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
Fancy a kangaroo steamer? How about a schnitzel with a side of sauerkraut? Or maybe you’re a fan of couscous and dal? Whatever your food passions, imagine connecting to your family history through knowing what your ancestors ate. Some popular contemporary diets are loosely based on how our forebears fuelled themselves – for example the Read More
Was an ancestor of yours admitted to an asylum? Or perhaps a paper trail has gone cold and you’re not sure where else to look? Ancestry’s latest dataset could help. When James Watson walked into the Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Ballarat, in November 1897, there was nothing about his behaviour to cause alarm or remark. The Read More
You don’t have to be a genealogist to really appreciate a great old family photo. There’s a certain joy that comes with finding a shoebox in the attic filled with old black and white photos of people living in a world decades before us. Finding and preserving family photos is essential to telling your ancestors’ Read More