Point taken. I'm only a novice on this family researching. TEDED
Hi Teded,
Well, of course, everyone starts out at the beginning, its just deciding where the beginning starts that is the hurdle .... Don't ever apologise for being a novice .... while I am NSW centric, I readily admit to being a novice in the other former colonies in Aust
. You are simply stepping up to the plate, and are seeking some coaching advice.... Thus I apologise for not providing sufficient quality in the advice I offered earlier.
A primary record from NSW SRO that I found "all by myself" was a probate packet, unopened since its sealing in the 1860's. I still recall the emotions when I realised I was looking at my Great Great Great Grandfather's documents, and the delight when I found my Great Great Grandmother's signature. The Kingswood Archives are very well set out and the staff are very experienced. They rely on many volunteers transcribing the indexes, and it is most likely that the index itself dates from the 1980's or later.
I am sure that Jenn would agree with me that finding primary records are where you should be concentrating, to compare your known "oral" history with the official records, which may fully support what you already know, but may also have contradictions or expansions or clues to advance further and increase the "known" and reduce the "unknown" ... Your goals should include to remove the speculation and replace it with fact, and then to share with family without causing embarassment or hurt to those that are living.
The NSW BDM official transcription agents are very reliable, and it is my understanding that they may offer services to access NSW SRO records too.
Cheers, JM
