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

Annual Reports of the Asylums for the Insane often give (in addition to the patient's ship of arrival) their age, marital status, date of immigration, date admitted to asylum, and remarks such as 'discharged recovered', 'died', 'since readmitted', 'deserted by her parents', 'epileptic', 'emigrated to Sydney', 'emigrated to Melbourne', 'was in Maryborough', 'mother died in asylum in England', 'father insane', etc.

The list below (names and ships) was compiled by a friend who shares my enthusiasm for genealogy and family history. She has found evidence to suggest that the people listed below spent time in a Queensland mental asylum before 1886. She has not looked at later reports. Please note that this is only a partial list.

Explanation of names below:

• These people arrived in Australia before 1886.
• Names beginning with 'Mc' precede other 'M' surnames.
• Apostrophes have been removed from names such as O'BRIEN.
• Some abbreviated names have been expanded (eg, 'Wm' to 'William').
• For names below, I can obtain a copy of the Report of Asylums (this link leads to instructions).
• See also 'Insanity and Unsound Mind' Index.

ADAMS James, Scottish Knight

BAIN Margaret, Linlithgowshire
BARKER Mary, Western Monarch
BENNETT Jane, Nowshera
BONELL Geo, El Dorado
BOYCE Charles, Duke of Buccleuch
BOYS Chenery Francis, Fleur de Lys
BRUTON Mary, Duke of Sutherland
BRYANT Emma, Nowshera
BUSQUET Phelix, Sikh

CHALMERS William, Duntrune
CHISHOLM Thomas, Albany
CHRISHOLM Thomas (see CHISHOLM)
CLEARY Michael, Bulimba
COODY Catherine ?, Mairi Bhan
CURTIS Joseph, Duke of Buckingham

DALTON Susan, Scottish Hero
DOWELL William H, Roxboroughshire
DOYLE Margaret, ?

EGAN Annie, Almora
EGAN Cath, Dorunda
EMMETT Lizzie (see EMMITT Eliza)
EMMITT Eliza, Duke of Buccleuch

FALKNER Mark, Stacathro
FLEMING James, South Esk
FOSTER Catherine, Western Monarch

GALSWORTHY George, New Guinea
GIBBONS John, Quetta
GREWER Mary, Scotland

HEXTER Martha, Dorunda
HOWISON William, Ango-Indian

IVES Susan, Chyebassa

JONES Ellen, Melpomene

KELLY Johanna, Corona
KELLY Stephen, Merkara

LANE James E, Duke of Buckingham
LYNCH William, Zamora
LYONS Thomas, Durham

McINTYRE Sam, Selkirkshire
McNAMARA Bridget, Hampshire
McNAMARA Honora, Scottish Wizard

MADDAFORD Henry ?, Dorunda ?
MERDITH Fanny, Duke of Argyll
MILNE Helen, Carnatic
MOONEY Catherine, Duke of Buckingham
MORAN Thomas, Stirlingshire
MORRIS Alf, Crown of Aragon
MORRIS John, Duke of Argyll

NIXON Edward, Sarah Scott
NORRIS Emily, New Guinea

OBRIEN Mary Ann, Duke of Westminster
OCONNELL Mary, Scottish Hero
OCONNOR William, New Guinea
OGRADY Julia, Dorunda

RICE John, New Guinea
ROUNTREE Edward, Merkara

SADDLER R, Albany
SHEAY Michael, Duke of Argyll
SHOOTER Maria Gertrude, ?
SMALL Mary, Nuddea
SMITH John, Kincardineshire
STANLEY Amelia, Zamora
STEWART Jessie, Nebo
SULLIVAN Johanna ?, Quetta
SUMNER Margaret, Scotland

TENNYSON Thomas, Berwick Law
TIPPING Charles ?, Compta
TOOHY Mary (or TUOHY?), Bulimba
TORPY John, Quetta
TUOHY Mary (see TOOHY Mary)

Genealogy is my business (not just a hobby), so I charge fees for my time, regardless of the result. I've spent over 35 years learning about (and indexing) original records, and it takes time/money to consult my index, travel to a record office in Brisbane, find the relevant bundle/volume and file/page, and send you the results.

Option 1:  If you want a digital copy of the Report of Asylums, my fee is usually $10, but if more than one name is of interest, ask for a quote (specify 'Asylum Reports Index quote' and the names required.) See how to send requests and payment (my email address is on that page).

Option 2:  I will (for a fee of $2 for one SURNAME plus $1 per additional SURNAME) provide source references (the record office, source title and year) so you can do the work yourself in Brisbane. See how to send requests and payment (my email address is on that page).

My Insanity and Unsound Mind index (an on-going project) already has more than 20,000 names extracted from 60+ series of records.

Other Suggestions

Other sources for asylum patients.

My other genealogy sites have lots of free advice.

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.