Moonee Valley Family & Local History Blog

  In April the Genealogical Society of Victoria will be offering the following lunch time talks. April 4th  Not just a Housewife- Women's work in 1700's to 1800's UK Ada Ackerly April 11th Mining Ancestors - England Vicki Montgomery April 18th Where did they go? Moving around in England Jenny Redman GSV members free, non-members $8.00 Time 12.30 - 1.30pm Level B1, 257 Collins St,  Melbourne PH 9662 4455 gsv@gsv.org.au www.gsv.org.au

I have been going through photos and letters at home in the hope of putting some order into my own Family History Collection. As I was going through some boxes I discovered a floppy disc that I had saved my father's eulogy on. Like most people I no longer have a floppy disc drive on any computer in the house. Luckily I remembered that the library still has a portable drive available, so I can transfer the data. This prompted me to finally get together some old home videos of family events  and investigate copying them into another format as well. Many people will be in a similar situation with information and perhaps video and photographs copied onto formats that may no longer be readily retrievable now or perhaps in the future. For family historians and anyone interested in history it does pose an interesting question. Will our precious memories be easily available to future generations? Printed photographs and written rec...

In 2013 Essendon High School, now part of Essendon Keilor College, is celebrating its 100th Anniversary. Essendon Keilor College was founded in 1992 from the amalgamation of Queens Park Secondary College (formerly Essendon Technical School), Essendon High School, Niddrie High School and Keilor Heights Secondary College.  Essendon High School is one of the oldest High Schools in Melbourne, and planning for it began in 1910. The Foundation Stone for the school was laid by the then Premier of Victoria, W. A. Watt, and the school was opened to staff and students in 1913.  The Local History Room at Sam Merrifield Library  has copies of Essendon High School: the 75th Anniversary 1913-1918 and A History of Essendon High School 1910-1932 by Margaret Vines. You can view both books in the library.  School  histories can be a useful source of information and pictures for people who are researching family and local ...

In March the Genealogical Society of Victoria will be offering the following lunch time talks. March 7th Death in Scotland Irene Fullarton March 14th Agricultural labourers: revealing their stories Allen Evans March 21st Diversions from the truth in family history Martin Playne GSV members free, non-members $8.00 Time 12.30 - 1.30pm Level B1, 257 Collins St,  Melbourne PH 9662 4455 gsv@gsv.org.au www.gsv.org.au

The Keilor Historical Society will be holding an Open Day at Harrick’s Cottage in Keilor, on Saturday 2nd March from 12pm-4pm.  Harrick's Cottage and its surrounding buildings are an example of early pioneer building in the Melbourne region. The earliest surviving part is a pole and scantling framed hut, probably built in 1861-62 by tenant farmer James Harrick. In 1883 Harrick acquired the land and added a  new timber and weatherboard addition of four rooms  in front of the original hut. The property remained in the Harrick family until 1929.

The archive collection at Sam Merrifield Library holds a number of unique items that form part of our Local History Collection. Most of the items are paper based and include books, manuscripts, cashbooks, ledgers, work catalogues and pattern books, but the archive also includes more diverse items such as dress making specimens and a boys woollen cap. Over the next few months we will be highlighting a number of these items and asking the public for any information they may have about the  businesses, families or events that we may mention.  Items in the archive are available to view by arrangement with library staff. W. E. Coutts Collection Our first collection of note are the records of local builder W.E. Coutts whose business ran from the early 1900’s to the 1970s. The records are an important source of information about local building trends over that time and include house plans and blue prints along with correspondence, books, ledgers...

In 2013 the Genalogical Society of Victoria will again be offering its popular and informative lunchtime talks. Further details available at GSV. February 7th  Find my past Ireland and more Linley Hooper February 14th London needlewomen on the Culloden Linda Collier February 21st  Separation and Divorce – Scotland 16th to 19th centuries John Blackwood February 28th  Tracing your NSW ancestors: key dates and resources Susie Zada GSV members free, non-members $8.00 Time 12.30-1.30pm Level B1 257 Collins St Melbourne Ph. 9662 4455 gsv@gsv.org.au www.gsv.org.au