Are you researching Victorian Volunteer Force personnel?

Researchers can now access an index to Victorian Volunteer Force personnel for the period 1860-61.

The index was compiled by Thomas Corfmat from information in Victorian Review: A journal of the Volunteer Forces and Civil Service, Bankers and Insurance Record, and Literary Gazette, 1860-61. It provides the name, rank, regiment and company for over 4,300 members of the various volunteer defence forces in Victoria. It is a valuable research aid, as volunteer force service records for the years 1860-61 simply do not exist (records from 1863 onward are held by the National Archives of Australia).

The index is available in microfiche format and can be accessed at Ivanhoe and Diamond Valley libraries.

New on Ancestry Database

Recent databases added to the Ancestry database include:
Canadian Soldiers of World War I, 1914-1918
1871 Scotland Census
1891 Scotland Census

Ancestry is available at all branch libraries and can be accessed via our website at www.yprl.vic.gov.au

Go to the local history and family history link.

Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages

The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages will release a new Access Policy later this year. This policy governs the way people access records and the manner the Registry distributes the information it holds. Specific to family historians, the new access policy will state that the restriction period for birth records will increase from 75 years to 100 years. Restriction periods surrounding death and marriage records will remain unchanged, 10 years and 60 years respectively. Changes to the policy are driven by a need to better protect personal information held by the Registry as well as bring the Victorian registry in line with national standards. Additionally, life expectancy has risen since the last access policy review and without an increase in the access period of birth records a growing portion of the Victorian community would be left exposed to identity related crimes. Further information and a release date of the new access policy will be made available