Wales Emigration and Immigration: Difference between revisions

Emigration and immigration records are records of people leaving (emigrating) or coming into (immigrating) Wales. Records include passenger lists, permissions to emigrate, records of passports issued, lists of transported prisoners, or registers of assistance to emigrate. These records may contain the name, age, occupation, destination, place of origin or birthplace, the ship, and date of arrival. Names of fellow passengers may help construct family groups or provide hints on place of origin or destination.  

*'''Assisted emigrants.''' From 1815 to 1900, qualified emigrants received passage money or land grants in the destination country as an alternative to receiving poor relief. After 1840 New Zealand and Australia offered money or land grants to skilled workers to encourage immigration.

*'''Military personnel.''' Upon discharge, soldiers serving overseas were offered land or other inducements to settle in the colony where they were serving. This was a common practice in Australia from 1791, in Canada from 1815, and in New Zealand from 1844.

Naturalization records in the destination country may be an excellent source for determining your ancestor’s place of origin. See the "Naturalization and Citizenship" section of the research outline of the destination country. Most immigration records at the Family History Library are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:  

Most Welsh immigrants to the United States arrived at New York. Immigrant lists are the main source of information on those arriving in the United States. More than 1,000 lists are indexed in an ongoing series by:  

To locate other books on immigration to the United States, look in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:  

Many British subjects went to East India for trade or to settle. Until 1834, no British subject could go to India without permission from the East India Company. The Family History Library has some records from the India Office Library. Original records are deposited at the British Library, Oriental and India Office Collection (see the "[[Wales Military Records|Military Records]]" section of this outline).  

From 1815 to 1850 Canada was the one of the primary destinations of Welsh emigrants. Before 1900, most immigrants arrived in Quebec City or Halifax. Passenger lists into Canada are rare before 1865. Microfilm copies of lists from 1865 to 1900 are at the Family History Library. See the [[Canada|Canada]] Research Outline for further information.  

Australia was founded as a British penal colony in 1788. A few Welshmen were transported as prisoners, while some settled voluntarily in Australia. Most went in the late nineteenth century. They settled mainly in the mining districts, but some settled in agricultural areas.  

Immigration records vary by state in content and coverage. Some list the immigrant’s birthplace, residence in Wales, and education; his or her mother’s maiden name and parents’ names; and his or her father’s name, occupation, and residence. Some records are indexed. You might find the ship and arrival date in death certificates or published sources. Copies of most pre-1900 records are at the Family History Library. Look in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:  

The British took South Africa from the Dutch in 1795. Few Welsh settled in South Africa until a group of 3,675 British subjects settled in eastern Cape Province in 1820. These settlers are well-documented. A memorial museum that has genealogies of their descendants is located at:  

A list of arriving passengers was usually published in the government gazette for the province of arrival. Before 1836 only Cape Province had white settlements.  

Microfilm copies of many immigration records are available at the Family History Library. Look in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:  

The British began colonizing New Zealand in 1840. Immigration records usually give settlement details and the wife’s and children’s names and ages. Most immigrants received assistance from either the New Zealand Company or from a government or church association formed to encourage immigration. Microfilm copies of many of these records are at the Family History Library. Look in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:  

A group of Welsh people sailed on [[The Mimosa|The Mimosa]] and founded a settlement in Patagonia, Argentina, in the nineteenth century. This settlement, known as "Y Wladfa," has been studied in considerable detail. Several books have been written about it.  

Search in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:  

== British Records of Emigration  ==

'''Assisted Emigrants Registers.''' Persons who applied for assistance to emigrate were recorded in assisted emigrants registers, which often contain name, age, occupation, residence, destination, name of sponsor, address of relative, and size of family. Records of emigrants who received assistance to emigrate from their parish or landlord can be found in parish records and estate records. See the "[[Wales Church Records|Church Records]]" and "[[Wales Land and Property|Land and Property]]" sections of this outline. Those available at the Family History Library appear in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:  

;WALES - EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION

'''Probate Records.''' Probate records may mention emigrant relatives. Probates of persons dying overseas who owned property in Wales should have been proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (until 1858) or at the Principal Probate Registry (after 1857). The following work lists some American wills proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury:  

Immigration records at the Family History Library are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:  

As there are few English immigration sources, you may need to search the emigration records for your ancestor’s country of origin.  

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