Sources relating to Women at PROV
Where can I find records relating to migrant women?
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General comments
- Refer to the general comments on finding records relating to women's issues in PROV. Also refer to general comments on finding records relating to women and children in PROV.
- Naturalisation is a function (responsibility) of the Commonwealth Government, so records in archival custody are held by National Archives of Australia. These include files and certificates issued pre-Federation by the Colony of Victoria, which were registered in the filing system of the Chief Secretary's Department. The Chief Secretary's inward correspondence register entry for each record has been stamped, indicating that the records were transferred to the Commonwealth Department of External Affairs in 1913. PROV holds a card index to certificates (VPRS 4396, Index To Naturalisation Certificates (1851-1922), which is a microfilm copy of hardcopy series VPRS 1190).
- National Archives of Australia holds Commonwealth records relating to migration issues in Melbourne. Refer to their guide Collections in Melbourne, in particular Migration.
- There may be records relating to naturalisation policy within the filing systems of the Victorian agencies responsible for this function up to 1855: the Police Magistrate Port Phillip District (to 1839), the Superintendent Port Phillip District (1839-51) and Colonial Secretary (1851-55). Unfortunately, from 1855 to Federation in 1901 this was the responsibility of the Department of Trade and Customs and PROV does not hold any correspondence filing systems for that agency.