At Born and Bred Historical Research we specialise in family history research Victoria. Why, you may ask? Embarking on a journey to explore your family history is like opening a captivating book that spans generations, filled with stories of resilience, triumphs, and the shared experiences that shaped your ancestors’ lives. Our research into families takes a dive into your family’s past, which can be a deeply rewarding experience, connecting you...
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Family History Research Victoria
Read MoreExploring your roots; the value of family archival records research
Read MorePeople often ask why we would visit dusty repositories and musty rooms when it comes to family archival records research. In today’s digital age, the appeal of uncovering your family’s history has never been more accessible, and that accessibility can be romanticised with the ability to logon to online databases. However, for those seeking to delve deeper into their family’s past and unlock hidden stories, it often requires more than...
Why would you hire a professional ancestry researcher Australia?
Read MoreHave you been wondering about the stories hidden within your family tree, or are you trying to break down that “brick wall” and wondering whether a professional ancestry researcher Australia might be just what the ancestors ordered? Whilst the allure of DIY ancestry research can be tempting, it can also become expensive with all of those paying platforms you see online, however, enlisting a professional historian and genealogist offers unparalleled...
The significance of family trees
Read MoreFamily trees offer a captivating way to explore our past, our ancestors’ lives, help us to gain insights into our heritage and connect us to those who came before. “Why would you bother?” you may ask, and really, it is that as humans we have the capacity to be innately curious about our origins and the stories that have shaped our lives. At its core (or its roots) these delicate...
Tracing my ancestors
Read More“What would I achieve by tracing my ancestors?” “Who cares?” “Why bother?” These are just a few things we get asked about at Born & Bred Historical Research about. Our answer is pretty simple; often there is an innate curiosity within us, a desire to unravel the mysteries of our past and maybe understand what has shaped us, why we have the traits that we do, or why an ancestor...
The genealogist in Australia
Read MoreA genealogist is defined as a person that traces or studies lines of family descent. Using these defining guidelines we can, with great confidence, confirm that if that’s what you are looking for, you have come to the right place. That’s right – Born & Bred Historical Research is here to help with all your genealogical, family history and family tree needs. The study of family and genealogy can be...
Family history research Australia
Read MoreFamily history research Australia can take us to many places. Whether you have a connection to our First Nations people, whether your ancestors arrived on a convict ship, were chasing their fortune during the goldrush era, whether it was to find a better life after the devastation of the Second World War or whether they sought refuge in a safer place than their birth country, our stories can be...
Building history research Australia – the what and the why
Read MoreWouldn’t it be great if you could just input the phrase “building history research Australia” into your Google search bar, and voila! A detailed report full of information, records and amazing plans and images appears for you to pore over and make you better understand about the place you may call home or work. If only it was that easy. But it can be. That’s where we can swoop in...
Family tree Australia (and further)
Read MoreIf only it was as easy to do a search in Google for family tree Australia and something completed and presentable pops up. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works, but we can let you in on a little secret…we’re the next best thing and that exactly what we can do for you. Some people are too nervous to start because they think they know nothing, but the best place...
What’s the deal with ancestry research?
Read MoreWhen it comes to ancestry research, we’re experts – your resident history detectives. When we tell people what we do there are usually two reactions; firstly people will think we are the most dull and boring person at a party (we are not, by the way) and the second usually begins with the comment, “oh, so just like that Ancestry.com on the TV.” Family history research, genealogy or diving...
What is the history of my house?
Read More“What is the history of my house?” It’s a question we would get asked about at least once a week and it is something we love to research. Researching the history of house – your current home, or maybe a childhood house or property close to your family – can uncover stories of the houses’ origins, as well as those who lived and possibly worked or maybe worshipped there. There...
Family tree research
Read MoreWe absolutely love to be able to show off our family tree research on one of our beautiful tree designs. We use primary sources in all instances and check, cross-reference, and usually check again to make sure we have things exactly right before we add it to your tree. There’s no guessing if we’re not completely sure. Even with the records available, sometimes we can’t verify them with 100% certainty....
Why would you do ancestry research?
Read MoreWe have a lot of people ask us WHY we do ancestry research and take a deep dive into all thing’s history. Do you want to know why we do it and why Born & Bred Historical Research exists at all? Well, we’re here to help history-curious people to discover the truth about their past, and in turn understand their place in the world. This also can help to create...
Family history mysteries
Read MoreDo you have a mystery in your family history? Is there a question mark over part of your ancestry? As an individual it’s frustrating not being able to fill in those blanks. I know, because I have them in my own family tree. And, as a historian and genealogist it’s particularly frustrating not being able to answer those questions or find the information and records that can break down that...
Keeping it in the family tree
Read MoreHow much do you know about your family tree? It doesn’t come as a shock to most people that they know very little about all the ancestors that make up their family. Quite often we know a few generations back from us – parents, grandparents, and maybe great grandparents. But can you name any of the others who came before you? We search, dig and find ourselves down rabbit warrens...
Who is Born & Bred’s service for? A story about the family history-curious in all of us. (Part 1)
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Read MoreRecently, someone asked us, “who is Born and Bred’s service for?” And, the short answer, is “everyone” and especially those history-curious – anyone wanting to learn more about their family history, grow their family tree or maybe find out the history of their home, building or business premises. Over two weeks we’re going to tell you a little bit more about two of our most recent clients who capture many...
How to start your family tree
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Read MoreHave you ever wanted to know how to start your family tree on your own? The world of history, research and genealogy can be an overwhelming one, but we are here to give you some tips and tricks about working from the roots up (see what we did there?) and beginning your family tree all on your own. With absolutely anything, we all have to start somewhere. Whether that is...
Why do research into a building’s history?
Read MoreWhat could possibly be that interesting about bricks and mortar that you would want to do research into a building’s history or a houses history? Well, that’s the thing, these buildings and houses – be they a family business or a home that generations of the same family have occupied – can be priceless. Don’t worry that the property prices are on the rise, there is no value that can...
Three reasons your family history is getting nowhere
Read MoreHave you been plugging away at your family history and feel like you are getting stuck? Don’t worry, it can and does happen to all of us. Sometimes it feels like those ‘brick walls’ just won’t budge an inch. With so many records at our fingertips now it can be exciting (and overwhelming) being able to search so much and with such ease. However, because more records are available it...
Secrets of the housekeeper
Read MoreIt was about 8pm on Sunday 17 December 1922 and an 18 year old Ruby Anderson had been screaming out in pain for about an hour. Her father, Thomas, no doubt worried, went to fetch the horse and trap from the paddock to take Ruby into Geelong Hospital. As it was a Sunday, there would be no doctor available for a house call, especially at this late hour. Thomas was...
Love triangles and lunacy
Read MoreFor seven months, John Wilson rode the tram line between Carlton and Prahran working as a conductor. He directed travellers, punched their tickets and often carried a razor in his pocket. John was engaged to Stella Marks, a 23 year old servant who worked for Mrs Mary Fox in St Kilda but had been living in Collingwood with Mrs Annie Reid. The only problem was that Stella was actually in...
Floating body of evidence
Read More***WARNING: this post contains confronting and/or upsetting themes*** ‘The nails and cuticles were coming off. The hair loose from the scalp, patches of greenish brown all over the body…the string of her nightcap was tied round her throat tolerably tight’. This was how Catherine Lyfield was found when her body was exhumed from the Merri River near Dennington, south-west Victoria. Lying in the outhouse of the Shamrock Hotel in Port...
Drug dens and “boring” family trees
Read MoreI was tasked with a project from my grandmother; “I know nothing about my fathers’ side of the family”. This was not a statement, but a not so subtle quest for her genealogist granddaughter to undertake. She wanted me to get a move on with my own family tree. My grandmother hails from South Australia and made the move to Victoria in the 1950s, met my grandfather and never left....
Prostitutes and vagabonds
Read MoreProstitution. Vagrancy. Insufficient means. Just a few of the punishable crimes Phoebe Harris was imprisoned for in her short life. Phoebe Harris’ story is not an unusual one for the time. That doesn’t mean it is any less sad. Born somewhere between 1862 and 1865 in England, by the time she was in her early-twenties, Phoebe was charged with her first offence and sentenced to two months of hard labour....
All is not as it seems: family trees and lore
Read MoreEvery family tree is made up of many branches; each ancestor holds their own timeline and individual story. Sometimes these stories, or part thereof, can be uncovered and we can put ‘flesh on the bones’ of an ancestor. Sometimes the stories we’re presented with when beginning a family tree can be sad, traumatic and downright confusing. But what we need to try and heed is that these stories need to...
Truth or Dare: Desertion and Divorce in one family tree
Read MoreNothing screamed ‘scandal’ like an article in Truth – a sensational and melodramatic tabloid which specialised in the reporting of scandalous events around Australia. In 1916 desertion, perceived adultery and eventual divorce was just the story to be featured in the Melbourne publication of Truth, particularly if there were titbits of disgrace for either or both parties. In May 1916, after almost 15 years of marriage Thomas Spry petitioned for divorce from his...
Family trees and Google mysteries
Read MoreThe internet is a great and powerful tool. Google answers any and all of our questions, from determining the currency of Ghana to advice on how long to cook the Christmas turkey. However, there are pitfalls to the electronic encyclopaedia that many of us use on a daily basis: you can’t believe everything you read online! Someone came to us with a quandary; they had just started the exciting journey...