Australians are fortunate in being able to access government and police gazettes for their family history research. We can find out so much about our ancestors, no matter what their occupation or lawfulness.

1. Australian Government and
Police Gazettes
Carole Riley
Queensland Expo – Cairns
24-25 June 2011

2. Government Gazettes
• Issued weekly as newspapers
• Indexed and bound yearly/quarterly/bi-
monthly
© Carole Riley 2011 2

3. Government Gazettes
© Carole Riley 2011 3

4. Government Gazettes
• Laws and regulations
• Land transactions
• Public service employees
• Public works tenders
• Unclaimed mail
• Convicts
• Livestock brands
• Court notices – probate, insolvencies
• Licensed sellers of liquor, wine and tobacco
• Licenses for use of poisons
• Petitions
© Carole Riley 2011 4

5. Government Gazettes
If your ancestor :
• leased, purchased, forfeited land
• worked for the government
• tendered for public works
• died
• went bankrupt or insolvent
• had unclaimed mail
• was a convict
• was assigned a convict
• had a livestock brand
• had a license to run a pub, sell liquor, cut timber
• signed a petition…
he/she should be in here
© Carole Riley 2011 5

6. Government Gazettes
• New South Wales - 1832
• Tasmania - 1825
• Victoria - 1836 (NSW) 1843 (Port Phillip)
• Queensland - 1859
• South Australia - 1839
• Western Australia - 1836
• Northern Territory - 1927
• Commonwealth - 1901
All still published today
© Carole Riley 2011 6

7. Justices of the Peace
QLD Government Gazette 1876 p43
© Carole Riley 2011 7

8. Justices of the Peace
QLD Government Gazette 1876 p43
© Carole Riley 2011 8

9. Medical Practitioners
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Government Gazette 176 p30 9

10. Unclaimed letters
© Carole Riley 2011 10
QLD Government Gazette 1887 p1367

11. Unclaimed letters
© Carole Riley 2011 11
QLD Government Gazette 1887 p1367

12. Unclaimed letters
© Carole Riley 2011 12
QLD Government Gazette 1876 p83

13. Unclaimed letters
• C Colonial
• OC Official Colonial
• ET Colonial Telegram
• O Dead Letter
• S New South Wales
• M Victoria
• A South Australia
• T Tasmania
• NZ New Zealand
• WA Western Australia
• UK United Kingdom
• F Foreign
© Carole Riley 2011 13
QLD Government Gazette 1876 p83

14. Business partnership
Former partners
Type of business
Former name of business
Remaining partners
New business name
QLD Government Gazette 1876 p96
© Carole Riley 2011 14

15. Applications
QLD Government Gazette 1876 p96
© Carole Riley 2011 15

16. Convicts
NSW Government Gazette 1847 p1147
NSW Government Gazette 1832 p14
© Carole Riley 2011 16

17. Brands
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Government Gazette 1876 p99 17

18. Appointments
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Government Gazette 1876 p103 18

19. Forfeited leases
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Government Gazette 1876 p105 19

20. Census Regulations
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Government Gazette 1876 p407 20

21. Publicans’ Licenses
© Carole Riley 2011 NSW Government Gazette 1871 p166 21

22. Timber licenses
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Government Gazette 1876 p407 22

23. Insolvency
Insolvent
Official Trustee
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Government Gazette 1876 p95 23

24. Probate
Deceased’s name,
Residence,
Occupation
Executor’s name,
Residence,
Occupation
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Government Gazette 1876 p95 24

25. © Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 25

26. Police Gazettes
• New South Wales – 1862-1982
• Tasmania – 1861-1933
• Victoria – 1853-1994
• Queensland – 1864-1982
• South Australia – 1862-present
• Western Australia – 1876-present
• Northern Territory – 1900-present restricted
• Commonwealth - 1 January 1901 – sdf
© Carole Riley 2011 26

27. Police Gazettes
• Warrants for arrest and details of crimes
• Arrests, convictions, discharged prisoners
• Property stolen and recovered
• Stolen cattle and horses, including brands
• Escaped prisoners, ship’s deserters
• Missing friends
• Deaths reported to police
• Police appointments, instructions, lists
• Magistrates, Justices of the Peace
• Licensed sellers of liquor, wine and tobacco
© Carole Riley 2011 27

28. Police Gazettes
• Some lists reproduced from Government
Gazettes for information of police, eg
– Magistrates
– Medical Practitioners
– Licenses
• Warrants where person believed to have
been coming to this colony from another
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1938 p71 28

29. Police Gazettes
• Your ancestor could have been
– Criminal, or wanted for questioning
– Known associate
– Victim of theft or other crime
– Deserted wife
– Reported missing, or found
– Reported dead
– Police, magistrate, J.P., medical practitioner
– Licenses for liquor sellers, wine sellers,
tobacco sellers, victuallers, billiards, bagatelle,
use of poisons, hawkers, auctioneers
© Carole Riley 2011 29

30. Licenses
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p2 30

31. Criminal Acts
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p11 31

32. Criminal Acts
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p11 32

33. Criminal Acts
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1938 p75 33

34. Wife deserter
QLD Police Gazette 1876 p13
NSW Police Gazette 1876 p263
© Carole Riley 2011 34

35. Missing Friend
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p15 35

36. Missing Friend
QLD Police Gazette 1938 p75
© Carole Riley 2011 36

37. Return of Prisoners
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p2 37

38. Return of Prisoners
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p17 38

39. Deaths reported to police
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p2 39

40. Deaths reported to police
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p2 40

41. Police appointments
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p25 41

42. Police appointments
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p37 42

43. Police Gazette Supplements
QLD Police Gazette 1906 p27
© Carole Riley 2011 43

44. Licenses
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p2 44

45. © Carole Riley 2011 45
NSW Police Gazette Supplement 1938 pp1,9

46. Where to find Government Gazettes
• Archive Digital Books Australia CDs
– Available to buy
– Some libraries and societies have them
• FindMyPast.au
• Most States have recent ones online
• Some States have all online
• State Libraries
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p2 46

47. Where to find Police Gazettes
• Archive Digital Books Australia CDs
– Available to buy
– Some libraries and societies have them
• FindMyPast.au
• Recent years restricted
• Some States online
• State Libraries, Police Museums
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p2 47

48. Search tips
• CDs
– Use Surname Firstname AND Firstname Surname
– Uncommon names – Surname only
– Capitalise names, eg Eason
• FindMyPast
– Search by Name AND by Keyword
• Search other colonies/states
• Which colony did the area belong to?
• ?Each volume has an index
• Before Gazette started – search newspaper
© Carole Riley 2011 QLD Police Gazette 1876 p2 48

49. Thank you!
© Carole Riley 2011 49