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State History Uncovered

Mannequin

Gelatine print showing mannequin
displaying Cavalry uniform enclosed
within Colonial file
(ref: SROWA, series 675, consignment 527,
item 1885/3117)

Since 2007, the State Records Office has been conducting a project to list the correspondence files of the Colonial Secretary’s Office between the period 1883 and 1918. These historically significant records document the day-to-day running of the Swan River Colony – and the State of Western Australia – during a time of rapid growth and change. The Colonial Secretary’s Office records are considered the backbone of the State archives collection and cover an extensive range of subject matter.

Access to this material has traditionally proved cumbersome and difficult for researchers and the records as a whole have remained under-utilised for research purposes. The aim of this project has been to resolve this.

This project has been made possible through funding provided by the Friends of Battye Library Inc. through its Sholl Bequest. The State Records Office acknowledges and warmly thanks the Society for supporting this important project.

Between 2007 and January 2009, project officer Andrew Morant was appointed to conduct the listing of the Colonial Secretary’s Office files. In his other life, Andrew is research assistant to Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Bolton. During his employment with the State Records Office, Andrew listed over 14,000 files that cover the period 1883 – 1890 inclusive.

These files are all now searchable via AEON and may be accessed in the State Records Office Search Room.

Amongst the material Andrew listed are files relating to:

  • Inquests and legal cases;
  • Parliamentary and electoral matters;
  • The construction and maintenance of railways, telegraphs, water supplies and other infrastructure;
  • The establishment of police, local health boards and schools throughout Western Australia;
  • Immigration, customs and naturalization applications and certificates;
  • International correspondence and liaison;
  • Employment applications;
  • Relief to the poor;
  • Correspondence with religious bodies.

The files of this period document activity in the eastern goldfields as the gold rush commences. The files record negotiations in the lead up to self-government and by 1890 there is even debate about Federation.

For the genealogists, the files contain extensive references to the names of officials, settlers and Aboriginal people.

There remain a further 33,000 files that still require listing as part of this project but serious headway has been made.

Colonial Secretary’s Office files for the post-1918 period are already fully listed on AEON and pre-1883 correspondence is partially listed with these earlier records to be subject to further descriptive work.

 

Commission of Talbot Hobbs

 

Commission of Talbot Hobbs to Perth Artillery as 2nd Lieutenant (110kb JPEG), 25/04/1889 (ref: SROWA, series 675, consignment 527, item 1889/1199)

 

Cloth samples for the local Military Forces

Cloth samples for the local Military Forces (60kb JPEG) enclosed within Colonial file;
(ref: SROWA, series 675, consignment 527, item 1885/3117)

 

General Rules for the Rottnest Island Reformatory for Juveniles

General Rules for the Rottnest Island Reformatory for Juveniles (400kb PDF) enclosed within Colonial file, 1881
(ref: SROWA, series 675, consignment 527, item 1889/1845)

 


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