History On-Line
Genealogy, or Family History, has become one of the fastest growing interests for many people in recent years. The television show ‘Who Do You Think You are?’ has helped immensely in fuelling that interest.
Eden, with its rich history in whaling, fishing, forest industry, farming and grazing has become a popular destination for people whose ancestors were involved in those activities.
A rich indigenous history has also been part of this area and much of this culture has been documented and continues to be so by historians.
Here are some useful resources for researching both local and family history.
The museum has an excellent library and research facility with extensive local family history material. Included in this material are books, documents, photographs, CDs, oral history accounts, copies of diaries, Government records and official papers. Copies of the Magnet newspaper, from 1911 to the present day are available and most have been digitized. Also available are approximately 10,000 photographs that were taken by the Magnet newspaper and used in various articles over many years.
The Genealogy Society is housed in the Old Court House in Pambula. They have an extensive collection of local history and genealogy material both local and from out of the area. Included in their collection are numerous books, photos, documents and microfiche related to local history and genealogy. They also hold CDs of information from various states governments records.
Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday 9 am to 12.30pm and Saturday mornings (or as advertised on the door).
The Society is located at the Old Court House, 42 Toalla Street, Pambula.
Our local libraries have much to offer the family historian. All library branches in the Bega Valley Shire have a local history collection with the main collection held at Bega Library. While the collection is available to everyone, for preservation reasons, it is a reference only.
The Local and Family History Collection include books, newspapers, microfilm, fiche, CDs and a reference service. There is free access to ‘Ancestry Library Edition’ and ‘Find My Past’ online databases at libraries in Eden, Merimbula, Bega and Bermagui.
The Eden branch of the library is open Tuesday – Friday, 9.30am – 5pm and Saturday 9.00am – noon.
The collection at the Old School Museum comprises of 3600 artefacts plus over 8000 documents and 3000 photographs relevant to the Merimbula/Pambula/Lochiel and Nethercote region. It is a trasure trove for those wishing to research local or family history or simply see how our f orbears livedThe museum has some local family history material and is open Tues., Thurs. and Sun. 2pm – 4.30pm.
Phone: (02) 6495 9166
The Latter-day Saints free website is one of the most useful and extensive genealogical databases on the web. Their collection includes over 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records; 727,000 microfiche; 356,000 books, serials, and other formats; over 4,500 periodicals and 3,725 electronic resources. Records available are from the United States, Canada, the British Isles, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa as well as Australia.
The Eden/Monaro Pioneers database contains over 330,000 names – all the currently identified individuals and families from the Eden/Monaro region and surrounding areas as well.
An interesting site, with lots of information about local history, includes information on the early settler families.
Trove is one of the most comprehensive web sites to research and study Australian History.
It is the website of the National Library of Australia and has undertaken the mammoth task of digitally reproducing many of Australia’s newspapers, including many regional as well national papers.
Included in the collection:
The Bega Budget (NSW : 1905 – 1921)
The Bega Gazette and County of Auckland Advertiser (NSW : 1865)
The Bega Gazette and Eden District or Southern Coast Advertiser (NSW : 1865 – 1899)
The Bega Standard and Candelo, Merimbula, Pambula, Eden, Wolumla, and General Advertiser (NSW : 1876 – 1884)
Probably the most well known and used website to research family history.
How to interview elderly relatives for geaneology research.
For those of you who are blessed with living elderly relatives, you still have access to a treasure trove of memories, details, and more when it comes to your genealogy research. You can supplement all your online and other methods of research with interviews specifically geared toward these elderly relatives so you can gain valuable information.