extensive Land Tax Register and Valuation lists in Victoria which record an address, the nature of the holding, a full description of the property and the area and value; Assessment Rolls in Tasmania which provide similar information after 1900; Lists and Transfers of Runs; Crown land records; leases of various types; land sales in towns; and notices about new roads and licensed gates which impact on an individual’s property. All will provide information allowing you to extend your research into other documents. Mining In Victoria in particular, there are numerous notices inserted by shareholders applying to register mining companies. Apart from the place of intended operations, the shareholders are all listed together with their address, occupation and the number of shares held. Applications for mining leases, miner’s rights and business licences also open other avenues of research for those whose family thought mining a great way to make their fortune. Missing friends Lost or deliberately lost? These notices cover people who are heirs to an estate, husbands who have deserted their wives, criminals escaping the arm of the law and others where people have simply lost touch and are seeking to re-establish a connection. Whatever the reason, the snapshot in the notice can give a potted history of the life of the person — age, physical description, occupation, migration, places they resided and more. Naturalisations Aliens (non-British subjects) could apply for certificates or letters of naturalisation which would give them full citizenship rights. Some of these are recorded in the gazettes and can include the person’s occupation and residence. And more... Apart from the topics discussed, there are notices about unclaimed letters, unpaid rent, patents, trademarks, rolls of ship owners, horse theft, petitions, proclamations and so the list goes on — just waiting for you to discover. All can tell you something about the social conditions of the time and how the colonists fared and lived their lives. Closure periods The government and education gazettes are generally open to public view. Police gazettes, however, were
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