FFHS-NEWS Fwd: Rookwood burial records now online at findmypast.co.uk

[News from the Federation of Family History Societies]

Sent by David Smetham
Communications Officer FFHS
 
 
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____________________________________
 From: debra.chatfield at findmypast.co.uk
Sent: 22/11/2010 09:22:44 GMT  Standard Time
Subj: Rookwood burial records now online at  findmypast.co.uk


For immediate release

Rookwood burial records now  available at findmypast.co.uk 
.   Over 233,000 burial records  available to search online 
.   It's now easier to research  Australian ancestors
.   Records include former NSW Premier John  Lang, who opened Sydney 
Harbour Bridge, and Peter Dodds McCormick, who wrote  Advance Australia Fair

Family history website www.findmypast.co.uk has  published online for the 
first time burial records from Rookwood Cemetery,  working in partnership 
with the Society of Australian Genealogists.  

Between 1981 and 1992 members of the Society of Australian  Genealogists 
painstakingly transcribed inscriptions from headstones in  Rookwood Cemetery - 
the final resting place for over 600,000 Australians,  located in Sydney's 
west. 
The transcriptions that resulted from that  mammoth 11 year project, 
containing 233,160 names, have now gone online for  the first time at 
findmypast.co.uk, so that anyone around the world can search  for their Australian 
ancestors from the comfort of their own home. It is  possible to search the 
records by surname, forename, inscription or year of  death, and each entry shows 
the complete transcription and grave  location.
The oldest graves in Rookwood Cemetery date back to 1867, and  today it is 
one of the largest cemeteries in the whole of the Southern  Hemisphere. It 
is therefore likely that many Australians would have a relative  whose 
resting place is within Rookwood's gates and will be able to find their  record in 
the new online database. The online records cover dates of death  over the 
period 1798 to 1999.
Elaine Collins, Business Development Director  at findmypast.co.uk, said: 
"The Rookwood Burials are a unique and valuable  resource for anyone 
interested in researching their Australian family history.  We're delighted to be 
working with the Society of Australian Genealogists to  put these records 
online for the first time, enabling people worldwide to find  their Australian 
connections."

Heather Garnsey, Executive Officer of  the Society of Australian 
Genealogists, said: "The Society was delighted to  work with findmypast to bring its 
Rookwood Cemetery Transcriptions to a new  audience online.   SAG volunteers 
transcribed Rookwood - the largest  cemetery in the southern hemisphere - as 
its contribution to the Australian  Bicentenary in 1988 and the transcripts 
were previously only available on  microfiche and CD, both long 
out-of-print. 

Since it was opened in  1867, Rookwood has remained Sydney's most important 
cemetery with more than a  million burials believed to have taken place 
there.  Headstones provide  vital clues for genealogists, often revealing far 
more than just name, age and  date of death.  Place of origin, religion, 
occupation and family  relationships can all be revealed through headstone 
inscriptions.  We'd  expect many new research leads to be discovered through the 
availability of  this material online through findmypast."

Among the famous people that  appear in the new online burial records are:
John T. Lang (1976-1975) -  Labour Premier of N.S.W. during the Depression, 
who introduced Child  Endowment, Widows Pension and Workers Compensation 
Act, and also restored the  44 hour week. He opened Sydney Harbour Bridge in 
1932. 
Peter Dodds  McCormick (c.1833-1916) composed Advance Australia Fair, the 
Australian  National Anthem.
Mei Quong Tart - Popular leading 19th century Sydney  
merchant-Philanthropist-with a network of tea rooms including "Elite Hall" in  QVB. 
Jacob Pitman - Brother of Sir Isaac Pitman, who introduced phonetic  
shorthand to Australia.
Louisa Lawson - Pioneer of women's sufferage in  Australia and Henry 
Lawson's mother. 
Bee Miles - Notorious in 1950's and  1960's for her eccentric behaviour in 
Sydney trams and taxis, well educated, a  free spirit. She recited 
Shakespeare from the steps of the State Library. She  was cremated and her ashes 
scattered. This is her family's grave site.  
David Jones - The founder of the famous Sydney Stores.
John Fairfax -  Founder of The Sydney Morning Herald.

The new records can be found  within the Parish Record Collection at 
www.findmypast.co.uk and are part of a  much larger ongoing project with the 
Federation of Family History Societies to  put millions of parish records online. 
These records are also available  through findmypast.com.au, the 
Australia-based sister site of  findmypast.co.uk.

~Ends~

About findmypast.co.uk
Leading UK  family history website findmypast.co.uk (formerly 
1837online.com) was the  first company to make the complete birth, marriage and death 
indexes for  England & Wales available online in April 2003. 

Following the  transcription, scanning and indexing of over two million 
images, the company  launched the first website to allow the public easy and 
fast access to the  complete indexes, which until then had only been available 
on microfiche film  in specialist archives and libraries. The launch was 
instrumental in creating  the widespread and growing interest in genealogy 
seen in the UK  today.

Findmypast.co.uk has subsequently digitised many more family  history 
records and now offers access to over 750 million records dating as  far back as 
1538. This allows family historians and novice genealogists to  search for 
their ancestors among comprehensive collections of military  records, census, 
migration, occupation directories, and current electoral roll  data, as 
well as the original comprehensive birth, marriage and death  records.

In November 2006 findmypast.co.uk launched the  ancestorsonboard.com 
microsite in association with The National Archives to  publish outbound passenger 
lists for long-distance voyages departing all  British ports between 1890 
and 1960.

As well as providing access to  historical records, findmypast.co.uk is 
also developing a range of online  tools to help people discover and share 
their family history more easily,  beginning with the launch of Family Tree 
Explorer in July 2007.

In  April 2007, findmypast.co.uk's then parent company Title Research Group 
 received the prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2007 in  
recognition of their achievement.

Findmypast.co.uk was acquired in  December 2007 by brightsolid, the company 
who were awarded The National  Archives' contract to publish online the 
1911 census, which it launched in  January 2009.


About SAG

The Society of Australian  Genealogists (SAG) has been helping people trace 
their family history for over  75 years. Located in the Sydney CBD, SAG 
operates a world-class library and  manuscript collection with many unique 
records.SAG runs an active programme of  lectures, workshops, seminars and tours 
and a book shop, as well as providing  advice and support to anyone 
researching their family history in  Australia.



Kind regards

Debra Chatfield
Marketing  Manager
findmypast.co.uk

Email:debra.chatfield at findmypast.co.uk  



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