Ancestral footsteps, big things, new resources & other news: my genealogy month June 2026

 Six months of 2026 are now gone. I've made  good progress with the PhD research but writing it up is more slower. The trip out west was great and I'm looking forward to the next six months of 2026 when I say goodbye to my swinging 60s and embrace my slower 70s. To party, or not to party?

Ancestral footsteps

The Big  Opal, Eulo

Instead of wandering around the midlands of England looking for my mother's family, we ended up driving out to western Queensland in search of my father's great grandmother who lived in Eulo and Thargomindah in the 1890s. They were opal miners and her husband was a jeweller. 

There is not much out there now and it is still incredibly remote. An airconditioned car was obviously better than a Cobb & Co Coach although the bumps and potholes in the road may have been the same. 

On the way we stopped at Miles and had dinner at the pub where Max's Mum and Dad met during the war. He was a soldier stationed out there and she was the barmaid behind the bar (her father was the publican). 

In Charleville we went to the secret American WW2 army base and did the tour. Amazing how much history is out there  that probably most of us don't know about.

Russian rocky road,  Dirranbandi

Of  course we also had fun and relaxation in the hot springs, great pub food, even camel burgers and Russian rocky road from  the Dirranbandi bakery. 

Speaking of bakeries, some of the pies we had were creative and delicious. Just glad that they are not local, as I could be tempted more often. 

Books

Any trip with me usually means I come home with more books and the western road trip was no different. But only two and both focused on  my family history around Eulo and Thargomindah. 

The opal fridge magnet had my name on it as did the pink yabby in support of breast cancer fundraising.

Enjoying all the background reading for my PhD on incarcerated women in colonial Queensland. 

So many ideas to follow up on my own family history once I get this finished (possibly submitted in 2028, although I have until 2031). 

Hopefully there will be a few pockets of personal family history between now and then.

Conferences

In September there is the  NSW & ACT conference in Port Macquarie where I am giving a talk on using digital archives. That will be a road trip down the coast and back, probably by an inland route for something   different.

The AFFHO conference in Wellington next February sounds like it will have quite a few Queenslanders there. So I will need to think about booking airfares and accommodation as I don't want  to miss out. FOMO is a terrible thing.

Family History Month and Nick Vine Hall Awards

Just a reminder that August is AFFHO's Family History Month so keep an eye out for some great events. Due to the timing of my trip I will only get the last few days of August and of course, the closing event which is usually a fantastic speaker. No details yet.

The Big Watermelon, Chinchilla

The judges have got their scores to me for the Nick Vine Hall Awards. Now to tally up the scores and work out the winners for 2026 which are usually announced at the opening event of Family History Month. 

Who will do the announcement this year in my abscence still to be decided.

Resources

If you just want to sit back and learn some new tips, don't forget FamilySearch have free webinars each month. Of particular interest this month is on 16 July Using the FamilySearch Catalog Effectively and on 30 July Using Google Maps for Family Hitory. You can also view earlier webinars if you missed one or  need a refresher. 

What's new in Trove in June 2026 - I love these updates as they illustrate just how much is in Trove  in all the various categories. This month there is a WW2 focus which is interesting.  Follow the link.

The Digitising Our Collections

The Big Yabby, Moonie

page will give you an update on digitised newspapers and other resources. Follow the  link.

Talks

I'm doing an update on Scottish resources for the Genie Chats group this month. Plus I'm working on my presentation for Port Macquaries and a Legacy Family History webinar for after my return from Europe.

I've decided not to give presentations in 2027 - firstly my PhD will be in crunch time and secondly, I will be over 70 and quite probably should think about retiring and just go to events as a spectator. 

A novel idea but given I gave my first talks back in the early 80s, I'm just about talked out!

What's coming up

After the disappointment of having our flights to London cancelled in June and having to abandon our road trip around England and Scotland, I fully expected that my August trip would also be cancelled as it flies through the Middle East. But just notified that it is still on and I leave in four weeks. Wow. So not prepared. This trip is a bus trip around the UK and Ireland then across to Europe for four weeks. 

Until next time, happy researching, stay safe and take care,  Shauna

Winter for decluttering, road trip to ancestral places & other news: my genealogy months April and May 2026

Well the year is almost half over and not turning out quite how I expected.Our family history trip to England and Scotland in June went belly up when Qatar cancelled our flights. A full refund but still disappointing and only about two thirds back on our travel insurance due to cancellation fees and non recognition of the impact of war on travels. 

Miegunyah, Bowen Hills

So some unexpected free time to catch up on things neglected by my single focus on my PhD now called Women of Bad Character: insights into the lives of incarcerated women in colonial Queensland. 

Books 

I'm still enjoying my way through Tea Cooper's books which throw insights into early colonial New South Wales. A nice break from my academic readings.

Plus the last  week or so  I  have been blitzing all the genie society journals  I haven't read this  year. When I see  the  notice that the June journal is out, I realise I haven't even read March yet. 

So many good tips and news of interesting record releases by the various companies. Torn between delving into my family history or continuing my PhD journey.

Conferences 

I'm excited to be heading to Port Macquarie, New South Wales in September  for  the annual NSW & ACT conference. The theme is The Paper Trail & Beyond: Family History in the Digital Age. My session is on Finding your way on digital trails in the archives. We will  be driving down and back so another road trip for my little car and a few pit stops on the way. 

Child's bedroom

AFFHO Congress, Wellington New Zealand 11-14 February 20207 theme Across the Tasman: Natural Allies and Strong Connections. This one is for the calendar if you feel like a trip to New Zealand  next year. I try to attend most AFFHO congresses so I have put  this one into my calendar.  We might even combine it with a short holiday on the North Island as it is a few years since we have been there.

Decluttering

Cold weather is always a good time to clean out cuboards, wardrobes and even the freezer. What usually is a quick drop off of donations to the local op shops often turns into a mini shopping spree bringing home more books or interesting finds.

New Resources

I am a member of Genealogy SA and excited that they have just  added another 1.2 million records to their online database including a totally new record set. When you can't easily get to a research centre, it pays to be a member of the local society especially when they have lots to search online. 

The shipping departures index is from 1836 to 1940. 

• Shipping Passenger Departures from SA – brand new dataset! 
• Newspaper Births – massive update!  
• BDM Registrations: Deaths & Marriages 
• Newspaper Personals – Ian Shillabeer Collection
• All Other Records: Nurses & Magazines 
• South Australian Church records: Baptisms, Marriages, Burials & Other
• School Admissions 
• Certificates – Australia and Overseas

Dining room Miegunyah

PhD update

As a patron of History Queensland, I gave a talk on Finding women: tips and tricks at the AGM in May. It was to be in person but with the fuel crisis at the time it was decided to make it a Zoom meeting instead to save those  travelling from regional areas. 

My presentation on how I am  trying to identify the women in my PhD case studies is freely available if you want to have a look. https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/1-YNpNYWEhfMgsVIZ-_GHoh7SHLOYgikvmF8v40r7F6ls7zyt77UfYxEMyM3OuY9.oi0bR0D3rDyLi4s-

Talks

I have seriously cut back on giving talks this year due to more travel and also the  need to start writing  my thesis. No more talks until Spring.

Visits

Went on a tour of Miegunyah House Museum with the Professional Historians Association Queensland last weekend and the Museum has some amazing collections. It is the home of the Queensland Women's History Association and run by volunteers. A guided tour of the house is definitely a highlight although the fresh scones, jam and cream was a very close second.

No air  fryer back then!

What's Coming Up? or is that Walking in Ancestral Footsteps?

We can't get to England and Scotland now but we can get out to Thargomindah and Eulo where my GG Grandmother Ellen Ferguson lived in the 1890s. She was an opal miner and her husband a jeweller in Eulo. 

Also having  a look around Charleville and Cunnamulla while we are out that way.

Happy searching and safe travels this winter. Take care until next time, Shauna 

Talks, Webinars, Books, PhD update & other news: my genealogy months February and March 2026

Where did February and March go? I know February is the shortest month but it just whizzed past me and then Easter slipped past in a haze of chocolate and hot cross buns. April is also fast running away from me but I have been head down in the PhD. Totally absorbing, at least the research is.

AFFHO

My voluntary position as convenor of the Nick Vine Hall awards has now kicked in  for 2026 and I have collated and  sent off the entries to our three judges. I'm much happier being the convenor as judging is difficult with so many great family history journals produced by AFFHO member societies. The winners are announced in Family History Month in August. 

Books & PhD

I'm reading mostly academic texts and articles for my PhD on incarcerated  women in colonial Queensland. Not a lot of previous research has been done but I need to know more about the police, courts and prison system.

Boggo Road women's laundry ca 1903 via 
State Library of Queensland

Academic writing is more complex with its rigour on citations and terminology as I discovered by submitting an article on  my vagrant women for Circa, the journal of the Professional Historians Association. Thankfully two very kind peer reviewers and the editors gave me great advice and helped my polish it up into a publishable article. It was published just at Easter and if you want to read my article, along with other interesting history articles, visit the PHA website and click the Circa link. It's free.

So many new things to learn with the PhD. For example, at an earlier meeting with the tutors they suggested a biometrical analysis  of my women looking at their teeth and tattoos. What a  rabbit hole,  although more like a sink hole but fascinating and gave me a different perspective from just the offences.

I now have a database of about 1700 women, with just over 200 women's stories written and  over 200,000 words in my first draft which obviously is not yet finished and will need to be severely edited down to the required 100,000  words. Not to mention amended, and added to as I discover more. Every book and article seems to suggest new directions. Focus is now my middle name.

Speaking of books, my Australian Genealogy Online is still bringing in a nice little royalty payment from Gould Genealogy & History. Doing a new edition last year was worth while.

Conferences

RootsTech has been and gone and the good news is that the recordings are still there to watch.  I only did one prerecorded talk on cemeteries and burial records in Australia. But there are lots of other sessions I would like to watch if I ever get those  spare  minutes.

My plans for attending the NSW & ACT conference in Port  Macquarie in  September have firmed up. So looking forward to a road trip down the Pacific Highway to one of my favourite places.  Not to mention  catching up with friends. In the good news department, my talk on digital pathways in the archives is on the program. Now to save up to pay for petrol to drive there and back, with a few stops along the way. May as well make it a holiday too.

New Resources

I'm loving the new Queensland papers in Trove although it does mean I have to do another search on all my incarcerated women in case of any updates. 

The five part series on AI from Fiona Brooker and Andrew Redfern for Legacy Family Tree Webinars almost made me want to quit the PhD so that I can explore family history more with AI. So much to learn and such a fast paced technology.

Talks

My two workshops at Noosaville received really good feedback. Genealogy apps and blogging was of interest to a full house with lots of questions. I do prefer sessions in person as you can relate with the audience much easier. 

I have started Genie Chats again with my Bribie friends and also ran a five week Genie Chats with Caloundra Family History Research on English genealogy. These are great opportunities  to keep me up to date with new resources and for finding new bits of information on  my own families. Otherwise I probably wouldn't find time to do any of my own family history. 

I had a trip in person to Caloundra for my case study on writing and editing a family history. My hope was to finish the Cornish Connections draft by the end of Easter and get that uploaded into NED (National E Deposit) so it will be accessible online and free to use. Didn't happen due to my spending so much time on my PhD stats. At least it is still on the 'to do list'.

I don't have too many talks lined up this year as the focus is the PhD but there are a few, mostly on Zoom which saves on travel time. History Queensland have asked me to speak at their AGM in May and it is being held at the Bribie RSL which is nice and handy. I'm going to talk about how  I locate and identify my women with all their aliases and variant spellings of names. Tips and tricks for finding women lost in the prison system but also applicable to everywhere else.

What's coming up?

We are booked to go to England and Scotland in June to visit family history locations. Only downside is we are on Qatar airlines through the Middle East so a bit of a wait and see at the moment. I haven't booked accommodation yet, in case our flights are cancelled but things are so unpredictable at the moment.

Until next time, happy searching and enjoy our autumn weather. My Easter orchid is blooming again after it did an early bloom in January. When the flowers finished I split the plant into two and repotted it. Rewarded with more blooms in each pot and I just love the colours. 

Regards, Shauna