Cassie Mercer embarks on a quest to understand more about a famous cricketer in the family tree. The Aussie cricket season is here! Just like thongs and singlets, melting ice-cream and mossies, cricket represents an Australian summer. The game became all the more interesting to me when I discovered that an ancestor of mine was Read More
One hundred years ago, the Great War ended after four years of death and destruction. Cassie Mercer speaks with author Professor Peter Stanley to understand more about what Australian troops were doing in those last few years of the war. The Great War left an indelible mark on thousands of Australian families. Men and women Read More
Why is August to important in family history circles? It’s National Family History Month (NFHM) – an initiative by the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations (AFFHO)! AFFHO is organising and facilitating the initiative via the NFHM website. It is hoped that 2018 is the biggest year yet in terms of interest and number of Read More
The winter school holidays are here, and during this time, there are lots of fun things to do to help your child or grandchild learn and be inspired by their ancestors. These 12 ideas will keep them – and you – entertained for hours. 1. Ask a grandparent to describe the very first house they Read More
When Governor Macquarie laid the foundation stone for the Parramatta Female Factory in July 1818, little did he know how important its role would be to understanding the lives of female convicts 200 years later. It’s estimated that one in every five to seven Australians is related to a female convict who was incarcerated at Read More
The 1939 England and Wales Register is a valuable resource for family history research, particularly in learning about your more recent relatives. It is the only surviving overview of people in the UK and Wales from 1921 to 1951 – the 1931 census was destroyed during World War II, and the 1941 census was cancelled Read More
Injustice, hard work and shock revelations are all part of John Jarratt’s family history. “If I found out there was a cold-blooded murderer – that would be very upsetting. But I think beyond that, everything should be fine … hopefully!” So says John Jarratt before embarking on his ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ journey Read More
Sharing your family’s legacy is so important for strengthening family bonds and reliving traditions that will make memories for every generation. It can be particularly valuable if you’re just starting out on your family history journey, or are trying to break through a brick wall. Take the time to sit down with your relatives to Read More
By Cassie Mercer and Mark Webster Gallipoli was a marker in the growth of Antipodean national identity for New Zealand as well as Australia. In New Zealand, it’s said that everyone with Kiwi connections for three generations has a line to a soldier at Gallipoli. Former Prime Minister Helen Clark had relatives there. Actor Russell Read More
Want to know what goes into making an episode of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’? With season nine airing on SBS in 2018, Cassie Mercer speaks to Robyn Smith, a researcher on the hit TV series, to discover how the program comes to life. Transcribing Russian documents, discovering historical portraits hanging in old barns Read More