In the Library

Have a look at these!

I know you are still working hard from the comfort of your home office, so the nearly 200 webcasts created by the GSV are a great way to learn about family history from experts.  

No booking in, watch them anytime at your convenience. You can even scroll back over parts you miss or want to check.

These are available to GSV members when they login or non-members can view them by obtaining a GSV Visitor E-Pass. More details on https://www.gsv.org.au/webcasts

No matter how experienced you are there are always tips and tricks that other researchers can tell us about. 

Delve into the catalogue or browse the 26 categories to help you - including one on 'pandemics' (in case you haven't read enough about that topic yet!)

See these latest 10 webcasts added to our catalogue at Genealogical Society of Victoria.

A glimpse at Chartism and reform in south-west England - Cathy Carman

Explores the rise of Chartism and reform in England during the 19th century with special reference to the south west counties.

Looking for my convict ancestors - Michael Considine

Mentions: Samuel Morgan - Charles Richards - Sarah Gibbs - Mary Manning/s - Richard Daniels

Researching Tasmanian Convicts -  Cheryl Griffin

Includes resources available to assist with the research of Beckett, Storey, Hunter and MacCleod families and Tasmanian convicts generally.

The Victorian registers of "Certificates exempting from the dictation test" - Sophie Couchman and Terry Young.

Finding families in the National Archives [of Australia]: pt 1 - an overview of records of interest to family historians; pt 2 - searching the NAA website and catalogue - Patrick Ferry.

Researching single people - Cheryl Griffin

The stories of many single people have disappeared from history, often because there are no direct descendants to carry the stories to the next generation, or perhaps because the person in question did not have a public profile of any significance. Dr Cheryl Griffin explores the principles and methodology used to identify individuals that do not appear frequently in surviving records.

Introducing the Port Phillip Pioneers Group - Stuart Hamilton

Stuart Hamilton, the Vice-President of the Port Phillip Pioneers Group, provides a history of the development of the Port Phillip District until 1851 and outlines the assistance that the Group provides to their members who are researching family who settled in the district in the early days.

Exploring the collections of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria - Jillian Hiscock

The RHSV has an extensive collection and Jillian describes how the RHSV may be able to assist family historians. For example theVictorian Pioneer Registerthat contains information of early colonists who arrived in Victoria before 21 November 1856.

Introducing the Wodonga Family History Society - Pat Hopkins & Wendy Cooksey

Members of the Wodonga FHS describe how they can assist individuals trace their family history in the area. They have an extensive holding of records relating to north-eastern Victoria.

Using oral history for family historians - Judy Hughes

The recorded interview can be used as a primary source of information about a time, an event or a life. Oral histories can also challenge existing collective beliefs. In this presentation, Judy Hughes discusses the techniques used in oral history and how they can add to your family stories.

Enjoy!

Happy 2019 New Year to all family historians and blog followers!

I see we have reached over 100 posts to this blog and I hope you have found them informative and interesting. We would love to hear from you in the 'Comments' section of any post - just register and join in. (Remember this is a public site). For our first post for 2019 Michael Rumpff at the GSV highlights the large collection of family history periodicals that are received and indexed at the GSV Research Centre. [Ed.]

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From time to time, the GSV receives bulletins and newsletters from associated organisations. Because a lot of work goes into producing these communications, it’s only fair that we share them will all GSV members. You may well be aware of these organisations and their newsletters, but then again, you may not! They all contain information that you may find useful. We recently received one from the Federation of Australian Historical Societies, and it can be read at https://www.history.org.au/ebulletin/  Of note in this issue is a tribute to the late Joan Hunt, a farewell to the former President of the FAHS, Don Garden, and a welcome to the new President, Margaret Anderson. There are a number of other items that may be of interest, for instance on shipwrecks.

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GSV holds a large resource of family history periodicals from around the world. To date there are over 200 of these which are acquired by subscription, gratis and by way of exchanging GSV’s own journal Ancestor for those of other groups. These are then indexed by our volunteers and can be searched by members on our Catalogue, so you can follow up the leads they provide. These periodicals come from everywhere and form a resource you would have difficulty finding anywhere else. A casual inspection of the catalog reveals such journals as ‘Rodziny: the journal of the Polish Genealogical Society of America, the Geelong Family History Group’s The Pivot Group, Stawell’s The Reef Rumblings, other from Ormskirk and Saskatchewan, Origins from Buckinghamshire and Die Zeitung from Germany. In the catalog enter ‘Perio*’ as TOPIC and ‘to date’ in the ‘Any Word’ field for all currently received periodicals. If you want to limit the search to a specific country, other than Australia, put in ‘ENG’, for example. 

'We also have many other periodicals which have either ceased, or our acquisition program has changed', Linley Hooper, GSV's Research Library Manager reminds us. 'The Irish ancestor and The Irish genealogist are just two examples of defunct journals, but we have an index (and electronic copies) to all their issues. The electronic journals are searchable as PDFs, but that can be overwhelming – always best to start with an index created by humans who know what you may be looking for.'

GSV would love to have some more volunteers for this interesting work. Look in our catalog and see what you can find in this extensive resource to help your research.

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My mother often wished her brother would self-isolate. Later in life she would often complain that her brother had rung again, but all he ever talked about was yet another distant cousin he had discovered in the family history. We all know the feeling. Our research is often not interesting to other family members.

Self-isolation is what family history writers - and all writers - are good at. It is a necessary and sought-after precondition for our research and our writing. 

In a new development, if GSV members are stuck at home they can now access the GSV's Library edition of MyHeritage database from home. Simply sign on to our website as a Member, go to the Members Area and select MyHeritage.

GSV Members can also use the new online forum membershelpmembersto link with others who may be able to answer questions or give advice, and they can use our online catalogue and unique databases. 

You can see our Presidents notice to members on Covid 19 on our website here https://www.gsv.org.au/article/gsv-responding-covid-19

Many of us, or even most of us will have documented sad stories from our own families of Spanish Influenza epidemic of the 1918/19. In Australia 40% of the population fell ill and 15,000 died. In 1921 there was a peak in diphtheria cases and over the following decade 4,000 died. In the 19th C this infectious disease occurred often and many children died. In 1872 the Victorian Government held a Royal Commission into its nature and treatment. In my family young John died in Molong in 1886 aged 11, only two years after its cause had been identified in Germany. By the mid 1890s an anti-toxin was available. Too late though for him. Later vaccination programs have almost eliminated this death from our family histories.

We sincerely hope you are all well and treating yourself and others with kindness and reason. 

I hope you have been getting a lot of research done in these last four months of enforced solitude (more positive than 'isolation').

So what have you done with your family history? Where is it? Who has got it?

Recently in lockdown I wrote a prose summary of BDM facts of my Barnes ancestors in Lancashire. These eight A4 pages plus endnotes, cover, copyright page and family tree are all that I plan to do. Job done! Well not quite. Where does it go now?

I have sent a digital copy to my sons, my sister and to some interested family members. I will send a digital copy to my larger family group and I have offered it to others. So I have published it. 

Put it in a library

By law, as the publisher, I should lodge copies by Legal Deposit in our State and National libraries. 'If you publish a work in Victoria – that is, make material available to the public for sale, to registered members or free of charge – you are required to send one copy to the Library within 60 days of publication'(State Library of Vic (SLV) website).An ISBN number is not a prerequisite. That is only relevant for marketing and selling. Legal deposits will be catalogued by SLV and be recorded in TROVE, that wonderful database for researchers and my unknown future descendants.You can even deposit your published work online at the National edeposit website (NED). Read about State legal deposit HERE. I strongly support our Legal Deposit laws as the basis of our State and National collections. My taxes at work!

I could also offer my booklet to other libraries, particularly those in referenced locations. Check if a library shares its catalog with TROVE, so your work can be easily found - not all do.

Acceptance by libraries will depend on their Collecting Policies.The SLV does not generally collect individual family histories, either published or manuscript, nor pedigree charts (SLV Collections and Content Strategy 2020, p.16). But the GSV does.

Publish in a journal

You could submit a shorter family history for publication in a journal, such as the GSV's Ancestor. It would then be available at SLV and NLA and other libraries that subscribed. But the article itself would not be indexed in TROVE. Your work would have to be of interest to a journal's readership, and be subject to its editorial policy and editing. Most journals require that it has not been previously published. For publishing in Ancestor, see SUBMIT ARTICLE

Publication in GSV's journal Ancestorwould also ensure it is kept in the GSV Collection. Also the article itself would be listed in the GSV's searchable catalogue. Of even more value, family names in the article could be added to the GSV's Genealogical Index of Names(GIN) of about 4 million names, if you can also provide a suitable extract of names. Check with us about format. 

Another option may be to publish it on a blog or website. See 'Not Everyone Wants to Publish a Book' by Jenny Scammell in Ancestor34:8, Dec 2019 (on the website for members). Or it could be uploaded on to sites such as Ancestry.com, with appropriate settings for privacy and access. 

So where is the best place for safekeeping your story and how can it be found in future?

Lodge a copy in the GSV Collection

Even if you are only circulating copies of your history to the family, at the very least you should consider lodging your family history in the GSV Collection. 

The GSV Collection has many family histories (about 2,200, and 1,160 of these are unpublished typescripts or manuscript material.) This unpublished material has been scanned and even more importantly, indexed by volunteers and the family names included on the GSV's GIN database. Print copies are acceptable, but as all libraries have limited shelf space, a digital or electronic copy is preferred.

To lodge your family history in the GSV Collection, go to the website here DONATION FORM.. Even better, include an index of family names. If this index is digitally prepared, our volunteers can efficiently add those names to the GIN database. 

1. Complete the 'Donation to Library Collection' form and scan that.

2. Send PDF of family history with scan of the completed Donation Form by email to gsvlib2@gsv.org.au or email first to discuss your proposed donation.

3. If there is a name index, send a separate MS Word or similar file of that.

You researched, you wrote, you published* and now you have safeguarded it for posterity and made it findable. Your job is done - at least until new information is found.

Thank you for helping build the GSV Collectionof family histories for the future.

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* By publishing, responsibility has been taken for copyright, as well as privacy and libel regarding living persons (just a reminder).

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To the GSV Fundraiser Campaign donors and all our wonderful members

Thank you so much for your wonderful support, your generosity has been quite overwhelming. We have already reached the target we set to help us cover our operating costs during this Covid lockdown period.

Although government restrictions are being gradually relaxed, we do not envisage opening the Centre to members for a while yet. We can limit numbers and can social distance and sanitise at the Centre, but public transport into the CBD (which is steadily returning to pre-Covid passenger levels), is a major issue of concern for many of us. We are monitoring the situation and planning for a staged reopening of the Centre as soon as it is safe and practicable.

On the upside, we have used the closure period to work from home developing our digital skills. Using Zoom we can now resume some of our monthly Discussion Circles and members who are unable to get into the CBD can now participate. New members can access talks via the website introducing them to the society and our resources. We can now offer our Ancestorjournal in two digital formats as well as hardcopy.

In addition to having access from home (for the duration) to many of the major databases (find my past, TheGenealogist, MyHeritageand Ancestry), staff and volunteers have been working hard producing more digital resources for members to access from home. More than 128,000 new records have been added to our catalogue.  Members can now access a beta version (pre-release software) of the GSV Presto catalogue by going to the bottom left of the Members’ page and clicking Presto.

These Victorian databases are unique to the GSV and we encourage you to explore them. There are now more than 3 million records in the GSV Genealogical Index of Names(GIN) database of people mentioned in our library holdings and elsewhere. These include names from hospital, criminal and school records, directories and newspapers as well as pioneer registers and published books. A new separate database called Milestonesnow contains nearly 1.4 million entries including births, baptisms, deaths and burials plus obituaries, cemetery and church registers. There are even more new records in the updated catalogue that can only be viewed at the GSV due to copyright requirements.

Once again, I thank you all for your ongoing support of the GSV. With your help, we are working to ensure that the GSV continues to educate family historians and provide research assistance for many years to come.

Jenny Redman

President

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If you are not a member, you can see from the activity above that this is a good time to join - you have the time and we have the resources. Go to our website www.gsv.org.au and follow the links. 

16 June 2017

SCANNING & INDEXING PROJECT REPORT

The GSV scanning and indexing project is progressing thanks to all the hard work of our volunteers. Below is an updated summary of what we have achieved so far. But each week more is added so check back.

Family Histories

498  documents have been scanned, checked and the catalogue has been updated.  These digitized records are available to GSV members within the GSV Research and Education Centre.

Genealogical index of names (GIN) - 2017

Bostocks Creek State School register no. 2893 1890-1909 index

Royal Victorian Trained Nurses Association. Register of members [nurses] February 1922

Cemeteries Database

We have now indexed 564 cemeteries making a total 788856 records in the GSV Cemeteries database.

Note: if the library catalogue location states

CEMETERIES DATABASE. The  images are attached to records in the Cemeteries database and may be viewed online.

 INDEXED IN CEMETERIES DATABASE  : The cemetery had been indexed and our scanned document is only available at the GSV. Check the instructions on the catalogue

Cemetery indexes with images (mostly transcripts) added 2017

Beeac cemetery : previously Ondit and Cundare public cemetery : headstones 20 June 1870 - 27 November 1981

Black Heath (Sailors Home) cemetery headstones and receipts 11 May 1879 - 31 March 1930

Cemetery tombstone transcription series pt 8: Woods point, Victoria [14.9.1866 - 12.2.1966]

Coburg: brief history of cemetery and plan

Deaths and burials at Casterton

Deep Lead cemetery register & headstones 19/4/1859 to 19/1/1992

Edi Upper private cemetery

Eurambeen & Eurambeen East private cemeteries: headstones 2/3/1866 - 12/7/1977

Freshwater Creek: St David's Lutheran church cemetery headstones 16/7/1867 to 1/7/1973

Jericho cemetery transcriptions 1868

Jindabyne (NSW) Soldiers Memorial Cemetery headstones 1919-1985

Kialla West cemetery register 1886-1985

Maddingley cemetery register 23/4/1863 - 14/11/1958

Maldon early burials (church burials) 1854-1856

Mornington cemetery headstones to 1951

Moroco Station, Mathoura NSW headstones 21/12/1853-28/8/1900

Mt Koroite Coleraine, Vic: private burial ground of the Young family

Noradjuha cemetery register and headstones 1891-1979

Omeo cemetery memorial inscriptions 13 July 1872 to 21 April 1980

Pine Creek Cemetery NT headstones -/9/1894 - 4/9/1970

Port Fairy (Belfast) cemetery 3 Mar 1904 - 27 Feb 1970

Rupanyup cemetery register 1914-1980 & headstones 1875-1990

Walkerville cemetery headstones 1899-1924

Warringal (Heidelberg) cemetery headstones: Roman Catholic (section M), General (Section N) 1853-1912

Yarra Glen cemetery headstones May 1864 to 16 Jan 1983.

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During the recent process of moving, GSV identified a considerable part of its library holdings to be scanned and indexed in order to make this material more accessible for our members. This Scanning and Indexing Project is progressing well, thanks to all the hard work of the volunteer team we have assembled. We would always welcome additional assistance. Below is a brief summary of what we have achieved so far.

Cemeteries Database

We have now indexed 556 cemeteries making a total 780,980 records in the GSV Cemeteries database. We are making excellent progress but we still have approximately 110 cemeteries that have been scanned and are waiting to be indexed.

Family Histories

470 documents have been scanned, checked and the catalogue has been updated.  These digitized records are available to GSV members within the GSV Research and Education Centre.

1494 family histories from the vertical file have been scanned & are waiting to be checked. 313 family history files have been scanned & ready to be added to the catalogue.

 Cemetery indexes with images (mostly transcripts) added 2017

Moroco Station, Mathoura NSW headstones 21/12/1853-28/8/1900

Deaths and burials at Casterton

Pine Creek Cemetery NT headstones -/9/1894 - 4/9/1970

Rupanyup cemetery register 1914-1980 & headstones 1875-1990

Kialla West cemetery register 1886-1985

Coburg: brief history of cemetery and plan

Edi Upper private cemetery

Eurambeen & Eurambeen East private cemeteries: headstones 2/3/1866 - 12/7/1977

Black Heath (Sailors Home) cemetery headstones and receipts 11 May 1879 - 31 March 1930

Jindabyne (NSW) Soldiers Memorial Cemetery headstones 1919-1985

Maldon early burials (church burials) 1854-1856

Walkerville cemetery headstones 1899-1924

Jericho cemetery transcriptions 1868

Freshwater Creek: St David's Lutheran church cemetery headstones 16/7/1867 to 1/7/1973

Deep Lead cemetery register & headstones 19/4/1859 to 19/1/1992

Mornington cemetery headstones to 1951

Maddingley cemetery register 23/4/1863 - 14/11/1958.

Note: if the library catalogue location states: 'CEMETERIES DATABASE' - The  images are attached to records in the Cemeteries database and may be viewed online. 'INDEXED IN CEMETERIES DATABASE' - The cemetery had been indexed and our scanned document is only available at the GSV. Check the instructions on the catalogue.

 Genealogical index of names (GIN) - 2017

Bostocks Creek State School register no. 2893 1890-1909 index.

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Visit us online at https://www.gsv.org.au/ or call in to our new Research and Education Centre to discover your world of family history.

13 April 2017 - This post commences a new category which we hope keeps you better informed about the resources in our Library that may help you with your family history research.

The GSV receives about 250 family history and genealogy periodicals from Australian and international societies. These are available for members and visitors to access. Articles in the majority of these journals are indexed by our volunteers in the searchable GSV online library catalogue.

Articles of broad interest in recently received periodicals are highlighted quarterly in GSV's Ancestor journal in the regular column, 'Jottings...and library news'. Members receive this journal as part of their membership.

Recent periodicals received by the GSV library (March 2017 quarter) include articles on:

• the diary of Walter Williams, a private soldier in India 1878-1888
• 'Dundee: tracing the Tay Valley's history on ScotlandsPlaces'
• tracing ancestors - Irish, Huguenot, Royal Navy, and Army, as well articles on the '1939 register', on places and families in Buckinghamshire and another containing a good introduction to the enclosure of shared strips of land after 1773.
• Ancestry's indexing of 'Ireland School Masters and Mistresses 1826', British Army pension records, pensioners records of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham 1724-1924, Royal Hospital Chelsea 1715-1925 and Pensioner Soldier Records 1760-1920.
• genetic genealogy
• a new release online for the first time of over 2.1 million new fully searchable records of individuals; baptisms 1538-1751; marriages 1538-1753 and burials 1838-1865.
• an interesting article about un-named death records held by the various Australian State registries. The NSW records have over 3000 records for 'Unknown'.
• useful tips in 'Some of our ancestors are missing' (Buckinghamshire).

You can follow up these in our catalogue - online before your visit.

Back in January, Meg Bate, our Assistant Librarian provided an update on this blog about the new genealogical material that had been added to the GSV's digitised databases. This work has continued with the good work done by our volunteers and the latest material to be added is listed below. It may just contain that missing piece of your family history jigsaw.

Records added to GSV Cemeteries Database

This index contains nearly a million references from cemetery records mostly relating to Victoria. It includes memorial inscriptions or burial registers from our collection. The Society has been transcribing cemetery records since the 1950s and although there are now online websites for cemeteries (with many including photographs), some of those early headstones have disappeared or become illegible or even been destroyed by vandals. Members may use our free Quick Look-up  to obtain further details in many cases. A fee for a Quick look-up is charged for non-members. 

• Mildura cemetery headstones 1848 to 1983.
• Glenlyon cemetery register and index 1867-1983.
• Geelong Western cemetery:  Roman Catholic headstones 2.12.1848 to March 1982.
• Wallan cemetery register and headstones 1854-1978
• Geelong Eastern cemetery: Methodist headstones 1848-1962.

Records added to the Genealogical Index of Names (GIN)

This Index containing about 4 million references to people mentioned in our library and elsewhere, is available for members only. GIN comprises the LINX databases held in our library, some with images. However, not all entries are included in GIN for copyright or commercial reasons. Data is added regularly. Members may use our free Quick Look-up to obtain further details in many cases. A fee for a Quick look-up is charged for non-members. 

• Maldon Church of England marriages 1864-1946 [index]
• Maldon State School No. 1254 pupil register pt 2 August 1873 - December 1891.
• Alexander Archibald and Emily Morgan: Donnelly's Creek Gold [Index]
• What Kiddle forgot: a social history of the Mount Elephant district of Western Victoria 1860-1888.

For a list of previously added material you can check back on this Blog under 'In the Library' or 'Archives' to see if there is something in the GSV's Collection that may help your research.

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As the GSV is building stronger links with RHSV, now is a good time for you to track down the GSV Library Collection at RHSV. 

When the GSV moved in April last year to its smaller centre, its library collection was split between two locations - the GSV Research and Education Centre at 85 Queen St and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria (RHSV). An agreement between the two societies provides access to the combined collection for GSV members. The majority of the GSV's book collection is now integrated with the library at the RHSV in their premises at the corner of William and A’Beckett Streets. [Correction: In the original publication of our previous post the location of the RHSV should have been given as on the corner of A'Beckett and William Sts.]

RHSV from A'Beckett St.

 

How to access the collections at the RHSV

GSV continues to list in its catalogue all the books that were in the GSV Library prior to the move. Those that are now at the RHSV have a prefix RHSV in the catalogue and those at the GSV will have GSV as a prefix.

Note that some items may be unavailable if they are being scanned and indexed. This should be mentioned in the catalogue, but unfortunately not all have been noted.

Here are the easy steps to find the books or periodicals you are looking for:

1. Check the GSV catalogue.
2. If the Call /Shelf number has a GSV prefix just come into 85 Queen Street and find the item on the shelf as before.
3. To access items at the RHSV, please provide as much notice as possible (preferably at least one day’s notice) to collections@historyvictoria.org.au , noting the title and call/ shelf number and the RHSV will confirm by return email that the item is ready for you. Please include your GSV membership no. with your email request.
   
   Item requests can only be taken by email.
4. Present your GSV Membership card on arrival (otherwise the RHSV Day Visit fee would apply).

RHSV Existing Collections

You can search at:http://www.historyvictoria.org.au/collections for information on their holdings.

How to get to the RHSV:

Royal Historical Society of Victoria is at 239 A’Beckett Street, Melbourne. The entrance to the RHSV is in A'Beckett St.

Opening Hours: Library 10am – 4pm Mon-Fri. Phone number 9326 9288

Take Tram 55 up William Street, and get off at the LaTrobe Street stop. There are also frequent buses up Queen St from GSV to A'Beckett St, but it is only a 10-15 minute walk from the GSV.

OR

Take a train to Flagstaff Station, and walk one short block up William St to A'Beckett St. 

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