Steve was wondering what information would exist to track life in the colony, especially in the Windsor/Richmond areas also Rouse Hill. I would suggest compiling a timeline using the dates & facts you already know. (i.e. births, marriages, deaths, employment etc) Use this to think of ideas of where your ancestors may have left their names. Did they own land, did their children attend local schools, were they employed as public servants, did they belong to any groups or societies, are they listed in electoral rolls or post office directories. Local newspapers are a good place to start. Unfortunately not many newspapers exist for the period you are interested in. The following are available on microfilm at the Hawkesbury City Council Library, Windsor as well as the State Library of NSW & the National Library in Canberra. They are : Australian : Windsor, Richmond & Hawkesbury Advertiser 1873-1896 (Incomplete); Hawkesbury Advocate 1888-1900 (Incomplete);Hawkesbury Chronicle 1881-1900 (Incomplete); Hawkesbury Courier 1844-1846; 1981+ (Incomplete) & Hawkesbury Gazette (previously Windsor & Richmond Gazette) 1888+. Another newspaper you could consult is the Cumberland Mercury 1875-95, it is Parramatta based but also has articles about the Hawkesbury & Rouse Hill areas. Journals & newsletters are also interesting. Churches and special interest groups also published journals and these often have interesting articles. (i.e. the Methodist church often published obituaries of leading churchmen) Some other suggestions are to check what families married into the Stevenson family and follow up whether anyone has done research and/or maybe produced a family history. Hawkesbury Library, State Library & SAG have many published & unpublished family histories. Browse through these to give you a picture of other families in the district (and always check the index)Also look at the bibliography and the sources used as it may give you a clue on some different types of material. Look at local histories that have been published there are several on the Hawkesbury as well as one on Rouse Hill & the Rouse family. Reminscences are always good. These were published often in the local papers around the turn of the century, some are indexed, some are not but usually there is some way to follow through them. Diaries are interesting, and provide details of what life was like. It is matter of checking catalogues and finding someone in a particular area at the right time. The Mitchell Library has an excellent collection of diaries. Always advertise your interests, like you have on this mailing list, also in local family history magazines etc. Keep upto date with new released material. More and more things are being indexed and also keep an eye on the internet. Hope this is of some assistance & good luck!! Michelle Nichols _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus