Welcome to the GSV

Welcome to the GSV Blog

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which the Genealogical Society of Victoria currently stands, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, their Elders past and present, and those young people destined to become leaders.

At this Blog - Family History Matters - you can find news and reports of the activities of the Genealogical Society of Victoria (GSV) and articles of interest about family history and genealogy. 

Members can keep in touch and visitors can discover what the GSV offers.

WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS TO ANY POST.  GSV Members can add comments in the 'Add New Comment' section at the bottom of each post.  Login to the website as a Member first.

TO SUBMIT A BLOG POST (read more below) or general questions, please contact the Blog Editor: blog@gsv.org.au

RECEIVE EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS of new Posts to this Blog by 'SUBSCRIBING'.  Provide your email address and select Categories (all or some).  You don't have to be a GSV Member for this (but we hope you might join).  If you are a present GSV Member (with an email address), you have been given automatic SUBSCRIPTION to this Blog and will receive email notifications of new posts.

We hope you enjoy the Blog and that it stimulates you to find and tell your own family stories.

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Making family history

20 November 2021
Family history is not all about chasing old birth records and transcripts from past centuries. It can also be capturing more recent history - for future... Read More

Buy a GSV Gift Certificate for Christmas for a friend!

10 November 2021
Want to avoid the shopping crowds this December? Why not buy a special Gift Certificate for a friend or relative from the GSV online!   It’s an opportunity... Read More

Forensic DNA analysis - Talk 18 November

29 October 2021
  Many GSV members are familiar with the use of commercial DNA databases in genetic genealogy, but how much do we know about the use of DNA to solve crimes... Read More
Don Grant Award Winner 2020

Congratulations for 'Sentenced to Debt'

15 October 2021
Researching family history is a good start, but writing about it makes it history. Congratulations to Louise Wilson for receiving the Don Grant Award 2020 for... Read More

GSV Writing Prize 2021 announced

6 October 2021
  A mysterious ancestor living the good life in Sydney in the early 20th C as a socialite and breeder of racehorses—this was the subject matter of the winning... Read More
suvarov Atoll, Cook Islands

Living within 5 km

3 October 2021
You don't have to go far - living within 5 km In previous times families didn't move far from their villages for generations. Many or even most people never... Read More

New webcasts to help you

24 September 2021
Have a look at these! I know you are still working hard from the comfort of your home office, so the nearly 200 webcasts created by the GSV are a great way to... Read More

Thinking about becoming a GSV Member? Try our Visitor E-Pass

10 September 2021
Thinking about becoming a GSV Member? Try our Visitor E-Pass with the special introductory price of just $10 The Visitor E-pass gives you 6 hours online at... Read More

ENTER QUICK FOR FREE PRIZES in Family History Month

25 August 2021
  To celebrate National Family History Month August 2021, there are prizes in a draw for lucky winners - if you enter by next Monday 30 August.  ... Read More

The Life and Influence of a Squatter on the Campaspe 1837 to 1851 - Thurs 26 Aug Talk

20 August 2021
  Next Thursday 26 August at 7pm, author Martin Playne will present this talk to the GSV's Victoria and Tasmania Discussion Circle. This talk is free for... Read More
People. Manly Beach 2014

Sex and gender in family history

17 August 2021
In the past week we completed the Census. Since 2001—after lobbying by family historians—we can choose to have our own responses kept by the National Archive (... Read More

'Ancestor' journal wins Nick Vine Hall Award 2021

4 August 2021
It has just been announced by AFFHO that the GSV's Ancestor journal has won the 2021 Nick Vine Hall Award for the best family history journal/newsletter in... Read More

Celtic Day - 28 August at Gisborne

3 August 2021
    Member Societies Showcase    Gisborne Genealogical Group Inc   Dreaming of things to do once lockdown is over? How about participating in the... Read More
Wall map, Museum of Australia (photo: L. Wilson)

Our Forebears and the Indigenous Population

23 July 2021
We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which the Genealogical Society of Victoria currently stands, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation,... Read More

The Victorian Certificates Exempting from Dictation Test dataset - GSV talk 20 July

16 July 2021
The significant underfunding of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) affecting their capacity to digitise their unique holdings, has received a large... Read More

From the keyboard of the President - June 2021

24 June 2021
Dear GSV Members There has been a lot happening in the world of genealogy. Our online connectness continues to expand and it was interesting to see our... Read More

Can I publish a family letter?

20 June 2021
  The GSV Ancestor Edit Team was recently asked about the ownership of letters in a deceased person's estate: 'Does anyone know who these belong to?'   ... Read More

Family history without words

9 June 2021
How can you write your family history with the least amount of writing? Recently the GSV Writers discussed forms of 'text-light' media for telling our stories... Read More