Explore articles on genealogy research, historical records, and unique family history processes. Here you'll find practical guidance and research insights that share specialised knowledge from my world of genealogy to help you better understand how to connect with yours.
Many Australians are descended from those who were part of the First Fleet, whether from crew, officials, convicts or free settlers. Even if you don't have a direct connection, the First Fleet directly shaped the creation of Australia as it is today. However, for the First Nations peoples who had called this land home for over 65,000 years, that change came at an enormous cost.
Read OnGrowing up in Australia, ANZAC Day was something you felt before you fully understood it. At school, we learnt about the ANZACs every year. Old soldiers paraded through town and gathered at the war memorial, and then, as old soldiers do, made their way to the RSL. As a child, you absorbed the solemnity of it without always grasping the weight behind it. It was only later, when I began researching family history, that ANZAC Day stopped being something I observed and became something I understood.
Read OnOn 18 April 2026, the 1926 Irish Census was released. This is a landmark record set for anyone researching Irish ancestry, as it was the first census taken by the newly established Irish Free State. It's worth noting that Northern Irish records are not included, as those were unfortunately destroyed.
Read OnBetween 1788 and the present day, millions of people made the journey from the United Kingdom and Ireland to Australia. Some were sent. Some were subsidised. Some saved every penny they had for the privilege of going. And some, in the decades after the Second World War, went for just ten pounds.
Read OnLike most people, I had four grandparents. Unlike most people, only one of them was alive during my lifetime. He lived in England, visiting every Australian summer, and died in 1992 when I was fourteen, just a year after I had begun what I can only describe as a family history obsession. I wish I had asked him more. In reality, I probably asked him nothing.
Read OnYou may have heard people say "I've done my family tree" or "I'm doing my family tree." It is a phrase so common it has become shorthand for the whole subject. But a family tree, at its most basic, is just a collection of names and dates - a chart. And a chart, however far back it goes, cannot tell you who those people really were.
Read On