Find your ancestors in Tasmania Reports of Crime 1875

Gazettes are published by governments and their agencies as a means of communication to officials and the general public. As such they are useful, not only to monitor the actions of the government, but also as far as family historians are concerned, they are valuable primary source documents.

Police gazettes provided information and instructions to members of the police force. You can expect the Tasmanian Police Gazettes (in the earliest years called Reports of Crime) to include the following information that will usually list names and sometimes personal details, descriptions with photograph, addresses and/or occupations as an added bonus for the researcher:

apprehensions
convict returns
disciplining of police
escapees and absconders from custody
housebreakers and burglars
licensed carriers, hawkers, oyster fishers, and tanners
deserting wives, families, etc
deserting from military service
deserting from merchant vessels
inquests
missing friends
murderers and their victims
police resignations
prisoners discharged from gaols
prisoners released on tickets of leave
property and stock recovered
rewards—names of persons offering a reward
victims of arson
victims of horse and cattle stealing or straying
victims of lost or stolen property
victims of sheep stealing or straying
Example entry taken from the 18 October 1875 issue:

Return of Paupers Discharged from the Invalid Depots, Tasmania

Name Ship From what District Admitted Date Admitted Date Discharged Remarks - why discharged, and if able to earn their living
Smith, John D. of Richmond Hobart 31 Dec. '73 2 Oct. '75 To service
Halliday, Thomas Lord Auckland Ditto 7 Jan. '75 Ditto At own request. Unable to work.
Shields, Francis Lord Dalhousie Ditto 11 May '75 4 Oct. '75 Ditto. Ditto.
Connor, Michael Dawson Ditto 25 June '75 Ditto Ditto. Able to work.
Brennan, James F. Fish Ditto 4 May '75 7 Oct. '75 Ditto. Unable to work.
Sutton, John Nile Ditto 10 April '75 8 Oct. '75 Ditto. Ditto.
Graves, Joshua M. Soames Ditto 10 July '75 11 Oct. '75 Ditto. Able to work
Parry, Evan Moffatt 2 Ditto 29 April '75 Ditto Ditto. Unable to work.
Cochrane, Samuel E. & Henry Launceston 13 May '75 Ditto Ditto. Able to work.
Burke, James Salween Hobart 25 Sept. '75 13 Oct. '75 To Police