Australia Business and Occupations

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Australia

Business

Online Resources

• 1899-1900 Crane's Directory UK, Europe Australasia 1899-1900 at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1919-1935 Victoria, Australia, Battle to Farm, 1919-1935 index and images - at Ancestry ($)
• Australia, Business Register at MyHeritage — index ($)

Business Directories

• The Australasian federal directory of commerce, trades & professions at FamilySearch, images.
• 1831 Australian almanack, for the year of our Lord 1831 at FamilySearch, images.
• 1835 Australian almanack and general directory, for the year of our Lord 1835, e-book.
• 1869 Indian and colonial mercantile directory for 1869 at FamilySearch, images.
• 1873 Australian handbook & almanac & shipper & importers directory, e-book.
• 1888 The Australasian federal directory of commerce, trades & professions at FamilySearch, images.
• 1893 The Australian handbook (incorporating New Zealand, Fiji, and New Guinea) shippers and importers' directory & business guide for 1893, e-book
• 1899-1900 Crane's Directory UK, Europe Australasia 1899-1900 at MyHeritage — index ($)

Almanacs

• Australian Almanacs at Findmypast - index & images ($)

Pastoral (Ranching) Directories

• 1893-1899 Australasian federal pastoral directory List of stockowners [ranchers] in the colonies of New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania.
• 1913, 1923, 1925, 1931, 1954: Australia Pastoral Directories at Ancestry - index & images ($); Also at Findmypast ($)
• 1954 List of stockowners in the states of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, and Tasmania
• Australian Pastoral Directories ($), index. .

Railroads

• 1866-1919 Employees’ Records, 1866–1919 Queensland Railways Central Division at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Licenses

• 1821-1938 Western Australia, Australia, Land Leases, Licences, Applications and Selected Images, 1821-1938 index and images - at Ancestry ($)
• 1830-1899 New South Wales, Australia, Certificates for Publicans' Licences, 1830-1849, 1853-1899 index and images - at Ancestry ($)
• 1837-1846 New South Wales, Australia, Depasturing Licenses, 1837-1846 index and images - at Ancestry ($)
• 1900-1903 Queensland, Australia, Licensed Victuallers Index, 1900-1903 index - at Ancestry ($)

Police Gazettes (including license news)

• 1854-1930 New South Wales, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1854-1930 index and images - at Ancestry ($)
• 1855, 1864-1924 Victoria, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1855, 1864-1924 index and images - at Ancestry ($)
• 1862-1947 South Australia, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1862-1947 index and images - at Ancestry ($)
• 1867-1884 South Australia Government Gazettes 1867-1884 index and images - at Ancestry ($)
• 1881-1945 Queensland, Australia, Police Gazette Index, 1881-1945 index and images - at Ancestry ($)
• 1884-1933 Tasmania, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1884-1933 index and images - at Ancestry ($)
• 1903-1910 Queensland, Australia, Government Gazettes, 1903-1910 - at Ancestry ($)

Business Occupations

• 1857-1922 Web: Queensland, Australia, Occupational Indexes, 1857-1922 index - at Ancestry ($)
• 1882-1945 Queensland, Australia, Mining Accident Index, 1882-1945 index - at Ancestry ($)
• 1883-1900 Australasian medical directory and handbook images - at FamilySearch.
• 1903-1977 Tasmania, Australia, Railway Employment Records, 1903-1977 index and images - at Ancestry ($)

Mariners and Ships

• Mariners and Ships in Australian Waters, index.

Mining

• 1882-1945 Queensland, Australia, Mining Accident Index, 1882-1945 - index at Ancestry ($)

Misc.

• 1860-1879 Alphabetical Register of Children Apprenticed of Queens Asylum, 1860–1879 Tasmania Charitable Grants and Children of the State Department at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1860-1903 Register of Teachers, 1860–1903 Australia Department of Public Instruction at FamilySearch Catalog - images

These registers are particularly rich in genealogical information because the information required on the form includes date of birth, nationality (often listing the county and country of birth), religious denomination, starting date as a teacher, resignation date, professional training (which often includes names and places of schools attended in the country of origin), previous employment (by places and years), miscellaneous facts (such as when the individual came to the colony), wife’s maiden name (if married), wife’s attainments and experience (if she also taught school), the number and ages of the teacher’s children, and an employment history.

• 1900-1914 Australia, Queensland Licensed Victuallers, 1900-1914 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Content of Business Records

Australia businesses and commercial companies seldom contain dates or places of birth, marriage, or death but they can have valuable genealogical information.

• Pub owners, butchers, lumberjacks, auctioneers, or other professionals had to be licensed. Licenses were granted by the courts, and notices were then published in the Government Gazette. For further information about gazettes, read the Court Records article.
• Lawyers at the time kept detailed records for their clients. Included in these records are:
  • probate material
  • adoption records
  • insurance papers
  • lawsuits, and other sources that may help you trace your ancestors.
• Some bank ledgers in Australia give:
  • the name
  • occupation
  • residence
  • age
  • place of birth (by county and country)
  • year of immigration and name of ship
  • a physical description of depositors.

Introduction

Knowing an ancestor’s occupation can help you distinguish him or her from others with the same name. The records about your ancestor’s occupation could provide information about his or her life and family.

Most trades required a training period or apprenticeship that included several steps. Records were often created to indicate the progress or completion of this training. These records can provide information about the apprentice such as age, place of residence, length of apprenticeship, and father’s name.

In most societies, occupations were a measure of social status. Some trades were viewed as more prestigious than others. Many trades, such as butchers, tanners, shoemakers, tailors, and others, were organized into guilds. Guild records often give information about workers such as names of parents, place of origin, occupation, and age.

Some types of occupational records that you will find are:

• Apprenticeships
• Registers
• Appointments
• Histories
• Guild records

Finding Business Records

Many business records are deposited in Australian national archives, state archives, and other local repositories. For further information, read the Archives and Libraries article.

FamilySearch Library

Additional sources are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog:

• Australia - Business records and commerce
• Australia - Business records and commerce - Directories
• Australia - Business records and commerce - History
• Australia - Directories