Queensland Genealogy

Children in Mental Asylums

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 05:13:00 +0000

This week someone asked me about children admitted to mental asylums. From notes that I made while indexing records at Queensland State Archives, I was able to give a few examples. The list below (which is in random order) shows the child's age, mental disorder, and my comments based on what I read in various sources.

[21 April - From comments received here and on Facebook, I can see that I should have included a warning: Records from previous centuries contain many terms that, though considered normal then, are offensive to us today. Conversely, we now use certain 'swear words' (eg, the B words) in everyday language, but a hundred years ago we would have been arrested for saying them in public. Police watchhouse charge books are full of examples! Putting information into the proper historical context is a challenge faced by all family historians.]

Age 3, 'idiocy from the age of six months'. Died of pneumonia five years after admission.
Age 14, 'imbecility; epilepsy for five years'. Transferred to Toowoomba. Died aged 40.
Age 15, 'dementia; epilepsy'. Discharged into the care of a sister four months after admission. Father had several attacks of insanity and committed suicide.
Age 8, 'idiocy; epilepsy'. Died five months later. Post mortem held.
Age 5, 'idiocy; congenital'. Died six years later (epilepsy).
Age 15, 'imbecility; epilepsy'. Died the following year. Post mortem held.
Age 9, 'imbecility'. Died five months after admission.
Age 9, 'idiocy since birth'. Died seven years later. Mother was already in the asylum and father was admitted later.
Age 9, 'idiocy since birth'. Died from measles six weeks after admission.
Age 5, 'idiocy; epilepsy'. Always climbing; tried to get onto the roof.
Age 7, 'idiocy; congenital'. Died six years later.
Age 12, 'imbecile; fell on her head'. Suggestion of hereditary syphilis. Died four years later.
Age 15, 'imbecile; congenital defect'. Mother is deficient in intelligence and earns a living as a washerwoman, and can't look after the child, who wanders around the street. Transferred to Toowoomba.
Age 11, 'imbecility since sunstroke at age 5'. Child was taken home by father the following month, and died two years later.
Aged 13, 'dementia; epilepsy for two years'. Always asking about her mother and says she is lonely without her. Always nurses a doll. Transferred to Toowoomba. Died aged 19.

These particular examples are from the 1890s and early 1900s. Surnames of the children are (in alphabetical order, not the order shown above) AHNFELDT, BULCOCK, CHAMPION, DUMPHY, HAY, HORN, JOHNSON, KYLE, MANSFIELD, McKENZIE, MORRIS, PATTEN, PEDERSON, STUBBINGS and WEBB.

For more information about these children and their families, use Goodna Asylum case books and Public Curator insanity files, and various other records, as explained on my Web site.

Problem with recent Queensland death indexes

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:24:00 +0000

Following on from my hasty post ('More Queensland death indexes online') a couple of days ago... and before we all get too excited about the release of Queensland death indexes up to 1983...

My grandfather died in Queensland in 1967. Yesterday I noticed that his parents are not shown in the online death index entry, but their names are on his death certificate. I also noticed that in Grandad's index entry, columns for 'father' and 'mother' had blank spaces (not the dash that usually appears in the index when a death certificate does not include a parent's name).

An experiment with a common surname revealed that certain years seem to be worse than others. For example, there are 371 SMITH deaths in 1975-1976, but only 10 of them list the parents.

I don't want to waste time doing what someone has already done, so if you have asked the Queensland Registry of BDMs why they omitted parents' names from many of the later death index entries, please let us know the answer by leaving a comment here.

More Queensland death indexes online

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 06:30:00 +0000

Queensland Registrar-General's indexes to births to 1914, marriages to 1938 and deaths to 1983 are now online - but note that some indexes (births to 1919 and marriages to 1939) are available on microfiche but not online.

Once you know a year of death, it's much easier to search for a recent Supreme Court probate file - which, if it exists, will include the death certificate, thus saving you a lot of money.

There are other tips about Queensland birth, death and marriage records on my Web site and in the book Tips for Queensland Research. See also 'Free certificates in Archives files'.

Family history talks at Taroom, Moura and Biloela

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:29:00 +0000

Next month (9th, 10th & 11th April 2013) I will be visiting Taroom, Moura and Biloela to give talks about sources and techniques for family history research. I last spoke at Banana Shire Council libraries in 2009, and I was delighted to be invited back again.

Admission to the talks is free. Refreshments will be served, so to assist with catering please make a booking by contacting the relevant library. For more information (topics, times, venue addresses and telephone numbers), see the 'Talks' page on my Web site (www.judywebster.com.au/talks.html).

You will be able to buy my books after the talks, but you will need to pay by cash or cheque because I will not have EFTPOS facilities there.
~ ~ ~

SCHOLEFIELD and CHARLES: Birth Certificates in Land Files

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:37:00 +0000

In 'Free Certificates in Archives Files' I mentioned some record series in which I had found birth, death and marriage certificates. I recently came across another example.

Birth certificates for Edward George SCHOLEFIELD (1906) and Ethel Irene Rose CHARLES (1904) are in a 'dead farm' (land selection) file.

The source location is Queensland State Archives item ID 73066, file no.6297. If you can visit the Archives and inspect the file (which is quite large), you can take digital photographs of the certificates.

Illuminating Blogger Award

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:03:00 +0000

I was surprised and honoured when two of my blogs received multiple nominations for the Illuminating Blogger Award. At what was a sad and chaotic time in my life, these comments were a comfort.

Fiona said:   Queensland Genealogy was the first geneablog I found, and Judy has flung open so many doors for me. Judy also runs the Genealogists for Families Kiva group which has done so much to help so many.

Alona said:   Judy has a number of different blogs, but I've chosen to nominate her Queensland Genealogy blog because since she took up the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge she has been highlighting various Queensland records – and every one of them has taught me something new.

Helen said:   Judy Webster is a well known Queensland professional researcher and a personal friend. Judy is very generous with her knowledge. Her website is full of useful information for anyone doing Queensland research. Her latest entries in Alona's 'Family History Alphabet Challenge' showcase fascinating records. Judy does a number of blogs including one about her father's early life. In honour of her father she started the Genealogists for Families project where people make micro-loans via Kiva enabling other families to make a better life for themselves.

Jill nominated the Genealogists for Families blog:   'Genealogists for Families' Project team leader and blogger, Judy, is an inspiration as she encourages genealogists to reach out and help families in third world countries with micro-loans. Judy's enthusiasm for this project and her personal generosity know no bounds.

Having received the award, it is now my duty to tell you one random fact about myself (my hobbies include paper-making and collecting postcards) and to give the award to five other blogs with illuminating content. They are (in no particular order):

The Legal Genealogist: The author is a certified genealogist with a law degree. She writes about 'genealogy, the Law, and so much more'. Categories include Constitutions, Copyright, Court Cases, DNA, Legal definitions, Methodology, Primary Law, Resources, Statutes, Terms of use.

Historical Medical Miscellany: I find this blog both interesting and informative, especially as I am a medical scientist and an indexer of hospital and mental asylum records.

Sassy Jane Genealogy: Practical advice from a genealogist who is also an archivist.

London Roots Research: I have lots of London ancestors, and Rosemary writes about both basic and unusual sources (for example, Fire Insurance records).

Dance Skeletons: Fiona's sense of humour is often a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dull day. Thank you for making me smile!

Blog Birthdays and Simple Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 02:55:00 +0000

I have been preoccupied with personal and family issues, so I almost forgot that this blog will be three years old on September 16th. Another blog that is even more dear to my heart ('Genealogists for Families') will celebrate its first birthday on September 27th.

In "It's My Blogiversary, and I Want Presents", Shelley asked for 'presents' in the form of corrections on Trove. I was happy to do that. Now it is my turn to ask, and what I would like you to do is...

Spread the word about the 'Genealogists for Families' project!

If you are not familiar with it, read about how the project started. After just one year, our genealogy team on Kiva has made a huge difference to the lives of thousands of families around the world. Your gift could be any one of these simple tasks:

Mention 'Genealogists for Families' to your family history group, seminar audience, etc.
Spread the word via your online social networks (our Twitter hashtag is #KivaGFF).
Raise funds by doing paid online surveys.
Put a link to 'Genealogists for Families' (http://genfamilies.blogspot.com/p/background.html or http://www.kiva.org/team/genealogists) in:

Your email signature.
Your stationery or flyers.
Your profile on Blogger, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn etc.
Your blog posts (see these examples).
A stand-alone page on your blog (Pauleen's page is a good example).
Your business cards or genealogy conference 'trading cards' (I design my own cards at VistaPrint:

On behalf of everyone who will benefit if you encourage more people to join 'Genealogists for Families'... Thank you!

J is for Jurors and Justice Department

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:18:00 +0000

This week's 'Family History Through the Alphabet' challenge focuses on the letter 'J'.

J is for...

Jurors. Yesteryear Links published an index to jurors and witnesses in cases heard at Charters Towers (Queensland), 1920-1937, in the Circuit Court, District Court, Criminal Court, Police Court, Coroner's Court etc. The index gives names, addresses and often occupations of jurors and witnesses, and it states whether the original document includes that person's signature.

Justice Department. Queensland State Archives hold many series of Justice Department records for which there are indexes. They include Registers of Criminal Depositions, Inquests (magisterial enquiries), and Preliminary Enquiries. For one series of Preliminary Enquiries (1931-1961) there are separate indexes to the deceased and other people mentioned. If there was also an inquest, the Preliminary Enquiries file gives extra details.

You can find out more about all of these indexes by referring to my books Specialist Indexes in Australia: a Genealogist's Guide and Tips for Queensland Research, which are held by many libraries.

More tips for family history are in my other articles in this series. If the information and advice is useful, have a look at this page.

D is for Dunwich Benevolent Asylum

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 06:59:00 +0000

Continuing to the next letter, 'D', in the 'Family History Through the Alphabet' challenge... D is for Dunwich Benevolent Asylum.

Dunwich was established on North Stradbroke Island, Moreton Bay, Queensland, in 1865. When it closed in 1946, inmates were gradually transferred to Eventide at Sandgate. The function of Dunwich (as defined by the Benevolent Asylum Wards Act of 1861) was to provide for poor people who because of age, accident, infirmity or otherwise were unable to care for themselves. The inmates thus included not only the elderly but also younger people.

Sources (many of which are held at Qld State Archives) include:

Index to Colonial/Home Secretary's Office applications for admission to Dunwich with associated correspondence, 1890-1922.

Typed index to many Dunwich sources for various dates between 1859 and 1971.

Card index to Dunwich records.

Immigration Department register of applications for admission to Dunwich 1902-1904.

Index to Dunwich weekly returns from Qld Government Gazette notices, 1885-1907.

Index to Eventide (Sandgate, Qld) registers of deaths 1954-1959.

Index to selected names from 1860s/1870s Colonial Secretary's Office in-letters.

Home Secretary's Office: registers of letters received.

Indexes to various series of mental asylum records.

Index to old age pension records.

Police Station watchhouse charge books.

Books: Brisbane: Moreton Bay Matters and Moreton Bay People, vols. 1-3.

Brisbane Courier, 25 Oct 1927, p.9: detailed article that includes photographs of the matron, nurses and other staff, Private WILKINSON aged 99, Mrs ROWE aged over 90, and other elderly residents.

Some of the Archives sources give excellent biographical details. These may include address, age, country of birth, religion, occupation, length of time in Qld; married or single; names, addresses and circumstances of applicant's sons and daughters; names, addresses and circumstances of other relatives; names and addresses of employers during the past 2 years, and length of time with each; real or personal property; aid received from hospitals or other charitable institutions during the past 2 years; reasons for desiring admission; through whom applying; and applicant's signature.

For a detailed explanation of the sources available (with Archives location numbers where applicable) and access restrictions that apply to some records, see the most recent edition of my book, Tips for Queensland Research. It is described in the Publications list on my Web site.

You will find more tips for family history in my other articles in this series. If the information and advice is useful, have a look at this page.

C is for Cooktown, Croydon and Cunnamulla

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 09:26:00 +0000

For the letter 'C' in the 'Family History Through the Alphabet' challenge, I was tempted to write about cemeteries, churches and family surnames such as Campbell, Capsticks, Clark and Corduex. Instead I decided to list three Queensland towns whose records I have indexed.

C is for...

Cooktown. In the 1800s, Cooktown was the main port for the North Queensland gold fields. Local hospital records, which are very useful for family history, give information about people from all walks of life, including miners, sailors and railway workers. Many had spent time in other parts of Australia and in New Guinea and New Zealand. I have indexed Cooktown Hospital admission registers and some local petitions and school records.

Croydon. Another North Queensland mining town for which I have indexed hospital admission registers. During the 1880s, 70% of those admitted to Croydon hospital were born in Britain or Ireland, and about 15% were born in Australia's southern states, especially the Victorian goldfields. Some residents of Croydon moved to Western Australia when gold was discovered there.

Cunnamulla. My home town! I have indexed various records for Cunnamulla, Eulo and Thargomindah in southwest Queensland.

You will find more tips for family history in my other articles in this series. If the information and advice is useful, have a look at this page.

Brisbane's History and Genealogy Expo: a Warts-and-All Report

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 07:41:00 +0000

Genealogists for Families team T-shirt

During Unlock the Past's history and genealogy Expo in Brisbane this week, a friend sent me this email: "The propaganda of excitement in some tweets, blogs etc is anything but convincing. Excessive use of words like 'fantastic', 'amazing', 'fabulous' and 'brilliant' really puts me off. Are the writers being paid to rave on like that?! I challenge you to write an honest, warts-and-all report."

OK - here is my report - but first I want to thank Unlock the Past for all their hard work in organising such a big event. (Disclosure: Unlock the Past will pay me for the talk I gave on Tuesday, but that will not influence my comments here.)

I have previously talked about why I like genealogy conferences. During the Expo I heard many people say that they were having a great time and learning a lot. One lady even met two relatives whom she didn't know existed! Everybody enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new ones. But were all the exhibitors happy? I suspect not, because attendance numbers were disappointing. Could local societies have done more to promote the event? I don't know. If I could turn back the clock, would I personally change what I did at the Expo? Definitely!

A few weeks ago I emailed hundreds of my clients in southeast Queensland and northern NSW to tell them about the Expo. Many replied that they would have come on a weekend, but not Monday to Wednesday because they work full-time. On Monday evening the Expo was open until 9:15 so people could come after work; but as far as I could tell, not many did. Maybe the weather had something to do with that. (Brisbane in June/July is usually gloriously sunny, but unfortunately this week was wet and cold.) Tuesday and Wednesday were busier, but some exhibitors still spent a lot of time trying to keep warm while waiting for people to visit their display.

The venue was better than I expected. The hall was set up with lots of space between the exhibits, and people could move around without bumping into others or knocking books off tables. With a large room and a high roof, noise levels were not a problem, so (thankfully) I did not lose my voice!

I may have been busier than some exhibitors because my table was at one end of the popular Research Help Zone. I thoroughly enjoyed helping people with their research problems, but it was quite challenging at times. My area of expertise is Queensland records, but about 30% of the questions I was asked involved New South Wales or Victoria. Having done some research in those States, I could at least offer a few suggestions and recommend various indexes, Web sites and professional genealogists. Occasionally I could send the enquirer around the corner to Kerry Farmer or Carole Riley, but they had other commitments most of the time.

Being on my own was not easy. Kerin Stinear and Sharn White (bless them) came over occasionally and kept an eye on my table while I dashed out for a bathroom break or a toasted sandwich. When it was time for my own talk, I had to politely abandon a lady who had just arrived with a long list of questions. In the lecture room, after I found my Powerpoint presentation on the computer, figured out how to turn on the projector and asked someone to put batteries in the remote control, I finally got underway. By then I was feeling a bit rattled, and my presentation of 'Black Sheep and Vanishing Relatives' was not up to my usual standard.

I don't know about the other exhibitors, but for me, from a business point of view, the Expo was not a success. With so many stands selling so many interesting items, competition was tough. I barely sold enough books to cover expenses for the three days.

From a personal point of view, I did enjoy the Expo, but I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had not been an exhibitor. I bought a Gold Ticket because I wanted to attend a few talks, but in the end I only made it to two. I could not bring myself to walk away when people were waiting to ask me questions!

The talks I did hear (both by Audrey Collins) were entertaining and informative. Audrey said that her blog, The Family Recorder, will soon have a page with links to hard-to-find UK newspaper sites. I envy those of you in southern States who can attend Audrey's seminars in the next few days.

It will be interesting to hear what others thought of the Expo. I know I missed some good talks, but it was fun to catch up with friends and colleagues, even if we only managed a quick chat. (Next time I'll do things differently so I have more time with you!)

Last but not least, a message for members of Genealogists for Families: If you meant to buy a team T-shirt but forgot, please email me!

Mental Asylum Case Books

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 22:02:00 +0000

Family historians may be surprised to find relatives' names in indexes to mental asylum records. Many patients spent only a short time in an asylum, and their descendants would probably not know about that.

Part of an entry in a Goodna Asylum case book

Reasons for the onset of mental illness (as stated in case books) include childbirth, epilepsy, head injury, alcohol, syphilis, congenital defect, jealousy, 'domestic troubles', bereavement, and 'deserted by the father of her child'.

Goodna Asylum case books often give the patient's admission date, discharge or death date, age, marital status, number of children (and age of the youngest), occupation, country of birth, residence, religion, mental disorder and its onset, changes in behaviour and general health, and a physical description. Some entries include names of 'insane relatives' (here or overseas), references to time spent in other asylums, or comments such as 'good bowler at cricket'. For some patients there are letters or photographs.

For patients transferred on 10 Jan 1865 from the Lunatic Asylum, Brisbane, to Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum, case books also give the date of first admission. Until Woogaroo Asylum opened in 1865, psychiatric patients were treated at the old convict hospital, and in some cases there are references in prison records.

Information from case books has traditionally been available only to close relatives in special circumstances via Right to Information - but I have details from case books for some patients admitted more than one hundred years ago.

Note that case books are completely different from Public Curator insanity files, which are much easier to obtain and potentially even more useful for family history.

Update on History / Genealogy Expo, Queensland, 25-27 Jun 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 23:51:00 +0000

An interesting development in regard to the History and Genealogy Expo in Queensland, 25-27 June 2012, has prompted me to write this update.

The Expo will be held at the Centenary State High School, 1 Moolanda Street, Jindalee, Brisbane. There is free parking nearby, and the school is accessible by bus, and by car from most directions via motorways and main highways. Expo hours (note the Monday evening session) are:

Mon. 25 Jun: 12 noon - 9:15pm
Tues. 26 Jun: 9am - 5pm
Wed. 27 Jun: 9am - 4pm

There will be 39 main talks by 18 presenters from five states and the UK, plus 28 free presentations. The featured visiting presenter is Audrey Collins from the United Kingdom's National Archives. Audrey is always good value, as are Dan Lynch (author of the brilliant book Google Your Family Tree), Shauna Hicks and many other speakers at this event.

My talk on 'Black Sheep and Vanishing Relatives' is at 3:30pm on Tuesday 26th. I will be an exhibitor on all three days - but not all the time, because I am going to the talks by Audrey Collins, Dan Lynch and perhaps one or two others. If you want to ask my advice about Queensland research, please note that my booth will be unattended on Tuesday afternoon, and for up to an hour at various other times.

Admission to the Expo is cheaper if you book online by June 20th. An Expo admission ticket gives you access to:

* Research Help Zone. (If you need help with dead ends in your research, come prepared with copies of your certificates plus family group sheets or charts showing names and, most importantly, dates and places.)

* Free lookups in FindMyPast (Australia, UK, Ireland and US), GenesReunited, ScotlandsPeople and The British Newspaper Archive.

* At least 55 exhibitors from five States (libraries, archives, museums, family and local history societies, special interest groups, ethnic and cultural organisations, professional researchers, course presenters, antiquarian booksellers, online data services, printers, publishers and resellers of books, magazines, CDs and maps, etc.)

* 28 free presentations (short introductions to research, product demonstrations etc).

In addition to those free talks, the 39 main presentations (in two streams) will run almost continuously. It is now possible to save money by pre-purchasing tickets to those 39 main talks.

If you buy them on the day, tickets to most of the main talks will be $5 each, or $10 each for talks by Audrey Collins from the UK National Archives. Tickets for individual talks can be purchased at the Expo, but you can also buy an 'all you can attend' Gold Ticket. That gives you unlimited admission to the main talks, and costs just $50 if you buy it online by June 20th.

On the Web page where you buy your Expo admission tickets, scroll down to 'Presentations - Gold Ticket' and follow the instructions.

When you are considering the cost of Expo admission plus multiple talks (which, if booked in advance, is just $70 for three days), bear in mind that at the recent Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry in Adelaide we had to pay $450 to choose from about the same number of talks and interact with only a handful of exhibitors compared to 55+ at the Expo.

It may be a long time before another event on this scale is held in Queensland, so I do hope you can come.

New Records at Queensland State Archives

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:03:00 +0000

Queensland State Archives 'New Records' page has moved. It has also been updated.

Instead of saying 'partially open' for some series received recently, it now specifies the restricted period (30 years, 65 years, 100 years or whatever).

Click through to the series and then 'View Items' to see dates and other details for individual volumes, bundles, boxes, files etc within a series. For example, series 6339 (another source for wills) has 9100 items:

Originating summonses - another source for wills

I assume that Queensland State Archives will be an exhibitor at the History and Genealogy Expo in Brisbane in June.

History and Genealogy Expo, Brisbane, 25-27 June 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 10:20:00 +0000

15 Jun 2012:

Updated information about the History and Genealogy Expo in Queensland is now HERE.

Index to Register of Land Sold 1842-1859

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:50:00 +0000

A new addition to the Queensland State Archives Web site is an index to a register of land sold, 1842-1859.

Be sure to read the background and explanatory notes before you use the index.

A Very Special Letter

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:21:00 +0000

Some of you will already be familiar with my main Web site. Its 100+ pages include free advice on sources and problem-solving techniques for family history research, plus 51,000 names from Archives records and other sources (headstones, certificates, church memorials etc) that I have indexed.

It takes a lot of time and money to create, maintain and expand the Web site, and sometimes I wonder whether it is all worthwhile. Just when I was feeling despondent, this very special letter arrived.

Dear Judy,

I've spent quite a lot of time on your site over the past few days and I would like to thank you for being so generous with your knowledge. You've been a great help. As a beginner, it's not easy to work it all out. Please accept my small donation [$25] to your collection for charity.

Warm regards,

Robyn S. [for privacy I won't show her surname]

Isn't that beautiful?! Robyn could not have imagined how much her letter would mean to me.

If you have heard about the Genealogists for Families project, you will know that $25 is the exact sum needed to make a loan through Kiva, a non-profit microlending organisation. The borrower I chose to support with Robyn's donation is Vilma in the Philippines. She is 39 years old, separated, and has nine children. Her shop sells canned goods, snacks and beverages. Next year when Vilma repays the money, I will lend it to someone else. That will happen over and over again, and Robyn's $25 will do much more good than a one-time donation!

Right now our 'Genealogists for Families' Kiva lending team has 91 members in 9 countries, and we are helping 147 small family businesses all over the world. The numbers are growing rapidly, and our small loans are making a big difference to families in low income areas. Please join us!

Qld State Archives item ID and location numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:47:00 +0000

I've said this before, but it is worth repeating...

When using Queensland State Archives on-line catalogue, note the 'item ID' and the 'Previous System Location'.

Why? If the computer system crashes while you are in the Public Search Room, staff can usually only retrieve your documents from the repository if you can quote the Previous System location. Without that, you may have to pack up and go home.

Genealogists will be interested to know that an alphabetical list of patients' names from Croydon Hospital registers is on my Web site.

Queensland genealogy news

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:25:00 +0000

For those who didn't see them on my Twitter page, here are some Queensland 'items of interest'. Links open in new windows so you won't lose your place on this page.

Queensland history podcasts via State Library of Qld web site.

Index to Westbrook Reformatory admission registers 1871-1906 is linked to digital images.

Ryerson Index now includes 150 years of death notices in the Maryborough Chronicle (now Fraser Coast Chronicle).

Collinson Index, a unique source for Queensland history and genealogy, also fills gaps in Trove.

Other news that is relevant to Queensland is in today's edition of Updates Genie.

Some of these tips originally came from other people, whom I have acknowledged on my Twitter page.

Index to Funeral Records 1972-2010

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sat, 28 May 2011 02:33:00 +0000

Would you think to look in Queensland for records of a burial or funeral service that took place in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Fiji, Sweden, Greece, Hungary, Austria or the Netherlands? Cemeteries and crematoria from all of those countries (plus all parts of Australia) are mentioned in records of Gregson and Weight, funeral directors at Caloundra, Maroochydore and Nambour on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

This week I bought a new index (on CD-ROM) by Caloundra Family History Research Inc. - Gregson and Weight Funeral Directors, Caloundra, Maroochydore and Nambour - Index to Funeral Records 1972-2010. This PDF document lists about 20,000 names (in two sections, 1972-1999 and 2000-2010), with surname, given name, age, death date or funeral date, place of burial or cremation, and a reference number. Aliases or nicknames are sometimes shown. Appendix 1 lists all cemeteries/crematoria mentioned, and explains how to contact them. Appendix 2 lists hyphenated or 'double-barrelled' surnames, which were not always recorded correctly in the index.

There is a good explanation of abbreviations and the arrangement of entries, and a contact address for Gregson and Weight; but although the introduction says, We would be pleased if researchers would advise us of any inaccurate information, the author/publisher's address is not shown. The publication also lacks a proper title page (which should show title, author, publisher, date and place of publication, copyright notice and ISBN).

We only have access to Queensland's civil registration indexes to deaths up to 1964, so this very affordable funeral records index will be invaluable for finding more recent deaths.

For more details about the index, contact Caloundra Family History Research, PO Box 968, Caloundra Qld 4551.

Orphanage records now accessible

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 08:38:00 +0000

Some children, though not actually orphans, were admitted to an orphanage because parents or other relatives could not take care of them. This often happened if the child was illegitimate or when a parent was ill, imprisoned or in an asylum. Many orphanage records give the reason for admission, parents' names etc.

Some Queensland orphanage records have recently been opened to the public. The following records are now available in Qld State Archives ArchivesSearch (check periodically in case more are added):

St. Vincent's Home (Nudgee): Index to admission registers 1866-1905, and admission register 1866-1908.
Diamantina Orphanage and Receiving Depot: Index to admission registers 1865-1905, and admission registers 1865-1908.
Meteor Park Orphanage (Neerkol), Rockhampton: Admission registers 1885-1909.
Industrial and Reformatory School for Boys: Admission register 1871-1906.
Industrial and Reformatory School for Girls, Toowoomba: Letterbooks of the Superintendent 1881-1895.

If you are looking for more recent records, see the Brief Guide to Orphanages and Children's Homes.

My book Tips for Queensland Research has advice about indexes and records for Townsville, Mackay and Rockhampton orphanages.

'Failing to contribute to support of children in an orphanage' is one of the offences mentioned in Police Station summons sheets. Children charged with 'being a neglected child' are mentioned in police watchhouse charge books.

Names missing from immigration index

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 08:49:00 +0000

Kerry Farmer has alerted me to the fact that some names are currently missing from Queensland State Archives' online index entitled 'Immigration 1848-1912'. They used to be there (Kerry has a screen shot to prove it) and now they have vanished. The list 'H to HANSEN' currently starts with 'HAGARTY'. I know for a fact that entries for these surnames from IMM/114 are missing (and there may be others):

Haack, Haagensen, Haake, Haanon, Haase, Haaver, Haavig, Haband, Haberecht, Haberling, Habluzel, Hackaday, Haddock, Hadfield, Haedtke, Haffenden, Hagans.

I have asked the Archives to investigate.

One Lovely Blog Award

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 21:14:00 +0000

I would like to thank Kay for nominating this blog for the One Lovely Blog Award. Rules for accepting the award are:

Accept the award and post it on your blog with the name of the person who granted the award and their blog link.
Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.
Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

The fifteen blogs that I nominated are listed on UK / Australia Genealogy, which also received the Award.

Thrifty Thursday: Lifeline Bookfest

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 02:13:00 +0000

(Update: January 2012 Bookfest dates are 14-22 Jan 2012.)

Books relevant to family history are lurking in secondhand shops, markets and book fairs. One of the best places to find them is at the Lifeline Bookfest, which is held in Brisbane in January and June each year. The January 2011 Lifeline Bookfest has been rescheduled because of the recent floods. It starts on Saturday 29 Jan and ends on Sunday 6 Feb. (If you live elsewhere, ask your local Lifeline Shop whether there is a similar event in your area.) The Bookfest is held in the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre at South Brisbane. There are separate halls for Unpriced, Priced, High Quality and Rare/Collectibles. Within each hall, books are arranged by category (fiction, children's, etc).

The real treasures for family historians are usually in the 'Australiana' or 'History' sections. Look for books about the history of regions, towns, schools, churches, businesses and organisations. You may even find some published family histories. The Reference section often has atlases, street directories, medical dictionaries, etc; and I once saw a complete set of The Public Acts of Queensland 1828-1936. You may also want to stock up on ring binders and lever arch files, which sometimes cost less than a dollar.

And the real money-saving tip? If you are on a tight budget, wait until the last day when the (already affordable) price is reduced by 50%!

I strongly advise you to bring a suitcase on wheels, as books soon get heavy when you are browsing. Undercover parking is available (about $15, I think). Local street parking is limited and fills quickly. Another option is to travel by train to South Brisbane station.

Can you add to my suggestions? Do you know of similar events elsewhere? What genealogical gems have you found at a Bookfest? Please share your thoughts by entering a comment below.

('Thrifty Thursday' is a theme used by Geneabloggers.)

Ancestor Approved Award

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 23:10:00 +0000

It was a real thrill when Pauleen from Family History Across the Seas wrote, I've nominated you for the Ancestor Approved Award as thanks for all your hard work in Queensland family history research.' I have passed on the award to ten other genealogy bloggers, and the list is on Genealogy Leftovers.