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.
Some of these are military deserters ... with full descriptions... some deserted their families, or their employers... Some came from other countries...and were never heard of again by their loved ones. What brings people to want to restart their lives...
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.
New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime (Sydney : 1860 - 1930), Wednesday 25 Feb 1880 National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25164222
New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime (Sydney : 1860 - 1930), Wednesday 25 Feb 1880 National Library of Australia. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article251642230
New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime (Sydney : 1860 - 1930), Wednesday 14 July 1880. National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article251642646
New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime (Sydney : 1860 - 1930), Wednesday 10 November 1880 National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article251642965
New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime (Sydney : 1860 - 1930), Wednesday 24 November 1880. National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article251642996
New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime (Sydney : 1860 - 1930), Wednesday 29 Dec 1880. National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article251643077
Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 14 September 1902, page 4 National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57218226
Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 8 June 1902, page 3 National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57216838
Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 14 September 1902, page 4 National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57218226
Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 17 May 1903, page 7 National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57222477
Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 1 May 1904, page 7 National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57192065
Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 30 December 1906, page 3. National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57233002
Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931), Saturday 10 August 1907, page 31 National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article163166572
Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931), Saturday 17 July 1909, page 51 National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164685018
Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931), Saturday 14 January 1911, page 39 National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164715317
good stuff
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