Indexes - Immigration 1848-1884
There are a number of series of records at Queensland State Archives that may assist you to locate immigration information about your ancestors. This index is to assisted immigrant passenger lists that were created and used by the Immigration Department between 1848 and May 1884.
View the list of immigration indexes available to download.
Background
This index was compiled from the original passenger lists in the collection of the Queensland State Archives. Many indexing errors, and errors in interpreting handwriting, have been corrected in this new index. Researchers are advised to check this index if an earlier index had been consulted, especially if the search was unsuccessful. Names may now appear in this index which had previously not been identified.
The passenger lists are primarily for assisted passengers from the United Kingdom and Europe. Please note that this list does not include passengers from New Zealand, the Americas, Asia, Africa, other Australian ports or those passengers who paid their own fare (in a few lists there are fare paying passengers included).
The records for the 1860s are incomplete because they were inundated in the 1893 floods. The registers held at Queensland State Archives were rewritten from the damaged originals.
The image below (click for larger image) depicts a page from the passenger list for the ship Great Queensland which arrived at Maryborough on 9 October, 1874.
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See also - Brief Guide to Immigration Records, and Immigration pathways.
How to Use the Index
Each index is an alphabetical sequence of names with the details from the immigration register. For each name there is the QSA location number e.g. IMM/113 and page number for the entry within the register. The microfilm number e.g. M1699 also included. This is the number of the microfilm contained within the Queensland Public Records Historical Resource Kit which is located in collections around Australia. See the list of locations. The microfilm is also available in the Public Search Room at Queensland State Archives.
How to locate the record on the microfilm
Once the appropriate roll of microfilm is located, refer first to the label, which shows the order in which the records have been filmed. A roll of microfilm can contain copies of a large quantity of records, therefore, it is important to check the box label to determine beforehand the location of the register or record on the roll. The Queensland State Archives location numbers of each register or record filmed from the start to the end of the roll are given on the box label.
Watch for heading sheets which are filmed at the start and end of each register or record. The heading sheets are typed foolscap pages which describe the register or record following, its date range and its Queensland State Archives location number. Note too that there are usually several blank frames of film between one register and the next.
Once the correct register is located, advance the film to the required page
on which the person's name is recorded. In some registers both the left and
right hand pages have the same number, so it may be necessary to search both
for the name being sought. To obtain the name of the ship refer to the top of
the page or rewind back several pages to the start of that particular
passenger list, where details of the ship's name, port and date of departure
and port and date of arrival are usually given.
How to order Individual Entries
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