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 

• Victoria, Australia, Petty Session Records, 1854-1922
• New South Wales, Australia, Immigration Records, 1840-1902
• Victoria, Australia, Land Registers, 1863-1962
• Brisbane, Australia Burials and Cremations, 1831-2023
• Adelaide, Australia Cemetery Collection, 1840-2022
• Australia, Applications to Enlist in the AIF, 1915-1918

United Kingdom

• UK, Royal Hospital Chelsea Returns of Payment of Army and Other Pensions, 1842-1883
• Birmingham, England, Birmingham Cemetery and Crematoria Records, 1836-2017
• Belfast, Antrim, Ireland, Royal Victoria Hospital Register, 1914-1916
• Ulster, Ireland, Ulster Covenant, 1912
• UK and Allied Countries, World War II Registers of Prisoners of War and Civilians Held in Singapore, 1942-1945
• Scotland, Gravestones and Memorials, 1521-2020
• UK and Allied Countries, World War II Liberated Prisoner of War Questionnaires, 1945-1946
• Aberdeen, Scotland, Roll of Honour, 1914-1918, 1939-1945
• Fife, Scotland, Police Records, 1858-1947
• UK and Allied Countries, World War II Air Combat Reports, 1939-1945
• Scotland, Postal Directories, 1825-1910
• Northern Ireland, Valuation Revision Books, 1864-1933
• Web: Northern Ireland, Freeholders Records, 1662-1839

 

 

Who Do You Think You Are Magazine

The latest issue of Who Do You Think You Are magazine is now available free online for Campaspe Library members via our subscription to Libby eMagazines.

Inside this month's issue: 

Sort your photos We give our verdict on the different online tools for organising and sharing family photographs

The end of the census?
 We spoke to the ONS about their plans to modernise the census

How to visit local archives What you need to know about visiting local archive services to research your family history

The history of women's education
 Discover how our female ancestors fought for the right to learn

Family hero Terry Sheppard's ancestors fought in the English and American Civil Wars

Caribbean ancestry How to research Caribbean family history online

And more...

 

New South Wales Immigration Records Digitised on Ancestry

In partnership with Museums of History NSW, Ancestry has digitised, indexed and published a set of 19^th century NSW immigration records held in the NSW State Archives Collection. Never digitised before, these records provide a remarkable range of information beyond traditional shipping lists, about immigrants and the schemes under which they emigrated.

One of the many highlights of the collection is ‘Wages paid to orphans, 1849-1851’. Digitised and indexed, this volume relates to young Irish women who migrated to NSW as part of Earl Grey’s Famine Orphan Scheme between 1848 and 1850. It shows name of orphan, ship of arrival, amount due to orphan from master or employer, amount paid by master or employer into orphan’s account, and amount withdrawn from account and paid to orphan.

Other highlights from this collection that have also been digitised are:

• Register of applications for assisted passages to NSW, 1884-1887. This register shows the names and locality of the applicant and the nature of the application.
• Remittance list refunds, 1855-1868. These refunds relate to persons who had contributions to their passage to NSW paid under Remittance Regulations but did not emigrate. Details given include name of nominee, age, name of depositor and reasons for not emigrating.
• Applications from persons in the colony nominating immigrants, 1857-1858, 1880, 1885-1895
• Ships’ papers, 1839-1891. These include items such as certificates of arrival, health reports, tenders, lists of immigrants leaving the ship without formal engagements, copies of contracts between immigrants and employers, and matrons’ diaries.
  

For further information on these important collections, you can visit Museums of History NSW’s website and review the Immigration and Shipping Guide.

Don't forget Ancestry Library Edition is available at all branches of Campaspe Library, either using our public PCs or logging into our free public wifi.

WikiTree

The following is a press release written by Wikitree:

August 8, 2023— To celebrate its 15th birthday – and this year’s one-million member milestone – the WikiTree community is hosting three days of free events, November 3-5, 2023. Everything is completely free and open to anyone interested in family history or genealogy.

The fun begins with a 36-hour virtual genealogy symposium, starting at 8am EDT (Noon UTC) on November 3. This virtual conference features popular genealogy speakers including Steve Little, AJ Jacobs, Thomas MacEntee, Melissa Barker, Adina Khuna, Mags Gaulden, Sara Cochran, Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, Marian Burk Wood, David Ryan, GenFriends, the DNAChef, and more.

A wide variety of genealogy-related topics will be covered including DNA tools, Irish research, preserving family history memorabilia, Jewish roots, Google maps and other online tools, Appalachia research, military pensions, tech troubleshooting, the 1890 US Census, passenger manifests, research checklists, and … genealogy trivia.

The second part of the event, the “WikiTree Day” birthday party, kicks off at 8am EDT (noon UTC) on November 5. Have some fun with fellow genealogists and casual family historians, and find out why the WikiTree community has become so popular.

There will be research parties, games, and open chats via Zoom and Discord.  The day will also include a special panel discussion about genealogy and artificial intelligence (AI) with Steve Little, Drew Smith, Thomas MacEntee and others.

This three-day event is entirely free and open to anyone. Register now to receive updates and be eligible for door prizes. 

So take a look at what is on offer that might be of interest to you.

Famiy Tree UK Magazine

The latest issue of Family Tree UK magazine is now available free online for Campaspe Library members via our subscription to Libby eMagazines.

Inside this month's issue :  

• What is it about connecting?
• Pioneering re-weave for Georgian carpet: 250 years on
• Selected digital English and Welsh birth and death records now available from the GRO
• £3.5M makeover for iconic Menin Gate
• Women’s lockdown experience exhibition
• Nationwide history project discovers rare stories and objects
• Sussex record offices celebrate 10 million record views
• Find your ancestors on the 1931 Canada census
• Can you help the Ministry of Defence shape their medal services?
• Cemetery group remembers the ‘forgotten’ dead
• Slow down & plan your research
• Understanding genealogical sources & why it matters
• Still many more places to try...
• How Family History can provide children with life skills & resilience

 

Caring for Your Old Photographs

Once again the question has been asked about how to best store and care for your precious old family photographs.  Especially is, like me, you have become the family repository and your store of old, sometimes antique, photographs continually grows.

The basics

• The best place to store photographs is in a cool, dry place. A cardboard box in the shed or garage is just an invitation for mice to make a nest.
  
• Avoid storing photos extreme temperatures or in extremely high or low humidity. High humidity promotes mold growth and low humidity promotes brittle photos.
• Avoid storing photos in direct light - this will fade the images.  Make a good copy to frame and display.
  
• Avoid magnetic or glue photo albums - these will discolor and ultimately destroy your photos.
  

Photo boxes are a popular way to store family photographs, and they are available from many camera shops and other stores. The best storage is an archival safe box - which means the photo box, album, sleeve, etc that you use is lignin-free, acid-free, PVC-free and is neutral pH to prevent the degradation of your photos.  Even when you are using archival safe photo boxes, however, there are ways to further safe guard your precious photographs.

• Do not over fill the photo box. Stuffing “just one more” into the box risks scratching or tearing of your photo.
• Do not under fill your photo box either. Under filling a box encourages bowing of the photographs.  Avoid this by using the correct size box and use a spacer if needed.
• Store similar sized photos together. This prevents excessive shifting that could scratch your photographs.
• Use archival photo sleeves to further protect your oldest or damaged photographs. Sleeves come in a variety of sizes.  Place only one photo in a sleeve and use a sleeve that is slightly larger than the photograph.  You do not want the edges of your photo extending beyond the sleeve.
• Over-sized photos?  Store in an appropriately sized flat box. Archival photo boxes come in a variety of sizes.
• Remember when you are handling your photographs, make sure your work area is clean and dry and your hands are free of any lotions or oils.

Make sure you disaster plan.  Sometimes the unimaginable happens and somehow your precious photos are damaged or destroyed.  A little disaster planning can prevent their complete loss.

• Have copies made and store them off-site.  Distribute copies among other family members for safe keeping.
• Digitize photographs and back them up in cloud storage and/or on flash drive.  Always have backups of anything precious.
• This can apply to other physical items.  Take good photos of other precious items and heirlooms.  If Great Great Grandma's vase gets broken or her brooch is lost or stolen, at least you will have good photos of them.  
• Remember to record the 'who/what/when/where/why' in as much detail as you can.  It is all very well if you know this bundle of photographs were taken during your parents honeymoon at Hall's Gap in 1968 - but do your children and grandchildren know?  Will those details be handed down to whoever inherits your photo collection? 

 A few simple steps can help protect and preserve your old photos for generations to come.