Family history and genealogy

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.

Research guide

Video

Black and white print of several First Nations people standing in a group, with a man reading from a book in front of them, and several people sitting and watching

Frederick Grosse, Marriage of Aboriginal natives, Corranderk [i.e. Coranderrk], 1873, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136144666

First Nations births, deaths and marriages records

If your family’s births, deaths or marriages have been registered, these records can provide things like the addresses, names, ages and occupations of family members.

Research guide

A black-and-white photograph shows a group of soldiers marching down a street with rifles over their shoulders. They are accompanied by civilians, who walk arm-in-arm with the soldiers, smiling and engaging with the crowd. The street is busy with people, and buildings can be seen in the background.

Fairfax Corporation, Departing troops walking with their families down Macquarie Street, 1914, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-162908974

Find your military ancestors

Trace the military history of your ancestors using resrouces and records from Australia, New Zealand and the British Army at the Library and beyond.

Research guide

Mothers and Babies at the Drouin Infant Welfare Centre in Victoria

Jim Fitzpatrick & Australia Department of Information, Mothers and babies at the Drouin Infant Welfare Centre, Victoria, 1944, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-147033868

Find what time you were born

Find out what time you were born using hospital records, birth announcements and family keepsakes.

Research guide

A black-and-white photo of a smiling family in swimsuits, standing together in shallow water at Manly Beach. The background shows pine trees and other beachgoers. The picture was taken in 1923 in New South Wales, Australia.

Noel Minchin, A family at Manly beach, New South Wales, 1923, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140924016

Find family and friends

If you're trying to reconnect with friends or relatives, there are a range of resources and organisations that can help you.

Research guide

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.

Research guide

Robert Morden et al, Kent, 1695, detail, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-231505192

Early maps of London and other cities and towns

City maps provide road and rail information, and show buildings, farms, industries, schools, churches, and many other features.

Research guide

Robert Morden et al, Kent, 1695, detail, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-231505192

Early atlases and county maps of Britain and Ireland

Atlases and county maps can help you find more detailed information about counties, shires and provinces.

Research guide

Painting of The First Fleet in Sydney Cove, 1788

John Allcot, The First Fleet in Sydney Cove, January 27, 1788, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135776002

Convicts research guide

From January 1788, when the First Fleet of convicts arrived at Botany Bay, to the end of convict transportation 80 years later, over 160,000 convicts were transported to Australia.

Research guide

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.

Research guide

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.

Research guide

New one inch Ordnance Survey of England & Wales, 1864, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-231933519

This ‘one inch’ topographic map has a scale of one inch on the map representing one mile on the ground (1:63 360). Ordnance Survey maps at this scale provide an overview of an area, including the relationships between cities, villages and other features in the landscape.

British and Irish maps for family historians

Learn how to access historical gazetteers, Ordnance Survey maps, and early atlases to get detailed insights into your family's origins in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

Research guide

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