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Family history

Piece together your family’s story with these tools and resources.

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Four young children sitting on a bench and smiling

[Anderson family children on a garden seat at Dee Why, New South Wales], c. 1920, nla.obj-145928313

Get started with your family history

Find out where to begin with researching your ancestry, download family history charts, and learn about resources and services available to uncover the hidden stories of your heritage.

A black-and-white photo of a family posed outside a brick house with a white picket fence. In the foreground, a man in a bowler hat sits beside a large dog, while a young girl stands nearby. A seated woman holds a baby on her lap, and a child is visible on the steps of the house in the background. The garden surrounding them is filled with overgrown plants.

Portrait of Oliver Barberie and family, 1900, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136621963

Family history research guide

Uncover hidden stories of your heritage and trace your genealogy using our research guide.

Wirangu Elder, Sandra Miller looking at a photo album and pointing at a piicture of a relative

Lutheran Koonibba Mission, South Australia, 1920-1930, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-152896940

First Nations family history research guide

This guide will help you find resources both in and outside our collection to make your journey of discovery easier.

What the Library can offer

Our collection contains a wealth of material that can be crucial for your research, such as records, newspapers, journals, maps, manuscripts and more. 

With the help of our guides and resources, both beginners and experienced researchers can confidently browse these materials.

Family history tree charts

Document your family tree using one of our family history tree charts. 

Four-generation family tree chart (PDF, 121.79KB)

Individual research form (PDF, 101.90KB)

Latest blogs from our Special Collections Research & Support team

Seven librarians of the National Library sitting or standing around a table talking, smiling and looking at laptops
Researching your family history remotely: Discovering the Library’s eResources

Online genealogy resources make it easier than ever to dive into your family history from the comfort of home. 

Black and white photo of a small child playing with a wooden box and a hammer

C. R. Gotts, Philip Gotts, playing with a wooden box, 1921, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-144214274

Thinking outside the box: Creative approaches to family history research

See our outside-the-box strategies to help you uncover the hidden branches of your family tree.

Two women and four men, who make up the Library's Special Collections Research & Support team, standing and smiling in the Special Collections Reading Room in front of a table with three maps on it

Special Collections Research & Support team

Discovering your ancestors’ migration story: Part 1

Our Special Collections Research & Support team have answered common questions that can help can uncover your ancestor’s migration story.

Dive deeper

Woman of Chinese heritage sitting on a couch in a nice house, wearing a colourful striped jumper and smiling

Anna Zhu, Dawna Leung, Thornleigh, Sydney, New South Wales, 31 May 2022, nla.obj-3084238106

Chinese-Australian family history research guide

Beginner researchers can use this guide to find resources to help learn about their domestic family history or trace their ancestral origins overseas.

A black-and-white photograph showing a large wedding party posed on the steps of a wooden house. The group includes men, women, and children dressed in formal Victorian attire. The women are in elaborate dresses, some holding small bouquets. The men wear suits, some with top hats, and a small boy peeks around a door frame to the left.

Album of photographs of Bushy Park, Tasmania, and Dandenong, Victoria, 1875, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-139460187

Births, deaths and marriages

Find out how to access and use BDM records to link generations and branches of your family.

A bold poster with stacked red text in different fonts reads: COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA, REFERENDUM, 1916 (MILITARY SERVICE), POLLING: SATURDAY, 28th October, 1916, Commonwealth Electoral Rolls close Monday, 18th Sept., 1916 ARE YOU CORRECTLY ENROLLED for the Electoral Subdivision for which you are entitled to be enrolled? Qualified persons who fail to enrol are liable to a PENALTY OF TWO POUNDS. J. G. McLAREN, Commonwealth Electoral Officer for the State of New South Wales. Sydney, 5th September, 1916.

McLaren, J. G and Commonwealth Electoral Office (Australia) issuing body, Referendum, 1916 (military service) : are you correctly enrolled for the electoral subdivision for which you are entitled to be enrolled? Sydney, 1916, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-348412875

Electoral rolls research guide

Find out how to use electoral rolls to locate your family members or other peoples location or addresses over the years and who was living with them.

Black and white photograph of a gravestone surrounded by a wrought iron fence. The grave is situated in a grassy, rural setting with a few trees scattered around. The gravestone has an arched top and an inscription in memory of William Henry Light.

John Flynn, Grave of William Henry Light: a lantern slide from John Flynn's missionary days in Gippsland, 1906, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-142432903

Cemetery records

Find out how to locate burial information, cemetery and crematorium records that can lead to valuable discoveries in your family history.

1892 map of the Parish of Tullamarine and Parish of Maribrynong

Parish of Tullamarine Parish of Maribyrnong, 1892, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-232027555

Australian maps for family historians

Discover land and property history with our extensive map collection and enrich your family history research with unique geographical records.

Find more family history resources

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