Click to enlarge

Judy Webster's Genealogy Tips and Indexes for local, interstate & overseas folk with historical records in Queensland and other Australian States. © Copyright, Judy Webster.    Search this site Why I use and recommend Findmypast

The few surviving patient records for Brisbane Hospital ('Brisbane General' or 'Royal Brisbane') are very useful for genealogy and family history. Some patients came from distant parts of Queensland including Cairns, Charters Towers, Adavale, Tambo, Goondiwindi, Stanthorpe and Maryborough. A hospital admission register is sometimes the only surviving source of information about immigration.

The most useful records are printed pages with spaces for these details (which, if supplied by the patient, may be more accurate than those on a death certificate):

Name;  date admitted;  age;  birthplace;  occupation;  religion;  ship of arrival;  how long in colony;  place of residence;  marital status;  place of marriage, at what age, and name of spouse;  names and ages of children living;  number and sex of children deceased;  father's name and occupation;  father's present residence if living (or 'father dead');  mother's maiden name;  disease or reason for admission;  date of discharge or date and cause of death;  and name and address of relatives or friends, or remarks such as 'two brothers on the goldfields'. Some patient records have additional details such as employment, wages, other sources of income, other wage-earners in the family, property, membership of clubs or benefit societies, or medical charts.

Explanation of names below:

• Date range:  earliest admissions 1887, latest 1902 (with gaps) - but names from a more recent register will soon be added to this page.
• Names are from four (4) volumes and three (3) different series of records.
• Names without a surname, eg 'Tommy (Aboriginal)', are listed under the first letter of the name.
• '..' means no name was stated, or the name was illegible.
• A question mark means the handwriting was difficult to decipher and the spelling is in doubt.
• Names beginning with 'Mc' precede other 'M' surnames.
• Apostrophes have been removed from names such as O'SHEA.
• Scroll through the list. Names may have been spelled incorrectly in the records.
• If there is more than one entry for a name, the same person may have been admitted more than once, or there may be several people with the same name. Check *all* such entries, because some may be more detailed or more accurate than others.
• For names below, see how to get information, or copies of the original records.

Back to top of page

Genealogy is my business (not just a hobby), and I've spent over 35 years learning about (and indexing) original records, so I charge fees for my time (to consult my index, travel to a record office, find the bundle/volume and page, obtain copies and send them to you).

You don't pay for '(see...)' cross-references. For example, if the list said
    BLOGGS Joe
    BLOGGS Joe
    BLOGGS Joseph (see BLOGGS Joe)
then you'd request '2 x BLOGGS Joe' and pay for 2 entries (not 3, because the 3rd entry is just a cross-reference).

Option No.1:  Brisbane Hospital INDEX: Record Series & Quote.

$4 for one entry, plus $2 for each additional entry (same name or different names). This option is especially useful for common names. If you get details from my index, you will sometimes see that the record must be for a different person with the same name, and you won't waste money ordering a copy that's irrelevant.

What I'll tell you (from my index):

• 'Patient was admitted sometime BETWEEN [year] and [year]'.
• Possible contents of the original document.
• Notes (if any) that I made during indexing (sometimes with identifying details).
• No-obligation quote (it will be a discount price) for a digital image of the original document.

To send a request, follow these steps:

1. Calculate the cost ($4 for one entry, plus $2 each for extras).
2. Send payment by bank deposit or PayPal as explained here (opens in a new window).
3. In an email, type 'Brisbane Hospital INDEX: record series & quote', and...
4. List the entries you want. Don't send biographical details - just the names.
5. In your email, tell me the payment date, amount and method, and (if you have one) an alternative email address.
6. Send your email to the address shown on the payment page.

Option No.2:  Brisbane Hospital: Digital COPY.

The cost will depend on the record series (because the number of pages varies). Use the Record Series/Quote service above.

Other Suggestions

Registers of Cases and Treatment 1837-1839 and 1858-1862, and Registers of Patients 1872-1873. Registers up to 1859 are indexed in the Queensland Early Pioneers Index 1824-1859 (opens in a new window).

Other Queensland hospitals, and conditions for patients in the old days.

Search this site  (do NOT use apostrophes; read search results page carefully)

Top of page

This site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License. I hold copyright in the contents of the site, which may be used for personal research only. If you reproduce any content in any way, you must acknowledge that it belongs to me. If you wish to use any part of this site for professional or commercial purposes, you must contact me in advance to obtain my permission.