Genealogy notes 25-29 Apr 2014 - Inverell military seminar

The last few days have been spent travelling down to Inverell, NSW and back to attend the Inverell District Family History Group's military seminar day. It is not a quick trip - 7 hours drive and on the way down we went via Ipswich, Warwick, Stanthorpe, Tenterfield, Glen Innes and finally Inverell. On the way back it was a similar trip except after Warwick we went Allora, Grantham, Gatton, Kilcoy and Woodford just to vary the trip a bit.

The great thing about the drive especially once we got to New England was all the autumn colours. The poplars, maples, oaks etc put on a truly beautiful display and by the time we arrived in Inverell we were homesick for our time in Canberra which always had the most magic autumns. The smell of wood smoke also brought back many memories. Of course here in Queensland there are no seasons (not really) so it was very good to see it all again.

It was the Inverell District Family History Group's 30th birthday and to celebrate they had a one day military seminar and a 30th anniversary dinner which we also attended. The registration satchel included various giveaways including pen, pencil, rubber, post it notes, notebook, flyers from NSW transcriptions agents, and various tourism leaflets.There was also a lovely set of black and white postcards On the MacIntyre: Homesteads and Gardens of Western New England and a CD Index to Misc Newspaper Items: People, Places & Events in the Inverell District.

There were five talks and four speakers (I gave two talks). As some people were travelling quite a way, morning tea was first and the talks started at 10am. I thought this was an excellent idea as to make a 9am start some people would have had to leave home before a somewhat chilly dawn. That was the other thing that travelling south reminded us of - it is colder down there!

First up was my talk on the Australian Women's Register and how it can be used when researching female ancestors and women's organisations. As usual I have place the Powerpoint slides on my website - go to the Resources page and scroll down to Presentations. The second speaker was Warren Skewes (Transcribing the Fischer Diaries) talking about war diaries he has transcribed. Warren also brought along a display of war memorabilia from his own private collection which was really interesting to look at. When ever someone holds up original diaries and other items I always hope they have them stored somewhere safe and that there is a back up copy.

After an excellent lunch, Jennifer Milward from the Australian War Memorial gave a talk on helping you to research Australian military service in WW1. Every time I hear a talk about the AWM, I am amazed at how much is on their website apart from the People databases. You really need to explore all the tabs on the home page! For example, check out what is under the War History tab.

The next speaker was Christine Bramble (Great War Nurses from the Hunter Valley) whose talk was 'Almost falling through the cracks - the wartime story of Matron Ida Greaves RRC'. The acronym is the Royal Red Cross and Christine's talk was fascinating and highlighted someone whose war history was almost forgotten until her research using an amazing personal family archive. I think Matron Greaves would be a worthy addition to the Australian Women's Register which my first talk was on.

I gave the last talk of the day and it was titled - To Blog or Not to Blog, That is the Question! This talk was all about blogging, what it is, why do it and how to go about it plus a few of my favourite blogs. It is also on my website, go to the Resources page and scroll down to Presentations.

Afternoon tea and the raffles draw ended an excellent day of talks and conversation. We also had a small display of Unlock the Past books for sale which was appreciated by the various local genealogy societies who don't always get the opportunity to see the books before buying. This kept Max busy during the breaks but he also had time to look at the various military displays around the room too.

The 30th dinner was enjoyed by a smaller group and I really enjoyed the roast pork, vegies and apple sauce with pavlova for dessert while others enjoyed roast beef and an apple pudding. After some brief presentations and speeches it was time to cut the 30th birthday cake which was then thoroughly enjoyed by those present. Not that we were still hungry! Then it was time to end a long but fantastic day remembering our military ancestors.

After the extended weekend we are back on Bribie catching up with things, then we have to go down to Brisbane for the funeral of one of Max's cousins. While sad affairs, funerals are also a time to catch up with family members and now that we are back in Queensland we have been catching up with his mother's family. We are also hoping to have Mum out of hospital in the next few days so I'm not too sure how much genealogy will be happening! Still these days it is amazing what you can do with tablet, wifi and just a few spare minutes. Until next time happy researching.

Genealogy Notes 19-25 Apr 2014 - Military Musings

Today is ANZAC Day and everyone's thoughts are centred around our military ancestors and the centenary of the start of World War One. Kintalk (Auckland Libraries) have organised their usual Trans Tasman ANZAC Day blog challenge and I posted my story on Jack Russell aka Thomas Henry Alphonsus (Alfred) Spencer who fought in both World Wars. Read his story here. I am also looking forward to reading the other blogs in the challenge.

Week 14 of my personal genealogy blog challenge, 52 Weeks of Genealogical Records in 2014 is on Cemetery Records and you can read about it here. Each time I do one of these blogs, I find out a little more about one of my families as I revisit the research or look at things from a different angle. The weekly challenge also means that I do not let it slip down my to do list.

Findmypast.com.au have been releasing 100 records in 100 days and part of this exciting project is the release of thousands of military records for ANZAC Day.  The new collections contain nearly 700,000 detailed records of soldiers who served as part of the Australian Imperial Forces between 1914 and 1918.

The new records available on findmypast.com.au include:

•             Australian Embarkation Roll 1914-1918

Transcripts contain details of approximately 330,000 AIF personnel, recorded as they embarked from Australia for overseas service during the First World War. They include full names, rank, age, trade, marital status, address at date of enrollment, next of kin details, religion, date of joining, unit embarked with, and further remarks. Many of the next of kin addresses recorded are in the UK.

•             Australian Nominal Roll 1914-1918

This list contains details of approximately 324,000 AIF personnel who served overseas during World War 1. It was recorded to assist with their repatriation to Australia from overseas service. The transcripts include the soldier number, full name, final rank, awards, date embarked, and the date returned to Australia, killed in action, or died of wounds. The records also include soldier’s’ unit of service at the time of death or at the end of the war, and non-effective entries – how that person became no longer effective (for example, if they were returned to Australia).

Read more about the records and their ANZAC Memory Bank which contains personal stories here.

I have not had much chance this past week to do much genealogy but I did catch up on my back issues of the Journal of One Name Studies and I am really excited that there will be a meeting of the Queensland branch of the Guild of One Name Studies (GOONS) on Bribie Island on 31 May. At least I won't have far to travel! The other big reading catch up was with Quarterly, the journal of the Association of Professional Genealogists and it is always good to read about what others are doing.

I am a member of Kiva's Genealogists for Families team and took up another three $25 loans to help families in other countries. It is a great project and you can join me on the team here.

I am heading to Inverell, New South Wales today so that I can give my two talks at the Inverell District Family History Group seminar tomorrow. There is a military theme to the day and I am looking forward to hearing the other three speakers. I will be writing about that when I get back home. A busy weekend ahead and I hope everyone finds some time to think about their military ancestors and maybe even do some research and writing. Until next time.

Genealogy Notes 12-18 Apr 2014 Easter genealogy readings

I am currently in Brisbane all alone at Easter - not the plan but then things do not always go to plan. Two weeks before my mother's 80th birthday she went into hospital and it did not look like they would let her out. Then the day before her birthday she was allowed to come home provided I could stay with her. We had already cancelled the party and moved it to Easter Monday so we settled her at home. Then I tried to do things like pay her bills, pick up her medicines etc. I often get frustrated with the online world and the need for passwords and security but the real world is no different, especially if you are trying to act for an aged parent. Anyway just after I sorted it all out and jumped through all the hoops and did the required paperwork, Mum had to go back into hospital, the party was again cancelled and apart from hospital visits I am alone and catching up on all my genealogy readings (at least those stored on my laptop or online).

On the positive side I did manage to show Mum the Powerpoint presentation on her life that I had prepared for the party. A few tears, a lot of memories and she is looking forward to sharing it with the grandkids when she is well enough. We are now looking at Mother's Day in May.

So what am I reading? The last few issues of Lost Cousins, Irish Lives Remembered, plus issues from Dick Eastman, blogs from Ancestry.com.au and Findmypast.com.au, Queensland FHS Snippets, Society of Australian Genealogists Descent journal (I get the e-version), e-news from the National Archives UK, to mention just a few so far.

I am also taking the opportunity to clean up my email accounts, I have added more events to the National Family History Month web calendar, the list of sponsors and prizes looks fantastic, finished off an article for Inside History Magazine, and with a bit of luck after this I will finalise my two new talks for the seminar at the Inverell Family History Group on 26 April. Then the following fortnight I am giving a talk to the Bribie Island Family History Special Interest Group then the day after I fly to Adelaide to give a talk at the Unlock the Past Researching and Writing History seminar. The last two are revised versions of earlier talks which are a bit easier than doing a talk totally from scratch.

The latest installment in my personal blog challenge 52 Weeks of Genealogical Records in 2014 was Week 13 on Personal Names and Surnames and it was a bit late due to everything else happening this week. Diary is actually a day early but I wanted a break from cleaning out Mum's garage. While we have a cleaner for her in the unit, it does not extend to the garage so that is a job for each visit. Amazing how much dust and leaves can get into a place that is closed a lot of the time.

Tomorrow after my hospital visit I plan to get started on the National Institute of Genealogical Studies course that I have agreed to do. Had I a crystal ball I would have said no back then, but on the other hand it will seriously occupy my time and attention now. I also still have to do my military blog for Kintalk's ANZAC Day Challenge which is now only a week away.

The other nice thing about being at Mum's is that I get to go for long walks along the walking trails that follow Enoggera Creek and play spot the tortoise, spook the ducks, watch the scrub turkeys and frill lizards, not to mention keep an eye out for snakes. Last night the mosquitoes got me so I plan to go walkies in a few minutes.

It is perfect Easter weather here in sunny Brisbane. I hope all my geneafriends are enjoying Easter with their families and friends. Until next time, happy researching.