TROVE TUESDAY, 10TH JANUARY, 2017 - GOVERNMENT GAZETTES, not boring!

GOVERNMENT GAZETTES ... FAR FROM BORING!

Mention 'Government Gazettes' and watch the eyes roll... 

but not by family historians.

Even the most obscure of the Gazettes, and yes, they do come in a variety of categories, can elicit some very interesting information.

Police Gazettes seem to be among the best known. They have been a godsend to me, especially when researching my in laws. I have found everything from missing persons, to court cases, to lost items, unclaimed letters, public service positions, appointments, transfers, etc. Through these, I have been able to create timelines for many of them.

However, looking beyond these, to other Gazettes, can also be productive. Take for instance, this one..

Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), Friday 16 October 1953  - Lands Department Notices

You can click to enlarge..

 You might notice that only 'undermentioned gentlemen and bodies' are mentioned as trustees 'of portions of land hereinafter particularised.'

No women mentioned.. and what could be at all interesting about these notices. Firstly any dated list of names and places can help create a timeline if you are fortunate enough to have an interest in any of the names mentioned. 

If you scroll down to the third image, you will notice one entry marked with a red line..

So, what was my interest there... 

* Urunga was my home town...

* The date is 29th May, 1953... just 10 days after my beloved grandfather had died.

* One of the above mentioned 'gentlemen' was my Uncle David Catsoulis, appointed as trustee of the War Memorial (Hall), which was the hub of the community. The Hall was used for dances, meetings, CWA functions, movies, town meetings, all the uses you would expect in a small country town. However, this refers to the War Memorial which was to feature in the hall for many years. I must check to see if it still there. 

Was my uncle chosen as an ex serviceman? Checking the other names...  TUCKER, also a WWII veteran, as is SHAW, also MITCHELL and AITKEN.  Appropriate choices.. and it seems to be the obvious reason these men were chosen. All these names are familiar to me as long time residents of Urunga and also as friends of my family.


If you read through some of these pages, (or all if you wish, as you just might find familiar names or places...) you will find trustees of cemeteries, setting aside of specified areas for various religions, changes of trustees, etc. 

Public recreation areas feature often... they may tell you when your local park was planned.
Muswellbrook's showground was planned back in 1932, so if you have an ancestor involved in a local show in Muswellbrook in 1930, you know that it must have been in a different area.  Were there houses there before, how big was the town, was that show held in a paddock? 

Whatever we find, there are always  more questions to be asked.

Now for something different... 

Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001), Friday 7 June 1935 

REGISTRATION OF STOCK BRANDS ACT 1921.

 As this is a 12 page document, I won't post the lot, just a couple of pages. You can find the full gazette with the details above...

Page. 1

Page. 6

This identifies what particular format is registered, 

in this case, Letters and Signs.. the last category.

Page 13. 

A familiar name... my grandfather, 

Theodore Catsoulis..

 but this brings up another question of course, why Isabella as the name for the stock brand? I don't know of any Isabellas in the family, the property never had a name that I have heard of... and sadly, there is no one left to ask. How I wish that I had found this when Dad was still with us. The answer may be in one of the many notebooks that my grandfather kept, and which were passed on to my father. Now that is a challenge. It could be quite some time before they can be found. 

 The only vague reason I can come up with is a play on Bellingen, another town prominent in my family's history. 

Possible?

As stated before, there is always more to learn..and more to unearth. What is the most unusual or unexpected resource you have used? What did you find, did you understand it all?

Please leave a comment so we can also learn.

TROVE TUESDAY 3RD JANUARY, 2017 - NEW YEAR'S EVE OF OLD

100 years ago, 

New Year's Eve 

was celebrated in slightly different ways,

but has anything really changed?

" In no suburb is the dawn a New Year celebrated as it is in Manly. Last night, when the old year expired "by effluxion of time", there were fully 5000 persons in the principal thoroughfare of the Corso. The Manly Band, which had been playing various selections during the evening, just on the stroke of midnight, played the hymns, "Lead Kindly Light", "Abide With Me", and "A Day's March Nearer Home". Then as the hour was striking everyone clasped hands, forming a tremendous ring, and sang "Auld Lang Syne". The proceedings closed with the singing of the National Anthem.

THE OLD YEAR PASSES

ENTER 1917

The passing away of the old year and the dawn of 1917 were celebrated without any display of hilarity, New Year's Eve falling on a Sunday. Following an old custom, watchnight services were held in several of the city churches. A good many people remained astir until the midnight hour had struck, and the new year was ushered in by the exchange of good wishes for a happy and prosperous new year.

Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW. 1888-1954) Mon 1Jan 1917

USHERING IN THE NEW

YEAR.

NEW YEAR'S EVE.

IN BROKEN HILL.

New Year's Eve last night, although

not so lively in Broken Hill as in

former years, mainly on account of it

falling on Sunday, was celebrated in

public by a large section of the com-

munity in various ways. The Scottish

Piper's Band was the first on the scene,

and the skirl of the pipes as the bands-

men marched through the streets at-

tracted a large crowd. The band gave

several selections at the intersection of

Argent and Lodide streets. Later the

Irish Pipers' Band did a tour of the

city in a motor-lorry, and the

Broken Hill Band also played the old

year out-and the new year in. Bands

of carol singers and revellers likewise

paraded the streets. At midnight there

was the usual great noise caused by

the mine whistles and the letting off of

fireworks and bombs in almost every

quarter of the city. In many of the

churches watchnight services were conducted.

THE PASSING YEAR

We are standing on the threshold of another

year. Thousands of tired and anxious

hearts are waiting at the exit of the old year

for the portals of the new year to open. They

are looking backwards sorrowfully and for-

wards fearfully, trying to peer Into the in

scrutable future, asking the invisible. Provi

dence if they have not given enough, praying

to be spared in 1917 blows as cruel as 1916

meted out to them.

In times gone by people were wont to speed

parting time with such feasting and hilarity

that it almost seemed as if they were glad

to lop off another year of the short, span of

life allotted them. It may be news to many

to learn that although January was made the

beginning of the year by the Roman calendar

centuries B.C., it was only in 1752 that it be-

came the initial day of the legal, as well as

the popular year, in England. Documents

hitherto were dated (between January and

the Jewish New Year, somewhere about

March 25) January 30, 1648-9, meaning that

although popular feeling called the year 1649,

it was legally only '48. Scotland adopted the

popular new year wholly in 1600, when James

VI declared it legal. His good sense was

probably, due to the Influence of France,

which, had it nearly a hundred years before

because France and Scotland had many ties

then that knit the nations in bonds of sym

pathy. Possibly it is for this reason that

Scotland makes suclr a festival of the new

year. . . .

There even to-day, If Scottish hearts have

not been too sadly scourged, the head of the

house will sit before his steaming bowl of

spiced ale, with his family, around him, and

as the clock strikes the last hour of the pass

ing year, each will pledge the other's health.

Poorer people's children will dress up and

visit their richer neighbors, and demand their

Hogmanay, in the form of oaten bread and

little cakes, possibly in the words , used by

their great-grandmothers:

"Get up, good wife, and dinna sweir,

And deal your bread to them that's here;

For the time will come when ye'll be dead.

And then ye'll neither need ale nor bread."

Housewives prepare for this coming for

days beforehand baking "and the one that

begrudged to give, on this night of giving,

could expect that the first foot that crossed

her threshold would be fair-complexloned and

bring the house ill-fortune for the new year.

The French, too, just prior to war days,

made a great festival of new year, possibly;

because their celebrations of Christmas was

rather a quiet religious feast. Bon-bon sou

venirs in all manner of shapes were made by

the confectioners, and eagerly bought up for

gifts. At this time parents bestowed portions

and dowers on their children, 'and

husbands made settlements on their

wives. It was the season for inter

change of visitors, beginning with

the nearest relatives to the newest acquaint

ance. Much amusement was caused by this

conflict of visits. There was a great struggle

to be first, particularly among the men, as it

was the privilege of the first over the thres-

hold to kiss the ladles of the house on each

cheek, and the daughters of the house are

such closely guarded treasures that it was

worth while beginning with grandma, to win

a salute from the fresh cheeks of the grand

daughters.

Sitting up until twelve, and then unbarring

the door with great solemnity, to let the old

year out and the new year in, as the bells

pealed out, was another old custom. It was

at this moment that each heart resolved to

try to do better things in the coming year.

The new year bells were supposed to come

with a warning and a message, and religious

folk repaired to church to make their vows

with great solemnity. Let us hope that this

new year's peal will

"Ring out the grief that saps the mind,

For those that here we see no more.

Ring out the feud of rich and poor, .

Ring in redress to all mankind."

TROVE TUESDAY 20 DECEMBER, 2016 ... EARLY CHRISTMASES, BRISBANE

TROVE

as always, has so much to offer.

I hope you enjoy this collection of 

Christmas photos and Greeting Cards

related to Brisbane, Qld

over approx. 75 years.

Christmas card issued by Greenfield and Barraclough, Brisbane Opticians, ca. 1893 SLQ

Christmas day at the Trackson residence, Newmarket, Brisbane, 1900 SLQ

Christmas postcard of Victoria Bridge, Brisbane, ca. 1908 SL Qld

Christmas at 'Marama'. (Description supplied with photograph.)

Family celebrating Christmas in Brisbane, 1920

• Creator
• Hoy, William, 1892-1978
• Published
• John Oxley Library, 
• State Library of Queensland, 
• December 1920

Marama was the name of a steamship, used as a hospital ship during WW1

http://www.ssmaritime.com/Marama.htm

Perhaps it was also the name of the house.

Christmas greetings from the Minister and Officers of the Department of Public Lands, Brisbane, 1920 SLQ

Christmas card from Lord Mayor 1925 SL Qld

Albert Street Methodist Church, later to be dwarfed by the SGIO and other buildings.

Undated - State Library Qld

Brisbane City Hall with a rather simple Christmas tree compared to what we have now.

Though undated, this was after 1969 when cars were no longer allowed in the Square 

and just before one of the number of makeovers that have happened since the 1970s.

This may be out of sequence, but I thought I would keep the best till last..

 Christmas greetings poem from Ipswich Cash & Carry store, Brisbane Street, Ipswich, 1940s SLQ

These were included in all the grocery orders, I wonder how many of the customers

recognised themselves in this poem.

TROVE TUESDAY DEC 13, 2016.. Urunga & District History

URUNGA AND DISTRICT 

CEDAR INDUSTRY

EXCERPTS FROM TROVE

 SHIPPING WAS VITAL

 SO WAS PLANTING NEW TREES

The Forestry Commission played an important part.

Raleigh Sun (Bellingen, NSW : 1898 - 1918), Saturday 8 September 1917, page 2 

ONE OF MANY INVOLVED IN THE INDUSTRY

Coffs Harbour Advocate (NSW : 1907 - 1942; 1946 - 1954), Tuesday 13 December 1927, page 3 

OLD CEDAR TRAILS CAME IN HANDY

Daily Examiner (Grafton, NSW : 1915 - 1954), Tuesday 9 January 1934, page 8 

INDUSTRY REVIVED IN THE '40S

Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Saturday 1 November 1947, page 10 

(Please click on images to enlarge.)

IN 1947, CEDAR BECAME EVEN MORE VALUABLE

Worker (Brisbane, Qld. : 1890 - 1955), Monday 15 December 1947, page 13 

OPINIONS VARIED AS TO HOW TO TREAT THE TIMBER

(PLEASE CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGES TO ENLARGE)

DR. GEORGE HEWITT WAS AS WELL KNOWN 

AS A HORTICULTURIST AS A DOCTOR,

SO HE WOULD HAVE HAD SOME INFLUENCE.

You can read more about the beautiful red cedar here

http://gilmour.design/blog/australian-red-cedar