AncestryDNA® has updated its ethnicity estimate reference panel so customers will now have the ability to see a possible genetic connection with the Indigenous communities of Australia. Prior to this update, customers who have genetic markers in their DNA that Ancestry’s analysis associates with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander DNA would have received an ethnicity Read More
Make 2020 the year you discover your Anzac ancestor. Cassie Mercer offers some tips and tricks on how to start. Have you always wanted to discover more about your Anzac ancestor? Perhaps you’ve only heard rumours of a family link with a soldier and would like to investigate if the tales are true. Maybe you Read More
At Ancestry, we value our members and want you to feel reassured that we are always here to answer your questions. Through our social media community, we have received many questions relating to COVID-19, so have collated and answered the most frequently-asked questions below. Q: What are you doing to help those who are Read More
For anyone with ancestors from Sydney, Rookwood General Cemetery may hold clues vital to your family research. Why? Because it’s the largest cemetery from the Victorian era still in operation in the world, with more than one million burials spread across its 200 hectares. Its vast landscaped gardens have become the last resting place for Read More
If you are new to the world of family history and DNA, you might not be aware of one of the best offline resources at your disposal – family history societies. Societies have been around for decades and have always been a haven for those of us looking for our ancestors. Prior to the boom Read More
Family historians know the value of a good murder. A death and some intrigue in colonial Australia often left a great paper trail in the records, one that can reveal all sorts of details when you know where to look. Historian Catie Gilchrist, from the University of Sydney is one such person. Catie has always Read More
There are lots of family history societies around Australia and New Zealand and they play a key role in genealogy research. Membership fees are typically very reasonable, so here are some great reasons why it’s worth joining up. 1. They can help you get started. If you’re new to family history, joining a family history Read More
Richard Dutkiewicz had always wondered about his father. He’d never known him – his mother had said he was killed in action in the Pacific at the end of World War II. “I was born in Germany in 1946,” explains Richard, who now lives in Canberra. “My mother was German, my father an American marine Read More
Anzac Day goes beyond the anniversary of the landing on Gallipoli in 1915. It’s the day on which we remember all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in war and on operational service past and present. To commemorate Anzac Day on April 25th, we wanted to acknowledge the brave men and women in Read More
When Alice Anderson was found dead in her garage in 1926 it made headlines around Australia. Why? Was it because she was the nation’s first female mechanic – an astute businesswoman who trained and gave female mechanics an opportunity to work in the male-dominated industry? Or was it because her death was a mystery – Read More