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So you've heard of Government Gazettes ... but just what are they, and how
can they help you with your research?
What is a Government Gazette?
It was an official publication of all Government notices, including the
operation dates of Acts of Parliament. Once the notice in the Gazette was
published, the public was deemed to have notice of it. Often produced once or
twice a week, with occasional 'Extraordinary' and 'Supplement' editions, the
1849 issues consist of approximately 14 pages each.
What will I find in a New South Wales Government Gazette?
Tens of thousands of ordinary people and localities, small and large, are
mentioned every year in Government Gazettes. You will find details on land
transactions, court notices, notice of acts, tenders and contracts (those
offered as well as those taken up), police auctions of stolen property,
statistics (such as rations for early emigrants), unclaimed letters,
impoundments of cattle and horses, reward notices, notification of passenger
ship arrivals, public meetings, opening of new post offices and churches, and
much more ... There is a large amount of information relating to convicts: -
absconders, those who were granted a ticket-of-leave as well as those who had it
cancelled, certificates-of-freedom, deserters, apprehensions and more.
How can this information help me?
Government Gazettes contain a vast amount of historical and genealogical
information. Now that they are on CD you can easily search for any number of
names or places. 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.
Example entry taken from the 2 January 1849 issue:
NOTICE
On Monday, the fifteenth day of January next, a General Muster of all ticket of
leave holders for the District of Moreton Bay, will be commenced at the Police
Office, in Brisbane, and will be continued until the thirty-first of the same
month, when the must book will be closed, and every absentee will be immediately
reported to the Principal Superintendent of Convicts, excepting in instances
where the distance is too great to permit personal attendance, of where absence
would be a serious inconvenience to the employer, in either case of which cases
it will be absolutely necessary that the ticket of leave be forwarded to the
Police Office, Brisbane, together with a certificate to the above effect, under
the hand of the employer; and if the person residing without the boundaries of
the Police district of Moreton Bay, he must state by what authority he does so.
A neglect of either of these conditions would cause the offender to be treated
as an absentee. All persons whose ticket of leave have been granted, but not
from this office, are hereby directed to apply at once in person for the same;
any such tickets remaining in this office after the above named thirty-first day
of January, will be returned to the office of the Principal Superintendent of
Convicts.
By order of the Police Magistrates
William Anthony Brown,
Clerk of Petty Sessions.
Police Office, Brisbane,
15th December, 1848
High quality scanned images of each of the original issues. This CD has been bookmarked for easy navigation, and pages can be searched, browsed, enlarged and printed out if required.
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System Requirements
- Any computer using Adobe (Acrobat) Reader 4 or later
- Adobe Reader 6 or later is recommended for CDs with searchable text
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