Monday, September 30, 2013

Biographical Database of Australia

It's just $AU25 per annum for a subscription to this new Australian resource, that's only 6 cups of coffee. Before I signed up for an annual subscription I thought I would see what was available on my ancestors as one can search the index for free.

The database contains over 500,000 entries from transcribed manuscript records including convict, muster, census, baptism, marriage and burial records for most of the New South Wales population 1788-1828 so I thought it likely that I'd find some entries for my convicts. There are four references to Elizabeth Phipps, one for Robert Haywood, one for John Tucker, seventeen for James Westbrook and his offspring, one for William Madgwick, one for Denis Tierney, one for Patrick Corry (Curry) and two for Eleanor/Ellen Moore. And that's just my direct ancestors! I am off to join up right now so that I can download the information the database holds. I will report on my findings once I digest the information I receive.

The Biographical Database of Australia website tells us "This not-for-profit Database is the result of many years of work by volunteer genealogists and historians and contractors.

The project aims to transcribe and index biographical data from original records of individuals who arrived from overseas or were born in Australia, including Aboriginal people, convicts and immigrants of all nations. It also aims to include data from early biographical dictionaries, newspapers and other published information and to incorporate the work of modern genealogical and historical researchers. The only restriction is that biographical subjects must be deceased."

Further information about this project can be found at http://www.bda-online.org.au/about-us/about-bda/.

No comments:

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...