Source Information
© the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales and is used under licence with the permission of the State Records Authority. The State of New South Wales gives no warranty regarding the data's accuracy, completeness, currency or suitability for any particular purpose.
About New South Wales, Australia, Government Gazettes, 1853-1899
Government gazettes “published by Authority” provided an official communication channel for regulations, legislation, and other official information to be shared with government officials and employees, as well as the public at large. New South Wales published its first official gazette in March 1832. This database includes 149 issues of the gazette published between 1853 and 1899.
Gazettes are full of material that can be of use and interest to family historians. They include notices about
- government appointments
- convicts
- land transactions (including crown land leases)
- missing persons
- bankruptcies and insolvencies
- next of kin
- military deserters
- wills, probate, and estates
- court proceedings
- police auctions
- unclaimed and impounded letters
- licenses
- some government contracts
- trademarks and copyrights
- lost or stolen property
- qualified medical practitioners
- cattle brands
Because gazettes include such a wide variety of notices, researchers can find many ordinary people, not just government officials, mentioned in their pages. The gazettes can also be used to place individuals in a specific time and location, as well as putting people and communities in historical context.
