New record collections added in July 2019

In July, 27,612,119 new records from four new collections: Australia Electoral Rolls, 1893-1949; Quebec Marriage Returns, 1926-1997; Honolulu, Hawaii Passenger Lists, 1900-1953; and Baltimore, Maryland Passenger Lists, 1891-1943 have been added to SuperSearch™.

Here is a breakdown of the newly added record collections:

Collection	Description	Number of Records	Link to Search
Australia Electoral Rolls, 1893-1949	An index of electors in Australia registered to vote on Commonwealth electoral rolls between 1893 and 1949 in each of the six states of Australia.	16,306,739 records	Search collection now
Quebec Marriage Returns, 1926-1997	An index of marriage returns from Quebec, Canada from 1926 to 1997.	7,901,481 records	Search collection now
Honolulu, Hawaii Passenger Lists, 1900-1953	Passenger manifests of ships arriving at Honolulu, Hawaii, from 1900 through 1953.	1,777,740 records	Search collection now
Baltimore, Maryland Passenger Lists, 1891-1943	Passenger manifests of ships arriving at Baltimore, Maryland, from 1891 through 1948.	1,626,159 records	Search collection now

Australia Electoral Rolls, 1893-1949

The collection is comprised of 16,306,739 records and includes the name, gender, residence, occupation, and polling information (i.e. division, subdivision and roll number) on those registered to vote in Commonwealth electoral rolls in each of the six states of Australia between 1893 and 1949 as well as the 1935 electoral roll from New Zealand.

This collection is the closest collection there is to a census record in Australia and is therefore very important to local, social and family historians. Because enrolment was compulsory starting in 1911 and voting in federal elections was compulsory from 1925, the majority of the collection reflects the population over 21 years old.

Women were granted the right to vote in Australia with the passing of the Commonwealth Franchise Act of 1902 and are also present in these records.

In this collection is the record of Louise Mack (1870- 1935), an accomplished novelist and news journalist. Tasmanian born Mack was also the first female war correspondent, reporting on the front lines during World War I.

In this record, from 1935, Louise’s address is listed along with her occupation of writer. She is registered to vote in Mosman — a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales.

Search Australia Electoral Rolls, 1893-1949 now.

Quebec Marriage Returns, 1926-1997

Starting in the 1920s the Provincial Health Service in the Province of Quebec instigated a program to record marriages conducted in the Province. The 7,901,481 records in this collection, initially created for statistical purposes, contain similar information one would find on a traditional marriage license – this includes the names of the bride and groom, their birthdates, date and place of the marriage, and a number of other facts which evolved and changed over the 70 years this collection covers. This includes information such as the bride’s and groom’s occupations, addresses before and after marriage, religion, citizenship, racial origin, and native language. Starting in 1975 information about the parents of the bride and groom, including their names and birth places, were also recorded and are included in the searchable index of this collection.

It was traditional among Roman Catholic families, until the 1960s, to give as many as three first names to each child. The first name was Joseph or Marie depending on gender, the next name was that of a godparent and the final name was the given name. Many of the Catholic marriage return records in this collection demonstrate this naming convention.

In this collection is the marriage return record of Canadian hockey player and Hall of Famer, Joseph Mario Lemieux. Arguably one of the greatest hockey players of all time, Mario was often called “Super Mario” or “Le Magnifique” (The Magnificent One). Mario is famous for leading Canada to an Olympic gold medal in 2002 before officially retiring in 2006.

On June 26, 1993, Mario Lemieux married Nathalie Asselin. In addition to the full birth names of Mario and Nathalie, the record includes their residence at the time, the date and location of the wedding, and the parents’ names of the couple.

Search Quebec Marriage Returns, 1926-1997 now.

Honolulu, Hawaii Passenger Lists, 1900-1953

This collection, with 1,777,740 records, from 1800-1953, contains the passenger manifests of ships arriving at Honolulu, Hawaii.

Because there were significant changes to immigration laws during this time span, information in this collection varies. The most common information includes the passenger’s name, sex, age, date of arrival, and name of the ship.

Immigration to Hawaii was first driven by the need for labor on rice, sugar, and pineapple plantations. Immigrants often arrived with labor contracts that typically lasted a minimum of five years. When the contracts ended, laborers could send for their families.

Through the Hawaiian Organic Act of 1900, these harsh labor contracts were terminated, and the elimination of the contracts accelerated immigration. New immigrants were not obligated to remain on the plantation and could quickly move to other work. No longer forced to reside on plantations, entire families were able to immigrate together.

There were three groups of Asian immigrants to Hawaii who played a crucial role in the island’s history. First were Chinese plantation workers who initially arrived to fulfill labor contracts on rice farms. The majority stayed after the contracts ended and they went on to found businesses and became one of the first middle-class groups on the island.

Japanese laborers were the second group to arrive and came in large numbers to work on sugar plantations. They continued to arrive until the 1924 Asian Exclusion Act which essentially halted all immigration from Asia. During World War II, Japanese immigrants faced extreme discrimination as they were often suspected as having a greater allegiance to Japan.

After the Phillipine-American War, Filipinos began immigrating to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations.

Although considered American Nationals and not subject to the 1924 Asian Exclusion Act, Filipinos still experienced discrimination. The 1934 Tydings-McDuffie Act restricted immigration to Hawaii from the Philippines to 50 Filipinos a year.

Search Honolulu, Hawaii Passenger Lists, 1900-1953 now.

Baltimore, Maryland Passenger Lists, 1891-1943

This collection, with 1,626,159 records from 1891-1948, contains passenger manifests of ships arriving at Baltimore, Maryland. Information available varies due to significant changes to immigration laws during the span of this collection. The most common information available includes the passenger’s name, sex, age, date of arrival, and name of the ship. More detailed passenger manifests collected additional information including marital status, birth information (date and location), nationality, last residence, home city, port of departure, and the names and addresses of family members in the United States and home country.

The city of Baltimore was the second-leading port of entry for European immigrants after New York City. The popularity of Baltimore was due, in large part to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O).

In 1868, the B&O Railroad partnered with the North German Lloyd shipping line to provide regular service between Baltimore and the German port of Bremen. Ships full of goods delivered by B&O would sail for Bremen, unload their cargo, and then return to Baltimore carrying passengers.

Passengers sailing from Bremen could purchase a single ticket that included both the transatlantic crossing and the B&O Railroad. After docking at the B&O Immigration terminal, passengers with a through-ticket would disembark and immediately board a train to continue their journey inland.

This route proved to be so popular that only 15% of the immigrants who arrived in Baltimore became permanent residents of the city. The remaining 85% of immigrants continued on to other destinations such as Cincinnati or Chicago.

The direct connection with Bremen made Baltimore a popular destination for German immigrants who were looking to stay in Baltimore. By the 1920s, one of four Baltimore residents spoke fluent German and schools offered classes in both German and English.

Opened in 1904, the German Immigrant House offered transitional housing to new immigrants. It was subsidized in part by the German government and primarily housed German immigrants but was open to all. The Immigrant House hosted immigrants until the beginning of World War I.

Following World War I, strict immigration quotas significantly reduced the number of immigrants arriving in the United States. However, the cultural influence of German immigrants was felt for decades to come. The final German-language newspaper in Baltimore was published until 1976.

Search Baltimore, Maryland Passenger Lists, 1891-1943 now.

Summary

All these newly digitized collections are now available on MyHeritage SuperSearch™. Searching these collections is free and a MyHeritage Data subscription is required to view records from these collections and to save them to your family tree or to confirm Record Matches. We hope you enjoy searching through these collections and gain new insights into your family history.

Have fun searching and let us know what you discover!