June 16, 2022

Unlock your family history

25 minutes

It’s human nature to want to know where we come from and who we come from. Fortunately, the internet has made exploring your ancestry more accessible than ever. Host, Val Quinn talks to Nan Bosler AM, genealogist, author and great grandmother, about how you to start researching your family history online.

Discover more:

Sign-up and build your digital skills for free at BeConnected: https://beconnected.esafety.gov.au

Learn about getting started with ancestry in the free Be Connected course Researching Family History and register with Be Connected for a free copy of Meet your ancestors by Nan Bosler.

Some of Nan’s favourite websites include:

NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages for copies of birth, death and marriage certificates registered in NSW and NSW historical BDM indexes.

The Ryerson Index is a free index to death notices appearing in Australian newspapers

Australia's free online research portal, Trove is a collaboration between the National Library of Australia and hundreds of Partner organisations.

WikiTree: The Free Family Tree allows genealogists to collaborate to grow and accurate single family tree using DNA and traditional genealogical sources.

The Society of Australian Genealogists provides resources, archives, webinars, events and courses, with membership costing $10–20 per year.

Find My Past is a paid service specialising in British and Irish records.

Family Search is a paid service specialising in historical record collections in Australia and New Zealand.

Scotlands People provides resources for searches about Scottish people, place, maps, plans and images.

Nan used Ancestry.com.au for her DNA test but there are many other organisations that offer this service. Be sure to check the website’s privacy policy carefully to ensure you’re aware of how your DNA is being used.

Nan’s book, The story of Bob Waterer and his family 1803-2010 is available to download from Aboriginal Support Group Many Warringah Pittwater

Listen to more podcast episodes: https://beconnected.esafety.gov.au/podcast

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Valens Quinn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valens-quinn-745b284/

Learn about Nan Bosler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nan_Bosler

Be Connected is an Australian Government Initiative developed by the Department of Social Services, the eSafety Commissioner and Good Things Foundation Australia. Be Connected builds the digital skills, confidence, and online safety of all Australians with engaging online learning resources, and a network of over 3,500 community organisations to support them to thrive in a digital world.

Be Connected acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we live and work, and pays respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging.

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By eSafety Commissioner