoralists, particularly from Van Diemen’s Land, resulted in the unauthorised exploration and settlement around Portland and Port Phillip Bay, and consequent decision of the colonial government in Sydney to establish a presence in the Port Phillip District. The first official occupation of land in Victoria was by licence or purchase from the Crown in 1838. If their illegal runs were situated on land surveyed by the government, ‘squatters’ were required to legitimise their occupation by applying for an annual licence. The NSW Waste Lands Act 1847 set up the procedure for selling (or alienating) lands not needed by the Crown. First the land was surveyed, then a proclamation of sale was published in the Government Gazette and an auction held – the minimum acceptable price being £1 per acre. Lessees had a pre-emptive right to purchase, or to seek compensation for their improvements, such as fences or buildings. If the land failed to sell at auction, it was made available for ‘selection’ (by a tendering process) and small landholders (‘selectors’) were able to take up land with a view to becoming self-sufficient. After separation from the Colony of New South Wales, various Victorian Land Acts and amendments to these Acts, stipulated other ways land could be occupied or settled. Some of the land selection/ occupation record series created under certain sections of these Acts are described in this chapter.
Getting started Some research must be completed before relevant PROV land and housing records can be identified and used successfully – it’s essential to have at least a general idea of where a family member lived. Many of the sources used to construct a basic family tree give indications of where family members were living; for example, information on certificates usually includes the place of registration. With this kind of basic information you can tap into other records.
LAND AND HOUSING
Selected records – rural properties Parish plans Parish plans, like township plans, are a record of sale and occupation of Crown land in each parish and town in Victoria. Each allotment of land on a parish plan may be annotated with some or all of the following information: land selection file number; allotment and section number; size and date of Crown grant; name of the original purchaser. Microform copies of parish plans, and maps showing Victorian parishes, are available in PROV reading rooms and at the State Library of Victoria, the Genealogical Society of Victoria, and Land Victoria’s Land Information Centre.
Land selection/occupation files Land selection/occupation files relate to the leasing of Crown land, its licensing for occupation, or its sale (when a Crown grant would be issued). Within the land selection files (see page 54) you may find a plan and survey description of the allotment; documents relating to the licence, lease or purchase of the land; documents relating to occupancy and cultivation requirements the licensee/lessee had to fulfil; and correspondence from the licensee/lessee. There are four main ways to access these files (see page 54). Land selection and occupation files can help you track an ancestor’s progress on the land, ‘on their selection’.
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(PROV, VPRS 625/P0 Land Selection Files, sections 19 & 20, 1869, unit 380, file 26849 P. Griffin)
52 CHAPTER 4
LAND AND HOUSING
Consult the parish or township plan (if you know the general location of the piece of land you are researching). The file number usually looks like a fraction (e.g. 1234/19.20): the top number is the sequential file number; the bottom number indicates the section(s) of the particular land Act under which the land was selected for licence, lease or purchase. (There are several relevant land Acts – the main ones are Amending Land Act 1865 and Land Act 1869.) TIP
Before you order land selection files, be sure to check every record series that relates to the bottom half of the file number. For example, if the land selection file number is 357/19.20 – indicating the 357th file relating to land selected under sections 19 and 20 (of Land Act 1869) 1869) – you should consult both VPRS 625 and VPRS 626 (see next page) regardless of the date of selection.
Consult the registers of applications for specific section(s) of the relevant Land Acts. There are a large number of registers, but most have alphabetical listings that can be browsed by family name and they give the sequential application number which became the file number. These series of registers are identified by the district, the section of the Land Act, and the name of the Act. Consult the microfilmed card indexes. These have been created for several record series. These indexes are available in PROV reading rooms and may be searched by the selector’s family name. Consult the microfiche catalogue of Crown Land and Survey Files (see page 55 for a full description) which lists a number of record series. There are two separate listings: VPRS 7311 lists records by parish; VPRS 7312 lists the same records by file number. Ideally, to use the catalogue you need to know the file number; however, you can browse the catalogue if you have a parish or township name and use other identifying information, such as the number of the ‘section’ (the particular parcel of land) and the allotment number – for example, section F, allotment 34 – to find files. TIP
To access some of the land selection/occupation files you will need to know the land district under which ‘your’ parcel of land was administered. If you know the parish or township, you can find the relevant land district by consulting the Township and Parish Guide in a PROV reading room.
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The table below contains examples of land selection/occupation record series available at PROV, some of which may be accessed by several registers and indexes. For more detail about these series, their controlling registers and indexes, and other records in the collection, consult A@V. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 625
Land Selection Files, Sections 19 and 20, Land Act 1869 1870–74 Land files created for land selected under sections 19 and 20 of the Land Act 1869. Under section 19 selectors could apply for a 3-year licence to occupy Crown land. Section 20 allowed selectors who had improved their allotments to lease and purchase them.
VPRS 626
Land Selection Files by Land District, Sections 19 and 20, Land Act 1869 1874–1911 Land files created by the Occupation Branch of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538) after 1874 (land selected under sections 19 and 20 of the Land Act 1869). To access this series you will need to consult the Parish and Township Guide to identify the land district for the parcel of land.
VPRS 629
Land Selection Files, Section 33, Land Act 1869 1870–77 Land files documenting the occupation and selection of Crown land under Section 33 (Land Act 1869). Section 33 provided that a lessee satisfying certain conditions could choose to obtain a Crown grant for the land, or to surrender their original lease for a new 7-year lease.
VPRS 624
Land Selection Files, Land Act 1865, Section 42 1865–70 Land files relating to land selected under Section 42 (Land Act 1865) – applications for a licence, renewable annually, to occupy land (for residence and cultivation) on or adjacent to goldfields. Please note that, at the time of publication, the title of this series was under review. Most files became part of the file created under Section 31 (Land Act 1869).
VPRS 627
Land Selection Files, Land Act 1869, Section 31 1870–1918 Land files for land selected under Section 31 (Land Act 1869), allowing conversion to freehold of land held by licence under Section 42 (Land Act 1865). If you are having difficulty locating a file number on parish plans for VPRS 627 consult the application register for Section 31 in VPRS 13118 or the Registers of Licensees for districts under Section 42 (Amending Land Act, 1865).
LAND AND HOUSING
VPRS 242
Crown Reserves Correspondence 1850–1980 This series includes correspondence relating to Crown land reserves such as public parks, foreshores, and flora and fauna reserves, as well as the proclamation of townships and roads. Access is facilitated by VPRS 7312 or VPRS 7311 (Catalogue of Crown Lands and Survey Files described below).
VPRS 439
Land Selection Files, Section 49, Land Act 1869 1872–1945 Land files for land selected under Section 49 (Land Act 1869) – applications for a licence to occupy land (for residence and cultivation) on or adjacent to goldfields, renewable annually with selectors holding only one licence at a time with a later right to purchase. Access is facilitated by VPRS 7312 or VPRS 7311 (see below) or by consulting the Registers of Applications for Section 49 of each Land District.
VPRS 5357 Land Selection and Correspondence Files 1856–1984 Land selection and correspondence files of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey. The files document the occupation of land before its alienation from the Crown. Access is facilitated by VPRS 7312 or VPRS 7311 (see below). VPRS 5714 Closer [and Soldier] Settlement Files 1898–1960 Land files relating to ‘closer’ and soldier settlement schemes. Two major types of file (estate and selection) are found in this record series. Estate files record the government’s repurchase of land for denser settlement (on smaller blocks), and selection files record the lease and purchase of an allotment by a settler. Access is facilitated by VPRS 7312 or VPRS 7311 (see below).
Crown Lands and Survey Files The catalogue of Crown Lands and Survey Files facilitates access to about two-thirds of lands files held at PROV. It is available on microfiche in PROV reading rooms and is available in parish/township order or file-number order. If you know the file number, consult VPRS 7311 Catalogue of Crown Lands and Survey Files: File Number Order (1840–1984) (microfiche). If you know the location of the land (parish/township; section/allotment), use VPRS 7312 Catalogue of Crown Lands and Survey Files: Parish/Town Order (1840–1984) (microfiche). The first column on the microfiche – headed ‘PRO ref.’ – gives the VPRS, unit, and file order within the box. The next headings – ‘File Cat.’ and ‘Serial’ – make up the file number. The other columns describe: date range; parish, township (T) or county; land allotment and section, or description of the file contents; land area or description; land district under which the land was administered.
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Some of the series covered by the catalogue are described above. Others include: VPRS 440 Land Selection and Occupation Files (1869–1928); VPRS 444 Miscellaneous Files: Lands (unsorted); and VPRS 6605 Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands – Inwards Correspondence (1853–60). For more information about the format and use of the catalogue, consult A@V. See also the printed guides in our reading rooms – Guide to the Catalogue of Crown Lands and Survey Files Held at the Public Record Office Victoria (1986) and The Lands Manual (1992). See page 69 below for publication details. Cottage showing its age, on the outskirts of Ararat, c.1950 (PROV, VPRS 10516 Photographs and Negatives of Government Buildings, unit 1, Wattle and daub cottage near Ararat)
Pastoral run files From 1838, squatters were required to legitimise their occupancy of their pastoral runs by applying for a licence for the land. The series described below contain the documents associated with this process. With the name of the licensee, you can use secondary sources such as Pastoral Pioneers of Port Phillip by R.V. Billis and A.S. Kenyon, to determine the name of the run and the chain of occupancy. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 5920 Pastoral Run Files [Microfiche copy] 1840–78 Microfilmed papers relating to pastoral runs, including information on government policy and administration, as well as files relating to individual runs. Available in PROV reading rooms and indexed by the name of the run. VPRS 244
Pastoral Run Plans [Microfiche copy] 1848–75 Microfilmed pastoral run plans, showing details of the runs including their location and boundaries. Accessed by the files in VPRS 5920 (described above).
VPRS 5826 Pastoral Run Registers [Microfiche copy] 1848–75 Arranged alphabetically by run name within each lands district, containing details of pastoral run holders including: application number; run name; lands district in which the run was located; and details in changes of run holders. Each microfilmed register has an alphabetical index of the runs listed.
LAND AND HOUSING
Selected records – town properties Township plans Township plans record subdivisions, details of settlement and tenure, and dealings relating to Crown land in Victorian towns. The plans show town allotments surveyed for sale by the Crown, government roads, public reserves, allotment and section numbers, details of allotment acreage, length and compass bearing of boundaries, the names of the grantees (the original purchasers), the dates of Crown grants, and related correspondence file numbers. Microform copies of township plans are available at PROV reading rooms as well as at Land Victoria, the State Library of Victoria, the Australian Institute for Genealogical Studies and the Genealogical Society of Victoria. The names of grantees appear on current record plans unless the land has reverted to Crown land and then the subsequent purchaser’s name is recorded. In this case the original grantees’ names can be found on superseded or ‘Put Away’ record plans at Land Victoria. Information relating to titles and subdivision of freehold land is also held at Land Victoria.
Directories Post Office and other directories are generally fruitful sources of further information if you know the area in which an individual lived. They usually contain commercial listings and alphabetical listings of people, sometimes divided by streets or areas. The structure of directories can vary but they are reasonably easy to use if you know the individual’s name and/or occupation. The State Library of Victoria has produced microfiche copies of several of these directories, which are available at many institutions, including local libraries and genealogical societies. At the time of publication, the following are available in the VAC Reading Room: • Port Phillip / Victoria Directories (1839–67) • Bailliere’s Victorian Directory (1868–72; 1875; 1880-81) • Sands & Kenny Melbourne Directory (1857–61) • Sands & McDougall Melbourne Directory (1862–1900) • Wise’s Victoria – Post Office Directory (1884–85; 1888–89; 1891–1900) The Ballarat Archives Centre reading room has microfiche copies of the Port Phillip and Bailliere’s directories, and photocopies of Post Office directories relating specifically to Ballarat and surrounding areas.
Rate books and valuation records Rate books and valuation records list the exact address, the name of the owner, a description of the dwelling, the rates paid and sometimes
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the occupant’s name and the name of the house. As rate books and valuation records are arranged (not necessarily alphabetically) by streets within council wards or ridings, it’s advisable to check the person’s street address in a Post Office directory before consulting the rate books. If you don’t know the name of the street, you’ll need to scan the rate book listings for the person’s name. Once you have located the address in the rate book, you can do a year-by-year search to build up a picture of the movements (or non-movement) of the household. Some rate books and valuation records are available in microform in PROV reading rooms, the State Library of Victoria and other institutions. For a current listing of rate books held by PROV, please consult A@V. Council rate books allow you to follow your family, their neighbours, friends, aunts and uncles, as they move house, often within the same suburb.
(PROV, VPRS 9990/P1 Rate Books [Richmond], unit 433, p. 28)
LAND AND HOUSING
TIP
Over time, street names can vary and street numbers change or disappear (for example, when land was subdivided). When tracing a household through directories or rate books, start at a time when its exact street address is known. If possible, keep track of near neighbours as you build up a year-by-year picture of the site – this will help you to identify the site again when street numbers change or disappear, and identify the movements of the household.
City of Melbourne records If your ancestors lived in the City of Melbourne, there are several resources in addition to rate books and Post Office directories that may assist you in compiling a picture of your family’s home and neighbourhood. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 4029 Citizens Lists and/or Citizen Rolls 1843–1994 Lists of citizens eligible to vote in the Melbourne City Council elections – originally rate-paying males over 21 years of age occupying a property valued at £25 or more. Women began to appear on the lists towards the end of the nineteenth century. Voters were listed in alphabetical order within each electoral ward. Information varied over the years but after 1863 included the voter’s name, residential address and occupation, type of property and its location. PROV holds volumes of the lists for 1843–1994, but microform copies are available at the VAC Reading Room for 1877–91 and at the State Library of Victoria for 1861–1902. VPRS 9288 Notices of Intention to Build 1850–1916 Notices from property owners or builders informing the Council’s building surveyor of their intention to build in the City of Melbourne. Details include: address or location of the building, nature of works, commencement date, name of the owner, builder and architect if any, and the date of notice. The series is accessed by VPRS 9289 Building Notices Register and Index (1850–1915). Much of the information in the notices is available in VPRS 9463 Burchett Index: Notices of Intention to Build (Microfiche) (1850–1916), which cover major building projects (not chimneys or privies etc.). VPRS 9462 Index to Architects Named in Notices of Intention to Build (Microfiche) (1850–1916) accesses the same information by architect. The microfiches are available in the VAC Reading Room, the State Library of Victoria and some other institutions. Due to the fragile nature of the original notices, you should use the Burchett index when possible.
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VPRS 11200 Building Application Plans 1916–46 Building plans submitted to the Council for approval as part of a building application made by an owner. This system replaced the Intention to Build notices (see above). The plans are arranged in building application number order – obtained from VPRS 11202 Building Application Index (1916–93). VPRS 11201 Building Application Files 1916–60 This series contains the building application and any relating correspondence and other documents such as specifications. The series is arranged in building application number order obtained from VPRS 11202 Building Application Index (1916–93). VPRS 9282 Property Sales Register 1937–72 This series was probably compiled by the City Valuer’s office to monitor property values in the City of Melbourne. The register, arranged by street name, records sales in that street. Details include: date of sale, ward number, vendor, purchaser, description of property, measurements, sale price and price per foot/metre.
Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) plans These plans were created by the MMBW to plot water, sewerage and drainage works. In addition to these services, the plans also show streets, buildings and property boundaries, particularly in the city and inner suburbs, in great detail. The plans may be accessed by index maps, which are available at the VAC Reading Room. When you have located your plan number on the index map, you can order a negative of the plan for viewing. The map collections at the State Library of Victoria and the University of Melbourne also hold some published lithographed copies of these original plans. References to MMBW survey field books (see the table on page 64) can be found on the original detailed base plans in PROV’s collection but not on plan copies held in other collections. For more information about these series consult A@V.
Cuddon family home at 23 Clifton St, Richmond (see opposite), about 1895 (Private collection, Eril Wangerek)
LAND AND HOUSING
Take a look around your ‘family’ house and garden, including paths and outside toilets, by consulting MMBW plans. (PROV, VPRS 8601/P2 Detailed Base Plans [DP] 40’ = 1’’ numeric, unit 3, negative no. 1070 [Richmond])
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Casselden Place case study
Owners and residents in 1877 The resources available at PROV can provide a fascinating glimpse into the life of a street or neighbourhood. You can use the information found in City of Melbourne citizens lists, rate books and notices of Intention to Build, as well as in Post Office and other directories, titles and land records, to build up a picture over many years. The following table shows some of the neighbours in the small working-class community of Casselden Place in 1877.
Address
Occupant
Occupation
Owner/agent/ ratepayer
Occupation
Residence
Casselden Street
John Moloney
labourer
John Moloney
labourer
Whelan Lane1
Casselden Street
Edward J. Tuckwell? labourer (Edwin Tugwell listed in 1877 Sands & McDougall directory)
John Brown
grocer
Little Lonsdale St [155?]
Casselden Lane
Thomas Moloney
John Brown
grocer
Little Lonsdale St [155?]
EAST SIDE
carter
WEST SIDE Casselden Lane
David Cunningham2 painter (See also the case study in Chapter 3.)
David Cunningham
painter
Cunningham Place (MCC Citizens List)
Casselden Street
cottage being built? (see ‘Notes’ – no listing of occupant in MCC rates)
John Casselden
newsagent
Little Lonsdale St
Casselden Lane
cottage being built? (see above)
John Casselden
newsagent
Little Lonsdale St
Casselden Lane
cottage being built? (see above)
John Casselden
newsagent
Little Lonsdale St
1 At this time Casselden Place was known in some directories as Casselden Lane and in others as Whelan Lane (after a previous property owner). 2 David Cunningham lived at the corner of Cunningham Place and Casselden Lane/Place. Cunningham Place was the little street that joined Casselden Place at the southern end of Little Lonsdale Street.
LAND AND HOUSING
Building description
MCC rates
Notes
wood house, 2 rooms
£8
John Moloney (any spelling) not listed in MCC Citizens List Sept 1877, but listed (Maloney) in Sands & McDougall directory 1877.
brick house, 4 rooms
£18
William Butler, dealer – former occupant of this house – now listed in nearby McGrath Place (MCC Citizens List 1877).
brick house, 5 rooms
£20
brick and wood house, 3 rooms
£15
Titles book 268, folio 679, 15.8.1877 – further charge, £50 (David Cunningham to trustees of Loyal Melbourne Lodge: Joseph McLean, Ephraim Zox, Robert Richardson [holders of the mortgage]).
brick house, 3 rooms (see ‘Notes’ – MCC Notice of Intention to Build)
£14
MCC Notice of Intention to Build: Notice 7086, 16/2/1877; builder George Tuxworth – intention to build ‘six cottages in Casselden St, off Little Lonsdale St east’. MCC rate book already lists new brick house (formerly a wooden house on this site).
brick house, 3 rooms
£14
William Taylor, labourer – former occupant of this site – now in nearby McGrath Place (MCC Citizens List Sept 1877). MCC rate book already lists new brick house (formerly a wooden house on this site).
brick house, 3 rooms
£14
Re John Casselden: MCC Citizens List Sept 1877 states he owns 6 houses in Casselden Street (and 8 in Little Lonsdale). MCC rate book already lists new brick house (formerly a wooden house on this site).
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VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 8604 Record Plans 160’ = 1” numeric
1890–1950
VPRS 8601 Detailed Base Plans [DP] 40’ = 1” numeric
1891–1950
VPRS 8602 Detailed Base Plans [DP] 40’ = 1” alpha-numeric
1950–1970
VPRS 8605 Record Plans 160’ = 1” alpha-numeric
1950–1970
VPRS 8600 Survey Field Books 1891–1970 Workbooks used by MMBW surveyors while surveying allotments to enable household connections to services. The gathered information was used for the creation and amendment of the detailed base plans.
Selected records – all properties Applications for certificates of title Any land in Victoria sold prior to October 1862 was sold under a ‘general law’ system of land registration in which title was established and transferred by the creation of deeds or memorials. Ownership was vested in all the documents generated in this process from the original alienation of the land from the Crown. Consequently, proving ownership was a cumbersome and time-consuming process. With the passing of the Real Property Act 1862, the Torrens title system was introduced in Victoria and certificates of title were now issued for new subdivisions of Crown land. Original certificates were held at the Office of Titles (now Land Registry, Land Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment) and duplicates given to the owners. To bring land under the new system, owners were encouraged to apply for a ‘certificate of title’, proving ownership from the initial alienation of the land (there are still properties that have not been converted). After title conversion, the owner was issued with a certificate of title, which is positive proof of ownership. The files generated by this process can be found in VPRS 460 Applications for Certificates of Title (1862–1996) and are a valuable resource for tracing the chain of ownership of a property. (Copies of certificates of title can be obtained from Land Victoria’s Land Information Centre or online through the ‘Land Channel’ at <www.land.vic.gov.au>.) Files in VPRS 460 vary greatly in terms of content. They may include: the application; schedule of supporting documents and the
LAND AND HOUSING
documents themselves (crown grant, deeds, mortgages etc.); surveyor’s report; plan of survey; Legal Examiner’s requisition and report; correspondence; statutory declarations; and draft certificate of title. To access material in VPRS 460 you need to know the application number, which can be found in three ways: • Occasionally, the number appears on the certificate of title. • For applications registered up to July 1866, you can consult an alphabetical index of applicants by family name in unit 1 of VPRS 405 Register of Applications for Certificates of Title (1862–1964). • For applications registered after July 1866, look for it on the charts, plans and so on held at Land Victoria. This can be quite time-consuming unless you have a good idea of the location of the allotment (near a railway line; down the road from the Methodist Church). For information about searching a general law title, consult Land Victoria’s online ‘Land Channel’ (see above).
Electoral rolls Electoral rolls list all the people entitled to vote in an election. In Australia, universal compulsory suffrage was only introduced in the twentieth century – before this, an individual’s right to vote was determined by their gender, race and ownership of land. Furthermore, the right to vote was not granted to all Indigenous Australians until 1967, and compulsory enrolment and voting for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders was not introduced until 1984. Nevertheless, electoral rolls can be an effective way of ascertaining a person’s address at a particular time. Commonwealth electoral rolls compiled between 1903 and 1989 list voters alphabetically within electoral district, so you need to have some idea of where a person lived in order to use them. Since 1990, separate alphabetical lists of electors have been maintained for each state and territory. The State Library of Victoria holds the state’s most comprehensive selection of electoral rolls – these contain each voter’s name, address and occupation and are useful in tracing residents of cities as well as regional areas. PROV holds an almost-complete roll for 1876 in VPRS 1226 Supplementary Inward Registered Correspondence (to the Chief Secretary’s Department) (1841–1979) (see A@V for more detail). This is not duplicated in the State Library’s collection. The VAC Reading Room also holds a microfiche copy of the Victorian Electoral Roll 1856. The Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies and the Genealogical Society of Victoria also hold copies of some past electoral rolls. Check their library catalogues for details. The Australian Electoral Commission and the Victorian Electoral Commission hold current electoral rolls.
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Probate records Probate and administration papers usually give an inventory of all property a person owned at the time of their death, including land. This information can be a good starting point if other sources are not useful or are too difficult to use successfully without further detail. More details about probate records can be found in Chapter 7 of this book.
Valuation registers The registers within VPRS 8040 Valuation Registers (1930–79) were created by the Department of the Treasurer (1930–69) and the Office of the Valuer-General (1969–79), for the purposes of determining land tax. The registers are a comprehensive lot-by-lot record of land values throughout Victoria and contain information such as: the number of the house (metropolitan only), dimensions of the land or acreage, lot and lodged plan number or allotment number, details of improvements on the land (such as buildings erected), sale particulars, tax payer (owner) details, and title volume and folio number if known. Within each Head Office Division or Regional Office, the volumes were arranged alphabetically according to the municipalities within their jurisdiction. A@V has more detail about this series. Valuation records after 1979 are held by the Valuer-General Victoria, Land Victoria (a division of the Department of Sustainability and Environment). Access may be restricted.
Other useful land-related records The PROV collection contains many records of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538), such as departmental correspondence files, applications to select land, returns of rents received, and registers of land sales. Several useful series are listed below. As a starting point for your research, you could do a ‘Direct Search’ in A@V using ‘Agency ID’ (agency identification – the VA number) and look at the lists of records created by the Department. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 44
Inward Registered and Unregistered Correspondence 1839–96 Correspondence sent to the various agencies responsible for lands in Victoria. The major component of this series spans 1839–78; however, some files date into the 20th century. Subject matter ranges from early surveying to transactions relating to selectors and licences for business sites, quarries, residence and cultivation. If you know the correspondence file number, you can access the files through VPRS 8670 Microfiche Catalogue of Crown Lands and
LAND AND HOUSING
Survey Files in VPRS 44 (1839–1930). To identify file numbers consult the registers and indexes to the series – VPRS 226 Index to Inward Registered Correspondence (1856–76) (microfilm copy of VPRS 5522); VPRS 227 Registers of Inwards Correspondence (1856–76) (microfilm copy of VPRS 70); VPRS 228 Alphabetical Registers of Inward Correspondence (1876–96) – all available on microfilm in the VAC Reading Room. For more information consult The Lands Manual (available in PROV reading rooms) or A@V.
VPRS 873
Notice of Land Sales by Public Auction 1852 Technical descriptions of land designated for sale. After allotments were sold, details of the purchaser were entered alongside the description of the land. Lists of land designated for sale were also proclaimed in the Government Gazette and advertised in newspapers.
VPRS 11869 Notices of Sale by Auction (Sale Bills) 1890–1983 Notices prepared and distributed three months prior to the auction of Crown lands. The notices give details of the sale, including the size and orientation of the allotments offered. Volumes are arranged chronologically and an alphabetical index by place of sale is included at the front of each volume. VPRS 80
Auctioneers’ Reports of Land Sales by Public Auction 1847–1984 Auctioneers’ reports of sales of Crown lands by public auction. Details on the reports include: date and place of sale, name of officer conducting the sale, details of the lots offered, name and residence of the purchaser, extent sold and amount of deposit paid. Look up the series information for VPRS 80 in A@V for the year and area in which you are interested. For the period to 1869, consult the microfilmed card index VPRS 132 Index to Reports of Lands Sales, available in PROV reading rooms.
VPRS 11862 Register of Land Sales by Public Auction 1837–1972 Details of each individual sale from the auctioneers’ reports (see above), including: place and date of sale, county/town, allotment and section, purchase price, name and residence of purchaser. Sales are arranged in chronological order and the registers have an alphabetical index by place of sale and town/county/parish in the front of each volume. (The approximate date of sale of an allotment can be ascertained by checking the appropriate parish plan for the Crown grant date for the allotment.) VPRS 11868 Register of Crown Grants 1838–51 Details of Crown grants issued as a result of sale of Crown land by public auction. Details include: Grantee’s name, quantity of land purchased, description of land and conditions, payment details. Indexed by VPRS 11863 Consolidated Name Index to Register of Crown Grants (1838–51).
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VPRS 11866 Register of Crown Grants 1851–58 Details of Crown grants issued as a result of sale of Crown land by public auction as well as grants issued under pre-emptive rights, selections and for special purposes (school, church etc). Indexed by VPRS 11867 Name Index to Register of Crown Grants (1851–58). VPRS 11865 Register of Crown Grants 1859–1988 Up to 1869, details of Crown grants issued as a result of sale of Crown land by public auction, as well as pre-emptive rights, selections and for special purposes. From 1870, only grants issued as a result of sale by auction were recorded in this series. For other Crown grants, and for those issued after 1988, see VPRS 11864 below. The registers are self-indexed by parish/town and name of grantee. VPRS 11864 Register of Crown Grants 1870–1991 Details of Crown grants issued following conversion of licences and leases to freehold title. Self-indexed by parish/town (front of volume) and name of grantee (back of volume). Records of Crown grants after 1991 are held by the Department of Treasury and Finance. VPRS 102
Register of Purchasers of Town Land 1837–56 Two volumes: County of Bourke 1837–55 and County of Grant 1840–56.
Archetypical Australian homestead, central Victoria (Private collection, Zygmuntowicz family)
LAND AND HOUSING
Further sources Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies, Victorian Crown Grantees Index, Part 1 (from 1838). This nominal index (microfiche) covers 600 out of 2005 Victorian parish plans. Cabena, Peter, Heather McRae and Elizabeth Bladin 1992 The Lands Manual: A Finding Guide to Victorian Lands Records, 1836–1983, Royal Historical Society of Victoria, Melbourne. Cabena, Peter and Heather McRae (comps) 1986 Guide to the Catalogue of Crown Lands and Survey Files Held at the Public Record Office Victoria, August, Department of Conservation Forests & Lands, and Department of Property & Services, Victoria. Land Victoria’s Land Information Centre, Marland House, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne. For contact details, services and opening hours, see the State Government’s ‘Land Channel’ website at<www.land.vic.gov.au>. PROV, Historical Records of Victoria: Foundation Series (various volumes), Victorian Government.
69
Maryborough Primary School, 1874 (PROV, VPRS 1396 Photographs of State School Buildings in Victoria, unit 4, Maryborough)
CHAPTER
5
School days Education records can be a rich source of material for family history research. You can use them to find out details of family membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; school attendance and to gather information about individual schools. PROV holds an extensive number of records relating to education in Victoria. However, schools that are still in operation also hold many records.
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Getting started To track down records from a particular place or time, you’ll need a basic understanding of the development of the Victorian school system. Victoria maintained a dual system of publicly funded schools until 1872: until 1862, the Denominational School Board administered the funding and regulation of church-based schools, while the National School Board oversaw government-funded secular schools. In 1862, the Board of Education was established, the Denominational School Board dissolved, and a system of common and rural schools established. Common schools were to provide a minimum of four hours of daily secular education. In 1872, the Education Act brought government-funded, non-secular schooling to an end. From January 1873, the newly formed Department of Education oversaw a system of compulsory, free, secular education. Financial aid to church schools ceased in January 1874, but the schools were allowed to continue an independent system without funding. The Department became the employing body for teachers, and Victoria was given its first Minister for Education. Since that time, the Department has undergone many changes in name and structure. For further information about the development of education in Victoria use A@V’s Keyword Search to find ‘education’ in the search category ‘Function (VF)’. Public Record Office Victoria holds records of both the central administration of education in the state and the educational institutions themselves. Many state primary schools and a limited number of post-primary educational institutions have transferred records to PROV, although the collection is far from comprehensive. Not many records from individual state secondary schools, TAFE colleges or universities have been transferred to date.
Teachers PROV does not hold discreet teacher personnel files although some summary records and correspondence between teachers and the Education Department are held. Some records, which contain personal and private information, are closed for approximately 75 years so a Freedom of Information (FoI) Request to the Department of Education and Training may be necessary to access those records. Information, such as school roll numbers, gleaned from summary records, FoI requests or other sources, may be used to find information about a teacher’s time at that school in Departmental correspondence.
SCHOOL DAYS
Students Not all pupil registers are held by PROV. Many remain in the custody of the school in which they were created, many remain in the local region, and others have not survived. Information about students may be found in alternative sources such as school records other than pupil registers and in correspondence sent from schools to the Education Department. For those wishing to research the history of a particular school, PROV can provide a wealth of records dating from the establishment of the Denominational School Board in 1848.
TIP
If yo you’ u’re re lucky, lists of pupils and their parents are sometimes found within correspondence sent from state schools to the Education Department. For instance, lists of potential pupils may have been submitted as part of a community’s campaign for the establishment and building of a local school. These records may be found in VPRS 795 School Building Files. Files. Note that if you find such records they will be a ‘snap-shot’ of pupils at a point in time. You will find complete lists of students only in records created in schools themselves.
School correspondence files can place your family history within the context of a local community.
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Selected education records State primary schools Information about state primary school pupils may be found in both school records and correspondence sent to the Education Department. You will need the school number as well as the school name to find these records. Each PROV reading room holds a list of school names and numbers. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 640
Central Inward Primary School Correspondence 1878–1962 Includes correspondence from primary schools to the Education Department. Correspondence is arranged in date-range bundles according to the number of the primary school.
VPRS 795
Building Files: Primary Schools 1863–1975 Includes information about requests from the community for schools, obtaining grants, raising local money, site selection, construction and maintenance of school buildings, residences and the maintenance of grounds and equipment. Files are arranged in school number order.
VPRS 796
Outwards Letter Books, Primary Schools 1868–1938 Correspondence sent from the Education Department to primary schools. Letters are arranged in school number order.
VPRS 10059 Outwards Letter Books 1886–1965 General correspondence sent from the Education Department. Letters are bound in volumes according to recipient or subject matter. From 1938 correspondence is organised by year, and then by recipient or subjects such as cooking, elocution, employment and scholarships.
SHORTCUT
Remember to check PROVguide 56: Records Relating to Education. This handout, available in online and in PROV reading rooms, provides a quick reference to the most commonly used series.
SCHOOL DAYS
(PROV, VPRS 640/P0 Central Inward Primary Schools Correspondence, unit 299, Sale Primary School No. 545)
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TIP
Check A@V for the name of the (state) school in which you are interested. Many schools have transferred their records to PROV. These may include pupil registers, minute books, inspectorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; report books, school council minutes, student entrance/exit record books, school plans, and correspondence.
(PROV, VPRS 795/P0 Building Files: Primary Schools, unit 2790, Glen Forbes PS 3519)
SCHOOL DAYS
State secondary schools Information about state secondary school students may be found in both school records and correspondence sent from each school to the Education Department. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 10249 High Schools Inwards Correspondence Files 1907–60 Correspondence from each high school to the Education Department. The series is arranged in chronological groupings and alphabetically by school name. VPRS 3916 Building Files: High Schools 1905–75 Information about many aspects of the building and maintenance of high schools. The files are arranged in alphabetical school name order. VPRS 10275 Outwards Letter Books, Post-Primary Schools 1900–38 Correspondence from the Education Department to post-primary schools. Access this series by school name. VPRS 10059 Outwards Letter Books 1886–1965 Outgoing correspondence from the Education Department. Letters are bound in volumes according to recipient or subject matter. From 1938 correspondence is organised by year, and then by recipient or subject. Includes correspondence to high schools and technical schools (identified by name) and subjects such as cooking, elocution, employment and scholarships.
Non-government schools PROV holds some records about the government regulation of nongovernment schools but not the records of the schools themselves. For example, VPRS 10300 School Files (Non-Government Schools) (1906–96) contains files maintained by the Registered Schools Board (VA 1225) to provide a history of all non-government schools in Victoria since registration. The records relate to schools that have closed, or are the inactive files of schools still operating. Records were also created and maintained by the Registered Schools Board’s predecessors, the Teachers and Schools Registration Board (VA 2309) and the Council of Public Education (VA 2310). Further information may be obtainable from a particular school if it is still operating, or from the governing body’s archives. For example, church archives have records of denominational schools. Many schools have published their own school’s history – don’t forget to check your local library.
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CHAPTER 5
General information PROV also holds many records relating to the administration and regulation of education in Victoria. For information relating to curriculum, teaching staff, inspection of schools and other matters the following series may be of interest.
Glen Forbes Primary School 3519, c.1914 (Private collection, John Killian)
VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 794
Central Registered Correspondence Files 1873â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1986 Correspondence sent to the Education Department from other government departments, teachers, schools, inspectors and others. The correspondence deals with a very wide range of subjects. To find correspondence, refer to the index (VPRS 893) below.
VPRS 893
Classified Subject Index to Inward Registered Correspondence 1864â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1984 This series provides access to VPRS 794 described above. Correspondence has been entered under a number of subject headings. A guide has been prepared to track particular index headings through time and across volumes.
SCHOOL DAYS
VPRS 892
Special Case Files 1862–1977 Files cover a wide range of subjects from enquiries into teachers’ conduct to polio epidemics and free milk. If you know the number of the special case file, consult the record description list for VPRS 892 in the Series Information Folders available in PROV reading rooms. This gives a complete numerical list of the cases, including a summary of their subjects. If you don’t know the file number consult VPRS 5675 Index to Special Case Files (1882–1977) by the teacher’s name, file title or school name to gain the relevant file number. A complete numerical list of the cases, including a summary of their subjects, is available in A@V.
VPRS 10537 Classified Headings Correspondence 1926–69 Files are arranged in large subject groupings and deal with topics such as correspondence school, curriculum and research, libraries, physical education, physically handicapped children, psychology and guidance, teachers’ associations, and the teachers’ tribunal. VPRS 907
Examination Papers, Board of Teachers 1863–72 Examination reports/results sent to individual teachers. An index has been compiled that is a searchable database available online through <www.prov.vic.gov.au/access.htm>. The database contains teachers’ names, the school name and number, and the examination report number.
VPRS 880
Inwards Registered Correspondence 1852–62 Correspondence received by the National Schools Board, which includes some pupil and parent lists. The correspondence is arranged by school name and by subject. Access is facilitated by VPRS 879 Registers of Inwards Correspondence (1852–62).
VPRS 3858 School Building General Subject Files 1887–1961 These files relate to school building in general and not to any particular school. The records are organised by subject, including prefabricated classrooms, playgrounds, school furniture and fittings. VPRS 1396 Photographs of State School Buildings in Victoria c.1890–no date Four volumes of photographs of schools from around the state, arranged by school name. Note that not all schools are represented. VPRS 10516 Photographs and Negatives of Government Buildings 1900–60 This collection created by the Public Works Department contains photographs of many different types of government buildings, including schools. Note that not all schools are represented in this series.
79
(Private collection, John Killian)
Schools were important participants in the life of their local, and the wider Australian, community.
80 CHAPTER 5
SCHOOL DAYS
Further sources There are too many education records at PROV to list everything that is available. As a starting point, you could browse through the inventory of record series – created by the Education Department (VA 714) – via a Direct Search in A@V using Agency ID (VA number). For some aspects of education research you may need to consult records created by other agencies. The following might be of interest: • • • •
Construction and maintenance of school buildings – see Public Works Department (VA 669) Denominational Schools, grants to schools especially grants of land – see Chief Secretary’s Office (VA 475) Denominational Schools Board (VA 703) Royal Commissions and Boards of Inquiry relating to Education – check A@V.
Also of great assistance in researching education is the 3-volume history, Vision and Realisation: A Centenary History of State Education in Victoria, edited by L.J. Blake, published by the Education Department of Victoria, Melbourne, 1973. Copies are available at the VAC and BAC Reading Rooms.
81
Port of Melbourne, c.1940 (PROV, VPRS 11311 Photo Albums, unit 1, ‘Manoeuvring ship to berth at jetty’)
CHAPTER
6
Making a living You may want to know what sort of trade or profession a particular ancestor had â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who they worked for and where, and how much they earned. The records of various government departments and agencies are likely to include some details of staff, administration, and the regulation of some non-government industries and occupations such as architecture and hairdressing. They may include salaries and wages records and contract documents. Recent personnel records, however, are usually closed. Certificates held by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages are examples of other records that may refer to a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s occupation, trade or profession. Employment details are also included in electoral and citizens lists and rolls held by PROV (but remember, the State Library of Victoria has the most complete collection of electoral rolls). Consult A@V for an overview of the information PROV holds regarding the profession or trade in which you are interested.
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Getting started The published works and general records outlined below can be of assistance in establishing employment details.
Government Gazette The Victoria Government Gazette is a good source of information about various forms of work. Useful information within the Gazette includes: • notification of successful contractors • appointments to positions within the public service • applications for mining leases • lists of successful land licences and grants • insolvency notices (which list the occupation of the insolvent person). Each year at the end of January, the Gazette published a list of people employed in the Victorian public service. Entries include each person’s name, position held, date of appointment to the public service, salary of current position and date of appointment to current position. Before 1907 the lists were published as supplements to the Gazette. From 1907 to the early 1990s, these lists were published as a separate Gazette. (From 1884 to 1929, railway employees were listed separately – and every three years.) Over the years, various Acts have required that the members of many professions be officially registered, for example architects, dentists, doctors and pharmacists. Many registration lists were published in the Gazette annually – others were published less regularly. The Gazette is available at the State Library of Victoria.
Blue Books The term ‘Blue Books’ derives from the blue binding of official documents printed by order of the parliament of the United Kingdom. VPRS 943 Blue Books and Statistics (1851–1916) contains statistical returns from Victorian government departments, the contents varying over time according to changes in government. In 1851 the series included returns for civil establishments, pensions, foreign consuls and education. By 1855 the series had become a report from the RegistrarGeneral to both Houses of Parliament, known as ‘Blue Book and Statistics’. The Blue Book section of the report included a list of Governors and Ministries, the members of the Executive Council, Legislative Council, Legislative Assembly, and foreign consuls. By 1915 the Blue Book section included: chief officers of statutory bodies (such as the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, the
MAKING A LIVING
Metropolitan Fire Brigade, and the State Savings Bank of Victoria); officers (such as those in the Crown Law Department, Department of Public Works, Department of the Hospitals for the Insane, Railway Department and Police Department) not under the supervision of the Public Service Commissioner. Officers under the Public Service Board are listed in the Victoria Government Gazette.
Correspondence In the general correspondence files of most government departments, you can find documents relating to the employment of public servants (as well as the correspondence, reports and other records produced by those employees during the course of their duties). Records of the Colonial Secretary’s Office VA856) and from 1855 the Chief Secretary’s Department (VA 475), are particularly useful. As the Chief Secretary’s Department was responsible for so many functions of government, the correspondence relating to employment is voluminous.
Selected employment and business records PROV holds records relating to many professions and industries – all that you need is a little detective work. Consult A@V to search directly for the profession, trade or industry in which you are interested, or find further information about the agency which created the records.
Architects VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 8838 Individual Architects’ Registration Files 1923–95 This series contains correspondence between individual architects and the Architects’ Registration Board of Victoria (VA 1422), the statutory body for the architectural profession in Victoria. Correspondence deals with the architect’s registration and application for registration, qualifications, payment of fees and so on.
Pharmacists The records listed on pages 86 and 87 were created by the Pharmacy Board of Victoria (VA 1349), which is responsible for the registration and regulation of pharmacists.
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Casselden Place case study
Susan Moloney Susan Moloney, the daughter of Thomas Moloney, a carter, was born in Casselden Place in about 1862. Very little information is available about Susan. We couldn’t find her birth certificate and there seems to be no evidence that she had married. Her death certificate states that she had been a chemist, which seemed a very unusual occupation for a woman born into a poor workingclass neighbourhood in the late nineteenth century. In order to verify Susan’s occupation, records of the Pharmacy Board of Victoria (VA 1349) have been consulted. The Board generated several series including VPRS 1869 List of Chemists in Business (1930–66). Since Susan died in 1939, the list was worth checking. The annual lists were organised alphabetically by suburb and Miss Moloney was found in Carlton, at 193 Lygon Street. According to her death certificate, this was also her home address. She had apparently lived above her chemist shop in Lygon Street. Although a search through VPRS 1868 Examination Results (1877–1939) found no trace of Susan Moloney, it did provide an unexpected piece of information. A Lilian Breem sat and passed her pharmacy examinations in March 1917. Susan’s sister Elizabeth had married Frank Breem and they had two daughters – Mary Lilian, born in 1895, and Veronica Clare. Could this successful young pharmacy student be Susan’s niece? VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 1868 Examination Results 1877–1939 Small volumes or exercise books in which are recorded the results of various examinations associated with pharmacists’ qualifications. There are no indexes although entries in VPRS 1782 and 1783 (see below) may give dates that could give access to entries in this series. VPRS 1782 Register of Apprentices 1892–1960 A record of the registration of apprentices in accordance with requirements under the Pharmacy Act 1876 and later the Medicine Act. Each volume in the series has an alphabetical index inside its front cover that can be used to find an apprentice’s registration entry. Entries are in registration number order. VPRS 1783 Register of Apprentices 1899–1959 These records, while similar VPRS 1782 (above), were created to track the process of apprentices becoming qualified. Thus, they have details relating to when various examinations were passed. Each volume in the series has an identifiable date range, and entries in each volume are in alphabetical sections by names of apprentices.
MAKING A LIVING
VPRS 1869 Lists of Chemists in Business 1930–66 Printed, typed and handwritten lists of pharmacists in business in Victoria. The lists are alphabetical by location and cover metropolitan Melbourne as well as the rest of the State. Names of pharmacists and businesses, and their addresses are recorded.
Companies Company records reveal how small businesses can be affected by large world events.
Trading companies: Trading companies are essentially associations of people, formed for the conduct of business, that assign shares (usually by sale) to other people according to the regulations of those companies. Since 1864 (1897 for foreign companies), all incorporated companies have been required to lodge evidence of incorporation, the company’s name, and any significant practices or changes to its company’s organisation. Contents of files in PROV’s custody may include the company’s memorandum/articles of association, copies of balance sheets and annual reports, special resolutions, notifications of changes of address or of directors, and deregistration documents. To retrieve a trading company registration file, first consult VPRS 8268 Index to Defunct Company, Association and Business Name Registrations (1864–1990) or VPRS 8267 Index to Current Company, Association and Business Name Registrations (1864–1990) to obtain the trading company registration number. Both indexes are available on microfiche in the VAC and the BAC Reading Rooms. Please note that although the indexes contain detail on registrations up to August 1990, we do not hold the files of companies registered after 1976 – these are available on microfiche at the Australian Securities Commission.
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Cuddon & Co’s life was cut short by the economic depression of the 1890s. (PROV, VPRS 932/P0 Defunct Trading Company Files, unit 115, file 2534, Cuddon & Co C0002534Y)
VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 932
Trading Company Registration Files 1864–1976 Files relating to the registration of trading companies, mostly those that have been deregistered. PROV also holds bound registers detailing company name, number and some summary detail (VPRS 8269) as well as indexes to the registers (VPRS 8270 and VPRS 8271). To obtain a company registration number, consult the microfiche indexes VPRS 8267 and VPRS 8268 mentioned above.
VPRS 934
Foreign Company Registration Files 1897–1984 Files relating to the registration of ‘foreign’ companies. A ‘foreign’ company is one operating within Victorian but formed or incorporated outside the state. In 1985 such companies became known as ‘recognised companies’. Company and document numbers were initially allocated from VPRS 8272 Register of Foreign Companies (1897–1972). To obtain a company registration number and access the files, consult the microfiche indexes VPRS 8267 and VPRS 8268.
MAKING A LIVING
VPRS 6624 Recognised Company Registration Files 1897–1983 Files relating to the registration of ‘recognised companies’, known before 1985 as ‘foreign companies’ (see above). The files in this series and VPRS 934 are part of the same record-keeping system – VPRS 934 relating mostly to registrations defunct by 1984 and VPRS 6624 relating mostly to registrations still current at that time. To retrieve a recognised company file, consult the microfiche indexes VPRS 8267 and VPRS 8268 and then refer to the record lists of both VPRS 934 and VPRS 6624. Mining companies: The Mining Companies Act 1871 (and subsequent legislation) required that companies wishing to incorporate should register with the Registrar of Companies. In 1958, mining companies ceased to be separately registered. Those operating at that time continued under their mining company number, but any new registrations were included in the general trading company registration sequence. In 1978 mining companies still operating with a pre-1958 mining company number were re-numbered and incorporated into the general trading company registration sequence (see Trading companies discussed above). VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 567
Mining Company Registration Files 1871–1958 Files relating to the registration of mining companies. Files may contain: Memorandum and Articles of Association (including company name, place of operation, address of registered office, number of shares subscribed, name of manager, names, addresses and occupations of the share holders); copy of the rules and regulations; notices of change of managers or office address; half yearly statements; and a copy of the winding-up order. VPRS 125 Defunct Mining Company Index available on microfilm at the VAC and BAC Reading Rooms facilitates access to this series (the original index VPRS 8274 Index to Mining Companies (1871–1958) is fragile and cannot be handled). Mining company registration numbers were allocated from VPRS 8273 Register of Mining Companies (see below).
VPRS 8273 Register of Mining Companies 1871–1958 The so-called ‘Mining Companies Register book’ is the prime record, signed by the Registrar-General, which effects registration of a company as a body corporate. Arranged chronologically by date of lodgement of application to register (and consequently, sequentially by mining company number), the registers record company number, name, date application was lodged, nature of documents lodged, date the company was struck off the register and dissolved, and year and page of notice to this effect in the Government Gazette.
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Other sources • Registrar-General’s Department (VA 2889). • Office of the Registrar-General and the Office of Titles (VA 862). • Companies Office (also known as Companies Registration Office) (VA 2725). • Corporate Affairs Office (VA 679).
Hairdressers VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 7281 Government Gazettes – Register of Hairdressers 1938–64 Register of schools of hairdressing and hairdressers, including for each applicant: registration number and date; name, sex and address; class of hairdressing; applicant’s registration status – employee, principal or teacher. Other sources • Hairdressers Registration Board (VA 1229).
Legal profession Within the records of the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court (VA 2549) are several series relating to barristers and solicitors. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 79
Articles of Clerkship Files 1840–92 A person who wished to be admitted to practise as an attorney, solicitor and proctor, was first required to serve five years as an articled clerk and to file his articles in the Supreme Court. When an application was made for admission to practise, the applicant’s articles were removed from their original file and put onto the file relating to admission. VPRS 79 consists of files relating to articled clerks who filed their articles but were not ultimately admitted to practise. The files primarily contain the Articles of Agreement between the articled clerk and the person to whom they were articled. Files are arranged in numerical order. To access the files of a specific person, consult VPRS 5504 Register of the Articles of Clerkship for the number allocated at the time of registration and filing of articles.
VPRS 468
Barristers’ and Solicitors’ Admission Files 1892–1951 Admission files for those persons seeking admission to practise (post 1891). The files include: applicant’s articles of clerkship; affidavits of due execution of clerkship and of due service; the report of the Clerk of the Board of Examiners (of the Supreme Court); a copy of the admission order.
MAKING A LIVING
To find records relating to specific individuals consult VPRS 1357 Index to Barristers and Solicitors Admission Files (1892–1936).
Licensing Many agencies have had responsibility for issuing different kinds of licence to individuals and groups. VPRS 1676 Record of Licences and Warrants Issued (1851–1911) consists of copies and summaries of licences and warrants issued by both the Governor-in-Council and the Colonial/Chief Secretary for a variety of activities. Coverage includes licences to engage seamen for merchant ships, to act as a pilot, to present theatrical entertainments, to keep a house for the reception of lunatics, to keep a retreat for inebriates, and to practise anatomy. Also, licences issued to inmates of Industrial and Reformatory Schools to be put out to service, and special permits issued to allow dancing or theatre in a licensed house, and for Sunday entertainment. An alphabetical index of names (individuals, theatres and halls) is located at the start of each volume. Liquor licensing: The sale of liquor in Victoria has been subject to regulation since the beginning of permanent European settlement. To assist your search through licensing registers, it helps to know the name and location of the licensed premises, the name of the licensee in whom you are interested, and if possible, the registered licence number. Keep in mind also that the jurisdictions of the relevant licensing court (in terms of geographical area), and the definition of what was rural or metropolitan, may have changed over time. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 7601 Licensing Registers – Metropolitan 1853–1982 The registers record proceedings concerning liquor license applications for premises in the Melbourne metropolitan area, under successive licensing authorities (see agencies listed on page 93). VPRS 7602 Licensing Registers – Country 1917–81 Rural licences from 1917. For licences issued prior to 1917, consult local court records. VPRS 7603 Licensing Registers – Particular Occasion Permits, Metropolitan and Country 1969–88 A Particular Occasion Permit (P.O.P.) allows an extension of time for serving liquor for a particular or special occasion, for example, New Year’s Eve or a wedding. P.O.P.s are granted to both licensed and unlicensed clubs, hotels and restaurants. VPRS 7604 Registers of Owners of Licensed Premises – Convictions 1886–1939 The registers record offences against the Licensing Act: volumes 1–7 cover metropolitan licensees; volume 8, country convictions. The
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registers are indexed under the name of the premises. The most common offence listed is serving liquor outside trading hours and permitting a drunken person on the premises.
VPRS 8159 Index to Defunct Hotel Licences 1907–77 Card index arranged under the name of the premises. The initial purpose of this index was to document licences (both metropolitan and rural) which ceased. Information recorded on the original cards includes hotel name, location and licensing district, ownership and licensee details at 1907, and sometimes the licensees for previous years. Names of licensees prior to 1907 appear on smaller cards (possibly added in 1970) attached to the back of the originals.
Casselden Place case study
Patrick Neylan Susan Moloney’s aunt Margaret, who also lived in Casselden Place, married publican Patrick Neylan. He is listed in VPRS 7601 Licensing Registers – Metropolitan in the ‘List of Publicans’ Licences for the City of Melbourne for the year commencing 1 July 1856’. In that year Patrick was the licensee of the ‘Farmers Arms’ in Swanston Street. He had a night licence, but no billiard licence for the hotel. He was not listed in the years following. The Moloneys’ local pubs would have been the ‘Old Governor Bourke’ on Spring Street, the ‘Odd Fellows’ and ‘Cooper’s Family Hotel’ on Little Lonsdale Street, and the ‘Black Eagle’ on Lonsdale Street. In 1856 the licensed publicans of the first two and the last were Mauris Keppel, Henry Charles Wills and William Brandt respectively. They all had night licences, but none could offer customers a game of billiards. The ‘Old Governor Bourke’ was demolished many years ago, but the ‘Odd Fellows’ and ‘Black Eagle’ buildings are still standing. The interior of ‘Coopers’ has been gutted but you can still get a drink at the bar! The List of Publicans also occasionally provides other details – remarks about transfers of the licence and the names of sureties, for example. More personal stories are also foreshadowed in these records, as when a woman’s name appears in place of her husband’s from one year to the next. Has he lost his licence? Has she become a widow? Mining licensing: Records relating to the mining industries have been created both centrally by major departments, such as Mines Department (VA 612), and at local levels by mining registrars, mining wardens and Courts of Mines.
MAKING A LIVING
VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 7848 Register of Applications for Mineral Search Licences 1862–1913 The Land Act 1862 introduced provisions for the granting of licences to search for any metal or mineral other than gold on any Crown land not under lease. This series is comprised of a register of applications for licences to search for minerals within Victoria. This register was used to allocate a unique number to each licence application as well as to record a history of the licence through to expiry or cancellation. VPRS 7842 Register of Applications for Gold Mining Leases 1859–1972 Register of mining lease applications maintained centrally by the Mines Departments from 1859 to 1972. It was used to allocate a unique number to each application within a mining district as well as to record a history of each lease. Summary details about the application, the warden’s report and recommendation, and the particulars of the lease itself were recorded on the left-hand side of each folio. The right-hand side of the folio contains a chronological summary of correspondence relating to the lease. VPRS 602
Gold Mining Lease Files 1859–1972 Gold mining leases (often known simply as mining leases) could be granted to a person or body corporate to entitle them to mine or undertake associated mining activity on Crown land. The leaseholder was also entitled to reside on the land. Taking out a lease usually involved an obligation to keep a certain number of men in employment (known as a labour covenant). Files contain correspondence and documents relating to the administration of the lease, including: the application; survey of the area; rental payments; issue and gazettal of the lease; consents and agreements. In many cases the final status of the lease (e.g. void, cancelled, expired) is recorded on the file cover or top sheet. [Please note that the location of files created prior to 1918 is unknown. For summary information about applications made between 1859 and 1917, see VPRS 7842 Register of Applications for Gold Mining Leases.] Other sources • Consult the series descriptions in A@V for more detail. • Victorian Agencies responsible for licensing: Licensing Courts (VA 2870) (1836–1916); Licensing Court of Victoria (VA 2955) (1917–54); Victorian Licensing Court (VA 2905) (1954–1968); Liquor Control Commission (VA 1110) (1968–88); Liquor Licensing Commission (VA 2869) (1988-98). • Licences Reduction Board (VA 2906) (1907–68) – appointed on 21 May 1907 to carry on the function, previously undertaken by the Licensing Courts (VA 2870), of overseeing the systematic and orderly reduction of hotel licences in Victoria.
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• • •
See also VPRS 4082 List of Publicans (1865–67) created by Melbourne City Council (VA 511), arranged in chronological order. Department of Mines (VA 612). Local courts’ records held at PROV. Local courts are a relevant source of information for many occupations. Mining is also dealt with at the local level by the Court of Mines.
Police VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 55
Police Muster Rolls 1871–1973 Monthly lists of officers in attendance at Victorian police stations. Records are arranged chronologically by date, and volume entries are arranged alphabetically by the name of the police station.
VPRS 937
Inward Registered Correspondence 1852–94 Correspondence sent to the Office of the Chief Commissioner of Police. Files are organised chronologically in bundles and within categories such as administrative areas (e.g. Detectives, District Police Office – comprised of many local police stations), office of origin (e.g. Chief Secretary, Lands, Public Works Department), and by subject (e.g. industrial schools). To access the files, consult the category lists for 1859, 1869, 1879 and 1889. PROV volunteers have compiled contents lists for many units in this series. Consult the Record List for VPRS 937 in the Series Information Folders.
VPRS 1775 Register of Police Salaries and Wages Paymaster’s Branch) 1905–25 Financial record of monthly salary and wage payments to police officers. Entries in the volumes in this series are grouped first by rank, and within each group entries are arranged in approximate member number order. For higher ranks you could browse the entries to find a particular person; for lower ranks, it would be more useful to look for the police member by number. The member number may be obtained from other sources, in particular from service records held by the Police Historical Unit (see below). VPRS 1776 Pay and Allowance Registers 1925–30 Registers recording the fortnightly payment of pay and allowances to police officers or sworn members of the police force. Details include: financial year; station or branch where the officer worked; each officer’s payments received; deductions made and allowances claimed; and details of promotions, transfers and discharges. Units are organised by date, and register entries ordered by rank (highest to lowest) for Senior Constables and above, and by register number for police constables.
MAKING A LIVING
VPRS 1785 Salary Cards 1929–61 This series follows on from VPRS 1776 described above. The volumes of cards record fortnightly salary and allowance payments to police officers and some unsworn members of the department (e.g. public service staff, temporary employees). Cards for Auxiliary Police Women (APWs) are included. Details include: name, station, register number and rank, date of birth, and duty allowance (if applicable). Details regarding promotions, transfers and discharges may also be included. Units are organised as for VPRS 1776. VPRS 2071 Police Appointments, Promotions and Resignations 1904–53 Dates of appointment, promotion etc. of police, listed in police member number order. The volumes in this series commence in 1904 with member number 5180 and end with member 11676 in 1953. The member number may be obtained from other sources, in particular from service records held by the Police Historical Unit (see below).
Other sources • PROV holds records such as Day Books and Occurrence Books for some individual police stations. These offer detailed information about the work undertaken at those stations, including the daily tasks and the names of the police who undertook them. • Salary records for employees of the Police Department and Office of the Chief Commissioner of Police may also be found with the records of the Public Service Board (VA 886). See VPRS 4402 Record of Public Servants (1884–1925) and VPRS 9889 Record Cards of Public Servants (1925–77) described below. • Victoria Police, including Office of the Chief Commissioner of Police (VA 724) • Ministry for Police and Emergency Services (VA 421) • Service records of individual police officers are held by the Police Historical Unit. For contact details see the Victoria Police website: <www.police.vic.gov.au>.
Public Service The Public Service Board (VA 886) was established in 1883 to control the conditions for and employment of Victorian public servants. It has been superseded by the Office of the Public Service Commissioner (VA 3088). VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 774
Inward Registered Correspondence, Annual Single Number System 1900–80 Correspondence files, including: applications for employment; leave entitlements; disciplinary action; resignations and retirement; as well
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as the advertising, classification, designation and abolition of public service positions. Accessed by several indexes. Consult A@V for the appropriate index and access procedures.
VPRS 4402 Record of Public Servants 1884–1925 Employment details of officers of the Victorian Public Service, including officer’s name, department and branch, date of birth, date of appointment, designation, salary. Consult VPRS 4403 Index to Record of Public Servants (1884–1924) to access information about individuals in VPRS 4402. VPRS 4472 Transfer and Promotion Registers 1910–71 Promotions and transfers of public servants. Entries are in date order and include the name of the public servant and where they were promoted/transferred to or from. For some of this series, VPRS 4487 Index to Transfer and Promotions Register (1910–44) will give you access. VPRS 9889 Record Cards of Public Servants 1925–77 The Public Service Board (VA 886) was required to keep a record of all officers and employees in the public service, their length of service, salaries and wages, and other employment details – the cards in this series are that record. They are arranged alphabetically by name within categories relating to temporary or permanent employment. This series replaced VPRS 4402 (see above) in 1925.
Other sources • Records relating to public servants can be found in record series created and/or maintained by the departments in which they worked. For example, VPRS 10369 Personnel Files (1941 – 70) consists of personnel files maintained by the Department of the Premier (VA 2717).
Ports and harbours PROV holds many records relating to work on Victoria’s ports and harbours. The series listed in the table below, created by the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners (VA 2799), are only a small sample. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 11251 Register of Employees 1877–1966 Information about former employees of the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners, including: employee’s name; branch or department; office or occupation; age; residential address; marital status; date of appointment; particulars of service; wage/salary details; references in
MAKING A LIVING
Registers and volumes associated with many walks of life are waiting in the Victorian Archives Centre Reading Room.
minutes; reports or correspondence; and date of leaving service. The first volume includes an index to employees, but other volumes may be arranged by branch/department, chronologically or alphabetically.
VPRS 12198 Register of Labour Payments 1893–93 Payments made by the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners, possibly to workmen (probably in the Engineering Branch) or to contractors/suppliers. Payments were made according to a set amount per ton – suggesting dock labour or goods cartage. Records show payment in cash, and occasionally in stores. Entries are arranged by employee/contractor, with transactions recorded chronologically. An alphabetical index by family name appears in the front of the volume. VPRS 8020 Newspaper Cutting Books: Employee Conditions 1925–38 Newspaper cuttings maintained by the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners, relate to working conditions on the docks in Victoria (and other states). Subjects include award wages, industrial action, unemployment and apprenticeships. There is an alphabetical subject index at the front of the volume. See also VPRS 8021 Newspaper Cuttings Books: Single Number Sequence (1943–50). VPRS 8195 Contract Registers 1877–1967 Registers of contracts entered into by the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners from the time of its establishment. The contracts were registered chronologically, according to the date of acceptance. Information includes number and date of contract, date contract was accepted, contractor, particulars of contract, rate and amount. Other sources • Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners (VA 2799) • Port of Melbourne Authority (VA 1426) • Port of Geelong Authority (VA 1426) • Public Works Department (Ports and Harbours Branch) (VA 669). See, for example, VPRS 10979 Summary of Employees (Ports and Harbours Branch) (1892–1944). • Search for Victorian ports by Keyword in A@V.
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Life on Melbourne’s waterfront around 1950 included hot lunches at the canteen. (PROV, VPRS 11311 Photo Albums, unit 1, ‘Canteen – line up’)
Seamen Several series of records relating to the discharge or desertion of seamen are held by PROV. The table on page 44 lists some of these (see VPRS 945, VPRS 558 and VPRS 2144). Remember, though, that a seaman who left his ship in Victoria might not have stayed here – he might have settled elsewhere in Australia or signed on to another ship. The series VPRS 566 Articles of Agreement (Mercantile Marine Officers) (1878–1921) could be useful for records about seamen who signed up for ships in Melbourne only. The series is not yet indexed, which can make searching difficult but if you know the name of the person, the name of the ship he signed on with, and the year, it is possible to use these records effectively to trace a seaman’s career. Other sources • See PROV 1995 publication Coming South: Victorian Archives of Immigration 1839–1923.
MAKING A LIVING
Teachers PROV does not hold discrete teacher histories or teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; personnel files. If you know the school at which a teacher was employed you may be able to find information about their time at that school in the various Departmental correspondence records.
Departmental correspondence files often yield information relating to employees. (PROV, VPRS 640/P0, unit 299, Sale PS 545)
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VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 875
Rolls of Teachers 1855–64 Lists (or rolls) of teachers in denominational (church) schools prepared at various times in the period 1855–64. Most of the lists are arranged alphabetically by teachers’ names.
VPRS 892
Special Case Files 1862–1977 Files created by the collation of relevant information from various parts of the Education Department’s correspondence systems. Some files refer to a particular incident, teacher or official, while others document large-scale policy concerns. Consult VPRS 5676 Register of Special Case Files, VPRS 8308 Numerical Index to Special Case Files or VPRS 5675 Index to Special Case Files to identify useful files.
VPRS 907
Examination Papers, Board of Teachers 1863–72 Prior to initial appointment, and for promotion to a higher classification, a teacher was examined by an inspector. This series consists of inspectors’ reports forwarded to the Board of Education and include: teacher’s name; school and position; date of examination; inspector’s recommendation; and the result gained by the teacher in examinations taken in a standard list of subjects. An index to the series is available in PROV reading rooms.
VPRS 640
Central Inward Primary Schools Correspondence 1878–1962 Correspondence from primary schools and members of the community to the Education Department. Subjects vary but include information about teachers’ employment and about their day-to-day work. In looking for a particular teacher’s information, you need to know the period of employment and the number of the school at which they were employed. Employment histories obtained from the Department of Education & Training will give both roll numbers and correspondence numbers. Other correspondence series that may provide employment information include VPRS 795 Primary School Building Files and VPRS 794 Central Registered Correspondence.
Other sources • Department of Education VA 714 • The employment history of individual teachers is kept by the Education Historical Unit, Department of Education & Training – see <www.det.vic.gov.au/det/schooled/history.htm>.
MAKING A LIVING
Further sources There are many more records relating to work and the professions in PROV’s collection. Explore other possibilities in A@V by browsing Agencies or doing a Keyword Search, or consult suitable PROVguides such as: • •
PROVguide 62: The Railways PROVguide 63: Tramway Trusts and Boards
or consider records relating to • unemployment – see, for example, VPRS 1053 Register of Unemployed Tradesmen and Labourers (1892–92).
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Kew Mental Hospital (PROV, VPRS 10516 Photographs and Negatives of Government Buildings, unit 1, Kew Mental Hospital)
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7
Body and mind Time spent in some kind of medical institution is likely to form a chapter in any personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life story. PROV holds the records of many such places, as well as health-related administrative records created by other government agencies. Because of the sensitive and personal information they contain, some records remain unavailable for public access for many years after their creation. This applies to nearly all clinical records that detail individual cases. For reasons of privacy these kinds of records generally become available after a period of 75 years in the case of adults; for children, 99 years. Currently, only nineteenth- and some early twentieth-century case records are available for public access.
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Getting started Two of the most important pieces of information you will need are the name of any institution a patient attended and their date of admission. The lists of hospitals and asylums below should help to locate some institutions. Check Archives@Victoria if the institution in which you are interested does not appear in these lists. Please note that records of private institutions are not part of PROV’s collection.
Selected health records Public hospital records Some hospital records have been transferred to PROV. The types of records held include registers, administrative records (e.g. minute books) and some patient case files (usually samples only). Many are closed for a substantial period after their creation because of the personal nature of the information they contain. Use the Victorian Agency (VA) numbers in the following list to do an ‘Agency ID’ search in A@V. The ‘Agency Details’ page will give you the history of the relevant hospital as well as a list of links to information about record series held at PROV for that hospital. Search A@V by Keyword to check for details of other hospitals. PROV’s collection is continually expanding, but remember, not all records will be transferred, and many that are will be closed for some time. Hospital
VA number
Airlee Maternity Hospital
VA 1233
Alfred Hospital
VA 901
Ararat and District Hospital
VA 531
Austin Hospital
VA 1243
Ballarat Benevolent Hospital
VA 1479
Creswick District Hospital
VA 1678
Dental Hospital of Melbourne
VA 440
Lakeside Hospital, Ballarat
VA 1475
Oakleigh District Community Hospital
VA 1252
Royal Melbourne Hospital
VA 1048
Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital
VA 506
Springvale and District Community Hospital
VA 1257
Warrnambool and District Base Hospital
VA 505
BODY AND MIND
Mental health records Institutions responsible for people with mental illnesses or intellectual disabilities are required to keep extensive records. Most of these are clinical records that document the treatment and circumstances of thousands of people. Government, medical and community approaches to the treatment of people with mental illnesses and intellectual disabilities have changed significantly since Victoria’s first psychiatric institution was opened at Yarra Bend in 1848. Despite the recommendations of the 1862 Commission into Lunatic Asylums, it was not until the 1880s that a distinction was made between persons deemed mentally ill (‘lunatics’) and intellectually disabled (‘imbeciles’ or ‘idiots’). Victoria’s lunatic asylums were also used for the containment of alcoholics (‘inebriates’) until the late 1880s, when separate ‘retreats’ were established. The 1862 Commission eventually led to the construction of specific institutions for the mentally ill in Kew, Beechworth and Ararat. This eased the problem of accommodating patients, as until then many had been confined in gaols. Although the Commission recommended that the Yarra Bend institution be closed down, it’s interesting to note that it continued to operate until 1925. The name and activities of many institutions have changed over time. Some names sound unfamiliar to us today; for example, a ‘licensed house’ was an institution which held a licence granted by the Chief Secretary to house one or more insane persons. The licensee was also the superintendent. Licensed houses were subject to much the same requirements as those for hospitals for the insane. Often, the licence specified the sex and maximum number of patients the institution could receive, and how often a medical practitioner was required to attend. Licensed houses were renamed ‘mental homes’ in 1959. The following list, which gives the Victorian Agency numbers of mental health institutions, demonstrates the name changes some of these institutions have gone through over time. Institution
VA number
Date range
Ararat Mental Hospital Ararat Hospital for the Insane Ararat Asylum
VA 2841
1934–ct 1905–1934 1867–1905
Ballarat Mental Hospital Ballarat Hospital for the Insane Ballarat Asylum
VA 2844
1934–ct 1905–1934 1893–1905 & 1877–1879
Beechworth Beechworth Beechworth Beechworth
VA 2842
c.1970s–ct 1934–c.1970s 1905–1934 1867–1905
Belmont Licensed House
VA 2854
1922–1936
Bendigo Receiving Ward
VA 2862
1873–1951
Mental/Psychiatric Hospital Mental Hospital Hospital for the Insane Asylum
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Institution
VA number
Date range
Brightside Inebriate Retreat
VA 2850
1910–1945
Clovedale Licensed House
VA 2855
1906–1911
Collingwood Asylum
VA 2851
c.1866–1971
Glen Holme Licensed House
VA 2924
1910–1922
Hillcrest Licensed House
VA 2859
1939–1950
Janefield Training Centre Janefield Colony
VA 2847
1962–ct 1937–1962
Kew Kew Kew Kew
VA 2840
c.1970s–1988 1934–c.1970s 1905–1934 1887–1905
Kew Cottages Training Centre Kew [Children’s] Cottages Kew Idiot Ward/Asylum
VA 2852
1962–ct 1929–1962 1887–1929
Landcox Licensed House
VA 2925
1906–1910
Lara Inebriate Retreat
VA 2849
1907–1937
Mental/Psychiatric Hospital Mental Hospital Hospital for the Insane Asylum
Merton Licensed House
VA 2858
1906–1954
Mont Park Mental/Psychiatric Hospital Mont Park Mental Hospital Mont Park Hospital for the Insane
VA 2846
c.1970s–ct 1934–c.1970s 1912–1934
Mt Ida Licensed House
VA 2857
1906–1928
Northcote Inebriate Asylum
VA 2853
c.1890–1892
Pleasant View Receiving House Pleasant View Licensed House
VA 2848
1953–1973 1928–1953
Royal Royal Royal Royal
VA 2845
1954–ct 1934–1954 1909–1934 1907–1909
St Helens Licensed House (see also ‘Pleasant View’ above)
VA 2848
1906–1928
Sunbury Sunbury Sunbury Sunbury Sunbury
VA 2843
1985–ct 1962–1985 1934–1962 1905–1934 1879–1905
Sunnyside Licensed House
VA 2860
1905–c.1949
The Tofts Licensed House
VA 2856
1910–1924
Travancore Travancore Travancore Travancore
VA 2861
1982–ct 1968–1982 1938–1968 1933–1938
VA 2839
1905–1925 1848–1905
Park Park Park Park
Psychiatric Hospital Mental Hospital Hospital for the Insane Receiving House
Training Centre Mental Hospital/Training Centre Mental Hospital Hospital for the Insane Asylum
Child and Family Centre Psychiatric Developmental Centre Developmental Centre Special School
Yarra Bend Hospital for the Insane Yarra Bend Asylum
BODY AND MIND
Case books and clinical notes By law, mental health institutions had to create and maintain patient and treatment records in a certain format. If you know the name of the institution a patient attended and their date of admission, have a look at the case books or clinical notes for that particular institution and time. Case books (c.1845–1912) and patient clinical notes (1912– c.1953) contain the details and case history of each patient from their date of admission. These records were periodically updated to record the patient’s condition and treatment. Case books and clinical notes include specific details, such as date of admission, age and sex, marital status, place of residence, occupation, family members, name and address of nearest relative, and the name of the person who brought the patient to the asylum. They also indicate if a patient was transferred elsewhere, was discharged, or died while in the institution (a copy of the post-mortem report is sometimes included). Sad and troubled histories can be read in the case books and clinical notes of Victoria’s mental institutions.
A number of case books, registers and indexes to patients in asylums have been digitised and can be accessed online through <www.prov.vic.gov.au/access.htm>. Some case books include an alphabetical index to patients (with page references), but some institutions maintained separate indexes for case books. If there is no index, a patient’s date of admission can be determined through other records such as: • Nominal registers of patients – alphabetical listings of patients that provide access to case books, admission registers and admission warrants. • Admission registers / Registers of patients – record the details of the patient being admitted and usually have alphabetical indexes by patient name • Admission warrants – the official documents that authorised a person’s committal to an asylum • Annual and quinquennial examination registers – record the date of the annual examination of patients. Under the Lunacy Act 1903, examinations were required annually for the first three years patients were in residence in an asylum or licensed house, and every five years subsequently.
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(PROV, VPRS 7403/P1 Case Books of Male Patients [Ararat Asylum], unit 5, p. 134, James Setford)
•
Inquest depositions – can give you the information you need (e.g. date of admission) to access asylum records – any patient who died while in care was the subject of an inquest. Refer to VPRS 24 Inquest Deposition Files (1840–1990). For the period 1912–c.1953, when clinical notes were in use, you should first check the registers for the relevant institution to determine if the patient’s clinical notes remained there or accompanied the patient when he or she was transferred to another institution. Check A@V under the name of the institution to find out which registers exist and are available. The following types of records were common to many institutions and can be found at PROV: • Trial leave registers – record details of patients’ trial leave. Information includes patient’s name, admission date, period of leave allowed, date returned to the asylum, and the name of the person responsible for the patient while the patient is on leave. • Discharge registers – record details of discharges from the institution in chronological order. As well as the date of discharge, information may include date of reception, patient’s name and sex, discharge details (recovered, relieved, not improved) and place removed to (or details of death if applicable).
BODY AND MIND
Casselden Place case study
Joseph Casselden John Casselden, after whom Casselden Place is named, had a son called Joseph, but this fact was not recorded on John’s death certificate in 1888. The certificate did record that John had been married twice and it was on the death certificate of John’s first wife Hannah that Joseph appeared. When had he disappeared? No death certificate was found, but there was an inquest. The inquest record revealed that Joseph had been admitted to Kew Asylum in 1878 and died there in 1882 ‘from old disease of the brain and gangrene of the lungs’ (VPRS 24/P0 Inquest Deposition Files, unit 441, file 1882/900, Joseph Casselden). The records of Kew Asylum revealed the story behind Joseph’s admission. Joseph Casselden was admitted to Kew Asylum at 4.15pm on 19 February 1878. His friends had brought him in but his father had signed the papers. John stated that Joseph had suffered epilepsy from childhood (his mother had died of ‘epileptic convulsions’). Joseph had begun to wander away from his home in Lygon Street and refused to return, but imagined that it was his friends who had turned him out of his own home. He was violent and threatened to kill anyone who offended him. His examining doctors stated that the other facts indicating insanity were that he had ‘an incoherent look’, was ‘exceedingly dirty in his habits’, talked incoherently and imagined that his present state arose from ‘his having put on another man’s hat’ (VPRS 7456/P1 Admission Warrants, unit 13, file 19.2.1878, Joseph Casselden). The Register of Patients at Kew Asylum recorded that Joseph was single, 30 years old, and an English-born Protestant. He was ‘partially demented’ but otherwise in good health (VPRS 7680/P1 Register of Patients, unit 3, page 72). The only event recorded in his case book, apart from his death in 1882, was an incident in which he fell down some steps on the way to the cricket ground – resulting in the fracture of his right elbow joint (VPRS 7398/P1 Case Books of Male Patients, unit 6, page 65). According to the submissions at his inquest he was ordinarily ‘strong and hearty but suffered from epileptic fits’. On 19 July 1882 he was confined to his bed with a severe cough. His symptoms became aggravated and his breath ‘very offensive’. He finally died on the morning of 1 August 1882. The attendant at Kew Asylum, Cornelius Creed, stated that Joseph was seen regularly by the medical officer and by the official visitors, ‘but no friends came to see him lately’. A final memo from Kew Police Station lends a sad note to the tale of Joseph Casselden: ‘Friends have been telegraphed but cannot say whether they will inter or not’ (VPRS 24/P0 Inquest Deposition Files, unit 441, file 1882/900, Joseph Casselden).
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Joseph Casselden disappeared from his father’s life, and the world outside Kew Asylum, after he ‘put on another man’s hat’. (PROV, VPRS 7456/P1 Admission Warrants, unit 13, file 19.2.1878, Joseph Casselden)
BODY AND MIND
(PROV, VPRS 24/P0 Inquest Deposition Files, unit 441, file 1882/900, Joseph Casselden)
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Other useful health-related records Records of the Chief Secretary The Chief Secretary’s Department (VA 475) was responsible for a great number of administrative functions in the nineteenth century, one of which was health. Many records within the Chief Secretary’s correspondence system provide information about the administration and staffing of asylums, and about the admission, treatment and discharge of patients. For information about individual patients, refer to the indexes and registers for the Chief Secretary’s inward registered correspondence. VPRS 1411 Index to Inward Correspondence (1851–1963) is arranged alphabetically. Letters relating to patients can sometimes be found in the index under the relevant department (for example, Hospitals for the Insane Branch [VA 2863] (1854–1916) and institution. The series descriptions for VPRS 1411, VPRS 1186 Register of Inward Correspondence 1 (1851–63) and VPRS 1189 Inward Registered Correspondence 1 (1851–63) are all available in A@V and include information on how to retrieve a correspondence file. The indexes and registers can be consulted at the Victorian Archives Centre.
Records of the Master in Equity/Master in Lunacy From 1851 until the 1940s the estates of people deemed to be insane were controlled by the Master in Equity, Supreme Court (VA 2624) – also known (1867–1923) as Master in Equity and Lunacy. Some of these records are held by PROV and can facilitate access to specific institution records (see Chapter 8 for more on equity).
Benevolent asylums Benevolent asylums were privately run, charitable institutions that provided care for the sick and the elderly, particularly those with limited resources. The BAC holds a few records from one such institution, the Ballarat Benevolent Asylum (VA 1479).
BODY AND MIND
Further sources The State Library of Victoria holds some records relating to the Melbourne Benevolent Asylum. You may wish to approach individual institutions – they may have archival, library or museum collections which you can access. The following Victorian government agencies may be of interest in your research: • Department of Health I (1944–78) (VA 695) • Department of Health II, commonly known as the Health Department (1885–ct) (VA 2695) • Department of Health and Community Services (1992–ct) (VA 3092) • Department of Public Health (1890–1944) (VA 2904) • Health Commission of Victoria (1978–85) (VA 652) • Hospitals and Charities Commission 1948–78) (VA 693) • Mental Health Authority (1962–78) (VA 692) • Mental Hygiene Branch, Department of Health I (1944–78) (VA 2866) • Victorian Health System Review (1991–92) (VA 3099)
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Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most notorious bushranger, Ned Kelly, 1871 (PROV, VPRS 515/P0 Central Register of Male Prisoners, unit 17, p. 287 Edward Kelly)
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8
Legal matters People may become involved in legal matters through a variety of life experiences and in many different ways. An ancestor might have been a witness or a juror in a court case, a victim in a criminal case, a plaintiff in a civil dispute, perhaps a defendant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or an offender (lawyers can be found in Chapter 6). In most cases their encounter with the law will not relate to criminal activity. Property disputes, divorce, the administration of deceased estates, and financial matters can all involve interactions with courts. PROV has an enormous collection of material relating to the administration of both criminal and civil law and justice, created by agencies such as the police, courts, the Crown Law Department, prisons and the Executive Council.
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Getting started – jurisdictions To track down relevant PROV records about a relative’s experience with the court system, you need to know key details such as names and dates, what the interaction with the law may have been (civil or criminal?), and the location of the court in which the case was heard. You also need to remember that, because of the nature of the information, many records relating to legal matters are closed for 75 years for adults and 99 years for children. (You can apply for access to such records through the Freedom of Information section of the relevant department or agency.) The following overview of the court system will assist you in identifying some records that might be useful for your family history research. For more information about the system of courts in Victoria, look up Courts (VRG 4) or Courts (VF 381) in A@V.
Supreme Court The Supreme Court is the highest court of Victoria, and has jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters which have not been excluded by statute. Historically, the Supreme Court dealt with matters such as those listed below (see text following for details). • equity, including complex land ownership, complex financial arrangements and cases where the plaintiff was a minor • ‘lunacy’, including supervising the estates of committed lunatics • divorce • insolvency • probates and wills • appeals. Jurisdiction in some of these matters has passed to the Commonwealth: for example, insolvency and bankruptcy in 1928; divorce in 1976. The main activities of the Supreme Court are centred in Melbourne, and judges go ‘on circuit’ to several locations around the state. Separate records are created for civil and criminal jurisdictions. You need to know where cases were heard in order to retrieve records. For example, the record series VPRS 551 Supreme Court Circuit Records (1886–1936) relates to the sittings of the Supreme Court at Ballarat and the records are held at the BAC.
County Court The County Court is a general court exercising civil, criminal and special jurisdiction. It also acts as a court of appeal for matters from the Magistrates’ Court. From 1852 to 1968 there was a system of local
LEGAL MATTERS
County Courts which heard only civil cases, and Courts of General Sessions which dealt with criminal matters. In 1968, these separate courts were abolished and one County Court for the whole of Victoria was created, exercising both civil and criminal jurisdictions. The County Court sits continuously at Melbourne and also visits several ‘circuit’ towns as well as those visited by the Supreme Court. This means that you need to know the geographical location of the hearing in order to track down relevant records.
Courts of Petty Sessions/Magistrates’ Courts Courts of Petty Sessions/Magistrates’ Courts (name changed from 1971) hear both civil and criminal cases of minor matters only, such as minor assault, obscene language, minor theft, and prostitution. They also used to hear matters of family law, such as child support and maintenance, and from 1928 to 1958, adoptions. Committal proceedings are also conducted here for trials in higher courts. Courts of Petty Sessions/Magistrates’ Courts were appointed to sit at specific places and separate records are generally available for each sitting location. From the 1880s to the mid 1960s, most Courts of Petty Sessions created an Index of Convictions, some of which survive. Clerks of Court were instructed to keep indexes (by family name) to all criminal convictions and orders made at their court. So, if you don’t know the year of the case you’re interested in, check A@V to see if PROV has an index for the relevant court. TIP
Indexes to convictions do not (usually) contain references to cases in which the defendant was found not guilty, or where the charges were struck out.
Children’s Court The Children’s Court was established in 1906 to hear and inquire into all charges against children and to direct appropriate action. Hearings may be held at any location where a Magistrate’s Court is established. Records are arranged by geographical location. Please note that Children’s Court records are likely to be closed for a period of 99 years from the date of creation.
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Selected records – civil matters Civil cases PROV has an extensive collection of files for Supreme Court civil jurisdiction, but holds only registers for the County and Magistrates’ Courts. Civil proceedings are mostly concerned with failure to pay debts, personal injury, and non-performance of contracts. Other cases may relate to appeals from lower courts and post-divorce settlements up to 1976. VPRS NO
VPRS 267
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
Civil Case Files 1852–1989 Documentation created during the course of civil cases (actions). There are three possible outcomes for a civil action: • the defendant rectifies the complaint • the defendant does nothing and the court awards judgment and costs to the plaintiff • the defendant contests the action – in a civil trial. Cases that go to trial will contain the most information, including: the writ; particulars of the claim/demand; summons; opinion; subpoenas; final judgment. Transcripts are not included in these files. Access is facilitated by VPRS 2983 Index to Action/Cause Books (microfilm copy of VPRS 5327) described below.
VPRS 5328 Civil Action/Cause Books 1841–1972 A record of the history of each action (whether the action lapsed, was awarded by default to the plaintiff, or went to trial). The entries are arranged in order of action number. Access is facilitated by VPRS 2983 Index to Action/Cause Books (microfilm copy of VPRS 5327) described below. VPRS 2983 Index to Action/Cause Books 1842–1924 Microfilm version (partial) of VPRS 5327 Indexes to Action/Cause Books (1842–c.1975) acts as an index to VPRS 5328 Civil Action/ Cause Books (see above) for the period 1842–1924. (For years outside this period, you’ll need to consult the original series of volumes.) The indexes also give access to VPRS 267 Civil Case Files (1852–1989) and other series relating to civil cases. The indexes list every civil action initiated in the Supreme Court through the issue of a summons. They contain the names of both parties to an action and the action number, arranged in alphabetical groups according to the defendant’s name. Some cases are listed under the plaintiff – a red ‘P’ is recorded next to the entry to indicate this.
LEGAL MATTERS
Wills and probate records After someone dies, probate records are created to document the management of their will and their estate. If a person dies without a will, then the process of granting administration of the estate also generates written records. Generally, a will includes a detailed account of the estate of the deceased person and lists the beneficiaries of each portion. The probate papers usually contain an inventory of the complete estate, including information about the personal estate, such as household furnishings. Both wills and probate records are alphabetically indexed in VPRS 3340/P2 Probate Index Victoria (1841–1992), available on microfiche in PROV reading rooms and in many libraries and family history research centres. The index is an essential reference for identifying, ordering and viewing the original records. Once you have obtained the probate series and record numbers (which may be referred to as the ‘file number’ and, after 1970, the ‘storage number’) from the index, you can use them to do a ‘Will and Probates’ search in A@V. The result displayed will include VPRS, consignment, unit and item numbers, and links – enabling you to order in the records for viewing in the VAC reading room. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 7591 Wills 1853–1992 Wills set out the wishes of an individual in relation to the distribution of his or her property on their death. VPRS 7592 Wills, Probate and Administration Files 1841–1853 This series is concurrent with VPRS 28 and contains related papers. VPRS 28
Probate and Administration Files 1841–1992 These files document the application to the Registrar of Probate for granting Probate or Administration.
VPRS 525
Register of Wills (Transcripts) Microfilm copy of VPRS 27 Transcription of Wills.
1842–1922
TIP
Use the Keyword search facility in A@V to look for relevant records. Try court, prison, lunacy, estate and insolvency.
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Insolvency If one of your ancestors was unable to pay their debts in full, they may have declared bankruptcy and it may be possible to trace their insolvency records. From 1842 to 1870, insolvency was within the jurisdiction of the Chief Commissioner and Commissioners of Insolvent Estates (Supreme Court). From 1871, insolvency became the responsibility of the Melbourne Court of Insolvency and various district courts of insolvency. In 1928, the responsibility passed to the Commonwealth. William Cuddon’s business came crashing down, along with many others, in the economic depression that marked the end of Melbourne’s golden boom years. (PROV, VPRS 763/P0 Deeds of Composition, unit 10, file C101, William Cuddon)
Check A@V for individual courts and for the Court of Insolvency, Melbourne (VA 2304). Indexes to some insolvency records are available in PROV reading rooms: • Index to VPRS 815 Geelong Insolvency Court (1853–1928) – each card lists the individual’s names, their case number, and the year. • Index to VPRS 75 Certificates of Discharge (Melbourne Court of Insolvency) (1848–75) – each card lists the individual’s name, trade or occupation, case number, and the year. Ask Reference Officers for assistance. The following table lists a small sample of the many PROV records relating to insolvency.
LEGAL MATTERS
Insolvency files usually contain a debtor’s statement detailing creditors and amounts owed to them. (PROV, VPRS 763/P0 Deeds of Composition, unit 10, file C101, William Cuddon) VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 759
Proceedings in Insolvent Estates 1842–71 Information in these files usually includes: a petition for insolvency; documentation about the estate; lists of debts due; particulars of property; a balance sheet. Date ranges are given in the series information in A@V.
VPRS 762
Deeds under 1871 Insolvency Act 1871–90 Insolvency case files which may include: list and particulars of debts; details of property; a balance sheet. Access is facilitated by consulting VPRS 758 General Index to Melbourne Insolvencies (1842–1928).
VPRS 765
Schedules Under the Insolvency Act 1890–1915 Files documenting the process of declaring a person insolvent in the Melbourne and metropolitan area from 1890 to 1915. The files may include: insolvent’s statement; statement of assets and receipts; statement of disbursements and unrealised estate; schedules; and order of appointment for certificate of discharge. The series ended in 1928 when a new file numbering sequence was implemented. File or case numbers can be found by consulting VPRS 758 General Index to Melbourne Insolvencies (1842–1928), checking VPRS 757 Register of Insolvencies (1871–1915) (if the year a person was declared insolvent is known) or VPRS 8750 Insolvency Register [self indexed] (1883–1898).
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VPRS 10246 Deeds Under 1915 Insolvency Act 1915–28 Files created to document the process of declaring a person insolvent in the Melbourne and metropolitan area from 1915 to 1928. In 1928 the insolvency function was transferred to the Commonwealth. To find the relevant file or case number, consult VPRS 758 General Index to Melbourne Insolvencies (1842–1928). Other sources • Check A@V for more insolvency records, by doing a Keyword search on ‘insolvency’. • The Victoria Government Gazette lists insolvency matters.
Equity The Supreme Court of Victoria exercises jurisdiction over the common law and equity. As a general statement, it may be said that equity and the common law have not always coincided. Equity (in this legal sense) may be described as a separate body of law – doctrines and rules – that developed over centuries to bring a notion of fairness to the application of the common law, supplementing, modifying and enlarging it. (Today, law and equity co-exist and courts apply both, although where there is a conflict between the rules of common law and the rules of equity, the rules of equity prevail.) Some areas where equity has been applied include contracts, deceased estates, property trusts, married women’s property, guardianship and lunacy. For instance, if an heir is a minor at the time of their benefactor’s death, the case is considered under the Court’s equity division (the Supreme Court in Equity). Until the 1940s, the estates of people deemed mentally ill (referred to as ‘lunatics’) were also administered through this division of the court. PROV holds many records relating to equity, some of which are listed in the following table. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 31
Equity Case Files 1841–54 Between 1841 and 1852 all Victorian Supreme Court cases were handled by the New South Wales Supreme Court and heard by the resident judge of the Port Phillip District. After Victoria separated from NSW in 1852, the Master in Equity, Supreme Court of Victoria became responsible for equity matters. Consult the series consignment details in A@V to find the case in which you are interested. Lists include the names of the parties to the cases. If you can’t find ‘your’ case within VPRS 31, check VPRS 53 List of Equity Case Files for Cases Heard Between 1841 and 1853 to ascertain if it was brought to trial during this time.
LEGAL MATTERS
VPRS 259
Equity Case Files 1854–1902 This series is accessed by VPRS 605 Index to Equity Case Files (1854–1902). The index is alphabetical by name of plaintiff, and will give you the required case number so you can access the files.
VPRS 257
Order Books 1856–84 Orders made by the Supreme Court in Equity in relation to cases before it in both its ordinary and ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and Orders transmitted to it from other jurisdictions in equity. All Equity Court orders were noted in the Equity Suit Books (see VPRS 1697 below). See also VPRS 12799 Orders, Decrees and Reports (described below).
VPRS 792
Decrees 1859–84 Decrees made by the Court and collated by the Master in Equity. These could consist of directions about the payment of costs, directions regarding the payment of damages and directions regarding the transfer of property from one party to another. All Equity Court decrees were noted in the Equity Suit Books (see VPRS 1697 below). See also VPRS 12799 and VPRS 12697 Vesting Orders (below), and VPRS 12696 Orders, Decrees and Reports.
VPRS 793
Reports 1858–84 Reports prepared for the Court by the Master in Equity. To check if a Report was made in a particular case, see VPRS 1697 Equity Suit Books (below). See also VPRS 12799 (below).
VPRS 12799 Orders, Decrees and Reports 1864 Orders, decrees and reports prepared for the Court by the Master in Equity. Usually these records were accumulated separately (see VPRS 792, VPRS 793, VPRS 257 described above). A small number from 1864 were bound together in one volume. The cases folio number in VPRS 1697 Equity Suit Book is written on the orders, decrees and reports in this series. VPRS 1697 Equity Suit Books 1841–83 This series provides a summary of cases heard by the Equity Jurisdiction of both the New South Wales Supreme Court, Port Phillip District (VA 914) and the Supreme Court of Victoria (VA 2549). The names of the parties to each case are listed along with the names of their respective solicitors. VPRS 12025 Equity Case Files: Applications under Companies Statute, Property Statute and Statute of Trustees 1852–83 Files relating to Supreme Court applications made under a number of Acts and relating to a variety of matters, including the protection of the property of minors and the administration of trusts. An index to this series, prepared by researcher Ada Ackerly, is available in the VAC Reading Room.
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VPRS 12024 Companies and Miscellaneous Applications Files 1885–1923 The cases in this series are equity suits. To obtain the application number, consult VPRS 5498 Index to Companies and Miscellaneous Applications Cases. The Ackerly index (see above), which reproduces this information, is available in the VAC Reading Room. A register to this series also exists – see VPRS 5373 Register of Applications Under Companies Statute (Trading), Real Property Statute, Statute of Trustees, etc. Other sources • For more information on these and other records, and for further detail about the concept of equity, see A@V. A Direct Search in Agency ID – VA 2624 Master in Equity, Supreme Court (also known as Master in Equity and Lunacy 1867–1923) – will give you a list of records created by that agency.
Lunacy One of the roles of the Supreme Court was to oversee matters relating to lunatics. From 1851 to 1940, the estates of ‘lunatics, minors and fools’ were controlled by the Master in Equity and Lunacy. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 6767 Inventory Book of Lunatic Estates 1850 Microfilm copy of VPRS 1702. The register is alphabetically indexed at the front. Contents include details about the purchase and sale of property, and may contain annotations relating to a patient’s death. Please note: few dates are recorded in this register. VPRS 6768 Alphabetical Register of Lunatics 1875–1906 Microfilm copy of VPRS 1706. Lunatics are listed alphabetically by name. Information recorded includes: patient’s name and registration number; name of asylum (institution); date of admission; rate of payments; date of discharge or death. Using the information here, you could track down the patient’s records from the relevant institution. VPRS 12232 Journal – Lunatic Patients Estate Fund 1922–35 Transactions relating to the accounts from patients’ estates, which were consolidated to form the Lunatic Patients’ Estates Fund. For each patient’s account, details of credits and debits are recorded. Consult the series information and consignment details in A@V for the alphabetical ranges of the units, to gain access by patient name.
LEGAL MATTERS
Selected records â&#x20AC;&#x201C; criminal matters Investigating criminal cases For access to any records of criminal trials, you must know the name of the accused/convicted person. This may or may not be your relative (in a trial your ancestor might have been a witness, a jury member, or the victim of the crime), so you might need to explore other pathways to the name so you can tap into the records you need. Newspaper reports can provide insights into criminal cases, including the dates and names needed to trace the original records held at PROV â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but you should always verify such details using other sources, as reports are often exaggerated and made colourful to keep readers captivated. Newspapers are not included in the PROV collection but this preliminary research can be undertaken at the State Library of Victoria, which holds an extensive newspaper collection. Sometimes family closets rattle ominously with tragic stories from the past. (PROV, VPRS 30/P0 Criminal Trial Briefs, unit 988, file 421, James Setford)
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The Victoria Police Gazette is an excellent research resource that can be accessed in a many places, including the State Library and the Police Historical Unit. Originally published for police use only, the Gazette was issued to police stations once a week. Each issue is divided into clear sections, such as ‘Murder’, ‘Highway Robbery and Stealing from the Person’ and ‘Deserters of Wives and Children’. The entries often contain very detailed descriptions of the offenders and the circumstances in which a crime was committed. An essential source for dating events, the Gazette is also of interest for notices issued about specific crimes. Partial sets of the Gazette are held at VAC and BAC. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 2170 Court of Petty Sessions/Magistrates’ Court Registers (Beechworth Courts) 1907–88 PROV holds records created by many Petty Sessions/ Magistrates’ Courts – this is just an example. This Beechworth Courts (VA 3073) record series, for example, is indexed by VPRS 2165 Index to Convictions 1888–1967. There may be several series of records for each Petty Sessions court, including registers for matters under Commonwealth legislation and Children’s Court registers. For this level of jurisdiction, most case files have been destroyed. VPRS 937
Inward Registered Correspondence (Victoria Police) 1852–94 These files can range from trivial matters of correspondence to investigations of cases. A full investigation file might include correspondence between police departments and from the public, as well as witness statements.
VPRS 30
Criminal Trial Briefs 1841–1995 Criminal trial briefs are prepared by the Crown Prosecutor and are used in court to present the prosecution’s case. The contents of the criminal trial briefs can vary greatly. They may contain statements of witnesses, exhibits, correspondence and additional police statements. Trial transcripts generally only appear in some files dating from the 1960s (this period is not on open access). The cases documented may have been heard in the Court of General Sessions, County or Supreme Courts. Access is facilitated by consulting the two registers – VPRS 3523 and VPRS 3524 – described opposite. Researcher Jean Uhl compiled an index to the Criminal Trial Briefs (VPRS 6774 Uhl Index to Criminal Trial Briefs [Microfilm Copy of VPRS 6933]) prior to the transfer of the Criminal Calendars to PROV. See A@V for more information on the Uhl index.
LEGAL MATTERS
VPRS 3523 Criminal Trial Brief Register II 1855–1892 Please use the microfiche copy of these records (VPRS 3523/P1). Through this annual register and the one following (see below), you can access VPRS 30 (see opposite). The registers are indexed by the name of the accused. Each register entry includes: accused’s name; trial brief number; charge(s) faced; date and place of committal; witnesses for the Crown; day and court set for trial; the judge; the verdict and the sentence. VPRS 3524 Criminal Trial Brief Register II 1892–1962 Please use the microfiche copy of this series (VPRS 3524/P1) and see the VPRS 3523 description above. (These records and those in VPRS 3523 are closed for 75 years from the time of creation.) VPRS 24
Inquest Deposition Files 1840–1999 The purpose of an inquest is to determine the exact cause of death. Until 1986 it could also act as a committal hearing. Access to the files is through A&V or hardcopy index (depending on the date range) – both are accessible in the VAC Reading Room. In cases where the inquest becomes part of the evidence in a criminal trial, you might find the inquest records in the criminal trial brief (see VPRS 30 opposite) instead of in this series. From 1951, copies of inquest records in most criminal cases were kept in VPRS 24.
VPRS 264
Capital Case Files 1852–1975 Before the abolition of the death sentence in Victoria in 1975, some crimes (for example, murder and rape) received an automatic death sentence. Cases involving such crimes were referred to as ‘capital’ cases. Files were created for each capital case to assist the Governor in Council in deciding whether the Royal Prerogative of Mercy should be applied and sentences reduced. Contents of the files vary but they generally contain a copy of the judge’s notes and trial transcript, together with relevant prison or psychiatric reports, correspondence, petitions, photographs and newspaper reports. Consult A@V for more information on this series.
VPRS 1100 Capital Sentence Files 1889–1975 Until 1889, capital case files were returned to the Law Department and are therefore found in VPRS 264 (see above). After 1889, some of the files were returned and some stayed with the Governor. For others, duplicates were made of some documents, so you might find files in both series.
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Casselden Place case study
Joseph Victor Pfeffer Joseph Victor Pfeffer was hanged at the Melbourne Gaol on 29 April 1912. His story can be found in VPRS 264/P0 Capital Case Files (Attorney-General, unit 28, file 1912 Joseph V. Pfeffer) and VPRS 1100/P0 Capital Sentence Files, unit 4, file Capital Sentences 1912 Joseph V. Pfeffer. Joseph Pfeffer (also known as John or Victor) was born in Lonsdale Street, Melbourne in 1880. Before his first birthday, the family moved to one of John Casselden’s little brick cottages, 8 Casselden Place. Family life with the Pfeffers was turbulent. Joseph’s father was violent and suffered from periods of temporary insanity, an illness he passed on to at least one son, George, an inmate of Kew Asylum for several years. Joseph too was bad-tempered and given to occasional violent outbursts. In 1899, aged 19, he was fined for assaulting his mother – rushing after her with a knife and throwing a loaf of bread at her, striking her in the face. Joseph’s Boer War commanding officer and his comrades-in-arms had found him unpredictable and weakminded. Pfeffer once tried to choke his tent-mate while he slept. In mid December 1911, all the elements in Joseph Pfeffer’s disturbed life came to a head. His wayward sister-in-law, Florence Whiteley, a domestic servant, had been living with Pfeffer and his young family for five years, but had begun to stay overnight at her employer’s house. The Pfeffers had spent a lot of money on Florence trying ‘to keep her straight’. Outraged that his sister-in-law refused to return home, on 12 December Joseph carried out a threat he’d made some days before. He shot Florence Victoria Whiteley dead. Joseph Pfeffer stood trial for the murder in February 1912. His defence counsel claimed temporary insanity, citing his family history of mental illness coupled with a head injury he had received in the Boer War. The jury found him guilty but added a rider to its verdict regretting that ‘no evidence was brought forward to establish the accused’s sanity’. It was suggested at the time that the Pfeffers did not have the time, money, or the support to mount a thorough defence. A petition to the Governor, signed by the Reverend Dr Charles Strong, Vida Goldstein and others from the Criminology Society, stated that the most elementary notions of justice, mercy and humanity require that a prisoner, handicapped by education, environment and lack of means, should have every chance given him, even to the eleventh hour, to prove that he was not mentally responsible for a brutal crime.
LEGAL MATTERS
The Society sought to have Pfeffer examined by Dr Ernest Jones, Inspector-General of the Insane, before the sentence of execution could be carried out. But petitions to the Governor for mercy were to no avail. On Monday 29 April 1912 Joseph Victor Pfeffer was hanged at the Melbourne Gaol. His wife applied for his body to be released to the family for burial, but Pfeffer was interred within the prison grounds.
(PROV, VPRS 1100/P0 Capital Sentence Files, unit 4, file 1912 Joseph V. Pfeffer)
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Joseph Pfefferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tale ended on the scaffold. He was buried within the grounds of the Melbourne Gaol, Russell Street, Melbourne. (PROV, VPRS 1100/P0 Capital Sentence Files, unit 4, file 1912 Joseph V. Pfeffer)
LEGAL MATTERS
Penal records PROV holds many records relating to Victorian prisons. Those most commonly referred to are the two ‘Central Registers’ (see the table below) relating to prisons in the Melbourne area. The registers usually contain details about each prisoner – physical description, religion, immigration details and literacy, as well as information about the initial charge and the sentence. They generally also contain details of any misbehaviour or punishments in the gaol, and any subsequent convictions and incarceration. Digital copies of some prison records are available through <www.prov.vic.gov.au/access.htm>.
Prison registers contain descriptions of many prisoners. Some, more infamous than others, are almost unrecognisable in their prison photographs. (VPRS 515/P0 Central Register of Male Prisoners, unit 17, p. 287 Edward Kelly)
VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 515
Central Register of Male Prisoners 1850–1948 This register began as a record of prisoners received at prisons in the Melbourne area. From about 1860 Pentridge became the central prison for the Melbourne area and, unless the prisoner passed through Pentridge, it is unlikely there will be any reference to them in this series. The volumes are arranged by prisoner registration number (allocated when the prisoner was received at the prison). To obtain the relevant registration number, you will need to consult VPRS 10867 Alphabetical Index to Central Register of Male Prisoners (1868–1947). For prisoners received prior to 1868, consult the Victorian Male Prisoner Index available on microfiche in the VAC and BAC Reading Rooms.
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VPRS 516
Central Register of Female Prisoners 1857–1948 Please use the microform copy of this series (VPRS 516/P1). The volumes are arranged by prisoner registration number. You will need to consult VPRS 10879 Alphabetical Index to Central Registers of Female Prisoners (1857–1948) (a microform version is available) to obtain the number. The introduction will identify the microfiche that contains the registration number you are interested in.
PROV holds records of some individual prisons, such as Prison Hulk ‘Sacramento’ (VA 3003) and Castlemaine Prison (VA 1008) but keep in mind that, because of the nature of the information, many series relating to prisons are closed under the provisions of the Public Records Act 1973 (see Appendix B). Applications for access to closed records should be submitted to the Freedom of Information section of the relevant department or agency. Check A@V for the prison records currently held at PROV, and their access status.
Convicts Although Victoria did not directly receive convicts transported from Britain, some of those transported to other colonies were used as a labour force for some years in the early part of the nineteenth century. VPRS NO
SERIES TITLE
D AT E R A N G E
VPRS 110
Register of Convicts 1842–54 The register covers Melbourne, Bourke and Westernport regions and records: assigned servants; a nominal list of ticket-of-leave holders in the Port Phillip District (1843–48); applications for ticket of leave; applications for pardons (1845–54); certificates of freedom (1848–51). A digital copy of VPRS 110 is available through <www.prov.vic.gov.au/access.htm>. Microfilm copies of VPRS 110 (see VPRS 2149) are available at VAC and BAC.
VPRS 89
Notifications of Pardon of Exiles 1844–49 As prisoners transported to Victoria, ‘Exiles’ received pardons on arrival conditional on their not returning to Britain for the duration of their sentence. This series consists of copies of the pardons. Consult the card index to the series in the VAC Reading Room.
TIP
Some records relating to legal matters, particularly those dating from the 1960s, can contain graphic or distressing material. Be prepared for the nature of the information you are accessing.
LEGAL MATTERS
Further sources Correspondence and other records of the Police Magistrate, Port Philip District (VA 472), the Superintendent, Port Phillip District (VA 473), the Colonial Secretaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office (VA 856) and the Chief Secretaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department (VA 475) contain information about police, particularly for the period before 1900. The Police Historical Unit is an important resource centre for the history of policing in Victoria. Its collection includes records from individual police stations such as watch-house books, occurrence books and other registers, as well as other written records. The Police Historical Unit is located at the Victoria Police Centre, Concourse Level, 637 Flinders Street, Melbourne. For further details see the Victoria Police website: <www.police.vic.gov.au>. Gary Presland and Helen Doxford Harris 1990 Cops and Robbers: A Guide to Researching 19th-Century Police and Criminal Records in Victoria, Australia, Harriland Press, Forest Hill, Victoria. For more records, check A@V.
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Family touring, 1973 (Private collection, Zygmuntowicz family)
CHAPTER
9
Continuing the journey As you have seen, the effective use of public records for research needs to be focused – however, it need not be limited. About twothirds of the 23,000 annual visitors to PROV reading rooms come, initially, to uncover family history trails using the kinds of immigration, land, education, work, health and legal records outlined in this book. But after tracing details of their ancestors’ lives, many of these family historians are taking their research further by exploring additional material held in PROV’s huge collection.
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Public Record Office Victoria has more than eighty kilometres of records on offer – stark official reports, personal perspectives, firsthand accounts, letters, drawings and plans are among the variety of records that can help to reveal the broader context in which ordinary and extraordinary Victorians lived. Keep in mind that PROV is specifically responsible for records created by the Victorian state and local governments. It does not hold records of the Commonwealth Government and other state governments, of private individuals, or of private institutions and organisations such as churches, private schools and hospitals, businesses, trade unions, clubs and societies. And remember, too, that some types of records are missing and access to others may be restricted. Some records are retained by the creating agency. In other cases, PROV only holds records of a particular time period, with later, similar records being kept by the relevant government agencies and departments for administrative purposes. To help you in tracing such records, some common examples relevant to family history are outlined in this chapter.
Printed information about the PROV collection Although our online resource, A@V, holds information on the most frequently used PROV records, you might occasionally need to refer to other, printed materials when you visit PROV. Together with the PROVguides, use these resources to find information on record series that have not yet been included in the A@V catalogue/database. PROV’s Reference Officers can help you access and use them effectively.
List of Holdings The List of Holdings book provides information about all record series that were in the PROV collection as at 1985, and is available in PROV reading rooms. Some entries have been superseded by the online catalogue.
Series Information Folders These ‘folders’, constitute a comprehensive paper catalogue of the PROV collection. Information about record series available to researchers is on sheets kept in easy-to-handle loose-leaf binders arranged in VPRS number order. A ‘record description list’ gives series and content date ranges, unit and item numbers, access status, record location, creating agencies, and controlling records (registers and indexes).
CONTINUING THE JOURNEY
The folders are gradually being replaced by A@V, PROV’s electronic database. You’ll only need to consult them if your search online has been unsuccessful.
Summary Guide to Public Records of Victoria The Summary Guide, available in both book form and in a set of loose-leaf folders in PROV reading rooms, maps out the structure of government administration in Victoria since the 1830s. It can be used to plan research and to locate specific records. The Guide, too, is gradually being replaced by A@V. Consult it only if your online exploration has been unsuccessful.
Records held jointly by PROV and other agencies Births, deaths and marriages PROV’s reading rooms hold indexes to birth, death and marriage certificates. However, to obtain copies of the certificates themselves you need to apply directly to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Transport House, 589 Collins Street, Melbourne. The Registry has an online search service available (for a fee) through <www.maxi.com.au>. For more information about birth, death and marriage registrations see the Department for Victorian Communities website: <www.dvc.vic.gov.au>.
Inquests Inquest Deposition Files are subject to a ten-year closure period. Although only inquest files more than ten years old are available at PROV (in 2004 the date range covers 1841 to 1993), the records are opened annually, which means that files are continually being transferred to PROV’s collection. Access to recent files is through the State Coroner’s Office, Coronial Services Centre, 57–83 Kavanagh Street, South Melbourne.
Probate At present all wills and probate and administration files held at PROV are available to researchers (in 2004 the date range covers 1841 to 1992). You can access more recent files through the Probate Registry, Level 2, 436 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. For more information about wills, probate and administration files, consult the Department of Justice website (see above) or the Supreme Court of Victoria website: <www.supremecourt.vic.gov.au>.
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Historic plans and maps VPRS 8164 Register of Historic Plans (1802â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1963) (microfiche), which serves as an index to the record series of early Victorian maps and plans, is held at the VAC. Microfiche copies of this collection can be viewed at the Land Information Centre, Marland House, Mezzanine Level, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne. For more information on historic survey plans and land records generally, see <www.land.vic.gov.au>.
Many beautiful old plans and maps make up the Historic Plan Collection. (PROV, VPRS 8168/P1 Historic Plan Collection, Melb RL 1, Map of Lagoon in Albert Park 1876, J. Lardner)
CONTINUING THE JOURNEY
Government buildings/structures Negatives of plans and elevations of government buildings and other structures can be viewed at the VAC. A database provides drawing numbers that can be used to request microform copies for viewing. Because of the complexity of these records you need to speak to reading room staff to order these records.
(PROV, VPRS 3686/P1 Pre-Metric Building Plans, unit 78, plan SSO 545.5 Sale State School)
Company registration A microfiche index to company registration records can be consulted in any PROV reading room or at any office of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). PROV holds all the files believed to exist of companies registered before February 1974. You may access files of companies registered after that date through ASIC at Level 17, 485 Latrobe Street, Melbourne (www.asic.gov.au).
Post-1923 immigration PROV holds records of unassisted immigration from 1852 to 1923. From 1924 the Commonwealth Government assumed responsibility for monitoring arrivals and departures. Lists of passengers disembarking in Victorian ports from January 1924 are held by the National Archives of Australia, and are accessible at the VAC. For more information about the National Archives of Australia collection (www.naa.gov.au).
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Defence Responsibility for many functions passed to the Commonwealth government after Federation in 1901. The majority of defence-related records, including defence personnel service records, are held at the National Archives of Australia. You may also like to investigate the extensive family history resources of the Australian War Memorial (some available online). An occasional mention of defence matters and military themes may be found in records held in PROV’s collection – a Keyword search in A@V is a good way to start.
Naturalisation An index to naturalisations is available in PROV reading rooms. Naturalisation certificates and accompanying papers, however, are held by the National Archives of Australia. Requests for copies of these papers should be addressed to the Officer in Charge, National Archives of Australia, Reference Processing Centre, PO Box 7425, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2911. See also <www.naa.gov.au>.
Land selection PROV holds licence and lease files which document land settlement under the Land Selection Acts of the 19th century. These files document the proceedings leading up to the issue of a Crown grant. Land selection file numbers are generally recorded on parish/township maps. To locate a file, you need to know its number. Parish maps can be consulted in the VAC Reading Room, at the Land Information Centre, Marland House, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne, or at any regional office of the Department of Sustainability & Environment. A selection of parish and township plans relating to the Central Highlands region, are available at the Ballarat Archives Centre.
Useful agencies and resources Many useful records and resources are held by other Australian government, independent or private agencies, as well as in other states’ archives. Accessibility to those records will vary from place to place, depending on the resources available to store, manage and retrieve them. Genealogical societies sometimes specialise in particular themes in family history research (such as a region). They may offer resources such as meetings, reading rooms, research services, publications, workshops and websites. Local historical societies and museums may include archives relating to a particular town, suburb or community and its residents. Historical Society activities generally make members’ specialised research and local knowledge available to the public. Contact peak
CONTINUING THE JOURNEY
membership bodies in each Australian state to find out about organisations in a particular region. Private or independent agencies, such as churches and large companies, often hold rich arrays of records relating to their activities over the years, encompassing references to individuals. State libraries hold collections of newspapers, journals, manuscripts and reference books. They may also be custodians of archival material relating to individuals or groups. Below you will find Web addresses for some of the key agencies and departments you might wish to consult (follow the links). For contact details and opening hours, please check: • PROVguide 16: Family History Research (also available via A@V) • PROVguide 17: Addresses of Australian and Archival Institutions (also available via A@V) • White Pages and other telephone directories. Agency
Website
Victoria – Government agencies Department of Education and Training (for Education Historical Unit)
www.det.vic.gov.au
Land Victoria
www.land.vic.gov.au
Police Historical Unit
www.police.vic.gov.au
State Library of Victoria (for SLV Genealogy Centre)
www.slv.vic.gov.au
Department for Victorian Communities (for Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages) www.dvc.vic.gov.au Victoria – Other agencies Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies
www.aigs.org.au
Burke Museum (Beechworth) – PROV Approved Place of Deposit
www.beechworth-index.com.au/burkemus
Genealogical Society of Victoria
www.gsv.org.au
Historical Records Centre (Geelong) – PROV Approved Place of Deposit
www.zades.com.au/geelong/ghrc.html
Royal Historical Society of Victoria
www.historyvictoria.org.au
Commonwealth Government agencies Australian War Memorial
www.awm.gov.au
National Archives of Australia
www.naa.gov.au
National Library of Australia
www.nla.gov.au
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Agency
Website
Australian Capital Territory ACT Registrar-Generalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Births, Deaths and Marriages
www.rgo.act.gov.au
New South Wales NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (index)
www.bdm.nsw.gov.au
State Library of New South Wales
www.sl.nsw.gov.au
State Records New South Wales
www.records.nsw.gov.au
Northern Territory NT Department of Justice (for Births, Deaths and Marriages)
www.nt.gov.au/justice
Northern Territory Archives Service
www.nt.gov.au
Northern Territory Library and Information Service
www.ntlib.nt.gov.au
Queensland Births, Deaths and Marriages Queensland
www.justice.qld.gov.au/bdm
State Library of Queensland
www.slq.qld.gov.au
Queensland State Archives
www.archives.qld.gov.au
South Australia Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Office
www.ocba.sa.gov.au/bdm/
State Library of South Australia
www.slsa.sa.gov.au
State Records of South Australia
www.archives.sa.gov.au
Tasmania Archives Office of Tasmania
www.archives.tas.gov.au
Tasmanian Registry Office
www.justice.tas.gov.au/bdm
The State Library of Tasmania
www.statelibrary.tas.gov.au
Western Australia Department of Justice (for Births, Deaths and Marriages)
www.justice.wa.gov.au/home.asp
State Records of Western Australia
www.sro.wa.gov.au
The State Library of Western Australia
www.liswa.wa.gov.au
CONTINUING THE JOURNEY
Overseas links To find out about overseas agencies, the Archives of Australia website is an excellent starting point, with links to a range of archives. Go to <www.archivenet.gov.au/archives.html>. One of the main online resources for family historians is the enormous records database maintained by the Church of Latter Day Saints at <www.familysearch.org>.
A final word Archival research can be revealing, rewarding and quite addictive! Ultimately, there is nothing quite like consulting a faded century-old document, reading an original letter in inky blue longhand, or the ‘ah-ha!’ feeling when you locate a familiar name in a long list of entries on a ship’s passenger list. Whether you are researching your family history or the story of a local community, or involved in professional or academic research, may you enjoy your travels through the archives, wherever your road takes you. Enjoy the adventure! The elevations, sections and plans of many government buildings, can be found at PROV.
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Shelving boxes (units) at the Victorian Archives repository
APPENDIX
Archives and citations
A
146
APPENDIX A
Introduction In Chapter 1 we provided an example to show how the elements of a reference citation are used to identify and locate an individual record in PROV’s vast collection – in this case, John Casselden’s probate papers. The elements in the citation reflect the organisation of the archival system itself, outlined below.
PROV’s archival control system The archival control system of Public Record Office Victoria is derived from the Commonwealth Record Series (CRS) system, developed for use in the Commonwealth Archives Office (now National Archives of Australia). The PROV system is based on the related archival principles of provenance and original order. Both these principles aim to keep records with their original context intact and with evidence of their relationship to their original creators and users, and to other records, preserved. Maintaining the integrity of archival material in this way allows researchers to interpret correctly their meaning and significance. The principle of provenance involves establishing the administrative context in which records were created and used. The provenance of records includes their original creators and users, and the subsequent administrators who were responsible for the record-keeping system in which the records were kept. Knowing who created the records and why can help you to assess the significance of what you are looking at. The principle of preserving the original order of records relates to the relationships between individual record items. It involves maintaining records in their active-use arrangement, so that the evidence of government decisions and actions is preserved. For this reason, records are not rearranged or described according to their subject matter.
Components of the archival system PROV’s archival control system can be explained briefly as follows (please note the specific use of terms such as ‘unit’ and ‘item’). Each Victorian Public Record Series – known as a VPRS, or series, or record series – is allocated a number. Each series is a grouping of records relating to a particular government function or activity. A series may consist of one or more consignments. A consignment, as an entity, is created whenever a portion of a series (e.g. an annual
A RC H I V E S A N D C I TAT I O N S
register) is transferred (or ‘consigned’) by an agency to PROV. Each consignment, in turn, may contain one or more units in the form of boxes, volumes, bundles, films etc. The records from a single series may occupy several kilometres of shelving, so without the correct series number, and the specific consignment and unit numbers it would be impossible to locate the desired record item. The item number is exactly that – a number allocated to a particular record by the agency that created it (for example, a file number) – so not all items in a unit will necessarily have an item number, and a unit may consist of only one item. For example, a single volume may constitute a unit, in which case page or folio numbers may become relevant. The diagram below shows these and other components of the system. They are explained in more detail in the text which follows.
John Casselden’s probate papers record group (VRG)
VRG 4 Courts
function (VF)
VF 461 Probate and Administration
agency (VA)
VA 2624 Master in Equity, Supreme Court
record series number
record series title
VPRS 28/P2 Probate and Administration Files consignment number/retention status P(ermanent) 2
unit 245
box item details
item
file 37/676 Probate papers, John Casselden
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APPENDIX A
Victorian Agency (VA) An agency is a body that has or has had responsibility for at least one aspect of government business and has therefore created and maintained public records. Because each agency has an independent record-keeping system, the agency name (e.g. VA 2807 State Coroner’s Office) can be helpful in locating and understanding the organisation of specific records after they are archived.
Victorian Function (VF) The term ‘function’ refers to the role and administrative activities of an agency (see above) or group (see ‘Victorian Record Group (VRG)’ below). Legislation is the ultimate source of the responsibility for a function, which may move between agencies over time. It may be a specific activity (e.g. registration of inquests) or a number of related activities (e.g. agriculture). Functions (VFs) – each with a number – thus give you the context in which records were created. They allow you to track records associated with a particular function, even if the function itself moves to another agency or group. For example, VF 245 Agriculture has, at different times, been in VRG 16 Colonial Secretary and VRG 122 Agriculture and Resources, and is currently in VRG 131 Agriculture II. And the following agencies are among those that have been responsible for VF 245 Agriculture: VA 475 Chief Secretary’s Department; VA 618 Department of Agriculture; and VA 3972 Department of Natural Resources and the Environment.
Victorian Record Group (VRG) A ‘record group’ brings together agencies that have created records documenting similar functions. They may be agencies that: • are part of the same ministerial portfolio (e.g. VRG 18 Lands); OR • have a common function (e.g. VRG 24 Educational Institutions); OR • comprise a sector of government (e.g. VRG 4 Courts).
Victorian Public Record Series (VPRS) A ‘record series’ is a group of records which are recorded or maintained by the same agency (or agencies) and which: • are in the same numerical, alphabetical, chronological or other identifiable sequence; OR • result from the same accumulation or filing process, perform the same function, or are of similar physical shape or information content. An example is VPRS 24 Inquest Deposition Files.
A RC H I V E S A N D C I TAT I O N S
Consignment A ‘consignment’ consists of record items belonging to a single record series (VPRS) which has been transferred to the custody of PROV as part of one accession. A consignment may comprise the whole or only a part of a series. Each consignment is given an alpha-numeric identification (ID) number (e.g. /P2), consisting of: • an alpha code indicating its retention status (P = Permanent, T = Temporary, U = Unappraised); and • a sequential number to differentiate it from other consignments (if any) within the series.
Unit A storage ‘unit’ is used by PROV to store records and to provide physical control over them. A unit may be, for example, a box, bundle, plan press drawer or tube containing individual record items (see below) or it may be a single volume. The unit number directs staff to the relevant physical location within a PROV repository.
Item A record ‘item’ is a single discrete record entity. It could be, for example, a group of folios fastened together to form a file, a single volume, a card, map, photograph, film, sound recording or computer tape. Within a series there may be only one record item, or there may be several thousand – or more. The identifier for an item may be a file number (perhaps incorporating a date), a name, or a combination of both. (Ultimately, it is the ‘item’ that you will be seeking when you order PROV records for viewing or copying.)
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Compactus storage, Victorian Archives Centre
APPENDIX
Restricted records
B
152
APPENDIX B
Access restrictions Under the provisions of the Public Records Act 1973 a small proportion of records may be unavailable at any one time. The vast majority of records are not ‘closed’, and all records will become open eventually. Access restrictions can apply to certain records, as outlined in the Act, as follows: • Section 9 – Personal or private records may be withheld • Section 10 – Records may be withheld for 30 years • Section 11 – Inspection and copying of public records. Section 9 relates to records that contain information of a personal or private nature about individuals. PROV practice is to withhold such records for 99 years (from their creation) when they relate to children; for 75 years when they relate to adults. PROV used the 1982 Freedom of Information Act criteria as a guide in determining if any of its records should be closed under Section 10 of the Act. Such closures are for a maximum of 30 years from the year that the records are transferred to PROV. If giving access to records may present a danger to the record, it can be withheld for preservation reasons under Section 11 but PROV will endeavour to provide a copy of such records if required.
Special access Special access to records closed under Section 9 (personal or private affairs) of the Public Records Act is sometimes granted in exceptional circumstances. Although each application is assessed on a case-bycase basis, special access is generally not granted for genealogical research. Applications (in writing) should include a full and precise description of the proposed research, public benefit or interest to be obtained from the research, details of the applicant’s qualifications in the research area, and supporting opinions from appropriate referees. Applications for special access should be addressed to: Keeper of Public Records Public Record Office Victoria PO Box 2100 North Melbourne VIC 3051 For more detailed information on closure of personal records and the special access application process, consult PROVguide 14: Special Access in Archives@Victoria or in PROV reading rooms.
RESTRICTED RECORDS, FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND SPECIAL ACCESS
Freedom of Information For access to individual items in a closed consignment, PROV staff may refer researchers to the Freedom of Information (FOI) officers at the agency currently responsible for the functions documented in the records. The agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s FOI officer will consider the request for access under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
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PROV storage boxes
Some useful terms
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Abbreviated forms A@V BAC ct FOI PROV SLV VA VAC VF VPRS VRG
Archives@Victoria Ballarat Archives Centre continuing (in date ranges) Freedom of Information Public Record Office Victoria State Library of Victoria Victorian Agency Victorian Archives Centre Victorian Function Victorian Public Record Series Victorian Record Group
Glossary access refers either to the process of providing records for researchers to use in PROV reading rooms, or to the process of determining if records should or should not be withheld from researchers for a period of time (see also closed records and Appendix B) agency see Appendix A aperture card a type of microform in which a single frame of microfilm is fixed within a window in an oblong card; often used for copies of plans and drawings archives records considered to have continuing or permanent value that have been, or will be, transferred to the custody of an archival organisation; also used to refer to the buildings in which archival records are stored and to organisations that have responsibility for archival records Archives@Victoria (A@V) the primary catalogue for the PROV collection, accessible through the PROV website Ballarat Archives Centre (or BAC) the PROV repository and reading room in Ballarat Casselden Place Families who lived in Casselden Place, off Little Lonsdale Street, are the subject of case studies throughout the book
SOME USEFUL TERMS
catalogue a tool to assist researchers to find records using key words, dates or other information about records and their creators. PROV’s primary catalogue is the comprehensive online search tool Archives@Victoria (previously, researchers relied on printed resources – inventories, lists and indexes – referred to as ‘finding aids’) citation a formal reference used to identify a record, or part of a record, within a publication, research, or research notes (see also Appendix A) closed record a record closed under the provisions of any of three sections of the Public Records Act 1973 – generally for privacy or conservation reasons (see also Appendix B) collection the whole body of records in any format that have been transferred into the custody and control of the Keeper of Public Records consignment see Appendix A database a bank of information stored on computer, which can be searched through or retrieved using key words, terms or categories date range VRGs, agencies, record series, consignments and record items (see Chapter 1) all have date ranges. Date ranges for groups and agencies cover the period that those VRGs/agencies existed. For record series, consignments and items, the date range can refer to the time during which the records were created, or the date range of the contents. digital images electronic reproductions of pictures, photographs or real items (e.g. letters or documents) that can be stored on computer or disk, and can be viewed, transmitted, manipulated and/or printed via computer file an accumulation of documents relating to the same subject, person, activity or transaction that are kept together. Documents in a file are usually, but not always, fastened together. Files are usually arranged in an identifiable sequence (e.g. numerical or alphabetical). finding aid see catalogue folio generally, a double-page spread in a volume; may also refer to a single document attached to a file
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Freedom of Information see Privacy Act and Appendix B holdings see collection index usually, an alphabetised or other sequential list that is used to refer to records that are arranged in a different, less accessible sequence (see also nominal index, numerical index and subject index) inquest a court hearing conducted by the Coroner, in which the circumstances surrounding a death are examined; usually open to the public item see Appendix A microfiche a microfilmed transparency that can contain many reduced pages of text, and can be read or referred to using a microfiche reader (a readerâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;printer can also generate print copies) microfilm a film format used to reproduce fragile, bulky or large publications or documents, that can provide safe access and generate copies microform the representation of images in a greatly reduced format, in particular, images on microfilm, microfiche or aperture card nominal index an alphabetised list of names (e.g. of people or organisations) that will typically give references to registers, files or correspondence relating to those people or organisations numerical index a numerical listing that may exist in record-keeping systems that use number codes to identify different subjects under which files may be created Privacy Act The Victorian Information Privacy Act 2000 sets the standard for the way in which government agencies, statutory bodies and councils in this state handle personal information about individuals (see also Appendix B) probate a legal process or document that validates a will after someone dies, and authorises an executor for their estate
SOME USEFUL TERMS
PROVguides a series of pamphlets, describing some of the most frequently used records held at PROV; available in PROV reading rooms and on the PROV website public records information or documents created as part of the activities of state government departments, agencies and local government Record Description List (RDL) a list which contains details of units and items that make up a consignment; usually provides unit numbers and descriptions of the records in each unit reading room area set aside at PROV centres for public access to records and research (formerly known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;search roomsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) record something that documents a particular event or decision, or a document and its content that have some evidentiary value record item see Appendix A record series see Appendix A Reference Officer staff member available to assist researchers at PROV reading rooms register a record in which transactions or activities are logged, usually in chronological or sequential order search room see reading room series see VPRS subject index an alphabetised list of subjects used in complex record-keeping systems to assist in identifying registered file or correspondence numbers. In a typical subject index the subjects relate to the activities of the agency that created it. In some systems, subjects may be represented by sequences of numbers (see numerical index) Summary Guide to the Public Records of Victoria a document that maps out the structure of government administration since the establishment of Victorian/Port Phillip records and can be used to plan research or locate specific records; provides an update on the collection previously recorded in the List of Holdings 1985
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Torrens title system basing legal title to land on a record of registration, rather than on title deeds; named after Sir Robert Richard Torrens (1814–84) who, as premier of South Australia, introduced the ‘Torrens title’ to that colony in 1857 unit see Appendix A Victorian Agency (VA) see Appendix A Victorian Archives Centre (VAC) PROV repository and joint reading room with the National Archives of Australia at 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne Victorian Function (VF) see Appendix A Victorian Record Group (VRG) see Appendix A Victorian Public Record Series (VPRS) see Appendix A volume in PROV’s system, any book of any size, including very large books (e.g. rate books and court registers), hard-cover books, soft-cover books (e.g. exercise books) and loose-leaf folders (e.g. lever-arch, ring and spring binders); may refer to a storage unit, or an item stored within a storage unit
Index
aboriginal family history see Koorie family history access restrictions (records) 5, 104, 116, 117, 152 Ackerly index 123, 124 adoption records 25–6 agencies and resources 140–2 agency 147 see also Victorian Agency (VA) Agency ID search 104 Air Flight Nominal Rolls (1954–79) 46 Amending Land Act 1865 53 architects, employment information 85 archival control system (PROV) 9, 146 components 146–9 archives 6 see also public records
Archives@Victoria 3, 6–7 Articles of Clerkship Files (1840–92) 90 assisted immigrants from the United Kingdom (1839–71) 35–8 Australian Securities and Investments Commission 139 Australian War Memorial 140 Ballarat Archives Centre (BAC) 4 Barristers’ and Solicitors’ Admission Files (1982–1951) 90 benevolent asylums 112 birth certificate 17 births 137 indexes 18–19 Blue Books 84–5 Board of Education 72
Board of Teachers, examination papers (1863–72) 79, 100 body cards 24 case study 22–4 British post-World War II immigration 45–6 business records see companies; licensing Capital Case Files (1852–1975) 127 case study 128–30 Capital Sentence Files (1889–1975) 127 case books (mental patients) (c.1845–1912) 107–8 see also clinical notes Casselden Place case studies 10–11 Henry Booth 22–4 William and Ada Stack 28–30
162
David Cunningham 41–2 Owners and residents in 1877 62–4 Susan Moloney 86 Patrick Neylan 92 Joseph Casselden 109–11 Joseph Victor Pfeffer 128–30 cemetery records 30–1 certificates – births, deaths and marriages 17–18 certificates of title applications 64–5 chemists see pharmacists Chief Secretary’s Department, health records 112 Children’s Court 117 Children’s Registers 25 Church of Latter Day Saints records database 143 church records 19, 141 citing records 8–9 City of Melbourne records 59–60 Civil Action/Cause Books (1841–1972) 118 Civil Case Files (1852–1989) 118 civil matters civil cases 118–19 insolvency 20–2 wills and probate records 24–5, 66, 119 clinical notes (mental patients) (1912–c.1953) 107–8 see also case books closed records 5, 104, 116, 117, 152 Closer [and Soldier] Settlement Files (1898–1960) 55 Coming South: Victorian Archives of Immigration 1839–1923 34, 45, 46 common schools 72 companies 87–90 Current Company, Association and
Business Name Registrations Index (1864–1990) 87 Defunct Company, Association and Business Name Registrations Index (1864–1990) 87 Defunct Mining Company Index 89 mining companies 89–90 registration records 88–9, 139 trading companies 87–9 consignment 146, 149 consolidated indexes (births, deaths and marriages) 19 Convictions Index (1888–1967) 117, 126 convicts 132 copying services (PROV) 4–5 Coronial Investigations Database 20 County Court 116–17 courts – jurisdictions 116–17 Courts of Petty Sessions 117, 126 crew members see seamen criminal case investigations 125–30 case study 128–30 files 126–7 newspaper reports 125 Victoria Police Gazette 126 criminal convictions index (1888–1967) 117, 126 criminal matters 125–33 convicts 132 investigating criminal cases 125–30 penal records 131–2 Criminal Trial Briefs (1841–1994) 20, 126–7 Crown Grants register
1838–51 67 1851–58 68 1859–1988 68 1870–1991 68 Crown land, land selection/ occupation files 51–5 Crown Lands and Survey Files 53, 55–6 Customs, Shipping and Immigration Records (1839–98) 43 database see Archives@Victoria date ranges, for record series 10 death certificate 18 absence of 20–1, 24 Death Index Victoria 1921–1985 19 see also Victorian Death Index (1853–1980) deaths 137 indexes 18–19 defence-related records 19, 140 Denominational School Board 72, 73 Department of Education 72 Deserters and Discharged Seamen (1852–1925) 44 directories 57 Divorce and Matrimonial Causes/Court Books 1890–1945 27 Divorce and Matrimonial Court Minute Books (1866–88) 27 Divorce Case Files (1861–1920) 26, 27 Divorce Cause Books (1861–1924) 26, 27 Divorce Index Victoria 1861–1900 26 divorce records 26–7 case study 28–30
INDEX
Education Act 1872 72 education records 71–81 general information 78–9 non-government schools 77 state primary schools 74–6 state secondary schools 77 student histories 73 teachers 72, 99–100 Edwardian Index Victoria 1902–1913 19 electoral rolls 65 employment records 83–101 architects 85 Blue Books 84–5 companies 87–90 crew members see seamen government correspondence 85 hairdressers 90 legal profession 90–1 licensing 91–3 pharmacists 85–7 police 94–5 ports and harbours 96–8 public service 95–6 seamen 43–4, 98 teachers 79, 99–100 Victoria Government Gazette 84 equity 122–4 see also Master in Equity and Lunacy Equity Case Files (1841–54) 122–4 Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction (1841–74) 26 Equity Suit Books 123 Examination Papers, Board of Teachers (1863–72) 79, 100 Exiles (convicts), pardons of 38, 39, 132
family history research 13–14 getting started 3, 6, 14 Koorie 15 Federation Index Victoria 1889–1901 19 female prisoner register (1857–1948) 132 finding records by citing records 8–9 finding your way through the records 6–7 foreign companies 88 Freedom of Information 5, 153 full citation, example 9 function see Victorian Function (VF) Geelong Insolvency Court (1853–1928) 120 genealogical societies 140 glossary 156–60 gold mining leases (1859–1972) 93 government buildings photographs (1900–60) 79, 102 plans and elevations 138 Government Gazette see Victoria Government Gazette Great War Index Victoria 1914–1920 19 hairdressers, employment information 90 health records 103–13 benevolent asylums 112 case books and clinical notes 107–8 case study 109–11 mental health records 105–6 public hospital records 104 records of the Chief Secretary 112
records of the Master in Equity/Master in Lunacy 112 historical societies 140 hospital records (public) 104 hotels see liquor licensing housing records see land and housing records Immigration Index 40 immigration records 33–47 Air Flight Nominal Rolls (1954–79) 46 assisted immigrants from the United Kingdom 35–7, 38 British post-World War II 45–6 case study 41–2 correspondence records 44–5 crew members 43–4 Exiles (convicts) 38, 39, 132 Immigration to Victoria index 40 overseas and intercolonial arrivals 43 passenger lists 37, 38, 40, 43 post-1923 immigration 139 unassisted immigration 38, 40, 139 independent agency information 141 indexes – births, deaths and marriages 18–19 Inquest Deposition Files (1840–1994) 20, 108, 127 Inquest Index, Victoria 1840–1985 20 inquests 20–1, 137 case study 22–3
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Insolvency Acts, deeds and schedules 121–2 insolvency records 120–2 Insolvent Estates, proceedings (1842–71) 121 Inward Overseas Passenger Lists 1852–1923 37 foreign ports 38, 40 New Zealand ports 38, 40 UK ports 38, 40 Inward Passenger Lists (Australian Ports) (1852–1924) 43 Inward Shipping (Overseas and Intercolonial Ports) (1846–52) 43 Inwards Shipping Index 1839–1900 43 jurisdictions (courts) 116–17 Koorie family history research 15 Koorie Heritage Trust Inc. 15 Land Acts 53, 54, 140 land and housing records 49–69 all properties 64–6 applications for certificates of title 64–5 electoral rolls 65 probate records 66 rural properties 51–6 town properties 57–64 valuation registers 66 land district 53 Land Information Centre 138, 140 Land Sales by Public Auction 1852 67 auctioneers’ reports (1847–1984) 67 register (1837–1972) 67
land selection/ occupation 49–50 files 51–5, 140 legal matters 115–33 civil matters 118–24 criminal matters 125–33 equity 122–4 insolvency 120–2 jurisdictions 116–17 lunacy 124 wills and probate 24, 66, 119, 137 legal profession, employment information 90 licensing 91–4 see also liquor licensing and mining licensing Link Up Victoria 15 liquor licensing 91–2 case study 92 Defunct Hotel Licenses (1907–77) 92 List of Holdings 136 List of Ships 41 local history societies and museums 140–1 lunacy 105, 124 see also Master in Equity and Lunacy lunatic asylums see mental health institutions lunatic patients’ estates, records 124 lunatics, alphabetical register (1875–1906) 124 Magistrates’ Courts 117, 126 male prisoner register (1850–1948) 131 maps see plans and maps marriage certificate 18 marriages 137 indexes 18–19 Master in Equity and Lunacy 112, 122, 123 Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) plans 60–1
Melbourne Coroner’s Court 24 Melbourne Court of Insolvency, Certificates of Discharge 120 Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners 96, 97 mental health records 105, 107–8 case study 109–11 see also lunacy mental institutions (list) 105–6 mental patients see case books; clinical records Mercantile Marine Office Articles of Agreement (1878–1921) 98 Release Books (1857–1922) 44 Seamen’s Discharge Certificates (1882–1922) 44 migration records see immigration records mineral search licences (1862–1913) 93 mining companies 89–90 Defunct Mining Company Index 89 mining licensing 92–3 National Archives of Australia 139, 140, 143 National School Board 72 naturalisation certificates 140 1851–1920s 35 New Zealand, unassisted immigrants from 38, 40 newspaper reports, for criminal cases 125 non-government school records 77
INDEX
Old Melbourne Cemetery Alphabetical Record of Burials (1866–1917) 30 Chronological Record of Permissions to Bury (1877–1917) 31 List of Burials by Religious Denomination (1877–1917) 30 Outward Letter Books (1877–1910) 31 Plan, 1873 30 online catalogue see Archives@Victoria ordering records 9 original order of records 146 overseas and intercolonial arrivals 43 overseas links 143 pardons see Exiles parish plans 51 passenger lists 37, 38, 40–1, 43 disposal list 37 nominal list 37 Pastoral Pioneers of Port Phillip 56 pastoral run files 56 patient clinical notes (1912–c.1953) 107 penal records 131–2 pharmacists, employment information 85–7 case study 86 Pharmacy Board of Victoria 85 Pioneers Index Victoria c.1837–1888 19 Place Names of Victoria 21 plans and maps (historic) 138 see also Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works plans; parish plans; township plans
police, employment information 94–5 Police Appointments, Promotions and Resignations (1904–53) 95 Police Gazette see Victoria Police Gazette Police Historical Unit 133 Police Muster Rolls (1871–1973) 94 Police Salaries and Wages register (1905–25) 94 ports and harbours, employment information 96–8 primary school records 74–6 prisoner registers female (1857–1948) 132 male (1850–1948) 131 private agency information 141 probate and administration files 24, 66, 119, 137 Probate Index Victoria (1841–1992) 119 Probate Registry 137 properties (all) 64–6 certificates of title applications 64–5 electoral rolls 65 probate records 66 valuation registers 66 see also rural properties; town properties PROV 1–2 archival control system 9, 146–9 locations 3–4 records held jointly with other agencies 137–40 size of the collection 136 PROV collection key themes 2 printed information 7, 136–7 PROV online, Archives@Victoria 3, 6–7
PROV services copying 4–5 reference 4 provenance, principle of 146 PROVguides 7, 136 public hospital records 104 Public Record Office Victoria see PROV public records gaps in 5 scope of 5 see also archives Public Records Act 1973 5, 152 public servants 84, 95–6 pupil registers 73 rate books and valuation records 57–8 record information tables 10 record series 9 ordering 9 reference services (PROV) 4 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages 17, 18, 137 restricted records 5, 104, 116, 117, 152–3 rural properties 51–6 Crown Lands and Survey Files 53, 55–6 land selection/ occupation files 51–5 parish plans 51, 53 pastoral run files 56 township plans 53 rural schools 72 Sale (of lands) by Auction (Sale Bills) (1890–1983) 67 School Building Files 73 primary schools 74 secondary schools 77 school building photographs 79
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school records 72, 73 non-government schools 77 primary schools 74–6 secondary schools 77 seamen deserters and discharged seamen 44 employment records 43–4, 98 held at Pentridge (1853–85) 44 release books 44 secondary school records 77 series (records) 146 Series Information Folders 136–7 shipping lists 41, 43 see also passenger lists Shipping Nominal Rolls (1947–76) 46 Soldier Settlement Files (1898–1960) 55 special access to closed records 5, 152 Special Case Files (education) (1862–1977) 79, 100 sponsors of British migrants (1946–83) 46 squatters 50 State Coroner’s Office 24, 137 state libraries 141 state school building photographs 79 state school records 72, 73 primary schools 74–6 secondary schools 77 student histories 73 Summary Guide to Public Records of Victoria 137 Supreme Court 116, 122, 123, 124
teachers 99 employment information 99–100 examination papers, Board of Teachers (1863–72) 79, 100 histories 72 rolls (1855–64) 100 Special Case Files (1862–1977) 79, 100 Town Land Purchasers register (1837–56) 68 town properties 57–64 case study 62–3 City of Melbourne records 59–60 directories 57 Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) plans 60–1 rate books and valuation records 57–8 township plans 53, 57 trading companies 87–9 unassisted immigration 1852–1923 38, 40 post-1923 139 United Kingdom assisted immigrants from 35–7, 38 post-World War II immigrants 45–6 unassisted immigrants from 38, 40 unit (records) 9, 147, 149 valuation records 57–8 Valuation Registers (1930–79) 66 Victoria Government Gazette 84 Victoria Police Gazette 126
Victorian Agency (VA) 9, 147, 148 Victorian Archives Centre (VAC) 3, 4, 9 Victorian Birth Index (1853–1913) 19 Victorian Death Index (1953–1980) 19 see also Death Index Victoria 1921–1985 Victorian Early Church Records Index (1837–1853) 19 Victorian Electoral Roll 1856 65 Victorian Function (VF) 146, 147, 148 Victoria Government Gazette 84 Victorian Koorie Records Taskforce 15 Victorian land acts 50, 53 Victorian Male Prisoner Index 131 Victorian Marriage Index (1853–1930) 19 Victorian Public Record Series (VPRS) 9, 10, 146, 147, 148 Victorian public service 84, 95–6 Victorian Record Group (VRG) 148 VPRS see Victorian Public Record Series Ward Registers (1883–1965) 25 web addresses, agencies and resources 140–2 wills and probate records 24, 66, 119, 137 work information see employment information