A few weeks ago, Brenda made an interesting find in Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria
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The Police Gazette was first issued on July 22, 1864. It was in the form of a newspaper because that was considered the best way to communicate important information from headquarters in Brisbane to police officers serving in widely-scattered locations throughout the state.
The masthead of the early editions described the Gazette as containing “Information received in cases of Felony and of Misdemeanour, and against Receivers of Stolen Property; reputed Thieves and Offenders escaped from custody, with the time, place, and circumstances of the Offences, and description of those who are not known; the appearance, dress, and other marks of identity, with every particular which may lead to their apprehension; and a Description, as accurate as possible, of Property that has been Stolen, Horses, &c” The Gazette was initially issued on a monthly basis. From 1881 it was printed fortnightly and in 1887 it became a weekly publication. Circulation was restricted to sworn officers and the papers were not available to the public (since they contained confidential, and sometimes incorrect, information). From 1893, photographs began to be used to supplement the written descriptions of offenders to enable more effective identification of suspects or missing persons. Why is it useful? If one of your ancestors had a run-in with the law, you may be surprised (and perhaps shocked) by the information that you find. This extends from the initial report of the crime, through the arrest to the notification of release from prison (including detailed descriptions of tattoos and other distinguishing marks). Many people who were not criminals were also mentioned in the Police Gazette. Family historians can gain valuable insights into the lives of ancestors who were victims of crime, members of the police force, or whose whereabouts were unknown to (geographically) distant relatives. In the late nineteenth century, a regular feature was the publication of a full list of Justices of the Peace, medical practitioners and licensed druggists (pharmacists) to enable police to readily identify and access an appropriate person when needed. The names of those people with approval to sell alcohol or to conduct gambling games were also published regularly to aid in enforcing the laws regulating those activities. Where can you access it? Since the Police Force was a Queensland government agency, a full set of the publications are held in the Queensland State Archives (along with an enormous number of other police records). You should look for three particular series of records
Both Find My Past and Ancestry subscription services provide searchable indexes to some (but not all, and not necessarily to the same subsets) of the text of the Gazettes.
The publisher Gould Genealogy has been licensed to produce and sell pdf copies of the full publications They are available on CD or USB sticks. A full set of those CDs is held in the family history section of the State Library of Queensland. Refer to http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/family-history/police-gazettes for details on how to access them. SLQ also has information on similar police gazettes produced in other jurisdictions. The Moreton Bay Regional Library collection includes copies of all the Gould CDs. They are not available for loan but can be used at Caboolture, Redcliffe or Strathpine Libraries. Queensland Family History Society has produced a database index to the Gazettes 1864-74. It can be purchased on CD for private use. Or there is a copy held at Strathpine Library for use on the premises. |
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