Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Website Wednesday - the Public Records Office of Victoria

As the State’s archival authority Public Record OfficeVictoria holds records created by Victorian government departments and authorities, the State’s courts, municipalities, schools, public hospitals and other public offices.  The records can date from the establishment of the Port Phillip District in the mid 1830s and include information relating to areas of activity managed or regulated by government such as the administration of justice, immigration, health and welfare, land, education, Indigenous communities, planning, transport, and resource management.

Of the 96 linear kilometres of records held by Public Record Office Victoria, only a small percentage is digitised and available to view online.  Many other records can be viewed in person in the PROV Reading Rooms at the Ballarat Archives Centre or the Victorian Archives Centre, North Melbourne.

Digitised records curently available in the Online Collections include:

      Passenger lists and immigration

      Wills and probate

      Education and teachers

      Health and welfare

      Koorie Heritage

      Land and Property

      Publicans and hotels

      Prisoners and convicts

      Divorce, insolvency and other civil court records

      Early Colonial administration

      Maps and plans

Digitisation of the PROV’s records is ongoing, with new records and expanded categories appearing regularly. 

Saturday, February 8, 2025

New Records On Ancestry

It is always worthwhile checking to see what new records have been added to the database at Ancestry.  Below are some of the recent additions for Australia and the United Kingdom.

Don't forget that you can search the Ancestry database for free at any branch of Campaspe Libraries using our public access PCs or wifi through our subscription to Ancestry Library Edition.

Australia 

  • Australia, Telephone Directories, 1913-1959
  • Australia, Records of Grants of Probate, 1832-1947 
  • Tasmania, Australia, Government Gazettes, 1885-1945 
  • Australia, Victoria, Government Gazettes, 1851-1907 
  • Australia, Australian Lutheran Publications, 1850-1966
  • Tasmania, Australia, Hobart Town Gazettes, 1844-1906 
  • Australia, Government Honour Records, 1900-2023 

United Kingdom

  • Ballymena, Antrim, Northern Ireland, Headstone Inscriptions, 1671-1996
  • 1921 Wales Census
  • 1921 Isle of Man Census
  • 1921 England Census
  • 1921 Channel Islands Census
  • Web: United Kingdom, Corps of Military Police Index, 1800-2022
  • Teesside, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1974
  • UK, Heraldic Card Index, 1150-1850
  • UK and Ireland, Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current
  • UK and Ireland, The Royal National Lifeboat Institution Records, 1824-1989
  • Web: Isle Of Man, Wills Index, 1600-1864

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Week 6 (Feb. 5-11) Surprise

Finding a genealogical surprise, be it good or bad, I always find an exciting experience.  Over the years of my research I have found many surprises in my research - unexpected records and breakthroughs, family stories proven (or disproved), surprising events, etc.

Many of my most surprising discoveries have come through the newspapers.  Reports of family tragedies, court appearances, advertisements, activities and family notices, all provided surprises.

Some highlights include :

A 1909 report of my great grandfather Edward Beseler when he appeared in court on the charge of having insufficient means of support, was found to be insane and an order of commitment was made.

From the Ballarat Star, 4 February 1909


Edward was admitted to the Ararat Mental Asylum, where he was assessed, found to be suffering from senility, and committed to the wards.  In his asylum record he is described at the time of his admission as being in fair bodily health for his age, clean and tidy but difficult to communicate with as he was quite deaf and illiterate, and described as suffering from delusions.

The divorce of another great grandfather James Nicholas Clark from his first wife Eliza (Hawley)


The marriage was clearly an unhappy one, and in 1891 Eliza had abandoned James and their two young children.  In the divorce proceedings it had been claimed that Eliza had been a habitual drunkard and had been living with two men after she abandoned her marriage, although the judge saw no direct evidence of adultery and granted the divorce on the grounds of desertion only.  The divorce was reported in the local newspapers amongst general reports of local court procedings, including the article shown here from the 'Caulfield and Elsternwick Leader'.

When James Nicholas passed away in 1924 there were two death notices inserted in the newspaper - one from his family and one from the Masonic Lodge of which he was a member. 


Had it not been for this Masonic notice, I would never have known that James was a Mason.  It is also worth noting the spelling error - the heading of the Masonic notice has CLARG, not CLARK.  The family notice also gives me his occupation - Overseer at Brighton City Council, and both notices give his address and the cemetery in which his grave is located.

Estate and probate notices were common, either advertising to resolve claims and demands on the estate or giving details of the sale of assets.  Here Susannah, the widow of Mr John Noble, advertises in the Essex Standard on Friday 4 October 1850 to resolve her husband's estate.
 

These and many other newspaper surprises have helped 'flesh out' my family history research and fill in details of my ancestors surprising lives.

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

RootsTech Update

A few updates for RootsTech 2025

RootsTech 2025 has revealed its first three keynote speakers:

  • Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall – This gold medal-winning couple, celebrated for their achievements in the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, will share their inspiring journey during an in-person keynote.
  • Ndaba Mandela - Author and grandson of Nelson Mandela, Mandela will deliver a virtual keynote, sharing lessons from his famous grandfather and his efforts to preserve the family legacy.
  • Dana Tanamachi - The renowned artist and designer, known for her work with Google, Nike, and Starbucks, will speak in person about how family stories have influenced her art.

The RootsTech 2025 schedule is now live. The three-day family history celebration is packed with:

  • Inspiring keynote speakers
  • Insightful classes
  • The latest genealogy innovations

You can easily use the scheduling tool to create your own personalised RootsTech experience and highlight your preferred sessions using the "+ Schedule" button.

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Trove Tuesday

What's new on Trove

The following newspapers are now available in Trove. The year range listed is an indication of what's currently available in Trove, and not always the full year range the newspaper was published.

NSW

  • Hanho T'aimzŭ (Hanho Times) (1985-1995) [Korean Cultural Centre]
  • Central Western Daily (1945-1954) [Central West Libraries]
  • Windsor and Richmond Gazette (1966-1971) [Hawkesbury Library Service]

VIC

  • Portland Mercury and Normanby Advertiser (1842-1843) [Ms Pamela Marriott]
  • The Portland Mercury and Port Fairy Register (1843-1844) [Ms Pamela Marriott]
  • Portland Gazette and Belfast Advertiser (1844-1849) [Ms Pamela Marriott]
  • The Belfast Gazette and Portland and Warnambool Advertiser (1849-1876) [Ms Pamela Marriott]
  • The Banner of Belfast (1855; 1857-1876) [Ms Pamela Marriott]
  • The Warrnambool Examiner and Western District Advertiser (1854;1856) [Ms Pamela Marriott]
  • Belfast Gazette (1876-1878) [Ms Pamela Marriott]
  • Western Port Times and Phillip Island and Bass Valley Advertiser (1904-1910) [Phillip Island and District Genealogical Society]

SA

  • Orroroo Enterprise and Great Northern Advertiser (1892-1904) [Orroroo Historical Society]
  • South-East Kingston Leader (1977-1987) [National Trust of South Australia - Kingston Branch ]
  • Port Lincoln Times (1987-1988) [Port Lincoln History Group]
  • The Standard (1966-1967) [Prospect Local History Group]

Sunday, February 2, 2025

The Wiener Holocaust Library

Based in London, The Wiener Holocaust Library is the world’s oldest and Britain’s largest collection of original archival material on pre-war Jewish life, the Nazi era and the Holocaust, making it a major resource for Jewish family history research.

The Wiener is home to hundreds of thousands of documents, letters, photographs, press cuttings, books, pamphlets, periodicals and unpublished manuscripts and memoirs, posters, artworks, and eyewitness testimonies.

Wiener Digital Collections enables online access to some of the library's most important collections, including documents used in evidence at the Nuremberg Trials, the family papers of Jewish refugees, photos taken at the Litzmannstadt Ghetto, JCIO reports, and responses to Nazism and fascism in Germany, Britain and beyond.  Over 150,000 historic documents and photographs recording the Holocaust and resistance to Nazism have been published online in this new collection.

The Library's founder, Dr Alfred Wiener recognised the Nazi threat early on and campaigned against Nazism in the 1920s and 1930s. After fleeing Germany for Amsterdam in 1933, he founded the Jewish Central Information Office (JCIO) at the request of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Anglo-Jewish Association, collecting information about Nazi persecution. He brought his collection to Britain shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, where it became known as ‘Dr Wiener’s Library’.