UNCLAIMED LETTERS Issue 7 Trove Tuesday 15th Dec 2020

 

"Memorial church of St. John, Burrangong, New South Wales", erected in memory of captain John Lunan Wilkie, of her Majesty's 12th Regiment, who died whilst in duty at Lambing Flat on the 1st February 1862. #

Unclaimed letters can be a great source of information, though on the surface, quite scant... the main thing is that it can give you an idea as to where to look. Of course, we would love to know who sent the letters, what connection they had with the addressee .. why was the letter sent and if only we could read those elusive letters.

Some will mention a destination that is more than a town.. it might be sent care of a hotel, or school or even a church... sometimes a workplace. However the majority will give little else but a place if you are lucky. That's when we need to look for TROVE mentions, check any kind of rolls or lists of businesses, is there any mention of others with the same or very similar names... can you find a postal directory.. Were the names you are looking for ever named in a State or Police Gazette?

You will notice that the lists of unclaimed letters appear in various forms over the various states. I will be posting simply in order of date..I don't have any further information on any of these entries.

Happy hunting... 

Burrangong Argus (NSW : 1865 - 1913), Wednesday 7 March 1883

National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article247743469

Burrangong Argus (NSW : 1865 - 1913), Wednesday 30 May 1883, page 3

National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article247744067

Darwin Town Hall ruins.. opened in 1883 *

Northern Territory Times and Gazette (Darwin, NT : 1873 - 1927), Saturday 23 June 1883

National Library of Australia  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3154199

Names above are A. Drancher, G.G. Johnston, C. Lowther, J. Lowther, Baron von Poelnitz (?), 

Partridge and  Roberts, W.H. Reid, Denis Whelan, D.L. Ogilby, C. Cromwell, Baron von Poelnitz.

^ Cooma Post Office

Taken by John O'Neill

Manaro Mercury, and Cooma and Bombala Advertiser (NSW : 1862 - 1931), Wednesday 25 July 1883   National Library of Australia. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article115712458

Manaro Mercury, and Cooma and Bombala Advertiser (NSW : 1862 - 1931), Wednesday 29 August 1883,   National Library of Australia   http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article115711650

Port Augusta Post Office +

Courtesy of State Library of South Australia

Public Domain

Port Augusta Dispatch and Flinders' Advertiser (SA : 1880 - 1884), Wednesday 8 August 1883 National Library of Australia   http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202946775

Burrangong Argus (NSW : 1865 - 1913), Wednesday 3 October 1883   National Library of Australia    http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article247744884

North Australian (Darwin) 23 Nov 1883

TUE following is a list of unclaimed letters and papers at the Palmerston Post Office : -S- Ashimovitch. P. Anderson, J. Ander-hon, R. Browne, G. S.Bowen (2). H.Coker, J. Costello (paper). Ed. Bairster. L. Crawford. L. Elvey (paper), T. Hedges (2), G. Harlett - Hinds, M. Hill. A. Hanns. R. Kerr, W. Moreton (telegram), E. J. McKenzie (3). Donald MeLennon, W. R. Marmion (letters and papers). Wm. Millian. D. Powers. Jas. Pritchard, J. Payne (paper), E. Straton. W. Sanders (2), W. Saunders (telegram). P. H. Sanders, E. B. Tierney. Arthur Thompson, Denis Whelan, E. M. Wuth.

Report for 1883

#  The Illustrated London News, 28 April 1866, p. 416 Unknown Author Public Domain

*  Built from local porcelanite stone and cyprus pine, the town hall was opened in 1883. It was used by the Palmerston District Council (later Darwin Town Council) until 1937. Over the years, the building has had many uses: library, court house and bank before functioning as a Navy workshop and storage area during the war.  Courtesy of Australia for Everyone

Location: 11 Smith Street, Darwin 

^  Cooma Post Office
"In 1877 it was decided that the rented premises occupied by the post office were no longer appropriate and that a new building was needed. In February of that year the tender of builder John Harris was accepted, work commenced and after some delays completed un June 1879 for a cost of £1,500. John Kirwan, Cooma's postmaster since 1869, remained in charge of postal services until 1895. The building is designed in the Victorian Italianate style and built of ashlar granite gneiss." jjron photographer

+  Post Office and Town Hall of Port Augusta was erected in 1886-87. The main hall was destroyed by fire in 1944. The Town Hall was built of brownstone from Quorn, decorated with Ionic columns and gables either side of the square clock tower.