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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

Names below are from a series of historical files with information about people who signed an agreement to repay the cost of fares for travel by rail or ship. Many applicants (especially during the Great Depression) were travelling in search of work. Most journeys were from one Australian State to another, but some were to or from another country (New Zealand, Canada, Britain, India etc). Files were created between 1929 and 1955, but the travel date may have been earlier. These records are especially useful for family historians researching someone who 'disappeared'.

Examples:

• A man wanted to bring his runaway daughter home from interstate.
• A woman applied to take her three grandchildren to Western Australia.
• A mother and daughter had come to Queensland to give evidence at an inquest and could not afford the return fare.
• A woman and her granddaughter came from Canada to join relatives in Australia.
• A woman who had been abandoned by her husband wanted to move interstate.
• A man wanted his wife to join him in India (the file shows that he later went to Canada and died there).

File contents vary, but many include letters and a signed agreement. Some refer to relatives, family disputes, illness, deaths, aliases, criminal trials, immigration or emigration, etc.

Explanation of names below:

• Date range: 1929 - 1955 (that's file date; travel may have been earlier).
• Includes those who signed agreements and some other people mentioned.
• Scroll through the list. Names may have been spelled incorrectly in the records.
• Names beginning with 'Mc' precede other 'M' surnames.
• Apostrophes have been removed from names such as O'LEARY.
• For names below, see how to get information, or copies of the original records.

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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 file/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:  Repaying Fares 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):

• 'Document was created sometime BETWEEN [year] and [year]'.
• Possible contents of the original file.
• Notes (if any) that I made during indexing (sometimes with identifying details).
• No-obligation quote for a digital image of the original file.

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 'Repaying Fares 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:  Repaying Fares file: Digital COPY.

The cost will depend on file size and handling time. The minimum deposit required is $15 per file. If the file is very large, I will copy pages to the value of your deposit and give you a quote for the remainder. See how to send requests and payment (my email address is on that page).

Other Suggestions

My other genealogy sites have additional advice and names.

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

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