Victoria Business and Occupation Records

Online Resources

 * The Law list : comprising the judges and officers of the Supreme Court, counsel, attorneys, conveyancers, notaries, etc. in Victoria at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1855, 1864-1924  Victoria, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1855, 1864-1924 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)
 * Index to candidates for the Victorian police at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1853-1953 Index to members of Victoria police 1853 - 1953 at FamilySearch, images.
 * Civil establishment in Victoria at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1862-1883 Classified list of officers of the civil service of Victoria (state), Australia, 1862-1883 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1837-1855 Government officers of Victoria, 1837-1855 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1852-1925: Victoria, Australia Deserter, Discharged, and Prisoner Crew Lists at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1862 Nosological index 1863 and staff registrars of the Registrar General's department, Victoria, 1862 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1885-1900 Public service list of schools and school teachers of Victoria (state), Australia, 1885-1900 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1884-1900 Return of persons employed in the public service of Victoria (state), Australia, 1884-1900 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1839-1900 Victoria's colonial governors, 1839-1900 at FamilySearch, images.

Police and Government Gazettes

 * Victoria Government Gazettes at Findmypast ($), index.
 * Victoria Police Gazettes at Findmypast ($), index.
 * 1843-1851 Port Phillip government gazette 1843-1851 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1855, 1864-1924 Victoria, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1855, 1864-1924 at Ancestry ($), index.

Directories

 * Victoria Directories at Findmypast ($), index.

Online Records of New South Wales, Including Victoria Until 1851-1855

 * 1787-1976 New South Wales, Australia, Miscellaneous Records, 1787-1976 - contains agriculture,police, medical, pharmacy board, mine and examinations division records, images ($)
 * 1903-1922 - Business and Company Records, 1903 to 1922 at NSW Archives, index

Bankruptcy and Insolvency

 * 1842-1887 Insolvency Index 1842-1887, at NSW Archives, index.
 * 1888-1929 Bankruptcy Index 1888-1929, at NSW Archives, index.

Licensing

 * 1841-1842 Licensing, 1841-1842 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1855-1861 Licensing, 1855-1861 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1866-1900 Lists of publicans' licenses issued, 1866-1900 at FamilySearch, images.

Police Gazettes (including news of business licenses)
Pub owners, butchers, lumberjacks, auctioneers, or other professionals had to be licensed. Licenses were granted by the courts, and notices were then published in the Government/Police Gazette.
 * New South Wales Police Gazette at Findmypast, ($), index.
 * New South Wales Government Gazettes, at MyHeritage, index ($), various years.
 * 1853-1899 New South Wales, Australia, Government Gazettes, 1853-1899 at Ancestry ($), index and images.
 * 1854-1930 New South Wales, Australia, Police Gazettes at Ancestry; index & images ($). Also at FamilySearch, free.

Occupations

 * Merchant Maine Records at FamilySearch.
 * The law list of Australasia at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1824-1876 Barristers and solicitors 1824-1876 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1830-1861 Publicans’ Licenses Index 1830-1861, at NSW Archives, index.
 * 1847-1885: New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Police Employment at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1850-1860 New South Wales, Teacher Applications and School Records, 1850-1960, at Ancestry ($), index and images.
 * 1852-1913 Police Service Registers 1852-1913, at NSW Archives, index.
 * 1856-1917 Railway Employment Records 1856-1917, at NSW Archives, index.
 * 1856-1890, 1909-1932 New South Wales, Railway Employment Records at Findmypast ($), index.
 * 1858-1960: New South Wales, Australia, Public Service Lists at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1859-1936 New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Seamen, 1859-1936, at Ancestry ($), index and images.
 * 1869-1908 School Teachers’ rolls 1869-1908, at NSW Archives, index.
 * 1876-1920 Chemists, Druggists and Pharmacists Index 1876-1920, at NSW Archives, index.
 * 1879-1911 Tramway Employees, 1879 to 1911, at NSW Archives, index.
 * 1885-1979 The price paid for silver and lead : an account of the men killed on the Line of Lode and surrounding mines from 1885 to 1979 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1914-1919: Australia, Military Commemorative Rolls & Rolls Of Honour at Findmypast; index & images ($)
 * 1926-1954 Nurses index 1926-1954, at NSW Archives, index.

New South Wales Archive Resources Kit, Including Victoria Prior to 1851

 * Community Access Points A list of libraries and archives which hold the microform copies of the Archive Resources Kit records.
 * The Archive Resources Kit includes the following Professions and occupations records:
 * Returns of the Colony (Blue Books), 1822-57
 * Record of Appointments to Government Offices, 1814-25
 * Roll of barristers, solicitors, attorneys, etc, 1824-76
 * Medical Board Minutes of proceedings and register, 1838-1901
 * Certificates of publicans' licences, 1830-61

"The ARK is held by 40 community access points across NSW. The majority of access points are libraries. The ARK consists of microfilm copies of our most popular and heavily used colonial records. Included are records relating to convict arrivals, assisted immigrants, births, deaths and marriages, publicans' licences, electoral rolls, naturalisation, returns of the colony ('Blue Books'), land grants, and the wide range of functions of the Colonial Secretary (1788-1825). You may find that the ARK (or parts of it) are held at a library near you."

Content of Business Records
Australia businesses and commercial companies seldom contain dates or places of birth, marriage, or death but they can have valuable genealogical information.
 * Pub owners, butchers, lumberjacks, auctioneers, or other professionals had to be licensed. Licenses were granted by the courts, and notices were then published in the Government Gazette. For further information about gazettes, read the Court Records article.
 * Lawyers at the time kept detailed records for their clients. Included in these records are:
 * probate material
 * adoption records
 * insurance papers
 * lawsuits, and other sources that may help you trace your ancestors.
 * Some bank ledgers in Australia give:
 * the name
 * occupation
 * residence
 * age
 * place of birth (by county and country)
 * year of immigration and name of ship
 * a physical description of depositors.

FamilySearch Library
Additional sources are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog: