Moonee Valley Family & Local History Blog

Moonee Valley Libraries' Family History Group will hold their last meeting for 2017 on Tuesday 5th December, 1-3pm, at Sam Merrifield Library. FHG Meetings for 2018 will recommence on Tuesday 6th February, at the same time and place. All our family history resources, like the Digger indexes, Find my Past, Ancestry, various microfiches and films and much, much more, remain accessible as usual. Feel free to continue to visit us at the usual time (or any other time we're open) if you wish. The Family History Group is open to new members, with any level of experience. Just drop in on a Tuesday at Sam Merrifield between 1-3pm, or speak to staff about having your name added to the mailing list.  

Family History Group meetings for 2017. The meetings are every Tuesday afternoon at Sam Merrifield Library, and they're free with no bookings required. Come along to meet a lovely bunch of people with a shared interest in family history.

Image sourced from the Sam Merrifield Collection A big thanks to everyone who came along to the Family History Group meetings throughout the year. I hope you were able to learn something interesting about your own past and make some new friends along the way. Just a friendly reminder that regular meetings will begin on 2 February 2016 at the Sam Merrifield Library.  Wishing your a Happy Holiday and a safe New Year. 

So you’ve done your family history research. How do you now present the results?  Hazel Edwards is a writer who also teaches others how to write.   In this presentation she shares her skills in shaping stories. She will also outline strategies for interviewing relatives, shaping anecdotes, not just listing dates, structuring and publishing. She will also look at a variety of formats such as e-stories, photographic and audio stories. This is a great opportunity to learn how to leave a lasting legacy for a younger generation. For bookings click here When: Monday, 24 August 2015 from 7:00 PM Where: Sam Merrifield Library, 762 Mount Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds, VIC 3039

The new year has begun and the Family History Group have started meeting at Sam Merrifield Library again. The upcoming topics that the group will focus on over the next few weeks are: 20/1: General discussion and looking at Ancestry 27/1: Problem solving (highs and lows)/using microfiche/Ancestry 3/2: Problem solving/Find my Past/Digger 10/2: Problem solving/Trove 17/2: Guest speaker (to be confirmed) New members are always welcome. Just come along to Sam Merrifield Library, Tuesdays 1-3pm.

Moonee Valley Libraries' Family History Group have held their last meeting for 2014. The first meeting for 2015 will be on Tuesday 13th January, 1-3pm, at Sam Merrifield Library. New members are always welcome - just drop in at the next meeting.

Here are the upcoming topics for the Family History Group for the next 4 weeks: Each session will open with group problem solving, then move onto the weekly assigned topic or presentation, and then finish with "free time" for research/chat/anything. 30 September: What details are needed for each person researched? and Scanning documents and photos 7 October: Wills and probate and Convicts and criminal records 14 Oct: Scanning documents and photos 21 Oct: Online newspapers on Trove 28 Oct: Producing charts 4 Nov: MELBOURNE CUP DAY - LIBRARY CLOSED - NO FAMILY HISTORY GROUP 11 Nov: Possible guest speaker - to be confirmed Want to join the group? Come along to Sam Merrifield Library, Tuesdays 1-3pm. No need to book, just drop in.

Hello and thanks to all the people who have been coming along to the Family History Group recently started at Sam Merrifield Library. Hope you are enjoying the group! Here are the upcoming topics for the Family History Group for the next 4 weeks: Tuesday 9 September 2014: Starting out and keeping track of your research. What are your tips, tricks or recommendations? Bring along examples of what you do! Tuesday 16 Sept: Writing it up. How do you write up your research? Bring along examples to share. Tuesday 23 Sept: Library resources. Quick presentation of some of the resources you can access at the library to help with your family history research. Tuesday 30 Sept: What next? and social session This week the group will set the next few topics and catch up with library staff and other group members to discuss how the group is evolving. Want to join the group. Come along to Sam Merrifield Library, Tuesdays 1-3pm. No need to book, just drop in.

The first meeting of our new Family History Group, on Tuesday afternoon, was attended by 30 participants. The group decided on an ongoing meeting time of Tuesdays 1-3pm. These drop-in sessions will be held every week at Sam Merrifield Library, with no need for bookings. Each week the group will focus on a pre-determined topic for the first hour, and the second hour will be open for free discussion, chat and/or research. The discussion topics for the first 4 weeks are as follows: Week 1 (19 Aug): Show and tell: family heirlooms/quick stories Week 2 (26 Aug): Library resources for family history Week 3 (2 Sep): Dealing with brick walls in your research. What obstacles have you hit in your research? What tips do you have on overcoming “brick walls”? Week 4 (11 Sep): Tools for keeping track of your research. What tool/s do you use to record your research? Can be software/online or other methods (files/notebooks/other)? What are your tips, tricks or recommendations?