Child welfare

Children's Homes

Wed, 01 Oct 2014 20:43:57 GMT

This site by Peter Higginbotham aims to provide information on all the many and varied institutions that became home for thousands of children and young people in Britain. These establishments range from orphanages, homes for those in poverty, or with special needs, through to reformatories, industrial and approved schools, training ships, and hostels. As well as details of each home's location, history etc. the site includes hundreds of historic images of the buildings and their inmates. This is an ongoing project with information on many more homes to be added. Covers England, Isle of Man, Channel Isles, Wales, Scotland, Ireland plus details of homes in Canada, Australia and Jamaica. New

Adoption and Forgotten Australians

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 05:10:07 GMT

A family history research guide, by the State Library of Victoria, for adopted people, Forgotten Australians and child migrants.
TIP: Check state libraries and state archival repositories for similar guides

Find Your Way Home with SA Link-Up

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

This site aims to assist Indigenous people find connections to family and access reunification and other services. The guide Finding Your Own Way is available online (PDF) and it details existing records of South Australian children's homes and institutions. This site also details SA Link-Up's book Aboriginal Missions in South Australia which covers the history of the missions and the names of people who lived there.

Find & Connect Australia

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

The Find & Connect web resource is for forgotten Australians, former child migrants and everyone with an interest in the history of out-of-home care in Australia. Use this site to find information, including documents and images, about institutions, organisations that managed children's institutions, policies, public figures and legislation. There are no personal records or private information available.

Barnardos Australia - Supporting Old Boys and Girls

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

Barnardos provides a service for people who have lived in Barnardos care. They hold files on old boys and girls of Barnardos who migrated to Australia under the Child Migration Scheme and can provide information on your files and general counselling about your past.

Judy Webster's Genealogy Indexes & Advice

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

This site has 53,000+ names of local, interstate and overseas persons mentioned in records in Queensland, Australia. There is also 135+ pages of advice and indexes original records held by Queensland State Archives. Indexes to original records at Queensland State Archives include:
• Mental asylum records
• Hospital admission registers
• Old age pension records
• Illegitimate children
• Police Gazettes
• Police station watchhouse records
• Prison records
• Maintenance payments to deserted wives, children, illegitimate children.
• Undertakings re fares. Premier's Department files re travel by rail or ship (mainly interstate but some international)
• Women granted protection orders, 1888-1904.
• Dentists and dental apprentices
• Nurses and masseurs (male & female)
• Cooktown residents who signed a petition in 1874. The original document has their signatures
• Cooktown Boys' School admission register
•'Interim Index'. Selected names from many sources (Court records, Police correspondence, Grammar School records, etc.)
• Indexes in progress: Insanity files (surnames R-Z), and missing friends registers, and Brisbane Prison Hospital admissions

Queensland State Archives - Online Indexes - Orphanage and reformatories

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

The Orphanage and reformatory indexes include:
• Toowoomba Girls Reformatory Admissions 1881-1903
• Toowoomba Girls Reformatory Discharges 1882-1903
• Westbrook Reformatory Admission Registers 1871-1906
Copies of the documents are available from QSA for a fee.

Linc Tasmania - Family History and eResources

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

Linc Tasmania - Family history
This site is designed to explore Tasmanian ancestry using the following categories: Aboriginal Ancestry; Arrivals or departures; Birth, death or marriage; Convict life; Education; Work; Where someone lived; Life as a child in care; Court records; Prison records; Royal Derwent Hospital and Military records. These categories links to any online records, indexes, guides, videos plus other related records, sites or information.
Use the Tasmanian Names Index link to single search across the following:
• Arrivals (19th Century). Passengers and ships arriving, mainly in Hobart. Contains surnames A-N, O-Z to be added
• Births (1803-1933). People born in Tasmania including some baptisms collected by the Registrar General (1900-1933 baptisms only)
• Census (1837-1857). Householders in the 1840s and 1850s, not complete for all districts
• Convict permissions to marry (1829-1857). Convicts applying to marry free people or other convicts
• Convicts (1803-1893). Convicts transported to Tasmania and those convicted locally through the convict system
• Court (1830-1845). Supreme Court. Minutes of proceedings in criminal cases
• Deaths (1803-1933). People who died in Tasmania including some burial records collected by the Registrar General (1900-1933 burials only)
• Departures (1817-1867). People leaving Tasmanian ports, mainly Launceston
• Divorces (1861-1920). Petitions for divorce in the Tasmanian Supreme Court
• Health & Welfare (1830-1873). Patients and attendants at the New Norfolk Colonial Hospital and applications to the Queens Orphan School.
• Hotels & Properties (1818-1958). Hotel licensees, inquests into fires, Launceston buildings and demolished hotels.
• Immigration (1912-1943). Nominations and arrivals of migrants under immigration schemes.
• Inquests (1828-1930). Inquests into people’s deaths
• Marriages (1803-1899). People who married in Tasmania
• Miscellaneous (1838-1873). General correspondence of the Comptoller general of convicts and North Fleet shipwreck survivors.
• Naturalisations (1835-1905). People applying to become citizens
• Prisoners (1895-1902). Prisoners in the Hobart gaol
• Wills (1824-1989). Wills and letters of administration of estates registered for probate
• WW1 Photographs (1914-1919). Photographs and articles from the Tasmanian Mail and Weekly Courier illustrated newspaper
Search results can be filtered by record type, year, name, ship, departure port, place registered and census district. Any digitised records are identified and linked.
TIP: Copies of records that are not digitised can be obtained by using the link to the online copy request form.

LINC Tasmania - eResources.
If you live in Tasmania, you can get a LINC Library card and access a selection of subscription databases from home for free.

State Archives & Records New South Wales

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

State Archives & Records NSW manages and provides access to the New South Wales State archives collection, a unique and irreplaceable part of Australia's cultural heritage dating back to 1788. This site offers access to:
• Search - a single, simple search to discover photographic and documentary content from amongst the millions of items catalogued in the Collection. You can also do a search of the website content.
• Online Indexes in the following categories: Aboriginal People; Architecture and Design; Asylums; Attorneys, Barristers and Solicitors; Bankruptcy and Insolvency; Business and Company Records; Census and Musters; Chemists and Pharmacists; Child Care and Protection; Colonial Secretary; Convicts; Courts; Deaths; Deceased Estates; Divorce; Gaols; Goldmining; Governor; Health; Immigration and Shipping; Inquests; Intestates; Land; Maps and Plans; Medical Practitioners; Military and War; Naturalization and Denization; Nurses and Midwives; Police; Probates and Wills; Professions and Occupations; Quarter Sessions; Railways and Railway Workers; Schools; Soldier Settlement; Squatters and Graziers; Surveyor General; Teachers and Unemployment.
• Online Guides - Occupations cover: Accountants; Apprentices; Architects, Attorneys, Barristers, Solicitors; Dentists; Firefighters; Medical Practitioners; Military Personnel; Nurses; Optometrists; Pharmacists and Chemists; Physiotherapists; Police Service; Prison Officers / Gaol Staff; Public Servants; Publicans' Licenses; Railway Employees; School Teachers and Sydney Harbour Bridge construction workers.
• Online Guides - Immigration / Shipping Guide - Use the Stories Tab to access Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Immigration, India, Italian, Lebanese, Maltese, Polish and Russian migration stories.
• KeyName Search to search for your family across all the indexes at once, except the Index to the Colonial Secretary’s Papers 1788-1825.
• Research A-Z that allows you to browse the alphabetical list of research topics. This list includes guides, indexes and stories.
• A program of free webinars that focuses on the resources of the State archives collection and how to access them. You can join and participate in a live webinar or watch pervious webinars whenever you want.
• Handwriting – tips for reading handwritten documents
TIP: Use Search to search for place names, ship's names and surnames or use Research A-Z to choose a research topic such as Nurses and Midwives. The Indexes Tab will list the online indexes available; the Guides Tab will list available guides and the Stories Tab will list available stories.
TIP: Check out the State Archives & Records NSW How to use the website guide

Public Record Office Victoria (PROV)

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) is the archives of the State Government of Victoria. The collection records date from 1830s. Online collections and digitised records are available in the following categories. Selected records for Family History in some categories are listed.
Aboriginal records

Koorie index of names 1839-1946
Superintendent correspondence, Aboriginal affairs
Native Police Corps, Narre Warren 1845-1853
See the Koorie Records Unit
Agriculture
Soldier Settlement Scheme - See Battle To Farm
Buildings, government
Public building plans and files 1920s-1988
Public Works Department plans 1840-1999
Cemeteries
Courts and Justice
Divorce
Divorce files and cause books
Early colonial administration
Fisheries and wildlife
Health and welfare
Register of vaccinations, Registrar General 1857-1932
Register of patients, Bendigo receiving ward, 1874-1908
Nominal register of patients, Royal Park Hospital for the Insane 1907-1913
Children’s ward registers 1864-1879
Land and property
Historic plans collection
Summary Contract Books, 1856-1935
Flemington and Kensington Rate Books, 1882-1894
Melbourne Rate Books, 1861-1975
Hotham/North Melbourne Rate Books, 1855-1905
Ballarat and Ballarat East Town Allotment Survey Plans
Beechworth Indigo Shire rate books, 1856–1871
Box Hill rate books 1936-1946
Local Government records (municipal records)
Maps and Plans
Historic plans collection
Ballarat and Ballarat East Town Allotment Survey Plans
Passenger records and immigration
Assisted passenger lists 1839-1971 index; index and images available on Ancestry.com
Coastal passenger lists 1852-1923 available on Findmypast
Outwards passenger lists those who travelled from Victoria to the United Kingdom, New Zealand or Foreign Ports 1852-1923
Unassisted passenger lists unassisted passengers to Victoria from British, Foreign and New Zealand Ports index; index and images available on Ancestry.com
Prisons, correctional services, convicts
Register of Male and Female Prisoners 1855-1947
Capital case and capital sentence files
Notification of exiles 1844-1849
Day Book of the Native Police 1845-1853
Register, Police Magistrate, Portland 1840-1853
Register of convicts 1842-1854
Register of prisoners under sentence of hard labour 1847-1853
Alphabetical index to central register of male prisoners 1868-1947
Alphabetical index to central register of female prisoners 1857-1948
Publicans and hotels
Index to defunct hotel licenses 1857-1932
Regional Victorian archived records
Schools, education and teachers
Non-Government School Records
Teacher records 1863-1959
Index to Special Case Files, Education Department 1862-1977
Register of Special Case Files, Education Department 1852-1977
Copy of inward and outward correspondence Board of Education, 1849-1851
Wills and probate
Wills and Probates are available 1841-2016. The records 1841-1925 are online with free access to images of the wills and probates. FamilySearch has an index to Victorian Probate Registers 1841-1989 with free index images familysearch.org/search/collection/1393345

Queensland State Archives

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

Select Search the records and use these categories to access dropdown lists of online indexes and access to original records if available:
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
• Australian South Sea Islanders
• Business
• Convicts and early settlers
• Courts
• Government
• Immigration
• Lands
• Schools, hospitals and orphanages
• Shipping and railways
• War
There is also a family history link plus guides, videos and other information to help you.
TIP: Assisted immigrant passenger lists 1848-1912 are online for free.

State Records of South Australia

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

State Records of South Australia has links to an A-Z for researchers; Aboriginal services; fact sheets; family history information; indexes and special lists plus passenger lists. There are online records that have been digitised by FamilySearch and are freely available on the FamilySearch site. Use the indexes on this site in conjunction with this list of Quick Links categories shows the records available with links to the FamilySearch images.
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Index to deaths prior to compulsory registration, from 1802
Index to marriages solemnized in South Australia, from 1836
Index to marriages prior to compulsory registration in June 1842, from 1836
Ooldea mission rough register of births, deaths and marriages, from 1936
Record of births and marriages of Aborigines in the Kingston District, from c1940
Boarding Out
Ledgers of children boarded out - Destitute Board, later State Children's Department, from 1862
Census
Returns of Census compiled in January 1841
Courts
Criminal record books - Supreme Court of South Australia, from 1845
Criminal record books, chronological series - Supreme Court, from 1842
Destitute Asylum
Register of admissions - Destitute Asylum, from 1870
Register of infants born in the Destitute Asylum, from 1883
Register of admissions to the lying-in home, from 1886
Gaols
Register of prisoners in the gaol for assaults, fines, debt etc. - Adelaide Gaol, from 1838
Registers of prisoners committed and tried - Adelaide Gaol, from 1839
Register of prisoners and charge books - Redruth Gaol, from 1861
Register of prisoners - Adelaide Gaol, from 1857
Register of prisoners - Yatala Labour Prison, from 1866
Register of prisoners - Port Lincoln Gaol, from 1880
Register of prisoners - Gladstone Gaol, from 1881
Hospitals
Admission registers - Adelaide Hospital, from 1840
Inquests
Police Reports to the Coroner - City Coroners and successors
Police Reports to the Coroner are listed by file number. To identify the file number refer to Police Reports to the Coroner Special Lists where you can search by year and name.
1879-1918, 1919-1931, 1936-1937, 1938-1941, 1942-1944, 1945-1947, 1948-1951, 1954-1955, 1956-1957,
South Australian Police Department
Blinman Police Station Inquest register, from 1884
Carrieton Police Station Inquest register, from 1884
Jamestown Police Station Inquest register, from 1885
Waukuringa Police Station Inquest register, from 1885
Yongala Police Station Inquest register, from 1887
Insolvencies
Register of insolvencies, from 1841
Register of arrangements by deed under the Acts of 1857-1858 and 1860-1886 (dated from 1858)
Passenger Lists and Ships' Papers
Passenger Lists
The best way to view Passenger Lists is via our Passenger Lists webpage. Below are links to the Lists uploaded by FamilySearch.
Records relating to official assisted immigration - Crown Lands and Immigration Office - Official assisted passage passenger lists 1845-1886
Lists of outgoing passengers departing from Port Adelaide for overseas ports 1888-1940
Official lists of passengers arriving in South Australia from overseas 1888-1940
Ships' Papers
Records relating to official assisted immigration - Crown Lands and Immigration Office - Immigrant ships' papers 1849-1885
Probate
Probate and administration books, from 1892
Probate record books, from 1844

Care Leavers Australia Network

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

This is a support and advocacy group for people brought up in care away from their family as state wards or Home children raised in Children's Homes, orphanages or other institutions, or in foster care. Includes a list of orphanages and homes with contact details and other information such as photos if available.

Monash University – History of Adoption Project

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

This site includes a bibliography, Australian adoption records information for Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. There are also links to relevant government and community contacts.

Find & Connect Australia Capital Territory

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

Connecting Kin: A Guide to help people separated from their families search for their records

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

This 383 page guide, published by the Department of Community Services (DOCS) in 1998, is available online as a PDF file. This guide provides information about where records are kept and how to access them. It covers both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal resources.

Find & Connect New South Wales

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

Find & Connect Northern Territory

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

Find & Connect Queensland

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT

Find & Connect South Australia

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:07:15 GMT