August 1st marks the beginning of National Family History Month in Australia. August is a bonanza month for anyone with an interest in genealogy (this means you, or you wouldn’t be reading this blog!). Family history events, activities, workshops and education sessions are available across the country and online. There are also bargains galore offered by providers of resources and services in the genealogy field.
National Family History Month is the brainchild of the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations (AFFHO). But it’s not just family history societies who are holding events. Many state and local libraries, archives and other bodies are also getting involved. So wherever you are, around Australia or the world you should be able to access some of the exciting activities available.
As I write this blog there are 180 events listed on the National Family History Month website. Obviously, many of them will be in local communities – go to the website to find out what’s happening near you. However, I’ve picked out some that are more widely accessible (i.e. online!) to highlight in this blog.
Births, deaths and marriages
If you have ancestors in Victoria or New South Wales you are in luck this month. Time to check if any of your ancestors’ vital events are not yet sourced beyond an index entry and fill those gaps.
Victorian uncertified historical certificates are available here all month at a reduced price of $20, saving you $4.50 each.
For those seeking NSW ancestors, the cost of certificate transcriptions has been reduced from $20 to $18 here till August 11th and here for the whole month.
Webinars
The National Library of Australia is holding a free webinar on August 7th on their eResources. They will be specifically looking at how to access newspapers that aren’t available on Trove. More information can be found here.
The following week they are holding another free webinar covering search skills and techniques, called ‘Ask A Family History Librarian’. Bookings can be made here.
Keeping abreast of events
You can keep up to date with changes and additions to the activity calendar either at the website or the Facebook page.