Historical information

The Australian Historical Records Society existed in Ballarat between 1896 and 1906. They were one of Australia's first historical societies, and were in the position to still be able to talk to early pioneers. They invited such pioneers to either submit letters or memoirs, or to address the Society's meetings, where their reminiscences were taken down in shorthand and later typed up. The Society also attempted to preserve memorabilia from Ballarat's early days, but on the disbanding of the group in 1906, materials were stored at the Ballarat Town Hall and were later lost. It is not known how the papers made their way to the then Ballarat Municipal Library, but they have been part of the Library's collection for many years.

Physical description

John Hood was originally from London, and arrived in Melbourne from Tasmania in 1842. He first dug for gold in Little Bendigo / Nerrina, in 1852. He died in 1909, a very old man, at the Ballarat Benevolent Asylum.