Ku-ring-gai Family History Group

Would you like to find out about your ancestry? The Ku-ring-gai Family History Group is a very active group within our Society, and is fortunate to have an extensive range of local and international resources to assist you!

These include:

Birth, Death & Marriage indexes for all Australian states
Pioneer registers
Cemetery transcripts
Various databases
Complimentary access to the Family Search ‘Affiliate Library’
Complimentary access to the Ancestry.com ‘Library Edition’

Members please note: for those who can’t make it to our Research Centre for our ‘Family History Fridays’, Ku-ring-gai Library has extended the availability of FREE Ancestry.com access for members of the Library until June.

If you intend to come in for a Family History Friday session, please call Sue Holmes, so we can be sure that numbers in the room are kept COVID-safe.

The Ku-ring-gai Family History Group meets on the first Saturday of the month from February to December.

Firstly, there is a Research & Training workshop at 11 am in our Research Centre (currently in hiatus – we hope to restart this soon); followed by a Family History Group meeting in Meeting Room 1 at 2:00 pm, concluding with an informative guest speaker.

Please see our Events page for details about our Speakers’ Program!

Do you know where your ancestors came from?
Do you know who they were?
Where they were born?
Where they died, or are buried?
Perhaps you have convict ancestors?
Were any ancestors born interstate or overseas?
Did any of your ancestors serve in the armed forces?

We can assist you in your search for answers, even if you are not a member! All you need to do is visit our Research Centre in Gordon, and an experienced volunteer will help you out. Please contact us to make an appointment. If you are unable to visit us, contact us anyway – we may be able to assist you remotely.

Do you need to research a Ku-ring-gai family – either your own, or one of historical significance?

If your research is confined to families within Ku-ring-gai, why not make use of our Family History Research Service.

Useful Resources for Family History Research

Links change from time to time, so if you find any here that don’t work please let us know.

Arthur Phillip Chapter

Fellowship of the First Fleeters Arthur Phillip Chapter.

NSW State Library

Provides a good introduction to researching your family history.

NSW State Archives

Provides many handy guides, including Family History Guide, Immigration / Shipping Guide, Convicts Index 1791 to 1873, Change of Name Guide, Divorce Records Guide, Electoral Rolls Guide and much more.

NSW Births Deaths & Marriages

Registry records starting from 1856 (and up until): births over 100 years ago; deaths over 30 years ago; and marriages over 50 years ago plus early church records (1788 to 1855) for baptisms, marriages, and burials.

National Archives of Australia

Holds many records in which you might find information about your ancestors. This is the place to come if your family members served in the Australian armed forces or if they migrated to Australia during the 20th century.

Australian War Memorial

Search the collections of Photographs, Art, Film, Sound, Private Records, Heraldry and Technology items.

GENUKI

UK and Ireland Genealogy. Leads to many different sites. Search by Counties.

RootsWeb

Host for many genealogical groups.

UK National Archives

Wills, service records, census, BMDs, shipping records. Search indexes free but pay to view full record.

Mariners and Ships in Australian Waters

Volunteers gradually recording passenger lists from 19th Century shipping records.

RAHS

Royal Australian Historical Society.

NSW Heritage Database

NSW Heritage Office – State Heritage Inventory.

NSW Land Registry Services

Maintains NSW Land Title records.

Ryerson Index

An index to death and funeral notices and other death-type information, published in Australian newspapers from 1803 to the present.

SAG

Society of Australian Genealogists.

Photographic and Other Resources

An extensive range of photographs and paintings are held in state and national archives. Just a few examples are given here. For other states, use Google to find the respective State Library, and follow the prompts to your area of interest.

State Library of NSW

State Library of Queensland

State Library Victoria

The Library's Pictures Collection documents Victoria’s history visually, through artworks, objects and photographs. The collection includes images of Victorian people, the built environment, public and private gardens, and historical events.

City of Sydney Archives

More than 12,000 shelf metres of archives relating to the City of Sydney and its people, places and events.

National Library of Australia

The Pictures collection includes material in a wide variety of formats which document significant people, places and events in Australian history and society.

National Archives of Australia

Explore Australia's most valuable government records and research your family history.

Trove

Explore amazing collections from Australian libraries, universities, museums, galleries and archives. Search for digital copies of newspapers, Government Gazettes, maps, magazines and newsletters. Or books, pictures, photographs, archived websites, music and interviews. Even information about famous Australians, including copies of letters, diaries and personal archives. Also locate books and other physical items held in libraries and organisations around Australia.