Past Articles

Our colonial convict ladies

Posted by Web Operations on June 14, 2018 in Convicts

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

Find your recent relatives in the 1939 Register

Posted by Web Operations on June 5, 2018 in Content

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

4 tips for interviewing your relatives

Posted by Web Operations on April 24, 2018 in Tips and Hints

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

Connect with your ancestors through food

Posted by Web Operations on March 16, 2018 in Tips and Hints

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

Victoria Asylum records now available on Ancestry

Posted by Web Operations on February 28, 2018 in Content

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

Tips for taking memorable family photographs

Posted by Web Operations on October 18, 2017 in Tips and Hints

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