The Camden Area Family History Society is helping local residents uncover the people, places and stories that shaped their families.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, the Society is a self-funded, not-for-profit volunteer organisation that supports people researching family connections in Camden, across Australia and around the world.

Jo O’Brien, from the Camden Area Family History Society, said family history was about much more than simply creating a traditional family tree.

“Family history can also encompass just looking after your memorabilia, writing the stories and putting a collection together of all the bits and pieces that you have,” Jo said.

“It’s a lot more than just the dates. It’s also the stories and thinking about how people lived in the past, particularly your family.”

A personal detective story

For many people, researching family history begins with curiosity about where they came from and how the experiences of previous generations may have influenced their own lives.

Jo describes the process as a detective story with a deeply personal connection.

“It’s really fascinating to find out where your ancestors came from, how you got to be who you are and where you are,” she said.

“In the end, it’s really just one great big detective story—and it’s about you.”

Research can reveal unexpected stories, including previously unknown marriages, different family branches, changes of identity and connections to convicts or prominent families.

“People often find out that people have been married before and had another family, or that they perhaps told some slight white lies about who they were and where they were from,” Jo said.

“You can find out lots of interesting things. It can become quite addictive and quite fascinating.”

Starting with yourself

Jo said one of the most important principles of family history research was to begin with what is already known.

“You always have to start with yourself,” she said.

“You work back one step at a time—finding out about your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on.”

Researchers generally begin by gathering birth, death and marriage certificates, along with other primary documents that can confirm names, dates and locations. From there, they can explore the stories surrounding those records.

Online resources have made family history more accessible, with digitised newspapers, archives and indexes providing information that may once have required extensive travel.

Jo said Trove, the National Library of Australia’s online research resource, was particularly useful for discovering historical newspaper stories and notices.

However, she emphasised that not everything is available online.

Resources beyond the internet

The Society’s research room is located behind the Camden Library Galleria, next door to Camden Museum.

Although the room is compact, it contains an extensive collection of books, published family histories, local records, maps, journals and microfilm.

“We’ve got quite a lot packed into a fairly small space,” Jo said.

The collection includes family history publications that may have been printed in limited numbers and are now difficult to find elsewhere. Some include photographs, family trees and detailed accounts of local families.

“Books shouldn’t be underestimated as a resource because not everything is online,” Jo said.

“Some of these family histories are quite comprehensive, and there are limited copies of them, so we’re very lucky to have copies of all this information.”

The Society also maintains microfilm records, including early baptism, marriage and burial registers.

Before records were digitised, documents were photographed, reduced in size and stored on reels of film. These reels can still provide information that has not been made available through online databases.

Among the Society’s holdings are microfilmed copies of the Camden News and historical church registers.

“A lot of information is in there that you might not get anywhere else,” Jo said.

More than a research service

The Society offers several ways for people to become involved.

Some members attend because they enjoy hearing family stories and meeting people with similar interests. Others are actively researching their own family, while volunteers help newcomers begin or continue their research.

“For some people, this is quite a social experience,” Jo said.

“Some people are more involved in the research aspect, and then some of us just really like helping other people.”

The Society holds a monthly general meeting as well as regular seminars, workshops and guest-speaker sessions. It can also undertake research for members of the public for a small fee.

Jo said volunteering with the Society had introduced her to new people, strengthened her confidence and allowed her to develop a range of skills.

“I really love helping people,” she said.

“I like sharing knowledge and encouraging people to get started or progress their research.”

You do not need Camden ancestors

While the Society has a strong collection of Camden-area material, people do not need to have local ancestors to become members or use its services.

Jo initially believed the group would not be relevant to her because her own family was not from Camden.

“I hadn’t bothered to come for years because I thought, ‘It’s not for me—I haven’t got Camden ancestors,’ and discovered I was wrong,” she said.

The words “Camden Area” reflect the Society’s focus on the broader district rather than Camden township alone. However, its volunteers can assist with family history research from many parts of Australia and overseas.

Preserving today’s stories for tomorrow

Family history can begin with something as simple as a box of old papers, photographs, certificates or letters.

The Society can help people understand what those items are, how they fit together and how they can be preserved for future generations.

“If you’ve got any interest in family history at all, or you’ve got a box of papers that you don’t know what to do with, it’s really worth joining a group like this,” Jo said.

“We’re a very friendly group. We like to help each other.”

The Society will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a special event on November 14, 2026, reflecting on its development and the contribution of its volunteers over three decades.

For anyone who has wondered where their family came from—or what stories may be waiting to be rediscovered—the Camden Area Family History Society provides a welcoming place to begin.