Western Australian Genealogical Society Inc.

The Swan River Pioneers Group 1829-1838 was formed early in 1993, as a Special Interest Group of the Western Australian Genealogical Society Inc.

The era 1829-1838 was chosen, as this was the period of Sir James Stirling's administration. His administration as Governor ended on 31st December 1838. On January 5th 1839 he departed the Colony with Lady Ellen Stirling.

The Group produces Certificates of Descendancy for members and non-members who are directly descended from the early pioneer families who arrived in the Swan Colony during the above period. The Committee has produced and passed some 1500 Certificates to descendants and applications are still coming in.

The Group holds an Annual Dinner (Pioneer Dress) on the Foundation Day weekend in June of every year with local dignitaries to help celebrate the arrival of our early pioneer ancestors.

Contact

Convenor:           Lyn Coy          Deputy Convenor:    Lorraine Evans

Email:                       Convenor - Swan River Pioneers SIG

Next Meeting/s - Have a look at:

 WAGS Event Calendar

The Swan River Pioneers Group will issue Certificates of Descendancy upon the provision of proof that an applicant is a direct descendant of a Swan River Pioneer of the period 1829 to 1838.

Full details of the requirements and an Application Form are available in a PDF document downloadable from here:

   Proof of Descendancy Form  56.03 Kb

Summary of requirements: 

• Evidence of descent from the pioneer should be in the form of a certificate from an official registry of births, marriages and deaths.
  
• However, wills manuscripts or other material relating to settlement in the Colony can be submitted if certificates are not available.
• Evidence of settlement in the Swan River Colony may be in the form of authenticated information from the Registrar General or family papers. In the case of secondary sources such as published records, specific references must be provided.
• In the event of any such proofs not being available, circumstantial evidence should be put before the Examiner of Proofs for consideration. Acceptance of any such evidence will be at the discretion of the Examiner of Proofs.
• Documents submitted should be forwarded with the application and will be filed for our records.  Photocopies are acceptable provided they are legible, full-sized and complete.

Prices of certificates are as follows;

The Certificate Package:
Includes:     Certificate/s; one Badge; and 1 years subscription (four Issues) to our Newsletter the Settlers Gazette:

Cost:            A$20.00 or
                      A$15.00 where the current year's A$5.00 subscription to the newsletter has already been paid.

Second and Subsequent Certificates:
Where the same recipient has two or more Ancestors from the period:

Cost:            A$6.00 (for each additional ancestor/certificate)

Two or more Applicants in One Household:
Where there are two or more applicants in the same household e.g. Spouse, Children and Grandchildren, and only one newsletter is required, i.e. certificate and badge but no newsletter, the second applicant's first certificate will be:

Cost:            A$15.00 (includes Badge)

Membership of the Swan River Pioneers Special Interest Group is restricted to Members of the Western Australian Genealogical Society Inc. whose ancestors settled in the Colony between 1st June 1829 and 31st December 1838.

Associate Membership will be granted to Members of the Western Australian Genealogical Society Inc. who have an interest in the pioneers.

Certified Membership shall be determined by the Convenor of the Swan River Pioneers Group and upon recommendation of the Examiner of Proofs appointed by the Committee.

Certificates of Descendancy shall be available for Non-Members of the Group providing they give evidence of descent in accordance with the rules of the Group and at the discretion of the Examiner of Proofs.

The Swan River Pioneers' newsletter, the Settlers Gazette, is produced quarterly and is sent to members of the Society's Interest Group.

If you would like to subscribe to our Newsletter 'Settlers Gazette' the cost is $20 per annum. Please email the Convenor at:  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Our Editor Craig Evans is always looking for interesting articles on our early pioneers and we cover 'what's happening' in the group - we list our new members and their interests and stories of our early pioneers.

'Western Australia For Me'

The Group has launched a CD 'Western Australia For Me'

sung by St Hilda's Anglican Girls School Choir. The CD featuring

the song 'Western Australia For Me' sung by George Fletcher Moore

at the First Governor's Ball in 1831 and other relative Australian

tunes eg. Advance Australia Fair, Click Go The Shears, Botany Bay and

an Australian Medley is available from the Group at a cost of $15

plus $3 postage.

Contact the Convenor: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or

Tel: 9296 9520 to purchase the CD.

The Western Australian Genealogical Society has a large collection of Western Australian history books, which are helpful to the family history researcher.

The Swan River Pioneers is consistently adding to this collection of Western Australian historical and pioneer family histories.

Recently the Group donated a collection of WA microfilms to the Library.

Early shipping lists for the particular period are to be found in the Swan River Pioneer files in the Special Interest Group section in the Australasian Section in the WAGS Library, Unit 6, 48 May St., Bayswater. Not all lists are yet researched but are being updated on a regular basis.

The group has a large database of pioneer families on our 'First Families of the Swan River Colony' which can also be accessed, in the WAGS Library.

RESEARCH CD's produced by the Group: (see above)

• To purchase any of the above please contact the Convenor or available at

WAGS Bookshop  6/48 May St., Bayswater  WA  6053

THE SWAN RIVER PIONEERS GROUP HAVE PRODUCED A SERIES OF RESEARCH CD's  WHICH ARE AN INVALUABLE TOOL IN YOUR PIONEER RESEARCH. TO PURCHASE A COPY OF THE CD's CONTACT THE CONVENOR:  Email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

• FIRST FAMILIES OF THE SWAN RIVER COLONY -This database which took over 2 years to compile gives a brief  biographical description of persons arriving into the Swan River Colony or who were born in the Colony up to 31st December 1838 (includes all of Western Australia)   Cost is $85 plus $5 postage

• THE PERTH GAZETTE & WESTERN AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL 1833 - compiled by Graham Bown our Projects Officer.  Newspapers have played a very important role in the history of Western Australia since 'The Fremantle Journal & General Advertiser' commenced in February 1830 as a single sheet of handwritten copy. This was eight months after the Colony was founded. It was edited and published by James A Gardner of Fremantle. Over the next three years, a number of newspapers were produced - 'The Western Australian Gazette & General Advertiser' 1830, 'The West Australian Gazette 1830 and 1831', 'The Western Australian Chronicle & Perth Gazette 1831, 'The Fremantle Observer, Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal 1831, ' The Western Australian' 1831, and "The Western Australian Colonial News, 1832'.
• Lieutenant Governor Stirling imported a Stanhope Press from England. Charles MacFaull, who was on good terms with Stirling, was given permission to use this machine for the sum of 75pounds a year on his undertaking to publish Government notices as well as certain other departmental matters, and to supply 20 copies of each issue of 'The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal' to the Colonial Secretary
• If you would like to purchase the CD the cost is $55 (plus $5 postage) and is   available from the Convenor: Email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  

    PASSENGER ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES SWAN RIVER COLONY 1826-1838

• Compiled by Graham Bown - this database contains the details of   approx 4,359 immigrants arriving into Western Australia with approximately 1,300 showing departure dates.

   This CD is available from the Convenor at a cost of $55    (plus $5 postage) Email:  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

• COLONIAL SECRETARY'S WA INWARD CORRESPONDENCE INDEX 1829-1832   Compiled by Graham Bown (Project Officer). The Colonial Secretary kept two registers of inward and outward letters. Inward Correspondence (Accession 36) contains many letters from private individuals, either collectively or individually, as well as from Government Officials, and contains a number of proclamations and instructions relating to the administration and structure of the Colony. Originally the letters were pigeon-holed at Government House in approximate date order, and later chronologically within subject or department headings. When the letters were aquired by the State Archives, they were bound into 906 volumes and consequently microfilmed in the order in which they were bound. Outwards Correspondence (Accession 49) was summarised into letterbooks, which were compiled in date order, and are also now held in the State Record Office.
• If you would like to purchase the CD -CSR Inward Correspondence 1829-1832 it is available from the group at a cost of $25 (plus $5 postage and is available from the Convenor:  Email:  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it