As part of the 2025 Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I’m tracing my family history one letter at a time. For the letter F, I’m looking at the idea of the "Free Settler" — a label that’s not as straightforward as it might seem.
In earlier posts, I discussed migration schemes like Bounty Immigrants and the Marshall Scheme. Although these programs are sometimes described as 'free settler' pathways, they often included varying levels of financial or logistical assistance.
By contrast, the journey of my 2nd great-grandfather, John Williamson, and his wife Louisa, offers a different perspective. They came to Australia as truly unassisted passengers — paying their own way. However, their story also highlights how complex and overlapping these migration categories could be.
Through John and Louisa’s experience, we’ll explore what it really meant to settle freely in colonial Australia — and why the term 'free settler' deserves a second look.
There are lots of different definitions:
Unassisted passengers paid their own fares to Australia, or were privately sponsored. Prior to 1852, ship's masters were not required to record the names of unassisted passengers.(i)
“Free settlers chose to migrate to Australia to start a new life, and assisted immigrants were transported there under numerous schemes and programs.”(ii)
“In its truest sense the term Free Settler refers to any person who wasn't forcefully transported to Australia as a convict and chose to settle down in the new colony. By this definition marines, ship's crew and other persons who chose to remain in the colony after the end of their contracts (commissions) were free-settlers. The term is usually used, however, to refer to those people who intentionally left their homelands and arrived in Australia to settle down and make a new life in the colony.”(iii)
These definitions highlight how the term has evolved over time. In official colonial records, it often simply distinguished those who were not convicts. Today, it is sometimes assumed to mean migrants who arrived entirely by choice. However, as John and Louisa’s story shows, migration was rarely so straightforward.
Rather than relying on the term "free settler," a more meaningful way to examine colonial arrivals is by considering both who funded their travel and what motivated their journey.
The Williamson Family's Migration Story
John Williamson (my 2nd great grandfather) arrived in Colony of Victoria on 18 December 1854 with his newlywed wife, Louisa Williamson (nee Walker) (my 2nd great-grandmother) aboard the "Constance”.(iv, v) They were the first of my ancestors who came to Australia as unassisted passengers. Interestingly, the ship's manifest mistakenly listed them under the surname "Williams."
John’s father was a dock worker but wanted his sons to have trades. John was born in Ireland but migrated to England as a child during the potato famine. While his family found refuge in England, they likely experienced prejudice like many Irish immigrants at that time. Despite these challenges, John's parents ensured he and his brother received training in skilled trades; John chose tailoring.
Ten months after John married Louisa in London, John and Louisa left for Australia with Louisa’s brother Alfred Walker and wife, aboard the "Constance" on August 30, 1854. They arrived at their destination in the same year on 18 December, a total of 76 days from Plymouth to Australia. (vi, vii)
Louisa was 4½ months pregnant when they boarded the "Constance",(viii) making an already challenging journey even more difficult for an expectant mother. Sea voyages in the 1850s offered limited medical care, and constant ship motion could exacerbate morning sickness beyond typical pregnancy symptoms. Fortunately, advertisements for the Constance noted that it carried "experienced surgeons," which may have provided some reassurance for the young couple.
Just four weeks after arriving in Melbourne, Louisa gave birth to their first child, an impressive feat considering she would have been in late pregnancy upon arrival in an unfamiliar country without established housing or extended family support.
Passenger Manifest Details
On the passenger manifest
Alfred Walker, (24 years), Tailor
Mrs Walker, (21 years)
John Williams[on], (24 years), Tailor
Mrs Williams[on], (21 years )
John’s surname was recorded as "Williams" rather than "Williamson," though ages and professions were listed correctly. Such recording errors were common during this period when ship officers often misheard names or applied standardised anglicised versions of unfamiliar surnames.
Economic Motivations Behind Migration
At the time of John’s apprenticeship in England, there was a shift in tailoring from skilled male artisans to cheaper female labor due to growing demand for ready-made men's clothing among middle-class consumers. This economic shift created anxiety among tailors:
"We shall become... slaves... to middlemen and contractors... our hours of work will increase one-third, our actual pay decrease to less than one-half... our wives will be forced to sit up night and day to help us—our children must labour from the cradle..."(ix)
This precarious environment likely motivated John and Alfred’s decision to seek opportunity abroad.
Meanwhile, Victoria’s gold rush fueled population growth and demand for services like tailoring.(x)
Rethinking "Free Settler"
While John and Louisa Williamson were neither convicts nor assisted immigrants, calling them "free settlers" oversimplifies their reality. Their migration was driven by necessity rather than boundless choice — shaped by economic hardship and hope for opportunity abroad.
The term “free settler” fails to capture the financial, social, and economic forces influencing migration decisions during this era. Perhaps a better question is not whether they were free settlers but what freedom truly meant for those seeking new lives in colonial Australia.
About the Ship: Constance
Tonnage: 1109/1106
Build location: St. John
Build year: 1852
Owners: Beazley
Home Port: Liverpool
Constance (1106 tons) built 1852 – this was ship that John Williamson’s ship.
“First-class … [where the] ‘tween-decks are lofty and thoroughly ventilated. Provisions and Water are provided for 20 weeks …” and “Commanded by men of experience and ability, who will take every precaution to promote the health and comfort of passenger. They also carry experience Surgeons.” As having “enclosed berths to Melbourne” costing £16 16s.(xi)
Useful Links for Background
This April as part of #A to Z Challenge
WikiTree profile for John Williamson (1832-1874)
WikiTree profile for Louisa (Walker) Williamson (1828-1901)
Related Posts:
B is for Bounty – Assisted Migration Programs with a focus on the Bounty Scheme
C is for Convict – Another government-funded program
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The URL for this post is https://ancestralresearchjournal.blogspot.com/2025/04/f-is-for-free-settler.html originally published on 7 April 2025
Author 2025, Sandra Williamson
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Sources:
(i) ‘Unassisted Migrants 1852-1923 - Victorian Immigration and Emigration - Research Guides at State Library of Victoria’. Accessed 28 March 2025. https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/migration/unassisted .[Explanation: Defines unassisted passengers and their documentation prior to 1852.]
ii Australian National Maritime Museum - Coming to Belong: Australia's Immigration History, https://www.sea.museum/en/page/coming-to-belong-australias-immigration-history Accessed 28 March 2025. [Explanation: Discusses the distinction between free settlers and assisted immigrants.]
iii Trishan's Oz - History of Immigration to Australia, Accessed 28 March 2025, https://trishansoz.com/trishansoz/australian-people/history-of-immigration-to-australia.html , [Explanation: Explains the broader definition of "free settler" and its historical context.]
iv Monmouthshire Merlin, South Wales Advertiser, 7th July 1854, page 1, Column 1, (https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3396065 accessed 8 March 2023) [Explanation: Provides details about the Constance and its voyage, including advertisements for its amenities]
v Passenger Listing for John Williams[on] and Alfred Walker on the Ship "Constance" passenger List (Schedule A) August 1854, p.6. Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923 Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria. Oct-Dec 1854, VPRS 947/P0000, Oct - Dec 1854 (https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/3AF6D5EF-F96C-11E9-AE98-9DD57D8DEA70?image=194 accessed 9 March 2023) [Explanation: Lists passenger details for John Williamson and his family]
vi Marriage Certificate John Williamson & Louisa Walker married 10 October 1853, General Register Office, England, Reference Marriages December quarter, Shoreditch, Vol 1c, page 364 [Explanation: Confirms marriage details before their migration.]
vii Mount Alexander Mail SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.'(December 15, 1854, p.2) & The Age (December 14, 1854, p.4) References: [Explanation: Reports on shipping intelligence for the Constance.[Explanation: Reports on shipping intelligence for the Constance.]
viii Birth Certificate Thomas Williamson 1855, Registry of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Australia, 218/1855 [Explanation: Documents the birth of John and Louisa's first child shortly after their arrival in Melbourne]
ix Alton Locke, Tailor and poet : an autobiography ; in two volumes. by Kingsley, Charles, 1819-1875; Ray, Gordon Norton, 1915-, former owner. NNPM; Chapman and Hall. publisher; Bone & Son. Binder p.149 (Accessed https://archive.org/details/altonlocketailor01king/altonlocketailor01king : 28 March 2025) [Explanation: Describes the economic challenges faced by tailors during this period.][
x ‘Was Your Ancestor a Tailor?’ Your Family Historian (blog), by Andy Robson, Published 25 October 2021. (accessed https://www.yourfamilyhistorian.co.uk/post/was-your-ancestor-a-tailor : 28 March 2025) [Explanation: Discusses the tailoring profession during the mid-19th century]
xi Monmouthshire Merlin, South Wales Advertiser, 7th July 1854, page 1, Column 4, (https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3396065 accessed 8 March 2023) [Explanation: Describe passenger accommodation on the Constance.]
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