Please contact the State Records Research Centre:
Postal Address: GPO Box 464, Adelaide SA 5001
Phone: 08 7322 7077
Email: staterecords@sa.gov.au
Quote this number to access your records: State Records of South Australia Series ID, GRS/3822
These records are held by State Records of South Australia (1919 - current).
The archival series the Nominal List of Orphan and Deserted Children Taken Out of the Destitute Asylum is a record of the children who left the Destitue Asylum between 1855 and 1861. The series provides the child’s register number (given upon arrival), date of leaving, name, age, with whom they were placed, residence, by whom recommended, the date of their return to the Destitute Asylum and any remarks. The remarks section shows when children were adopted stating; ‘I hereby agree to take from the Destitute Asylum ……. To adopt as my own child, to supply him/her with good and sufficient food and clothing and to give him/her a decent education.’ The volume is in chronological order by date the child left the Destitute Asylum.
State Records of South Australia also hold two indexes for this series that list the names of children, and the names of foster parents/guardians for the children.
These records are open access, and can be viewed by any member of the public. Please contact State Records of South Australia to make an appointment to view these records.