Hello list, I have a death notice from a newspaper in Tasmania. It refers to the death of John THOMAS, died on Feb 18 1902 at Brisbane, Qld. Formerly of Hobart, in his 56th year. I have looked at the Brisbane City Council cemetery page and found: John Harris THOMAS, buried 19 Feb 1902 at Lutwyche Cemetery. It appears he is buried alone: PART: monumental, PORTION:COE2, Section: 3A, Grave number: 3. Is the City council likely to have any further information than this (eg like is there a headstone, an inscription recorded etc). I am a bit of a novice with regards to Qld records and I would appreciate any help. To my knowledge, my John THOMAS did not have a middle name of Harris - but he may have I suppose. Does the Pioneers Index give any further details eg age, parents names etc. Any advice greatfully received! Michelle in Tasmania

Michelle, I can't answer your immediate question, but here's my 2c worth of advice. It seems very likely that the death (18 Feb) and burial (19 Feb) would match - Brisbane was still just a big country town back then, though John THOMAS is hardly a rare name (I have 2 other 19C Tasmanian John THOMAS's in my tree!). You could try phoning the council at 07 3407 8128, to see if they can give more info. Unfortunately I don't think there is a sexton at Lutwyche (but I could be wrong). I found the sexton at the biggest Brisbane cemetery, Toowong, to be very helpful; but they seem to be a rare breed. There are published transcriptions of most cemeteries - but I'm not sure about Lutwyche. If you can't find anyone due to visit the cemetery and willing to help, it may be worth contacting one of the main societies here: http://www.qfhs.org.au http://www.gsq.org.au as they have good libraries covering the Brisbane scene. The Qld Pioneers Index only goes to 1889. What you want for 1902 is the Qld Federation Fiche which covers 1890-1914 - I'm not sure if this is out on CD yet. The death entries do give age, and parents names (including mother's maiden name); assuming of course that this info was known when registered. You may be able to get the staff at the State Research Library to check the fiche for you. See their website http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/ and under Services & Collections, see Ask A Librarian. I think they will do a lookup, but I'm not sure as I haven't used this service myself. However I have always found the SRL staff to be very capable and helpful. Also, if you're sure the death details are for the person you want, the best thing is to get the certificate. Queensland death certificates (at least the pre-1890 ones that I have) are an absolute mine of information. Assuming the informant was able to supply the info, it should have age, place of birth, parents incl. father's profession & mother's maiden name, all spouses, all children, where & when buried, undertaker, witnesses, ... A lot more info than 19C Tassie death registers have! Unfortunately, unlike the early Tassie ones which are on film, you have to pay for Qld ones. I have only ever bought pre-1890 certificates, which are available (photocopied from the original register) from Qld State Archives. For 1902 you need the registrar general, see http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/bdm/home.htm I have never dealt with them, except to get my own birth certificate extract, many moons ago. A death certificate costs $24 (GST free - miracle of miracles!) I'm not sure what you get (photocopy or typed extract). There is no problem with privacy restrictions, for a death more than 50 years ago. See http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/bdm/forms.htm Finally, as the burial is in COE portion, you could try the archives centre at Church House (I had one fruitful visit there - a not often mentioned resource). http://www.anglicanbrisbane.gil.com.au/thediocese/archives/ Good hunting, Steve Michelle Behrens wrote: > Hello list, > > I have a death notice from a newspaper in Tasmania. It refers to the death of John THOMAS, died on Feb 18 1902 at Brisbane, Qld. Formerly of Hobart, in his 56th year. > > I have looked at the Brisbane City Council cemetery page and found: > > John Harris THOMAS, buried 19 Feb 1902 at Lutwyche Cemetery. It appears he is buried alone: PART: monumental, PORTION:COE2, Section: 3A, Grave number: 3. Is the City council likely to have any further information than this (eg like is there a headstone, an inscription recorded etc). > > I am a bit of a novice with regards to Qld records and I would appreciate any help. To my knowledge, my John THOMAS did not have a middle name of Harris - but he may have I suppose. > > Does the Pioneers Index give any further details eg age, parents names etc. > > Any advice greatfully received! > > Michelle in Tasmania