finding the name of the ship

[kylejustin]

i have an ancestor leaving england on 26 oct 1841. he arrived on the 29 jan 1842, at port phillip bay in victoria. how do i find out what the ship was called? and maybe find a passenger list?

[Uncle John]

How about Melbourne Maritime Museum (now apparently known as Polly Woodside after a ship preserved there) for starters?

[Elaine ..Spain]

Re passenger lists, have you looked at the Emigration & Immigration page in the FTF Reference Library?

[JudithM]

Have a look at this site listing arrivals at Port Philip. http://vic1847.comlu.com/42/c.html#rob
The Robert Benn arrived 26 Jan 1842. It gives an earlier departure date (from Greenock) but may have called at an English port en route.

Update:
Here's a link for the passenger list:http://srwww.records.nsw.gov.au/eboo...=Robert%20Benn

[kylejustin]

i've tried the public records office uncle john, i didnt think of the maritime museum?
ive googled till my eyes hurt elaine, i've looked at every site ive found.
judith, thank you so much for that ship. unfortunately my man isnt on it!! its the only ship that arrived on 26 jan 1842! the ship i need had 50 passengers altogether, and crossed paths with the 'champion' which left liverpool 2 days before this ship did? i guess the ship left liverpool then?

[kylejustin]

ok, i think the ship was the 'arkwright':

Arkwright-arrived 30 Jan 1842, ship, 414 tons Capt Robert Dambrill master, at Port Phillip from Liverpool 26 Oct, . Reported on 1 Feb
Passengers Mr John and Mrs Rostieu/Rostron with child and servant, Mr David H and Mrs Stonham, Mr John and Mrs Stephens and son and dau, Miss Tucker, Miss Warburton, and Dr Henry Gordon Camber/Comber surgeon. Intermediate Mr E and Mrs Snyer/Sayce and 2 chn, Mr John and Mrs Pascoe and 4 chn, Messrs Leckey, McGrattie, S and J Parker, Thomas Workington,
IGI extracted entry Henry Gordon Comber chr 14 Mar 1820 son of Jane Hellen and William Turner Comber at Saint Giles, Camberwell, London, UK. (IGI submitted entries) Henry Gordon Comber born 17 Feb 1820 Camberwell Surrey UK son of Jane Helen Castleman and William Turner Comber, died 28 Feb 1866 in Reingate, Surrey, continued to Sydney. Wed 29 Mar 1846 to Matilda Chavez in Arica, Chile. Only child Helena COMBER was born 5 Nov 1848 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. She died 5 May 1869 - from Nicola Barton family tree.
23 in the Steerage - Mr G and Mrs Nicholson, Mr J and Mrs Hind and infant, Mr W and Mrs Nicholson, Mr R Islage wife and 2 chn, Mr J and Mrs Faux, Mrs Davis, Mary Lakem, Messrs Hardcastle, Bohanah, Fairchild, J Nicholson, Glover, Scougall, Calvart, Caux, Smith, T Nicholson, Butler, Bury and Frayne

18 Feb cleared out for Sydney with part of original cargo.
Passengers Mr and Mrs Hawthorne, Mr and Mrs Thomas, Mr and Mrs Roston with child and servant, Mr and Mrs Stonham, Grisley, Mr Comber, 15 in the steerage.

thing is, the ship went to sydney, and i have found the passenger list there, but my man is not on it. does this mean the shipping list for sydney would only have names for people who got off there? if so i need the one for melbourne, but i can't see it? he is definitely on the list quoted above!!

[grumpy]

If you google överseas shipping arrivals Melbourne 1842"you will find a large selection of shipping records that may be of use
to you.

Also the National library of Australia (NLA) may be of use.

[Uncle John]

A ship that ended up at Sydney might call at Melbourne (Port Philip) first, having followed the Roaring Forties eastward. Similarly an outbound ship from Port Philip might possibly call at Sydney before heading for the Pacific and Cape Horn.

[kylejustin]

the ship left liverpool, and headed for sydney, it stopped at melbourne first. my guy is on the bit i quoted above, but not the passenger list for the ship on the nsw government website, which has the actual images of the list. i can only surmise that he got off at melbourne, and that the list nsw has is for passengers arriving in sydney. so melbourne is likely to have a list for the same ship, or maybe liverpool would?

[Uncle John]

I don't know what records Liverpool Maritime Museum has. But they ought to be able to tell you who owned the vessel, and perhaps more, depending on whether the firm has been researched. The Arkwright isn't mentioned in my book about the Black Ball Line.

[dicole]

Hi Kyle

In 1842, Melbourne (Port Philip) was still part of NSW, so you might find records in either state (NSW or Victoria) or in both. NSW gave copies of a lot of records to the Victorian archives.

Passengers to Melbourne would have been separately recorded to those arriving in Sydney. The 1830-1840s was in the time before the bureaucracy really got its act together about recording un-assisted migrant passengers, though and records are not great. Shipping news in the newspapers recorded arrivals and some passengers, often Steerage passengers were just a number, no names.

Have a look at the passengers listed in this article (although they appear to be the same as listed in your post) and articles say the Arkwright arrived 30 Jan not 29th

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/2555714?searchTerm=arkwright&searchLimits=l-decade=184|||l-year=1842

Di

[kylejustin]

hi di,
yes i know the ship came in on 30th, thinking maybe it arrived the night of the 29th or maybe he got the date wrong. i have also looked at trove and found the shipping details, but as he travelled in steerage, he was personally mentioned. he mentions travelling with man called nicholson, and there are some of those. he also mentions encountering other ships, which the newspapers confirmed. all i want is to see the passenger list, just to be 100% you know? but im having trouble figuring out where the shipping list for melbourne before 1852 are!

[dicole]

Hi Kyle,

Before 1852, all records pertaining to Port Phillip would be in the NSW archives, as Victoria did not exist as an entity.

This is the index record for the Arkwright at NSW Records.

http://srwww.records.nsw.gov.au/inde...px?table=Index to the Unassisted Arrivals NSW 1842-1855&id=43&frm=1&query=Ship:Arkwright;[Date of Arrival between]:1842;and:1855

If you can wait a couple of weeks till the school holidays, I can go the Archives and find the REEL (1269) of microfilm and have a look at it and make a copy. It will probably just have his name, and maybe only Mr xxxx, no first name.

Di

[Roger Griffiths]

Hello, just to add a little.
Lloyds's Register of Shipping1842/43 ARKWRIGHT, ship, built Aberdeen 1830, owners Fynney & Co., Master Dambrill, Port Belonging to Liverpool, Destined Voyage Liverpool - Sydney.
1843: Destined Voyage Liverpool - Ascension. Lost.

From Liverpool Mercury, 27/08/1841:
"For Port Philip (Victoria) and Sydney (NSW) - the beautiful Aberdeen-built ship ARKWRIGHT, Robert Dambrill commander (who is well acquainted with the trade). Copper fastened and known as a very fast sailor. This vessel has a poop with splendid and spacious accommodation for 1st class passengers and having her tween decks laid the whole length of the ship presents an excellent conveyance for a limited number in the intermediate and steerage. As several familes have already exchanged their berths early application is necessary".

I have PMed you the email address of someone at Liverpool Muesums. He may be able to give you some information on the voyage and maybe passengers.

Roger

[kylejustin]

hi di,
i've seen the shippin list on the nsw site, but he isnt on it. but there is a site that has details of the voyages and the passengers names. he was mentioned on that site, just not the actual shipping list.
if we are correct int hat he wont be recorded in sydney, beacuse he got off at melbourne, i need to find him on some list haha.

thanx roger, i will def ask him if he can help out. so far i have a lot of info on the ship, and the lsit is on the nsw government website, but my man isnt on the list! frustrating!

[dicole]

Hi Kyle,

I will check it out anyway. I will also see if I can find the Port Phillip list. My unassisted passengers have often been inaccurately recorded in the indexes and even in the original lists. The government was not overly concerned about those who came with their own means, only with those who owed them service for assisted passage.

Unassisted passengers just had their name recorded, even as little as "Mr Smith" or "and 6 children" but an assisted migrant had his age, his native place, his parents names and location, his occupation and religion and education (could read and/or write) and his sponsor (who paid the bounty (fare between 1 and 10 pounds) all recorded, not once but twice, on departure (Agents lists, not always indexed) and on arrival (the ones usually indexed). Oh for more assisted migrants in the family !!

Di

[kylejustin]

thanx di. haha yes my scottish lot have a lot of information ont heir shipping lists. i'm still struggling to find my english ancstors on them though!!