Archibald Meston papers

'Meston Vocab Book No.5'

Small notebook kept by Archibald Meston during his time as Chief Protector of Aborigines, Queensland. The notebook contains miscellaneous notes and comments on a range of everyday topics. Includes some references to Aboriginal languages, mainly unidentified and some New South Wales language words as well as place names.

'Meston Vocab Book No.6'

Small notebook kept by Archibald Meston during his time as Chief Protector of Aborigines, Queensland. The notebook contains miscellaneous notes, including geographical descriptions and a comparative vocabulary of Aboriginal words collected at various police stations across Queensland, e.g. Gilbert River, Tinaroo, Nerang, Montalbion, Pine River, Strathmore, Camooweal etc.

'Meston Vocab Book No.7'

Small notebook kept by Archibald Meston during his time as Chief Protector of Aborigines, Queensland. The notebook contains miscellaneous notes but mostly comprises Meston's transcript of vocabulary from "The Vanished Tribes" by James Devaney, 1929. The vocabulary does not identify the source nor the name of the language.

'Meston Vocab Book No.8'

Small notebook kept by Archibald Meston during his time as Chief Protector of Aborigines, Queensland. The notebook contains miscellaneous notes on Aboriginal languages, including place names of South East Queensland. Language content is mainly drawn from "Tom Petrie's Reminiscences of Early Queensland" as well as notes on Thomas Mitchell's journal

'Australian native words and their meanings', collected and edited by Reverend Edwin I. Watkin. Published in Melbourne by Sydney J. Endacott. Very fragile condition.

Small booklet or word list - arranged alphabetically Aboriginal to English; sources unidentified; includes some identification of state of origin.

'Word list from Hippi, born at Rivertree, New South Wales'.

Rivertree is located in Northern NSW near Urbenville - the Indigenous language is most likely a Bundjalung dialect.

Typescript of Aboriginal names "whose meanings are enquired for by various widely scattered correspondents".

'Aboriginal word list'.

General word list of an unspecified locality and tribe.

'Australian Aborigines - a few notes on their language, etc.'

Information obtained from "Long Dick" an influential native of the Cammeray tribe of the North Sydney area.

'Meston Vocab Book No.3'. Book of pasted notes - old native names and meanings.

Handwritten notes pasted into a scrapbook book. The vocabularies are mainly of North Queensland and Cape York, however there are some lists for the Albert River area, Beaudesert, Ipswich, Warwick, Killarney and Mudgee, in New South Wales.

'Meston Vocab Book No.2'. Aboriginal names and meanings, ancecdotes, extracts and writings.

Small notebook containing vocabularies for tribes from Cooktown, Hughenden district, Emerald, Rockhampton, Pialba, Bundaberg, Barron River, Ipswich, Richmond, Glass House Mountains and North Brisbane. Information is also included about a Clarence River corroboree and traditions. Also includes newspaper clippings and miscellaneous notes. A photocopy of the book is included.

'Note book of Aboriginal words and meanings'.

Small notebook with the heading on the first page "W.H. Cadell (Authorised Surveyor)". Includes a word list for Terrick Terrick Station at Blackall, and a list of the meanings of various station names.

'Blacks names, meanings etc. A good collection and historical notes'.

Notebook containing word lists for many tribes and areas including Moreton Island, Stradbroke Island, Lytton, St. Helena, Cleveland, Russell River in North Queensland, Bribie Island, Georgina River, Croydon, Mooloolaba/Durundur, Balonne, Yass Plains in New South Wales, Tasmania and Dubbo. The notebook also contains notes regarding the early exploration of Queensland.

'Vocabulary notes'.

Loose pages of notes in the form of word lists. Localities include Moreton Bay, Nerang, Toowoomba, Darling Downs, Hippi of Rivertree, Townsville, Ipswich, Mckinlay, Port Jackson district.

'Loose vocabulary note'.

Loose pages of unrelated vocabularies. The areas covered include Toowoomba, Darling Downs, Maranoa, Fraser Island, Mount Abundance, Brisbane River, Richmond River.

'Aboriginals and other items notebook'.

Notebook containing newspaper clippings, word lists from the Pillar Valley, New South Wales and the Lynd and Mitchell River Junction in Queensland. Hand written notes on a wide range of topics including early exploration, Coopers Creek Aboriginals, Aboriginal traditions. Includes several loose notes and clippings.

'Loose notes'.

Loose notes on various topics including Aboriginal marriage traditions.

'Extracts of the history of Port Denison'.

Typescript of an article written for the "Port Denison Times Almanac" in 1867. The article describes attempts to explore Upstart Bay in 1859 and conflict between the local Aboriginals and the unnamed ship's crew.

'Chillagoe Caves'.

Typescript regarding attempts to safeguard the Chillagoe Caves from vandalism.

'The Barron River Falls in flood time'.

'Surveyor Hoddle's field books. A remarkable find'.

Typescript regarding Surveyor Hoddle's field books describing his work on an expedition with John Oxley along the coast of New South Wales to Port Curtis in 1823. The author, E.A. Meston, was the youngest son of Archibald Meston.

'Lost in the bush'.

Typescript regarding the search for a boy named Charles Parker from Lauderdale Station near Pentland, who was found by Aboriginal trackers.

'The Death-Song of the Murri'.

This article was published in The Bulletin, 29 May 1919. It is a lament for a dying race claimed to be translated from "what Wooralijee sang to me".

'The Goldsmith's art'.

Typescript of an address by Harry Smith, goldsmith and jeweller of Brisbane to an unidentified audience. The typescript is incomplete.

Smith set up business on the corner of Queen and George Streets, opposite the Treasure Building, which eventually became known as Smith's corner. Later opening branches in Ipswich, Toowoomba, and George Street, Sydney.

Letter from James Allan of Wallangarra to Archibald Meston regarding his knowledge of the Aboriginal tribe, Marranuddas, who lived on Brown's Creek and Farrar's Creek in the Channel Country and the adjacent part of the Diamantina.

Letter from James Allan of Wallangarra, to Archibald Meston regarding the difficulties of recording Aboriginal languages. He also discusses the traditions of the Marranudda tribe of the Diamantina Channel Country. Topics include initiation rites, weapons, body ornamentation, burial and mourning rites, traditional medicines. Also includes a brief word list for the tribe.

Letter from Atlee Hunt, Secretary to the Department of External Affairs, Melbourne, to Archibald Meston, Protector of Aboriginals, South and Central Queensland. Atlee Hunt writes on behalf of the Prime Minister thanking Meston for forwarding various Aboriginal word lists and their meanings. The Prime Minister also requests an Aboriginal term signifying union, birth of a nation, meeting or love.

Transcript of a letter from Charles P. Perry of 'Nyndale', Isis, to Archibald Meston regarding James Davis' (Durramboi) son.

Letter from Frank McCaffrey, an Illawarra historian, to Archibald Meston regarding the meaning of Aboriginal words.

Letter from George Liddiard, Coffs Harbour, NSW to Harold Meston which discusses the Aboriginal words for fish varieties.

Letter from the President of the North Queensland Society for Crippled Children to Emilius Archibald Meston, son of Archibald Meston, congratulating him on winning the competition to name the new children's home. The name chosen was Cootharinga which is the Aboriginal name for Castle Hill in Townsville. The home was officially opened on 22 June 1957.

Letter from Emilius Archibald Meston, son of Archibald Meston, to the editor of People Magazine offering his father's articles for possible publication.

This cutting book contains reviews of Meston's publication "Geographic History of Queensland" which was published in 1895, as well as articles by Meston and articles about his various activities. Included is a list, dated 1957 of stations and selections.

The cutting book contains several unidentified original photographs, poetry written by Archibald Meston, his son Harold and other authors, articles by Archibald Meston, a paper by A. Meston on the Australian cassowary, reviews of "Geographic History of Queensland". Some articles are from The Bulletin.

'Meston cutting book no. 9'

The scrapbook of newspaper cuttings also includes handwritten Aboriginal word lists and loose sheets for the Sydney area, and Aboriginal words used in central Queensland district, of Clermont. The articles are written by Archibald Meston and others and include the following topics: Aboriginal place names and words; nomenclature of Queensland; obituaries of Archibald Meston; pamphlet by F.B.W. Woolrych "Native names of some of the runs &c in the Lachlan District", 1890; reprinted paper by Cliffe Mackie "Anthropological notes of 50 years ago", 1910. Loose pages and notes have been housed seperately in the same folder, included a handwitten index (11 pages).

'Cutting Book - Father's Articles from Bulletin & Others'.

The cutting book includes Archibald Meston's articles from The Bulletin and hand written lists of Aboriginal words and meanings for tribes from North Queensland, Archer River, Bloomfield, Mareeba, Thornborough, Mt. Alexandra, Cardwell, Charters Towers, Durundur, Beaudesert, Fraser Island, Brisbane, Clarence River, Maranoa, Stradbroke Island, Cooktown, Glass House Mountains, Wilson River.

'Cutting book with notes'

The cutting book includes Aboriginal word lists for the Pillar Valley, Lynd and Mitchell Junction, Townsville, Mulgrave River, Barron River, Clarence River, Brunswick River, Toowoomba, Port Jackson, Nerang, Darling Downs, Rivertree, Russel River, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, McKinlay, Moreton Island, Springsure, Dunbar Station (west of Cooktown). The rest of the cutting book comprises newspaper clippings on various topics including early pioneers, explorers, governors, Australian flora and fauna. Articles are from the Sydney newspaper The World's News, Sydney Morning Herald, Queenslander, Catholic Advocate. Also includes an index to contents and a list of Meston's poems. Loose pages and clippings have been housed separately from main item within the folder.

Large cutting book with index. Topics include Aboriginal traditions, culture and language, Moreton Bay tribes, Dora Dora Blacks, Aboriginal names, article and letter about "Duramboi" (James Davis), Talgai Skull, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland towns and many other topics.

Large cutting book containing articles by Archibald Meston and others on a wide variety of subjects. Topics include he Bellenden-Ker Expedition, Hinchinbrook Island, Ludwig Leichhardt, and the wreck of the steamer "Pearl".

Large cutting book containing many articles written by Archibald Meston and largely published in 'The Truth'. Contains a comprehensive series of articles entitled "Queensland's Parliament from the Beginning" written by Meston and published in 1906. Other series include "Bygone Brisbane", "Smiles and Tears", "Queensland Anecdotes", "Society Snapshots". "Bygone Brisbane" includes a series of articles about the Paddington Cemetery. Other topics include various shipwrecks including the "Sovereign","Gothenberg","Banshee and "Maria; the Gogango Scrub as a field of settlement. The cutting book includes an index to the main articles.

Assorted loose newspaper clippings by Archibald Meston and his son Emilius, on a wide variety of topics including Aboriginal names and customs, explorers, place names and Queensland towns.

Articles include:

• 'Aboriginal names';
• 'Vanishing Aboriginals pts 1, 3, & 5'
• 'Old Moreton Bay Tribes'
• 'The Aboriginal death bone'
• 'Origin of the name Toowoomba' E.A. Meston
• 'Creed of the Aboriginal', A. Meston;
• 'Lost Tribes at Moreton Bay', A. Meston
• 'Out with Explorers, final trip with Mitchell', A. Meston;
• 'Clarence River Aboriginals; Moreton Bay and Islands', A. Meston;
• 'Discovery of Bribie', A. Meston;
• 'Matthew Flinders noted explorer', A. Meston;
• 'The Haunted Creek', A. Meston;
• 'That Dark North Head romance of other days', A. Meston;
• 'Wooden walls of other days', A. Meston;
• 'The late John Nairn', A. Meston;
• 'The Gensis of Toowoomba, pts 1, 2 & 6', A. Meston;
• 'The Lamington Plateau described', A. Meston;
• 'Bushrangers I have met, pts 1 & 2', A. Meston;
• 'Toowoomba's name', E.A. Meston;
• 'The Peruvian Tragedy', A. Meston;
• 'Proclaimed Port of entry in 1865', E.A. Meston;
• 'Townsville, its discovery and development', E.A. Meston

Assorted loose newspaper clippings by Archibald Meston on a wide variety of topics. Also includes an article by Oscar Meston.

Assorted loose newspaper clippings by Archibald Meston on a wide variey of topics including the Bellenden-Ker expedition and the genesis of Toowoomba.

Loose newspaper clippings of articles by Archibald Meston mostly from the series "Field shooting in Queensland'.

'Information about Queensland Localities by the Queensland Government Intelligence and Tourist Bureau' issued by Queensland Government Intelligence and Tourist Bureau.

This publication contains information about Queensland places, including the origin of place names, descriptions and histories. Archibald Meston was appointed director of the Sydney branch of the agency in 1910.

Cartoon titled 'Music from Meston's Myalls'.

Map of Queensland railways showing railways and stations, private lines, co-ordinated bus routes and 2'-0' guage tramways.

Photograph of Emilius Archibald Meston (known as Jack) born September 4, 1889, son of Archibald Meston.

Birth certificate of Ada Helen Meston, daughter of Archibald Meston and Margaret Frances Meston, nee Shaw.