Australia, New South Wales, Index to Bounty Immigrants - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1828 to 1842.

This index consists of two kinds of interfiled cards: brief handwritten and pre-printed typewritten. The cards are in alphabetical order by surname and then by given name.

For an alphabetical list of records currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

This collection indexes about 60,000 records of immigrants arriving in Sydney. Beginning in 1828, the Australian Government organized a program to encourage people to migrate to Australia, particularly to the State of New South Wales, which had been founded in 1788. “Assisted Immigrants” were immigrants whose passage was paid for or partially paid for by the Government as an incentive to settle in New South Wales. Another program which ran from 1835 to 1841 was the bounty reward system. “Bounty immigrants” were selected by colonists who then paid for their passage. When the immigrant arrived, the colonist would employ them and the colonist would then be reimbursed by the government for all or part of the cost of passage. The first immigrants to apply for this assisted immigration were the people from Ireland, England, Wales, and Scotland. Later, people from other European countries began immigrating to Australia.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Record Content
These passenger’s index records usually include the following information:


 * Passenger’s name
 * Age
 * Estimated year of birth
 * Native place of birth
 * Name of spouse
 * Native place of birth
 * Names, birth dates and ages of children
 * Occupation
 * Religion
 * Father’s name
 * Mother’s name
 * Name of ship
 * Date of arrival

How to Use the Records
To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Ancestors name
 * Immigration year
 * Names of family

Search the Collection
To search the collection using the images:

To browse this collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the “Principal's surname” category ⇒Select the “Principal's given names” category which will take you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

To search the collection using the index:

Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

Using the Information
When you have found the information that you are looking for,the following will help you in your research:


 * Use the birth year and birth place to look for a birth record in the Australia, Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981 collection.
 * Use the name of the parents to find a marriage record for the couple.
 * Use the name of the spouse of your ancestor (if married) to search for a marriage record.
 * If you find a card for a child, you should look for that person listed as a child under the name of a parent in order to identify the child’s parents and siblings.

General Information About These Records
Children are often listed separately on a brief handwritten card with no parent’s name as well on the father’s card under “children”.

Related Websites

 * Index to Bounty Immigrants Arriving in N.S.W., Australia, 1828-1842
 * Indexes to assisted immigrants
 * Australia, New South Wales, Sydney Indexes Online

Related Wiki Articles

 * Australia
 * Australia Emigration and Immigration
 * New South Wales, Australia

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Index to Bounty Immigrants Arriving in N.S.W., Australia, 1828-1842," database and digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 24 March 2011); James Barker, 31 August 1841; citing Immigation Records, FHL microfilm 416,870; Western Sydney Records Centre, Kingwood, N.S.W., Austraila.