German Research

Two sites I have discovered for German research are German Roots and the German GenealogyNet.  Both sites  have many links and tips on researching German ancestory, although a majority of records are transcribed in German only.

Connected Histories

Connected Histories brings together a range of digital resources for British History 1500-1900 in a single federated search.  Free registration allows resources to be saved and shared within a personal workspace.  Resources include British History Online, British Museum images, British Newspapers 1600-1900, Charles Booth archive, Church of England Clergy Database 1540-1835, House of Commons Parliamentary Papers, London Lives 1690-1800 and the Procedings of the Old Bailey 1674-1913.

English Heritage

Discover more about England's heritage from the National Monuments Record (NMR), the public archive of English Heritage. They hold over 10 million photos, plans, drawings, reports and publications on archaeology, listed buildings, aerial photography and social history, with over 2 million images available online.  They also manage the national historic environment databases of England's buildings, sites and territorial waters. The site includes links to Images of England (over 320,000 contemporary images of England's listed buildings), Heritage Gateway (national and local records of historic sites and buildings), English Heritage Archives (online descriptions of over 1 million historical documents and archives), Pastscape (a database of archaeological, architectural and maritime records), and Viewfinder (over 70,000 historic images of England from 1850s to present day).

Historical Directories

Historical Directories is produced and owned by the University of Leicester. It is a digital library of local and trade directories for England and Wales, from 1750 to 1919.  They include Post Office directories, Kelly's directories and more, and can be searched by location, decade or keyword.

Classes at Echuca and Kyabram

Campaspe Library now offers free beginners classes in Online Genealogy Resources monthly at Echuca and Kyabram Branch Libraries.  Classes run for 2 hours and cover a range of resources, from online databases to lookup exchanges to mailing lists, and exeryone attending is given a list of all the sites covered during the class, plus more sites listed on the Library Homepage.  Anyone interested in attending a class please contact your local Branch Librarian to find out when the next class will be held.

Irish Archives Resource

The Heritage Council of Ireland has just funded and launched a major new web portal called the Irish Archives Resource. It enables researchers to locate archival collections in Ireland that are relevant to their research. The intent of the site is to essentially act like a giant card catalogue for anyone doing ancestral work on Ireland. A search function allows users to pull up the relevant collections. A detailed listing is provided for each collection along with instructions on how to access the collection either online (if available) or physically at a public location in Ireland. Many of the major city and county archives in Ireland have already contributed to the website and much of it would be of interest to anyone with ancestors from Ireland.  Access is free.

Hearth Tax Online

The Hearth Tax was levied between 1662 and 1689 on each householder according to the number of hearths in his or her dwelling.  The online records currently cover ounty Durham 1666, Kent 1664, Surrey 1664 and Yorkshire West Riding 1672.