:: European Immigration Registers, Natal ::

ROSEMARY'S GUIDE TO EUROPEAN IMMIGRATION REGISTERS, NATAL

The European Immigration indexes and registers held at Pietermaritzburg Archives are a valuable source for passenger arrivals at the port of Natal. There is a card index, filed alphabetically by surname; once a likely contender for the ancestor is found, it is necessary to go to the original volumes for further detail - volume and page number are shown on the cards.

For my own research purposes I compiled a brief overview of years covered by these volumes, and find it very useful as a general guide. It may help others, too.

Note that the registers are far from all-inclusive, there are gaps and as we approach the 20th century factors such as increased volume of shipping, inconsistent record-keeping and even lack of preservation of some original registers, may militate against finding an individual arrival. Its the best we have, however, and its always worth checking this source when looking for an in-coming ancestor.

If you don't find the name you seek in the card index, it is advisable to check the relevant original register: in my experience there are some errors and omissions in the card index. For example, I recently discovered two immigrant families of the same name arriving on the same vessel. The second family had been included in the card index but the first (probably relatives of the others) had not. This may have been due to the fact that the two families were separated by one individual entry of a different surname - it turned out to be the mother-in-law of the immigrant in question. Above her entry were the missing couple I was looking for - and presumably they had been overlooked by the indexer.

Bear in mind that the card index sometimes gives surnames only, sometimes with initials but no indication of which is the head of the family, which are children etc., and only occasionally the full first name plus surname. By going to the original register it's possible to establish family groups, and usually ages of the individuals. Earlier lists may not include ages or occupations.

Another tip: the first name appearing in a family group in a register may NOT be the head of the family. Frequently it is his spouse followed by names of the children of the couple, the husband/father appearing in the left hand column headed "Applicant". Usually this means that he had arrived in Natal by an earlier ship to make initial arrangements, his family following later, and that he would be waiting to welcome them to the Colony. As far as I can tell, these Applicants' names are not included as such in the card index, so if you are looking for, say, R ENTWHISTLE and only find other initials allied to this surname, check the original volume as given on the card; he may appear therein as Applicant.

As always, a commonly-found name such as SMITH will bring up several entries on the cards. Depending on whether date parameters are known, it may be possible to isolate the likely contenders, but this is complicated if no initials are given. In that case, go to the original registers for the appropriate years as shown on Rosemary's Guide below.

Also included in the EI card index are selected entries re shipping from the Natal Witness.

This list is grouped by volume number, showing dates covered by each register. There may appear to be some anomalies, such as repetition of years, but the dates as given below are correct for the contents of each volume.

Vol NoYears

64 1849-1852 (including Byrne Immigration vessels)

65 1858-1874

66 1874-1886

67 1887-1902

68 1887-1902 (this is an index to Vol 67)

68A 1887-1889 (index only)

69 1903-1904

71 1905-1911

73 1845-1859

74 1859-1871

75 1871-1876

The Pietermaritzburg Archives staff are usually prepared to check the EI card index for a particular name (remember the limitations re initials and first names as described above) if you ring the Reading Room (0333 - 424712). The index check takes a few minutes (you may need to call back for results) but the staff cannot undertake to look at the original registers, which is time-consuming, and if any card index entries appear hopeful you will then need to see the relevant volume/s or ask a local researcher to do so for you. A digital photograph of the page showing arrival of an immigrant family can provide an interesting illustration to enliven any family history narrative.

Finally, and for the sake of preservation of these records many of which are in a fragile condition, careful, respectful handling is recommended and photocopying may not be allowed (or even feasible, given the size and bulk of certain volumes). Digital photography, however, is permitted by the Archives.

Few thrills compare to finding the ancestor's arrival at Natal : it is a strong incentive for spending time in these original European Immigration volumes.