Background to Polish convicts
A small number of Polish-born convicts were transported to New South Wales. The convict Joseph Potaskie (Potasky) is celebrated as the ‘first known Polish settler in Australia’.[1] He arrived at Port Phillip (then part of NSW) on the Calcutta (NRS 12188, [4/4004], Fiche 631, ARK) in 1804. Convict arrivals are listed in the table below.
Polish-born convict arrivals
|
Name |
Ship and year |
Reference |
|---|---|---|
|
Joseph Potaskie |
Calcutta, 1804 |
NRS 12188, [4/4004], Fiche 631, ARK |
|
Paul Stempin |
Somersetshire, 1814 |
NRS 12188, [4/4005], Fiche 635, ARK |
|
Joseph Botegelfsky |
Marquis of Wellington, 1815 |
NRS 12188, [4/4005], Fiche 635, ARK |
|
Moses Rochotz |
Baring, 1815 |
NRS 12188, [4/4005], Fiche 635, ARK |
|
August Piotrowski |
Bengal Merchant, 1838 |
NRS 12188, [X641], Fiche 733, ARK |
|
Kazimiery Szezgielski |
Bengal Merchant, 1838 |
NRS 12188, [X641], Fiche 733, ARK |
|
Norbruth Dolubowski |
Earl Grey, 1838 |
NRS 12188, [X641], Fiche 734, ARK |
|
Joseph Skewski |
Portsea, 1838 |
NRS 12188, [X641], Fiche 735, ARK |
Colonial Secretary Records
References relating to Polish people in NSW are contained in the Index Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825. [2] and the later Colonial Secretary's Correspondence.
Examples
Joseph Potaskie's land grant in Van Diemen's Land in 1816
[4/1742 p.297] Reel 6048
Petitions from convict Joseph Botegelfsky in 1818
[4/1857 p.28] Fiche 3192
Petition from convict Paul Stempin (servant to John Oxley) in 1819
[4/1860 p.46] Fiche 3201
Correspondence with Dr John Lhotsky (naturalist and explorer) in 1836
[4/2322.2] Reel 2204
A letter relating to the convict Norbruth Dolubowski's assistance in apprehending bushrangers
[42/3004 in 4/2564]
Memorials from settlers / residents such as naturalist and ethnographer John Kubary [75/970 in 1/2284] and artist Gracius Joseph Broinowski [86/2966 in 1/2582] wishing to be naturalized.
Letters sent to the Surveyor General (NRS 1001) includes a copy of the 1841 letter sent to the Surveyor General relating to Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki's explorations [3] [41/89 in 4/3922 p.314] Reel 3020.
Passengers and Crew Records
Passenger and crew records can be found in the series Passengers arriving (or Shipping lists or Passenger lists), 1855-1922, NRS 13278. These records are described in more detail in the Immigration and Shipping Guide.
Examples
The majority of Polish settlers and visitors paid their own passage to the colony.
Alois Lubecki and his wife who arrived on the Eden in 1838
NRS 1291, Reel 1266
Plater/Platter family, including Ferdinand Plater/Platter, who came on the Alfred in 1840
NRS 1291, Reel 1267
A few settlers came as assisted immigrants. These include the:
Krumnick family from Posen who arrived in Port Phillip on the Godeffroy in 1849
NRS 906, [9/2662]
Kazimiry and Bertha Piotrowski on the Hanover in 1854
NRS 5323, Fiche 839
Later assisted immigrant arrivals [4] include:
Andrew Warseweki on the Star of the West in 1877
Reels 2488 and 2140
Levi Shuebitski and family on the Abergeldie in December 1884
Reels 2495 and 2143
Mark Poznanski on the Energia in 1886
Reels 2497 and 2143
There are also some examples of immigrants from Poland being nominated by families in NSW in the Immigration deposit journals, 1853-1900, NRS 5264. They include:
Mark Poznanski who was nominated by his mother Elizabeth Pozwanski
[4/4598], Reel 2676.
Some settlers may have worked as crew, although crew members were often only short-term visitors to the colony. One of these was:
Jósef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski [5] (author Joseph Conrad), the master of the Otago, which arrived on 8 May 1888
NRS 13278, Reel 485
Naturalization Records
Naturalization was the means by which persons who were not British subjects gained the privileges and rights of citizenship. A person who was not a British subject and wished to vote or own land had to be naturalized. Naturalization records are an important source as they can provide both the date of arrival and the name of the ship.
There are 167 entries for persons whose native place is listed as Poland, Posen or Warsaw/Warsau in the online Naturalization Index, 1834-1903. This figure excludes NSW Polish identities such as Louis Beyer/Beyers and Victor Czarliniski, who gave Prussia as their native place.
Examples
The earliest example is from 1844 NRS 1038, No. 44/5, Reel 128A. It relates to Nathan Mandelson (proprietor of the Goulburn Hotel), who arrived in Sydney on the Children in 1833 NRS 1264, Reel 1266.
Selected examples from the NRS 1040: Registers of Certificates of Naturalization, 1849-59, 1876-1903 include:
Ferdinand Platter (Plater) in 1860 (Reel 130);
Maxmillian Zglinicki in 1876 (Reel 130);
John Kubary in 1875 (Reel 130) and
Gracius Joseph Broinowski in 1886 (Reel 134).
Business Records
The Registers of firms, 1903-22, NRS 12961 [2/8526-53] includes the name of the firm; nature of the business; place of business; date of registration; and details of persons carrying on the business.
Examples
The General Store in Stewart Street, Bathurst, operated by Amelia and Jane Bobrowski [2/8526 p.592]
James Hodge and Ignancy Stanislaus Zlotkowski's Coppersmith and General Merchant business at 110-116 Sussex Street, Sydney [2/8526 p.452].
Insolvency and bankruptcy records
Insolvency and bankruptcy records include information about businesses and their assets.
Examples
Alois Lubecki (Schoolmaster of Aird Street, Parramatta) was declared insolvent in 1842 [2/8671 file 138] and again in 1851 when he is described as a gentlemen of Liverpool [2/8853 file 3023]
Dr John Caesar Lubienski of Castlereagh Street, Sydney was declared insolvent in 1882 [2/9945 file 17305]. The former politician Hugo Lewis Beyers became bankrupt in 1894 [10/22921 file 7662]
Company records
The Documents lodged under Companies Acts, NRS 12951, such as the Australian Polish Association of Australia 1961-65 [17/10237 No. 69841] and the Warsaw Silver Mining 1885-1939 No 985, [3/5703 No. 985], relate to companies that were incorporated between 1875 and 1975. These documents are arranged by a company number, which can be found in the Australian Securities Commission's Dead Companies Index Pre-1969, available in the reading room. For more information on company records see Archives Investigator under Registrar General, Companies Branch and Corporate Affairs Commission. Commercial directories, such as Sands, also provide details on business names and addresses.
Professions and occupations
Despite the small number of Polish settlers coming to NSW, they are well represented in a range of professions and occupations. These include: Hugo Lewis Beyers, a member of the NSW Legislative Assembly from 1877-82 ( NRS 1286, 1894); Ladislas Adam De Noskowski who was a teacher between 1920-26 ( NRS 15322), Victor Czarlinski, the hydrologist and engineer for the NSW Government, ( NRS 1286, 1894) and police officers such as father and son, Maxmillian Zglinicki ( NRS 10943, Reel 3043) and Ernest James Zglinicki (Reel 3043). Short Guide 10 lists a selection of records relating to particular professions and occupations.
Probate packets and records of death duties
Probate packets
Probate packets contain the deceased's will or the letters of administration if there was no will, as well as other important legal documents. The Supreme Court has published a microfiche index to probate granted in NSW between 1800 and 1985, which is available in the reading room and can be searched on our online catalogue.
Deceased estate and Intestate records
Under the Stamp Duties Act of 1880 and subsequent legislation no probates (wills) or letters of administration could be granted until a duty was paid or security given, including intestate (without a will) estates. Death duties were abolished in 1981. See our Death Records Guide for more details.
Examples
Probate Packets, NRS 13660, Nathan Mandelson died in 1867 [Series 1, 7282, 14/3408]; Alfredo Ignacy Zlotkowski died in 1886 [Series 3, 12865, 17/2138], described as a Professor of Modern Languages; Stained glass designer and manufacturer John Radecki died in 1955 (Series 4, 446677] and Polish diplomat Sylwester Maksymilian Gruszka 'formerly Consul General for Poland lately Company Director' of Bellevue Hill died intestate in 1956 [Series 4, 462783].
Deceased Estate Files, NRS 13340, Maxmillian Zglinicki ex-sergeant of the Mounted Police of Camden, [20/119, Duty paid 4/03/1898] and Dr Ludwig Bernstein a former mayor of Lismore, [20/317, Duty paid 15/10/1907].
Land
The online index to the Colonial Secretary's Letters relating to land, 1826-56 contains requests from individuals to either lease or purchase land. The index includes references to letters from Nathan Mandelson [2/7913] Reel 1155. Other land records of interest include Commissioners of Crown Lands, conditional purchase records and maps and plans. Records relating to the transfer of land between individuals are available from NSW Land Registry Services.
Theatres and Public Halls
The Files relating to licences for theatres and public halls, NRS 15318, relate to licence applications and renewals for theatres and public halls. There are a number of files relating to the premises of Polish groups and organisations. They include the Polish Australian Club Hall, Queanbeyan, 1965-78 (Item 4485) and the Polish Ex-Servicemen's Association Memorial Hall, Greta, 1965-74 (Item T3457).
Other sources
Births, Deaths and Marriages, 1788+. See the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages online.
Coroners' records. Registers of coronial enquiries can establish basic details such as cause of death, age and birthplace. See Archives in Brief 4.
Court records. The records from the various court jurisdictions can be found in our catalogue under Courts of Petty Sessions, Clerk of the Peace and Supreme Court.
Divorce Records. See Archives in Brief 77 and the Index to Divorce Case Papers, 1873-1930. New entries are being progressively added to this index.
Population records. Nathan Mandelson is listed in the 1841 Census. NRS 1282, [X946], Reel 2222. The 1891 and 1901 Census Collectors' books listing householders are available (see Short Guide 7 and Short Guide 12). Reports on both censuses are available.
Prison records. See our catalogue under the name of the gaol for details. The online index to goal photographs is being regularly updated. The index can be searched by birthplace, for example 'Poland'.
Railway Passes. Registers of Free Railway Passes, 1880-92, NRS 5283, [4/4678-85] include information on nationality. They have been indexed by Pastkeys (Fiche 6118-6126). There are some references to Polish-born pass holders. For example W. Poznanski (Native Place: Poland) received a pass to travel to Cootamundra in 1880.
Polish: They include the Polish Australian Club Hall, Queanbeyan, 1965–78 (Item 4485) and the Polish Ex-Servicemen’s Association Memorial Hall, Greta, 1965–74 (Item T3457).
Footnotes
[1] Lech Paszkowski, Poles in Australia and Oceania, 1790-1940, ANU Press, Sydney, 1987, p.4
[2] Part of the Archives Resources Kit (ARK) & available at the 40 community access points (CAPS).
[3] Count Strzelecki's Journal: Report on investigations into geographical mineralogy on NSW and its geognostic character, south of lat. 31° 48° S., incl. the Murrumbidgee River, Gippsland etc dated 26 June 1840 is held in the Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW. Reference: DL Add 202.
[4] These arrivals are included in: NRS 5316 and NRS 5317. These series are part of the ARK.
[5] Australian Encyclopaedia, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1958, Volume 2, p.51B.
Hawker's Application for Olga Duminski, 1948. NRS 3428 14-3788
