Botany Bay Family History Society

Botany Bay Family History Society It is an affiliate library with Familysearch.org giving members access to millions of worldwide records. The Research Centre is manned by volunteers.

Research Your Heritage - whether it is local, interstate or international BBFHS holds and has access to extensive research resources with great volunteers to help you along the way A new requirement of visitors to our research library is that if they are not already expected that day by our volunteers that they phone to confirm that the volunteers will be there after noon on the days the centre is open

Our Research Centre and Library is located in Caringbah South. Members also enjoy no-charge access to the subscriptions sites of Ancestry.com (World), FindMyPast (UK, Australasia and Ireland), The Genealogist, Biographical Database of Australia, Internet History Resources, the British Newspaper Archives as well as the many free genealogy sites available on the internet. Our monthly meetings are now held on Zoom with occasional face to face meetings. Zoom meetings have allowed the society to access international and interstate speakers to address our members. There are Special Interest Groups covering DNA, Australian, English, Irish and Scottish research plus Writing and family history programmes including Legacy, Family Tree Maker and Reunion for Mac. Most of these activities were held by Zoom meetings however some meetings are now being held as hybrid with both Zoom and face to face - full details on our website. BBFHS journal, The Endeavour, is published quarterly while a fortnightly E-Newsletter keeps members up to date with all the latest news in the family history world.

11/01/2026

Tracing your First Nations family history can be life-changing and rewarding, but it can also be challenging.

Our recently updated research guide can help you find resources both in and outside our collection to make your journey of discovery easier.

Get started: https://brnw.ch/21wZ09V

10/01/2026
08/01/2026

Big news for all of you who are searching for your Irish roots: the 1926 Census of the Ireland will be released online in April 2026! 🥳

This will be the first new census made public since 1911, offering a rare look at life in the 1920s. You’ll be able to search names, addresses, occupations, Irish language ability, and full household details. For many families, this long-awaited release will finally bridge the gap between the 1911 Census and modern records. 💚

If you’re tracing your ancestry, now is a great time to gather names, townlands, and family clues so you’re ready when it goes live.
More updates to come!

Please note: Northern Ireland census records are not included in this release.

06/01/2026

The next Scottish GENES Webinar will be on Saturday 24 January 2026, at 7pm (UK time), and will be entitled "Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis". The following is the description:

"When disaster befell our Scottish ancestors, there was usually someone close to hand with a quill, parchment and ink. In this talk Chris Paton looks at some of the perilous situations faced by our forebears during their lifetimes, from poverty and debt, to illness and the 'scorning of the Kirk', to identify the many useful records generated for family history research as a consequence."

Registration is just £10, available via https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kfJUDoCaQZyLpCl_9HkzuA

I hope to maybe see you there! (A recording will be available for a week after)

05/01/2026
31/12/2025
31/12/2025

Keep your eyes peeled for the annual release of birth, death and marriage records, coming in January.

You’ll also be able to browse new Scottish Women's Land Army records and, later in the year, we'll add new prison registers and church court records.

18/12/2025

Join us for a presentation by Ian Gill, author of Searching for Billie: A journalist’s quest to understand his mother’s past leads him to discover...

10/12/2025

Address

184 Gannons Road South
Caringbah, NSW
2229

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 2pm
Wednesday 10am - 2pm
Friday 10am - 2pm

Telephone

61 2 9523 8948

Website

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Our Story

BBFHS was formed in 1984 and is located in the Sutherland Shire, approximately 30km south of the Sydney CBD in New South Wales Australia. The society's memberships usually hovers around 500 members. Our Research Centre and Library is located in Caringbah South. Members enjoy no-charge access to the subscriptions sites of Ancestry.com (World), FindMyPast (UK, Australasia and Ireland), The Genealogist, Biographical Database of Australia, Internet History Resources, the British Newspaper Archives as well as the many free genealogy sites available on the internet. The Research Centre is open and manned by helpful volunteers Monday, Wednesday and Fridays 10am - 4pm and Saturday 10am - 2pm. BBFHS’s journal, the Endeavour is published quarterly. A monthly newsletter is handed out at monthly meetings The Botany Bay Bulletin which has all the activities for the coming month. An E-Newsletter for members is emailed to members regularly to inform them of new data bases available, plus any events which are coming up. All of which keep members up to date with all the latest news in the family history world. Classes on a wide rage of subjects are given and Special Interest Groups are held regularly for Australian, English, Irish, Scottish research, Writers, Social Media and the major family history programmes. The details and times for these are all under events on our website http://www.botanybayfhs.org.au/

The goods and services, promoted in posts, from other organisations are not endorsed by the Botany Bay Family History Society, Inc and are for information only.

Come and join us explore family history.