Family history

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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

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.

Cover of book 'Lookin for your mob: a guide to tracing Aboriginal family trees'

Diane Smith and Boronia Halstead, Lookin for your mob : a guide to tracing Aboriginal family trees by Diane Smith and Boronia Halstead, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn354970

First Australians family history

Access resources to help you research your Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family history including records for births, deaths and marriages, missions, military service and information about the Stolen Generations.

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A black and white photograph of a family dressed in late 1800s style fashion. The are standing in a clearing in a forest and are standing in front of a tent.

William Henry Corkhill, Jim Stephens, Steven Marsden, Charlie Marsden, his wife Rebecca and their children Millie and Stephen outside their tent, Mt Dromedary, ca.1899, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140334789

Learning webinar: Family history for beginners

Delve into our collections with our Research Librarians and uncover your family history.

National Library Special Collections Research and support Team

Most common family history questions we get asked at the Library: Part 1

In the first of two blogs, learn about birth certificates, First Nations family history, electoral rolls, and cemetery records.

Frank Hurley (1885-1962) [House and gardens, Australia] [between 1910 and 1962], nla.obj-159237448

How to trace the history of your house

The resources available for each house may be different, due to the fact the availability, organisation, and location of records vary from state to state.

Birth, death and marriages

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.

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.obj-147033868

Find what time you were born

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

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Birth, death and marriages

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