How to Learn What Your Ancestor's Life Was Really Like
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Spring 2017 EDITION Joondalup Library, Local History Monday – Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm 102 Boas Avenue, Joondalup 6027 Saturday 9.30am – 12.30pm How to learn what your ancestor’s life was really like Genealogists are increasingly Here are a few ways that you can step 1 interested in knowing not just into the shoes of your ancestors and their ancestors’ names and learn more about their everyday lives. important dates, but also what Go beyond basic records they did every day, where they If your grandfather was in an went and what they saw – what orphanage, go online and read their lives were really like. newspapers that were written at that time. It will give you an idea of what the living conditions were like. 2 Understanding what your ancestor’s Read a book such as Tracing your life was like will: ancestors’ childhood: a guide for family • Improve your research by helping historians by Sue Wilkes. you form theories about your It describes childhood experiences at ancestors’ lives and figure out home, school, work and institutions. where to look for records. For Reserve this book at any of the City example, learning about the history of Joondalup Libraries. of German immigrants to your The City of Joondalup Libraries – 3 family’s home in South Australia Local History and Reference Library might help you see that the has books written about suburbs and overwhelming majority came country towns in Western Australia. from a particular part of Germany. There are also magazines and journals Maybe that’s where your family such as Early Days: Journal of the came from too. Royal Western Australian Historical • If your ancestors lived in a country Society that contain articles about town in Australia, it’s worth people, places and events that took getting in touch with the local place in WA. PHOTO CAPTIONS history society. They often have Visit the places information about the people 1. First communion at St. Anthony’s Church ca. 1932. who lived in the area and where Go to the family farms, 2. Wanneroo State School students ca. 1911. they originally came from. neighbourhoods, churches and 3. Royaards children at the 9 Mile peg ca. 1964. schools. If the places no longer • Help you understand your family’s exist or you can’t get there, find story and put it together in a similar places. way that makes sense. This is an important step for writing your family history. Continued overleaf ... 2 | Family and Local History Research buildings • Electoral Rolls can provide the Another way to virtually visit an names, addresses and occupations ancestor’s home is to learn everything of adults who were resident at an New resources you can about it: address. You can access the electoral rolls on ancestry.com Family history • When it was built Peruse local histories and guides researchers may be • When your family acquired it interested in two new • Who lived there before and after Guides to area history help you to books recently added your own family learn where your family would have to the Genealogy gone to church and school and what collection: • What it looked like they saw each day. Local histories The family tree guide • How it changed over the years. published when your ancestor was to DNA testing and Online sources that you might like alive give you a first person account genetic genealogy by to check are: of places and events. Blaine Bettinger. • The Local History Library in your Find old photos and maps This easy to use guide explains the area. Local History Libraries are Libraries and historical societies a great source of information. how and why of genealogy DNA are full of historical photos of testing. Bettinger gives advice on They often contain old maps, street buildings, streets and guides, photos and books written choosing the right test to answer your neighbourhoods. Try searching specific genealogy questions, and helps by people who lived and/or worked for a place in trove.nla.gov.au in the local area. to demystify and interpret the test Picture Joondalup has a large results. He also discusses the ethics • Municipal Heritage Inventory. collection of photos from the and future of genetic genealogy, and All local governments in Western City of Joondalup and City of how adoptees can benefit from it. Australia have a Municipal Heritage Wanneroo area. They can be accessed Inventory. They contain the name Australia’s last convicts: reprobates, either in the library or online rogues and recidivists by Lorraine and address of the property and joondalup.wa.gov.au include description notes, historical Clarke and Cherie Strickland. notes and a statement of Gather relatives memories Genealogical researchers Clarke significance. Look for family journals, photos, and Strickland from Swan Genealogy • Heritage Council of Western letters and diaries. You may have a have put together a portrait of 74 Australia heritage.wa.gov.au family member who kept a journal inmates from Fremantle Prison. From when she went youth hostelling in • National Trust of Western Australia the late 1880s until 1912 these men nationaltrust.org.au/wa/ England during the war years. It may reoffended and went back to prison include sketches, photos, pamphlets, after serving the original sentences • Post Office Directories postcards and drawings that will give for which they were transported. slwa.wa.gov.au you a very good idea of what life was Photographs and a short biography • Trove Digitised Newspapers like at that time. tell the stories of some of the last trove.nla.gov.au Write it down convicts to be sent to Western • The National Library of Australia Australia. When you have compiled all of your has digitised the major newspapers research, put it in a written narrative. of each state. The City of Joondalup Libraries has • State Library of Western Australia books such as How to write and slwa.wa.gov.au. The State Library publish your family story in 10 easy has a wide range of resources that steps, by Noeline Kyle, that can include photos, diaries, journals, provide advice and guidance. maps, electoral rolls, post office directories, microfilmed and digitised newspapers (published in Western Australia) such as the Albany Advertiser, Kalgoorlie Miner and The Midlands Advocate. Family and Local History | 3 Five Genealogy DOs and one DON’T on Ancestry.com.au Most family history researchers use • Set a specific goal for the type of • Do revisit your searches every so Ancestry.com.au to take advantage information you want to find and often, as databases are frequently of all of its databases, here are some the kind of record that would added and updated. New results helpful steps to aid your search: contain this information. may show up. • Do search specific collections. • Adjusting your search terms Here is one don’t: It’s easy to head straight for the accordingly (and using filters when • Don’t get frustrated. Or at least, global search on the home page, you view your matches) will bring don’t let frustration turn you but the other, smaller collections more accurate results. off genealogy. The more you listed in the Card Catalogue may • Do familiarise yourself with experiment with the site, the more turn up hidden gems. everything Ancestry.com.au has genealogy results you will discover. • Do create a game plan for your to offer. From trees and shaky leaf Ask genealogists such as the Genie search. It’s tempting (and it can hints (yes, these can be very helpful Exchange volunteers for their help be useful) to just type in a name when used with care) to historical and advice. The Genie Exchange and hit Search. But you end up records, message boards (which are is held: with a lot of results to wade through. free for anyone to use) and Once you get past the relevant AncestryDNA. City of Joondalup Libraries – results on the first couple of Local History - Friday mornings, • Do try Ancestry.com.au for free 10.00am - 12.00pm pages, try a different approach. at any of the City of Joondalup Libraries. City of Joondalup Libraries – Woodvale – Tuesday mornings, (Partially reproduced from the 8 August 2016 Family Tree Magazine Genealogy Insider eNewsletter) 10.00am - 12.00pm From Wanneroo Hospital to Joondalup Health Campus 1 In 1975 the Wanneroo Shire Council Work started on the hospital in 1978 sent a deputation to the Minister but in April 1979 confrontation arose of Health to discuss the urgent need over the use of non-union labour. for a hospital for the area’s growing Violence broke out when cars carrying population. Residents of Wanneroo non-union labour tried to enter the also fought hard to get the facility site and police and workers were even displaying road signs reading involved in a brawl. Four unionists 2 ‘Drive Slowly – No Hospital.’ were arrested which sparked walk-offs at other building sites including the Several sites were proposed and Wanneroo Shire Administration Office discarded before the Joondalup site site. Work resumed after the Trades was approved. An 85 bed general and Labour Council won its battle and maternity hospital, costing to have only union labour employed $3.96 million for the first stage, on the hospital site. was planned. Although welcomed by the Shire and residents the size of Opening in August 1980 the the hospital was ‘grossly inadequate’ hospital and new Shire of Wanneroo PHOTO CAPTIONS for Wanneroo’s needs. By this time Administration Office (which had 1. Wanneroo Hospital, ca. 1981. Wanneroo’s population had grown opened in December 1979) were set 2. Wanneroo Hospital emergency entrance and to 80,000 people.