Dear Eanija, Hi there. A warm welcome to familytreecircles.

As with all genealogical research we work backwards starting from ourselves in the family tree. Make sure you document all your information and record all your sources so that you don't do repeat searches in the future.

There are lots of things you can do (for free) and ways to find out information.

For starters, please look at this link below, you must sign up as a free registered user.

Public Record Office Victoria (PROV)

You're bound to find lots of information. Get your printer ready. Your next step is to check the other States of Australia - Queensland State Archives and/or New South Wales State Records Office. You get the idea, check all the states of Australia.

It also sounds to me from your written journal above, that your gg grandmother Ellen Agnes Russell and/or Ella Hazelwood could have been one and the same person, but had married several times. You will only know for sure if you purchase marriage certificates. It can get expensive, so make sure you find out if there is a company that provides transcripts of bdm certs, usually heaps cheaper than the real thing.

Please click on my username and see the journals I have written on genealogical research in all the Australian states. All the links are there on the one page for ease of use.

Don't forget to try the family history societies in the localities that your ancestors definitely were born/married/died at.

Good luck and best wishes,
Al in Queensland.