The Genealogical Society of the Northern Territory has long considered the need for a "Pioneer Register" to record the indigenous inhabitants and those who came to the Northern Territory since 1824.

The Society has also made a contribution to recording the efforts of those who came to the first British settlements on the north coast to what was then an expanded New South Wales and has particularly documented those who died and are buried at Fort Dundas, Melville Island, Fort Wellington at Raffles Bay and Victoria Settlement, between 1824 and 1849.

Eligibility
For this reason, the Society in defining the period of eligibility for those pioneers to be included in the Register, decided upon the period 1824 to 1939 to include those people who took part in the three British Settlements on the coast, many of whom were buried at Melville Island and on the Cobourg Peninsula at Victoria.

There are now over 4,000 names on our Register, currently we are going through all our files and indexes to add further names. The response from Members and Non Members has been excellent. We have received entries from all States of Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

Keep your entries coming, as yet there is no deadline to this project. We anticipate that it will take a number of years to complete, we hope to publish the first volume in 2003.  If you know of anyone who had relatives connected to the Territory during the 1824 to 1939 please let us know so that we can contact them.

The criteria
All persons,  who were born or lived within the boundaries of the Northern Territory between 1824 and 1939.
e.g. every member of a family should have their own form.
A proforma should be filled out for any Pioneer who meets these criteria.

Spelling of places and names should be thoroughly checked as should dates. Always include the state with place names ie. Bowen Qld, Tamworth NSW.

All married women are known as their MAIDEN name, the Pioneer form has space for the husband details, which will then show the married name.   If the maiden name is not known, please include as much information as you know.

Also include those children that were born outside of the capture dates (1824-1939).  By including all this information the family unit is fully recorded.

Download an application  proforma. You will require Adobe Acrobat Reader to display and print the form.


Click here for free download if you dont have Adobe Acrobat Reader.

In publishing the Pioneer Register, a subscriber's index will be included for the purpose of future contact by the Genealogical Society of the Northern Territory Inc and other interested researchers.  At the base of the application you are asked whether you wish your name and address to be included in this subscriber's index and to indicate yes/no on the form.  Please fill in the form and indicate your wishes.  The Society will do what it can to complete the data supplied by subscribers to make the entry an integral part of the Pioneer Register.