Without a trace

Published on Saturday 14 October 2006 00:41

I AM trying to trace a relative who emigrated from Scotland in 1885. As he left under a cloud his destination is not known, but it was probably either America or Australia. I presume the only way of tracing him is via ships' passenger lists, but I have drawn a blank so far on the internet. Is there anywhere in Scotland that this information can be accessed? W MacKay (by e-mail)

There is ample proof that Scots migrated, both within the British Isles and overseas, yet records of the actual movement of individuals are sparse. Official ship passenger lists only exist from 1890, and are held by the National Archives in London (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk).

If you think your ancestor emigrated to North America or Australia, look in the immigration records in the country of arrival. The official lists of passengers arriving in the US and Canada are in their national archives.

There are also various published lists, including: Passenger and Immigration Lists Index - a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers in the United States and Canada - by William Filby and Mary K Meyer; Directory of Scottish Settlers in North America, 1625-1825, 6 volumes, by David Dobson; A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to the USA, 2 volumes, by Donald Whyte; and A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to Canada Before Confederation, by Donald Whyte.

My great, great grandfather and his family were evicted from the Isle of Lewis in 1851 and ended up in Canada. Are there any passenger lists from ships that left Lewis with evicted islanders? D MacLeod (by e-mail)

It is possible landowners arranged for persons they were displacing to take ships abroad, but it is unlikely a record would have survived, especially at a time when ships' captains did not have to keep passenger lists.

However, the National Archives of Scotland (NAS) has some relevant records: those of the Highland and Island Emigration Society, a voluntary association formed in 1851 to assist those affected by the potato famine, include lists of assisted emigrants who sailed to Australia between 1852 and 1857 (referenced HD4/5), listed by ship and by family, and detailing where they had resided in Scotland. An index of names is also available online on the Scottish Archive Network website (www.scan.org.uk).

Files pertaining to a later scheme for state-aided emigration to Canada are referenced AF51. These include lists of applicants and completed forms, recording the members of the household of the applicant. If any failed to embark, this is also noted.

• If you have a question for the Genealogy Clinic e-mail the team at [e-mail] We will endeavour to deal with all enquiries as quickly as possible, but we regret that we cannot enter into personal correspondence.

• ScotlandsPeople is a partnership between the General Register Office for Scotland, the National Archives of Scotland and the Court of the Lord Lyon.