Australian Dictionary of Biography

The Australian Dictionary of Biography was once a well thumbed addition to Reference collections in Australia's public libraries.  Today the ADB is a valuable free online resource for local and family historians alike.

Search by place name for significant people connected to your place.

The Australian Dictionary of Biography want to add entries for women active 1788-1890, and are asking for your suggestions. All you need to provide is name, profession/significance, birth and death date. The ADB will be applying for a grant to research and write the dictionary entries. Read their August newsletter for further information.

Photo: Unidentified women.  If you can identify these lovely ladies please contact localhistorygene@yprl.vic.gov.au

Chalmers' General Biographical Dictionary added to Ancestry

This database includes all 32 volumes of Alexander Chalmers’s General Biographical Dictionary, which, according to its subtitle, contains “an Historical and Critical Account of the Lives and Writings of the Most Eminent Persons in Every Nation; Particularly the British and the Irish. From the Earliest Accounts to the Present Time.” Entries are alphabetical by name. Ancestry World Archives Project volunteers have indexed all 32 volumes by name, birth dates, and death dates to improve database usability.