Australia Compiled Genealogy

Australia Genealogy

Compiled Genealogies
Compiled genealogies provide the results of previous research such as pedigree lineage information and may lead to the original sources of documentation. They often provide information from record types, areas, and time periods where the Family History Library has not yet been able to acquire original records.

The contain names of individuals; dates and places of birth, marriage, and death; names of parents and children. Many include histories and illustrations of ancestors and ancestral homes. Community genealogies list families of a specific place. They may provide source citations or copies of documents. Many are indexed.

They can be found at public and private libraries, archives, and other repositories. Some can be acquired through interlibrary loan, through research agents, through filming by other libraries, or by purchase.

The Internet is a valuable aid to research into family history. These Australian sites contain a variety of information relating to family history and genealogy including guides, indexes and digitised images of documents. They also provide links to other informative sites both in Australia and overseas and contact with other family historians via indexed family trees, mailing lists and bulletin boards.

The National Library of Australia maintains a website that lists selected websites for Australian family history and genealogy. Major categories of information available are:


 * National and State Archives[[Image:1024px-Matraville Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park 2.JPG|right|290x290px|1024px-Matraville Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park 2.JPG]]
 * Births, Marriages and Deaths
 * Cemeteries
 * Convicts
 * Family History Societies
 * Immigration
 * Australian Indigenous Family History
 * State and Territory Libraries
 * Military/Service Records

These categories are included by topic in the articles of this Wiki.

Oral Genealogies
Oral genealogies are very useful supplements to civil and church records; especially prior to 1838. Often they are the only source of family information available for aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.

Transcribed genealogies may be found at the national archives, and state archives, and private libraries. Those not yet transcribed will be difficult to locate since the oral genealogies are in the memories of chosen elders of the various aborigines.

There are no oral genealogies in the Library because it is considered, by most Aboriginal communities to be extremely offensive to mention the names of the dead or have pictures of them. This is an extremely sensitive area and any approach should be made by Australians, preferably those with indigenous ancestry. Since the Australian High Court decided in the early 1990s that the indigenous people of Australia could claim native title to land (subject to certain legal requirements), claimants have had to prove their aboriginality. These records are kept by the Land Courts and are subject to the 30 year closure rule. However, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies has a Family History Unit that has been collecting biographies and genealogies since 1994.

Writing and Sharing Your Family History
Sharing your own family history is valuable for several reasons: It helps you see gaps in your own research and raises opportunities to find new information. It helps other researchers progress in researching ancestors you share in common. It draws other researchers to you who already have information about your family that you do not yet possess. It draws together researchers with common interests, sparking collaboration opportunities. For instance, researchers in various localities might choose to do lookups for each other in remote repositories. Your readers may also share photos of your ancestors that you have never seen before.


 * Create a Family History
 * Writing Your Family and Personal History
 * A Guide to Printing Your Family History