Can you imagine how hard it would have been for families unable to contact a loved one? We have so many ways to communicate with each other. no matter what country, state, town they are in or have been...not so for those in the 19th century. It could take months to get a letter from one side of the world to another. People could disappear at will, start a new life, under a new name or simply not have the means or the inclination to contact family or friends...leaving heartache and eternal wondering for those who were left wondering whether to hope or grieve...
The following are just a small selection of some of the many notices published in newspapers and journals of the time. They can be helpful in discovering possible relationships, maybe clues as to where a person came from, where they were thought to have been heading.
You may find more by looking at the newspapers of the day, the births, deaths, marriages of the various states and also looking for details of those named as looking for the missing person.
Please click to enlarge...
The Telegraph (Brisbane) 5 Feb 1887
Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Wednesday 27 April 1892
National Library of Australia. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3540949
AHEARN Mrs. , ALLSWORTH William Henry
BOYS Samuel
CROSS William Moody
DIXON John
ELSTON Henry
ENERER William George
FREEMAN Henry John
HOPGOOD Emily & Arthur
KEARNS Joseph
MILLER Frederick Page
RICHARDSON William James
RIDGWAY Alfred
SAUNDERS John
SHAFE William Hewitt
UPHAM William & George
Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Thursday 14 July 1892
National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3544913
It is always a pull of the heartstrings reading these notices, all with a story to them, no doubt. The ? suicide of Mrs Trenholme was especially sad. But the up side was the few acknowledgements of thanks and contacts made. Thanks for raising their names again
ReplyDeleteThere are many sad stories... it seems the more we learn, the less we know at times. Though we mightn't actually know of these people, it is comforting to read the few thanks and acknowledgements as you mentioned. I can't imagine the heartache when someone is lost to a family.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment.