What is a Police Gazette?
Compiled to be distributed amongst the Police Force only, Police Gazettes
contain details and information that can not be found anywhere else. Produced at
regular intervals (usually once a week), it was a way of making information
available to all in the Police Force throughout the whole state.What
information can be found in a Queensland Police Gazette?
The information contained in the Police Gazettes does vary a little from
year to year, but overall you will find details of any changes within the police
force which are all listed (promotions, demotions, resignations, dismissals,
retirements, deaths etc), information is also given on housebreak-ins,
robberies, arson, murders, lost horses and cattle, deserters, escaped prisoners,
missing friends, rewards offered and reports on those released. Notices from
interstate police gazettes are sometimes included.
How can this help me?
Anyone researching their family will have a 'lost' family member or two! You
may well find them listed here, being on either side of the law. Or maybe they
were a Policeman who transferred to another department or division, or someone
that was a victim of a crime. You can find the physical details on persons
listed here, missing, wanted or released, which helps to paint a picture of them
(name, aliases used, age, height, colour hair, colour eyes, distinguishing
features, even colour clothing worn).
Far from being just a unique and extremely fascinating resource for local,
family and social historians - they are useful for anyone with an interest in
Queensland in the 1890s.
Example entry taken from the 2 January 1892 issue: [please note this
is only a small extract]
List of Medical Practitioners registered under the 'Medical Act of 1867'
new resident in Queensland
No. of Certificate: 275
Name: Bancroft, Thomas Lane
Address: Wharf street, Brisbane
Date of Registration:6 April, 1865
Qualifications: M.D., Univ. St. And., 1859, Mem. R. Coll. Surg., Eng.,
1859., Lic. Soc. Apoth., Lond., 1859.
Example entry taken from the 9 January 1892 issue:
Theatrical License
Granted to Samuel Payne, of Aramac, authorising the Marathon Hall, Aramac,
to be a place in which public entertainments may be given for a period of
twelve months from 21st Decmeber, 1891.
This CD contains high quality scanned images all 53 issues that were produced
for the year 1892, and is truly a fascinating read for learning about the social
history of the time, even if you don't have family there. This CD has been
bookmarked for easy navigation, and pages can be searched, browsed, enlarged and
printed out if required.
