Australia, Tasmania Immigration Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The records in this collection span from 1803 to 1908. This collection contains immigration records and some indexes from Tasmania, Australia. The immigration registration was necessary to keep a record of all immigrants settling in the country.

Collection History
Between 1788 and 1900 over 1,000,000 people immigrated to Australia. Most of them were from the British Isles, but some were from Europe and Asia. Prior to 1900 there were four classes of immigrants to Australia:

Convicts - Sent to Australia after they were tried and convicted for crimes committed in the British Isles. Tasmania and New South Wales were the states that received most of the convicts before 1830.

Bounty immigrants - Chosen by Australian colonists to come from the British Isles to Australia.

Assisted immigrants - Came to Australia through the financial assistance of the government, organizations, or wealthy individuals.

Paying passengers - Came to Australia through their own means.

Collection Contents
Immigration records may include:


 * Immigrant’s name
 * Age or date of birth
 * Birth place
 * Trade or occupation
 * Physical description
 * Marital status
 * Number of children

Passenger lists of paying immigrants usually list only names.

How Do I Search the Collection?
Once you are able to locate your ancestor, the card information will help you determine where he or she came from, the date and place of birth, and the parents’ names. This information will let you prepare a family group record for the family. You can then start searching in the records from the place of birth and residence for other members of the family.

To search by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "State" category you are looking for ⇒Select the "District/Municipality/Town" category you are looking for ⇒Select the “Record Type and Years" category which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Use an estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * You may need to search using a nickname.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Information often came directly from the immigrant or a traveling companion, usually a family member. Realize that incorrect information was sometimes given, and mistakes were occasionally made in recording the information.
 * Many eighteenth and nineteenth century immigration sources have been published. Indexes to passenger lists have also been published. See Related FamilySearch Historical Records section of this article for more published collections related to immigration.
 * This Australia Minorities article has some information about immigrants from other countries.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Australia.
 * Record Finder
 * Australia Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.