Find your ancestors in Pugh's Almanac & Queensland Directory 1916

Directories are a valuable source of information for local, family and social historians as well as researchers in other fields of Australian history. Directories are an extremely useful tool for establishing when and where a person lived. However this is just a starting point. Look further in the directory to find out more information about the society in which they lived, the occupation they held and the people they knew.

The Pugh's Queensland directories have been published annually since 1858. And as Queensland and its population grew, so did the size of the directories.

The 1916 edition contained here runs to over 1300 pages, and covers Brisbane city, suburbs and an extensive section on country towns (nearly 1000 are listed), this would have been the book of the time, to know all the regular information such as events on for the year, committee lists, governors, telegraph, postal, shipping and railway information, obituaries in the paper during 1915, tariffs and stamp duties, even tide tables and meteorological information.

The primary sections of the directory are the:

Professional directory: listing legal, medical, chemists, dentists, banking, newspaper and surveyors)
Ecclesiastical directory: details of ministers of religion, and where they were posted
Brisbane and Suburban streets directory: covers Brisbane city, Albion, Ascot, Alderley, Arran, Ashgrove, Auchenflower, Balmoral, Bowen Hills, Bulimba, Chermside, Clayfield, Eagle Farm, Eagle Juntion, East Brisbane, Enoggera, Graceville, Hamilton, Henra, Indooroopilly, Kedron, Kelvin Grove, Milton, Moorooka, New Farm, Newmarket, Newstead, Northgate, Nundah, Paddington, Red Hill, Rosalie, Sandgate, South Brisbane, Taringa, The Valley, Toowong, Torwood, Virginia, Windsor, Wooloowin, Yeronga and Yerongpilly.
Country Towns directory: contains details of about 1000 towns, with a brief description of each, and details of the services and trades in the town, together with the names of those who ran them.
The Pastoral directory and Registered Dairymen and Farmers section: will be a valuable resource for those with ancestors who were on the land.
The Sugar Cane Growers and Fruit Growers directories: will be useful for those whose families were in these fields of employment.
Lodge and Societies sections: include details and members of the Masonic Lodge, the Friendly Societies and Temperance Societies.