Webtember at Legacy Family Tree

It’s almost time for Legacy Family Tree Webinars’ annual online conference Webtember 2025 to begin.

On each Wednesday in September, there will be four or five webinars focused on a specific theme.

Wednesday, September 3: German Genealogy
Dive deep into your German roots with these classes:

• Finding Your Ancestors in German Directories by Ursula C. Krause
• Exploring Mecklenburg’s Rich History and Genealogical Treasures by Andrea Bentschneider
• German Genealogy: Latest and Greatest Websites and Tools by James M. Beidler
• The Emperor’s New Code by Ute Brandenburg
• Eight Little-used Published German Sources by Warren Bittner

Wednesday, September 10: Writing
Learn how to tell your family’s story with these writing-focused classes:

• Creating an Ancestor Sketch by Thomas MacEntee
• Manage large writing projects through optimistic start, muddled middle, and triumphant finish by Rhonda Lauritzen
• The Five Writing Scripts of the World by Amie Bowser Tennant
• Using Historical Context in Your Genealogy Writing: A Gettysburg Soldier Case Study by Bonnie Wade Mucia, AG®
• How to write a genealogical crime mystery story by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

Wednesday, September 17: MyHeritage
Uncover new possibilities with MyHeritage through these webinars:

• An Overview of MyHeritage by Alon Ehrenfeld
• 10 Surprising Things I Discovered about My Ancestors Using MyHeritage by Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A.
• MyHeritage’s OldNews.com is Good News for Genealogists by James Tanner
• Mastering the MyHeritage DNA Test by Richard Hill

Wednesday, September 24: US Historical Records
Explore the rich records of the United States with these classes:

• Just What IS the AGBI, Anyway? by Carol Ansel
• School Censuses: What, When and Where by Billie Stone Fogarty, M.Ed.
• Research Treasures from W.P.A. by Sharon Batiste Gillins
• Discovering Old Land Surveys in Deeds and Probates by J. Mark Lowe, FUGA
• 12 Ways to Use Gravestone Clues to Grow Your Family Tree by Cathy Wallace

Webtember 2025 is free to attend live, and recordings will be available for a limited time after each session.

Register here to attend the live classes and see the schedule.

Genealogy Webinar Marathon

The 6th Annual 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon hosted by FamilyTreeWebinars.com and MyHeritage begins Thursday, April 3 at 5pm eastern U.S. time (Friday, April 4 at 8am Sydney time) and ends on Friday, April 4 at 5pm eastern U.S. time (Saturday, April 5 at 8am Sydney time).

There are 24 free webinars listed covering a range of topics, with something for everyone.  If you cannot tune in live, the webinars are also available to view later via the Webinar Library. The library also lists a number of other webinars, many of which can be viewed for free as well.

Webtember with Legacy Family Tree

Legacy Family Tree Webinars is back with another month-long, free online genealogy conference. Each Friday in September, join expert speakers as they cover a range of topics, from DNA testing to historical records and everything in between. There’s something for everyone.

There are a total of 20 Webinars scheduled, and all will be recorded and available for the rest of September for those who cannot attend them live.  Quite a bonus for people like me living in Australia, where the time difference means the first webinar of each day starts at 12.15am!

So check out the range of topics covered and book yourself in!

GRO Increases Certificate Prices

If you are looking to order civil registration records from the General Register Office (GRO), be aware they have increased the price of their records.

The GRO, which holds civil birth, marriage and death records for England and Wales, holds records from 1837, when civil registration was introduced.

Previously, the prices were:

• £2.50 for a digital image (available to download instantly for births from 1837 to 1922 and deaths from 1837 to 1957).
• £7 for a PDF (available for births from 1837 to 1934 and 1984 to 2021 and deaths from 1837 to 1957 and 1984 to 2021, takes up to four working days to despatch).
• £11 for a print certificate with an index reference (includes all marriage certificates).
• £14 for a print certificate without an index reference.

The new prices are:

• £3 for a digital image.
• £8 for a PDF.
• £12.50 for a print certificate with an index reference.
• £16 for a print certificate without an index reference.

Civil registration records are still a vital source of information for family historians, so be aware of these price increases the next time you are planning to order.

 

The Genealogist's Internet available free online

Many genealogists worldwide made use of The Genealogist's Internet by Peter Christian.  This wonderful book was last published in June 2012 (the fifth edition) and provided a wealth of over 1600 links plus descriptions and commentary.

As time has passed much of the book has become out of date.  Links have changed, moved, updated or disappeared.  New data has come online, better search facilities created, and new websites have made recommendations inaccurate or redundant.  Still, much of the book's content remains relevant and useful to genealogists.

The good news is that Peter Christian has made his book available free via the Internet Archive.  While he cautions readers that this is not a new edition of the books, Peter has still checked and updated many of the old links.  Any links that Peter checked, found to be outdated and was unable to locate a current link have been greyed out in the text.  Current links - to the best of Peter's knowledge links which are accurate today but may not remain so in the future - are highlighted in blue.

The creative commons licence under which the book is currently available is Attribution ShareAlike, which means you may freely download and reuse this electronic version, and distribute it to others.

So take a look at The Genealogist's Internet and see what it has to offer.  A huge thank you to Peter for his work and his generosity in making his book available free online.

 

GRO Digital Ordering Update

Some great news for Family History researchers with civil birth and death registration records from selected years are now available as instant-access digital images via the General Register Office (GRO) website.

Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths was introduced in England and Wales in 1837.  Birth records from 1837 to 2021 and death records from 1837 to 1957 and 1984 to 2021 are indexed on the GRO website.

Family historians have previously had the option of ordering records as either a print record for £11 with a GRO index reference supplied, or a PDF for £7. It takes up to four working days for orders to be despatched.

However, the GRO has now launched a scheme for births from 1837 to 1922 and deaths from 1837 to 1887 to be available as digital images.  The digital images currently cost £2.50 each and are available to view immediately after purchase.

The scheme to order digital images is in the beta testing phase, but is publicly available to all registered users of the GRO website.

This makes accessing these records not only quicker but also less expensive, so take advantage of this great service.

 

 

Technical School Online Exhibition

Tech School - a history of hands-on education in Victoria 1873-1990s is an online exhibition created by the Public Record Office of Victoria.

Technical Schools grew out of the Mechanics Institutes which flourished across Victoria from their beginnings in 1856.  At the time the term mechanic referred to artisan or trade workers.  The Mechanics Institutes provided adult education classes for local communities, offering practical classes along with chess clubs and debates.

Melbourne's first technical school was proposed in 1881 as the Working Men's College, later known as RMIT.  It opened in June 1887 and catered to both men and women.  From these beginnings the Technical School began.

To find out more, visit the online exhibition.

Genealogy Webinar Marathon

MyHeritage and Legacy Family Tree Webinars are running their 4th annual 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon April 13-14, 2023.  The entire event is free, and you can pop in for a session or two, or stick around for the full 24 hours – it’s completely up to you. 

Sessions include :

• Solving Unknown Parentage Mysteries with MyHeritage DNA
• The Secret to Finding Your Ancestor's Stories 
• Genealogy A to Z : a Trivia Adventure
• Slow Down - Planning you Research
• To Have but No Longer to Hold : Divorce in Australia
• Australian Indexes online for Family History Research
• Different calendars in German Genealogy
• Unearthing Treasures in the Irish Registry of Deeds
• An Introduction to Investigative Genetic Genealogy
• Finding the Original Recordwhen the Idex is Unclear
• Elusive Ancestors : Never too Poor to Trace
  
• And more...

RootsTech

The 2023 RootsTech conference is on again, and for those of us unable to visit the conference in person in Salt Lake City, virtual attendance is once again available FREE.

There is a range of keynote speakers, on-demand videos, even the Expo Hall has virtual exhibitions you can visit online.  Once you have signed in you can even use the sessions calendar to create your own playlist so you don't miss out on any of the talks you wanted to listen to.

As most of the keynotes and classes are available online for up to 3 years, you can work through your playlist at your leisure.

So have a look at what is available and take advantage of this wonderful FREE online conference from the comfort of home.

History for Ukraine

'History for Ukraine' is a 24-hour speakathon from 12pm UTC Saturday 26 March until 12pm UTC Sunday 27 March where historical knowledge will be shared for free while listeners are invited to donate what they can to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Over 40 speakers from all backgrounds and all over the world have volunteered their time and expertise to make History for Ukraine a reality. Headline speakers include Charles Spencer, Philippa Gregory, Janina Ramirez, Saul David, Nick Barratt, Suzannah Lipscomb, Kate Williams, Kate Lister, Deborah Sugg Ryan, Nathen Amin, Tracy Borman, Miranda Kaufmann and Fern Riddell.

Throughout the event there are also several talks touching upon Ukrainian history. Cat Jarman on Ukraine’s history in the Viking era, Elaine Chalus on ‘Ukraine and Canada’, and Michelle Chubenko on ‘Digital Genealogy in Ukraine’. Interspersed between all the talks will be short videos about Ukraine, its history, and people made by individuals currently living in and fighting for their homeland.

For those who may not be able to watch all the talks they want live, the website states that for a short while, replays will be available. 

For all information on how to watch and donate please go to the website: History For Ukraine

RootsTech Connect Returns

FamilySearch announced recently that its free online family history event RootsTech Connect will return for a second year on 3-5 March 2022.

FamilySearch has hosted the RootsTech family history conference in Salt Lake City annually from 2011 to 2020.  In September 2020, in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it announced that the 2021 conference would be replaced by RootsTech Connect – a free, global online event in that was held in February 2021.

Steve Rockwood, FamilySearch International CEO, said: “After RootsTech Connect 2021, we realized that we could bring the joy of family history to millions of people, no matter where they are, through an online, virtual RootsTech experience.  As we continue to chart new territory with RootsTech, we plan to make the virtual event a regular part of the experience and look forward to all the new opportunities that will open to people everywhere.”

RootsTech Connect 2021 was attended by over one million people from 240 countries and featured online family history talks and classes, a virtual Expo Hall and message boards for visitors to chat to one another.

For 2023 and beyond, RootsTech said it planned to offer “a hybrid online and in-person model with content that is expanded and accessed throughout the year”.

So keep an eye on the website for future announcements of topics, talks and speakers, and be ready for another round of amazing talks.  Remember many of the RootsTech 2021 talks remain available to view on demand , so check out what is available.

Webinars

 Legacy Family Tree webinars has announced a free of charge webinar programme, running throughout September.

You can join live for all four Fridays or just one, and if you can't, you can still enjoy the recordings at your convenience as they'll be free to view through the end of the month.

You can see the full programme at Legacy Family Tree Webinars and below are some of the highlights:

3 September

Teresa Steinkamp McMillin: CGLife, Liberty and the Pursuit of German Military Records

Anita Wills: Notes and Documents of Free Persons of Colour

10 September

Carol Baxter: British and Irish Given Names - Part 1

Debra Renard: What are the Odds? Finding Answers Using DNA Painter’s WATO Tool

17 September

Daniel Horowitz: Genealogy on the Go with the MyHeritage Mobile App

James Tanner: Researching Immigrants to New England in the Great Migration, 1620-1640

24 September

Paul Woodbury: Where Did That Come From?! Tracing the Origins of Unique Ethnicity Admixture

Lisa Toth Salinas: Beginning Hungarian Genealogy

Changes Coming to PROV

On the 9th of August the Public Records Office of Victoria will launch their new search and online ordering system which we are told will make ordering and managing your record and copy requests a whole lot easier. This system will replace their current catalogue 'Access the Collection'.

According to a statement made by the PROV, the upgrade will allow you to:

• View thumbnails as you search making digital records easier to find and download. 
• Select records as you search. 
• Order digital copies directly from the item page without needing to fill out a separate form.  
• Access your own personal Dashboard which will display your past and future orders, pick up and viewing times and links to copies. 

Your last two years of history will be maintained so that once the upgrade launches, you’ll be able to login as normal with your email address.

The statement also adds the following :
 
Researchers please note some changes to our services in the lead up to launch: 

• Ordering of records for North Melbourne will be suspended from the 26th of July until the new system comes online on the 9th of August.  
• And the North Melbourne Reading Room will be closed from 2 August to 7 August  to allow for the changeover. 

We appreciate your patience as we bring you our brand new system!  

Other benefits of the new system

• You can view the contents of a whole box (previously called a unit) directly from an individual item page, so you can see other records of a similar time or type on one screen.
• If the record you want to view has already been ordered by someone else, it can be added to your 'waitlist' so you will be notified as soon as it's available again. 
• Copy orders will remain in your Downloads section so that you can re-download your digital copy any time. 
• Looking for an old order? The Dashboard search bar will make this easier allowing you to quickly reference or re-order records you've previously ordered. 
• New collection items including digitised inquests from 1926 to 1937, existing passenger list indexes will include digitised records, 25,000 new photographs including Melbourne Harbour Trust and Education Department Publications Branch (digitised with the support of the Ross Trust).
• The majority of the Reading Room microfilm digitised by Ancestry will also be available online. 

Remember:

• You can order up to 24 records at any one time, 8 will be delivered per day, we will hold those records for you for 5 days but you can extend that hold (unless someone has placed a reserve order) via your Dashboard. 

Note: The catalogue terminology "unit" has changed to "box" and "consignment" to "record groupings" to make the collection more accessible to new researchers.

I have always found the PROV website easy to search and use, but most of my access is done remotely as I live some distance away and rarely have the time to visit one of their reading rooms.  As a result, I am really looking forward to exploring the changes they are making and look forward to the launch.

Ancestry Time

Don't forget to tune in to Ancestry Time tonight,starting at 7.00pm AEST.  While the theme is 'Family History Advice for Beginners', there is always more to learn and who knows what little nuggets of gold may come up?  There is always something to learn and so many friendly and helpful genealogists out there who are willing to offer others a bit of advice.

The Hidden Branch

The Hidden Branch is a new generation of Genealogists who are growing up during the digital age.  They have just launched their website https://thehiddenbranch.com/ and are active on social media.  

On their website they state : "We advocate for Gen Z researchers (born from 1995 to 2010) in the field of genealogy.  We publish articles, podcasts, and videos on research skills, topics, and more in order to give a bigger voice to the Gen Z genealogists in the field, as well as help others further their education in genealogy."

For younger genealogists this is a wonderful resource that can put them in contact with people their own age who have also developed an interest in their family history young - something I wish had been around when I started my own research at 16 and was constantly met with astonishment that I was interested in such a topic.

I will be watching this group with interest and wish them success in sharing their interest with other Gen Zs.

The Pandemic One Year In

It has now been over a year since the emergence of Covid-19 changed our world in so many ways.  While here in Australia we have certainly not seen the worst of the pandemic, it has nonetheless had a massive impact on our daily lives.  there have been lockdowns, border closures, limits on meeting numbers, business closures and stand-downs at work, and the daily stress of not knowing how long the restrictions will last.  Living in a border town, seeing police on the bridge and helping people fill out border passes at the library where I work is something I will never forget.

Genealogically speaking, the biggest impact for me has been the loss of face-to-face meetings.  How I have missed chatting face-to-face with Genea-mates and the networking and idea sharing that goes hand in hand with meetings and conferences.  Online meetings just are not the same.

Despite the down side of online meetings, however, the rise of virtual conferences has allowed me to attend inter-state and overseas meetings that I would never have been able to attend in reality.  The genealogical community has pulled together, made use of the internet like never before, and been a huge step in providing so many of us isolated at home with interest, stimulation and contact.

The list of those who have made information and resources available online during the pandemic seems almost endless.  Rootstech went completely virtual last month - not to mention also completely free.  Ancestry allowed many libraries and other institutions to allow Ancestry Library Edition to be accessed remotely by members when the normal in-house only use became impossible due to closures.  Family History Down Under, an Australian genealogy conference scheduled for later this month in Queensland, has also gone virtual, as has the Really Useful Family History Show in the UK in April.  The National Archives UK has made all their digital records free to access while they are closed.  The list goes on.

The efforts of all these groups and companies in taking their services online cannot be underestimated, and I would like to send a huge thank you to them all, those I have mentioned in this post and the many, many others.  You have helped keep us sane over the past year - kept us researching, learning, chatting and helping each other.  Well done to you all.

#ANZAncestryTime

#ANZAncestryTime is a Twitter Platform for anyone with an interest in Family History and Genealogy.  Whether just starting out or an experienced researcher, #ANZAncestryTime is a place and time where like-minded people in the genealogy community can come together and connect in conversation. #AncestryTime has an initial focus on genealogists with an interest in Australian and New Zealand family history but we enthusiastically welcome the participation of genealogists all around the world.

Each week, a topic for discussion will be introduced. To participate, follow Australia & New Zealand Ancestry Time on Twitter, use the #ANZAncestryTime hashtag to tweet and retweet participate. You can share your experiences, services, ask questions and offer help. Need more help on how to participate? Then check out How to join in now.

#ANZAncestryTime will be hosted at 7 PM AEST every Tuesday. You will find out your local time on the Time Zones page.

Topics already covered include Newspapers, Military and Occupations.

Free Magazines

Campaspe Library subscribes to a number of Genealogy magazines that library members can download or read online for free.  In addition to BBC Who Do You Think You Are magazine, we also subscribe electronically to Traces Magazine and Family Tree (U.S.).  We also have a selection of history magazines, such as BBC History, All About History, and History Revealed.

 

To access these magazines, and many more, go to the library homepage and click on the link to RB Digital and follow the instructions to download the app and log in using your library membership.  You can even set up to automatically receive new editions of your favourite magazines.  There is no limit to how many magazines you can access or how long you can keep them, and many titles have back issues available as well.

 

So check out our eMagazines - and our other eResources like eBooks and eAudio - all available free with your library membership, and all accessible from the comfort of home.  If you have difficulty accessing them, library staff are only a phone call away to help you.

 

Happy reading!

Family History Show Goes Online

The Family History Show is hosting their new virtual show this weekend to replace the family history events closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.  The Family History Show Online will take place from 10am to 4.30pm on Saturday 20 June (UK time).

The promotional video promises “access to all your favourite family history features from the comfort of your own home”, including online talks, the chance to submit questions to a panel of experts, family history products available to purchase and download, virtual chat with exhibitors and a virtual goody bag worth over £10.

The speakers will include genealogy expert Mark Bayley, house historian Gill Blanchard and military historian Chris Baker.

Tickets are £5.50 in advance or £6 on the day and you can access the show on Windows 7 or newer, Mac, iOS and Android.  The Family History Show recommends a broadband speed of 10Mbs or higher to engage in video or chat.

The Family History Show is organised by the magazine Discover Your Ancestors and normally holds three annual events in Bristol, York and London.

If, like me, you will be attending from another time zone, lectures and live streams will be available for 24 hours and you can submit questions to their experts in advance.

Try a Virtual Tour

As more and more of us are staying home during the current health crisis, many public spaces are offering virtual tours of their spaces.  From museums, galleries, libraries, even zoos - the number of places you can visit from home is growing.  So here are a few places you might like to have a look at to keep yourself and the family entertained over the coming weeks.

The British Museum
Search the collection online to view specific objects or find out more about individual galleries.  Or perhaps you would like to take a virtual tour of their prints or the Oceania collection.

The Hermitage Museum
Right now, the museum states they are preparing a large quantity of broadcasts that you can view on their YouTube and Instagram channels. So far they are only in Russian, but in the near future they plan to begin broadcasting in other languages too – English, Italian and more.

The Smithsonian Open Access
Open access applies to digital assets that are created, stored, or maintained by the Smithsonian. This might include text, still images, sound recordings, research datasets, 3D models, collections data, and more.

London Medieval Murder Map
Each pin on the London map represents the approximate location of one of 142 homicides that occurred in the City of London in the first half of the 14th century. Click on a pin to read the story behind the event.

Virtual Library Tours
I Love Libraries has virtual tours of some iconic libraries, such as the Library of Parliament in Ottawa, Canada, the Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago, the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. and the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford. 

State Library of Victoria
I can't go past my home state library, with the SLV offering photos and images of many of their halls and spaces.  You can also take a tour of the history of the building.

Zoos Victoria
Watch the live cameras featuring the new snow leopard cubs (in both the nesting box and open enclosure), penguins, zebras, lions and giraffes.  As the animals go about their day they appear and disappear on the zoo cameras.