Genealogy Update for February 2023: RootsTech 2023 in person & other news

Didn't February go quickly. But then again it is only six weeks since I arrived back from my trip to Sweden and meeting my first grandchild Theo. Now I am heading off to the USA on more adventures. I am a RootsTech 2023 influencer so will be in the thick of the action in the media hub.

Books

My aim is not to buy any books at RootsTech. I have to carry them around afterwards and keep the suitcase under weight regulations. Will I achieve this? 

I'm also hoping to meet one of my favourite authors in person at RootsTech - Nathan Dylan Goodwin. I've already got all his books so no temptation apart from a selfie with him. 

See website link above

Conferences

All I can think about is I will be at RootsTech in person this year for the first time. It doesn't seem to be as big this year as it is also virtual and many have chosen to watch from afar. Still there are a lot of exhibitors and talks and people I want to catch up with. Plus I want to visit the FamilySearch library, another long term bucket list item. 

So looking forward to walking through the doors
of the FamilySearch Library image via Wikipedia

New Resources 

MyHeritage added 41 million records in January. I can't even imagine that many more records being added. The collections are from 12 USA state, the UK, Australia, Finland, Greece, Israel and Portugal and include BMDs, obituaries, migration and voter registration records. Australia caught my eye and it is the South Australian Adelaide Gaol Prisoner Registers 1848 to 1912. There are 76,555 records that are indexed and digitised by FamilySearch. It seems a lot of crime in the City of Churches but exciting news for anyone with Adelaide ancestors. Perhaps they were repeat offenders?

Do you subscribe to the Trove newsletter? Each month there are interesting stories from the collections. Plus there is a list of new resources in Trove. Below is a copy and paste because I always find it fascinating what is added and to also see who is behind the funding. Some historical societies are also funding the digitisation of newspapers for their geographic area. How good is that? 

Look at February's offering - great for teachers in New South Wales, and I'm interested in The Catholic Advocate in Brisbane and the Port Lincoln Times in South Australia.

National

• Education: journal of the NSW Public School Teachers Federation (1919-2019) [New South Wales Teachers Federation]
• Papers of Frank Macfarlane Burnet (1928-1985) [Australian Academy of Science]
• Hemisphere Journals (1957-1984) [National Library of Australia]
• Colonial Art [National Library of Australia]

TAS

• Colonial Times and Tasmanian Advertiser (1827) [Libraries Tasmania]

QLD

• Nanango News (1912, 1913, 1920, 1922) [Nanango History Room Inc]
• The Australian (Brisbane, Qld. : 1878-1888) [State Library of Queensland]
• The Catholic Advocate (Brisbane, Qld. : 1915) [State Library Queensland]

SA

• Daylight (1919-1928) [State Library of South Australia]
• Port Lincoln Times (1955-1965, 1992-2002) [State Library South Australia]
• The Blackwood Magazine (1914) [State Library of South Australia]

WA

• Common Wealth (1933)  [State Library of Western Australia]
• The Maylands & Bayswater Chronicle (1905) [State Library of Western Australia]
• The Sun (Kalgoorlie, WA. : 1919) [State Library of Western Australia]

VIC

• Kyneton Guardian and Woodend and Malmsbury Chronicle (1863-1870) [State Library Victoria]
• Nagambie Times (1882-1913, 1919-1920) [Nagambie Historical Society Inc]
• The Bacchus Marsh Express (1884) [Bacchus Marsh and District Historical Society]

NSW

• Forbes Times (1899-1902) [Central West Libraries]
• Mittagong Argus (1902-1904) [Berrima District Historical & Family History Society]
• Mittagong Express (1899, 1901-1902) [Berrima District Historical & Family History Society]

Talks

I was busy in February with talks in person at Burpengary Library, Caboolture Library and Caloundra Family History Research as well as a virtual with Monash Library in Victoria and the Association of Professional Genealogists in the USA.

There are more presentations coming up at the end of March and into April. Check the Events page of my website for details.

What's Coming Up

Due to my travels the Advanced Irish Genealogy at Bribie U3A was cut short so I have agreed to do Irish again in Term 2. That will keep me busy as most of them have tricky Irish brick walls which we have looked at during other terms. 

I also want to get back to my own research and finish one or more of those draft family histories that have been haunting me for years. 

Take care and stay safe while I jet over to Salt Lake City for RootsTech 2023.

Genealogy Diary Update for January 2023: Meeting the new twig on the family tree was the highlight

Welcome to 2023 and another wonderful year of researching our family stories.

An early reader 

An early walker

My visit to Sweden to see my little 7 month old grandson was wonderful and I enjoyed every minute of the 10 days I was with them. I think they too liked having an extra pair of hand/eyes around the place. The plan is that they will visit Australia and New Zealand to introduce him to other family members in July 2023. So only a few more months and I will see him again. Not that he will remember me. 

Christmas lunch Swedish style

The whole trip was amazing and I enjoyed seeing Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Copenhagen and Singapore as well as the area around Lund in Sweden. My Facebook profile captures the sights, food and drinks quite well. Anyone would think all I did was eat. 

Blogs

Only one blog post and that is my response to Jill Ball's annual Accentuate the Positive Geneameme. This is a good way to look at what has been done over the year in a number of different areas. 

Books

One of my holiday reads was Nathan Dylan Goodwin's The Sawtooth Slayer. A great read and an insight into using Gedmatch to identify clusters. 

I downloaded some of Sarah Woodbury's historic novels about Wales and I am now hooked on her as an author. She has a number of different series with different characters and settings but all based on historical Wales.

Caloundra Family History Research

The following is a Call Out To Past Members from CFHR re their 30th anniversary in May.

To mark the 30 th anniversary of The Caloundra Family History Research group in May this year, we are embarking on a project to record the group’s history. Our aim is to finish and present this important record at our anniversary celebration.

To achieve our goal, we need your help! We are inviting former members of our group, or if you know of a former member, to please contact us so that we can record your reminiscences. We are happy to conduct interviews or we will accept written accounts of your memories.

We have a rich history and we envisage showcasing our growth, activities, research, stories, library, special interest groups and guest speakers. Stories from our past members would greatly enrich our 30 th Anniversary history book.

Please contact us at:

Email: hello@caloundrafamilyhistory.org.au

Mail: P.O. Box 968, Caloundra QLD 4551

Phone our Secretary: 0437-235-842 or Publicity Officer: 0408-254-765

Conferences

My next big adventure is attending RootsTech 2023 in early March. My first time in person so I am looking forward to visiting the FamilySearch Library. Not sure if I will do any research as I have a few things on the tourist list as well.

DNA

No new close relatives but I want to try and identify more of my clusters. I suspect it is a bit harder than Nathan's fictional genetic genealogists in his books but worth a try.

Surprisingly I have had a few emails from distant cousins - nothing too close  and we haven't been able to identify the common ancestors. With three unknown biological ancestors on Dad's side its a bit of a handicap. Need much closer matches.

Talks

February is a busy month for presentations - both in person and virtual. Check out the Events page of my website. My first talk for 2023 is for the family history group at Monash Library in Melbourne. I did talks for them during the Covid lockdowns and now we continue as a hybrid group on Zoom and in person at the library. Hopefully the technology will be on our side.

What's Coming Up?

My great grandmother
- both her parents were Irish

Bribie U3A is starting up in a couple of weeks and we are looking at Irish Genealogy in first term. I am going to be away for 4 sessions. That might be a good time to set them some practical exercises to try and further their own Irish research while I am away. 

Bribie Genealogy has morphed into Bribie Family History Association and our meetings will still be the first Friday of the month at the RSL, Bribie Island. Except for April as that will be Easter.

So between my presentations and my voluntary activities the next few weeks will be busy. Already I have found new information on a number of my Irish families and that gives added value to my efforts at U3A Bribie. 

Until next time, happy searching

Shauna

Accentuate the Positive Geneameme 2022

Each year Jill Ball (aka Geniaus) invites us to take part in this activity by responding to the following statements/questions, several of which are new, in a blog post. Write as much or as little as you want and complete as many statements as you wish. If you wish to take part and don't have a blog, please email Jill your responses and she will post them on the GeniAus blog.

Once you have done so, please share your post's link in a comment on Jill’s post or via email to jillballau@gmail.com. On her return from a family holiday in mid-January, Jill will share a list of links to all responses on the GeniAus blog.

Remember to Accentuate the Positive 

(Please delete the items that are not relevant to your situation.)

1. I was happy to go back to ... after a Covid absence

In person events – I much prefer giving talks to a ‘live’ audience as it is so much easier to interact with people. I’m also a big book buyer and you can’t do that on Zoom.

Attending U3A genealogy classes in person. I missed the cameraderied of sitting around the table laughing and sharing.

2. In 2022 I was particularly proud of writing ...

Making substantial progress on my family histories for the Carnegie, Finn, Price, Trevaskis and White families. This includes going back and doing citations and scanning documents and photographs. The plan is to finish each one and call it Edition 1 and then upload to Trove via NEDS for all to share. Then Edition 2 will be all the additional information I find as I keep looking for new information.

I also had my 12th research guide published by Unlock the Past - Australian Genealogy Online. Available in print or ebook from Gould Genealogy & History.

3. A new software package or web application I embraced was ...

As mentioned in the previous question, I have been looking at using NED (national e-deposit) to put my family histories online. It seems very simple to use and is a great way to e-publish by simply answering questions re access etc. I'm not planning to sell my family histories.

4.  My sledgehammer did great work on this brick wall ...

My brick walls haven’t budged but I do regularly check for any new information. You never know what might turn up.

5. A new genealogy/history book that sparked my interest was ...

NathanDylan Goodwin’s The Sawtooth Slayer was a must read and an interesting insight into tracking descendants of a common ancestral couple.

I also bought Penny Walters books The Psychology of Searching and Ethical Dilemmas in Genealogy.

Another must have was Danielle Lautrec’s The Good Genealogist: how to improve the quality of your family history research.

6. A geneasurprise I received was ....

The gift of two Ian Mortimer books for my birthday from Mia Bennett – I now also have Restoration Britain and Regency Britain. I simply love the The Time Traveller’s Guides as they give so much detail on each time period.  This really helps to understand more about our ancestors’ lives.

Members of Bribie
Family History Association

7.  In 2022 I finally met ...

The lovely Mia Bennett who spoke at the November meeting of the Bribie Family History Association. It was a real treat for our members to have Mia in the same room with us. She was on her way to Family History Downunder in Sydney with a ‘horde’ of other overseas genealogy speakers.

8.  Locating ... gave me great joy

All the citations I didn’t think to note back in the 70s and 80s and probably into the 90s too. It has been hard work, but I now feel that my research is more validated especially when those family histories are up in Trove.

9.  I am pleased the Covid situation caused me to change ...

As a profoundly deaf person I tended to avoid online talks because I couldn’t hear that well. Covid caused a boom in Zoom which also allowed for closed captions - what a plus. Must also be easier for those struggling with different accents although auto translation can lend itself to unintentional humour.

10. I progressed my DNA research by ...

Really narrowing down Dad’s biological family both near and further away. He had an unknown grandfather and two unknown great great grandfathers all on his biological father’s side. So not a walk in the park but common ancestral couples are now well proven.

11.  An informative journal or newspaper article I found was ...

No one article but I always enjoy the various member society journals I receive – there are always tips about what’s new.

12. I was pleased I could contribute to ...

Another four terms of genealogy tutoring at Bribie U3A. We tackled Australian, English and Scottish genealogy, and brick wall solutions. First term in 2023 is Irish genealogy, last done in 2021.

Assisting the Queensland Family History Society with processing their personal family history donations now that they have moved into new premises.

13.  ... taught me how to ...

I learnt a number of time saving tricks when working on DNA matches from Mia Bennett. So obvious but now I explore all the little filters and options on the various sites.

14. I got a thrill from opening someone's eyes to the joy of genealogy ...

I experience this every week at U3A when I demonstrate something to the class which they haven’t seen or heard about. My archival search strategies show what is deeper in the archives and not always name indexed or digitised in the major subscription sites.

15. The best value I got for my genealogy dollars was ... 

My genealogy society memberships as some of these have exclusive records not found elsewhere. Although it does get a little expensive when you are researching in more than one Australian state.

16. A DNA discovery I made was ...

In 2022 I spent more time looking at Mum’s DNA matches as I have good paper trails for most of her families. No real surprises yet but she has an awful lot of Cornish ancestors.

Fiona Brooker from
Memories of Time

17. I enjoyed my first post Covid face to face event because ...

You could catch up over a coffee/lunch and yes you can do that on Zoom but just being able to see people means so much more.

18. A fabulous event I attended was ...

FamilyHistory Down Under in November was the biggest event I attended and had so many of my favourite overseas speakers. The talks are available online until the end of February 2023 and I still have a list of ones I want to watch or watch again.

I even won a sponsor's prize - one year subscription to Cite Builder. I'm looking forward to seeing how this works and for more consistency in my citations.

19. I'm happy I splashed out and purchased ...

All my books. Plus, I finally bought a laser printer and ever so much quicker than my old ink cartridge printer which is now used only for scanning.

19. I got the most joy from ...

Discovering my webinar on using Australian Archives was the number 2 webinar on Legacy Family Tree webinars in November. This was a total surprise, and I am usually in the Top 40 not the Top 10.

20. Another positive I would like to share is ...

The birth of my first grandchild Theodor who lives in Sweden with his parents. It is so nice to have added a twig to the family tree. I just spent 10 days with them over Christmas/New Year and talked to Theo about his family and life in Australia. Towards the end of my stay, my darling son said ‘Mum you do realise that Theo only knows Swedish’! Note to self: investigate how good Google Translate is for English into Swedish before my next visit.

Please share this invitation far and wide in your social media channels.

 

2022 Genealogy Goals & Looking to 2023: My genealogy weeks 26 November - 13 December 2022

 We come to the end of a calendar year again and as usual, I have no idea where the year went. 

I do know that I gave 40 talks in 2022 so I need to stop talking. Goal number 1 for 2023, learn to say No. 

Excited to know 'Farmor' is coming

I also know that a new twig was added to our family tree - my first ever grandchild, Theodor who lives in Sweden with his Mum and Dad. Goal number 2 is visit them and this is an easy one to tick off. This afternoon I am flying out to Sweden via Dubai and Copenhagen to spend Christmas and New Year with them. I am also hoping for a White Christmas and to tick off another bucket list item.

During 2022 I spent quite a bit of time working on all my family history drafts for each of my major families. These range from smallish, 10000 words to largish 20000 words or huge over 25000 words. They include illustrations and sources/citations, bibliography etc. Not yet indexed as they are not yet finished. I have been saying that for decades. Goal number 3 will be to make them all first editions and publish them via a PDF on Trove (through NED) and the Internet Archive. Free for all or at least those interested.

Just needs a 2023 update then finis

2022 was the year that we returned to face to face meetings and conferences and how good was that. I am a confessed genealogy conference junkie and I love planning my year around conferences. Goal number 4 is to attend at least one overseas conference and one Australian conference. In 2023 I am already booked to attend RootsTech in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. This will tick off a few bucket list items including a visit to the Salt Lake City FamilySearch Library and attending RootsTech, the largest genealogy event on the planet. Although it will again be hybrid like so many conferences now. For my Australian conference I would like to attend the annual conference in NSW which I understand will be on the Central Coast. The NSW & ACT Association of Family History Societies' website is not working this morning so I can't check. I still want to visit Newcastle and do some research on Dad's family so that will be a double bonus if I drive down. 

That's enough goals for 2023. Back to 2022.

Books

Currently reading Nathan Dylan Goodwin's latest in the Venator series, catching serial killers using DNA evidence. It's amazing how you can actually learn tips of how to manage DNA matches while reading a novel. I can't put it down so I think it will be reading material on the plane tonight.

Talks

Although I inferred above that I would not do as many talks in 2023, I seem to have not grasped that message. In February 2023 I already have 5 talks - 2 virtual and 3 in person. There are only 4 booked for the rest of the year so perhaps it will be OK. Where I am speaking is on the Events page of my website. When I checked that link I discovered that my security certificate had expired two days ago. No reminder notice which is odd. So hastily purchased one and hoping I can get it all sorted before I leave this afternoon. Otherwise you will see a not safe message until I return. Although it is safe, not hacked but a nuisance at this late notice.

What's Coming Up?

First term at Bribie U3A will be a repeat of our Advanced Irish class last held in 2021. Lots of new things since then so that will keep me busy.

But first I am going to have an amazing time in Dubai, Copenhagen, Lund (Sweden) and Singpore. Plus time with my family where I will be called 'Farmor' although I think I prefer Nanna. Then there's Swedish cuisine and Yule time traditions and possibly even snow to make it truly magical.

Time to go and pack that suitcase and try and get in my presents for the family too. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and New Year holiday season. Stay safe and well and I hope to catch up with everyone in 2023. 

Shauna

Review FHDU 2022, new books, new resources & other news: My genealogy weeks 6 - 25 November 2021

Wow time does fly when you are having fun. So much has happened since my last post.

Books

Family History Down Under was definitely a temptation for me and I ended up buying 6 books from authors such as Chris Paton and Penny Walters. Plus one of my favourite authors Nathan Dylan Goodwin sent a review copy of The Sawtooth Slayer, the latest in his Venator cold case series. 

Which book to read first? 

The 4th book in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, The Drums of Autumn, has slowed down my list of books this year. Why are all her books so big and with small print? I can't put it down but at the end of the day my eyes are not as sharp. So I am going to sleep earlier and getting up earlier so I can still get my hour of reading done.

Conferences

Well FHDU was a big success and I really loved seeing everyone again in person. There were some great speakers and talks and lots of catching up with what's new. My to do list is a mile long! For a longer report on the conference see my blog post Report on FHDU 2022.

My next adventure will be RootsTech 2023 which I will be attending in March 2023 in person for the first time. Can't wait. I'm also lucky to be one of the Influencers for RootsTech next year. 

New Resources

It was interesting to see in the FamilySearch October 2022 update that they have now included some more UK cemetery records. Both in counties that I am researching. Another thing on the to do list. 

Findmypast added a number of new and updated digitised newspapers and again there are things that I want to research. It really is never ending. The 1868 Staffordshire Sentinel is calling me.

Talks

Only five more talks this year. Four of them will be at Coffs Harbour & District Family History Society annual seminar this weekend. Looking forward to that as it has been a few years since I was last there. I'm donating a copy of my Australian Genealogy Online as the lucky door prize.

My final talk for 2022 will be at Bribie Genealogy - they are expecting my annual Christmas quiz but this year I am going to look at setting some goals for 2023. We all need to start thinking about how are we going to leave our research for the future. 

What's Coming Up?

My trip to Sweden and my first catch up with my son and his family since they moved there in 2019. Also my first cuddles with my only grandson the adorable Theodor. It is snowing there at the moment so perhaps I will be able to have my first White Christmas and tick off another bucket list item.

I still have two weeks here so there will be another Diary post before I leave. 2022 has just gone so quickly. Well I must be off to Coffs Harbour which is about a six hour drive from here. Have a great weekend and try to get some genealogy research in. 

Until next time, stay safe and well.

Review Sands of Time & other genealogy news: My Genealogy Month 6 October - 5 November 2022

What a huge month for genealogy. I gave talks, went to conferences and just tried to keep up with all my genealogy reading. The last four weeks have been a bit of a blur.

It is also my birthday month and I was able to celebrate with friends from U3A and Bribie Genealogy and Mia Bennett from the UK who was able to stay with me for a couple of nights. Mia kindly gave me two books from one of my favourite authors - Ian Mortimer and these were the Time Traveller Guides to Restoration Britain and Regency Britain. I love his Time Traveller series.

Books

Image 1993
via Wikimedia

Tackling Diana Gabaldon's Voyager at the moment - the third volume in the series. It is so big and heavy it is a real struggle trying to read it in bed, especially with my arthritic thumbs. 

For lighter reading I have various enewsletters and ejournals from societies to read.

Bribie Genealogy

We were thrilled to have Mia Bennett from the UK attend our meeting and give a talk on Using DNA to Support Family History Research. There were lots of DNA questions after the coffee break. We had a good turn up of members plus some visitors from Caloundra Family History Research. 

My only regret is that I was so excited I forgot to take a photo of Mia and the group. We will just have to do it again another time!

The Sands of Time cookie

Conferences

Sands of Time at Redcliffe went very well and you can read my review of the conference here. The highlight for me was being able to talk to people again in person. The talks were good and I still have to work my way through the handouts. 

I am off to Family History Down Under 2022 this coming week and that will be a mega feast of talks. Plus afterwards we can watch the sessions we couldn't attend plus the bonus talks. Attending in person means that I can catch up with more friends and experience the vibes that don't quite make it in a Zoom environment. 

Looking further afield I have decided to go to my first ever in person RootsTech 2023. Flights are booked and I will have to plan some research at the Salt Lake Research Library. Or perhaps I will just wander around in amazement. The Dinosaur Museum is also on my agenda that week.

Another bonus is that I have been appointed a RootsTech 2023 Influencer complete with a badge.

New Resources

I have finally got Ancestry's Side View where DNA matches are assigned to either paternal or maternal sides of your family. 

There are 6929 matches assigned to Dad, 4978 assigned to Mum and 7548 unassigned. 

I am finding this fascinating and very distracting as far as time goes. It is like a magnet to me. 

Talks

I am doing two talks at FHDU 2022 - Australian genealogy online and Why Can't I Find It. 

After that I am doing a recorded talk for the Society of Australian Genealogists for their religious seminar which will be fun. Sadly I can't do it in person as that clashes with the all day seminar I am doing with the Coffs Harbour District Family History Society on 26 November.

To round the year off, I will be doing a Christmas Quiz with Bribie Genealogy at our December meeting.

What's Coming Up

The end of the year very quickly. For once I might have a white Christmas/New Year as I will be visiting my son and baby grandson in Sweden. There are no guarantees of snow but one can hope. One thing I can count on is that it will be colder than here!

Babe in the Woods

I have been saying that I don't want to be as busy as I was this year with talks but already I am down to give nine talks. 

That's a bit shy of the 39 this year so perhaps I will achieve a less busy year! 

What I really want is for the years to slow down. Where has 2022 gone?

Until next time happy searching 

Loving Wiltshire records, Sands of Time, FHDU 2022 & other news: My Genealogy Fortnight 23 Sep - 7 Oct 2022

 My two week break from teaching at U3A Bribie went super fast but I managed to get some writing done on my individual family histories. To do the scanning of documents and photos I may have to chain myself to the chair as I always seem to come up with an excuse not to do it. 

Books

Over the last two weeks I have been reading Larissa Behrendt's books that she talked about at the Norfolk Island conference. Both books have to go back to Moreton Library so it is fortunate that we have had a few wet cooler days which are just perfect for reading.

Bribie Genealogy

This month on Friday 7 October we have Helen Smith talking about dating photographs. This should be a fantastic talk and very practical. Most of us have photos that are undated and usually not named or identified by place.

Bribie U3A

Term 4 is all about Brick Walls and we are going to tackle real student brick walls. 

Not sure how it will go but I started the term with a discussion on how probate records in Wiltshire (via Ancestry) helped me to trace back to my 13th great grandfather.  Also used baptism, marriage and burial records to identify the various family groups.

Conferences

Hard to believe that Sands of Time is now only a few weeks away. One of my favourite speakers Michelle Patient is talking about Where to Next with DNA?

This is a marvellous opportunity to listen to some great speakers, meet new friends and network with like minded people. Please come up and say hello.

The Coffs Harbour seminar has been moved back to 26 November. That will be a great way to end the genealogy year. I am giving four talks at the day long event, I hope to see some of you there. When regional societies host these seminars, it can be worth the drive if you live not too far away. 

FHDU 2022 is early November and I have my flights and accommodation booked. I'm giving two talks there but I am more excited at the great range of international speakers to listen too. If you can't make it to Sydney, there is also a virtual option. 

New Resources

FamilySearch have added three new Irish collections which is exciting:

• Ireland Court of Chancery Bill Books 1627-1884     1,217,591 records
• Ireland Dublin Poor Law Unions Board of Guardians Minute Books, 1839-1924     892,325 records
• Ireland National School Registers 1847-1954             152,829 records

What's Coming Up?

Attending conferences in person is so exciting and meeting weekly to discuss genealogy brick walls at U3A means that I will be living the genealifestyle again. It always motivates me to do more on my own family history research.

If you get the chance to do your own research, happy searching and hopefully I will see some of you at Redcliffe or Sydney. Until then, take care Shauna 

Sands of Time Speakers, FHDU 2022 & Other Genealogy News: My Genealogy Week 15 - 22 September 2022

There is so much happening at present that a few extra Diary posts are needed.

Bribie Genealogy

We have been an informal group that grew out of the genealogy group at Bribie U3A and went onto Zoom during Covid. We met weekly and motivated each other. Since the end of lockdowns we have gone back to in person monthly meetings at Bribie RSL. Now I am part of a working group that is looking at incorporation for the group. There are advantages to this not least the ability to apply for grants. I would love to see a genealogy fair on Bribie. As well as the constitution and by laws there is the discussion over what will our logo be? Interesting times.

Bribie Genealogy September meeting

Conferences

Sands of Time at Redcliffe on 21-23 October 2022 is almost here. Just four weeks away! I am so excited about a local conference so close to Brisbane and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. Not to mention that it is a good excuse for a holiday in Queensland. As Ambassador I have had the pleasure of interviewing some of our speakers and presenting them through this blog. Check past blogs for Michelle Patient, Eric Kopittke and Liesl Harrold.

Now meet Mark Finnane Professor of History at Griffith University in Brisbane.

Tell me a little about yourself and your interest in history?

I am an academic historian, Professor of History at Griffith University. For me history is a fundamental knowledge, most basically it’s about the stories we tell about ourselves in the world we live in. And just as the world is constantly changing, the stories we tell also change, helping to explain ourselves to others as well as provide a way of thinking about our place in the present and the kind of future we want or wish to avoid.

With my colleagues in this presentation (a number of staff and students associated with the Harry Gentle Resource Centre and the Prosecution Project, both hosted at Griffith University) we are providing an overview of the ways in which academic history is using, and producing, records that are commonly also used in family and community histories more generally.

Your talk sounds fascinating - what led to your interest in this topic?

As researchers who are working every day with archives and genealogical sources in our various projects we thought it would be useful to reflect on our work for an audience that is different from the academic world in which we collect and interpret historical sources. We want to highlight the work that historians do in contextualising the data we access. We want to demonstrate also some of the products of this work, especially in digital form, accessible to all those able to access the web.

What do you hope to experience/learn from attending Sands of Time?

We are particularly interested in hearing from those using genealogical sources about the kinds of challenges they face in accessing material that answers their questions – and what they know that might be useful in our future research collecting and making accessible data about individual, family and community histories

Is there anything else that you would like attendees to know?

We are keen to let people know about resources we are working on that provide information that may be useful for family and community histories – particularly the new Harry Gentle Resource Centre Dictionary of Biography focussed on the peoples who lived in colonial Queensland. We are also interested in highlighting the role of community volunteer historians who assist in the transcription of historical sources including data for the Prosecution Project.

Talks

Next is my keynote address at the Sands of Time conference at Redcliffe.

I have four talks for the Coffs Harbour & District Family History Society at the end of October.

At Family History Downunder 2022 in Sydney in November I am giving two talks. So many of my favourite speakers all in the same conference venue. 

Choosing which session to attend will be hard but I can always watch the others later. Plus the chance to catch up in person with so many friends and colleagues.

That will then make a grand total of 37 talks in 2022! Perhaps I talk too much!

U3A Bribie

For the 4th term we are going to try something new. Instead of me just sitting there lecturing the group we are going to try and tackle brick walls together. There is good wifi access so we will be able to do live searches and a white board to note key points. It should be a good interactive learning experience for all. The hard part will be getting people to not be too shy in putting forward their thoughts/experiences. 

By popular demand Irish Genealogy will be the focus of Term 1 2023. Why am I not surprised?

What's Coming Up?

Christmas at a fast pace but I don't mind so much this year as I will be in Sweden having a white (hopefully) Yule time with my son and baby grandson. We haven't seen each other since they moved there three years ago so it will be a wonderful catch up. 

Before then I hope to get more of my draft family histories completed and printed for final edits. I cannot edit without a red pen in my hand and a paper copy. Talk about a dinosaur but reading on paper just highlights errors for me. 

Have success with your searching or whatever other genealogy activity you do this week. Until next time Shauna

Theo at four months, supercute.

Sands of Time earlybird extended & other genealogy news: My Genealogy Fortnight 1-14 September 2022

 Attending genealogy conferences and expos always motivate me. I come home and I'm superexcited to follow up on the tips and tricks from the speakers. What else can I find out about my ancestors? But new research always takes me away from downsizing and tidying up my 45 years of research. My writing up of the family histories falls by the wayside as I chase new records. This month the plan is to do more scanning and writing and less research - not sure I can do that but that's the plan.

Blogs

No missing our hotel!

Finally got around to writing up my notes from the AFFHO Congress on Norfolk Island and the family history expos in Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand. Read Geneatravel in National Family History Month.

Books

The trouble with reading Diana Gabaldon's books is that they are so big and with small print. That takes up a lot of reading time. Still I am almost at the end of the first book Cross Stitch aka Outlander and I have the second book from the library. I will have to tackle that in case someone else wants to reserve it. I would hate to return a book I hadn't finished reading!

Conferences

As a Sands of Time ambassador I have the pleasure of introducing another one of the speakers at the conference in October in Redcliffe. 

Meet Liesl Harrold

Tell me a little about yourself and your interest in history?

I grew up listening to my family discussing family history and brick walls. By the time I was in high school, I was doing family history research unsupervised and getting close to 100% in history. At university, I completed a Regional and Town planning degree which included writing a thesis titled, The Recycling of Public Heritage buildings for commercial purposes: A [Queensland] Treasury building case study. I have worked in historical and statistical research roles including managing the work histories team which was tasked with researching the histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to support their claim for the Stolen wages class action. I have also completed both the certificate and diploma courses with the Society of Australian Genealogists and taught various family history courses.

Your talk sounds fascinating - what led to your interest in this topic?

In working with beginner researchers, I have found that mistakes are often made because their methodologies are missing key elements. The missing elements are vital for unlocking evidence and proof. Left long enough, the omission becomes habitual and we find ourselves forever looking but never finding. My presentation aims to showcase the essential elements of the proof standard, research cycle and research techniques which will hopefully help the researcher make discoveries.

 What do you hope to experience/learn from attending Sands of Time?

I am looking forward to the opportunity of hearing from some great speakers and share some of my adventures in research. I am especially looking forward to meeting people face to face and having a good yarn about all things history.

Earlybird registration has been extended to 23 September so don't miss out. It will be at Redcliffe (close to Brisbane), Queensland on 21-23 October 2022. 

New Resources

FamilySearch have added two expanded Australian collections :

•  Australia, Albany, Inward passenger lists 1873-1924 (also available from the National Archives of Australia website)
• Australia, Victoria, Wills, probate and administration files 1841-1926 (also available from the Public Record Office Victoria website)

The British Newspaper Archive added more new titles including:

• Liverpool Shipping Telegraph and Commercial Daily Advertiser 1846-1849, 1851-1872, 1874-1876, 1880, 1885-1897, 1899
• Harrogate Advertiser and Weekly List of Visitors 1865,1877,1880, 1889

Note the missing years. It is always necessary to check coverage to see if the dates that you want are covered by whatever database you are searching.

Talks

Sally Romano our September 
guest speaker

The September meeting of Bribie Genealogy had Sally Romano from Brisbane telling us all about writing a family history. Sally shared how she had written her own Days of Yore and gave tips and tricks that she learnt from that experience. She also stayed to lunch with some of our members and it was good to socialise again.

It seems I am having a rest from talking in September (apart from U3A). But I do have my keynote session at Sands of Time in October to finalise.

Also in October I have the road trip down to Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales. Giving several presentations on the Saturday for the Coffs Harbour District Family History Society. 

Also a bit strange to be booking in talks for 2023 but I now have some for Moreton Libraries and one for the Association of Professional Genealogists. 

What's Coming Up Next?

Fourth term of Bribie U3A will be about Family History Brickwalls. I'm hoping that as an interactive class we might be able to help each other solve our genealogy mysteries. Sounds better than me doing all the talking all the time.

Bribie Genealogy 

Our October meeting of Bribie Genealogy has Helen Smith as our guest speaker talking about dating photographs. This is a topic of huge interest to our members so it will be great to have Helen in person. Last time covid reared its ugly head and we had to Zoom. 

As I said at the beginning, I am ignoring all bright shiny objects for the time being, and doing some serious family history writing this month. And scanning, which is not as interesting as writing but just as important. Wish me luck. 

Happy researching until next time. Shauna

Geneatravelling, NFHM & upcoming geneaconferences & other news: My Genealogy Weeks 1-31 August 2022

 Where did August go? There was a feast of genealogy events across Australia and New Zealand and I hope that you managed to attend at least one or two.

Auckland Expo

 

Blogs

Christchurch Expo
in the Library 

Thanks to all my travelling over the last four weeks I haven't written anything. But I have notes from the AFFHO Congress on Norfolk Island and the family history expos in Auckland and Christchurch in New Zealand.

 Next on my list of things to do is a write up of the three events which were excellent. Some great speaker sessions and so good to talk to exhibitors in person again. 

Wearing a mask was still a pain but I have managed to successfully dodge covid so far.

Books

I have finally discovered Diana Gabaldon's series of books on historical Scotland. Currently reading Cross Stitch (title in the UK) but more commonly known as Outlander in the US. The local second hand bookshop had a number of titles in the series so I scooped them up and managed to get Book 2 from the Bribie Library.

Of course everyone just says why don't you just watch the series? My preference has always been to read the books first. Often I am disappointed in the television version. Although one exception to that would be the Poldark series with Aidan Turner! I had heard of the series Outlander but never felt compelled to watch.

Sunset on Norfolk Island
before theconference fish fry

The opening speaker for National Family History Month (more later) was Larissa Behrendt and she gave an excellent address on writing fictional family history. I had not come across her books before so I checked out the local Moreton Libraries and there were two sitting on the shelf in other libraries. 

My reservation of both books meant they were delivered to Bribie Library the next day. Amazing service. The only bad news was Moreton Libraries didn't have her first book and again I am a bit of a stick in the mud. I like to read books in order. Might buy the ecopy if there is one.

Either way I have a heap of books to read.

Conferences

Our own Sands of Time Conference is coming up quickly on 21-23 October. Early bird registration has been extended so not too late to make plans to attend. Redcliffe is a bayside suburb of Brisbane and just across the waterway from Bribie Island so I won't have to travel far. I have been working on my keynote talk and also undertaking my ambassador duties for the conference. 

November sees me travelling to Sydney for the Family History Down Under 2022 conference which will be mega. Check out the program and it is a hybrid so you can participate from anywhere. 

National Family History Month

Both the opening and closing events for National Family History Month are available under the Videos tab on the home page. I really recommend both events if you want to hear some thought provoking views of family history.

During August Alex Daw (aka Family Tree Frog), and coordinator of NFHM, ran a blogging challenge. See her first post outlining the challenge here.

Talks

I seem to have done a lot of talking lately at Norfolk Island, Auckland and Christchurch in New Zealand and Noosaville the day after I got back home. No rest for the wicked. As usual the slides from the presentations can be seen on the Resources page of my website.

I have also been giving my sessions on Scottish Genealogy to the Bribie U3A group.

What's Coming Up Next?

In two weeks we have the Riding the Waves of History Conference which is the virtual conference from the NSW &ACT Association of Family History Societies.There is an excellent program to be enjoyed from the comfort of your own homes. 

Term 4 at Bribie U3A will be all about demolishing family history brick walls. I wonder how many will sign up for that class?

Plus I want to find some more time to write my own family histories and continue my scanning saga of documents and photographs. I also need to resist the urge to do additional research which is why I never seem to finish any family history draft. 

Enjoy all the geneaoffering available online and I hope you make some exciting discoveries with all the new resources.

Until next time, take care and stay safe. Shauna