Learning Centre

Share this page

Help for Your Family History Research

Ancestry.com.au May 2009
ancestry newsletter - get the most from ancestry.com.au

In this month's newsletter we look at the following:

We hope that you enjoy this edition of our newsletter.

The Ancestry.com.au Team

Still can't find that elusive ancestor?

Why not reach out to other Ancestry members for help? With millions of trees, photos and stories available, you may find that he/she has already been found!

Visit Ancestry Community
Search Member’s Trees
Search Public Member Photos
New Collection Additions to the Site

NSW Calendar and PO Directory, 1832
This directory was first published in 1966 by The Trustees of The Public Library of New South Wales. It was originally compiled by James Raymond, the Postmaster of NSW, primarily as a reference book for use in his own department. It was the first publication of this nature to include a directory of householders.

The collection contains images of the pages in the original book including a map of Sydney from 1831. There are 291 page images and 2,500 names in the directory which is fully word-searchable.

Click here to start searching this new collection.



Canadian Census Collection
This database contains voter registration lists for various towns and villages in Ontario, Canada from 1876-1900. Some of the lists are separated according to who is eligible to vote at Municipal elections and who is eligible to vote at Legislative Assembly elections. Women weren't granted the right to vote until 1918, so there are no women listed in these records.

Information recorded in the registers may vary according to year and city. Information that may be listed though includes Name of voter, Town, Year of registration, Address and Occupation.

For a complete list of the towns and years included in this collection, please see the image browse list below.

Click here to see a complete list of the towns and years included in this collection or to start searching.



German Phone Books
We've partnered with the German National Library and Deutshe Telekom (the National German phone company) to bring you this unique collection of German phone directories, with some of the most current German content available on our site. Because there were no federal censuses taken in Germany, directories are a particularly important resource.

These directories cover the five major cities in Germany – Frankfurt, Leipzig, Berlin, Munich and Hamburg – and contain more than 25 million names. This is in addition to the 30 million names already in our historical German collections.

Click here to search the Phone Directories.

Changes to Search Functionality

Over the years we have received feedback from Members asking us to limit search results to more relevant date ranges. We are happy to announce that we have implemented a change to the search function on the site that will bring you better results by limiting the date range for the search results.

Up until now, if you searched for someone living in the early 1800s, for example, you might still get search results for someone on the 1930 census or other 1900-era records, if other information such as the name, matched.

Now, we've added a new feature that automatically limits your search results to the years you specify for birth and death, with a fudge factor of 5 years before and 2 years after. If you only specify a birth year we'll search for 100 years after that date; if you only enter a death year we'll search for 100 years before that date.

Eg. So, if you enter a birth year of 1901 and a death year of 1929,
the search engine will return records from between 1896 and 1931.

If you put in a death year of 1920, but no birth year,
the search engine will return records from between 1815 and 1922.

If you put in a death year of 1920, but no birth year,
the search engine will return records from between 1815 and 1922.


Happy searching!

New Section – Ask the Expert

We are excited to announce the addition of a new section to the Monthly Newsletter – Ask the Expert.

Do you have any questions about researching your family tree that you would like answered? If so, please send your question to editor@ancestry.com.au. One question will be selected each month and answered by a member of our team of experts.

In the meantime, check out the resources in our Learning Centre. You can find out how to use different parts of the Ancestry.com.au website as well as useful tips on planning your research.
Share Your Story

If you're one of our many Ancestry.com.au members who've got a great family story to tell and would be willing to share it, we'd like to hear from you.

In 150-200 words or less, tell us what makes your family history exciting...

  • Where are you and your ancestors from?
  • How many generations have you traced?
  • Are you descended from convicts?
  • Are you descended from free settlers?
  • Do you have any colourful or infamous ancestors (perhaps you are descended from a famous author, a war hero, a political leader or royalty, or maybe you have uncovered some family secrets)?
Please also include...
  • Your name and contact phone number and email
  • The state where you live
  • If you are willing to share this story in the media
Please email your brief outline or story to mystory@ancestry.com.au (or paste this address into an e-mail).

As an Ancestry member your privacy is always our first concern, therefore please be assured that even if you do respond to this email, nothing further will be done with the information you provide without your prior approval.

We look forward to hearing your story.

The Ancestry.com.au Team

Comments?
To comment or submit to the Ancestry Newsletter, email editor@ancestry.com.au. By submitting stories or other information, you grant The Generations Network, Inc. a license to distribute or republish your contributions at its discretion, with credit to you as the submitter. We may edit your contribution for content, length, and/or clarity.

Questions?
Contact us by filling out our online queries form or call us on 1800 251 838 (toll free from Australia) or 0800 442 100 (toll free from NZ) 9am - 4pm Mon to Fri (AEST).

Ancestry.com.au is owned and operated by The Generations Network, Inc, a Delaware Registered Company. Use of Ancestry.com.au is subject to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statement. All logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted in this email are the property of or under licence to The Generations Network, Inc.

Disclaimer
The Generations Network, Inc accepts no liability for data corruption, computer viruses, delay, interruption, non-delivery, unauthorised access or unauthorised amendment of this email. The Generations Network, Inc reserves the right to change, modify and cancel any offer or promotion without prior notice.

Copyright © 2009 The Generations Network, Inc

Monthly Newsletter
Sign up for the Ancestry Monthly Newsletter and get free site and content updates, other news plus family history tips direct to your inbox.

Topics

How to Use Ancestry
  - BMD Records
  - Census Records
  - Using Photos
  - Family Trees
  - More...
Family History Toolbox
  - Handwriting Help
  - Charts & Forms
Ancestry Library
  - Family History Made Easy
  - Plan the Attack
  - Australian Research
  - Finding Your Migrant Ancestor
  - More...
Family Facts
  - UK Family Facts
Quick Links
  - Family Trees
  - Ancestry Community
  - Search
  - Home Page

Newsletters

Click on a link to see recent newsletters from Ancestry

- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
...More

Start Your Family Tree

Family Trees are the ideal place to store and organise information you have found.

Click here to start your family tree.