How the South Australian BDM Registrar Could Make More Money & Make Everyone Happy...

Most of my family (distant family that is), who packed up their bags, farewelled their families, and set out for a new life in Australia back in the 1800s ended up in South Australia. Now many would say this is a good thing … which in some ways it is, because with my ancestors being here means I ended up here, and do love little ‘ol South Australia, so I’m thankful for that. And it also means I don’t have to research every other state of Australia either, which is a plus. But the downside comes when it comes to getting certificates. I do like to get certificates. You know, the PROPER ones, not just the transcripts. But to buy the South Australian ones you really need to win lotto or rob a bank – neither of which are likely for me. So I simply save up my dollars bit-by-bit and birthday money (tip: money is always a great present for a genealogist, as you can never have too many certificates!) and buy them when I can. But to buy the three certificates (birth, death and marriage) for one person you’re suddenly up for about $150 when you add in the postage. While I buy certificates when I can, I know myself as well as plenty of others who would buy more of them if they cost less. I don’t know why the South Australian Registrar charges what they do. But I do think they should take a long hard look at what the Queensland BDM Registrar have done. Because it works, and everyone is happy. They are in the process of digitising their ‘historical’ BDM certificates and making them available as instant downloads. So not only are they...

33 Free Websites for South Australian Genealogy...

In this day and age you don’t get much for free. And even with genealogy the costs can add up quickly. Well, I’ve decided to compile a bunch of links to websites that are FREE for researching your Australian family history. So this is the first post in this series, and this one contains 33 Free Websites for South Australian Genealogy. There has been many times that I’ve heard people say that South Australia doesn’t have many genealogy records online. True, we don’t have the official Birth, Death and Marriages records online (yet), but these 33 websites prove that there really is a whole host of other South Australian records that are available, and FREE!! It is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but rather a collection of useful links. I’m sure many of you will know a number of them, but maybe not all. If that is the case, I’m happy to have found you a new link or two, that may just give you a clue to a missing ancestor. I’ve grouped them into categories to make it easier for you, although several in the General section really do fit in many of the categories, but have chosen to only list them the once. Happy searching!! == GENERAL == Adelaide Cooperative History http://www.ach.familyhistorysa.info/ Adelaide Cooperative History publishes articles and databases to enhance the understanding of South Australian history, especially in the early days of the colony’s life. Family History South Australia http://www.familyhistorysa.info/ Were your ancestors pioneers of South Australia? Perhaps they were among South Australia’s early settlers. Find out by searching Family History SA’s free shipping passenger list, census, birth, marriage, death and cemetery records. Family Tree Oz http://www.familytreeoz.com/ Containing scanned images of old original books,...