Cat No.: AU2100-1848:
No of pages in original: 1871pp
Year published: (1848)
So you've heard of Government Gazettes ... but just what are they, and how can they help you with your research?
What is the Government Gazette?
This was an official publication for Government notices, including the operation dates of Acts of Parliament. Once the notice in the Gazette is published, the public is deemed to have notice of it. The 1848 were generally produced twice a week, plus an occasional 'Extraordinary' issue.
What will I find in a New South Wales Government Gazette?
Tens of thousands of ordinary people and localities, small and large, are mentioned every year in Government Gazettes. You will find details on land transactions, court notices, notice of acts, tenders and contracts, police auctions of stolen property, statistics, unclaimed letters, impoundments of cattle and horses, insolvent and bankruptcy cases, reward notices, much more ... There is a large amount of information (which include physical descriptions) relating to convicts - absconders, those who were granted ticket-of-leave, certificates-of-freedom, deserters, apprehensions and more.
Some features of this year's issues are:
• intestate estates
• return of estates of deceased intestates Port Phillip
• applications for crown lands within settled districts
• purchasers of town allotments - Sydney, country districts, including Port Phillip
• list of persons who took out a licence to depasture stock on crown lands
• convict pardons and conditional pardons
• prisoners absconded (with descriptions)
• auctioneers licences
• merchant seaman licences
• list of licensed surveyors
• distillers licences
• unclaimed letters
How can this information help me?
Government Gazettes contain a vast amount of historical and genealogical information. Now that they are on CD you can search for any number of names or places easily. But they offer researchers much more than simply names and places. They will help you reconstruct events and circumstances in the life of individuals and communities.
Example entry taken from the 4 January 1848 issue:
Colonial Secretary's Office,
Sydney, 28th December, 1847.
THOMAS MATTHEWS AND RICHARD WIGZELL
Enquiry having been made from England, respecting Thomas Matthews and Richard Wigzell, both of the Parish of Ightham, in the County of Kent, who are understood to have emigrated to this Colony in the ship "Amelia Thompson", in 1838, any person who can furnish information respecting them, is requested to have the goodness to communicate the same to this office.
By His Excellency's Command,
E. Deas Thomson
Example entry taken from the 18 January 1848 issue:
Notice is hereby given, that Robert Burrowes of Balmain, near Sydney, gentleman, intends to apply, after the expiration of fourteen days after the publication hereof, to the Supreme Court of New South Wales, in its Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, that letters of administration of all and singular the goods, chattels, credits and effects, which were of Thomas Burrowes, late of Balmain aforesaid, who died intestate, be granted to him.-Dated this eighteenth day of January, 1848.
George Rowley,
Proctor for the said Robert Burrowes, 224, Elizabeth-street, Sydney
This product provides a great tool for researching New South Wales history, making information that is difficult to find easily accessible on one CD.
No. of CDs is: 1 ; Format is: PDF ; Searchable?: YES;
FastFind: Yes; ISBN No.: 9781921461033;