For the modern historian and family researcher there are so many amazing tools now available.

In my opinion, few match the potential of Trove, the National Library of Australia’s free online database. Trove is home to hundreds of digitised newspapers, magazines, photographs, government gazettes, maps, diaries and journals — all fully searchable!

Through Trove I have personally been able to discover high quality photographs and countless news articles relating to my great grandparents, researched local history topics for publication, possibly rediscovered a few lost poems by Henry Lawson and Breaker Morant and more.

The records in Trove date back to the earliest years of the colony and are easy to access.

For anyone looking to learn more about getting the most out of this truly amazing free resource, the Royal Australian Historical Society (RAHS) is staging a seminar here in Orange on 14 March.

Held in conjunction with Central West Libraries, the seminar will appeal to anyone who wishes to learn more about historical records such as Trove, as well as digging into land titles, and discovering the secrets cemeteries can reveal.

“You don’t have to be an expert to come to the seminar – you just need to be interested in the people and place from the past,” said RAHS President Christine Yeats.

“There is so much to discover about Australian history and going back to original source materials is critical in truly understanding the life experiences of our ancestors.”

Christine will be discussing search strategies using the new Historical Land Records Viewer (HLRV) website to help you delve into the story of your home and discover how it is a piece of living history.

She will also provide tips for searching newspapers, gazettes, journals, diaries, letter and maps on Trove.

Also speaking is Judith Dunn OAM, author of eight books, five of which are on the Parramatta Cemeteries.

Judith will highlight how cemeteries can encapsulate and reflect the local area.

“A cemetery is not just a person’s history; it’s a community’s history,” said Judith. “There is so much more to a cemetery than the memorials on the surface.”

The seminar, Looking to the Future and Discovering the Past, will be held on 14 March 9.30am to 3pm at the Orange Ex-Services’ Club Tobruk Borneo Room.

Cost - $20 (includes morning tea & lunch)

Call History House: (02) 9247 8001 or email: history@rahs.org.au

For online bookings and more information visit: www.rahs.org.au/events