Schools, hospitals and orphanages
We hold many of the 19th and early to mid-20th century records on Queensland government:
- schools—including state schools (primary and high schools) and state rural schools, as well as some departmental records about administration of grammar, mission and church or non-vested (private) schools.
- hospitals—including limited information about hospital patients, as many of these records are not permanent or haven’t survived. We do not hold any records from private hospitals
- asylums
- medical staff
- orphanages
- children’s homes.
Please note: All school admission registers are subject to a 15-year restricted access period and many hospital records are restricted for 100 years.
Finding school, hospital and orphanage records
Research guides
Research guides give information about the types of records you might find on different topics, and relevant series of records that may help get you started.
School records:
- Research guide to school records—guide to education records including primary and secondary administration, teacher, and pupil records.
- Research guide to government buildings—see page 8 for help finding information on the construction and maintenance of school buildings and teachers’ residences.
4 Tips to finding school admissions
Hello and welcome to Queensland State Archives.
We hold many records about Queensland state schools from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The most interesting information about individuals are the admission registers, closely followed by the Corporal Punishment registers.
1. To find an individual’s school admission record
To find a person you will need to know the name of the school and an approximate date of admission.
Type the name of the school into the Basic Search box and press enter. A tip is type the place name and the word ‘school’ – I’ll type in Warwick East School
Choose View results for the Series line and choose admission registers
Select View items
Identify the date you are interested in – the list may not be in date order so search until you find the relevant date range
Make a note of the Item ID for your records
Some of our school admission records have been digitised and a scanned copy can be viewed, downloaded and/or printed.
2. To view digital records
To view the image click on the link
And open the PDF file
3. To view non-digital records
The school records that haven’t been digitised can either
Be viewed at 435 Compton Road Runcorn
Or you can request a quote for a copy of the records to be sent to you
4. To find additional information about schools
In addition to school admission registers we hold a variety of information about state schools. Type the name of the school into the Basic Search box and enter.
Choose ‘View results’ in the Item area
This will show you a list of records associated with the school
You can find information about the administration of the school, the school’s buildings and grounds, statistical information about attendance and sometimes school inspectors’ reports.
If you have any questions or would like to give us some feedback contact us via the ‘Contact the State Archives’ link using our online form
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Hospitals and health care:
- Research guide to mental asylum records
An overview of the records for mental health patients from 1860 onwards. Some records are subject to restricted access periods. - Research guide to Dunwich Benevolent Asylum and Eventide Home records.
Many of these records are subject to a 100-year restricted access period. - Research guide to nurses—providing an administrative history of nursing agencies in Queensland and lists the major series of nursing records held by QSA.
- Research guide to Government building records—see page 8 for help finding information on hospitals and health facilities.
Orphanages and children’s homes:
- Research guide to orphanages and children’s homes—an overview of some of the records we hold on behalf of the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services. Some records about children admitted to orphanages and homes may be subject to a restricted access category.
Search the indexes
The indexes are collections of information from our most popular records (usually peoples’ names) that link to ArchivesSearch catalogue. Search indexes about schools, hospitals and orphanages below.
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Schools, hospitals and orphanages
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Brisbane Gaol Hospital admission registers 1889-1911
Registers of the admission of prisoners to the Brisbane Gaol hospital; and Visiting Surgeon's/Medical Officer's Journals [HM Gaol, Brisbane, later HM Prison (Boggo Road), Brisbane]. Details given in each volume varies and may include name of prisoner/patient, date admitted, date discharged, disease and treatment, occupation, ship in which arrived and address.
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Brisbane Hospital Admissions 1872-1887
registers of personal and medical details of patients admitted to the Brisbane Hospital
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Brisbane Hospital Registers Deaths 1933-1963
Registers kept by the Brisbane Hospital recording deaths and special removals between 1933 and 1963
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Brisbane Hospital registers of deaths 1899-1913
Registers kept by the Brisbane Hospital recording deaths and special removals between 1899 and 1913
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Consumptive patients index 1897-1903
Correspondence and applications regarding patients at Roma and Dalby sanatoriums, including medical assessments, accommodation and travelling allowances for patients with Phthisis (Consumption or Pulmonary Tuberculosis)
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Dunwich Benevolent Asylum Index 1859-1927
Dunwich Benevolent Asylum was established 13 May 1865 and provided for poor people who because of age, accident, infirmity or otherwise were unable to care for themselves. These records of the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum 1859-1948 list inmates admissions and discharges, deaths and burials.
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Lazaret Patient Registers 1892-1940
Registers documenting patient information captured at lazarets, including personal particulars, medical history and location information.
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Mackay Hospital Hospital Admissions 1891-1908
Registers of patient admissions created by the Mackay District Hospital, later known as the Mackay Base Hospital; the last date of admissions recorded is 31 December 1908 whilst the last date of discharge is recorded as 16 April 1910
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Orphanage Admission and Discharge Registers 1865-1919
Admission of children to the following orphanages: St Vincent's Home, Nudgee; Diamantina Orphanage and the Diamantina Receiving Depot; Rockhampton Orphanage, later Rockhampton Receiving Depot; and Meteor Park Orphanage, Neerkol near Rockhampton. Details may incude details of each child and parent or guardian information. Details vary.
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Reformatory School for Boys 1871-1906
Admission and discharge registers for the industrial and reformatory school, providing a record of boys who were admitted to the industrial and reformatory school for neglect or on conviction for a crime committed in Toowoomba and Brisbane.
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Register of Cases & Treatment 1830-1862 (Moreton Bay)
Cases and treatment at Moreton Bay Penal Settlement Hospital, later Brisbane Hospital, include entries for patient's name, age, date admitted, disease and treatment. Dates of discharge or death may also be included.
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Toowoomba Girls Industrial School 1881-1903
Register of each girls entering or discharged from the school
- Townsville Orphanage 1879-1918
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Brisbane Gaol Hospital admission registers 1889-1911
Search the catalogue
ArchivesSearch provides access to QSA’s collection of records, including documents, letters, land orders, maps, plans and images. For help searching, read the ArchivesSearch help guide.
Contact us
Contact us if you need further help.