Cairns Regional Council Webpage
Do you want to know more about the street or suburb you live in? Check out the Cairns Regional Council website for information on the origin and histories of Cairns' street names and suburbs. Other information available includes local heritage trails, historical photos and related links to other useful heritage websites.
http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/region/cairns-heritage
Search for people buried in Cairns Regional Council cemeteries
http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/facilities-and-recreation/cemeteries
Queensland
Cairns and District Family History Society
Cairns Museum/Cairns Historical Society
http://www.cairnsmuseum.org.au/
Queensland Research Tips by Judy Webster
Covers all aspects of Queensland research
http://www.judywebster.gil.com.au/tips-qld.html
Queensland State Archives
Includes guides to records, advice to researchers and a growing range of online indexes
http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/
Family History Research FAQ – Queensland State Archives
http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/research/faq.asp
Online Indexes at the Queensland State Archives
http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/research/indexes.asp
State Library of Queensland Information for Family Historians
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/info/fh
The Nnub – a digital community noticeboard for family historians in Queensland on the State Library of Queensland website
http://www.slq.nnub.net/
Online Indexes at the State Library of Queensland
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Index to appointments and removals of Queensland railway employees (1890 - 1901)
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Index of miners involved in Queensland mining accidents (1882 - 1900)
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Index to persons called before Queensland Government Committees - Part 1 (1860 - 1901)
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Index to persons called before Queensland Government Committees - Part 2 (1902 - 1920)
Queensland Historical Birth/Death/Marriage Index - Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General website
http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/justice-services/births-deaths-and-marriages/family-history-research
National Archives of Australia Research Fact Sheets
http://www.naa.gov.au/about-us/publications/fact-sheets/index.aspx
Picture Queensland
Picture Queensland holds an ever growing number of images that build a unique pictorial record of the State of Queensland. There is a mix of historical and contemporary images from urban, regional and rural Queensland.
http://pictureqld.slq.qld.gov.au/
Australia
Archives Websites
National Archives of Australia
http://www.naa.gov.au/
RecordSearch, NameSearch and PhotoSearch Indexes
It surprises many people to hear that the National Archives is a rich source for family historians. The National Archives holds records – mostly paper documents and photographs – from the departments and agencies that make up the administrative arm of the Australian Government.
Many of these records are about people – individuals who migrated here, who served in our armed forces, who were interned or investigated by the government, who were Indigenous, who applied for a copyright... the list goes on.
The trick is to identify how your family members might have had contact with the federal government, and so identify what sorts of records we might have about them.
Australian War Memorial
http://www.awm.gov.au/
The Australian War Memorial combines a shrine, a world-class museum, and an extensive archive. The Memorial's purpose is to commemorate the sacrifice of those Australians who have died in war. Contains biographical databases to World War 1 and 2 and the Boer War
Archives Websites
Generally, if you are seeking information before 1901, you need to go to archive of the State or Territory your ancestor lived in (if they moved around you may need to look at multiple states). Many archive websites have indexes you can search online (eg. Departures and Arrivals, Naturalisations, Convicts, Inquests, Wills), and some have digitised material that can be accessed for free (for example the Tasmanian Archives Office has digitised many of their convict records which you can search and view online).
Archives ACT - http://www.archives.act.gov.au/
Archives Office of Tasmania - http://www.archives.tas.gov.au/
Northern Territory Archives Service - http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/ntas/
Public Record Office of Victoria - http://prov.vic.gov.au/
Queensland State Archives - http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/
State Records of South Australia - http://www.archives.sa.gov.au/
State Records Office of Western Australia - http://www.sro.wa.gov.au/
The State Records Authority of New South Wales - http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/
Library Websites
Many library websites have dedicated family history pages and some have undertaken their own indexing projects, often of uniquely local material such as newspapers.
State Library of Queensland - http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/
State Library of Queensland Indigenous Library Service - http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/info/ind
State Library of New South Wales - http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/
State Library of Victoria - http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/
State Library of South Australia - http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm
State Library of Western Australia- http://www.liswa.wa.gov.au/
State Library of Tasmania - http://www.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/
Northern Territory Library - http://www.ntl.nt.gov.au/
ACT Virtual Library- http://www.library.act.gov.au/
National Library of Australia - http://www.nla.gov.au/
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies - www.aiatsis.gov.au
Other Useful Sites
Australian Deathcare Industry
A useful site which includes contact details for funeral directors and cemeteries, and links to all known Australian cemetery indexes.
Birth Death and Marriages Records - Australia
Provides direct links to all Australian registries and New Zealand.
Each Australian state publishes indexes to the births, deaths and marriages registered in that state. Use these indexes to locate official registrations of life events and obtain registration numbers. Other information such as date and place of the event, parents’ names and age at time of death may be supplied in the index. The date range of publication depends on legislation enacted in each state, so the coverage of indexes varies from state to state.
The contents of certificates vary from state to state and differ over time within each state. See What you might expect to see on an historical AUS BDM certificate for a description.
Convicts to Australia: a Guide to Researching Your Convict Ancestors
A useful guide to convict research with links to online lists.
Genealogy, Family History and Historical Societies
Genie & History Links - Susie Zada
Trove’s Digitised Newspapers - http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper
The Australian Newspapers Digitisation Program started digitising newspapers in July 2007 with the aim of scanning just over 4 million pages over 4 years. These pages cover a range of titles from every state and territory, from the earliest newspaper published in Australia in 1803 through to the mid 1950's.
Web Sites for Genealogist Cora Num
Well-organised listing to family history websites.
New Zealand
Papers Past - http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast
Papers Past contains more than one million pages of digitised New Zealand newspapers and periodicals 1839-1932. It includes publications from all regions of New Zealand.
New Zealand Society of Genealogists - http://www.genealogy.org.nz/default.aspx
New Zealand Birth, Death and Marriage Historical Records - https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/Home/
Archives New Zealand – http://archives.govt.nz/
World Wide Resources
Cyndi's List of Genealogical Sites on the Internet
This is a major resource covering well-organised websites to every aspect of family history research, worldwide.
Familysearch - https://www.familysearch.org/
FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. For over 100 years, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide. Patrons may freely access our resources and service online at FamilySearch.org, or through over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries,
Free BMD
An index to registration records for England and Wales commencing at 1837.
GENUKI
An excellent starting point to research in the UK and Ireland.
The 1901 Census for England and Wales
Times Digital Archive - http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/find/articles
Times Digital Archive is a complete digital edition of The Times (London), searchable by keyword. Database includes all articles, advertisements and illustrations/photos divided into categories to facilitate searching. Accessible for members of Queensland public libraries.
19th Century British Library Newspapers - http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/find/articles
19th Century British Library Newspapers this database provides full runs of 48 titles from the 19th-century. Look up monumental events like the hunt for Jack the Ripper! Accessible for members of Queensland public libraries.
Still Need Help?
Family History Organisations
There are hundreds of family history organisations around Australia, big and small. To find your nearest family history group, check the website of the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations Inc (AFFHO).
http://www.affho.org/
Local libraries, Archives and Historical Societies
Local organisations, such as libraries, archives and historical societies, often have specialised collections relating to their local areas. If you know the region, town or suburb where your ancestors lived or worked, it may be worthwhile making contact.
Likewise some churches, schools and businesses also keep archives that might be relevant to your research.
Go to Directory of Archives in Australia
http://directory.archivists.org.au/search/
Join A Family History Society
Cairns and District Family History Society Inc
Suite T104A, Raintrees Shopping Centre, Koch Street, Manunda, Cairns
Telephone: (07) 4053 1530
Postal Address: PO Box 5069, Cairns Qld 4870 - http://www.cdfhs.org/
Family History Association of North Queensland
5 Baker Street
Rosslea QLD 4812
Ph: (07) 4728 2833
PO Box 3659
Hermit Park QLD 4812
http://www.fhanq.org/
Library: http://www.fhanq.org/libraryrec.html
Central Queensland Family History Association Inc.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~auscqfha/
14 Highway Street
North Rockhampton QLD 4701
PO Box 6000
Central Queensland Mail Centre QLD 4702
Queensland Family History Society Inc
PO Box 171
Indooroopilly QLD 4068
PH: (07) 33 55 33 69
http://www.qfhs.org.au
Genealogical Society of Queensland Inc
PO Box 8432
Woolloongabba QLD 4102
Ph: (07) 3891 5085
http://www.gsq.org.au/
Professional Historians Association (Qld) Inc
PO Box 4054
St Lucia South QLD 4067
http://www.qldhistorians.org.au/
Charters Towers & Dalrymple Family History Association Inc.
PO Box 783,
Charters Towers QLD 4820
http://www.users.bigpond.com/nqsearch/famhist/ctdfha.html
Cairns Historical Society
http://www.cairnsmuseum.org.au/index.php
Mareeba Historical Society
Eacham Historical Society
http://users.qldnet.com.au/%7Eeachist/
Hire a Professional Genealogist/Historian
Society of Australian Genealogists
Professional Historians Association’s (Qld)
http://www.qldhistorians.org.au/phaq/register/list/index.shtml
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