AUS-VIC-GIPPSLAND Mailing List
Overview
Wellington Shire and East Gippsland Shire
This site provides an overview for:
Locations: Wellington Shire
Locations: East Gippsland Shire
Resources: Wellington Shire
Resources: East Gippsland Shire
It describes the types of records to be found in those two shires, but may also provide some general directions for those researching in other Gippsland shires.
Contents
Maps (preliminary)
Visiting a Town
Accommodation
Bookshops
Cemeteries
Churches
District Land Offices
Electoral Rolls
Family History Groups
Funeral Directors
Historical Societies and
Museums
Library Local Collections
Maps
Parish Maps
Mining Records
Newspapers
Police Records
Schools
Telephone Books
War Memorials and Honour Rolls
Maps
Important Note: Throughout these sites we have used a Shell Road Map of Victoria (New
Edition). While we would advocate using more detailed maps for research, this one is
readily available throughout Australia and so gives a first general guide to the location
of a particular place. Where that place does not appear on the Shell map you will find
reference to the closest locality shown on the map.
Visiting a Town
Some Preliminary Suggestions
If you are visiting from afar, it is essential that you write to groups you intend to
visit, such as family history groups and historical societies, preferably at least one
month ahead. It is London to a Brick that if you just pop in during open hours you will be
told that Ėso-and-so knows all about that family and would have given anything to meet
you'. No doubt you would have liked to meet them too! If nothing else, it gives people
more time to think about what might be available on your family, and you will get better
results.
Please remember many of the people you will be meeting are volunteers and although your family research may be the most important thing in the world for you, you are but one of many who come to them with the same request for help. Consider whether the demands you are making are reasonable and if possible try to arrange your visits for when the facility is open. Many groups have only a small number of members who can adequately help find research material and in many cases they may be fully employed during the week. If you demand an opening at a time that suits you, you may not necessarily be getting the member who is best able to help you.
Your attitude to the volunteers who go out of their way to help you may have great bearing on whether they will contact you again if they find an absolute gem about your family after you have returned home. Go armed with copies of pedigree sheets and family group sheets with your name and address on them to leave behind so that you can be contacted.
In many cases you will have been given a considerable amount of information. You should consider filing copies of your research notes/books with the institution, whether it be to ensure your family is not lost to history, or just as the best way you can of saying 'Thank you for your time and effort. I have now spent some of my time and effort in repaying it in the best way that I can.'
If you are making enquiries by mail from a historical society and a family history group in the same town, be aware that they have members in common and often do not appreciate scarce time being spent on chasing around after identical details. When enquiring by mail include charts and indicate what you already know - this may suggest other avenues of enquiry for those answering your letter and your professionalism may cause more interest and achieve better results for you.
It is also an indisputable fact that those who take the time to write to acknowledge the time people have spent researching for them (in other words 'Thank You' letters) invariably are viewed more favourably at the other end.
Finally - ensure you take adequate paper with you, and many institutions now insist on pencils only being used in their libraries. We know you will need them, because there is a lot of information out there to write down.
Accommodation
No particular listings have been made for accommodation. We would suggest that you
consider contacting some of the larger tourist information centres, such as the Bairnsdale
Tourist Information Centre, 240 Main St, Bairnsdale (Phone (03) 5152 3444) who can provide
you with a listing of accommodation of all types in that area.
Bookshops
Many bookshops and newsagents throughout the area carry a range of local histories. In
particular we suggest those described under Bairnsdale, Omeo and Sale. For second-hand
books see the entry under Ensay.
Cemeteries
Cemeteries discussed on this site are listed below. If your locality does not have a
cemetery, consider the nearest.
Unless advised of other agencies coordinating records, details of new information for closed cemeteries should be filed with both the appropriate Historical Society and Family History Group, and the Trust for cemeteries which are still operating.
Further details of some of the smaller cemeteries and lone graves can be found in East Gippsland Cemeteries: A Guide for the Genealogist and Lonely Graves of the Gippsland Goldfields and Greater Gippsland.
Cemetery entries can be found at: Alberton, Bairnsdale, Benambra, Bendoc, Black Mountain, Bonang, Briagolong, Bruthen, Buchan, Bullumwaal, Cann River, Carrajung, Cassilis, Club Terrace, Combienbar, Dargo, Dellicknora, Delvine, Deptford, Ensay, Gabo Island, Gelantipy, Gipsy Point (Maramingo), Glen Wills, Glenaladale, Glenmaggie, Gormandale, Grant, Greenmount, Heyfield, Johnsonville (Bumberrah), Lake Tyers, Lakes Entrance, Lindenow South (Coongulmerang), Maffra, Mallacoota, Marlo, Omeo, Orbost, Paynesville, Ramahyuck, Rosedale, Sale, Seacombe, Stirling, Stratford (Nuntin), Swan Reach, Talbotville, Tambo Crossing, Tubbut, Wangarabell, Wonnangatta, Woodside, Yarram.
Churches
The first minister to visit the area was the Rev. E.G.Pryce, an Anglican who twice
travelled to Port Albert from Cooma, in 1845 and 1847, baptising and marrying as he went.
These Gippsland records were published in Gippsland Heritage Journal Vol.2 no. 2
(1987) pp39-42
Gippsland Catholic records for 1848 to 1853 and Gippsland Anglican records 1849 to 1855 are incorporated in the Victorian Pioneer index and the complete registers can be printed from the CD-ROM version.
Only those church records which are in public research centres are listed here. For all other enquiries, contact the church direct. Please remember that while churches are listed by town, often the minister travelled over a much larger area and, for example, the Bairnsdale Anglican records cover Grant and the Stratford Presbyterian records extend to Glenmaggie.
Reference to Church records can be found in: Bairnsdale, Bruthen, Maffra, Port Albert, Stratford, TarraviIle and Yarram.
District Land Offices
References given to District Land Offices may lead to useful material for family
historians. However the main land records are located by finding an actual allotment of
land on a parish map, taking the file number and going to the appropriate selection series
at the Public Record Office.
Electoral Rolls
Apart from the 1856 Electoral Roll (which has been published as a facsimile by Kapana
Press), the earliest complete electoral rolls for the area are those from 1905. Published
copies of these are held only at the EGHS and the Bairnsdale Library Local Collection.
Some later rolls are held in various institutions. A complete set of current electoral
rolls are held at the Commonwealth Electoral Office at Sale.
Family History Groups
Family History Groups, also sometimes called Genealogical Societies or Groups, are in the
towns listed below. In most cases their first concern is to collect a wide range of
records to help their own members. Invariably they have the various Birth, Death and
Marriage indexes and some also have shipping and probate records, as well as inquest
indexes, the International Genealogical Index and many other records from outside
Gippsland.
However as family history has gained in popularity local members have gone out and transcribed cemeteries, school attendance records and honour rolls and copies of these are then centralised in their libraries. In many cases the records that they hold are not held anywhere else.
Groups are to be found at: Bairnsdale, Heyfield, Lakes Entrance, Sale and Yarram.
All groups in the area are either affiliated with the GSV, or completely independent. They do not as a rule give reciprocal rights to members of other societies and people who are not members of the local group should expect to pay the non-member research fee.
Funeral Directors
References to Funeral Directors' records can be found in the sections on: Bairnsdale, Sale
and Yarram.
Historical Societies and Museums
Historical Societies differ from Family History Groups in that their main emphasis is on
collecting material about the local area and many of them also have museums of artifacts
as well as records. In some cases these are now being listed on computer for easier access
(see Library Local Collections). In the main they operate as a coordinating and research
organisation for their own members and although they are often more than willing to assist
outside researchers, this may not be the primary focus of their activities. This is to be
compared with Family History Groups, which are generally set up to operate as a place
where people can walk in off the street and immediately have access to all items for
'do-it-yourself research'.
Historical Societies arc found at the places listed below, one asterisk indicates they have a museum, two indicates that museum has research facilities. Bairnsdale**, Cann River, Lakes Entrance, Maffra*, Mallacoota, Omeo**, Orbost*, Port Albert**, Rosedale, Sale**, Stratford** and Yarram.
In this context, a museum is a collection of artifacts open to the public. This list refers only to those run by incorporated community groups and not privately owned collections.
Museums, Historical Sites and Open Houses throughout Gippsland are being added to this site. For further details, click here.
Library Local Collections
In 1994 the East Gippsland Library Service initiated a project whereby libraries, family
history groups and historical societies (including some in Wellington Shire) began to
enter their artifacts and records on a combined database using the INMAGIC Plus program.
While individual holdings may be able to be checked by computer at some institutions, some
are available at the Sale, Bairnsdale and Maffra Libraries.
In Wellington Shire this program is referred to as the Wellington Shire History Database. Through the work of LEAP (Landcare and Environmental Action Program) participants, and with the assistance of Eastern Victorian Group Training, this database is progressing to the stage where details of a considerable number of objects, records and photographs are available. The number and type of databases is constantly increasing, and visitors should check the actual databases and associated manual at the Maffra library to find out which local holdings have been recorded.
As a general rule, Library Local Collections do not carry out research by correspondence and enquiries should be directed to an appropriate Family History Group or Historical Society.
Significant library local collections can be found at: Bairnsdale, Maffra and Sale.
Maps
Please read this section in conjunction with Important Note above regarding the Shell Road
Map.
We strongly suggest that if you are working on families that lived in any part of the rural area in the Shires of Wellington or East Gippsland that you consider investing in the latest edition of the Vicroads Country Directory (a type of country Melways, for the uninitiated!).
You may also find it worthwhile to invest in some of the excellent maps that can be found in local DCNR offices and tourist information centres.
For the truly dedicated map hunter, seek out the Rolls Royce of map books, the Country Fire Authority Rural Directory. The Shire of Wellington appears in the Regions 9 and 10 Directory and the Shire of East Gippsland in the Region 11 Directory. They are priced from $30 to $35 and available from local CFA headquarters.
Parish Maps
Parish maps are organised by county (i.e. many parish maps make up one county). To locate
your parish you may need to seek out a country map, which also shows the boundaries of
properties in miniature. These are held by most places that have large collections of
parish maps. Another useful map is one of the whole Gippsland area showing parish, county
and municipal boundaries, available from map sales at Information Victoria, Little Bourke
Street, Melbourne.
The relevant County and Parish names are listed in the section on former Shires.
If you had family living in rural areas you should endeavour to check the parish map for the area, which lists the person who finally made the last payment on the selection, making the land freehold. The file number on the map can then be used to access the selection file at the Public Record Office, Laverton. In the past parish maps were best located at the regional offices of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, however the situation at the moment could best be described as 'fluid', as the DCNR moves to microfiche maps, and Family History Groups are making serious attempts to collect parish maps.
The Centre for Gippsland Studies has a considerable holding of parish maps and reference is made to other significant collections in the sections on: Bairnsdale (DCNR, EGFHG and EGHS), Maffra (Library Local Collection), Stratford (Historical Society) and Yarram (YGG).
Mining Records
Where mining records held at the Public Record Office can be assigned to a particular
place, they appear under that place name. It should also be noted, however, that the
Public Record Office holds the Gippsland District Mining Registrar's Register of Claims
and Races (1867-1880) 8 volumes (VPRS671).
Newspapers
Newspapers are listed for the following towns: Bairnsdale, Bruthen, Bullumwaal, Heyfield,
Maffra, Omeo, Orbost, Port Albert, Rosedale, Sale, Stratford and Yarram.
All papers are also held in the Newspaper Collection, State Library of Victoria.
'State Lib of Vic. only' indicates the paper is not available in Gippsland. It probably also indicates it is only available in 'hard copy' and the State Library may not allow access unless a reason and an exact date are stated, and possibly not even then.
Where the letter 'm' follows a date range, it indicates the paper is on microfilm.
'impf' after a date range indicates the run is missing some copies.
Relatively modern newspapers have not been listed, and papers that only had a limited life and are not available in Gippsland. For further details of these papers, please check Newspapers in Australian Libraries: A Union List: Part 2 Australian Newspapers.
Police Records
A full list of Gippsland police records held by the Victoria Police Historical Unit
appears in Gippsland Heritage Journal No. 6 pp37-39, and only the most useful are
listed here. It should be noted access will probably not be allowed to Watchhouse Charge
Books that contain material after 1900. The inclusion of a Watchhouse Charge Book here
with a date range pre-1900 means that names in the book will appear in the Gibson Index
which can be found in many Family History Groups. Once an entry is found in the Gibson
Index application can then be made for further details.
Schools
Only those schools that opened before 1950 are listed.
Schools kept two forms of records, registers and attendance rolls. Often it is difficult to distinguish between the two when transcriptions have been made. The most useful record that a school holds for family historians is the school register, which includes details of parents, occupations etc. They are held at the school while it is operating and should go to the nearest open school when a school closes. Keeping this in mind, it may be possible to locate registers for schools that have closed, but stories do abound of records being burnt when schools close.
In recent years a number of schools forwarded registers to the Ministry of Education Archives, but recent advice is that they have now been forwarded by them to the Public Record Office (PRO). These do not therefore appear in the most commonly used guide to the PRO, that published in 1985.
A database of over 45,000 names on school records from 57 schools has been published on microfiche by the East Gippsland Family History Group, covering schools from Sale to Nowa Nowa. All records listed as held EGFHG are included in these fiche.
With the school's registered number you can access two useful record series at the Public Record Office at Laverton. They are
VPRS 795: Primary Schools Building and Correspondence Files. These contain a wealth of information on school and district history, and are organised by school number.
VPRS 640: Inwards correspondence files. These are organised by year, and not by school, and it can take longer to locate individual items.
Some school records are also held at the PRO in an individual series for each school. These are given on the section for the individual school. It has not been possible to check each set of records, so in most cases it is not known if the records include attendance registers.
Most of the details have been taken from Vision and Realisation Vol.3, where further enquiries should be made. In many cases it lists the people who petitioned to have the school opened. If you cannot locate a copy in a library or society, some of the larger schools may allow you access to the copies in their libraries.
Many of the schools joined as groups to publish magazines in the 1920s, (the most famous being The Gap: Magazine of the Bairnsdale Inspectorate, which was revived for six years in the 1960s. In many cases there are photographs or descriptions of the school and writings by the children of the times. A full description of the magazines appears in 'The Valley Echoes from The Gap' in Gippsland Heritage Journal No.7 pp44-46, and the issues of The Gap from 1920 to 1922 have been reprinted. Collections of the 1920s and 1960s issues are held in the Bairnsdale Library Local Collection, EGFHG, EGHS and Sale Library Local Collection. There is a complete index by surname and place name with these collections.
Only those schools in the state system are included in this list. Private and church schools have operated in the past in the towns that follow and many are still open. All, except at Sale where there is also one Anglican school, are Catholic. Those marked with an asterisk are closed and enquiries regarding records should be directed to either the Catholic Diocese at Sale, or the Catholic Education Office at Warragul. Schools are at: Bairnsdale, Cowwarr*, Heyfield, Lakes Entrance, Maffra, Omeo*, Orbost, Sale, Stratford and Yarram.
Telephone Books
Early telephone books are useful for locating family details. Two good collections are at
the EGFHG and Maffra Library Local Collection.
War Memorials and Honour
Rolls
We have included a listing of all known war memorials (cenotaphs) easily accessible to the
public, but only those honour boards where the transcriptions are held in accessible
places. Honour boards are most commonly found in churches, schools and halls, and often
will include names that are not included on war memorials. However most are in buildings
where a casual visit can be difficult to arrange. We have not included here memorials,
such as avenues of honour and public halls, where the memorial does not include names. For
further details of the war memorials quoted see War Memorials of Victoria.
Transcripts of War Memorials and Honour Rolls throughout Gippsland are being added to
this site. To view them, click here.
You are our 4147 visitor since 6th November 1999.
Last updated on 28 February 2003