Genealogy offers a gateway into an extended family, linked vertically through time rather than horizontally in the present. In a world of confused and multiple identities, it promises a deeper sense of who we are.
- Graeme Davison, Lost Relations: fortunes of my family in Australia’s Golden Age, 2015
There has never been a better time to research your family history. Supported by a billion-dollar industry, in 2017 alone, Ancestry.com generated a revenue of $1billion, partly contributed to by its DNA product.
There is a myriad of reasons why people research their family history. For some, it is to record and preserve the history of the family, to verify family stories — determine if stories passed down about ancestors are true — or to research an historical event where an ancestor was connected. Others want to find birth parents or a proof of paternity — or to determine the birth parents of an adopted child. Alternatively, family research can help some find children given up for adoption. You might want to document a community history by understanding the families that founded and influenced the community, to preserve the knowledge of ancestors who contributed to family traditions, or to preserve family culture of their ‘old country’. Or, it might be just to reconnect with family.
Through your research, you might discover an awesome story, or learn about the highs and lows of human life. You might gain a better understanding of the lives of your pioneering ancestors and find out where they came from. You may connect with long lost cousins, learn more about the old letters that you've inherited, explore the names in the family bible, and put stories to the faces in your heritage photos.
For some people, the fun of researching family history lies in the ease of accessing records online, or of being able to research in your pyjamas, 24/7. It is the thrill of the research journey and solving the family jigsaw!
National Family History Month
This August is National Family History Month.
YPRL is hosting the following events:
- Genealogy Group: 'Ivanhoe Genies'
- Libraries After Dark: Immigration Stories
- Family History: Digital Photo Restoration
- The Wrens and the Wireless War (online event)
- Introduction to Genetic Genealogy: Using DNA for Family History Research - Please note this has had to be moved to September 22.
Ancestry Library Edition continues to be available for access at home. Please log in to the website first.
Have a specific query? Send it to us via our Ask a Librarian service.
Look for our curated list of titles on the catalogue to add to your holds list this month.
Graeme Davison, Lost Relations: fortunes of my family in Australia’s Golden Age, 2015