Immigration - Where the heck do you look?

[Summer]

My gg grandfather immigrated to Australia - don't know when, don't know on what ship or if he was assisted or not, or even if he was a convict (when did England stop sending convicts to Australia?). His name was John George COWEY originally from Sunderland, Co. Durham born in 1863 appearing on 1871 census and then marrying in Australia in 1887. I believe he must have immigrated to Australia around the time of the 1881 census as there is no mention of him in that and my grandmother believes he was about 18 when he came out here. Any suggestions of where to search, considering I too am located in Australia!

[ChristineR]

Hi Summer,

You need to search the Australian shipping information first. Do you have his death certificate - this will indicate an approximate time that he had been in Australia. Not all passenger lists are online.

http://www.searchwhateveraustralia.com.au/

http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/fh/passeng...AShips1851.htm

http://www.immigrantships.net/index.html

a couple of handy links, and they will also have other links.

ChristineR

[HelenVSmith]

Hi Summer


You don't mention where he married. Was it in Victoria?

Where in Victoria are you?

There was shipping into each of teh States who at that time ran their own immigration so the immgration records for each state is held at the relevant State Archive.

New South Wales does have some indexes on line but no Cowey listed from 1870-1890. I don't know how complete their online index is.

Victoria does not have assisted immigration online to that date.


Queensland also does not have any Cowey listed for that time period or Cowie.</P>

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People did not always stay in the area where they first emigrated to due to work or family linkups etc.</P>

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Where did your fellow live as sometimes if they lived in a rural area obituaries can be very helpful in tying down when and where someone came into the country.</P>

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As has been previously mentioned the death certificate is also very good as at this time the question was asked "How long in teh colony?" Of course there had to be an informant around who knew the answer.</P>

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Regards</P>

[Summer]

Thanks to you both for your leads. My grandmother believes my GG Grandfather John George Cowey first arrived in NSW and then moved to Victoria after 2 years (hence the convict thought) but I'm not sure if that is based on any solid evidence so will suss that out. I have searched on http://mariners.records.nsw.gov.au/shipdate.htm but the online records are a bit sketchy around the 1880s and not all months/years are transcribed completely as yet. I did find something interesting today though after following links on the pages ChristineR suggested. A Robert Cowey, captain of the Garonne (that's the name and occupation of my GGG Grandfather), is listed on the Vic PRO website on inward passenger/crew lists for unassisted immigration to Vic in 1885 and his age matches up! Exciting. I wonder then whether it was possible if JG "hitched" to Australia on a boat his father captained and if that was the case, would it always be recorded? JG married Augusta Salina Knapp in Victoria in 1887 and they settled in The Patch (Dandenongs) naming their farm Weardale - obviously in homage to his Sunderland roots. I remember looking at JG's death cert a few years ago (my grandmother had it then and I unfortunately don't have a copy at hand) but I don't remember it saying anything about his time in the colony, only his DOB, parents Robert (Ships captain) and Esther, and his cause and place of death. I'm in Ballarat.

[jeeb]

My gg grandfather immigrated to Australia - don't know when, don't know on what ship or if he was assisted or not, or even if he was a convict (when did England stop sending convicts to Australia?).

Hi Summer,
The sending of British convicts to Australia began in about 1788 and was at its hey day during the 1820-1830's. The vast majority were not imprisoned but used as cheap labour. There were very few convicts exported after the mid 1800's and certainly not as late as 1880's. About 75% were English and 20% were Irish, the rest being made up of Scottish and people from the colonies. Up to 20% of the convicts were women.

Jeremy

[jeeb]

Hi summer,
The 1881 census shows John's mother and brother Robert & sister Esther (not born in 1871) in Bishopwearmouth, the father is missing too but Esther is descibed as wife as are several other women on the same page where no Head/husband is given. I would deduce that Robert, a mariner was at sea and probably his son John was with him. ref RG11/4996 Folio 29 Page 11

Cheers Jeremy

[ChristineR]

I remember looking at JG's death cert a few years ago (my grandmother had it then and I unfortunately don't have a copy at hand) but I don't remember it saying anything about his time in the colony, only his DOB, parents Robert (Ships captain) and Esther, and his cause and place of death.

It is worth trying to recheck the info on that death certificate.

It should have how long in the colonies and which States. Also the name of his wife and children. It is not common for it to contain a date of birth - just a date at death (from which the approx. birth year is calculated). It should also list his wife and children.

ChristineR

[Lenore]

My gg grandfather immigrated to Australia - don't know when, don't know on what ship or if he was assisted or not, or even if he was a convict (when did England stop sending convicts to Australia?). His name was John George COWEY originally from Sunderland, Co. Durham born in 1863 appearing on 1871 census and then marrying in Australia in 1887. I believe he must have immigrated to Australia around the time of the 1881 census as there is no mention of him in that and my grandmother believes he was about 18 when he came out here. Any suggestions of where to search, considering I too am located in Australia!

Hi Summer,

As you say in another message that you are located in Ballarat, I would suggest that you pay a visit to the Ballarat library (where the Ballarat Genealogical Society keep a good collection of family history publications), and also the Ballarat branch of the Public Record Office of Victoria which has a good collection of their microform research tools. I think it would be worth your while to famliarise yourself with the basic research tools.

The Ballarat Genies meet monthly in the Library, and are a very friendly and helpful group of people. I'd recommend that you pay them a visit one evening meeting.

Best wishes,

Lenore

[Summer]

It is worth trying to recheck the info on that death certificate.

It should have how long in the colonies and which States. Also the name of his wife and children. It is not common for it to contain a date of birth - just a date at death (from which the approx. birth year is calculated). It should also list his wife and children.

ChristineR

Hi, just updating.....
John George Cowey died 4th Sept 1917 aged 54 years, and I have his birth date of 31st July 1863 from a cert so the age matches up! Yay.
My mistake typing date of birth - should have been death of course! His family are listed and correct as per our research - another yay.
Time in the colonies was 34 years in Vic, 2 years in NSW, so I'm assuming the 2 years in NSW came first seeing as though he married had all his children and died in VIC?
So that means I'm looking at immigration into NSW around the time he was 18 (as my grandmother thought) so that's around 1881.

Am I right in my deductions and where do I go from here considering NSW records don't have my John Cowey around that time (as per HelenVSmith), and also considering ChristineR saying not all passenger lists are online? Are they in archives in NSW somewhere?

Me needy crack this nut!
Cheers,
Summer.

[ChristineR]

I got sidetracked, this is from The Argus, Wednesday 5th September 1917.


COWEY.-On the 4th September, at the Mel-
bourne Hospital, late of "Weardale," The Patch.
John G., loving husband of Selina Cowey, and
father of Rob and .lames (on active service),
and father, and uncle of Vera Mitchell, aged
54 years.