Queensland Genealogy

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:

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.

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 of Gol Gol Girl 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.

My apologies, Kay, for the delay in responding to your nomination. I've been away at a genealogy conference on a cruise!

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.

Orders to administer: inventories 1953-1978 (Sources Sunday)

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 19:00:00 +0000

This is an extract from my book Tips for Queensland Research:

Supreme Court (Southern District) orders to administer - inventories, 1953-1978 (Queensland State Archives series ID 17985) consists of only a small number of files, but they include some persons whose intestacy file was lost in a fire. The 'orders' give deceased's name, residence, occupation, date and place of death, and an inventory. The file number in this series corresponds with that in the index to Public Curator orders and elections.

(From time to time I use my 'Sources Sunday' theme to discuss a non-Internet source such as a specific item or series in a record office, a book, or a library, museum etc as a source in the broader sense. Sometimes 'Sources Sunday' is in one of my other blogs, which are listed in the sidebar.)

Police summons sheets (Sources Sunday)

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 18:00:00 +0000

An interesting series that I recently used for the first time is Rockhampton Police Station summons sheets 1898-1905 (Queensland State Archives series ID 6545). The three volumes (item IDs 212364-212366; previous system A/146-A/148) cover 1 Nov 1898 - 13 Jul 1900, 29 Apr 1902 - 1 Sep 1903 and 6 Nov 1904 - 7 Feb 1905. Details shown are date, plaintiff (sometimes 'police'), defendant, offence, judgement and magistrate's name. Entries are chronological.

A wide variety of offences are listed. They include larceny; assault; insulting words; obscene language; excessive use of liquor; boarding a train while in motion; breaches of various Acts and By-laws; child desertion; wife desertion; disobeying a maintenance order; failing to contribute to support of children in an orphanage; and affiliation. ('Affiliation' refers to a court order against a man alleged to be the father of an illegitimate child, requiring him to make payments towards the child's upkeep.)

One entry in A/146 shows that Bob LONG, charged with 'larceny, lollies', was "convicted but not punished upon condition that his father flogs him".

To check whether similar sources exist for other towns, search for the phrase summons sheet in ArchivesSearch.

(From time to time I use my 'Sources Sunday' theme to discuss a non-Internet source such as a specific item or series in a record office, a book, or a library, museum etc as a source in the broader sense. Sometimes 'Sources Sunday' is in one of my other blogs, which are listed in the sidebar.)

Gympie police charge bench books (Sources Sunday)

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Queensland State Archives item ID 324223 (previous system B/3056) is an index to Court of Petty Sessions (Gympie) police charge bench books, 14 Jan 1890 - 27 Jul 1931. It is alphabetical only by first letter of surname. Entries usually give date, name, offence and how disposed of.

Two letters inside the front cover are about James Edward MADDEN and J. HOLT (probably Joseph James HOLT). HOLT committed suicide on 21 Oct 1893. He had asked that two people in NSW be notified, and the document gives their addresses.

This departmental index for 1890-1931 makes it easier to find entries in the actual bench books, which are much more informative. I myself have indexed persons arrested and victims of crime from bench books for an earlier period (1884-1886).

(From time to time I use my 'Sources Sunday' theme to discuss a non-Internet source such as a specific item or series in a record office, a book, or a library, museum etc as a source in the broader sense. Sometimes 'Sources Sunday' is in one of my other blogs, which are listed in the sidebar.)

Discontinuing Web pages

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 08:01:00 +0000

(Updated 26 Sep 2010) After seeing the votes and private feedback, I have made a decision about what alternatives to provide when I discontinue Queensland Newsflash and Updates Newsletter in their current format. I think you will like the new arrangement. More details will be released soon.

Qld State Archives web address change

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 03:49:00 +0000

Queensland State Archives have changed Web addresses. The main search page is now www.archivessearch.qld.gov.au/Search/BasicSearch.aspx and www.archivessearch.qld.gov.au opens an image search screen.

Free certificates in Archives files (Thrifty Thursday)

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 19:21:00 +0000

I have introduced the theme 'Thrifty Thursday' to share hints on how to save money while doing family history research. Each hint will appear in whichever locality-based blog is most appropriate (see the list in the sidebar).

The sources mentioned below are in Queensland, but similar records exist in some interstate and overseas repositories.

Before buying a certificate from the Queensland Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages, check whether that certificate is included in a file at Queensland State Archives. If it is, you can usually either take a digital photograph or save an image to a USB memory stick free of charge. A photocopy on paper currently costs about one dollar.

At the Archives you can often see certificates that you cannot buy from the Registry (because of differences in access restrictions). Certificates in archival files are often more accurate than typed copies issued by the Registry now.

I have seen birth, death and marriage certificates (including some from overseas) in many series of records. They include (but are not limited to) Supreme Court divorce files, equity files and probate files ('wills' and 'intestacies'); Public Curator insanity files and Supreme Court insanity files; Lands Department selection files; and Court of Petty Sessions maintenance records. For more information about these records see the current edition of the book Tips for Queensland Research.

Note that from about the mid-1890s onwards, the majority of Queensland Supreme Court probate files contain a death certificate. There are probate files in Queensland for many people who died in other States and countries.

(Postscript dated Nov 2010 - For the rest of Australia, see Kerry Farmer's suggestions re certificates.)

In which record series / repositories have you seen certificates that can be copied at little or no cost?

Year 1: Top 10

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 05:02:00 +0000

To celebrate the fact that this blog is one year old tomorrow, I thought I would highlight one post from each category.

Hidden treasures
Illegitimate child's father named in inquest

Lists of names
Wrong names in immigration records

My family
Webster and Hudson graves

Newsflash
Qld BDMs: recent changes

Places
Central Queensland hints

Sources
Mental asylum case books

Tips
Qld State Archives location numbers

Warnings
Brisbane Hospital admissions index

Web sites
Moreton Bay and Peel Island

Miscellaneous
Genealogy conference on a cruise

Supreme Court equity files

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:36:00 +0000

Each week, using my theme 'Sources Sunday', I talk about a source that I have used for genealogy. It may be a specific source or series in a record office; a book; or a library, museum etc as a source in the broader sense. You won't see 'Sources Sunday' here every week because it is sometimes in one of my other blogs (which are listed in the sidebar).

I chose this week's topic, Queensland Supreme Court equity files, in honour of Marianne Eastgate, who passed away on 5th September. Marianne was the driving force behind the Pre-Separation project that indexed virtually all records of the Moreton Bay District of New South Wales before it became Queensland in 1859.

Marianne's many other contributions to family history include an index to Queensland's Supreme Court equity cases 1857-1895. The cases include gold miners' disputes; rights of minors, incapacitated persons and lunatics; disputes over wills; liquidation of companies; and persons with money in a bank. The files contain many birth, death and marriage certificates (including some from overseas), land records, powers of attorney etc. The index, which includes names of most plaintiffs, defendants and witnesses mentioned in the files, is in the Public Search Room at Queensland State Archives.

Hospital admission registers

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:20:00 +0000

My new blogging theme is 'Sources Sunday'. Each Sunday I will talk about a source that I have used for genealogy, such as a specific source or series in a record office, a book, or a library, museum etc as a source in the broader sense.

If you only follow some of my blogs (which are listed in the sidebar), you won't see 'Sources Sunday' every week. For example, sometimes I will use my UK/Australia Genealogy blog to talk about a source in London or NSW or whatever. Remember that information about Queenslanders may be in record offices in other States and countries (and vice versa, as per the example in Genealogy Leftovers).

This week I want to emphasise the value of hospital admission registers, which have provided a solution to many genealogical dead ends and brick walls. Registers survive for only a few towns, but we live in hope that more may be discovered and deposited at Queensland State Archives. Many people spent time in a hospital far from their home. This applies especially to Brisbane (a large hospital capable of handling difficult cases), Cooktown (many miners and sailors from ships in port) and Croydon (people came from everywhere during the local gold rush).

The registers for Brisbane, Burketown, Cooktown, Croydon, Ingham and Muttaburra are printed volumes with space for these details: name; date admitted; age; birthplace (town, State/county, country); occupation; religion; ship of arrival; how long in the colony; place of residence; marital status; place of marriage, at what age, and name of spouse; names and ages of children living; number and sex of children deceased; father's name and occupation; father's present residence if living (or 'father dead'); mother's maiden name; disease or reason for admission; date of discharge or date and cause of death; and remarks (which may include medical history, social circumstances etc.) Some Brisbane registers also give details of employment, wages, other sources of income, other wage-earners in the family, property, membership of clubs or benefit societies, and name and address of relatives or friends.

Dates of surviving registers, and thousands of names from my indexes to hospital records for those six towns, are on a series of Web pages accessible via my Hospitals page.

Indexes to hospital records for other States are listed in Specialist Indexes in Australia: a genealogist's guide (1998 edition and 2006 supplement), which is available in many libraries.

GSQ Southern Suburbs

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:23:00 +0000

(This is an updated notice, with details received on 7 Sep 2010.) The new Facebook page for the Southern Suburbs Branch of the Genealogical Society of Queensland has details of their library, meetings, guest speakers etc. The page is open to everyone (not just GSQ members). Click 'Like' near the page title if you are interested in the branch's activities.

Your email address for Updates Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:50:00 +0000

Every time I email my Updates Newsletter, about 5% of the 300+ emails bounce back as 'undeliverable'. Would all subscribers please let me know what email address you want me to use when I send the next edition. If you know anyone who receives my Newsletter, please forward this message to them.

Moreton Bay and Peel Island

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 02:17:00 +0000

A limited reprint of Peter Ludlow's book Moreton Bay Letters is now available. This is the 2003 sequel to Moreton Bay People - The Complete Collection. For more details see Peter's Web site about the history of Moreton Bay and Peel Island: http://www.moretonbayhistory.com/.

WEBSTER and HUDSON graves, Helidon (Tombstone Tuesday)

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 06:18:00 +0000

I have two sets of great-grandparents buried in the General Cemetery, Helidon, Queensland -

James Campbell WEBSTER and Ellen WEBSTER nee BUTLER

George HUDSON and Mary HUDSON nee PEACOCK

Photos by Judy WEBSTER, 2003.

('Tombstone Tuesday' is a theme used by Geneabloggers.)

Genealogy Conference on a Cruise

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:03:00 +0000

If you do not follow my UK/Australia blog you may have missed the item about the genealogy conference on a P&O cruise from Brisbane.

Qld BDMs: recent changes

noreply@blogger.com (Judy Webster) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:53:00 +0000

Searches in Qld Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages online indexes have been improved. You can now use wildcards and variable date searching, and registration numbers include district identifiers (Brisbane/country). Be sure to read the 'Search Tips' on the Registry's Web site.

Note that microfiche indexes are available for Qld births 1915-1919 and marriages 1935-1939, which are not online.

The price of Queensland certificates has risen again. Before buying them, look for certificates (especially death certificates) in State Archives sources as explained in the 2008 edition of Tips for Queensland Research.

Ancestry's recent announcement re Australian birth, death and marriage indexes is misleading. They do not have complete coverage for all States for the date ranges quoted, and many names are missing. I suggest that you check what indexes can be searched (usually free of charge) elsewhere.