Left The Supreme Court (centre) and St James Church in Sydney, from Elizabeth Street by John Rae, c.1842. The Old Registers were kept for a time in the Supreme Court between 1823 and 1843, and then from 1848 to 1856
Hadlow and her team then undertook a conservation treatment trial on a small section of Register Six. “Preservation is a costly, quite labour intensive project. An assessment is done on the inks, and various solvents are tested, to see how the document will react. Then the sticky tape is tested – some can be removed with warm or cold water, or with heat via a hot air gun. A crepe eraser, which looks like the bottom of a shoe, might also be used.” After tape is removed, pages are washed, de-acidified, then lined with Japanese tissue and wheat starch to reinforce the whole sheet. After the page is lined, it comes out of the process wet, so it is air dried, and allowed to settle to the environment. Eventually the sheet is housed in a special polyester sleeve.“We felt quite privileged to be involved, as we don’t usually have the time to devote to just one record,” Hadlow says. Preservation of the high-risk Register Six has recently been completed by the specialist team at Preservation Australia, a private conservation business based in Sydney. Other work is being undertaken in-house at LPI.
Help preserve the Old Register AND save $25! Until December 14, State Records NSW is offering Inside History readers 20% off Old Register One to Nine. You can buy this unique DVD, featuring digital images of the original Registers, hyperlinked to a comprehensive and complete index, for just $100 (usually $125). What a great Christmas present for you, your family history society, or library! All proceeds will go towards the preservation of the original documents. To purchase, visit www.records.nsw. gov.au/publications/old-register-oneto-nine-dvd or call 02 9673 1788.
Genealogist, Claire Battle, has used the Old Register to trace her family, and is a fan. “It’s wonderful for building up a picture of the relationships, it’s a very intimate look at life in the early colony,” says Battle. “And you never know your luck — I found an address for an ancestor, which I wouldn’t have been able to find otherwise.” Having spent over a year immersed in the Old Register, Lois Sabine knows it better than most. What kept her going, through all the frustrations of hard-to-read handwriting and torn paper? “I love a good story!” she says. “These are all people.” And they are all someone’s ancestors. Maybe even yours. ✳ Megan Gibson from Family Tree Time is a freelance writer, researcher and family tree coach. She’s worked as a freelance researcher on episodes of the hit Australian genealogy TV show, Who Do You Think You Are?, and regularly presents “tips and tales” talks. Her book, How To Get More Family Tree Time — Tips for the Time Poor, is available at www.familytreetime.com.au
Inside History | Nov-Dec 2011 |
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