An overview of Pubilc Record Office Victoria, with a particular emphasis on records about Aboriginal people in the State of Victoria, Australia.

1. Introduction to Archival Research
into Aboriginal people:
an overview
Sebastian Gurciullo – Co-ordinator, Koorie Records Unit, PROV
5 September 2011

2. Overview
• PROV – role and responsibilities
• What’s in PROV’s collection?
• Reading room, website and catalogue
usage
• Researching Aboriginal records in Victoria
• Future directions

3. A take on data accessibility from satirical online news outlet www.theonion.com

4. Victorian Archives Centre
• Provides a place for staff and services of 4
organisations
– Public Record Office Victoria
– National Archives of Australia
– National Gallery of Victoria
– Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation

5. PROV – role and responsibilities

6. Public Record Office Victoria
• PROV is the archival
authority for the state of
Victoria, established under
the Public Records Act
1973.
• We are responsible for the
management of and access
to public records

7. Where do I access the records?
• Victorian Archives Centre
– 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne
– Free, off street parking via Macaulay Road
• Opening hours
– Monday – Friday
10:00 am – 4:30 pm
(And the second and last Saturdays of most months)
Please note: access to original records is not immediate

8. Where do I access the records?
• Ballarat Archives Centre
– Corner Mair & Doveton Streets, Ballarat
(State Government Offices)
• Opening Hours
– Monday & Tuesday
9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Please note: access to original records is not immediate

9. Ballarat or Melbourne?
• Ballarat
– Coverage: Central Highlands and Western Victorian regions
– Mostly holds locally created records, eg local government, courts, etc.
• Melbourne
– Coverage: whole of State
– Records of any agency
– includes major central agencies as well as “branch” agencies, eg.
Education Department and individual school records, Inquests, Will and
Probate Records
• You can do most of your searching and ordering from the
Ballarat Archives Centre and then view the records at
North Melbourne

10. What are public records?
• Public records are those created or
received by government officials in the
course of their duty.
• They may be products of administrative
processes or they may document
functions of government.
• Public records are unique and have
evidential value.

11. PROV’s Archival Control Model –
understanding the hierarchy
•Victorian •Victorian Record Group (VRG)
Function •Victorian Agency (VA)
(VF)
•Victorian Public Record
Series (VPRS)
•P0000, P0001 etc

12. How physical records get to PROV
Permanent records PROV
processed by agency (or
Agency creates (permanent
contractors) in
records preparation for transfer retention)
Records not in Temporary records
ongoing use placed are destroyed once
in secondary they reach their
storage sentence

13. VAC Record Delivery times
• You can order up to 24 items (files, volumes, boxes
etc) at one time
• Delivered 8 at a time, twice per day, to VAC reading
room
• Order by:
– 8.00 am to make the 10.30 am collection time
– 11.30 am to make the 2.00 pm collection time

14. This information, accessible via the PROV
catalogue, controls access to over
90 shelf kms of records

15. Access: Closed records
• Some records are closed under sections of
the Public Records Act 1973
• Section 9: records of a private or personal
nature – usually closed for 75–99 years from
creation.
• Section 10: records gazetted as not available
for 30 years from transfer.
• Section 11: records closed for conservation
or preservation reasons

16. Victorian Archives Centre
Reading Room

17. Reading room services
• Wireless internet connection for your own
laptop in the VAC reading room
• Digital camera available for capturing
images of records (BYO memory stick or
purchase one at PROV)

19. How is researching in a
government archive different?
• You cannot browse through a shelf to see
what you might want.
• PROV is a receiving archive rather than a
collecting archive.
• Our catalogues are not arranged by name
or subject.

20. Scenario
Researcher visits PROV:
‘I am starting my family history, can you give me
everything you have on Edward Nunn and his picture
as well?’
PROV Staff member:
‘Of course, just let me type his name into our catalogue
and then it will give us every record we have on him. It
will only take a few minutes and then you can take it
away with you’

21. The reality
- You need to understand the Archival Control Model
- You need to think like the Victorian Government (of the time you are
researching)
- You need to think like a database to use the online catalogue
- Many records will have been lost over time or legally destroyed
- Many records will not have been transferred to PROV
- A record may never have been created
- You need to be prepared to research for days, weeks, months...even
years

22. What’s in PROV’s collection?

23. Family & local history
• Births, Deaths, Marriages
• Passenger Lists
• Will & Probates
• Inquests
• Prisons
• Land & Properties
• Education & Teachers
• Mental Health

24. Birth, deaths, and marriages
These database indexes are available on the public access computers in
PROV's reading rooms. They are also available from many public
libraries, State Library of Victoria and other genealogy organisations.
– Births Deaths and Marriages Indexes 1837 – 1920
– Marriage Index continued... 1921 – 1942
– Death Index continued.... 1921 – 1985
– Marine Births Deaths and Marriages Index 1853 – 1920
PROV does not hold copies of birth, death or marriage certificates. You
will need to contact the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages for these.

25. Passenger lists
Passenger lists: arrivals at Victorian ports
PROV holds passenger lists for voyages to and from Victoria from 1839 to
1923. Copies of the lists are available on microfiche and microfilm in PROV
reading rooms at the Victorian Archives Centre and the Ballarat Archives Centre
and do not have to be ordered.
The following online database indexes provide references to microform copies of
passenger lists held at PROV reading rooms, and were compiled from the existing
passenger lists by volunteers.
– Index to Unassisted Inward Passenger Lists to Victoria 1852-1923
– Index to Assisted British Immigration 1839-1871
– Index to Outward Passengers to Interstate, U.K. and Foreign Ports, 1852-1896
PROVguides
– PROVguide 50 Locating and Copying Ships' Passenger Lists
– PROVguide 52 Immigration Records.

26. Type in the name
of the person you
are looking for
Take note of the
Fiche and Page No.
That is listed next to
the persons name

28. Wills & probates
PROV holds wills and probate records created from 1841. They are accessed
in different ways depending on the date range
1841 – 1925
View records online
– These have been digitised and you can search an online index on our
webpage, then view a digitised copy of the will..all from the comfort of your
own home
1926 – 1992
View original records at PROV
– You will need to use the Victorian Probate Index on microfiche, available at
PROV's reading rooms, or at genealogical collections around Australia, to get
the reference number for the records. Once you have obtained the reference
number you can then order the record via PROV’s online catalogue.
You will then have to come into the North Melbourne reading room to view the
record

29. Wills & probates continued ...
1993 – 2001
View original records at PROV
– You can use PROV's online catalogue to search for the records by name. You
can then order the record and will need to come into the North Melbourne
reading room to view the record
2002 onwards
– Contact the Victorian Probate Office to enquire about accessing wills and
probate records created after 2002.
PROVguides
– PROVguide 29, Wills and Probate Records 1841 – 1925
– PROVguide 68, Wills and Probate Records from 1926
– PROVguide 70, Will and Probate Records

30. Digitised Will – available online
Wills
VPRS 7591/P2,
Unit 649,
File 180/714

31. Wills and Probate
& Administration
Files
VPRS 7591/P2,
Unit 1558,
File 447/755
VPRS 28/P4,
Unit 284,
File 447/755

32. Inquests
PROV holds records for inquests and other coronial investigations held in
Victoria since 1840.
Accessing inquest records 1840-1985
– You will need to consult the database Inquest Index, Victoria 1840-1985. This
database can be found on computers in PROV's reading rooms, the State
Library of Victoria, and some genealogical centres and public libraries around
Australia. Once you have found the reference number you can order the
record. You will need to come into the North Melbourne reading room to view
the record

33. Inquests continued...
Inquest Deposition Files post 1985 are closed to public access. Access to
recent files is through the State Coroners Office.
PROVguides
– PROVguide 8, Ordering Inquest records
– PROVguide 71, Inquest Records

34. Inquest
Deposition
Files:
VPRS 24/P0
Unit 966
File 1920/927

35. Prisons & court records
PROV holds a range of records created by courts, prisons and other
agencies of the justice system, including the following digitised records,
available online:
– VPRS 10867/P0 Alphabetical Index to Central Register of Male Prisoners, 1868-1947
– VPRS 10879/P0 Alphabetical Index to Central Register of Female Prisoners, 1857-1948
– VPRS 515/P0 Central Register of Male Prisoners [selected volumes only]
– VPRS 5335/P0 Index to Divorce Cause Books, 1861-1924
– Index to VPRS 75/P0 Certificate of Discharge, Court of Insolvency, Melbourne, 1848-
1875
PROVguides
– PROVguide 58, Prison Records
– PROVguide 57, Convict Records
– PROVguide 61, Divorce Records

36. Alphabetical Index to Central Register of
Male Prisoners : 1868 - 1947

38. VPRS 515/P0 Unit 48
Prisoner No 26368

39. VPRS 5335 P0 Index to Divorce Cause Books
(VA 2549) Supreme Court of Victoria, 1861 – 1924

40. Land & properties
PROV holds a range of records that document the administration of Crown
lands in Victoria, such as:
– land selection and occupation
– crown reserves
– pastoral runs
– survey records
PROV holds a variety of records that provide valuable sources for research
into property, such as:
– Rate books
– Public Works Department Plans
– Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works records
– Public Building Files

41. VPRS 16171 Regional Land Office Plans Digitised
Reference Set

42. Education & teachers
PROV holds a wealth of records created by the Victorian Education
Department and by individual schools.
Frequently used records include:
– The online index VPRS 13719/P1 Database Index to Teacher Record Books, 1863-
1959, which provides access to a microfilm copy of Victorian teachers' working
histories. These records are available in PROV reading rooms and do not have to be
ordered.
– Inward and Outward correspondence
– School Building Files
– Special Case Files
PROVguides
– PROVguide 56, Education Records

43. VPRS 13579/P1 Teacher Record Books, unit 1

44. Mental health
PROV holds extensive records from many of the institutions which have provided
some form of care or control over people with a mental illness and people with an
intellectual disability. Many of these records have been digitised and are available
online.
Records include:
– Clinical records
– Admission of patients
– Register of patients
– Discharge registers
Because of the sensitive and personal information contained in the records, some, including
almost all clinical records are closed to public access for many years after their
creation. This means that only nineteenth and some early twentieth century records are
currently available.
PROVguide
– Provguide 59, Mental Health records

45. VPRS 7426 P1
Nominal Register of
Patients
1893 – 1907
Ballarat Asylum
(VA 2844)

46. •Research records about Aboriginal people
in Victoria through records
created by government

47. National Archives of Australia
• Archive of the Australian federal government
• This is a national organisation
• Main presence is in Canberra but have facilities in every state
and territory (see NAA Fact Sheet 1 for further details)
• In Melbourne, co-located with Public Record Office Victoria at
the Victorian Archives Centre
• Established under the Archives Act 1983
• Records mostly date from Federation (1901)

48. Public Record Office Victoria
• Archive of the Victorian state government
• This is a state organisation
• Main presence is in Melbourne at the Victorian Archives
Centre, with a branch at Ballarat, and with affiliated
collections in Geelong and Bendigo (see PROVguide 16 for
further details)
• Established under the Public Records Act 1973
• Records date from the start of the colony (from the 1830s
onwards)

49. Koorie Records Unit (KRU)
• Assists Aboriginal people with access to Victorian and
Commonwealth government records
• Builds links and partnerships with community and
government organisations
• Co-ordinates projects enhancing access to Koorie
records
• Provides outreach, education and training activities with
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people

50. Records about
Aboriginal people in Victoria
• Government records about Aboriginal people in
Victoria held in two collections
– National Archives of Australia
– Public Record Office Victoria
• Koorie Reference Service: we conduct a search into
both collections on behalf of Aboriginal clients to help
trace connections – further from Ed Story later
• If you are doing research yourself, you will need to
understand the way the collections are split across
the two organisations and how to go about finding
what you want

51. Victoria’s Aboriginal records –
how did it get like this?
• Victorian State Government legislation to transfer responsibility
for Aboriginal Affairs to the Australian federal government in
1975
• Shortly after this, those records not already in the custody of
PROV were transferred to the Australian federal government
by the Victorian state ministry of Aboriginal Affairs
• For the period c. 1860 to 1970s it is necessary to conduct
research at both PROV and the National Archives of
Australia (NAA), Melbourne Office.
• Victoria is the only state in Australia to have this unique
split collection

52. Records about Aboriginal people at PROV
• Reflect government administration of Aboriginal affairs in
Victoria
• Early Protectorate period 1830s – 1850s
• Records about the operation of Aboriginal missions and
reserves during the 1800s and 1900s
• Information includes medical and education reports,
correspondence, employment details, meeting minutes,
annual reports, police reports, clothing and rations, and
records of the movement of Aboriginal people across
Victoria.
• These records are open for researchers to access for My Heart is Breaking
family history purposes
• A complete list of record series at both PROV and
NAA, is in the research guide My Heart is Breaking
• Also see PROVguide 65 and 67

53. Records about Aboriginal people at PROV
some examples
Selected record series in PROV’s collection:
• VPRS 10, Inward Registered Correspondence to the Superintendent of Port
Phillip District relating to Aboriginal Affairs, 1839-1851 (Digitised and available
online)
• VPRS 11, Unregistered Inward Correspondence of the Chief Protector of
Aborigines – Reports and Returns, 1847-1851 (Digitised and available online)
• VPRS 2897, Registered Inward Correspondence of the Superintendent Port
Phillip District relating to Aboriginal Stations, 1847-1851
• VPRS 90, Victoria Police: Daybook of the Native Police Corps, 1845 – 1853

54. Records about Aboriginal people at PROV
more examples
Selected record series in the collection cont:
• VPRS 1694, Board for the Protection of Aborigines, Correspondence files,
1867 – 1946
•
• VPRS 926, Aboriginal Board: Letter Book Coranderrk 1838 – 1924
• VPRS 10768, Board for the Protection of Aborigines Register of Inward
Correspondence, 1909 – 1941
• A complete list of record series at both PROV and NAA, is in
the research guide My Heart is Breaking
• Also see PROVguide 65 and 67

55. Records about Aboriginal people in
the NAA collection in Melbourne
• Some examples:
• B313 Correspondence files (1869-1957)
– Correspodence about the administration of Aboriginal Affairs, such as
Aboriginal stations and reserves
• B337 Aboriginal case files (1893-1968)
– Files created for each Aboriginal person who had dealings with the Board for
the Protection of Aborigines and later the Aborigines Welfare Board
• B356 Lake Tyers correspondence files (1865-1968)
• B332 Annual reports [of Aboriginal stations and reserves] (1861-1957)
• See also NAA Fact Sheets and My Heart is Breaking (pages 24 to 33)
for further details

56. Other records
in the NAA collection in Melbourne
•As with PROV, the NAA have a wide range of records
relating to the business of local branches of federal
government departments and agencies located in
Melbourne, including:
•Immigration
•Defence
•Post Offices
•Aboriginal Affairs
•Government employment
•Works and Property

57. An example of what you can do
Footprints: the journey of Lucy and
Percy Pepper
• A joint publication between PROV and National Archives
of Australia about an Aboriginal family in Lake Tyers area,
Gippsland
• A 20-year journey of the family’s life told mainly through
government records
• Example of how public records can be utilised to tell family
histories
• Also an example of how you need to research records in
both the NAA and PROV collections
• Now a travelling exhibition available for communities to
loan free of charge

58. Acts of Parliament governing the lives of
Aboriginal people in Victoria
• We have documents because the Victorian
Government had laws governing the lives
of Aboriginal people from the 1860s
onwards
• Powers to regulate the lives & identities of
Aboriginal people – a system of control
and surveillance
• 1886 Act (pictured) often referred to as ‘the
half-caste Act’, because of provisions
aimed to force people of mixed Aboriginal
descent away from Aboriginal stations

59. Victorian Aboriginal missions and reserves
System of legislation and control of
Aboriginal people on missions and
reserves led to the creation of
records about Aboriginal people.
The impact of these laws on their
lives are often documented in
detail, including:
•health
•movements across the state
•family relationships
•attempts to find work
•how they lived
•who they saw
Photograph of cottages and residents at Lake Tyers
courtesy State Library of Victoria

60. Footprints publication
Researching the history of Lucy and Percy Pepper
PROV, VPRS 1694, P0, Unit
5, Bundle 3, page 249 -
Correspondence files of the
Board for the Protection of
Aborigines
Letter from Lucy Pepper to
the Victorian government
(addressed to Chief
Secretary John Murray) on
10 March 1915, asking for
assistance to move from
Lake Tyers in Gippsland for
the sake of her health
She had Tuberculosis, and
the normal treatment at the
time involved getting away
from wet humid climates as
occurs in coastal areas

61. Footprints publication
Researching the history of Lucy and Percy Pepper
PROV, VPRS 1694, P0, Unit
5, Bundle 3, page 244
Another letter from the
same file, this time from
Lucy’s husband Percy
Written two years earlier –
22 September 1913,
introducing himself as a
‘half-caste Aboriginal’ and
asking for help to support
his sick wife and his 6
children
He and his family had been
living in a tent for the past
two years following
seasonal work

62. Footprints publication
Researching the history of Lucy and Percy Pepper
Resilient and resourceful
• Wrote many letters to people in positions of
power, including several to Victoria Premiers
• Persevered with their requests for assistance
• Showed determination to keep their family
united
PROV, VPRS1694, P0, Unit12, Bundle 4, p 531, Petition 9
September 1913
A petition organised by Percy Pepper on behalf of Lake
Tyers residents wanting to allow Reverend Bulmer’s wife
and child to stay with them after his death

63. Koorie Index of Names
The KIN project aims to improve access to records containing
information about Aboriginal people held by PROV, which assists
Aboriginal people to find information about themselves and their
families.
What’s included in the index:
•Names of Aboriginal people
•Names of non-Aboriginal people related to or associated with
Aboriginal people
•Names of missions and institutions where Aboriginal people were
placed
•Places where Aboriginal people have lived or visited

64. Koorie Index of Names
• Available to researchers at the Victorian Archives Centre reading room in
North Melbourne
• The KIN database currently contains more than 13,800 names
• The index does not contain personal information about the people named.
What have we indexed so far?
• VPRS 1694 Correspondence Files Board for the Protection of Aborigines 1889 -
1946
What’s next?
• VPRS 10 Inward Registered Correspondence to the Superintendent of Port Phillip
District, relating to Aboriginal Affairs 1839 – 1851
• VPRS 11 Unregistered Inward Correspondence to the Chief Protector of
Aborigines - Reports and Returns 1847 - 1851

65. Koorie Index of Names (KIN)
• Aims to improve access to records containing
information about Aboriginal people held by PROV, which
assists Aboriginal people to find information about
themselves and their families.
• What’s included in the index:
• Names of Aboriginal people
• Names of non-Aboriginal people related to or associated
with Aboriginal people
• Names of missions and institutions where Aboriginal
people were placed
• Places where Aboriginal people have lived or visited

66. Koorie Index of Names (KIN)
• Available to researchers at Victorian Archives Centre reading room in Nth Melb
• Currently contains more than 13,800 names
• Does not contain personal information about the people named.
• What is in the index at the moment?
• VPRS 1694 Correspondence Files Board for the Protection of Aborigines 1889 - 1946
• What’s next?
• VPRS 10 Inward Registered Correspondence to the Superintendent of Port Phillip District,
relating to Aboriginal Affairs 1839 – 1851
• VPRS 11 Unregistered Inward Correspondence to the Chief Protector of Aborigines - Reports
and Returns 1847 – 1851
• More series relating to Aboriginal people currently being indexed …

67. How to search the KIN database

68. How to search the KIN database
• Step 3: Search Results
• Search results are arranged into a number of
different columns each highlighting different
information about the record.

69. How to search the KIN database
• Step 4: Sorting Results
• You can sort results by clicking on the relevant column; if
you click on the date column for example, you can change
the order of the results from the latest to earliest date.

70. How to search the KIN database
• Step 5: Ordering Records
• Once you have located the entries for the individuals you are
researching, make a note of the following details from the search
results: Series (VPRS), Consignment, Unit, Item and Page numbers.
These are in the last column of results.

71. After you have searched the KIN database
• Step 6: Log in to PROV’s online catalogue at
www.access.prov.vic.gov.au to order the records for
viewing at the VAC reading room. See PROVguide
19 Registering and Maintaining a Public User
Account for information on creating a public user
account if you do not already have one.

72. Bringing Them Home Name Index
• The National Archives of Australia’s version of the Koorie
Index of Names
• The National Archives' Bringing Them Home (BTH) name
indexing project arose from recommendations made in the
Bringing Them Home, the report of the National Inquiry into
the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Children from their Families released in July 1997
• Fact Sheet 175 – Bringing Them Home Name Index
• Not accessible to general public – enquiry must be made
through Koorie Reference Officer

74. Online
• From the comfort of your own home …
• or your local library …

75. prov.vic.gov.au

76. prov.vic.gov.au/community-programs/koorie-records-unit

77. Free online newsletter - subscribe at
prov.vic.gov.au/join-our-mailing-list

78. access.prov.vic.gov.au

79. Digitised records
• VPRS 10, Inward Registered Correspondence to the
Superintendent of Port Phillip District relating to Aboriginal
Affairs, 1839-1851 (Digitised and available online)
• VPRS 11, Unregistered Inward Correspondence of the Chief
Protector of Aborigines – Reports and Returns, 1847-1851
(Digitised and available online)
• More to come shortly relating to Aboriginal people
• Digital copies of these can be viewed through the PROV
catalogue at access.prov.vic.gov.au

80. PROV – future directions
• FUSE (Find, Use, Share – Education)
• YouTube
• Flickr
• Twitter
• blogs
• crowdsourcing
• digitising
• reading room attendances down / website hits up

81. Questions?
Copies of this PowerPoint presentation are available online at:
http://www.slideshare.net/publicrecordoffice/
Look for the PDF entitled:
Introduction to Archival Research into Aboriginal people SG 20110905.pdf
Image above shows detail of a photograph from
PROV, VPRS 14562/P4, unit 6, item 11