It pays to keep looking.

I have been travelling, and that will be another post - I found out more in Ireland. 

While I was away I had a delivery from the National Archives of Australia.  I had asked for an immigration file to be put online and also copied and sent to me - cost $29.  It could have been 30 useless pages, just documents we already have, but it turned out to be a goldmine.

The file is the original immigration file for my husbands family, which includes information about where the family had been, dates of birth and locations, photos no-one has ever seen before, and more information.  It will take me some time to go through it all.

So here are some tips for the National Archives site:

1. Firstly, book in a day every couple of months in your diary to re-do your searches, as information is being put up every day.
2. Secondly, don't be afraid to apply to have information put online or sent to you - the forms can be a bit intimidating and timelines seem long, but it is worth it.
3. Try searching with different spellings of names, for me Kernos was listed as Kirnos.
4. Even with the printed documents, the online can be really useful for blowing up handwriting and making it easier to see just what was written. 
5. You can save each page to your computer by - right mouse click - save picture.
6. And lastly, tell or ask the family about it, some of these documents can contain very sensitive information, and it is best to let everyone know about it before you do your request.

Watch out for handwritten clues like the one below:

The "Gen. Sturges" written in pencil below the signature is the ship the family travelled on.



And, the signature gives me more information about my husband's fathers name in the original language.

Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience.

Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.

...... Hal Borland

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