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Stolz Worldwide Family Research |
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Across the Oceans - Different Immigration Schemes - Ships
By the middle of the 19th century people of different nationalities
were emigrating from countries around the world to Australia.
Our ancestors came from as far away as Germany, England, Scotland and
Ireland. Like many others they came to the new Country to avoid the continual poverty and conflicts in their homeland.
One can only imagine how horrific it must have been to make them leave family
members behind and bring a few meagre possessions with them to cross the oceans to a strange land they knew nothing about
in the hope of a better future.
The old sailing
ships were designed to carry cargo, not passengers and there was little effort to adapt them for Migrants.
Apart from bringing on provisions - flour, potatoes, oatmeal, tea, some salted fish, and water - a captain merely would lay
down a temporary deck over the cargo and construct narrow, flimsy berths
that could be dismantled after the voyage. Packed tightly, often with
no more than a few square feet of space per person, with no toilet facilities or windows,
sanitation and ventilation were serious problems. Conditions
varied among vessels, but nearly all emigrants on sailing ships, regardless of class, had to suffer overcrowding and disorder,
seasickness, a foul atmosphere, and
poor food. Worse yet was the knowledge that at any moment disaster could strike in the form of fire, shipwreck or epidemic. Many died at sea and never reached the Promised Land. Surprisingly in many cases the Widowed party re-married while still on board.
Immigrants to Queensland Travelled Under Different Schemes. Free
passages
were granted by the Government to particular categories of immigrants, and their families, which were, from
time to time, particularly required in Queensland.
These categories altered over the years as
conditions in Queensland changed but included at various times female domestic
servants, and married couples without children. Applicants
were required to pay the sum of £1 and a similar amount for each member of the family counted as a statute
adult. To be eligible, they had to be unable to pay their own
passage, they could not have resided previously in any Australian Colony,
and they must intend to reside permanently in
Queensland. Assisted passengers received a Government subsidy and paid a small charge. Sometimes they were even granted a free passage. Remittance or Nominated passengers were arranged by
a friend or relative living in Australia, who paid a warrant for their passage to the Government. Indentured immigrants were brought out as contract labourers for employers who paid the Government for their passage. Unassisted immigrants paid full fare. Below are the Sailing Ships on which the three main branches
of
our family immigerated to the New Country.
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 Webmaster Shirley Donaldson-Stolz
Updating of this site is done at 9am Queensland EST Daily.
On your return dont forget to hit the REFRESH button for the lates information
First Lifted 28th Sep 2007 / Last Updated 7th July 2008
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