Category Archives: Trove

Unclaimed mail, missing friends and the dead letter office.

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An issue which can torment researchers of pre-21st Century times is the missing letter: the failed communication, the lost opportunity to contact a friend, relative or business. What critical love letter, piece of family news, financial assistance, secrets, or other life-changing messages were lost? Why was it such a problem? What was the fate of the lost messages and parcels? For the 19th and most of the 20th Century, mailed messages, newspapers and goods were a vital link around the … Continue reading

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Family History Research.

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Irving Stone wrote The Agony and the Ecstasy: the biographical novel of Michelangelo in 1961. I loved the book and even more so the movie with Charlton Heston as Michelangelo which came out in 1965. Not that I am comparing myself to Michelangelo, but there is very much a love hate relationship with family history in my opinion. For someone who has been doing their family history for 46 years I would have to say the ecstasy outweighs the agony. … Continue reading

Find and use State Library of Queensland digitised images.

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The right image carries a powerful message and most researchers are looking for one to enrich the meaning of their story. In recent years there has been a surge in digitisation of a diverse range of pictures at State Library to achieve that. Many are free of copyright restrictions and high resolution copies can be downloaded for use; in this case, just acknowledge State Library. It is also possible to expand the quality of the content and its depth by … Continue reading

Newspaper and Directory Advertisements help to tell a story

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I have been using newspapers a lot recently. One of my current projects has prompted me to explore an extensive range of local and national newspapers in Australia and the UK. I’ve been searching primarily on Trove (trove.nla.gov.au) and on the British Newspaper Archive (http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/) and FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) to find relevant material. Else Churchill of the Society of Genealogists in London gave an interesting and timely talk on 19th century British newspapers, 18th century Journals, Local Directories and Poll Books … Continue reading

The Pacific Island Monthly.

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Many of us use Trove every day. The newspapers reveal genealogical, society and personal details found nowhere else. However, don’t forget that Trove is more than just newspapers, and often a full site search returns interesting and previously unvisited resources. I have been looking into the life of Ernest Henry Craig, born in Cooktown in 1911. He eventually settled on a plantation on Samarai Island, a former administrative capital in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. The Craig family had … Continue reading