Queensland separated from the colony of New South Wales in 1859 and quickly developed through agriculture, mining, and immigration. It is a large, sparsely populated state that takes up most of the north eastern quadrant of Australia. The majority of the population is clustered in the south eastern region of the state, specifically in the capital, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast regions. Other regional centres are dotted along the tropical coastline and there are a few mid sized communities inland.
Research your ancestors on MyHeritage
Understand the History of Queensland
Indigenous Society in Queensland
_(14595493188).jpg)
Queensland is home to two distinctive groups of First Nations people -- the aboriginal language groups of the mainland and the Torres Strait Islander peoples from the archipelago situated between Far North Queensland’s Cape York Peninsular and Papua New Guinea. There are over 150 different aboriginal language groups across Queensland. The State Library of Queensland has a comprehensive resource and interactive map that explains the geographical distribution and cultural context of different language groups.
The arrival of Europeans had a devastating effect on indigenous life and culture. Tracing indigenous family history can be a confronting and challenging activity.
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and SLQ’s Indigenous Family History service provide culturally sensitive genealogical resources for people with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage.
The Queensland Government holds most historical archival information about Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts provides access to records created by the department as a result of its administration of the Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 (and subsequent 'Protection Acts'). These departmental records mostly relate to Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples who lived in Queensland and who were subject to the 'Protection Acts'. [1]
These records are predominantly held by Queensland State Archives and include records from the Office of the Chief Protector of Aboriginals. Note that some of these records have access restrictions.
European History
In 1823, John Oxley established a penal colony at Moreton Bay on behalf of the colonial powers in New South Wales. In 1825 this settlement relocated to the site of present-day Brisbane, the state capital. That same year, Edmund Lockyer discovered large reserves of coal in the region which brought in additional settlers and industry. Queensland separated from the colony of New South Wales in 1859 and quickly developed agricultural and mining industries, which encouraged more immigration. The discovery of gold brought an influx of new settlers and the vast swathes of grazing land led to the establishment of vast sheep and cattle stations.
After Federation in 1901, the Sate of Queensland continued to develop its resources and pastural industries. The mining, agriculture and tourism industries are now major employers and have attracted migrant workers from across the world.
For more information see Queensland.
Major Data Sources
Queensland State Archives Open Data Portal
The Queensland Government's Open Data Portal facilitates access to a huge range of contemporary and historical data from government sources.
There are 129 data sets available from the Queensland State Archives, including:
- Index to Deed Polls (Change of Name) 1889-1920 - A searchable list of name changes processed through the Supreme Court, Brisbane
- Naturalisations 1851-1908 - This index was created from various records detailing the names of those who took oaths of allegiance to be naturalised as created by the Supreme Court across Queensland
- Photographic records of prisoners 1875-1936 - This dataset contains photographic records (portraits) and descriptions of male and female Queensland criminals created by Queensland Prisons Department.
Several other indexes are referenced below in specific areas of genealogical interest.
Understand Queensland Geography
Queensland is a vast geographic area with a range of different climatic conditions ranging from the tourist mecca of the coastal resorts along the coast, the vast pastural stations and massive mines in semi-arid desert areas in the west and the lush tropical rainforests of the northern tip.
- South East Queensland has a population of ~3,500,000 people, or 72% of the state's population. The area includes Brisbane, the state's capital city, as well as the Logan City, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich and the Lockyer Valley. The region is the major administrative and commercial centre and major driver of tourism within Queensland.
- Darling Downs/ South West Queensland is located about 160 kilometres (100 mi) west of Brisbane and borders the states of New South Wales and South Australia. The region consists of the fertile agricultural area west of the Great Dividing Range and south to the New South Wales state border. Centred on the city of Toowoomba, economic activities include cattle grazing, cotton farming, and natural resource extraction such as natural gas and opal mining.
- Wide Bay–Burnett is located north-east of the Darling Downs and north of the Sunshine Coast. It covers a region of 52,377 square kilometres (20,223 sq mi). Major centres include Bundaberg, Gympie, Hervey Bay, Kingaroy and Maryborough. The area is rich in sugar cane farms and mills and has a significant tourism industry
- Central Queensland borders South Australia and the Northern Territory, and contains the major centres of Rockhampton and Gladstone, the coastal areas and popular holiday destinations Yeppoon, Agnes Water and 1770. Further west it extends to the Diamantina, Longreach and Winton local government areas. Despite its vast land area - 497,714 square kilometres (192,168 sq mi) - it only has a population of 228,246 (2021 Census). The region's economy is heavily dominated by coal mining, and cattle grazing. A major aluminium smelter is located in Gladstone.
- Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday is centred on the coastal city of Mackay and extends some 300 km inland. It includes the Whitsunday Islands group and the coastal towns of Bowen, Proserpine, and Sarina. The coastal areas are densely covered in sugar cane farms, while the less densely populated inland areas have several mining communities. Tourism is also a major industry.
- North Queensland is a coastal region centred on the city of Townsville and secondary inland city of Mount Isa. Townsville is the home to a major seaport from which the products of mines in Mount Isa and cattle from coastal and inland areas are exported. The region also contains a bulk sugar exporting terminal at Lucinda in the region's north.
- Far North Queensland is the largest region covering 22% - 380,748.3 square kilometres (147,008 sq mi) - of the state. It includes the Cape York Peninsula, the Torres Strait, and the Gulf of Carpentaria. The main population and administrative centre of the region is located in Cairns. The region is also home to many Aboriginal and farming communities. Significant industries include tourism, cattle grazing, agriculture (sugar cane and tropical fruits) and mining of both sand and bauxite.[2]
The Queensland Historical Atlas – contains thematic maps and essays that explore Queensland’s spatial history.
Queensland Globe is an interactive mapping tool similar to Google Earth, which allows you to explore the landscape and zoom in. Logged in users can access historical overlays.
Land and Property Records
You can search land orders, pastoral leases, and selectors’ records from the mid-19th century onward via Queensland State Archives – Land Selection Records
City Directories
In Queensland, Pugh’s Almanac (named after the editor and publisher, Theophilus Pugh) was the most important 19th century companion for the desk of the businessman, farmer, pastoralist or urban citizen. The almanac included other useful sources of information such as historical information about Queensland, notable events in chronological order from the previous year (floods, droughts, deaths of well-known persons and sinking of ships among the many topics), expected events in the coming year, as well as notable people in the community. Pugh’s Almanac was first published from 1859 and is available on microfilm at State Library of Queensland, with annual editions up until 1927. Printed copies are also available in storage. The University of Queensland has digitised Pugh’s Alamac as part of the Text Queensland platform. The almanac can be viewed by selecting a year of interest, between 1859 and 1927 - [3]
Contextualise migration
.jpg)
Queensland is home to a diverse community across urban and rural areas. MyHeritage holds several collections relevant to migration to Queensland including:
- Australia, Queensland Assisted Immigration
- Queensland Early Pioneers Index, 1824 - 1859
- Australia, Queensland Naturalizations
The Queensland Open Data Portal holds indexes for:
- Farm Lads 1911-1940 - the Names of boys who came to Queensland under the Farm Lads migration scheme.
- Registers of immigrants 1882 to 1938 - an index compiled from a selection of registers recording immigrant arrivals at various Queensland ports, as created by the Immigration Department for the period 1882 to 1938
- Immigration 1922 to 1940 - an index compiled from the Registers of passenger lists of immigrant ships as created by the Immigration Department.
.jpg)
South Sea and Pacific Islanders were also brought to Queensland, not always voluntarily, to work on sugar cane plantations.
About 62,000 South Sea Islanders were recruited for the labour trade in Queensland between 1863 -1903. Islanders were taken from more than 80 pacific islands, although those in Queensland were mostly taken from the Islands of Melanesia, particularly from Vanuatu. [4]
Queensland State Archives (QSA) holds more than 112 separate registers or record sets with details of Pacific Islanders accessible via the Qld Government Open Data Portal including:
Life Cycle Records
Vital Records
The Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages holds registers of civil registration records from 1829 with the following embargo periods as mandated by state and federal privacy legislation...
- Births: 100 years
- Marriages: 75 years
- Deaths: 30 years
Certificates can be ordered directly, with instant downloadable images available for many entries.
- Trove includes extensive coverage of Queensland newspapers from 1840s–present including Family Notices such as births, deaths and marriages.
- Divorces 1861 to 1894 - This Queensland Data Portal index was compiled from the Matrimonial petitions (otherwise known as divorce files) created by the Supreme Court of Queensland, Southern District, Brisbane from 1861 to 1894
Cemetery Records
- Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search Covers major cemeteries like Toowong and Balmoral.
- Australian Cemeteries Index is an index of headstone transcripts and images.
- The Ryerson Index is an index of death and funeral announcments and obituaries published in Australian newspapers.
Wills & Probate Records
- Wills 1857 to 1940 (digital) - These indexes were compiled from the Ecclesiastical (will) files kept by the three Supreme Court Districts of Queensland (Northern, Central and Southern) between 1857 and 1940.
School and Education Records
- Queensland School Pupils Index on MyHeritage
Sources from which the names are drawn are diverse - actual school admission registers, school histories covering a significant anniversary (Jubilee, Golden, Centenary) in the life of a school, and local histories which don't focus on the school but include a pupil list as part of their story. Many of the original sources provide additional information on the family including age at admission, birth date, parent's name and occupation, religion, address.
- School Admissions Registers 1878-2001 at the Queensland Data Portal is a compilation of all series of school admission registers for all Queensland state (government) schools from 1878 to 2001 held at Queensland State Archives.
Census and Electoral Rolls
Census records in Australia not include personally identifying information. Australian Electoral Rolls are the next best thing to locate individuals in time and place.
Military Records
- National Archive of Australia holds military records for Queensland Soldiers. Go to RecordSearch/ NameSearch and select the relevant record set from the drop down menu.
- ANZAC Square - Queensland Memorials includes images and information about individuals commemorated on war memorials and honour boards around Queensland.
- Australian War Memorial - Queensland records
Research your ancestors on MyHeritage
Genealogical Societies
Local history and genealogical societies are an excellent source of information for family historians. They sometimes hold copies of local family histories and photographs not available in larger repositories.
See Also
Explore more about Queensland Research
- Queensland - Collection Catalog at MyHeritage
- Interview: Jeanette Finlayson – Central Queensland Family History Association - MyHeritage Blog, 2011
- Six Top Sites for Queensland Research - at Legacy Family Tree Webinars