QA Forum
Tracing Family History
We were discussing Tracing family history
With Antoinette Buchanan, Stephanie Ryan and Jennifer Higgins
Finding out about your family history can be very important for a number of reasons; you may want to connect with your heritage, or you may want to establish your family history for current and future generations.
Learning about family history can prove to be an overwhelming task as it may take many months of research. But no matter how much effort you put in, it will be worthwhile in the end.
When beginning research on your family history, it is a good idea to start with the eldest members of your family - those who can provide you with information on previous family stories. This type of family history collection is called ‘oral history’. The extent of your family history research is up to you. By talking with family you may discover someone has already started some work that you can build upon. If you’re unable to consult family members, the Internet, your local library or local council records are an excellent resource for tracing family history.
Looking after your family history once it is established is equally as important as sharing it.
There are many ways to record family history, such as in books, for gifts, display, or storing. Not only will you have satisfied your personal need for tracing back through time, but your efforts will be looked over for years to come.
The following questions were answered:
| Question 1: | I'm trying to trace my ancestors that came to Africa then Australia in the 1920s. How do I go about this please? | View Answer |
| Question 2: | How do you compile a chart to store names of ancestors? | View Answer |
| Question 3: | I am trying to trace my family in italy but cannot find the town where i think they came from castelverde naples | View Answer |
| Question 4: | My father EDWIN william CLARK born scotland 23/10/1890 and served with the Canadian 13 th division in the first world war and then the aif in the second war. married frances hilda noland in Melbourne in the 1920's. | View Answer |
| Question 5: | My greatgreatgrandfather was born in Italy and was a poet and participated in Giuseppe Garibaldi expedition to liberate the isle of Sicily, what was his first name and where can I locate books published with his poems? | View Answer |
| Question 6: | At 76years old am trying to find any living siblings. Have relatively recently discovered my natural family;Mother,Margaret Lillian Shaw of Birmingham England , married to Eginald Arthur Lingard of Forsbrook (date unknown) I was born in Bristol on Nov 6th. 1929 and despite much time and money can't find a living relative. Can you help ? | View Answer |
| Question 7: | I am trying to locate some details about my wife's great grandfather, We have his marriage certificate, death certificate that indicate he was born in Devonshire in 1854, but there seems to be no records to verify. He was alleged to have been a remittance man but none of the family members,have been able to locate evidence of his birth. Do you have any suggestions on where to look please? | View Answer |
| Question 8: | I have traced my family tree for my g/grandfather Edward Aubin and from his death cert know he was born in Redcar Yorkshire UK in circ 1885 andhis marriage in Southern Cross WA circ 1897 to Theresa Marchant but cannot find any info on his arrival in Aust or his parents How could I find these things out? | View Answer |
| Question 9: | I want to find my brother in Australia his name is Bernard, I dont know where he lives, I mean I don't know the town. Im his sister Im sending this message from Croatia. please help me to find him. Or if you see this message please annswer me on my e-mail. My name is Ana and Im looking for my brother I want to learn you know. please answer me! | View Answer |
| Question 10: | My greatgrandmother was born in the Tonga Friendly Islands in 1866. I know her birth date and her fathers name. Is there any possibility of getting a copy of her birth registration, and if so, from where? | View Answer |
| Question 11: | My great grandfather's marriage certificate shows that he was born in Devonshire however there is only 1 record of his father who was born in Louth Ireland and was serving in India (Army) at the time of his birth. What is the best way of checking Indian bdm records please? | View Answer |
| Question 12: | I am looking for my aboriginal beginnings I have been collecting birth, marriage and death certs and they often have different information to each other. An example shows GG grandmother being born Gerara station District of Bourke NSW on a transcript of her birth cert. Her daughter's birth cert from Qld shows that GG grandmother's birthplace as Talawanta station Queensland. GG grandmothers mother has records in Aboriginal welfare stating that she is aboriginal but we cannot find our mob - Any suggestions?? | View Answer |
| Question 13: | I would like to know about my relations in France, do I have any still living, if so who and where. e.g mother and sisters? | View Answer |
| Question 14: | Mary McCarthy married Henry Batt in 1838 in Hobart. The family came to Victoria in the early 1850's. Our problem is that we have not been able to find a death for Mary Batt. She was the informant on the birth (1853 at Pennyweight Flat) and death (1855 Campbell's Creek) certificates for daughter Ellen Batt. Henry,a widower, died in the Castlemaine Hospital in 1890. | View Answer |
| Question 15: | Where in NSW would I discover the evidence tendered at Coroners' Inquests.. say back in the 1860's ? is it likely that it exists outside newspapers. exist back to 1860's. | View Answer |
| Question 16: | I have traced a great grandfather William White who died at Liverpool Asylum for Old, Infirm and Destitute on 29 April 1904. Enquiries at Liverpool library for records of his stay there revealed that his particular time span were missing, but that they could be available at other centres, where would these be, please? | View Answer |
| Question 17: | My son-in-law's grandparents met and wed in a refugee centre at Landshut Germany. How could I trace this and the birth of their 2 sons for my son-in-law? | View Answer |
| Question 18: | I have traced family back to the point of their arrival in Moreton Bay/Queensland in the 1850s and 1860s. Apparently there is a problem with shipping records then. Many were destroyed in floods later in the 19th Century. Is there a way around this obstacle? One ship I am particularly keen to find out about is the Lady Macdonald which arrived in 1856 | View Answer |
| Question 19: | What is the best website which could be used to trace my family's history? | View Answer |
| Question 20: | I traced my great grandfather Robert James Mitchell who was born in Dunedin, New Zealand around 1867. There is no record that his birth was registered, so it’s hard to get his parents info and if they came from Scotland and at what time. Could you please suggest a direction to follow up on? | View Answer |
| Question 21: | I am researching my family history. My ancestors are from Fiji and before that from India. I am finding it difficult to locate information on my ancestors - because many of them did not have recognisable surnames. Can you give me any advice on how to find out about my family history given these circumstances? | View Answer |
| Question 22: | What is the best way to trace english ancestors born/married prior to the 1800s? | View Answer |
| Question 23: | Do you have any advice for creating a matrilineal tree? (Answered by Antoinette) | View Answer |
| Question 24: | Do you have any advice for creating a matrilineal tree? (Answered by Stephanie) | View Answer |
| Question 25: | If a person was born in Argentina and he would like to know about his ancestors(born in Italy and Spain) and probably family living in those countries,which would be the best way to find out this information??? Many thanx | View Answer |
| Question 26: | Can someone do my family history for me? | View Answer |
| Question 27: | Certificates of Births, Deaths and Marriages are expensive to buy which are the best ones for family history? | View Answer |
| Question 28: | Does the Library offer courses and seminars on family history? | View Answer |
| Question 29: | How can I find out about my grandfather’s war service record? He served with Australian forces. | View Answer |
| Question 30: | How can old newspapers be useful in tracing my family tree? | View Answer |
| Question 31: | I'm overwhelmed trying to find really useful family history sites on the Internet. What are the best sites? | View Answer |
| Question 32: | I’ve traced the names and dates of my family but how do I find out what they were really like? | View Answer |
| Question 33: | My family migrated to Australia after WWII, can I find information? | View Answer |
| Question 34: | My grandmother was born in England in the 1880s. How can I find out when and where she was born and her parents’ names? | View Answer |
