Family History Research (for the beginner)
Prepared by Lorraine Purcell April 2016 (heatgg@yahoo.com.au)
GOLDEN RULES OF GENEALOGY
ALWAYS work backwards from the known (yourself) to the unknown (forebears)
NEVER believe everything on a Birth, Death or Marriage certificate
NEVER completely trust the spelling of surnames, place names etc.
ALWAYS check surname variants when researching
ALWAYS have at least two separate sources of proof for each event
REMEMBER that everything is only speculation until verified
ALWAYS photocopy certificates and important documents and leave the originals in a safe place
IF a document exists, read it!
JOIN at least one Family History group or Historical society
SHARE your information and documentation (copies only) with other researchers
HOW DO YOU START?
- Check out “How to” guides on relevant family history websites
- Obtain a family tree program (eg Brothers Keeper http://www.bkwin.org/)
- Become familiar with the program
- Collect as much information as you can before you start (certificates)
- Obtain some loose-leaf files and document protectors for your files
- Begin with yourself and work backwards through the generations – do a rough draft to start with
- Decide which family line to trace
- Label your photographs
- Join a Family History Society
WHAT INFORMATION DO YOU ALREADY HAVE?
Your marriage certificate- Your birth certificate
- Your parents birth or marriage certificate
- Old birthday cards or books.
- Start your own birthday book for the current generation.
- Label photographs. Never use pen. Write details on a label on the back, in pencil
- Old diaries are a great sources of information
- Legal documents such as land deeds, wills etc.
- That shoe box of newspaper clippings and old papers.
- The family bible
- Write down any family story as it will be a good source of truth or otherwise later on.
- Ask relatives for any photos of family or houses where they lived.
- REMEMBER: Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence
ORGANISING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH
- Keep your research in separate folders for each family.
- Plastic envelopes protect certificates and other documents.
- Whilst researching keep notes in an exercise book as all information is then in one spot.
- Always write down your source of information and location with date of research.
- Record your family history research on computer program. (Brothers Keeper – free program http://www.bkwin.org/)
“HOW TO” GUIDES
Check out “How to” guides on relevant family history websites
- State Library of NSW has a series of guides for family history research at http://guides.sl.nsw.gov.au/cat.php?cid=54891
These include:
Aboriginal Australians family history
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Convicts: Bound for Australia
Convicts: Life in the colony
Passenger records
Shipping records
- Australian History research website
http://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/where-do-i-start-family-history-research/
- National Archives of Australia
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/family-history/index.aspx
- State Records Authority of NSW
https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/family-history
- State Records Guides and Indexes
https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/indexes
- Findmypast
http://www.findmypast.com.au/content/help-and-advice
- Ancestry.com.au
http://www.ancestry.com.au/cs/HelpAndAdviceAU
- TROVE help
http://help.nla.gov.au/trove/trove-support-zones
BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES
- Births, Deaths & Marriages Indexes (http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/Pages/family-history/family-history.aspx)
- Ryerson Index to Death and funeral notices http://www.ryersonindex.org/
The Ryerson Index is a free index to death notices appearing in Australian newspapers. The date range covered extends from the Sydney Gazette of 1803 up to newspapers published within the last week or so. The Index also includes many funeral notices, and some probate notices and obituaries.
- Cemetery Records (http://austcemindex.com/)
- Other sources – Trove Newspaper Family Notices
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA – a rich source for family historians. http://www.naa.gov.au/
- Many of the records are about individuals
- Identify how family members had contact with the government, and identify what types of records they might have about them.
- Think about contact between your family and the government
- Migration to Australia
- Naturalization records
- Military records
- Electoral rolls https://www.nla.gov.au/research-guides/finding-electoral-rolls
- Working for the government
STATE RECORDS online indexes at www.records.nsw.gov.au
include:
- Bankruptcy and Insolvency records
- Census records
- Colonial Secretary
- Convict records
- Court records
- Deceased estates and related records
- Education and child welfare records
- Gaol records
- Health
- Immigration and shipping records
- Land records
- Naturalization records
- Professions and Occupations
IMMIGRATION
National
- Passenger arrivals 1897 – 1963
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/family-history/passenger-arrivals-lists-1897-to-1963/index.aspx
State – State Records website includes links to the following:
- Assisted Immigrants arriving in Sydney, Newcastle, Moreton Bay and Port Phillip
- Assisted (Bounty) Immigrants, 1828-42
- Miscellaneous Immigrants 1828-43
- Unassisted Immigrants 1842-55
- Unassisted passenger and crew arrivals, 1845-1922
MILITARY RECORDS
- Australian War Memorial
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/research-at-the-memorial
- National Archives of Australia
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/defence/service-records/index.aspx
OTHER SOURCES
- Directories – eg Sands Post office directories http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/learn/search-our-collections/sands-directory
- Electoral Rolls (a selection on Ancestry.com.au)
- Telephone books (held at State Library of New South Wales)
- Newspapers – Trove online (http://trove.nla.gov.au/)
- Australasian Genealogical Computer Index on CD (at libraries and Society of Genealogists)
- Early Title Holders of Land (very good listing of related sites on the State Library of Queensland website, covering all Australia http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/family-history/land-records)
- Census information https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/census-and-musters
BIOGRAPHICAL DATABASE OF AUSTRALIA http://www.bda-online.org.au/
BDA is a new research tool for historians and genealogists. Subscription based but you can search the index for free.
- transcripts and indexes of many original records
- published biographies of deceased individuals who arrived in or were born in Australia, starting from the earliest times.
- most convict, muster, census, baptism, marriage & burial records for NSW 1788-1828+, Norfolk Island & Tasmania 1802-1811, First Fleet 1788
- 160,000 Colonial Secretary records & immigrant and convict records 1829-1848, tickets of leave
- full text short biographies of 24,000+ residents
- clergy of most states 1878-1907
- 7,000 contributed biographies
- 10,000 Sydney burials & inscriptions 1819-1901
PHOTOS 
- Store photographs in proper conditions
- Ensure that they are all properly labelled and identified
- Curb damage by preventable elements, such as light, excessive heat or cold, bug infestations, fingerprints, water damage and mildew
- Invest in albums with archival sleeves as well as acid-free photo storage boxes
- Before filing and packing away any old photos, toss out paper clips, rubber bands, manila envelopes, staples and anything that has an odour.
- Wear cotton gloves while handling photographs to avoid long-term fingerprint damage
- Scan precious photos and share them around
PUTTING “FLESH ON THE BONES”
- Research your ancestors’ local area to see what social and economic conditions they lived under
- Look at the type of housing they may have had
- Investigate what sort of clothing they wore
- Follow up education records
- Check out what sort of work or profession were they involved with
- Consider putting it all into a book to share with relatives
OTHER SOURCES
- Directories – Post Office directories Sands Directories cover Sydney from 1858 to the 1930s. http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/learn/search-our-collections/sands-directory
- Electoral Rolls
- Telephone books
- Newspapers – Family notices
- Early Title Holders of Land & other Land and Property information
- Census of NSW 1828 and 1891 & 1901 Census Indexes of Householders at State Records
USEFUL WEBSITES
- Coraweb
- Cyndi’s list
http://www.cyndislist.com/australia/
- Good list of links in one spot is on our Hill End website
https://heatgg.org.au/he/current-projects/links/
- Society of Australian Genealogists website
http://www.affho.org/news/AustralasianFFHSLeafletv2.pdf
Using a family tree template, a good rule is to work backwards from yourself. This way you can be sure you are tracing the right family. Do not assume a connection with some particular family then try to fit yourself into one of its branches. Fill in a birth brief chart place yourself as No.1. Then move on to your parents and grandparents with the information you already have. The missing gaps will be filled in later when you start your research.
