Find your ancestors in Queensland Government Gazette 1859-1905

QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT GAZETTE 1855-1905

Do you have Queensland ancestry?

Government Gazettes contain a vast amount of historical and genealogical information. However, they are largely an untapped resource, and the few complete runs that are available are usually only found in major libraries. Even for researchers who do have access to these the sheer size and extent of the Gazettes is daunting. That's what makes this digitised collection such a valuable genealogy tool for anyone researching a family history or building a family tree, or for those learning more about the society during this time

Tens of thousands of ordinary people and localities, small and large, are mentioned every year in the Government Gazettes included here, covering from 1855 to 1905. But they offer researchers much more than simply names and places. They will help you reconstruct events and circumstances in the life of individuals and communities.

Government gazettes for a particular locality eventually become standardised with the type of material listed. In this collection, you can expect the Government Gazettes to include the following information that will usually list names and sometimes name of emigrant vessel, addresses and/or occupations:

  • Appointees to government positions

  • Appointments of magistrates and Justices of the Peace

  • Appointments of returning officers

  • Crown land leases

  • Deceased estates

  • Dissolution of business partnerships

  • Insolvents

  • Notices or rewards for lost or stolen property and stock

  • Property owners subject to compulsory land acquisition by government

  • Purchasers of land lodging caveats under Real Property Act

  • Unclaimed letters

  • Unclaimed property (railways)

  • Witnesses to executions

Gazettes are published by governments and their agencies as a means of communication to officials and the general public. As such they are useful, not only to monitor the actions of the government, but also as far as family historians are concerned, they are valuable primary source documents.