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Find your African ancestor in Australia

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Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Australiamap
Surnames/tags: African_Ancestry Africa Australia
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African Ancestry Project


Contents

Introduction

The focus of this page is to aid genealogical connection: surfacing names of people who were of African Ancestry in Australia, not yet identified through convict or ships lists.

If you are looking to solve the mystery of your African Ancestry in Australia, this is a database of male individuals found in the Australian newspaper digitisation programme Trove, under the search terms:

Man of Colour and Darkey

These descriptive terms were often used to identify people of African descent in 19th century Australia. In the United Kingdom (and pre Federation Australia was British) "black" was historically equivalent with "person of color", a general term for non-European peoples. [1] It was sometimes used for "Indians" in Australian newspapers, and where this was the case seems to have been stated. Whilst care has been taken no absolute guarantee can be made that everyone listed here was of African descent.

Blackfella

This term is not being used to locate people of African ancestry in the 19th century. The descriptor "blackfella" was more commonly associated with Australian Aboriginals as can be seen by the following examples from Australian newspapers (extracted from the timeframe of the 19th century) across 6 states:
South Australia [2] Western Australia [3] Victoria: [4] New South Wales [5] Queensland [6] Tasmania [7] Wikipedia [8]

Names are still being added to this list. If you wish to add any names (with links) from Australian newspapers (of the 19th century) the page is open for doing so. Please do not adjust the explanatory text. Many thanks.

Woman of Colour

States

New South Wales

  • Russel
    1833 'No title', The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), 14 October, p. 3. , viewed 20 Mar 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12847927

  • Stephen
    1830 'CORONER'S INQUEST.', The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 24 March, p. 3. , viewed 20 Mar 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36866010

  • Charles Afleck
    1839 'COURT QUARTER SESSIONS.', Commercial Journal and Advertiser (Sydney, NSW : 1835 - 1840), 6 April, p. 2. , viewed 22 Mar 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article226453715

  • Sike Alley
    1875 'MURDER.—£50 REWARD.', New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), 4 June, p. 1625. , viewed 24 Apr 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223684439

  • John Brown Armstrong
    1844 'Police Intelligence.', Parramatta Chronicle and Cumberland General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1845), 30 November, p. 2. , viewed 19 Mar 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article228248520

  • Daniel Alexander 1890 'Hay.', Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), 26 April, p. 14. , viewed 21 May 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71110947

  • Daniel Alexander, born in the West Indies, came to Australia via America in the mid 1800s. Working on the Murray riverboats, and known as ‘Black Alex’, he was an impressive figure, known for his strength and his claim to be the greatest swearer and talker on the river. In 1884 he commissioned a riverboat which he called the Mayflower, using his savings plus a bank loan. In 1890 he got into debt and the bank repossessed the boat. The Mayflower is the oldest original paddlesteamer in South Australia; restored, it runs cruises out of the Mannum Dock Museum. Black Alex’s biography is told in a children’s book: Alex’s Adventures on the Paddle Wheeler of the Murray, 1997, by Brice Douglas (the Mayflower’s last owner). the conversation.com (see comments: "Jeanette Hope"

Tasmania

South Australia

Victoria

Western Australia

Queensland

  • Davis, a Brazilian (1850)
  • an Indian (1846)

  • Peter Felix
    1880 'THE MURDER AT STANTHORPE.', Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 - 1954), 5 July, p. 2. , viewed 03 Apr 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52020236

  • Joseph Frank Smith
    1870 'ROCHHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT.', Rockhampton Bulletin and Central Queensland Advertiser (Qld. : 1861 - 1871), 3 December, p. 2. , viewed 03 Apr 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51580825

Northern Territory


Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Black people Africa
  2. 1890 'ABORIGINAL PHILOSOPHY.', Adelaide Observer (SA : 1843 - 1904), 26 July, p. 26. , viewed 23 Mar 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article159550202.
  3. NOTHING IN THE PAPERS. (1896, November 20). Geraldton Advertiser (WA : 1893 - 1905), p. 3. Retrieved March 23, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article252769446.
  4. "ABORIGINAL JOLLIFICATIOIN." The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946) 9 October 1897: 36. Web. 25 Mar 2024 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article138628848>.
  5. 1888 'Thrift.', The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), 15 December, p. 4. (Second sheet to Maitland Mercury), viewed 25 Mar 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18963710
  6. "To the Editor of the Moreton Bay Courier." The Moreton Bay Courier (Brisbane, Qld. : 1846 - 1861) 15 December 1858: 2. Web. 25 Mar 2024 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3719919>.
  7. ""BLACKFELLA AND MOTOR" The North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times (Tas. : 1899 - 1919) 13 March 1916: 3. Web. 29 Mar 2024 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64781698>.
  8. Wikipedia: Blackfella




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