New DNA matches, books I'm loving & other news: My genealogy week 15 -22 Jan 2025

 Another busy week with a trip to Caloundra to give a talk on Scottish ancestors and lots of work on my confimation milestone for my PhD. In fact, that has taken over my life at the moment.

Books

Still fascinated with Tea Cooper's books. Just finished reading The Fossil Hunter and have now borrowed The Naturalist's Daughter from the Bribie Island library.

Bribie Family History Association

Out first meeting for 2025 is on 7 February with Mariane Young as our guest speaker on researching in Ireland. Putting together the slides for the meeting so that those members who can't attend still get all the news. Looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Conferences

For something different, I am going to talk about the NSW/ACT annual conference which is in Wollongong this yearbetween 12-14 September 2025. No details yet but you can sign up for the conference newsletter. No 1 is here.

My RootsTech handouts are due next week but I notice that my sessions have disappeared from the classes schedule. I need to check that out. 

New Resources

I haven't used Findmypast for a while so a bit surprised to see a new look. There was a hint to an Elizabeth Bilson in the 1841 census in Melton Mowbray and when I checked it out, a 12 year old Mary Spencer was also living there. More proof that the Billson and Spencer families were connected in Leicestershire. Only trouble was that the image is very poor and the name of the three week baby girl is not readable. A search in 1851 didn't find them so I need to have a good look at this. When I get spare time!

Snippet from 1841 census via Findmypast

Then I popped over to Ancestry to check my new DNA matches. Got excited with a large match, first cousin once removed, but once I checked it out, I realised it was a second cousin with a much larger cM match than her brother. Interesting.

Otherwise most of my new matches were in the smallish range of under 20cM. 

I should probably schedule regular checks of my DNA accounts as I have them with FamilyTree DNA and MyHeritage as well as Ancestry and 23 & Me. 

Talks 

My next talk is for Monash Library in Melbourne and it's a variation of my why can't I find it talk. So lots of tips and tricks on how to find something hiding in the indexes. Always a good group and it is hybrid with some in the library's conference room and some on Zoom.

And a trip up to Noosa Libraries - another good group. I like the advert they have done for my talk Why Can't I Find It? Family history searching at Noosaville Library. Very Sherlockian, if that is a word? You can book online by going to the Events Calendar - select Monday 17 Feb at 10.30am till 12 noon.

Always amazed by all the bats in the trees around the library complex. Have to be careful where you park the car!

What's Coming Up?

A new passport! Having booked my trip to Sweden, I now realise that there won't be six months left on it by the end of my holiday. 

Have fun researching, until next time, Shauna