An introduction to Family History

Why trace our Family History?

Curiosity? Medical reasons? Religious reasons? It is a good way to keep the brain working – use it or lose it!

Getting started

We must work from the known to the unknown.

Speak with other relatives (especially the older ones). Are any of your relatives already researching the family? Who might have inherited the family papers? Request permission to copy photographs and documents.

Assemble your information. Check out those bundles of papers.

Use a Family History program to record the family details. Enter women under their maiden names!

Australian resources

Birth, marriage and death certificates

In the eastern Australian mainland states, a person’s birth place is recorded on the person’s death certificate and marriage certificate; and the birth certificate of the children. In other states there may be more or less information, especially in earlier years. See Graham Jaunay’s excellent website for a detailed table: http://www.jaunay.com/bdm.html

Wills and probates

Someone may leave items in a will to family “back home” in Germany (especially someone without close family in Australia). It is always worthwhile looking for wills, probates and intestacies from your ancestors and their relatives.

Immigration files

Detail varied according to place and time. Records for early free settlers in New South Wales often listed the names of the immigrant’s parents and religion. Records in Queensland in the 19^th century usually just listed the name and age of the immigrant along with the details of the ship. Records will usually be in the relevant state archive.

After federation, immigration progressively became a commonwealth responsibility with post WWII records particularly being quite detailed. Immigration files can be found at one or more offices of the National Archives of Australia (NAA), and may be viewed for free at the relevant reading room or digitized for online access on payment of a fee. (The record may be accessed for free if it has already been digitized.)

Search the holdings of the NAA at the website www.naa.gov.au but be aware that there is much that is not indexed.

Naturalisation documents

As with immigration files, the content of naturalisation documents varies greatly according to place and time. Documents are mostly stored at the relevant state archive although those from South Australia and Victoria have been transferred to the National Archives of Australia (NAA).

Following federation, the commonwealth assumed the responsibility for naturalisation and documents are stored at the NAA. Once again, the documents can be viewed at one of the NAA reading rooms or be digitised to allow online access.

Other resources

· Obituaries

· Biographies

· Newspapers

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/, for Australian newspapers

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz, for New Zealand newspapers

· Directories

· Official gazettes

Accessing records

FamilySearch is a free site. They microfilmed and digitised records from around the world. Many of the records have been indexed.

Ancestry and MyHeritage have indexes to many overseas records and images of many of them. Both are subscription sites. There is some overlap with FamilySearch.

Findmypast and TheGenealogist have indexed records from the British Isles.