Articles About Australia

Memories of the Darwin Bombing

From Brad Argent, Content Director at Ancestry.com.au
This Sunday, February 19th, marks the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin.  I asked my nan, Nita (shown in the photo above), what she remembered of the day. 
At the time of the bombing – just two days after her 23rd birthday – she was pregnant with my mother… Read more

Famous faces in the 1930 US Census

What do funny man Mel Brooks, quizmaster Bob Dyer, and Winifred Patty Christensen all have in common?  They’re all in the 1930 US Census.
Many of you will be familiar with actor and producer Mel Brooks (born Melvin Kaminsky in 1926) and you can see him appearing in the 1930 US Census (shown below), living at 365 South… Read more

300,000 new Warwickshire records now available

If you have family from Warwickshire, England you may well find them in one of 300,000 new Warwickshire records we added this week.
Some records in these collections pre date 1837, making them particularly useful in finding people before civil registration began. Some records actually date back to 1564 (shown in the image above).
One interesting new… Read more

New Convict Collections – Just In Time for Australia Day!

We have just added two key collections to the world’s largest online collection of Australian convict records.
For Australians exploring convict history, the NSW Convict Indents, 1788-1842 provides the ideal starting point, as all convicts on ships transported to Australia were listed in an indent. Details such as name, trial date/location, and sentence are available, with later… Read more

130 Years of London Electoral Registers Released Today!

AUTHORED BY RUSSELL JAMES (ANCESTRY.CO.UK)
Our NEW London, England, Electoral Registers, 1835-1965, take you back through the history of Britain and London’s democratic system. More than that, they let you trace your English ancestors’ movements between census years and well into the 20th century, giving you far greater precision in your timeline of their lives.
Electoral registers listed… Read more

Family Questions

Talking to your oldest living relative is always a great way to add to your family history research.
Print these fun family-oriented questions and sit down with your loved ones to hear their responses. Brace yourself; their response might surprise you – so don’t forget your pen and paper! You can then add the answers into your Ancestry.com.au… Read more

New research reveals the skeletons hidden in our family trees

We released new research this week that reveals that New Zealand trumps Australia in the celebrity stakes, as 16 per cent of Kiwis are able to lay claim to someone famous. However, Aussies should not fear as we are twice as likely as New Zealanders to be related to ‘convict royalty’, with almost one in… Read more

1911 Census – millions more searchable records

 
We have just completed the second part of our 1911 England and Wales Census  transcriptions with records covering London, Lancashire, Yorkshire and 17 other counties now fully searchable.
Last month we released searchable records for Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. With this latest addition, we have concentrated on England’s busiest areas to help you find… Read more

Family Tree Maker: TreeSync

Authored by Tana L. Pedersen
TreeSync is the latest innovative tool available in Family Tree Maker 2012, which gives you the ability to sync one Family Tree Maker tree and one online Ancestry tree.
Now you can make changes to your tree anytime, anywhere. Maybe you’re at the library and you find your grandma’s birth record. Record this… Read more

Making the Most of Holiday Opportunities

AUTHORED BY JULIANA SMITH (FROM ANCESTRY.COM)

Family get-togethers around holidays like Christmas are a great way to find answers to your family history mysteries. Whether you are planning on carrying out formal interviews or just a little discreet prying, a little pre-planning can go a long way. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your… Read more