HEALTH WARNING - Genealogy is ADDICTIVE
These are some free resources to use as a starting point
· Begin with YOU and search backwards [can add your children and grandchildren later].
· Do not start with some famous person with the same name and try to find a link.
· Collect family stories, talk to close and distant relatives, some of those old yarns may have a grain of truth and they add colour to your tale.
· Collect family mementos eg Bible, photographs, medals, letters, diaries, books, furniture and try to find the story of each piece .... the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘when’.
· Find birth certificates, they give mother’s maiden name.
· Find marriage certificates, will give father’s names for both bride and groom.
· Death certificates are less reliable as someone else is giving the information, nevertheless they can indicate number of children.
· Visit cemeteries to view gravestones as most give a birth and death date.
· NSW Records start in 1788, can look online for Births to 1910, Deaths to 1980, Marriages to1960. The NSW index is at < http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/search.htm>
· This will give the reference number so you can order the certificate [$30 each online]
· Naming patterns may help eg first son after father’s father, first daughter after mother’s mother, second son after mother’s father, second daughter after father’s mother. The (grand-) mother’s maiden name may be included as a given name e.g. Matthew Taylorson Barry Ford which give clues that you have found the right person.
· Many rich resources are located with local Family History Groups who are manned by enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers. They are likely to hold electoral rolls, P.O. directories, cemetery inscriptions, probate indexes, local newspaper obituaries.
· There may be local or regional Archives or University with newspapers on film and Government Gazettes which are excellent for land grants, medical appointments, mining leases etc. You may be looking at microfiche or microfilm because multiple copies can be made and originals become too fragile. These can also be accessed from places like the National Library.
· Make use of the BRILLIANT new National Library web site of digitized newspapers which are searchable by name and place and date....<www.trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper>
· Your local Latter Day Saints Church has access to extensive records from all over the world. International Genealogical Index , the IGI, compiled from millions of records worldwide but especially UK and USA. You can look up the IGI on line and then order the specific film for confirmation and detail.
<http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=igi/search_IGI.asp&clear_form=true>
· Use census records, some are available free online eg the 1881 British and Canadian <http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp>
· Maps may show land subdivisions with owners
· Education Records, Police records, Post Office records. Inquests, Gaol returns, Divorce records, Occupations eg lists of Clergy or Doctors
· If your ancestor was a soldier the AWM has a brilliant set of records available online <http://www.awm.gov.au >and follow links to ‘people’. See my blog called 'Researching Your 8th Division Soldier'.
· Read books about the area where your ancestor lived as he or she may get a mention and you certainly learn about the place where they lived, you may even identify their old house.
· First arrival in Australia. When? Death cert of this person will give clues for date.
· Where did they come from? May be on death cert.
· Convict records, Immigration and Shipping records are available. Some online.
· Cyndi’s list has close to 300,000 thousand links to web sites <http://www.cyndislist.com/>
· Pre 1837 in UK need to go to Parish records
· For UK the best site to start is < http://www.genuki.org.uk/>
Once you have collected all the information for one family line you’ll need to chase up the other family names....remember you have 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, 16 great- great-grandparents, 32 great-great-great-grandparents, then 64, 126, 256, 512... so it doubles for each generation you manage to get back…. it’s a never ending task but the detective in you will find it such fun!
And don’t forget you are part of your descendents family tree so remember to write out the story of your life for your own children and grandchildren.
By Caroline Gaden ©
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