Genies Down Under - Podcast coming soon

In September 2011, the Genies Down Under Podcast will be launched. Stay tuned for fun tips, tools, tricks and traps for Australian genies from the Genie Down Under, Maria Northcote.

Who Counts? The Census

Confused about the purpose of the census? Wondering what the census can do for family history researchers?

The Census is one of the most valuable resources for family historians - whether your researching your family's whereabouts in Australia, the UK or the US, or in other countries. The UK and US have many intact census records from years back. Sadly, many of the Irish census records were destroyed in a fire in 1922. There are some census records available for Australian historians but our historical census records in Australia are not always as comprehensive as we would wish them to be. The one hour podcast called "Who Counts? A history of the census" will give you a good run down of some facts and figures about the census and its purpose. Some funny anecdotes are also scattered throughout this podcast that provide additional entertainment.

The contents of the podcast are described as:

"So today on Rear Vision we compare the Australian census with the British census of the nineteenth century, and the census in the USA - mandated in the constitution and posited as central to nation-building and politics."

Check it out, at: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/rearvision/stories/2011/3279033.htm

So what's this blog about?

The purpose of this blog is to share some of the tips, tricks and traps I have learned about over the years while researching my family’s history. I’ve made mistakes, enjoyed some success and have found some useful resources and strategies that I’d like to share.

Because I live in Australia, much of the information on this blog will be relevant to those who live in Australia or have Australian, Irish, English and Welsh ancestors.

I hope you enjoy reading this blog and please email me with any feedback or questions: geniesdownunder@gmail.com