Old Age Pension Records for Genealogy

Register of old age pension applicants

Most people listed in the source I am about to describe were born in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany or Scandinavia. A few were born in other parts of the world, including Australia. All of them later lived (at least for a while) in Queensland.

Pensions were only under the control of the State Government for a short time, but Queensland State Archives hold records of more than 9,000 applicants for the old age pension 1908-1909. The records give information about people who received the pension plus hundreds whose applications were rejected. Most rejections were on the basis of age, period of residence or annual income, but some of the other reasons provide a clue to the applicant's character (eg, 'intemperate' or 'deserted his wife'). Although many applicants were under the required age, pensions were only granted to those aged at least 65 years (that is, born before about 1843-1844).

In 1908-1909, electoral enrolment was not yet compulsory in Queensland. Old age pension registers give the place of residence of many people who were not on electoral rolls. This includes some applicants who were not British subjects and not naturalised (and thus not eligible to vote) but who applied (though in vain) for a pension.

The vast majority of register entries give the claim date; surname; given name; country or Australian State of birth; alleged age; total number of years in Queensland; town or suburb of current residence; whether the application was approved or rejected; if approved, the amount of pension payable, date payment commenced and town where paid; if rejected, the reason for rejection; and sometimes other remarks such as 'sent to Dunwich Benevolent Asylum'. For many residents of Ravenswood and Townsville, a second register gives extra details (marital status, spouse's name, full address and exact birth date).

All names from my index to old age pension applicants are on my Web site, with an explanation of the Old Age Pensions Act of 1908 and its implications for family history research, advice about pension records and related sources before and after 1908-1909, and details of the copying service for original pension records.

The names, with full source references, are also on FindMyPast.

B is for Birth Place

Continuing with the Family History Through the Alphabet challenge...

B is for Birth Place.

Sources from which I have discovered an exact place of birth (a town or parish) include:

1. census records
2. names of family houses or farms
3. death certificates
4. marriage certificates in Queensland, NSW or Victoria
5. birth certificates of the subject's children born in Queensland, NSW or Victoria
6. hospital admission registers
7. benevolent asylum records
8. mental asylum records
9. military service records
10. inquest files
11. documents in Supreme Court probate files (see 10 Tips for Wills, Intestacies and Probate).
12. newspaper notices (marriage, death, obituary etc.)
13. newsletters / magazines published by clubs, churches, societies or occupational groups
14. headstones
15. memorial plaques in churches
16. cemetery burial records
17. church registers of baptism, marriage and burial
18. Police Gazettes
19. Police Station and Police Department records
20. naturalisation records
21. registers of teachers
22. police staff files
23. files on dentists who had difficulty being recognised by the Board
24. immigration records (especially 20th century)
25. personal family papers, diaries, letters, bibles etc
26. any of the above records for the subject's brothers or sisters.

These are just the sources that I can think of right now. Some of these sources are online at FindMyPast (that link goes to a full list of their record sets worldwide).

Where else have you found a reference to the exact town or parish in which a person was born?

You will find more tips for family history in my other articles in this series. If the information and advice is useful, have a look at this page.