Queensland is losing cemetery headstones at an alarming rate - from weathering, deterioration and old age, lack of maintenance, spreading mould, or - most distressing of all - from the lamentable actions of vandals. It is therefore fitting that the Queensland Family History Society volunteers, are committed to preserving this heritage for future generations. By transcribing epitaphs (monumental inscriptions) and photographing the gravestones of these ancestors we are actively recording family history, not only for those researching now, but those in the future. This CD of monumental inscriptions from the Sherwood (Anglican) Cemetery in Brisbane contains a database of 1438 entries, and 710 photographs which cover all headstones and plaques that were in the cemetery in 2008. Each database entry is linked to the relevant photograph. The CD also includes a searchable PDF file of the QFHS 1995 transcription of the monumental inscriptions together with a diagram of the cemetery layout and reference numbers used to identify the location of each. Some headstones present in 1995 are no longer standing, so there are few entries in the index for which there are no matching photographs.
The material on the CD is a valuable resource for family history research in the district. The photographs show details of former parishoners with dates of death recorded on the headstone or plaque ranging from 1854 to 2008. Often monumental inscriptions show relationships of 3 or 4 generations. Extra details that you may find can include parents, birth place and date, marriage information, and titles and honours.
QFHSdatasearch, developed by the Queensland Family History Society, is a generic interface designed to search genealogy databases. This version features field oriented and keyword searches, Boolean selection, sorting and wildcard searches.
System Requirements: PC with Windows operating system (Win95 or later), CD drive and 20 Mb of free disk space to install QFHSdatasearch.
