QA Forum

Question & Answer

We are discussing Tracing family history
With Antoinette Buchanan, Stephanie Ryan and Jennifer Higgins

Question:
I'm trying to trace my ancestors that came to Africa then Australia in the 1920s. How do I go about this please?

Answer:
Jennifer - You will find a good information sheet about Records of Immigration to Australia after 1923 at the National Archives of Australia website. You may search for the name of your ancestor in their Record Search or in their index to Passengers arriving in Fremantle, Western Australia, by ship between January 1926 and 1947.

Previous to this date, immigration was a state responsibility and each state kept its own records, some of which are online and others found at the state archives of each state. The National Library of Australia has a list of state archives.

If your ancestor came to a Victorian port then you may be interested in the Index of Inward Passenger Lists for British, Foreign and New Zealand Ports 1852-1923, this is available at the Public Record Office Victoria website.

There are many countries in the continent of Africa and it is difficult to provide advice without knowing more details. A good way to commence family history research is to join a family history society near you and also consider joining a society in the region of your research. There is, for instance a South African family history website which might be helpful to you. Your local family history society will be able to help you with advice and education on the way to commence your family history. A list of Australian family history societies can be found at Genealogy, Family History and Historical Societies.

If your family was British then the free indexes to records of the General Register Office for overseas births, deaths and marriages on Family Relatives.org website may be of some help.

Cyndi's List will give you some websites and hints for family history in Africa also.

View answer to: prev question | next question