Victorian Genealogy
Finding People and Places in Victoria, Australia.
Also see Shipping Records.
Also see Passenger Arrival Records and Passenger Departure Records.
Also see Marine Death Registration Records under Death Records.
For navy records see Military Service Records.
Ships' arrivals were detailed in newspapers under “Shipping News”. They usually listed the people in positions of authority on the ship such as the captain, surgeon or ship's doctor, and superintendent. See Newspapers, Magazines and Journals.
Also see under Ships' Crew below.
STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA - LLOYD'S OF LONDON CAPTAINS REGISTER
This is not online.
GUILDHALL LIBRARY MANUSCRIPTS SECTION - PARTIAL INDEXES TO LLOYD'S OF LONDON CAPTAINS REGISTERS 1869-1911 (INTERNET ARCHIVE)
This version dated 8 March 2020 is sourced from Internet Archive.
ANCESTRY - UK AND IRELAND, MASTERS AND MATES CERTIFICATES, 1850-1927
This database contains master and mate certificates issued to merchant seamen by the British Board of Trade.
https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/2271/
SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIAN GENEALOGISTS MIDAS - MARINERS CARD INDEX 1834, 1838, 1848 AND 1852
These are sourced from Lloyds Register of Shipping.
ANCESTRY - NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, REGISTERS OF SEAMEN, 1859-1936
This collection contains registers of seamen engaged or discharged in New South Wales, Australia. It also includes registers of certificates of competency issued between 1905 and 1933. These certificates were issued to masters, engineers, first mates, pilots, and others.
https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/nswregseamen/
Ships' arrivals were detailed in newspapers under “Shipping News”. They usually listed the people in positions of authority on the ship such as the captain, surgeon or ship's doctor, and superintendent. See Newspapers, Magazines and Journals.
See Doctors and Surgeons.
Ships' crew included sailors as well as the positions concerned with maintaining the infrastructure of the ship such as carpenter, caulker, sailmaker, ropemaker and cooper.
If sailors deserted their ships they committed a crime and their details may be found in Police Gazettes. See Police Gazettes.
Ships sailing to and from Australia were mainly crewed by British or Irish sailors.
FINDMYPAST - BRITAIN, MERCHANT SEAMEN, 1835-1857
https://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/britain-merchant-seamen-1835-1857
FINDMYPAST - ENGLAND AND WALES MERCHANT NAVY CREW LISTS 1861-1913
FINDMYPAST - AUSTRALIA, INWARD, OUTWARD AND COASTAL PASSENGER LISTS 1826- 1972
These include the following:
NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM - CREW LISTS OF THE BRITISH MERCHANT NAVY 1915
https://1915crewlists.rmg.co.uk/
ANCESTRY - UK, APPRENTICES INDENTURED IN MERCHANT NAVY, 1824-1910
https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/60609/
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF IRELAND - RECORDS OF THE REGISTRAR GENERAL OF SHIPPING AND SEAMEN 1863-1921
The records of the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen consist of crew lists and agreements with seamen regarding wage rates, conditions of service and related information of ships, registered in what is now the Republic of Ireland between 1863 and 1921.
http://census.nationalarchives.ie/search/cl/home.jsp
ANCESTRY - IRELAND, CREW LISTS AND SHIPPING AGREEMENTS 1863-1920
https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/62047/
FINDMYPAST - IRELAND MERCHANT NAVY CREW LISTS 1863-1921
https://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/ireland-merchant-navy-crew-lists-1863-1921
ANCESTRY - BREMEN, GERMANY SAILORS REGISTRY (BREMER SEELEUTEREGISTER), 1824-1917
This database is a collection of service records of over 50,000 sailors who enlisted with crews in Bremen, Germany. The service records cover the years 1824-1917. Information contained in this database about the sailors includes:
Additional information such as the individual’s position in the crew, wage, ship sailed on, captain’s name, date mustered out, and destination may also be available on the image.
https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/1065/
ANCESTRY - BREMEN, GERMAN DEATHS OF SAILORS AND SHIP PASSENGERS (SEEMANSAMT BREMEN, STERBEREGISTER), 1834-1875
This database contains records of sailors and passengers who died aboard ships sailing from Bremen, Germany between 1834 and 1875. Sailors may have also died at ports of call. Ships included passenger, shipping, fishing and other vessels. Information contained in this database includes:
Additional information, such as the deceased’s age at time of death, birthplace, profession, spouse’s name, age and profession, father’s name, age, profession, and residence, mother’s name and age, cause of death, ship name, and ship captain’s name, may also be recorded in the record and can be found by viewing the image.
https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/1273/
ANCESTRY - BREMEN, GERMAN DESERTIONS OF SAILORS (SEEMANSAMT BREMEN, DESERTEURLISTEN), 1855-1874
This database contains records of sailors who deserted ships sailing from Bremen Germany between 1855 and 1874. Information contained in this database about the sailors includes:
Additional information such as the individual’s position on board the ship, the name of the ship, and the name of the ship’s captain may also be available on the image.
https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/1271/
NEW SOUTH WALES STATE ARCHIVES - CREW AND PASSENGERS INDEX 1828-1841 (NRS 905)
This index was developed from Joan Reese's NSW Colonial Secretary's In Letters Index 1826-1895. It is not a complete list of crew.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE VICTORIA - SEAMEN RECORDS 1852-1922
Public Record Office Victoria holds records relating to merchant ships' crews. These cover a variety of locations and crew activities, including discharge, desertion, payment and release.
They hold the following seamen records:
They are not online.
https://prov.vic.gov.au/explore-collection/explore-topic/transport/ships-crew-1852-1922
ANCESTRY - VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, DESERTER, DISCHARGED AND PRISONER CREW LISTS 1852-1925
These records are provided in association with the Public Record Office of Victoria. They contain lists of crew members who deserted or otherwise left employment on a particular ship. They have been digitised and are searchable by name (The prisoner crew lists were prisoners held on hulks) (VPRS 2144, VPRS 4320).
https://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=60709
ANCESTRY - NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, REGISTERS OF SEAMEN, 1859-1936
This collection contains registers of seamen engaged or discharged in New South Wales, Australia. It also includes registers of certificates of competency issued between 1905 and 1933. These certificates were issued to masters, engineers, first mates, pilots, and others.
https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/nswregseamen/
FINDMYPAST - QUEENSLAND, SEAMEN, 1882-1919
The names included in this index were taken from the registers kept by the Harbours and Rivers Department.
https://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/queensland-seamen-1882-1919
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA - AUSTRALIAN MERCHANT SEAMEN EMPLOYMENT RECORDS 1922-1990 (A8877)
The National Archives holds microfilmed employment records for Australian seamen who served on Australian merchant vessels. The records are arranged by family name and give some personal information, the name of ships and dates of service.
AUSTRALIAN MARITIME SAFETY AUTHORITY
This authority holds merchant navy service information. The information does not appear to be online.
The following records include ships' crew.
ANCESTRY - NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, DEPARTING CREW AND PASSENGER LISTS, 1816-1825, 1898-1911
These records are provided in association with State Records Authority of NSW. This data collection contains muster rolls, ship's company, and passenger lists for vessels departing from New South Wales (also from Sydney) between December 1816 and 1825 as well as 1898 to 1911. For the later time frame the crews' destination may have been Victorian ports. The records may be browsed and they are searchable.
https://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=1602
ANCESTRY - NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, UNASSISTED IMMIGRANT PASSENGER LISTS, 1826-1922
These records are provided in association with State Records Authority of NSW. These records are passenger arrivals in New South Wales from 1826 to 1922; they include interstate arrivals. The records include information about seamen.
https://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=1210
ANCESTRY - TASMANIA, PASSENGER AND CREW LISTS, 1834-1837, 1841-1887
These records are from the Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office. The records may be browsed and they are searchable.
https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/tasmaniapassenger/
ANCESTRY - WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA, CREW AND PASSENGER LISTS, 1852-1930
These records are from the State Records Office of Western Australia. This is a collection of passenger records of arriving immigrants and emigrants to Western Australian port cities from 1852 to 1930. The majority of records involve arrivals from the Eastern States, but immigrants from overseas are also included.
https://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=1684
Sea pilots were used to for the expert pilotage of ships from Bass Strait to the ports of Melbourne and Geelong. They were licensed from 1839. The government took over the service in 1853.
For the government vessels used by sea pilots see Shipping Records.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE VICTORIA - SEA PILOT RECORDS
Public Record Office Victoria holds the following pilot records:
These are not online.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE VICTORIA - CORRESPONDENCE BOOK OF ASSISTANT TO INSPECTOR OF FISHERIES, PORT FAIRY 1913-1949
These include Fishing Licences and Boat Registrations.
ANCESTRY - VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, SELECTED TRIAL BRIEF AND CORRESPONDENCE REGISTERS AND OTHER IMAGES, 1837-1993
These include Port Fairy Fisheries Correspondence 1913-1949. These records are not indexed but can be browsed by description and range. These are provided by Public Record Office Victoria.
https://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=60672
TROVE NEWSPAPERS - MARITIME WORKER
This newspaper was published in Melbourne and is online from 1938 to 1954.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/?q=
If you have questions or problems with this site, email the Web Administrator.