Discover your Italian Family History

Italians in Melbourne have contributed to the rich history of our community. Tracing your own family history however is not always so easy. Dr Paolo Baracchi from CoAsIt (Comitato Assistenza Italiani) outlines the fundamentals of researching Italian family history. Saturday August 8, 2pm Free, but bookings necessary. Call 8325 1950

Objects that tell stories about Italian migration and settlement in Australia

The Italian Historical Society - CoAsIt is happy to announce that a permanent exhibition about Italians in Australia will be opening at the CoAsIt building in Carlton during the second half of next year 2010. Part of the project is to tell stories through the display of three-dimensional objects; the society is requesting assistance from the the community to suggest items that might be of interest in telling the story of Italian culture with a focus on Carlton as Melbourne's traditional Italian quarter. At the moment the society is not collecting objects. For information (English or Italian), call Paolo Baracchi (Italian Historical Society, CoAsIt) on (03) 9349 9021, or email ihs@coasit.com.au

A Family History Feast @ SLV

On Monday the 3rd August, 2009 between 10am-4pm the State Library of Victoria will be the venue for a program of free information sessions for family history researchers, including the annual Victorian Association of Family History Organisations (VAFHO) Don Grant Lecture. Sessions will be presented by the National Archives of Australia (Victorian Office), Public Records Office Victoria, Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and the Victorian Association of Family History Organisations. Bookings are essential as numbers are limited, call 03 9348 5600 or 1800 657 452 (toll free) or email reception@prov.vic.gov.au This program is a fantastic opportunity for anyone interested in family history and to meet like-minded people.

Victorian Community History Awards 2009

The winners of the Victorian Community History Awards 2009 were announced recently. The Overall Winner for 2009 was The Chinawoman by Ken Oldis. This is history in the form of a murder thriller set in Melbourne: In December 1856, prostitute Sophie Lewis, known as the Chinawoman was killed, the investigation into her murder was led by Charles Hope Nicolson, who was later prominent in the Kelly hunt and Fook Shin, the Chinese detective, was among those ordered to pursue Chinese suspects. The author, Ken Oldis is a Melbourne lawyer practising in the criminal jurisdiction. This book can be requested through the Moonee Valley Library Service. For more information about other finalists visit Victorian Community History Awards 2009

New Genealogy Book

'Criminal Ancestors: a guide to historical criminal records in England and Wales' by David T. Hawkings is a revised and updated study that includes material held by all County and Borough Record Offices, The National Archives, police archives and other repositories. A genealogist who discovers a criminal in the family tree will find this book an invaluable guide.

Convicts online - The State Library of Queensland released its British Convict Transportation Database covering the years 1787 to 1867. This details about 123,000 of the 160,000 convicts who were transported to the different Australian colonies in this period. The Tasmanian Convict database is also worth checking out. This is a comprehensive list of all convicts transported to Tasmania from 1804, and includes those who committed crimes within the colony and who were convicted locally up to 1893. The State Records of NSW continues to add to its excellent series of online indexes, although it doesn't provide digitised images. Indexes to convict records now include Convict Bank accounts 1837-1870; Certificates of Freedom 1823 to 1869; convict exiles 1846 to 1850 (those transported after the official cessation of convict transportation to New South Wales); pardons 1791 to 1825, 1837 to 1847; Tickets of Exemption from government labour 1827 to 1832.

Victorian Government Gazette - Online Archive 1836-1997

The State Library of Victoria has launched the historic government gazettes which provides access to over 160 years of official information published in Victoria. Dating from the earliest days of the colon. The Gazette documents the official notifications of government decisions and legal actions to other governments, government agencies and the general public.

The notice of the death of The Honourable Samuel Merrifield was published in the Victorian Government Gazette in 1982.

Conservation for genealogists and family historians.

Have you ever wondered where to go for information about keeping and preserving family heirlooms, treasures, photographs and objects that are part of your family history that you wish to preserve for future generations. The Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, part of the University of Melbourne provides conservation services & advice on the care of collections for external clients within Australia. They specialise in the areas of Paintings, Paper, Objects, Textiles and Frames. The Centre has a range of products and kits available which include a Photo Survival Kit, Document Survival Kit and a Textile Survival Kit. These products may be ordered online or via one of the following:

Fax: 1300 78 11 46
Email: info@archivalsurvival.com.au
Post: PO Box 2394, Hawthorn Vic 3122