The Police Gazette - On the Lam or in the Game?

The Police Gazette was a newspaper in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Tasmania and Australia issued by the police department giving descriptions of crimes and criminals, lists of deserters, etc. Unfortunately I didn't find all to view for free, but they have some at Ancestry and Find My Past. There are digital issues that can be viewed online free at Tasmania Government Archives. UK and Ireland gazettes can be viewed with a subscription to British Newspapers or pay-per-page at Last Chance to Read, who has over 700 issues. You can also go to the National Archives, UK or to other countries' government archives or state libraries.

Some issues of the National Police Gazette, NY published in New York since 1845 can be found online.

Then you have the Police Gazette which was a popular American men's magazine. It published articles with wonderful illustrations about American Boxing and biographies, world sporting events, sports calendars and records, crime stories, and full page Pin-up Girls!  

Perhaps you will find one of your ancestors... either on the lam or in the game!

Relevant Links

Police Gazette at British Newspaper Archives

Police Gazette at State Library of Southern Australia

Police Gazette at State Library of NSW

Police Gazette at State Library of Victoria, AU

Police Gazette at Tasmania Government Archives online

Police Gazette at New Zealand Archives

Police Gazette at last Chance to Read

National Police Gazette, NY April 1865

National Police Gazette, NY May 1865

National Police Gazette NY various years

Police Gazette - Sports and athletics, NY various years

Police

In honour of today being Police and Peace Officers’ National Memorial Day in Canada, which was declared in 1998 to be the last Sunday of September every year, I am reposting this article originally posted on 16 February 2015.
            
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have cousins who were and are in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and a niece who is planning to apply to the RCMP when she has finished her studies.  She has been riding all her life and hopes to be a member of the Mounted Unit, and someday be in the Musical Ride.

The Musical Ride started with the North West Mounted Police and had their first public show in 1904. It became a permanent part of the RCMP in 1961, and they perform at fairs and events all across the country. 

My husband's father, Narcisse Dollard Alphonse Nolin (Al), regimental number 12952 was hired by the RCMP on September 6, 1937. He served in Regina Saskatchewan, Rockcliffe Ontario and Montreal Quebec. Al met his beloved Leona in 1937 but regulations kept them from being married at that time. Leona followed Al to Montreal in 1939, getting a job at Woolworths (bring back memories to anyone?) and they were finally married in 1944. Al finished his term on September 5, 1947 and then became an investigator for the Fire Underwriters Investigation Bureau in Montreal.
 

   

Before 1966 all recruits received horse training. Here is Al showing off his riding skills!
 

If you have an ancestor who was a police officer, you may find them mentioned in the following publications and websites. I also listed Police Memorials for several countries and you can find more by searching "police honour roll". Also check city directories.


Relevant Links:

The North West Mounted Police service files at LAC

Officer Down Memorial Page (Canada): Remembering all law enforcement heroes

NWMP graves in the Yukon

The riders of the plains : Royal North West Mounted Police of Canada, 1873-1910

National RCMP graves

RCMP Honour Roll

RCMP Police Dog Trainer Honour Roll

RCMP Honour Roll and death notices - browse at Family Search

RCMP - The Quarterly Index

The Police Blue Book - USA, Canada and Principal Foreign Countries - 1940

FOIA - FBI employees - several records

The United States Secret Service in the late war: and introduction to the leading men at Washington, with the origin and organization of the Secret Service Bureau - 1890

Police History and directory - Chicago 1917

Royal North West Mounted Police Manual - 1906

Police Roll of Honour - UK

Western Australia Police Honour Roll

Australia National Police Honour Roll

Queensland Police Honour Roll

New Zealand Memorial of Police Killed by Criminal Acts (PDF with photos)

List of Irish Police Officers killed in the line of duty

Toronto Police Honour Roll

Ontario Police Honour Roll

Canadian Peace Officer Memorial Assn - Honour Roll

Canadian Police and Peace Officers Memorial

Canadian Police Dogs killed in the line of duty

Boston Police 1901

Boston Police Records Index

These Boston Police Records also gives names of persons issued a license for various things, like Hackney Carriages, Hand Carts, etc...

The Philadelphia Police, past and present - 1887

International Police, detective, sheriff, constable and identification directory, 1921

The Trooper Police of Australia; a record of mounted police work in the commonwealth from the earliest day of settlement to the present time - 1912

List of magistrates, coroners and constables in County of York, Ontario 1880

Sketches of the Royal Irish Constabulary

Return of Police force in Baronies in County of Limerick 1851



Related Post:  Irish Constabulary Resources

Sentenced to Death in Canada

This article appeared in the Pittsburgh Press on March 5, 1928...

They don't give any name of the murderess in the article, but there was a woman sentenced to hang on March 23, 1928. 

Doris McDonald, a 20 year old married American woman, and her husband George McDonald were sentenced to hang for the 1927 murder of Adelard Bouchard, a Lachine taxi driver, in Huntington, Quebec.

Doris McDonald's sentence was commuted to life in prison, while her husband George was hanged on March 23, 1928. 

This article was published in August 1932 when Doris McDonald applied for parole.

You can find details of this case and other Persons Sentenced to Death in Canada in this PDF.

Manitoba Temperance & Licenses

Going through the Sessional Papers for the Province of Manitoba 1919, I came across a List of Prosecutions for Infractions of the "Manitoba Temperance Act".

These infractions included selling liquor without a license, permitting drunkenness on the premises, intoxicated in a public place, etc. with person's name, date and infraction.

During the Influenza Epidemic of 1918 there was a huge demand for liquor, and the government left it to the medical practitioner to decide what and how much liquor to prescribe.  No obstruction on the part of the government was made to keep liquor from ailing patients. 

A few pages on there is a list of Retail Licenses granted in 1918, under the Manitoba Temperance Act. Also wholesale licenses, licenses surrendered and those not issued. 

Relevant Links

List of Prosecutions for Infractions 1918

List of Licenses issued 1918 

The Justice Department

In the Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada the employees of the Justice Department are mentioned in the Auditor General's Report.  In this department are the Chief Justice, sheriffs and judges, circuit judges, Court Staff, Provincial justices and judges, the Dominion Police, and Penitentiary staff.

Old Supreme Court of Canada 1890

Search the Sessional Papers for other years, under the No 1, Auditor General's Report.



Relevant Links


Justice Dept 1901

Justice salaries at Ottawa

Supreme Court and Exchequer Court

Justices and judges - Provinces

Dominion Police

Penitentiary Staff - All provinces

Pensions to Judges

Justice Dept - Bilingual 1918

Justice Salaries at Ottawa and Supreme Court

Justices and judges, Provinces

Gratuities to Relatives of deceased officials

Dominion Police

Penitentiary Staff - All provinces

Pensions to Judges



Related Posts:  Sessional Papers

Oyer and Terminer

The following publications have to do with Assizes, Curia Regis (King's court) and
Oyer and Terminer. These are names for court proceedings, civil and criminal cases, including treason and felonies. Other names are Courts Leet and Courts Baron.

The practice of Courts-Leet an Courts-Baron 1728

Throughout you will see, for example, vjs viijd.  These are fines in roman numerals that were used at the time. In this case it stands for 6s 8d, or 6 shillings 8 pence (1/3 pound).

My ancestor John Singleton was occupying a house in Preston, Lancashire and the branches of a neighbours tree were hanging over his house.  The neighbour was to cut the branches but he didn't, and in the follow-up was being fined 6s 8d for every month they were not cut.  This is the entry from the Courts Leet of Preston 1653:

We find and present Evan Rogerson hath not performed the 5th presentment of the last Leet in cutting his wood which hanges over Henry Wilson's house in the ffryergate (Friargate), in the possession of John Singleton, and he therefore according to the presentment aforesaid forfeited his fine of 6s 8d, and we do amerce him in every month the same continues undone in 6s 8d.

John was mentioned in the court books again in 1669 because his unmuzzled dog bit the butcher's wife and daughter, for which he was fined 13s 4d. Every week thereafter that the dog was unmuzzled he was to pay an additional 6s 8d.

In the Court Leet record of October 1732, George Singleton, along with 12 other neighbours, were charged with selling ale and beer from their homes without a proper license. They were fined 20 shillings each.

I also have Syngleton (Singleton) ancestors mentioned in the Lancashire Assize Rolls for the year 1269.

Check back of the publications for a nominal index.


Relevant Links:

Preston (Lancashire) Court Leet records 1653+, Pub. 1905

A Calendar of the Lancashire & Cheshire Assize Rolls 

Three early assize rolls for the county of Nortymberland, sæc XIII (Latin)

Three Yorkshire assize rolls for the reigns of King John and King Henry III

Autumn assizes, 1876: the courts of Oyer and Terminer and general gaol delivery of ssize and Nisi Pruis - Schedule for the Province of Ontario

The Expenses of the Judges of Assize Riding the Western and Oxford Circuits

Staffordshire Assize Roll : 56 Henry III

Northumberland pleas from the Curia Regis and assize rolls, 1198-1272

Curia Domini Regis - Cumberland, Derb', Devon, Dorset (Latin) Vol 1

Curia Domini Regis - Cumberland, Derb', Devon, Dorset (Latin) Vol 2

Courts Baron and Courts Leet of Manchester, K

Records of the Baron Court of Stitchill (Scotland) 1655-1807

Rolls of the assizes held in the Channel Islands in the second year of the reign of King Edward II, AD 1309 (Pubished 1903)

Cases decided in the Court of Oyer and Terminer, Deleware 1800's

Cases of High Treason at a Court of Oyer & Terminer, Dublin 1803, Vol 1.

Cases of High Treason at a Court of Oyer & Terminer, Dublin 1803, Vol 2

Trials for High Treason in Scotland: held at Stirling, Glasgow, Dumbarton, Paisley and Ayr, in the year 1820

Report and testimony from Grand Jury, Oyer and Terminer, Nov-Dec 1868, concerning election irregularities - New York




Related post: Do the Crime, Do the Time

Serendipity Sunday - Robbers

I happened across this book, written by William Allan Pinkerton in 1907.
He gives an account of and provides photos of these robbers. 

I then found a couple of other books on robbers.

Relevant Links


Train Robberies, Train Robbers and Holdup Men

A brief historical account of the lives of six notorious street-robbers, executed at Kingston, UK 1726

An interesting account of the organization and mode of operations of the celebrated horde of robbers known as the Markham Gang - Toronto, Canada 1846

The Boston Brinks Robbery Jan 1950

A Matter of Honour

Doing a search for a surname of a relative's family line I came across this newspaper clipping from October 1905 ...

I have found no evidence that this Mr Mooney is related to my Mooneys, but I wanted to find out more about dueling.

My grandson takes fencing and he loves it. He won't have to fight a duel to defend his honour, but he does have a tournament coming up at the end of the month.  I can't be there because of distance, but hopefully I will get to see some video!

A Duel was based on a code of honour, and usually fought by the upper classes or soldiers. There were basic rules to follow, but each dueling pair could set their own rules and agree on type of weapons. A proper duel was always a personal matter, never a professional one, and not necessarily meant to kill, but to get "satisfaction".

 

Penny London Post 27 May 1748

The earlier duels were fought with swords, and later pistols were used. They came in matching sets to be fair to both sides.  Duels were being fought all over the world. The last fatal duel fought in England was in 1852 with the winner being tried for murder, while the last duel in France was in 1967. Here is an article of a sword duel fought in Cologne, Germany in 1975:

The Showdowns of the old west were a form of duel, and not always based on a matter of personal honour.  

Duels were not restricted to men!  There have been cases of duels fought by women.

There is lots of information about duels on the internet, and many duels were written about in the newspapers. You can do a newspaper search using the keywords duel (and with/without the word pistol or sword) plus whatever place you are interested in. Also google dueling weapons and choose images.

Was your ancestor a duelist? Did any duels take place in the town of your ancestors?

Following are sites with names of famous duelists, and interesting books on rules and dueling.  

Relevant Links:

The only approved guide through all the stages of a quarrel: containing the royal code of honor; reflections upon dueling; and the outline of a court for the adjustment of disputes.

Notes on dueling : alphabetically arranged, with a preliminary historical essay 1955

Les jurys d'honneur et le duel 1895

Remarks on dueling; observations on the arguments in defence of that practice 1823

A forgotten duel: fought in Rhode Island between William Austin of Charlestown, and James Henderson Elliot of Boston, March 31, 1806 (Pub 1914)

The history of dueling: including narratives of the most remarkable personal encounters that have taken place from the earliest period to the present time - UK 1841

The Field of Honor: being a complete and comprehensive history of dueling in all the countries; including the judicial duel of Europe, the private duel of the civilized world, and specific descriptions of all the noted hostile meetings in Europe and America - 1884 

List of Famous Duels

8 Legendary Duels

The Duelling Pistols (and info) of Sir Thomas Mitchell

     



Serendipity Sunday - Making a list, checking it twice....

While I was searching for information and links for WWI I was taken to the Mocavo blog post about WWI diaries. Just what I was looking for! But on the same page was a post about this broadside from Library of Harvard University. It is called the Eleventh Blacklist and was printed in the year 1706, consisting of a list of prostitutes, drunks and pick-pockets in the London area. The abbreviations used are at the bottom of the page.
If your ancestor is on the list, you sure have some colourful characters on your tree! 

Click on the image to go to the Houghton Library page. While there visit their Archive to see some pretty awesome photographs and illustrations. Then change month at top menu.

Below are some links to a couple of other sites that have images or stories of some "unsavory characters"!


Also search Pub Blacklist 1903..1906 on Google Images


1904 Birmingham Pub Blacklist (sorry, this site has been taken down, try a search)

1902 Birmingham Pub Blacklist

Lost Weekenders - more Blacklist

Birmingham Pub Blacklist 1903-1906 - Ancestry $

Do the Crime, Do the Time

Do you have an ancestor who was naughty?  Or downright criminal? Can’t find an ancestor on an early census… did you check the jails? There are many sites on the internet of judicial proceedings where we can look for our ancestor’s name.

In Quebec before 1760 the head of the Militia of the parish usually settled petty crimes and everyday disputes among neighbours. He was under the supervision of the local Intendant.  The more serious crimes were heard by the "juridiction royale" in Quebec City, Montreal or Trois-Rivieres. The books “Inventaire des Ordonnances des Intendants” 1705-1760 are on Internet Archive in 4 separate volumes, or 2 books with Vol 1-2 together and Vol 3-4 together. After 1760 the Quebec Justice system was slowly introduced.  You can check each  other province archives to see how to access what records they have.

About.com has a list of websites to check US prison record databases. Other books with criminal records can be found at Internet Archive, search Patent Rolls, criminal, crimes. Disputes over a bit of land, bankruptcy, petty theft, murder. 

I didn't find any criminal skeletons in my closet - how about you?

Court records hold other data besides criminal. They may contain records of deeds, marriage contracts and wills. At Internet Archive search using keywords "circuit court, court rolls, criminal" etc.

Check local archives for "chancery court" records and "Cases of Equity". These are about cases concerning land, wills, slaves, and family/neighbor disputes.

Relevant Links

US Prison Records at About.com

Quebec Court Records (see instructions in previous article)

Inventaire des ordonnances des intendants de la Nouvelle-France [1705-1760 VOL I

Kingston Penitentiary Inmate Ledgers 1886-1919

Upper Canada Criminal Database

Prisoners of British Columbia up to 1884

Convicts shipped from Lower Canada to Australia

Norfolk Inquisitions Index 1845-1889

Norfolk Public Records

Calendar of the patent rolls Great Britain 1467-1477 (+ more years)

Calendar of the patent and close rolls of chancery in Ireland

History of Crime in England 1873

Victoria, AU. Court of Petty Sessions records, 1849-1865

Old Bailey Records Online – 1674-1913

Ancient Criminal Trials of Scotland (+ more volumes)

Celebrated trials UK - from the earliest records to the year 1825

Personnes incarcérées dans les prisons de Québec au 19e siècle

Court Records Book A, 1664-1812 (Crimes, licenses, deeds, etc) Hampden County, MA

Hampshire County (MA) Court records (several volumes)

US County Clerk Court Records - by state

Prison Life and Reflections 1851 –  life in Missouri Penitentiary

Capital Punishment UK – hangings, executions, etc

Victoria,Australia – Court Records database

Prisoners and Convicts – Victoria, Australia from 1850+

Prisoners and Convicts – Queensland, Australia

Graham Maxwell Ancestry - Prison Register Database

Australia Female Convicts

The Royal kalendar: and court and city register, for England, Scotland, Ireland, and the colonies .. 1765

Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan (searchable database)

Name Index to Photo Criminal Register - Fife, Scotland

The Court Rolls of The Manor of Wakefield (UK) Vol 1-3 

Allen County, Indiana circuit court records, general index 1824

Reports of cases adjudged in the Court of Chancery of Upper Canada

Anglo-American Law Traditions - Medieval and early England records

A general and true history of the lives and actions of the most famous highwaymen, murderers, street-robbers : To which is added, a genuine account of the voyages and plunders of the most noted pirates. Interspersed with several remarkable tryals of the most notorious malefactors, at the Sessions-House in the Old Baily, London - 1742

The Lower Canada Law Journal (Cases heard) Vol 1-4, 1866