Almanacs are a valuable resource for local, family and social historians as well
as for researchers in other fields of Australian history. The 1854 edition was
the third year of issue for Moore's Almanac.
New South Wales was a busy place by 1854 as it was during the goldrush
period, with approximately 300,000 inhabitants. This Almanac was designed to be
a reference work, is full of everyday information, and it certainly would have
been one to have on your shelf.
Beginning with a detailed map of Sydney city, the book is then divided
into various sections. The information provided includes a Calendar, Civil and
Political Register (which lists hundreds of office holders names together with
their position), the Commercial and Economic Register which provides the names
of various consulates, as well as banks, and other companies like insurance and
railways. The Religious and Other Societies lists the various churches and
groups in New South Wales together with the church leaders of each denomination.
The 'General Information' section, covers topics such as statistics,
occurrences - which covers events happening between 1 August 1852 to 5 September
1853 and includes all sorts of anecdotes. The Regulations and Laws are also
covered, as is the 'True Wealth and Welfare of New South Wales', and a whole
host of other topics.
As genealogists we like finding out the names and dates of family members,
but don't dismiss the social history aspect of it. Historians in other fields
would already know that understanding the era gives us a far better perspective
of just what life was our ancestors. This guide provides a wonderful record of
life as it was in New South Wales in 1854.
High quality scanned images of the whole of the original book. This CD has
been bookmarked for easy navigation, and pages can be searched, browsed,
enlarged and printed out if required.
