Thomas Illidge papers
Collection
The early papers are documentary records of the Illidge family tree. The bulk of the collection however, dates from 1893, and consists of letters and notes which record Thomas Illidge's research on the Aboriginal people of Queensland. Burial and other customs are prominent subjects. Also included is a copy of a paper read by him before the Royal Society of Queensland, "On Ceratodus Fosteri" (the "Burnett Salmon" or Queensland lungfish); a letter 19 May 1916, to Dr Bashford Dean of the American Museum of Natural History regarding the transfer of a specimen of Ceratodus to the museum; and also Thomas Illidge's obituary notice.
Thomas Illidge arrived in Queensland as an officer of the Post and Telegraph Department in 1865. He took a keen interest in the traditions of the Aboriginal tribes of Queensland, compiling and collecting a great deal of information, weapons and artefacts, most of which he bequeathed to the Queensland Museum.
Out of copyright.