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See the Academy Schedule for the weekend below:

Academy Schedule

This week, actor Rupert Penry-Jones goes on a journey to discover his past. There is a family story that there is Indian blood in the family and he is keen to find out the truth. He remembers his grandfather on his mothers’ side, Bill, who was a doctor in India, and decides to start his search there.

His journey also takes him to  Italy where he is humbled and impressed by his grandfather’s unsung heroism.

Tune into SBS One on Tuesday 5 June at 7.30pm to see what Rupert discovers.

Other celebrities in this series include -

• Actor Alexander Armstrong
• Well known Aussie Jason Donovan
• Actor Hugh Quarshie
• Actor Alan Cumming

Join us on Facebook and Twitter for show reminders and discussions.

In the first episode, British TV personality Bruce Forsyth receives a letter from an American woman who claims to be related to Bruce through his great-grandfather, Joseph Forsyth Johnson. The letter suggests that Joseph Forsyth Johnson was married to two women at the same time and that he died at sea. Determined to uncover his great grandfather’s secret history, Bruce’s investigation takes him from London to New York and on to the American South.

Other celebrities in this series include -

• Actor Rupert Everett
• Actress Dervla Kirwan
• TV presenter Monty Don
• Actor Rupert Penry-Jones
• Actor Alexander Armstrong
• Well known Aussie Jason Donovan
• Actor Hugh Quarshie
• Actor Alan Cumming

Tune into SBS One on Tuesday 8^th May at 7.30pm to see what Bruce discovers.

Join us on Facebook and Twitter for show reminders and discussions.

Shaun Micallef, Kerry O’Brien, Melissa George, Vince Colosimo, John Wood and Michael O’Loughlin travel to all corners of Australia and the globe to find the definitive answer to where they came from. Along the way secrets are uncovered and histories revealed – from heroic tales of military battles to harrowing tales of war’s legacy, from nineteenth century brothels to twentieth century child abandonment – with each celebrity discovering that their ancestors form an integral part of not only their own identity, but that of the nation.

Combining emotional and personal journeys with big-picture history, these inspiring and sometimes challenging stories remind us how Australians have come to be the people that we are today.

With Australia’s multicultural background, this is a global story, with each celebrity tracing their ancestors around the world. They travel to the places where their forebears would have lived, loved and died, and learn about the hardships and hurdles their ancestors overcame.

This is a fascinating chronicle of the social, ethnic and cultural evolution of Australia’s national identity.

Episodes

Shaun Micallef – 7:30pm Tuesday 27 March on SBS ONE

Kerry O’Brien – 7:30pm Tuesday 3 April on SBS ONE

Melissa George – 7:30pm Tuesday 10 April on SBS ONE

Vince Colosimo – 7:30pm Tuesday 17 April on SBS ONE

John Wood – 7:30pm Tuesday 24 April on SBS ONE

Michael O’Loughlin – 7:30pm Tuesday 1 May on SBS ONE

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5 Steps to Preserving Family Photos

Vanessa was presented with photos of her ancestor who fought in the Civil War. Here are some tips on preserving family photos.

1. Do not touch: Hold all photos, old and new, by their edges and only with clean, dry hands. You can also invest in a pair of non-latex examination gloves.

2. Create a digital: For recent photos that are in good shape but not digitized, use a scanner to make a copy or use your digital camera and zoom in to make a high quality photo. With photo albums, it’s often best to scan full pages one at a time to reduce the risk of tearing photos.

3. Store properly: Once you’ve made a copy, visit a local office supply or craft shop for acid and lignin-free boxes and folders and for protective sleeves and labeling tools that will help you organise photos and protect prints.

4. Upload the copies: Use your Ancestry.com.au family tree to store the digital copies of your family photos (you can also attach the photos to people in your tree). Don’t forget to store additional copies on DVDs and keep a back-up copy on your hard-drive.

5. Create something great: Use your digital copies to create a photo book or a family history book that lets you show off all of those great snapshots. Add captions, stories, and family history information. Most photo-storage sites let you publish photo books from the images you’ve uploaded to them.

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It then took many twists and turns as he revealed his great-grandfather’s shadowy past — and discovered that even the darkest discoveries in family history can shed some light on the present.

Tips on interviewing your relatives

Steve began his journey by visiting his mother to find out more about his ancestors. Here are some tips on interviewing your relatives to help in your family history search.

Talk to your older relatives

Parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings and cousins may know some very useful information about their own parents and grandparents which can push back your family research two or three generations and provide you with a firm starting point for your work amongst the historical records (originally authored by Jeremy Palmer, Dip. Gen. ).

Types of questions to ask

A direct question such as “What was the name of your grandfather?” may be met with an uncertain answer whereas one such as “Your grandfather was named George, wasn’t he?” may elicit a response along the lines of “No, that was his brother. Grandad was called Thomas after his father.” Similarly, when asking about dates if is often a good tactic to give some sort of reference point – “Was it before the war that he was born?” or “Did the family move here after the depression?”. Old photographs can be very useful as an aid for getting further details. “Is this your mother at the house in Newcastle?” may bring up the entirely unknown details that the family had lived for a time in Melbourne perhaps.

Find the family records

As well as trying to find out facts and dates it is also worth enquiring about family records and documents. You may discover that a particular cousin has inherited all of your grandparents’ documents and letters after their house was sold. These may help you with information about earlier generations of the family. Other family members may have a collection of photographs that have been passed down their side of the family rather than to you. Similarly, some of your questions should also be about the life of your relative. People love talking about themselves and family history is all about discovering how people lived, what they did, why they did it and so much more than just bare names, dates and places. Recording this sort of information now will ensure that it is not lost to future generations.

True or false?

Of course, not all of the information you are given may be correct – but at least you have a starting point to begin your research and you can check the accuracy of the information against documentary sources. Memories can get vague over time and so just because the documentary sources do not tie in with your grandmother’s recollections, it does not necessarily mean that the records are wrong. Family stories, such as being the disinherited owner of the big estate, or the illegitimate son of the local nobleman, are often embellished as each generation retells the story to the next.

As you gather more and more information, you can add your notes or complete stories to your Ancestry.com.au Family Tree. Simply click on the ‘Stories’ tab to get started. You can then share this information with the rest of your family and perhaps more memories may surface which can then be added to your initial story.

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Missed any of this season’s episodes? You can now watch them online!

Rosie  used various sources to try to find where her ancestors came from. Here are some tips to help you find where your immigrant ancestor came from.

• Start in Australia – Have a look at Australian records which may be able to help you – passenger lists, newspapers, birth, marriage, and death records. You may find the name of the town your family came from.
• Take note – Family legends and stories may include place names. Jot them down, plot them on a map, keep them in the back of your mind. While you may not find the true town of origin, family stories may at least help point you in the right direction or to the approximate region your ancestor was from.
• Dig around - Memontoes and papers can hold clues that can help find where your family came from. Check old photographs for locations noted on the back, or old letters and post cards for post marks
• Ask about the Neighbours – Chain migration, where people from the same village in the old country moved into the same ethnic enclaves in Australia, was common among immigrants. If you can’t find your own ancestor’s hometown, look for the hometowns of their neighbours – it could be the same as your ancestor’s. Bonus if you find it listed in a family tree: that could indicate that another researcher who could help you with your search.

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Missed any of this season’s episodes? You can now watch them online!

Using marriage records, city directories, a diary and a census record from Ancestry.com.au (shown below), Lionel revealed that his great-grandfather was born into slavery but later led an organization that set the stage for Civil Rights.

Lionel Richie's great grandfather John L Brown on a 1900 US Census Record

Lionel was able to find his great grandfather’s resting place and visited the cemetery. Here are some clues to help you find your ancestors’ resting place –

• Death certificates: Look for a cemetery or funeral home from which you can request additional details.
• Military records: Ancestors who served in the military may have been buried in a military cemetery.
• City directories: Locate a home address and then check the same directory for nearby cemeteries.
• Ancestry.com.au family trees: Learn where one family member was buried and you may find other relatives in the same cemetery.

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Missed any of this season’s episodes? You can now watch them online!

Three steps to finding an ancestor you know very little about:

Step 1: Talk to your relatives. Find out if they have wedding announcements, obituaries, military medals, photos or other memorabilia featuring names and dates that can help you refine your search on Ancestry.com.au. Also listen to family stories. They may contain similar information that helps put your ancestor in a specific time and place in history.

Step 2: See what others have discovered. Search family trees to find out what other Ancestry.com.au members may have learned about your ancestor. When you find a tree you want to know more about, click on “Tree Owner” to send a private message to the person who created it. You might just end up connecting with a distant cousin. And when you’re viewing a record on Ancestry.com.au, check the Member Connect box for links to other members who may be researching your ancestor.

Step 3: Look for immediate family. Lost your great-grandfather’s trail? Try researching one of his siblings or in-laws. These “collateral relatives” may have mentioned him in obituaries or wills, captured his image in photos or even shared their home with him, which could be revealed in a census record or city directory.

Missed any of this season’s episodes? You can watch them online!

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Ashley used family trees and records from England to discover she descends from a famous Mayflower passenger who stood up for religious freedom.

She searched military records on the Ancestry website (shown below) to find a great-great-great- grandfather who lost a leg and was imprisoned twice while fighting in the Civil War.

Looking for an ancestor of your own? Here are our top tips for searching Military records -

• Enter as much information as you can into your Ancestry search – name, birth date or relevant places your ancestors may have lived. The more you tell us about your ancestor, the easier it will be to find good matches about him or her.
• Remember to allow for name spelling variations and that sometimes records only used one or more initials for the given names.
• Since each military collection includes different information, it is valuable to search collections that apply to your ancestor individually. Once you see the results for some individuals you can see what terms might be useful in the Keyword field to refine your search.
• Once you find a matching military record, save it to your Ancestry family tree – that way you can provide evidence to back up the info in your family tree, easily share your discover with your family, and quickly find the historical record again later.

Missed this episode or last week’s episode with Gwyneth Paltrow? You can now watch them online!

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