Government Gazettes? They sound boring... unless you're a family historian/genealogist or just plain curious about what happened when. They are a wealth of information .. mostly. This one has something for everyone... published on January 1st, 1834, this New South Wales Government Gazette, covers a whole range of items...remembering that it often has news and proclamations about the whole of this colonial outpost called Australia.
Please click to enlarge..
In these early years, streets were being planned and named, as were various areas...which we now know as suburbs.
Jettys were established, essential for the only means of communication with the mother country or any country at that time... all via sea. A notice announced the arrival of the ship LAYTON 'with Female Immigrants' and how to apply to employ them. See passenger details here also on FMP and Ancestry
* Sydney Cove 1845
Want to buy some land... it was selling for the exhorbitant sum of five shillings an acre...
Section from New South Wales. Department of Lands. (1886). Parish of Narrabeen, County of Cumberland Metropolitan Land District,Eastern Division N.S.W http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-233833505
Masons were required to supply Stone Curbing for the streets of Sydney... The Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace met 'to regulate and fix the Rates and Fares to be charged by any licensed carter, porter or boatman'.... etc.
The Lansdowne Bridge, by convict stonemason David Lennox.
Still carries the Hume Highway over Prospect Creek near Liverpool.
courtesy of Roads and Maritime
The Commissariat Office put out a number of tenders and notice of an auction... wonder if there were many takers for the ' whole of the Materials of the Old Military Barracks' noting of course Terms-Cash. History of Military Barracks
Sydney Barracks and Military Windmill, 1817
The Abstract of a Census had been taken in September 1833... and sectioned as to counties and towns, male and female, free or convict, etc.
The state of the Female Factory at Parramatta was published, a very interesting summary.
The Female Factory c 1826
Then came the list of absconded prisoners.. 'some of them being at large with stolen Certificates and Tickets of Leave..' Hundreds of names are listed, along with numbers... age, place they left, sometimes the ship they came on, occupation, full description, name of employer etc.
See post, with full details.. the first of a series on convicts... just continue through the series by scrolling through to newer post..
You have to love some of the descriptions... such as
Woods Michael, Waterloo (2), 31-679, 22, Dublin, Hair Dresser, 5 feet 4, ruddy comp. much pock-pitted, light brown hair, hazel eyes, fish, heart, hope, tree, and other marks called a christian barmer, on right arm, Dragoon 12th October 1830 on left, 2nd time of absconding from No. 9 Road party, since 27th Dec.
or poor
Johnson Margaret or Sarah, Surry(6), 33-167, 28 Co Fermanagh, Nurses Maid, 4 feet 9 1/2, brown comp. brown hair, grey eyes, mark of a burn on top of forehead, small hairy mole right side of upper lip, lost a front tooth right side upper jaw, from Henry Robertson, since 30th Dec.
They did also post a list of runaways apprehended, a much smaller list than the aforesaid.
View of the Heads, and part of Botany Bay - from the End of Cooks River 1822-1823
Impounded livestock got almost as much attention..
'Miller's Point' by Joseph Fowles/ State Library of NSW
Free roaming stock
and some very detailed descriptions of those were included as well.
TROVE is the easiest way to access Government Gazettes. It's like Pandora's box, you never know what you will find.
* The History of Sydney Late Colonial History 1822-1838
# The Dictionary of Sydney has many wonderful photos and interesting stories.
A great selection to emphasise the diversity of information available through the gazettes.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment...there is so much to be found in the Gazettes. They really are full of 'hidden treasures'.
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