No.50 (genealogy news worldwide)

Links open in new windows. If you share the tips below, the Creative Commons license requires that you acknowledge the source as http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com.

• Prize draw:   If you'd like to win a 12 month Findmypast subscription, this is your chance! Submit your entry by 8am (AEST) Wednesday 26 Apr 2017 in two easy steps on my Prize Draws and Competitions page. I'm grateful to Findmypast for allowing me to give away such a wonderful prize (RRP $114.50). I've had a Findmypast subscription for many years, and I love it!


• Free access:   All Australian and New Zealand records on Findmypast are completely free until 25 Apr 2017 (AEST). Another 'free access' offer will be announced on Genealogy Discounts & Freebies later this week.


• Discounts:   Genealogy Discounts & Freebies currently has more offers listed than ever before, but most of them end soon. One offer is NSW certificate transcriptions for just $18.


• New records online:   Interesting records that went online last week include stage 1 of 'crew and passengers on ships arriving in New South Wales' (check this for anyone you can't find in the British 1881 census); parish registers for Christ Church Cathedral in Newcastle NSW; more Boer War records; and more NSW closer settlement and returned soldiers transfer files.


• UK records:   Findmypast's United Kingdom parish records collection (already the largest of its kind online) is about to get a whole lot bigger. Records from six more counties (the list is on that Web site) will go online over the next 6 months.


• Books:   During April, Gould Genealogy has the entire Unlock the Past guide books range on sale (25% off), and the Australian History and Genealogy Handbook is just $1.


• Finding death dates:   My family history project for Easter started with a list of Australian relatives for whom I had no death date. I searched 13 million Aus/NZ deaths, burials, wills and probate records. If I didn't find the name, I searched individual Findmypast record sets and Ancestry databases. I also used the magnificent Ryerson Index to find recent death/funeral notices. There are many other resources available, but these are my usual 'first steps'.


• Updated index:   Check out CQFHA's new Master Name Index (over 767,590 entries for people from many areas). I had unexpected success with this.


• My talk at Noosa:   If you're interested in hearing my talk (11 May 2017) on Ancestors who Moved or Vanished, book now (free). When I checked today there were only 7 seats left.

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2017/04/no50-genealogy-news-worldwide.html. The 'win' image is by Stuart Miles, freedigitalphotos.net.)


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No.39 (genealogy news and discounts worldwide)

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• FindMyPast discount:   Get 20% off the price of any 12 month subscription at FindMyPast. Offer ends Sat. 27 Feb 2016 (23:59 GMT). Please note that unlimited free access to the 1939 Register for England and Wales is only included in 12 month World subscriptions or Britain subscriptions. If you are not familiar with FindMyPast, read 'Why I Use and Recommend FindMyPast'.


• Webpages:   My 'Wednesday's Webpage for Genealogy' series is now underway. It gives you a sneak peek into records that many people have never used.


• Recent deaths:   If you're looking for recent death notices in Australia, check the Ryerson Index and the archived messages from the AUS-Newspaper-Extracts Mailing List at Rootsweb (but the mailing list is currently unavailable).


• Family history at the State Library:   Family history seminars at the State Library of Queensland are free, but you need to book.


• Weddings:   Life lessons from the altar - strange things that happen at weddings.


• Finding images:   Do you waste time searching your computer for all photos of a specific person or place? It's much easier if you follow the advice in Updating Metadata for Digital Photos: Keeping It Simple. The programme it describes (Irfanview) is free, and I love it.


• London maps:   Have a look at the high resolution scans of Ordnance Survey maps of London (1893-1896). At 60-inches-to-the-mile, the detail is astounding.


• Lookup offers:   Note this warning about genealogy 'lookup' offers.


• Historical background:    A Short History of the Football Boot

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2016/02/no39-genealogy-news-and-discounts.html.)
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No.38 (genealogy news and discounts worldwide)

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• Genealogy Discounts and Freebies:   Two new offers were added today, including one from FindMyPast that ends at midnight Monday 15 Feb 2016. This is your last chance to beat next week's 20% price rise.


• Current electoral roll:   It is once again possible to visit Australian Electoral Commission offices to use the current electoral roll for genealogical research. Electronic recording of data is not allowed.


• Seminar in Brisbane:   Judy Russell ('The Legal Genealogist') and Carol Baxter are two of the speakers at the Unlock The Past seminar in Brisbane on Sat. 5 Mar 2016.


• Ships & Passengers:   A new Web site, Passengers in History, brings together a database of 250,000 passengers to South Australia between 1836 and 1961, and a list of ships' logs/diaries (Log of Logs).


• Searchable books:   On MyHeritage you can search the text of many books that are useful for genealogy. It covers an amazing variety of publications.


• Google maps:   Step-by-step guide to using Google Maps and creating personalised maps for your family history.


• One-place studies:   Check the list of one-place studies to see whether there's one for an area where your ancestors lived.


• Irish R.C. parish records:   FindMyPast will soon release indexed transcriptions of 10 million records from over 3,500 Irish Roman Catholic parish registers (baptisms and marriages) for all 32 historical counties (Irish Republic and Northern Ireland), with links to images.


• USA marriages:   FindMyPast is releasing what will be the largest online collection of USA marriages 1650-2010 (60% of which have never before been published online). The first 33 million records are free to the public until 15 Feb 2016. When complete, this collection in its entirety will only be found on Findmypast.


• Client records:   I am updating my client records. If I've done research for you, or if you are/were on my mailing list, I invite you to contact me to confirm your preferred/alternative email addresses. Use the address in the sidebar here or the one on my main Web site.


• Interesting historical background:
  
  • 9 Fascinating Facts About Ag Labs
  
  
  • Australia Day, 26&nbspJanuary... or is May or July?

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2016/02/no38-genealogy-news-and-discounts.html.)
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No.37 (genealogy news and freebies worldwide)

Apologies for not posting this sooner, but Real Life got in the way. Links open in new windows.

• Webinars:   Five free genealogy webinars this week will explain how to use FamilySearch and records for England, including census, civil registration, Church of England and Non-Conformist records.


• Electoral rolls:   Australian Commonwealth electoral rolls on Ancestry (1903-1980, but with gaps) now include some Tasmanian and NSW images and extracted records that were previously missing. There are also many other electoral records on FindMyPast.


• FindMyPast:   Good News and Bad News from FindMyPast. Thankfully there is more good news than bad, and if you have 20th century research in England or Wales, there is excellent news.


• Recommended reading:   Check out this list, which is divided into 'Family History and Genealogy', 'Historical Background for Family Historians' and 'Genealogical crime mysteries (fiction)'. As explained there, you can order them from a site that has free shipping worldwide.


• Digital photos:   How to Label Your Digital Photographs explains how to enter metadata using IrfanView (the free programme that I use).


• Parish registers:   DustyDocs has links to free Websites with parish registers for the British Isles.


• School records:   Two articles that you might find useful: (1) 'School Registers: Parent or Guardian?' and (2) 'School Records, Even if Your Ancestor Didn't Attend School' (which mentions how local residents were involved with the school system).


• Interesting historical background:
  
  
  • How the 1930s changed housing
  • Operation Pied Piper - evacuation in wartime Britain


• Discounts & Freebies:   If you are using ChangeDetection (set to 'Daily') to monitor Genealogy Discounts & Freebies (http://www.judywebster.com.au/specials.html), you'll already know about the 'free access' offers from FindMyPast, Ancestry and LostCousins. New offers will added soon, so click the grey button on that page (it looks like this):
  

  

  On that page, the ChangeDetection button looks like this ('Receive email')

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2016/01/no37-genealogy-news-and-freebies.html.)
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No.36 (genealogy news and discounts worldwide)

I hope you all enjoyed Christmas and New Year. Here are some ideas for family history in 2016. Links open in new windows.

• 50% off FindMyPast:   Until 11.59pm (GMT) Thurs 14 Jan 2016, get 50% discount on any new FindMyPast World subscription (1 month or 12 month). I put the discount code and page links for this unexpected 2 day 'flash' sale on Genealogy Discounts and Freebies yesterday.


• National Library card:   E-resources: Getting Started shows how to use your National Library card (Australia) to explore online databases.


• 'The Queenslander':   See examples of pages in The Queenslander. The complete contents of the paper are in Trove.


• Saving Trove articles:   Kylie Willison shows how to save a copy of a newspaper article in Trove so that source details are included. For the 'take a screenshot' step, I use PrintKey to capture and save a selected area.


• Ancestor profiles:   Brandy Heineman's 5-step plan for creating profiles of your ancestors is simple, sensible and can be adapted to suit your own needs. Step 1 works for Britain and North America but not Australia!


• Irish soldiers' wills:   Wills of Irish soldiers who died while serving in the British Army have been digitised and are free online.


• Devon parishes:   An interactive map shows the location of Devon's historic parishes.


• Free online course:   'Genealogy: Researching Your Family Tree' will discuss how to find and analyse sources; record and communicate your findings; add historical context to your family history; and explore the potential of DNA testing for genealogy.


• Interesting historical background:
  
  • Men's fashion in 1939
  • Rationing in Britain during World War 2


• Starting soon:   'Wednesday's Webpage', a weekly series coming soon to Genealogy Leftovers.

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2016/01/no36-genealogy-news-and-discounts.html.)
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No.35 (genealogy news and discounts worldwide)

One of several different types of Missing Friends records

Links open in new windows.

• Missing Friends:   Names from the first stage of my index to Missing Friends records are online (3 pages). Most of these people were born in the United Kingdom, Ireland, western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, USA or Canada. I expect to gradually add another 8,000 names.


• Beenleigh cemetery:   The Beenleigh (Qld) cemetery register for 1872-1961 is now at Qld State Archives (series ID 20515).


• FindMyPast discounts:   Until 30 Nov 2015, get 50% discount on any FindMyPast subscription by using discount code BLACKFRIDAY15 at Findmypast.com.au or Findmypast.co.uk or Findmypast.ie. (USA customers only get 75% discount on a FindMyPast 12 month World subscription by using discount code THANKSNOV15 on the USA site, Findmypast.com.)


• Asylums, Hospitals & Vanishing Ancestors:   Free download until 30 Nov 2015 via the link on Genealogy Discounts and Freebies.


• VIC BDM indexes:   Victoria's historical birth, death and marriage indexes are now FREE to search online.


• Clothing:   How World War 2 changed women's fashion (interesting for family history).


• Billion Graves:   'Billion Graves' cemetery indexes for Australia and New Zealand are now on FindMyPast (free to search, and updated regularly).


• British places:  A Vision of Britain Through Time has maps, statistics and historical descriptions between 1801 and 2001. Use the 'Places' page to research towns and villages where your ancestors lived.


• Site search:   For technical reasons, the search box for my main Web site (www.judywebster.com.au) is now (1) near the bottom of most pages and (2) on the page 'How to get the most out of this site' (and a link is at the top left of each page as shown below).

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com.au/.)
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No.34 (genealogy worldwide)

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• Photos & Sketches:   I've added 1,132 names to the Web page 'Historical Photos and Sketches of People' (http://bit.ly/phqsa). The photos and sketches, which I found in various Archives records, are accompanied by biographical or background data that is superb for family history.


• Qld BDM source documents:   When you buy a certificate, you see details that were copied into a register from information in source documents. Transcription errors are therefore likely! The Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages has begun imaging source documents for births, marriages and WW1 / WW2 deaths. Some records have as many as 5 pages (statements by different parties, letters from parents, baptismal certificates, etc). All existing source documents should be digitised, indexed and available for purchase during 2016.


• GSQ has moved:   Genealogical Society of Qld's library has moved from East Brisbane and will re-open at 25 Stackpole St, corner of Mt Gravatt - Capalaba Road, Wishart, in Dec 2015.


• Old age pensions:   Copies of original records of old age pension applicants 1908-1909 (including people whose application was rejected) are cheaper if you order before 31 Dec 2015. The pension records description (http://bit.ly/oapJW) leads to lists of applicants' names.


• Victorian records:   FindMyPast has secured the rights to publish images and transcripts of two magnificent collections from Victoria that have never before been microfilmed or indexed: Victoria's Coastal Passenger Lists 1852-1924, and Victoria Petty Sessions records from 1851 to the 1970s. Details are on http://bit.ly/2cpsvic.


• Electoral registers:   Electoral registers for England and Wales 1832-1932 are now searchable (http://bit.ly/2Eelec), but note the crucial information and warnings in 'Learn More' and 'Discover More' on that page.


• Illegitimate children:   I've added more names to the page about illegitimate children whose father is identified in a document in Archives. Most of the mothers and children lived in NSW or Queensland, but a few were in other States, and one was in Scotland. This index is designed to help family historians and people seeking birth parents.


• Interesting reading:   9 ways underwear changed forever in 1939.

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2015/11/no34-genealogy-worldwide.html.)
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No.33 (genealogy worldwide)

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• Discounts:  Some exciting offers are currently listed on Genealogy Discounts and Freebies. The best one expires soon.


• Indexes:  I am indexing Missing Friends registers and Brisbane Prison Hospital admissions. Watch for links to be added to my 'indexes' page.


• 'Off The Record':  This highlights records that many family historians overlook (eg, plastic surgery archives!) Each fortnight's Off The Record has a different theme, with links to four series (one each from the UK, Ireland, USA and Australia/NZ). Recent themes include Death records, Local collections, World War I, Military records, Criminal records, and the (In)Justice system.


• 'In Time and Place':  The Queensland State Conference on local history, family history and social history is in Brisbane on the weekend of 3rd-4th Oct 2015. One of the speakers is Janis Wilton, whom I find quite inspirational.


• Placenames:  A useful site is Renamed places in Queensland.


• FindMyPast:  More Australian records are now on FindMyPast. Scroll down on the page that lists recent additions.


• Ireland's Catholic parish registers:  These are now online as free images. See Chris Paton's article with the link and extra advice.


• Free e-book:  Surnames: Family Search Tips and Surname Origins consists of five guides ('4 Keys to Surname Origins and Meanings', 'Seven Strategies for Surname Research', 'How to Construct Google Surname Searches, Step by Step', '10 Sources to Find Female Ancestors' Maiden Names' and 'Country-by-Country Guide to Naming Customs').


• WDYTYA? handouts:  Download speakers' handouts/slides from Who Do You Think You Are? Live in 2014 and 2015.


• Wednesday's Webpage:  This is a new feature on my Queensland Genealogy Facebook page, which anyone can read (no need to log in).

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2015/07/no33-genealogy-worldwide.html.)

No.31 (genealogy worldwide)

Links open in new windows so you won't lose your place on this page. If a link won't work, try a different browser (I checked them with Chrome). If you share these tips, please say that you saw them on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com.au.

• Rockhampton, Qld:  There is a family history beginner's course in Rockhampton on Sat. 13 Sep 2014 (9am to noon).


• (Updated Nov 2014)  NSW wills:  New South Wales will books 1800-1952 are back online. This magnificent resource includes wills for thousands of people from interstate and overseas, including Queensland! Search the index, then view the images of the original records (not just the transcriptions). My search tips are in 6 Genealogy Sources You May Have Overlooked.


• BDM index (NSW):  The new index on the NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages site is rather challenging to use. Joy Murrin's tips make it easier.


• Postems:  Postems on FreeBMD describes a strategy that has worked brilliantly for me. If anyone in your family tree was born, married or died in England or Wales from 1837 onwards, try it!


• Congress 2015:  The Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry is in Canberra (ACT) next March. I'll be there! Register by 31 Oct 2014 to get the cheaper 'early bird' rate.


• Online trees:  You can now attach records to your family trees at FindMyPast.


• Discounts:  This week more offers were added to the Discounts and Freebies page. You can use ChangeDetection to monitor the page (look for the button 'Click here to receive email...'), but sometimes the email is delayed. To avoid missing last-minute offers that only apply for one weekend, check the page every Saturday.


• Although I don't agree with all the suggestions in the free downloadable e-book Family Tree Tips: 23 Secrets to Organize Your Genealogy, some of the ideas are good.

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FindMyPast's World Records discount offer

FindMyPast's logo

A one-month 'world' subscription to FindMyPast is just $5 (usually $19.95) for new subscribers who pay before midnight on 1 Sep 2014.

The world subscription gives you access to more than 1.5 billion family history records for Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Ireland, the USA and Canada.

If you do not want your subscription to automatically renew at the normal price after your initial period, un-tick the 'auto-renew my subscription' box in the My Account section of the site.

You may want to read why I use and recommend FindMyPast.

(This post also appears in Genealogy Leftovers.)

No.28 (genealogy worldwide)

Links open in new windows so you won't lose your place on this page. If you share these tips, please acknowledge the source as http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com.

• Free access to British records:  Until 11.59pm on Monday 9th June 2014 there is free access to many British records on Ancestry. You can see images of original records such as UK outward passenger lists; 1911 census; and the magnificent England & Wales Probate Calendar 1858-1966 where you will also find death dates/places, addresses, next of kin etc for thousands of people from other countries including Australia. Use 'sign in' on Ancestry for a free account.


• Research Tip:  In the British Newspaper Archive, look for clues about family members who emigrated (for example, a death notice saying "NSW papers please copy"). The BNA now offers very affordable one-month subscriptions.


• Land Records in Queensland:  On 21 July 2014 Nola Fulwood is speaking on this topic at the Genealogical Society of Queensland's Southern Suburbs branch. Nola is one of only a handful of people who understand the complexities of land records at Qld State Archives.


• Lifeline Bookfest:  The Brisbane Bookfest runs until 10th June. See my tips for family historians looking for bargains in books and stationery.


• Free family history seminars in North Qld:  Between 13th & 28th June 2014 I will be speaking at Cairns, Atherton and Townsville. Admission is free, but you need to book because space is limited. Each seminar consists of two talks ('Court Records' and 'Look Beyond the Border'). For dates, times, venues, and how to book, see www.judywebster.com.au/talks.html.


• NSW Public Service Lists:  More than 630,000 records have recently been added to the online collection 'NSW Public Service Lists 1858-1960'.


• NSW certificates:  NSW certificate transcriptions are cheaper ($18) if you order them on any Saturday in June 2014.


• 'Brick wall' tips:  'Widen the Search: a Genealogy Success Story' includes links to online sources that I used to solve a family history mystery.


• Recommended reading:  'Finding genealogy data in an unexpected country'.

No.27 (exciting improvements online)

The introduction of a one month subscription is the first of several exciting changes at FindMyPast.

The cost of a World subscription has already been reduced, and we can also look forward to the addition of new records every month; a new family tree builder; a new way to search; and a forum where you can vote for features and give feedback to improve the site.

I am a big fan of FindMyPast for genealogy research. For records that are on both FindMyPast and other sites, FindMyPast's indexes and transcriptions are usually (in my experience) more accurate. This is particularly obvious with British census records.

Although a 12-month subscription is the best value, you may want to start with the new one month subscription. This is now available for each of FindMyPast's regional collections (Australia/NZ, UK, Ireland, USA) and also for the World collection.

If you have no Australian research but need access to United Kingdom records, get your subscription via findmypast.co.uk.

Searches on FindMyPast are free. You only need pay-as-you-go credits or a subscription if you want to see transcriptions or images of original records. There is a 10% loyalty discount for renewing a 12-month subscription.

Follow the links below to see (for each region) a full list of categories and all the record sets currently available within them, with descriptions of what each record set contains and what detailed information you can expect to find... and watch for more to be added each month.

• Australia and New Zealand
• United Kingdom
• Ireland
• USA

I have been using FindMyPast's census records and parish registers for many years. Recently other data sets (including passenger lists, Police Gazettes, Royal Household records and East India Company and civil service pensions) have provided some exciting discoveries. For example, I was surprised to find that two of my British families went overseas (one to South Africa, the other to Canada) for a short time - because they were back in the UK before the next census!

If you only get time to do research during your holidays, the new one month subscription to FindMyPast may suit you perfectly.

Postscript, 14 Feb 2014:  One of my clients signed up for the new one-month subscription and had huge success on day 1. She said (I quote), 'It has already paid for itself ten times over. I had no idea so many new records had been added since I looked a year ago! I found brilliant problem-solving stuff in Passengers leaving the UK, Convict records, and deserters and missing friends notices in Police Gazettes. Also lots of clues to follow up in electoral rolls, expats in New Guinea, wills, monumental inscriptions etc.'

Revenue from ads goes to Kiva

No.24 (genealogy worldwide)

Links open in new windows so you won't lose your place on this page. If you share these tips, please acknowledge the source as http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com.

• Maiden names missing from Qld death indexes:  I received a reply from the Queensland Registry of BDMs after I sent examples of maiden names that are missing from death indexes online but shown in the corresponding indexes on fiche or CD-ROM.
• 20% discount:  In August, Findmypast added 10 new data sets (2 million records) for Australasia. Until 30 Sep 2013 you can get 20% discount off a world subscription to FindMyPast, which allows you to search billions of records for Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, USA and Canada (including British newspapers).
• Innisfail (Geraldton) burials:  Do you have a death certificate or other details for someone buried at Geraldton (now Innisfail) in North Qld?
• Victoria:  Passenger lists (Victoria) 1846-1899.
• NSW:  NSW Registers of Coroners' Inquests 1796-1942.
• Recommended reading:  Artificial 'brick walls' in family history.

No.22 (genealogy worldwide)

Links open in new windows so you won't lose your place on this page. If you share these tips, please acknowledge the source as http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com.

• Queensland certificates:  You can now save money by downloading some Queensland birth, death and marriage certificates as images.


• Free family history talks (North Qld):  Details of my six free family history talks at Atherton, Innisfail, Tully and Wongaling Beach (20-24 June 2013) are on my Web site.


• British newspapers:  More years and more newspapers have been added to the searchable collection of digitised British newspapers (now 1710-1953).


• 'Queensland Genealogy' categories:  There are now quick links to articles in certain categories (BDMs, Hidden treasures, Indexes, People, Places, Sources, Tips, Warnings, Websites) in my 'Queensland Genealogy' blog. At the bottom of that page there is also a complete list of keywords.


• Visiting historical societies & museums:  Tips on what to do before you visit a local historical society or museum.


• Recommended reading:  A Hobbyist Genealogist's Manifesto. I like the bit about 'Pirates of the Caribbean philosophy of citation'.

No.9 (genealogy worldwide)

Links open in new windows so you won't lose your place on this page.

• Keeping the Memory Alive:  Genealogists for Families is a story about family history, good deeds and continuing the work of our loved ones via Kiva. Be sure to read the comments.


• Generous Genealogists:  Quoting from the article Generous Genealogists: 'It would be lovely if this team could grow to include genealogists from around the world and to become a family tradition for all of our families.' Again, be sure to read the comments.


• Free Ancestry searches:  From 1st-15th Oct 2011, a different collection will become available for free each day, and remain free until 15th October. The collections are for Australia (electoral rolls), England and Wales (1901 census and 1916-2005 birth index), Ireland (Griffith’s Valuation), USA, Canada, Germany and Sweden. For full details see Ancestry's blog.


• Multiple searches:  Audrey Collins explains why you must use all versions of what appears to be the same index or database.


• Timelines:  To understand your family history in the context of local, national or world events, use timelines such as those at Timelines of History.


• Queensland news is in today's edition of Queensland Genealogy.


• Interesting reading:  Britain's first Railwaywomen.

No.4 (genealogy worldwide)

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• New index:  Index to Gregson and Weight Funeral Records 1972-2010. Burials and funeral services that took place all over the world (Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, Fiji, Sweden, Greece, Hungary, Austria, Netherlands) are listed in these Queensland records.
  
  
• Genealogy Expo at Coffs Harbour:  On Fri. 3rd and Sat. 4th June 2011 Unlock the Past (with the support of local organisations) is holding a genealogy Expo at C-ex Coffs, Vernon St, Coffs Harbour NSW, with 31 talks and over 50 exhibitors. Talks that I have heard previously and particularly recommend include DNA for Genealogists (Kerry FARMER), Social Media for Family Historians (Carole RILEY), Society of Australian Genealogists: how its treasures will help your family history (Heather GARNSEY), German Research (Eric KOPITTKE), and various talks by Shauna HICKS. Another talk that is likely to be very popular is Helen SMITH's Breaking Down Genealogy Brick Walls. This is quite different from the talk I sometimes give, as Helen focuses mainly on strategies rather than sources.

No.2 (genealogy worldwide)

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• Making Money from Genealogy:  You are welcome to add comments to my recent articles on Making Money from Genealogy and How to Become a Paid Researcher.
  
  
• Google News:  Thanks to SAG-E (Oct 2010 email newsletter of the Society of Australian Genealogists) for pointing out that at Google News we can browse or search thousands of newspapers from all over the world, including Canada and the USA.
  
  
• Six-word tributes:  If you want to write about your ancestors but don't have much time, try writing 'six-word tributes'.
  
  
• Australian circuses:  A new book by Mark St Leon, Circus: The Australian Story, will be published by Melbourne Books in May 2011.
  
  
• Central Qld Scrapbook Index:  Central Qld Family History Association's updated 'Scrapbook Index' is now online. Go to CQFHA's Web site, click on 'Articles and Indexes', then choose 'Scrapbook'. (I have found some wonderful information via this site.)
  
  
• CQFHA's Member's Interests:  CQFHA's 'Member's Interests list' has also been updated. Go to CQFHA's Web site, click on 'Articles and Indexes', then choose 'Member's Interests'. Members are now able to add their research surnames online, so new entries will be added regularly.
  
  
• Saving money with BDMs:  Have a look at Kerry Farmer's tips for saving money while searching for Australian births deaths and marriages.

No.1 (genealogy worldwide)

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• LostCousins: The LostCousins site is totally free to 2 May 2011. This is probably the only web site that has virtually 100% accuracy in matching people who share the same ancestors. You do not waste time corresponding with people who are not related to you. To use LostCousins you need to have found relatives in one of these censuses: USA 1880; Canada 1881; Scotland 1881; Ireland 1911; England and Wales 1841, 1881 or 1911. Be sure to enter data for brothers and sisters of your direct ancestors. It is their descendants who are most likely to have letters or photos from your line. Start by reading the LostCousins 'How-to' page. Remember to log in periodically, go to your 'My Ancestors' page and click 'Search'.
  
• Central Queensland cemeteries:  Burial indexes and maps for many Rockhampton Regional Council cemeteries are now online (and frequently updated).
  
• Orphanage records:  Some Queensland orphanage records have recently been opened to the public.
  
• 'Inside History' magazine:  Inside History is a new magazine about Australian and New Zealand genealogy, history and heritage. Published bi-monthly, Inside History has genealogy articles and tips, expert advice, stories about history (old houses, country towns, biographies etc), and lots more. I received a complimentary copy and was so impressed by the quality of the magazine that I asked Brisbane City Council libraries to subscribe so that it will reach a wider audience.
  
• Ryerson Index:  The Ryerson Index is an online index to death notices (and some obituaries, funeral and probate notices) in current Australian newspapers. Family history or local history societies who would like to index notices from their local paper should use the contact link on the Web site.
  
• Irish research:  Have a look at this collection of Web sites for Irish Research.
  
• Outback Story:  Outback Story is a personal account of what life was like on a grazing property in the Cunnamulla area (southwest Queensland) from about 1919 onwards.
  
• Environmentally friendly genealogy:  How to make your genealogy research environmentally friendly.
  
• Bookmarking State Archives Web pages:  Many indexes on the Qld State Archives Web site consist of an introduction (as a Web page) with links to different sections of an index (as PDF files). If the index is updated, a name that was in one PDF file may be moved to another. You should therefore bookmark or cite the introductory Web page, not the PDF file.