Genealogy research service in Australia and the United Kingdom
eXpertGenealogy
Complete and affordable Genealogy research service in Australia and
the United Kingdom
Do you want to learn more about your origins? Do you have an ancestor
that fought in the war? Are you looking for relatives? I have been
researching family histories for nearly 20 years. I have helped
hundreds of people in these years with their family history and have
treated each one as if it were my own. I research every available
avenue and treat each case with the personal touch it deserves. I have
access to a vast range of records which I have listed below, and
exclusive access to records not available to the public as yet. My
fees are very reasonable I believe for the time and effort I put into
each family history. I am always happy to offer free advice wherever I
can for those who wish to do the research by themselves. I am happy to
research any request whether it be a full family history or a search
on a single individual. I aim to inform the enquirer throughout the
process of what steps I am taking and will never order any
certificates etc without consent first. I look forward to hearing from
you.
My Specialty
I specialise mainly in histories of Australian and British families.
If however within my research I discover a family member in another
country than I am happy to supply any available records as I have
contacts all over the world. I also specialise in the military records
of Australian Service personnel starting with the Boer War.
Records Available
The following is an idea of the records I will search. The aim in
searching all these records is to not only expand your family tree but
to get a good idea of what your ancestors lives were like, how they
lived etc.
Births Deaths & Marriages – Civil Registration
Civil registration of Births Deaths and marriages was first introduced
in England and Wales in 1837 and in Australia it was 1838. A great
deal of information can be gained from these certificates and the
information provided varies from country to country. This source is
the foundation for family history research which can then be expanded
through other records.
Census Records
The first National censuses were taken in England, Wales and Scotland
in 1801. To begin with these census returns were only for statistical
purposes. After 1841 further information about the persons age,
birthplace, occupation and the family relationships was added.
Unfortunately there are no national censuses for Australia at this
time.
Parish Registers
Prior to civil registration parish registers that record baptisms,
marriages and burials are the prime source of information. The
earliest English parish registers date from 1538. I can access both
English and Australian parish registers.
Military Records
I am able to research Australian service personnel from the Boer War
onwards, however I specialise in World War One and World War Two
servicemen. I am able to provide unit histories, war diaries, service
records etc. In most cases I can tell you what battle a serviceman
died in and provide information on this battle. I am also able to
provide in nearly all cases their burial location and provide a
photograph of their final resting place. I also have exclusive access
to the grave registration cards for World War Two servicemen. These
cards are not readily available to the public and contain vital
information such as cause of death, original burial location etc.
Newspapers
I have access to hundreds of newspapers and have found these to be
extremely beneficial. In many cases obituaries can be found in the
older newspapers and quite often photographs and articles on marriages
etc in later editions of the newspapers. I thoroughly search any
relevant newspaper as I know from experience anything could be found.
Shipping and immigration
Immigration records are an important source of information. Within
these records, passenger lists identify who within the family made the
journey and from which country and in the case of the United Kingdom,
which county they originated from. Approximately 1.5 million free
migrants moved to Australia before 1900, with the majority coming from
England. After 1945 approximately 6.5 million migrants from countries
all over Europe made Australian their home. Quite often families
returned home and this can also be traced.
Criminal Records - Convicts
Between 1788 and 1868 around 162,000 convicts were sent to Australia
from the United Kingdom. Through records in Australia and the United
Kingdom, information of their original crime, sentence and passage can
be found. Often the records of the crime and the trial can provide far
more personal information about the individual than can be found in
many other sources.
Wills
Electoral Rolls
Photographs
Photographs are of course an invaluable asset to any family history.
Where possible I will try and locate any photographs that relate to
the family such as houses where they resided, schools, churches and
burial locations. In the case of Australian servicemen I will also
search for a photograph of the individual. If there is any particular
photograph that you would like, than I will do my best to take it for
you.
Relatives
If you are interested in tracing any relatives in Australia than I can
help with that as well. I have had a high success rate in this and
have been able to re-unite a considerable amount of families.
Documents that will be included (if available):
Photocopies of Baptisms, Marriages and Death entries from original
Parish Registers
Birth, marriage and death certificates
Photocopies of Census returns showing past family members
Photographs – where possible
Photocopies of Australian personnel service records, battalion
histories and war diaries.
Photocopies of Newspaper articles