Welcome





Welcome to the News Website of the Toowoomba and Darling Downs Family History Society.
We will be posting regular updates of Society News and other Local Family History items.
Check down the left hand side of the page for links to some great Society resources and past news items.



Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Queensland Assisted Immigration Index Errors

A valuable resource for those researching Assisted Immigration into Queensland is the online index of Assisted Passengers for the period 1848-1912. This index has links to the digital images of Passenger Lists. http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/Researchers/Indexes/Immigration/Pages/Immigration1848.aspx

However the QSA states: ‘This index does not include all immigration records for the period. The records for the 1860s are incomplete because they were inundated in the 1893 floods. The registers held at Queensland State Archives were rewritten from the damaged originals during that period and contain errors. For example, as entries were "corrected" and overwritten at the time, some ships have two dates of arrival recorded. Additional research may be required to confirm details.’
Some of us have read this qualifying statement, but not thought about the implications for accurate research. Many of us have not even read it, assuming that a government produced record must be correct. 

TDDFHS member, Diana Beal, has proved the following errors:
* The list for the Young Australia 1862 voyage is in fact for the 1865 (29 May-20 Aug) voyage.
* The list for the Fiery Star 1864 voyage is in fact for the 1863 voyage (both arrived 20 Nov.)

Also our member Doreen found:
* The Dirigio of 1860 is mis-transcribed as the “Dingo”



 We would be grateful if anyone has proof of other errors, to please advise our TDDFHS secretary, so we can alert other researchers via our website and our journal The Gazette. The full transcript of Diana’s research is in the society’s latest journal.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Toowoomba's First Dawn Service



When was our first Dawn Service in Toowoomba?

It seems that many towns want to claim that the first Dawn Service was held on their patch. None more so than Toowoomba. For those who attended one of the many services held in the Toowoomba Regional Council area, they possibly would have noted that on page 12 of the Toowoomba 100th Anniversary Anzac Day Commemoration Service handout it says: "First Dawn Service in Australia conducted in Toowoomba, 25th April, 1922."

Monday, March 2, 2015

Open Day for Military Research Sunday 26 April 2015

Photo John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland Queenslander Pictorial supplement 27 Nov 1915 p 21


On Sunday, 26th April we had an open day for WW1 Military Research in our rooms at 452 South Street, Toowoomba.
The day started at 9.0 am with a brief tutorial on using the digital resources held by the society, followed at 10 am by a demonstration focusing on digital records, tips and techniques for researching World War I military ancestors.

The Society has developed a file on military personnel who were born in Toowoomba and enlisted in WWI, as well as a file of those not born in Toowoomba, but who enlisted in Toowoomba. These files along with others relating to both world wars were available to research free of charge.

We have available at our South Street library, copies of the tutorial notes from the day.available for a fee of $3.00.
Visitors are always welcome within opening hours to research any of their Family History with the help of our Volunteer staff.