This event is in partnership with WEA Sydney

Have you ever wanted to go back in time and learn more about your house’s history and the area where you live? This seminar will use two case studies – one in the city and one in regional NSW − to look at the records you can consult to find out more about the history of your house.

We will show you how to search for previous owners using the Historical Land Records Viewer and associated records. Then we will discuss the records that can tell us how the house was previously furnished. These can provide a glimpse into the social life of the former occupants, remembering that possessions are not only about how the house was furnished. Finally, there will be a discussion about strategies for discovering more about the history of your locality.

About the speakers:

Adjunct Associate Professor Carol Liston AO is an Australian historian who specialises in the history of early NSW (1788-1860). Her research covers early colonial history with interests in people (convicts, colonial born and free immigrants and their family histories), local history, heritage and the built environment. Her particular interest is the colonial development of the County of Cumberland (Greater Western Sydney), using land records, family history and surviving buildings to document the past.

Christine Yeats is the Senior Vice President of the Royal Australian Historical Society. She is the President of the Federation of Australian Historical Societies, Convenor of the Assessment Sub-Committee of the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Committee and Review Editor of the Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society. Christine is an archivist and professional historian with a particular interest in women’s history and Romani migration and settlement in NSW.