Past Articles

A Tale of Two Weddings

Posted by Ancestry Marketing Team, Australia on February 27, 2020 in Events

What happened when two couples, one at the pinnacle of society and one working-class, celebrated their nuptials in historic Sydney? Cassie Mercer speaks to Margot Riley, curator at the State Library of New South Wales, to find out. On Wednesday 7 August 1878 the city of Sydney came to a standstill. Around 10,000 people gathered Read More

Ancestry revives 200-year-old dating tips in Valentine’s Day ‘Old-School Guide to Romance’

Posted by Ancestry Marketing Team, Australia on February 14, 2020 in Tips and Hints

Family trees reveal love stories that show how romance was born before dating evolved into swiping right on an app   Back in the day, lovebirds used to court, woo and express their heart-felt emotions in thoughtful romantic gestures. This is a stark contrast to today’s dating world, where the poetic, hand-written love letter has Read More

Rookwood Cemetery: Mapping the dead

Posted by Ancestry Team on September 17, 2019 in Deaths

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

Famous names in the Bristol Parish Registers

Posted by Ancestry Team on September 9, 2019 in Famous Faces

Parish registers of baptisms, marriages and burials are one of the main staples of the family historian. Anyone tracing their family tree back further than civil registration and the census in England will almost certainly look at these sources. Indeed, many of you will have spent hours scrolling through microfilms of registers in the pursuit Read More

Australian family history societies

Posted by Ancestry Team on August 23, 2019 in Society Directory

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

Murder she wrote

Posted by Ancestry Team on July 1, 2019 in Books

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

8 reasons to join a family history society

Posted by Web Operations on May 6, 2019 in Tips and Hints

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