South Australian Genealogy & Heraldry Society

24/07/2025

Join us at 2pm on Sunday 24 August for the 2024 South Australian Family History Awards. Book your ticket now!

At this event, we will announce the results of the Article of the Year Award 2024 and the TT Reed Family History Book Award 2024. Following the presentation, guests can enjoy a delicious afternoon tea, with a selection of sweet and savoury canapes plus refreshments. If you have any dietary restrictions, please let us know in the booking form. Tickets are $20 per person, including afternoon tea and refreshments.

22/07/2025

Last chance to book for our online beginner's seminar, Getting Started with your Family History! Keen to build your family tree, but don't know where to start? Book now and learn how to plan, research, record and share your genealogical discoveries.

Sunday 27 July, 10am to 3pm
Online via Zoom ONLY
$50 Genealogy SA members, $99 non-members
Book now: www.trybooking.com/DBQTQ

This course is perfect for beginners, and focuses on all Australian states and territories, as well as overseas countries including the UK, Ireland, and Germany. Those without extensive South Australian ancestry are especially invited to attend this online seminar! Places are limited to enable our presenters to give their full attention to the online attendees.

20/07/2025

August is Family History Month – the perfect time to dig into your DNA! Join us in the Genealogy SA Library for 'Using DNA for Family History'. Book your place now: www.trybooking.com/CYHFN

Sunday 10 August, 10am – 3pm
In the Genealogy SA Library
$69 members / $129 non-members

Join us for this beginner’s workshop where we introduce the basics of DNA research for genealogy and give hands on instruction for getting started. You will learn how to best approach your results, how to sort your matches into groups for later analysis, and how to use this data to verify your family tree. The course will use examples primarily from Ancestry.com with some reference to MyHeritage.com as well.

It is essential that you have tested your DNA with one of these two companies and already received your results before attending. You must also have a family tree on Ancestry/MyHeritage with as much detail as possible and to which your DNA results are linked.

Images: Genealogy SA Photographic Collection. P00124-048F, Men from Hayes Industrial School c1920s. P00124-144F, Teachers, early 1900s.

Join us for this beginner’s workshop where we introduce the basics of DNA research for genealogy and give hands on instruction for getting started....

18/07/2025

We've has some wild and windy weather this winter, and while the rain has been very welcome, strong winds have also caused damage for some.

On the night of 18th May 1953, a huge storm caused havoc across the state, wrecking jetties and seaside properties. Up to four miles of seawall at Henley, Grange, Glenelg, Brighton, Seacliff, and St. Kilda were demolished.

Do you have any stormy stories to share?

Image: Genealogy SA Photographic Collection, P00219-81, Henley Beach Kiosk after the storm.

16/07/2025

Do you have French Huguenot ancestry? You are invited to a trial meeting of a prospective new special interest group: the French Huguenot Group!

Tuesday 26 August, 7:00 pm
In-person in the Genealogy SA Library or online via Zoom

The topic will be 'The Huguenots: the Almost-Forgotten People', presented by Robert Nash, Secretary of the Huguenot Society of Australia. The presentation will tell the story of the Huguenots and discuss their descendants in Australia.

Please note, Special Interest Groups are free for Genealogy SA Members. Non-members are welcome to attend one meeting for free before becoming members of Genealogy SA.

If you are interested in coming along, please let us know in the comments, or register directly via our website.

14/07/2025

Feeling lost in the library? Join us on Tuesday evening for a Genealogy SA library tour and get the most out of our rich resources.

7pm, Tuesday 15 July, at 201 Unley Road, Unley.

Learn about our fantastic family history resources and the best way to navigate our extensive collections. No booking required, and the tour is FREE for Genealogy SA members ($30 for visitors, includes full-day access to our library resources with volunteer assistance).

We will be running tours throughout 2025 on the third Tuesday (7pm) and last Tuesday (11am), so if you can't make it today, pop next month's tour in your calendar!

11/07/2025

Visiting the Genealogy SA Library? Make sure you check out our latest photographic display, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. We have a collection of photos, ephemera and historical items connected to the conflict, so please take a moment to look when you next visit our library.

See the display at the Genealogy SA Library, 201 Unley Road, Unley
Tuesday 10.00am to 9.00pm
Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday 10.00am to 4.30pm
Selected public holidays 1.00pm to 4.30pm

09/07/2025

Keen to build your family tree, but don't know where to start? Tickets are selling fast for our fantastic online beginner's seminar, Getting Started with your Family History! Learn how to plan, research, record and share your genealogical discoveries.

Sunday 27 July, 10am to 3pm
Online via Zoom ONLY
$50 Genealogy SA members, $99 non-members
Book now: www.trybooking.com/DBQTQ

This course is perfect for beginners, and focuses on all Australian states and territories, as well as overseas countries including the UK, Ireland, and Germany. Those without extensive South Australian ancestry are especially invited to attend this online seminar! Places are limited to enable our presenters to give their full attention to the online attendees.

07/07/2025

Would you like to be part of expanding and improving Genealogy SA's databases? Join us on July 13 for a special Headstone Image re-naming and checking working bee!

This working bee will be purely check/corrections on a computer, so numbers are limited to 20 people for the day. Please contact Research and Development chair, David Ballinger at saghs.randd@saghs.org.au as soon as possible if you are able to attend.

Sunday 13 July, 10am to 3.30pm
Tea, coffee, fruit juice, fruit and a subway lunch are provided.
Tasks and projects vary, but can include data entry, checking, and corrections, as well as image renaming.

Database working bees are a great way to get involved with Genealogy SA, and new volunteers are always welcome. For all the details, or to register, just contact saghs.randd@saghs.org.au.

Image: Genealogy SA Photographic Collection P00198-112, Bernice Babbage at Frank Watson's grave, 1948.

05/07/2025

We had an emotional 'reunion' last month in the Genealogy SA Library!

We had the privilege of assisting a granddaughter locate the grave site of her great-grandfather in Adelaide, so she could lay flowers on the grave on behalf of his daughter (her grandmother). She found the information she needed in our cemetery records; we were so happy that we were able to help locate the grave and facilitate this touching 'reunion'.

Her great-grandparents had separated soon after arriving in Australia after WW11. Her great-grandfather stayed, and her great-grandmother travelled to Argentina with their children. Our visitor wanted to lay flowers on behalf of her grandmother (his daughter) and the great family she has formed.

Looking for your own family connections? Our databases hold a wealth of information: www.genealogysa.org.au/resources/online-database-search

03/07/2025

Join us for August’s Wednesdays @ 1 presentation, as we welcome author Alan Atkinson to speak about the research, writing and checking for his book, 'The Trials of Billy Freeman', a recently discovered ancestor. Book now: https://www.trybooking.com/DCXWQ

Wednesday 6 August, 1pm
In the Genealogy SA Library or online via Zoom
Genealogy SA members: FREE!
Non-members: $20 online, $30 in person (includes full-day library access).

Billy Freeman was a child convict who came to NSW, gained freedom and travelled to Adelaide with Charles Sturt to become a small farmer. He had a colourful life and lived under the “stain” of convictism. In this presenation, Alan will describe his research process: from checking historical records – in person and online – in the UK and Australia, to libraries in SA and interstate, to meeting relatives of Billy. He tells of the problems, pitfalls and the joys of research – and the critical checking and editing process before publication.

01/07/2025

Our monthly Special Interest Group meetings are a great way to connect with like-minded family historians. These online/hybrid meetings are FREE for Genealogy SA members! If you're not a member yet, you can attend one meeting as a visitor. Drop in and see what our Special Interest groups have to offer.

📸 Bring a photo, be ready to write about it – Family History Writers Group
Thursday 17 July, 7:00 pm, Hybrid

🍀 Irish Records in FindMyPast – Irish Group, Monday 14 July, 7:30 pm, Online

📜 Where to Find County Records for Cumberland – England Group, Thursday 3 July, 7:30 pm, Hybrid

🗺 The Hintz Family from Mecklenberg-Schwerin: trials and tribulations, twists and turns – Germanic & Continental Europe Group, Wednesday 9 July, 7:30 pm, Hybrid

🧬 Using DNA to identify an incestuous relationship – DNA in Family History Group, Wednesday 17 July, 7:30 pm, Online

… plus more from our other special interest groups! Check out our events calendar to register: www.genealogysa.org.au/whats-on/events-calendar

Image: Genealogy SA Photographic Collection P00229-095, Dorris Blanche Polkinghorn with a catch of fish, 1924