Australian Convicts, NFHM, New Resources & Other News : Australia and New Zealand Genealogy July 2021

At the end of July we went back to covid lock down which means more genealogy time in August which is National Family History Month in Australia and New Zealand. 

Check out all the events, most of them virtual. Remember too that there are excellent prizes to win from the various sponsors.

This is a round up of news in July which was a busy month. Also a disappointing month as the AFFHO Congress on Norfolk Island was postponed to 2022 due to Covid uncertainties. Many people couldn't attend and even some who still wanted to holiday found themselves unable to get there. Cancelled holidays, closed borders, masks and vaccinations. My second jab is in mid August. 

Blogs 

I haven't been blogging except for Diary but I am pledging to change this. For NFHM in August there is a blogging challenge - Genealife in Lock Down. Plenty to talk about there. Also I have collected some nice Trove articles and a Trove Tuesday blog is long overdue. 

Books & Magazines

I have genealogy magazines and journals stacked everywhere, some going back decades. Last year I gave away lots at my U3A genealogy sessions after flicking through them for anything relevant. I started that up again with the intention of sharing with my U3A students again but so far third term has not started due to Covid. In some instances I have digital copies of the magazines so no need to keep the paper copies. 

Bribie Genealogy

Pumicestone Passage
and theGlass House Mountains

Our July meeting was impacted by the snap Covid lockdown but our guest speakers Eric and Rosemary Kopittke agreed to speak via Zoom. Rosemary on Scottish Resources and Eric talking about walking in the steps of our ancestors. Both talks were excellent and it was just a shame we couldn't share lunch with them. 

As I write this, we are back in lockdown so we will miss having our August speaker Helen Smith in person. Helen is no stranger to Zoom so we will still go ahead but without lunch. 

Our  Monday night meeting is also cancelled so we postponed David Barnes and his session on Gedmatch to later and we will just have a Zoom chat session. 

New Resources 

There has been an update to the Biographical Database of Australia :

• convicts in 1840s Victoria 
• 21st Regiment soldier profiles 1833-1840 many in WA & TAS 
• registers of convict deaths 1828-1879 & permissions to marry 1826-1851 (NSW, Norfolk Is & early Vic & QLD) 
• 1830s notices re escaped convicts & Sydney City burials 1832-1856 
• Coroners Inquests 1834-1859 (NSW + some QLD & VIC) 
• Criminal Court records 1788-1833 (NSW + some TAS, QLD & Norfolk Is) 
• NSW probate Index 1790-1876 (+ early TAS, QLD & VIC) 
• a remarkable record of 17,000 people leaving Sydney by ship 1816-1825 
• colonists & Aboriginal people mentioned in the Sydney Gazette 1803-1807 
• index of NSW people mentioned in UK Colonial Office letters by historian Mathilde Deane.

Whenever I have a convict query, this is one of my favourite websites so fantastic it is still being added to from time to time. 

Events

My photo collage in the PHAQ newsletter

Attended the Professional Historians Association Queensland AGM via Zoom and it was good to see people and to catch up on what some of the North Queensland members have been doing. 

For their newsletter a while back, I was asked for a photo collage. Since doing the collage, I have also thought it would be a good idea to do some on my ancestors. But it is not as easy as it looks. 

I spent a good couple of days watching webinars from The Genealogy Show in June before they were taken down. So many good speakers and talks and lots of ideas to follow up. Next year I won't leave it to the last minute! 

I have to do the same with the Family History Down Under 2021 conference as well before that is taken down in another month. Time flies and I don't think I am the only one who still has RootsTech 2021 webinars to watch either.

Talks

I spent time working on my talk for the opening of NFHM in August which will be a virtual event. My aim is to get a discussion going on the future of genealogy and what we want from our societies. Another talk in NFHM is for Caloundra Family History Research is on Diaries & Letters for Family History and it is a Zoom session. 

To be part of NFHM I decided to run my own Zoom event of Tips & Tricks with Shauna Hicks which is free. I have also booked to attend other virtual sessions so don't forget to check out the NFHM events page. More events could be added during the month as well.

To see where I am speaking during the year, check out the Events page of my website.

What's Coming Up?

Hopefully an end to Covid lock downs! Apart from that we do have NFHM and more time to spend on genealogy at home in August. Make the most of the free events and have a wonderful NFHM.

Take care and stay safe everyone.

Until next time

Shauna