Find your ancestors in South Australia destitute women 1855-1860

South Australia destitute women 1855-1860

Search for destitute South Australian women who, between 1855 and 1860, received relief because their husbands were absent. Discover biographical details about these women and get an insight into their family life.

What can these records tell me?

Each record includes a transcript. The amount of information listed varies, but the South Australia destitute women 1855-1860 records usually include the following information about your ancestor:

* Name

* Age

* Address

* Number of children or dependents

* Name of emigrant ship

* Remarks by the Destitute Poor Department

* Date and page number of its listing in the Government Gazette

* Notes

Discover more about South Australia destitute women 1855-1860

This is an index of extracts from the South Australia Government Gazettes between 1855 and 1860 that name women receiving relief due to the absence of their husbands. Given that women, and especially poor women, are often difficult to track down on your family tree, this record set is particularly invaluable.

Note that the spellings of family names are not consistent across the records. When there are variations of the family name, the first one listed is the version that appears in that particular record. Text within squared brackets is either a correction or additional information.

A comment from the Destitute Board in 1856 provides some insight into the historical background of these records:

‘The heartlessness, in most instances, of fathers of families, who being at the [gold] diggings, and, in all probability, having quite enough for themselves, and insufficient means to bring them back, neither return, write, nor send the means of support to their families; secondly, the high price of provisions during the time, has caused many to make application to the Board, who otherwise would have been able to struggle on, and successfully for themselves…’

Data provided by Graham Jaunay www.jaunay.com