This key explains how to interpret the 6 indexes on names of ship passengers. The first thing to know is that there are few formal registers from which information may be obtained on emigration and immigration to the Chubut valley. For example, records of ships passengers in Buenos Aires covers the period from 1882 onwards only, and in a potted way. There are problems with this information because the Welsh are not identified as Welsh, but as English. Secondly, like most countries, the names of the new immigrants was affected by the literacy of the customs officers at the time, and the imposition of the dominant culture of Spanish. Index 3 for example suffers from both of these faults with many unreliable spellings.
English records of ships going to and coming from Patagonia are also problematic in that once again the data is not that helpful unless one is sure of the name of a ship that the Welsh boarded. Most ships did not go directly to Puerto Madryn, but to Buenos Aires, thus destination is not an exact guide. Also the English data records immigration and emigration from about 1890 onwards only, with just a few records before that date. The Public Record Office is located in Ruskin Avenue, Kew, England.
Passengers are listed by family grouping, so those with the same number in all likelihood came together.
The author believes that the following names in Ship Index 3 are misspelt, and could have the following correct spelling:
Catherine – Catterin, Caterin
Elias – Ilias
Evan – Evern/Evem
George – Geo
Gibbs – Gibles
James – Jas
Hugh – Hulji
James – Jam
Llewelyn – Levilyn
Margaret – Margarit
Morris – Momis
Tabitha – Talbitice
Thomas – Thos
William – Wm
Determining names of Welsh emigrants and immigrants is an area which deserves further historical research. This can be achieved through a number of ways which the author has not yet had the time to do. For example, a thorough analysis of “Y Draford”, the newspaper of the Chubut valley for some years, would show arrivals (and maybe departures). Copies are available in the National Library of Wales, and in the Gaiman Museum. Historical records of the Welsh emigration society which fostered the settlement of the Welsh in Patagonia could also be followed up. References are also made to sources of possible genealogical information by Professor Glyn Williams of Bangor University in his authoritative book “The Desert and the Dream” (1975). The book is published by the University of Wales Press in Cardiff.
| Index | Explanation |
| 1 | Lists the names of the “first fleeters”. The “Mimosa” sailed from Liverpool on 4 May 1865 and arrived in Puerto Madryn on 28 July 1865. The list is commonly available in the Chubut Valley. |
| 2 | Lists the names of the Welsh who arrived on board the “Electric Spark” from the USA. It sailed from New York to Chubut in 1874, captained by William J Rogers. |
| 3 | Lists the names of passengers on board the biggest mass emigration of the Welsh to Chubut Valley. The “Vesta” sailed from Liverpool on Saturday 19.6.1886 to arrive in Argentina (through Buenos Aires) in July 1886. Of the 465 passengers, over 300 were contracted workers and skilled labourers who had come out to the Chubut valley to work on the new railway to link the farms with the ship port. Passengers are listed in alphabetical order and in family groups, each separated by a space. Also the list has the age, gender (M = male; F = female) and status (M = married; S = single; W = widow). Almost exclusively the profession of all mature passengers was listed as “agricultor” or farmer. However this is not true, and has not been reproduced here.
There are many mistakes with this index and care should be taken in its analysis. The author found instances where surnames had been transposed with first names. Thus care should be taken when searching, for example, names such as John James where there is some chance that the surname and first names have been transposed. The data source for the index was a print out from a computer company hired to enter passenger names from the original registers to a database. There is likely to be some mistakes due to this process – there are also mistakes in the original records of passengers. There is also the associated problem of Spanish-speakers translating English names. Listed below are common errors made in spelling of names. The original registers from 1882-1925 are held in Buenos Aires by an organisation known as CEMLA – Centre de Estudios Migratores Latinoamericano which is located at address: Calle Independencia 20, 1099 Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Republica Argentina. |
| 4 | Lists the names of some of the passengers on board the “Nile” which arrived in Southampton from La Plata on 7 June 1898. The author’s great-grandparents returned to the UK on this ship.
All of the listed passengers boarded at La Plata. Other stops were Montevideo (2 passengers), Bahia (3 passengers), Teneriffe (27 passengers), St Vincent (4 passengers) Rio de Janeiro (10 passengers), Buenos Aires (47 passengers) Pernambuco (4 passengers). Others: merchants, tailors, surgeons, engineers, carpenter. 1 Spanish man died of beri-beri, and 2 distressed British seamen were picked up |
| 5A | Lists the names of some of the ships known to have left the UK for Patagonia.
The information for some of the index was obtained by searching at the Public Record Office in Kew. The reason for including this incomplete list is to at least provide the names of the usual ships which left for Buenos Aires. This is an area where further research can be done, and researchers are encouraged to search for information. |
| 5B | Lists the names of some of the ships which may have left the UK for Patagonia.
The information for some of the index was obtained by searching at the Public Record Office in Kew. The reason for including this incomplete list is to at least provide the names of the usual ships which left for Buenos Aires. This is an area where further research can be done, and researchers are encouraged to search for information. |
| 6 | List is incomplete. It lists some of the ships which came from Buenos Aires to the UK possibly ferrying Welsh immigrants back home. The passenger lists for these ships are also available at the Public Records Office in Kew. |