The Proceedings of the Old Bailey 1674 to 1913

The Old Bailey was the central criminal court for England and Wales, located in central London. This court heard the most serious criminal cases for London and much of the rest of the country. The Proceedings of the Old Bailey website contains a great collection of detailed records from some 200,000 criminal cases spanning roughly 240 years. This collection has been slowly increasing over time. It is a great website to check if you want to know if you had any really interesting characters in your family tree - only the most hardened criminals ended up at the Old Bailey. Access is free.

Books We Own

Books We Own is a list of resources owned/accessed by individuals who are willing to look up genealogical information and e-mail or snail mail it to others who request it. This is a free service - volunteers may ask for reimbursement of copies and postage if information is provided via snail-mail. The project began in 1996 as a way for members of the ROOTS-L mailing list to share their resources with one another. Today, there are nearly 2000 volunteers. The BWO Library tab directs you to an index of resources, organized by subject and locality.

Family History UK

Family History UK is the latest FREE UK family tree, genealogy and ancestry community portal website, connecting ancestors and living relatives all over the UK. You can search for your ancestors, Post your "Wanted Names" and Brickwalls.  The main site is completely FREE, to search, view or add any family history or genealogical details! On other parts of the site they will offer special things for the genealogy enthusiast.

Ancestry Library Edition

Did you know that Campaspe Regional Library subscribes to Ancestry Library Edition, a version of the Ancestry.com subscription website which gives a huge range of Australian and international resources for family historians. Along with other e-resources 'Ancestry' can be accessed for free in on any PC in every branch library via our website.  Highlights include :
· Searchable English census records 1841 - 1911 with images of the actual census
• Birth, marriage and death records, including the England and Wales birth, marriage and death indexes 1837 -2004
• Records of immigration into the US and of emigration from the UK
• Military records, for example 'Great Britain Army War List January 1893
• Directories and membership lists, including British telephone directories 1880 - 1984, being added in batches
• Australian Electoral Rolls 1903-1980
• Australian birth, death and marriage indexes
• Convict and passengers lists
• Reference and finding aides and more

WorldGenWeb Project

The WorldGenWeb Project is a non-profit, volunteer based organization dedicated to providing genealogical and historical records and resources for world-wide access.  The Project provides researchers with a safe place where they can focus on valuable and useful resources to conduct their research. Click on the country of your choice and eventually you can drill down to the specific community, and related free genealogy websites where you can hunt for more ancestral information.

Was your ancestor an Inventor?

Do you have an inventor in your family tree? If so, they may have registered a Victorian or Australian patent for their ‘bright idea’. There are two major online sources, both freely available, for searching the names of patent applicants in Australia from the mid 1800s to the present day.
Victorian patents 1854-1904

Prior to 1904 in Australia, inventors were able to register a patent application in each Colonial State. In Victoria, there were over 21,000 patents registered between 1854 and 1904, both by Australian residents and by overseas applicants. You can search for the names of these inventors in the Victoria Government Gazette .
Australian patents 1904 +

After1904, the administration of the State’s patents acts was transferred to the Commonwealth, and the Australian Patent Office was created.  Now named IP Australia, you can search for Australian inventors, from 1904 to the present, using IP Australia’s ‘AusPat‘ online database.

Occupations

Who Do You Think You Are Magazine has published on their website a series of 'take it further' articles providing links to more specialist advice.  Currently subject tabs include Jobs, Overseas, Military, Religious, and Miscellaneous. Articles can be printed and helpful websites for more information are listed.