Genealogy, family history and ancestry research Victoria has had a huge serge in the last decade or so. Television programs and ads show us just how exciting the discoveries can be, and what you can find. And, it is exciting. So exciting! I love being able to discover more about someone’s family history, tell them the stories of their ancestors, or break down those “brick walls” that plague so many branches of one’s family tree.
During my day-to-day I am able to uncover hidden family stories using honed experience and knowledge, methodologies, as well as accessing records and resources. Every day is different when it comes to undertaking your ancestry research Victoria. Whether its searching for archival records and then viewing them to see whether they hold the key information and answers we’re looking for, or whether those initial records may lead onto something else.
Sometimes it’s determining through research who someone isn’t, rather than who they are.
It’s all too common for people to get ancestors with the same or similar names mixed up and find themselves on a family tree, that is in fact, not theirs.
Despite what popular ads tell you, not every record – in fact, barely any – are digitised and available from anywhere on the internet. So much research is determining what possible records there are available (spoiler: not everything. They may be closed, destroyed, not retained, or not made at all), accessing them and then being able to interpret them; why were they made, who were they made for, what, if anything, do they lead to, and at a basic level – reading ambiguous language and handwriting. We also use investigative strategies to connect distant or missing family members, make sense of conflicting evidence, and untangle complicated relationships. Genealogists and historians also analyse patterns in the information and records that may have otherwise been ignored or overlooked, thus piecing together stories that would otherwise remain untold.
Is it time for us to help you uncover the mysteries in your family history, or learn more about your ancestors on the branches of your family tree? Get in touch here to begin your family history journey.
