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Research in Other Countries => Europe => Topic started by: Nita from OZ on Sunday 29 March 15 03:56 BST (UK)

Title: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: Nita from OZ on Sunday 29 March 15 03:56 BST (UK)
Can someone point me in the right direction to trace families that moved to Innisfail in North Queensland Australia.

I have checked records of Birth Deaths and Marriages in QLD they all start 1923 nothing before this.
I am trying to trace Ignatius MUSUMECI who married Santina DIMAURO.

I believe the wedding would have been in Queensland so this may have been after the historical dates allowed.

I have nothing else from here.
 
Title: Re: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: Billyblue on Wednesday 01 April 15 12:00 BST (UK)
Hi Nita
Lots of Italians in Innisfail these days.  :)   Also in Ingham.
You don't give any indication of WHEN they moved to Innisfail.
And of course they may not have stayed there.

Can't say I understand what you mean by the Queensland BDMs 'starting at 1923' ???
Their baptisms etc start at 1829, according to their website.

Have you looked at www.ryersonindex.org?
Just put the surname in and you'll find 68 for this surname, and 2 for Ignazio Musumeci aged 88 from Mareeba (also in FNQ with a fair sprinkling of families with Italian ancestry). Died 2013. Could this be him?
Innisfail and Ingham are known as sugar towns, Mareeba used to have a big tobacco farm industry though not so much now of course.

If you could give us some dates and any other information, like when they came to Australia, maybe something could be found.

Dawn M
Title: Re: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: sugarbakers on Wednesday 01 April 15 16:35 BST (UK)
CSR opened their Goondi Sugar Mill, near Innisfail in 1885. If you find that Ignatius worked in the industry, then perhaps CSR archives hold records of his employment. There are no further details of the refinery in their book - "South Pacific Enterprise - The Colonial Sugar Refining Company Limited", by Angus & Robertson, 1956.
Title: Re: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: Nita from OZ on Wednesday 01 April 15 23:48 BST (UK)
 ;D
CSR opened their Goondi Sugar Mill, near Innisfail in 1885. If you find that Ignatius worked in the industry, then perhaps CSR archives hold records of his employment. There are no further details of the refinery in their book - "South Pacific Enterprise - The Colonial Sugar Refining Company Limited", by Angus & Robertson, 1956.
Title: Re: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: Nita from OZ on Wednesday 27 May 15 22:49 BST (UK)
Still looking sorry I do not have any other information so was looking for some direction the sugar mills I am looking at. Births deaths and marriages have been a little help. is there a senses site for QLD that will give me who lived in same houses may be this would help.
Title: Re: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: Billyblue on Friday 29 May 15 10:42 BST (UK)
Names from census in Australia were not kept until quite recently, and not available for 100 years.

Electoral rolls are what to look at, but they don't group by households, so you only find people at the same address by trawling through the lists.  Also prior to about 1989, they were listed by electoral divisions and sub-divisions which makes it harder. Since 1989 they have been microfiched in alphabetical order.

Did you look at the deaths on Ryerson?
You still haven't given us any idea of WHEN you are looking?

Dawn M
Title: Re: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: Nita from OZ on Saturday 30 May 15 02:01 BST (UK)
My apologies on the when.
I am trying to be careful and not use information on the present/living. :-X What I have is little only. I believe the families both arrived and stayed in the north west of QLD for a long time. Grouping families in the home would have been the best way for me to verify specific families.???  I was just throwing it out there hoping. QLD had something similar. Yes used the link Ryerson but am a little unsure as the spelling of names appears to change here and there. So once again grouping families would help. Would  Ignatius MUSUMECI and Ignazio Musumeci be one in the same. Santina DIMAURO would this be a correct spelling ??? Time well I am thinking before 1911. Was there as specific time in Innisfail that immigration for Italian workers migrated to work the sugar or grape farms. that It may be I have to just move on and revisit this family later. Thank you all for your assistance.
Title: Re: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: DavidG02 on Saturday 30 May 15 02:08 BST (UK)
Have you tried Trove? Trove is a FREE Australian newspaper site.

I saw this

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/40141866?

2 stories on an S. Musumeci

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/131705784?

There are also references to other Musumeci families
Title: Re: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: Ruskie on Saturday 30 May 15 02:11 BST (UK)
Have you looked for an immigration here?:
http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/Researchers/Indexes/Immigration/Pages/default.aspx

Sometimes on immigration registers you see boat loads of certain nationalities headed for a particular place, presumably a job lot of migrants brought over for a specific project or by an employer looking for skilled or unskilled labour.

You will probably need to keep an open mind about the spelling.
Title: Re: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: Billyblue on Saturday 30 May 15 03:40 BST (UK)
According to Wiki (Google Innisfail) it was called Geraldton up until 1910 [you learn something every day!  :P  :P  :P ] when it was changed so as not to confuse with Geraldton in W.A.

and
"The 1920s and 1930s saw the beginning of a major period of settlement by Italian immigrants and noteworthy populations from Greece and Malta. Later in this period populations from Yugoslavia, India and the Philippines would also settle in the area".

Also, look at surrounding areas, e.g. Johnstone River

You say "I believe the families both arrived and stayed in the north west of QLD for a long time"
Innisfail is in far north Qld but NOT in north-west Qld.  So have you got the right area?

Dawn M
Title: Re: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: gazania on Saturday 30 May 15 06:16 BST (UK)
Here is an online book  "From Italy to Ingham":

http://www.textqueensland.com.au/item/book/8027d9b3a7c24251af931e9337311ac9

Regards, Gazania
Title: Re: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: gazania on Saturday 30 May 15 06:24 BST (UK)
Two burials in Innisfail cemetery:

http://austcemindex.com/index.php?surname=musumeci
Title: Re: Italian immigrants to Innisfail North Queensland
Post by: Nita from OZ on Saturday 30 May 15 09:37 BST (UK)
Wow thank you I am off again and have some great looking leads  :) very happy very very happy