Guide to the Papers of William Henry Archer
MS 105
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
- William Henry Archer
- Title
- Papers of William Henry Archer
- Date Range
- 1853-1863
- Collection Number
- MS 105
- Extent
- 0.08 metres (various)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- National Library of Australia
Introduction
Scope and Contents
Covering the period 1853-63, this collection includes letters and reports from Archer to the Colonial Secretary and others concerning Victorian records and statistical registration, together with miscellaneous notes and tables.
Conditions Governing Access
Access conditions may apply to this collection, please refer to the collection's catalogue record for further information (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2826268).
Conditions Governing Use
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of William Henry Archer, National Library of Australia, MS 105, [item number]'.
Biographical Note
William Archer was born in London on 13 November 1825. He trained as an actuary and in 1850 became managing actuary to the Catholic, Law and General Life Assurance Co. He migrated to Melbourne in 1852 and was appointed acting Registrar-General in 1853. He was appointed Assistant Registrar-General in 1854 and Registrar-General in 1859.
In 1863 Archer gave up his position and studies law at the University of Melbourne. He was called to the Bar and in 1874 was appointed secretary of lands and surveys. He was dismissed by the Berry Government in 1878. From then on he supported himself by legal work, articles and lectures. He died in Melbourne on 29 April 1909.
Item Descriptions
Series. Notes, Reports and Correspondence
Letter (10th of March 1853) from Archer to the Colonial Secretary [Victoria] outlining the general plan for a comprehensive system of legal and statistical registration in Victoria (30 pages) (Item 1)
Letter (29th March 1853), supplementary to the above, from Archer to the Colonial Secretary, with regard to other duties which would devolve upon the Registrar General (8 pages) (Item 2)
A message from Governor Latrobe is written on the outside indicating that the system proposed be put into effect.