South Australian Passenger Lists

Shipping and passenger list sources

[1]  E A D Opie, South Australian Records prior to 1841, Adelaide, 1917
[2]  Register of Emigrant Labourers Applying for a Free Passage to South Australia 1836-41, PRO CO 386/149-151
[3]  R Parsons, Migrant Ships for South Australia 1836-66, Gould Books, 1999
[4]  South Australian Births Registrations 1842-1906, SA Genealogy & Heraldry Soc, 1997
[5]  Cemetery and other memorial inscriptions, [5b] burial registers, including our database of South Australian Cemeteries, Adelaide, 2006-2012.
[6]  Newspapers - shipping intelligence, imports, obituaries, etc
[7]  Biographical Index of South Australians 1836-1885, SAGHS, 1986
[8]  South Australians 1836-1885, SAGHS, 1990
[9]  R T Sexton, Shipping Arrivals and Departures South Australia 1627-1850, Gould Books, 1990
[10] South Australian Deaths Registrations 1842-1915, SAGHS, 2000
[11] H J Finnis, Before the 'Buffalo', Pioneers Association of SA, 1964
[12] Family and local histories, [12i] internet, [12b] family bible, [12d] diary & family papers, [12o] family oral
[13] Miscellaneous Passenger Lists, South Australian Archives, GRG56/68/52 (fmly A1174)
[14] SA Literary Association minutes (correspondence), SA Archives, A31
[15] Schedule of Labourers Wage Advances, SAA, GRG48 (A680)
[16] Early German Origins, SA Archives, RN 11
[17] A Lodewyckx, Die Deutschen in Australien, Stuttgart, 1932
[18] Celebration of the Jubilee Year of South Australia (1886) & other composite photographs, Old Colonists Association, 1887
[19] Miscellaneous Passenger Lists, SAA, GRG35/202/2 (A608)
[20] South Australian Marriages Registrations 1842-1916, SAGHS, 2001
[21] Manifests of Vessels Arriving from Overseas 1838-42, SAA, GRG41/8 (A743)
[22] Adelaide Hospital Admission Register, SAA, GRG78/49
[23] 1841 South Australia Census Returns, SAA, GRG24/13
[24] South Australian Government Gazette
[25] Australian Dictionary of Biography, Melbourne, 2006
[26] Barry Leadbeater, South Australia Marriages 1836-55, Adelaide, 2005-2012
[27] Royal South Australian Almanack for 1839, Adelaide
[28] Royal South Australian Almanack for 1840, Adelaide
[29] Return of sick and destitute emigrants receiving relief 1840, SAA, GRG24/1
[30] Official passenger lists mainly of immigrants arriving in SA under UK assisted passage 1845-86, SAA, GRG35/48A (A313)
[31] Official lists of passengers arriving in SA from overseas 1888-1940, SAA, GRG41/34 (A764)
[32] L J Ewens, The Little Ships of the Pioneer Years 1836-45, PASA, 1952
[33] Register of cases of destitution, SAA, GRG28/4
[34] Wilhelm Iwan, Because of their beliefs, D Schubert (Ed), Adelaide, 1995
[35] David Schubert, Kavel's People, Lutheran Publishing, Adelaide, 1985
[36] Maureen M Leadbeater, Naturalizations in South Australia 1839-1903, Adelaide, 2008-2011
[37] Dictionary of Australian Artists Online, Australia, 2007
[38] Index to Departures 1817-67, Archives Office of Tasmania
[39] Eric Kopittke, Emigrants from Hamburg to Australia 1850-77, Queensland Family History Society, 1991
[40] Destitute Asylum Admission Register, SAA, GRG28
[41] B Leadbeater, South Australia Births 1836-54, Adelaide, 2010-2012
[42] Colonial Tasmanian Family Links, Archives Office of Tas
[43] Parliamentary Papers of South Australia, Probates and letters of administration 1844-68, Adelaide, No135/1871
[44] Miscellaneous shipping records including manifests, SAA, GRG35/301/1
[45] FamilySearch, LDS, 2008-2011

Passenger list notes

1. The sources of passenger lists for this early period are extremely inconsistent - the variations which could not be resolved are included, those in brackets considered less likely. A name in brackets with a question mark is a suggested possibility only, which needs further investigation by the user prior to acceptance or rejection. Please advise us of any errors or omissions, giving the sources of your information.
2. Only a few original passenger lists survive, so it has been necessary to use other sources. Even these original lists are only as accurate as the literacy of the recorder and passengers supplying their details allowed. The ship manifests are even less accurate because they are transcriptions of the original lists onto the cargo manifests. Similarly, the newspaper listings are transcriptions. The applications for a free passage suffer from the same problems as the original passenger lists. Then there is the difficulty of reading the old handwriting, which sometimes introduces further errors. Sources [1], [6] and [7] are quite unreliable, but have not been excluded because at times they are the only sources of the information. In addition, [4], [7] and [8] often provide given names and maiden names not found elsewhere. For more information, see the article on the accuracy of family history sources.
3. Where feasible, all accompanying offspring including adults are given in each family, unless married. These are listed separately with their own families. Children are listed in chronological order of birth if known.
4. If the information you require is not in this database, search the SA shipping and immigration directory for another source.
5. Many of the ships returned to South Australia multiple times with passengers. In several cases there was more than one ship with the same name.

Acknowledgments

1. Grateful thanks to those who entered and checked the early local shipping data.
2. Thank you to the generous volunteer who has provided numerous additions and amendments over the years from various sources, especially arrival information from obituaries & biographies, and Tasmanian departures for SA.
3. Thanks to the fellow SA shipping researcher who has supplied additional data and pointed out discrepancies needing attention.
4. And thanks to all other contributors of new and revised data.