Bendigo Family History Group
Affiliated with Family History Connections (AIGS)

1856 ELECTORAL ROLL – BENDIGO DIVISION

This official list of electors was published in May 1856 by the “Courier of the Mines and Bendigo Daily Mail”, a newspaper that only lasted a short period and copies are very rare.

It covers the electoral divisions of

Sandhurst

Long Gully

Lockwood

Spring Gully

 There are five pages of copy, each with three columns, and each section is in alphabetical order.

Sometimes a name was objected to and the claimant had to supply further proof of eligibility.

 As a result of the miners’ actions at Eureka the system of government in Victoria was organised into two houses of parliament and anyone holding a miner’s right, salaried men, as well as small property owners, could register to vote in the Legislative Assembly.  This effectively cancelled out the monopoly of the large land-holders and squatters in the Legislative Council who had been making laws to suit their own interests.

This is a large PDF file and not digitised, email for a look up, place Electoral Role 1856 in Subject line.

We will look up your "surname" enquiry

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40th Anniversary Booklet - Rita Hull

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Bendigo Family History Group formerly known as AIGS (Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies Inc.) celebrated 40 years of providing an excellent service of family research; extensive databases are available in our group at the Bendigo Library because of the tremendous contributions of volunteers over the last 40 years that created these databases.

The upper floor in the library has been designated as the Research Area and contains several very important historical collections of reference material and a bank of computers for public use. The CEO of the Bendigo City Library allows our group to house our collection of research material in the library, and to use a section of the library to meet with members of the public seeking assistance with their research.

Rita Hull has captured the history of our group in this excellent booklet and is available for sale, contact us.

Application for Licenses 1856

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Further information from Bendigo Family History Group

Army Headquarters Survey Regiment

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Bendigo Benevolent Asylum

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This document names inpatients of the Bendigo Benevolent Asylum and includes Names, Dates and Age of individuals.

Further information about these individuals may be obtained by emailing Bendigo Family History Group for $5 per entry Click Here

Bendigo Cemetery Records

Ian Belmont has updated the cemetery records of Bendigo and District cemeteries and included some obituaries and photographs. 

Now available on USB you'll find some images, obituaries, maps, monumental inscriptions and burial lists for 19 cemeteries.

Contact us to purchase the latest USB containing extensive information. 

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Bendigo Family History Catalogue Library

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We have approx 2,000 titles on our full catalogue, with sections on Bendigo, the rest of Australia, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland etc.

We make an effort to obtain any publication pertaining to Bendigo and its environs, and printed below is a list of books in our Bendigo collection.

Current financial members of  Family History Connections (AIGS) Bendigo Area are entitled to borrow resources held in our collections.

Bendigo Family History Group Databases

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Over many years members and volunteers have continued adding entries into our databases stored on our computers. They now total over a million entries. 

Check out our list of searchable databases of Bendigo Local Resources currently being added to or completed on our library computers.  

Available in our resource centre at the Bendigo Library on Wednesday & Saturday 10am-2pm

COMPENSATION TO PUDDERS AT KANGAROO FLAY

The route of the railway line had been drawn and pegged out in late 1857.  The area between Big Hill and Kangaroo Flat was mainly still crown land, but there were many puddlers working on claims in the numerous gullies which the line was to cross.

In late May 1859 they were given “Notice to Quit” by the Office of the Board of Land and Works, but some of these men had invested thousands of pounds in improvements on their claims and wanted compensation.

A public meeting was called for the 6th of June 1869 to be held at the United Kingdom Hotel, Golden Square at 8pm to discus the matter.

Mr Daniel Grove chaired the meeting, and much discussion took place. A committee was formed to petition the Government for compensation. The committee consisted of Matthew Marshall, James Butler, Benjamin Williams, John Trenowth (puddler), Daniel Grove, Thomas Vernon, (interpreter for the many Italian puddlers), Charles Redman, and W D C Denovan (Honorary secretary).

Bendigo Advertiser 7/6/1859, 3B

A few days earlier a deputation of puddlers had spoken to Mr Denovan at his residence asking for help to gain compensation. At this time, he was assisting other groups of puddlers in claims for compensation due to the Water works activities, the new Sludge channel, and large mining companies taking over their ground. Denovan was a very early arrival on the Bendigo goldfield and was described as “a conspicuous champion” of the early diggers agitating for justice in many quarters.

The next meeting of the committee was held on the 13^{th of} June at the United Kingdom Hotel when 80 persons were present. A resolution was moved by Mr Denovan suggesting the appointment of a local board to investigate and report on all claims of compensation. It was stated that some of the puddling machines had only recently been set up, so only “bona fide” claims should be recognised.

Mr Denovan sent letters to the Commissioner of Public Works asking for compensation to be granted, but a letter from Joseph Ward, secretary Department of Railways refused to recognise the claims.

A further letter to the Commissioner of Public Works stated that “our committee cannot possibly acknowledge the justice of your conclusions arrived at by you”.  Bendigo Advertiser 22-6-1859 2F

The next meeting took place by the claimants at the Gum Tree Hotel, Golden Square (1^st July 1859) to consider the conduct of the Government in its refusal to recognise their claims. The puddlers agreed to stay on the ground until action was taken.

Mr Denovan then travelled to Melbourne for an interview with Mr O’Shannessy and the Commissioner of Public Works, Mr Horne. This resulted in an agreement to set up a government board consisting of 3 members; two government appointees and one representative by the puddlers, to investigate the validity of the compensation claims, and put those they felt were genuine to the government.     Bendigo Advertiser, 19^th & 23^rd July 1859

More local meetings of the puddlers then took place at the Gum Tree Hotel on 26^th and 29^th July. Mr Denovan proposed that the puddlers’ representative should be Mr George Brodie, a nomination seconded by James Rutter, a puddler. This motion passed unanimously. B/A 30 July 1859, 2B

It was also disclosed at this meeting that the resident Warden had refused the Steam Puddling Company permission to operate at the foot of Charcoal Gully due to the railway plan.

As mentioned above the Government was being inundated with claims for compensation from various groups of miners, and the editor of the Bendigo Advertiser seemed to consider there were other more important matters to be followed up in his newspaper. It is not until 26^th June 1860 that we can get an inkling of how the claims of the Kangaroo Flat puddlers culminated. A letter to the editor began with the paragraph, “Gentlemen, I am glad to see that the Government have at length been forced to admit the justice of the claims for compensation of those puddlers and other residents on the line of railway whose property has been destroyed, and I sincerely hope that the compensation will be paid over to them without any further delay. Mr Brodie who was a member of the board appointed to investigate the claims of these men and report upon them deserves credit for his exertions

Copy of the Women's Suffrage Petition

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EMPLOYEES AT BENDIGO POTTERY 1895

INDEX TO CHILDREN IN THE BENDIGO BENEVOLENT ASYLUM

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The Asylum was established in 1860 to care for the destitute people on the goldfields, and from the beginning housed neglected children. In 1868 the Government established an Industrial School within the complex and many children were brought in from other areas. The Industrial School was closed in 1885. The registers often give nothing more than dates, but a copy of the entry will be supplied on application for a fee of $5.

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* please note in your email SUBJECT line the name of the Index

Index to Miners Rights

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Lost Miners Index

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Mining Claims & Leases

A group of volunteers have been transcribing the Sandhurst [Bendigo] Mining Claims and Leases from film onto a computer program. Our database details all the available information, but this index shows the  names of the people who have been listed so far. This is a work in progress and will be added to regularly.

The Bendigo Family History Group gratefully acknowledge the support of the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund and Public record Office Victoria for making this project possible.

Source: Register of Claims and Shares in the Sandhurst Mining District. March 1862 - October 1870 seven volumes on film.

VPRS 6946 Mining Registrar's, Register of Claims Sandhurst Mining District Division.

Contact bendigogen@familyhistoryconnections.org.au  if you would like more information from the Index. Research Fee of $5 per name is required.