27 Jul 2008

• Qld State Archives' Web site now includes two post-1900 wills indexes, but note that they cover only the Southern District, and only the ecclesiastical series. Note, too, that in some sections the names are sorted only by surname, not given name. I have asked the Archives whether they can improve on that.
• Free talks at the State Library of Qld (Auditorium 2): Wed. 6 Aug, 1pm-2pm, Caring for your family history collections; Sat. 9 Aug, 10.30am-12pm, Introduction to family history; Sat. 6 Sep, 10.30am-12pm, Newspaper resources for family historians. Bookings via QTIX, phone 136 246.
• The Convict Transportation Registers database is now online.
• You can now see two book reviews for the new (May 2008) edition of Tips for Queensland Research. Most chapters have been significantly updated and/or expanded (often with details of additional sources or new indexes), and some extra topics have been added.

28 Apr 2008

• Qld Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages on-line historical indexes now include marriages and deaths to 1929 (and births to 1914).

22 Apr 2008

• Brisbane City Archives are now at 115 Muriel Avenue, Moorooka.

3 Apr 2008

• Central Qld Family History Association have put their 'Member's Interests' on their website. They are also updating the Central Qld Pioneer Index, and there is a form to download for free entry submission.
• Qld State Archives now have a few microfilm readers that allow you to copy to a USB memory stick instead of printing. The procedure is different from that used at the State Library, so read the instructions carefully.
• Some older notices about additions to my Web site have been removed from this page. See What's New.

12 Mar 2008

• Cooktown residents who signed a petition in 1874. The signature in this source may be the only surviving example of your ancestor's handwriting.
• More names were recently added to my list of friends and relatives sought, missing persons, alleged offenders, prisoners, wife/child deserters, victims of crime etc. mentioned in Qld Police Gazettes.

10 Feb 2008

• 'The Discovery of the Brisbane River', the first instalment of a history of the Port of Brisbane Corporation, is on Peter Ludow's website.

13 Dec 2007

• Caloundra Family History Research Inc. has produced a new CD-ROM which contains a Surname Index to Railway Registers held at Qld State Archives. This covers all parts of Qld and the Index contains over 33,000 entries in alphabetical order by surname. Further details www.cirruscomms.com.au/~cfhri/Index.htm or email caloundrafamilyres@hotmail.com.
• There are some new indexes on the Qld State Archives Web site. NOTE: (1) The immigration indexes do NOT include all records for those time periods. You must also check the card index to immigrants, card index to land orders, indexes to nominated immigrants and their nominators, etc. (2) The index to wills 1857-1900 is ONLY for wills in the ecclesiastical series. If you don't find an entry there, check indexes to the Public Curator series. (3) For more advice on these topics, see the 2005 edition of Tips for Qld Research.

29 Aug 2007

• I have updated the section on electoral rolls on Tips for Qld Research. A 1934 roll is now available on CD-ROM.

27 Aug 2007

• My genealogy 'Updates' e-newsletter is now on the Internet. Click 'Receive email' near the top of that page and ChangeDetection will tell you when the next issue is published. If your address changes you will need to repeat that process.

19 Aug 2007

• Check whether there a 'lost' medal to be returned to your family.

24 Jul 2007

• The Ryerson Index is now at www.ryersonindex.org. It has death notices from many areas including Qld.

29 May 2007

• 12th Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry will be held at Kings College, Otahuhu, Auckland, New Zealand, 15-20 Jan 2009. Register now to receive regular updates.

18 Apr 2007

• Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Society free enquiry service re Anglican churches at Kangaroo Point (St. Mary), South Brisbane (St. Andrew), Mitchelton (St. Matthew), Toowong (St. Thomas): details available include names of those commemorated and their families, donors, and research by Brisbane River Church Recording Group. Email Marianne Eastgate, marianne.e@swiftdsl.com.au, stating name sought and reason required.
• ArchivesSearch, Qld State Archives online catalogue, is now at www.archives.qld.gov.au/research/searchdatabase.asp.

Jan 2007

• I now have an 'online shop' where you can buy my publications and gift certificates and some secondhand books and fiche. PayPal's online credit card facilities and various other payment methods are available.
• Mark St. Leon is gradually expanding his Web site about people in circuses and travelling shows.
• Two useful Web sites for maps and place names are the Qld Department of Natural Resources place names database, and Geoscience Australia.

Dec 2006

• There are at least eighteen Queensland mailing lists hosted by Rootsweb. Family and local history groups should use the AUS-GEN-EVENTS list to inform the genealogical community about your society's publications and special events.

Nov 2006

• The new State Library of Qld has opened at South Bank.

Sep 2006

• From 9 Oct 2006 the National Archives Brisbane Office will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays to allow staff to digitise records. Opening hours on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (and certain Saturdays as scheduled) are unchanged. The list of Brisbane records on the 2006-07 digitisation program will soon be available via www.naa.gov.au.
• 'Specialist Indexes in Australia: a Genealogist's Guide' - 2006 Supplement is now available.
• If you ever find that my main email address doesn't work, use my postal address or alternative email address. To reduce spam, please do NOT quote my email address in mailing list or newsgroup messages, and do NOT put it anywhere on the Internet. Instead, refer people to my Web site for current contact details.

Apr 2006

• Paul Mackett and Jon Kehrer have compiled a name index to coloured labour and Asiatic aliens in Toowoomba and Roma Police Districts in 1913.

Mar 2006

• The Qld Association of Local and Family History Societies (QALFHS) is now called History Queensland Inc.
• Qld State Archives seminars and other events are listed on their Web site.

Feb 2006

• Qld State Archives advise that their on-line index to wills 1857-1900 now includes Northern, Central and Southern District wills. Until a couple of weeks ago, contrary to what the introduction said, only Southern District wills were listed, so check the index again! Remember, though, that it only covers the ecclesiastical series. To find wills in the Public Curator series you must use different indexes (in the Public Search Room).

Jan 2006

• A person cannot email you if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) won't accept mail from theirs. This sometimes prevents me from replying to enquiries. To avoid this problem, have a second email address with a different ISP, and quote both addresses in your emails and letters. If you have home and work email addresses with the same ISP, get a free second address from somewhere like Hotmail. Please note my alternative email address.
• More major changes re Qld birth, death and marriage records, including a certificate price rise and changes to access restrictions! See the Web page 'Qld Research Tips' and the 2005 edition of the book Tips for Queensland Research.

Sep 2005

• Kerry Raymond and David Horton have photographed many Brisbane and south-east Qld graves and war memorials.
• Before visiting Qld State Archives, please read the Brief Guides for records that you intend to use: www.archives.qld.gov.au/research/briefguides.asp.

Aug 2005

• A reminder that Qld Health has closed the Burketown Hospital admission register and it is likely that Croydon, Cooktown, Ingham and Muttaburra hospital registers less than 100 yrs old will also be closed. Use them now!

Feb 2005

• Qld Family History Society is moving from Albion to Gaythorne. For more details see www.qfhs.org.au. Postal address is still PO Box 171, Indooroopilly Qld 4068.

Jan 2005

• When you visit Qld State Archives you must leave bags, mobile phones, wallets, folders and computer cases in the lockers provided. About ten sheets of loose paper and a thin notebook (searched on entry and departure) may be taken into the Search Room, and a bag for coins is available on request. Pencils only (no pens). Bring $1 coins for the locker and microfilm copier, and two forms of identification to obtain a free reader's ticket. Orders for original documents and photocopies close at 4pm.

Feb 2004

• Dunwich Benevolent Asylum admission book (males) 1900-1903, at Qld State Archives, is now open to the public. It usually gives name, age, admission date, date of discharge or death, admitted from where, reason for admission, birthplace, religion, occupation, education, father's name and occupation, mother's maiden name, marital status, when/where married, spouse's name, children, and history. Sometimes it lists places of residence, occupations and employers, how long in Qld, etc., and children's names, ages, places of residence and occupations. For a free email brochure about Dunwich Benevolent Asylum records contact (type this into an email and ask for a Dunwich brochure).

Jan 2004

• The index to Qld insanity files 1919-c1945 is once again open to the public. However you should use these records without delay in case the Qld State Government changes its mind and closes them again! For more information about indexes to mental asylum patients 1860s-c1945, see www.judywebster.gil.com.au/insanity.html.
• I recommend using published papers from genealogy conferences, which provide historical context and give advice on sources, research methods, preserving your records etc. (lots of information that isn't on the Internet).

Sep 2003

• A microfiche index to Presbyterian baptisms 1845-1920, from all over Qld, is available from the Presbyterian Church of Qld, PO Box 1508, Fortitude Valley Qld 4006 ($40 incl. postage). The index gives surname, Christian name, dates of birth and baptism, Church, father's Christian name, mother's Christian name and maiden name.
• An index to Qld Supreme Court equity cases 1857-1895 (compiled for Qld State Archives by Marianne Eastgate) is now in the Archives search room. The cases include such things as gold miners' disputes; rights of minors, incapacitated persons and lunatics; disputes over wills; liquidation of companies; and a long list of people with money in a bank. The files contain many BDM certificates (including some from overseas), land records, powers of attorney etc.

Jun 2003

• Qld Government Railways: Index to Staff Records 1878-1946 (about 8,800 entries) covers 10 staff registers at Qld State Archives. The index gives name, date of birth, date of hiring and register/page. The original records give more details. The index is on CD-ROM and includes Adobe Acrobat Reader (so anyone can use it), a map of Qld showing railway lines, and the date when each line opened. To order the index ($60 incl. postage in Australia) send cheque/money order to Caloundra Family History Research Inc., PO Box 968, Caloundra Qld 4551.

Feb 2003

• Indexes to Qld electoral rolls (one for 1860-1869, another for 1870-1879) published on CD-ROM by Toowoomba and Darling Downs Family History Society, PO Box 2229, Toowoomba Qld 4350, are a wonderful new resource. However please note that names are not in strict alphabetical order. The Society advises that they will correct most of these problems in copies sold in the future.
  • Names beginning with O' are not in alphabetical order. In the 1870s index the O surnames begin with (in order) O' KANE (with a space after the apostrophe), O"BRIEN (with double quotes), O'SULLIVAN (with a curly apostrophe or smart-quote instead of a straight one - other O'SULLIVAN entries are much further down the list), O'CONNELL.
  • When searching for names with apostrophes (A'COURT, D'ARCY, O'DEA etc.), scroll through the list. Don't use Control-F because it misses some entries with apostrophes.
  • Given names are not always in alphabetical order. For example, 'BLOGGS John James' (two given names) may come before 'BLOGGS John' (one given name); and 'BLOGGS John Jnr' may also be listed oddly.
  • The 1860s CD does not include the list of voters for North Brisbane, Fortitude Valley, South Brisbane and East Moreton published 7 Apr 1860 in the Moreton Bay Courier. This roll is not held by Qld State Archives.

Dec 2002

• There are now no access restrictions on Supreme Court wills and intestacies held at Qld State Archives. The previous 10-year closure period no longer applies.

Jun 2002

• National Archives of Australia now have a single national reference service address, ref@naa.gov.au.
• Address of the Chinese-Australian Historical Association is PO Box 4299, Eight Mile Plains Qld 4113.

Feb 2002

• Indexes to nominated immigrants to Qld 1908-1922, and their nominators, are now available in the Public Search Room at Qld State Archives. One index lists about 45,000 persons nominated. The other lists the relatives or friends in Qld who nominated them. The original records give name, address and relationship of the nominator in Qld, plus names and ages of all intending immigrants with their address overseas, ship and date of arrival (if applicable), and sometimes other information. As many nominees never actually emigrated, this index may also be useful if you are trying to find an address for someone who remained in Britain or Europe.

May 2001

• Any Society or private individual who has published any book, fiche or CD (including privately printed family histories, local histories, indexes etc.) should ensure that they have complied with Legal Deposit Laws. See www.nla.gov.au/services/ldeposit.html.

Apr 1998

• Myles Sinnamon advises that a one-page listing of voters for the divisions of North Brisbane, Fortitude Valley, South Brisbane, and East Moreton was published on Sat. 7 Apr 1860 in the Moreton Bay Courier. This is an exciting discovery, because according to the State Archives Handbook for Electoral Rolls, the only division for which they hold an 1860 roll, is Burnett.

Other announcements

• This page was becoming slow to load, so some older announcements have been transferred to another page.