Dear Listers, Is it possible to check whether an early family was on Destitute relief. I've found something on a website, below: "Scherger, Christiane Friedericke nee Conradi: Applies for destitute relief in 1851. Her husband is unemployed." Her husband was Johann Rudolph Friedrich Scherger, and they had children known as Amelia/Emilie, Charles/Carl, Minnie/Menna/Caroline, and Augusta Louisa Melina. He was a miner, and I'm wondering if there is any miners database, to find where he may have worked? Son Frederick Herman was supposed to be born at Port Lincoln in 1851, and I don't know the area to know whether this was near any mining. Could anyone help me with this one? By the way, an interesting note on this family, is that Frederick's son was Fredereick Rudolf Scherger, born 1904 Ararat, Vic. was an early RAAF graduate who was was considered one of the top aviators between the wars, serving as a fighter pilot, test pilot, and flying instructor, and one of the first Australians to test parachutes from a flying plane. In charge at Darwin, during the Japanese bombing in WW2, he rose to the rank of Air Chief Marshall of the RAAF during WW2, and other than Monash, was the only Australian to have command over American forces. Knighted for his services, he was also the first Australian to fly at the speed of sound, when he took over the controls of a jet, while on a buying expedition for the RAAF. He came from a poor background, his grandparents and a number of aunts and uncles were illiterate. What a life. Wikipedia has a quite a good profile on him (link below). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Scherger Hope this is of interest to some. Cheers, Rowena