Genealogy notes 30 Jul - 5 Aug 2014 Start of National Family History Month

I always knew the lead in to National Family History Month was going to be busy but I have been flat out like a lizard drinking! It was great to be in Canberra for the launch at the National Archives of Australia, sponsor of the launch since 2006. You can read about my report on the launch here. It was also a great opportunity to catch up with old NAA colleagues and friends from HAGSOC (nice to see the PR for NFHM on their home page).

I did not have to remember why I left Canberra as it was a bit snowy on the day of the launch, although I always did love seeing the snow on the Brindabellas and the flight home the next day was pretty with all the snow lying around in southern New South Wales. By the time I got home to Bribie the cold front had moved north and I still needed a cardy!

My 31 activities for individuals in NFHM are now on the Resources page of my website and there are also 31 activities for genealogy/family history societies there too. Nothing is compulsory and you can do as many or as few activities as you want during the month. Remember there are other online events in the NFHM web calendar. Also on the NFHM website are the giveaway prizes from NFHM sponsors and details of how to enter are on the Home Page.

When I agreed to do my 11 talks for Moreton Bay Region Libraries I was only thinking it was one hour talks not factoring in travel time. Moreton must be one of the bigger shires as the travel time varies from 8 minutes to the Bribie Library to almost an hour to the Arana Hills Library where I am speaking today. I am giving 5 talks this week but only one next week as it is Ekka time. The following week is also only one talk with the final three in the last week of NFHM. The giveaway prize draw takes place at the Redcliffe Library on 27 August and I do thank Moreton Bay Region Libraries for their fantastic support during NFHM. As well as myself, they have other speakers giving family history talks too.

State Library of Victoria asked me to do a guest blog on their Family Matters blog for NFHM and you can read it here. This will be the first Family History Feast that I have missed since we first started it back in 2004 so a bit sad. But fantastic that it continues even though two of us have retired! And of course they do podcasts of the speakers so I will be able to listen once the sessions go online. Something to anticipate!

Sadly I suspended my own personal blog challenge 52 Weeks of Genealogical Records in 2014 as I simply could not keep it up and still get all the events etc up for NFHM but I will return to it in September. Sharon (The Tree of Me) has been playing catchups with it and I have just put links to her posts on my website. It is always interesting to see how others approach a set blog post and it is great for finding new ideas.

I have promised to blog my 31 activities for the month but haven't done so yet. One new thing that I have done is set up a Pinterest account and have boards for NFHM and Diary of an Australian Genealogist. Social media is amazing and there are so many things you can do to express yourself and your interests online. Not only did I put some NFHM photographs on Pinterest but  I also put some on the NFHM Facebook page. HAGSOC member Jeanette Hahn took some photos of the launch and has given us permission to use them.

Time for me to head off to Arana Hills Library and my third talk for NFHM and I hope everyone else is having a great time this August. Until next time, happy researching.

Genealogy Notes 22-29 Jul 2014 getting ready for National Family History Month 2014

As some of you may know I am the voluntary coordinator of National Family History Month which is an initiative of AFFHO, the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations. As it is only three days to the start of NFHM 2014 just about everything I am doing at present is NFHM related.

I am working on a few things that I cannot put up on the website until 31 July as we do not want people jumping the gun which makes it a bit hard for me as last minute stuff is always tricky. What if my internet plays up or I get sick or my laptop dies? Yes I am a worrier but I do want this NFHM to be bigger and better than previous years.

I did a media interview with the Seniors newspaper so I hope that we get some publicity in their August issue. It is often hard to attract media attention but we send out media notices and hope that it is a slow news day. All of our NFHM sponsors also help promote NFHM through their own enewsletters and social media.

Events are still going up and the launch is all organised. Although last night's weather did not thrill me. There was some talk that it might even snow in Canberra on Friday as a cold front is coming in. It will probably be frosty and that often reminded me of snow when I lived here. But fortunately for me most of the really frosty days seem to be after I leave and return home to sunny warm Queensland.

I came to Canberra early because I was attending the launch of Discovering ANZACs but it was postponed when the Governor General went to the Netherlands following the MH17 air tragedy. So I have some unexpected free time on my hands and a return trip to Canberra at some point.

I have been a member of Genes Reunited for years although I don't often go on and see what's new. So I have been trawling for some of my family names and finding that there are quite a few new people researching the same families. I have sent contact emails and already received some positive responses and when viewing their trees it is obvious that we are descended from the same ancestors just down different lines. A timely reminder to recheck databases from time to time as new material is continually being added.

The closure of State Records South Australia's reading rooms took me by surprise as I had not seen anything about it until after the event. The city search room closed on 18 July and the Gepps Cross reading closes on 1 August which is a bit of a sad start to NFHM. State Records is relocating its public access services to the State Library of South Australia so it will be interesting to see how that works. The State Library has some great events planned for NFHM so perhaps that will help fellow family historians get over their disappointment with State Records. See SLSA list of events on their website here.

I have been following the 5th Unlock the Past cruise with lots of great photos from them on Facebook and the occasional blog from Helen Smith and Alona Tester. It has almost been like I was there but not really. They seem to have had fantastic weather judging by the short sleeves which surprised me as I always think of the north of Scotland as cold and bleak. Too much Hamish Macbeth perhaps!

When I do return home at the weekend there will be no rest as on Monday I start the first of my 11 presentations for the Moreton Bay Region Libraries to celebrate NFHM and they have other speakers too so at this early stage I think Moreton is going to take out the title of most supporting public library for NFHM 2014. This also reminds me that I will need to finalise my talks  between now and then. The Events page of my website has where I am speaking and the NFHM web calendar for Queensland has all the Moreton events listed.

Only three more sleeps to NFHM 2014 - get ready for a huge month of genealogy and family history across Australia and New Zealand. Happy researching everyone.

Genealogy Notes 15-22 July 2014 - NFHM & exciting family finds

Wow the past week has been full on with all kinds of exciting things. National Family History Month is keeping me busy with more events added and there have been some changes to dates, times, venues and even a cancellation. So remember to keep checking the NFHM web calendar for any changes. There is also a new prize sponsor - Momento photo books so keep an eye out for news about the prize draws as we get into NFHM in just over a week's time. Full list of NFHM sponsors and prizes here.

Findmypast (a NFHM prize sponsor) have been doing 100 record sets in 100 days and some brilliant records have been added over the last 100 days but the one that got me most excited were the last four sets - Nos 97 - 100 Staffordshire baptisms, burials, marriages and banns. I have oodles of Staffordshire ancestors and have had a quick play (found my GGG grandfather's marriage and the deaths of my GG grandparents amongst other things ) but there is a fishing competition on this weekend and I will be alone for two days. So I am quietly planning my Staffordshire feast of family history for this weekend!

Peter from Lost Cousins also drew my attention to the Staffordshire records release as I have put my Staffordshire census information into the Lost Cousins database. I need to recheck that as more census information has been released since I last added my families.

Another NFHM prize sponsor, Inside History Magazine has featured a story on Max's ancestors which I discovered over a cup of tea this morning. Max's grandmother was the cousin of Archie Barwick who features in the new documentary The War That Changed Us so looking forward to seeing that  and to learning more about Archie. It goes to air on 5 August on the ABC so perfect timing for NFHM!

At the prompting of other relatives I have put my family trees up publicly in Ancestry (a major sponsor and a prize sponsor of NFHM) and I am a bit amazed at the distant relatives that have sent me emails and new information. It certainly pays to advertise but keeping up with all the new enquiries at this time is a little hectic. Thank goodness NFHM is only a month although there are some who have suggested it should be all year!!

I also been watching the new series of Who Do You Think You Are on SBS and found Andrew Denton's story so moving but then all the stories are interesting and get me wanting to do more research on my ancestors! Just wish some of them had led more exciting lives! If you have missed an episode you can watch them online too.

The other exciting news is that I have been invited to the launch of the National Archives of Australia's new Discovering ANZACs website by the Governor General and followed by high tea so definitely not to be missed. Luckily it is the same week that I am in Canberra for the launch of NFHM, next week is going to be huge. Plus I get to catch up with all my old Canberra friends.

The 5th Unlock the Past cruise is currently underway and both Alona and Helen have managed to write some blog posts and put pictures up on Facebook so that those of us not there can still find out all the news. Read Alona's posts here and Helen's here.

Trove is having a pre NFHM event and are looking for your family stories and there are some I Love Trove badges on offer so read all the details here but closing date is 30 July so be quick!

Well that's my news for this week and I will have another Diary update on Sunday before I head off to Canberra will all the latest news on NFHM. August is going to be a fantastic month for genealogy and family history. Happy researching.

Genealogy Notes 8-14 July 2014 A History Conference and other news

Since the last Diary I have been in Brisbane attending the annual Australian Historical Association history conference. While mostly academic history I find that some of the papers presented are also of interest to me in my love of all aspects of Australian history, especially colonial times. I have reported on the conference in my SHHE Genie Rambles blog on my website and you can read the report here. There is a link to the conference abstracts in the blog post for anyone who wants to look at the hundreds of papers presented over the five days plus other links which may be of interest.

One of the issues of being away from home for five days is trying to keep up with all my usual things. National Family History Month continues to get closer and we have another prize sponsor - Joy Murrin Family History Services.  I am still trying to decide on where to have the prize draw as I like to do it in front of an audience towards the end of NFHM. Moreton Bay Region Libraries have asked me to do 11 talks during NFHM so I need to revamp those talks too before August. I also have to finish my 31 things to do in NFHM for individuals and societies - this was popular last year so I am doing a revised version for 2014.

The launch of NFHM is on track and the winners of the Nick Vine Hall awards have been notified so that they can attend the launch. This year thanks to our major sponsors Ancestry.com.au, FamilySearch and MyHeritage we can bring both winners to Canberra which is really good. I think it is nice that I have started a new tradition (but then that might just be my personal bias).

I know that NFHM hasn't even started yet for 2014 but already I am thinking ahead to 2015. Sponsors, prizes, events and where to have the launch. I have moved it from Melbourne, to Brisbane and now to Canberra. Where to next for NFHM?

Invitations to speak are always nice to receive and 2015 is starting to look very busy. But in the past week I have also received invitations for the second part of this year. Fortunately the date suggested by the North Brisbane Branch of the Genealogical Society of Queensland was free so I am doing my church records talk there on 5 September. I used to go to their meetings back in the late 70s so we have known each other for a very long time. The other invitation is still not confirmed so more news next time. Details of all my talks for the rest of the year are here.

There are also lots of new records online and special offers around. Being tardy with my emails means that sometimes the offer is over before I even see it. But MyHeritage have a free offer to search their WW1 military records until the end of July. More about the offer here. Findmypast.com.au continue to add a staggering amount of records to their database and I find reading their blog the best way of finding out what's new. Read their blog posts here. I have also been looking at the Lives of the First World War website too. Ancestry.com.au have had free access to Australian records over the weekend and the offer ends today.

So while it is nice to go away for a five day history conference, you can miss out on other good things too. And of course I brought back a stack of new reading material and it is beautiful fine, sunny and warm outside (although the early mornings and evenings remind you that it is winter) so I am tempted to go outside and have a nice read. But that doesn't get blogs written, emails answered or talks prepared. Moderation in all things is a good motto so the kettle is on, my stack of Fryer Library journals on the poolside table and I am about to enjoy that winter sunshine with a nice chai latte! Until next time.

Genealogy notes 1-7 Jul 2014 NFHM & obituaries

Well another week has flashed by and National Family History Month is fast approaching. I have been busy adding events to the web calendar (over 200 events so far) and organising the launch. I also have to report two more sponsors. MyHeritage is now a major sponsor as well as a prize sponsor which is fantastic news. Patrica Barth from Family Tree Scriptorium is now a prize sponsor and it is great to see her association with NFHM continuing. Patricia is the widow of Nick Vine Hall after whom the AFFHO awards for best genealogy/family history society journal is named.

Hazel Edwards (author of How to Write a Non Boring Family History) let me know of an interesting idea that she picked up at a recent Victorian GUM Non Boring Family History Writing workshop. The attendees had to be their ancestor and were interviewed in an oral history type situation. I have often wondered what it would be like to have been one of my ancestors but I have never actually answered questions from their perspective. An interesting concept as thinking is one thing and actually writing down or verbalizing is another. Another thing on the 'to do' list.

Week 21 of my personal genealogy blog challenge 52 Weeks of Genealogical Records in 2014 was on obituaries. I don't have many in my own research but when you do find one, these records can break down records. Read about it here.

This week I am at the Australian Historical Association annual conference which is conveniently in Brisbane this year. I am also going to an all day session with the Professional Historians Association of Queensland and they have some nice little side trips organised. Tours of the John Oxley Library and the Fryer Library will be interesting as it is over 20 years since I worked at JOL and more than that since I visited Fryer as a uni student.

I am still immersed in a big writing project that threw me a few curved balls at the last minute so I really haven't had a chance to do much else as I definitely want to finish it before the start of NFHM. I know James Bond said 'Never Say Never' but I don't think I will go this path again. The whole point of my writing is that I enjoy it and I need to get back to that point again.

So look forward to all sorts of news from the AHA and PHAQ conference sessions in next Diary. Until next time happy researching!

Genealogy notes 23 - 30 June 2014 NFHM and writing blogs

Well the last week did not go as planned.Mum's birthday party went well and we had our little trip to Sea World and unbelievably the baby polar bear came out to play when I was standing right in front of his enclosure thinking I was going to miss him. Mum polar bear wasn't far behind him and the Dad polar bear was in another enclosure where we saw him swimming and having a good time too. So all up an excellent few days of family fun.

Then I made the mistake of deciding to rearrange some book cases and the layout of the study. I am happier with this rearrangement but it does take time regrouping and reshelving hundreds of books. We are definitely never moving again! Of course I also found books that I had not yet read so a nice little pile of them to look forward to. The other thing is that I have too many genealogy magazines and I can't bring myself to part even with the very outdated ones. I find that flicking through them gives me ideas or reminds me of things that I have forgotten about. Yet space and storage is a factor.

Some of my genealogy society memberships and genealogy magazines are only digital these days which saves space but out of sight out of mind. I need to write myself reminders to read these digital copies.

I think all of this was a bit of procrastination as whenever I get towards the end of a big writing project I always seem to find other things to do rather than tackle the fiddly bits and pieces to finish a job. Still it won't go away and that is the goal for this week.

There are two new posts in my personal genealogy blog challenge - 52 Weeks of Genealogical Records in 2014. Week 19 is Family Bibles and Week 20 is Mining Records. I am finding it hard to keep up the weekly blogs but it is really good to look at each topic and then to think about what ancestors I want to write about or look up new information on.

National Family History Month is still taking up time with new events being added all the time. I posted an update on my website - read the update here. Invitations to the launch have gone out and I have booked my flight and accommodation for Canberra. I think next year it has to be a warmer launch (but I guess that will be determined by whoever the voluntary coordinator is).

My findmypast.com.au subscription allows me to access British newspapers online and in another obvious display of procrastination I spent a lovely afternoon finding interesting bits and pieces in UK newspapers. I often do this with Trove or Papers Past so it was interesting to spend more time exploring the UK equivalent.

On Twitter I have been following all the new indexes on the Claim a Convict website. They are doing really good work and it is a must go to website for anyone with convicts. Deceased Online is another website that I follow on Twitter for updates on UK burials and cremations and of course FamilySearch is always adding to their website. Then there are all the nice links I pick up from Facebook genealogy friends and sometimes I go on Google + but keeping up with everything is tricky.

Genealogy friend Geniaus speculated in a blog post How Do You React? if anyone ever reads what we write and should we even keep writing. While I do write to share bits and pieces with my genealogy cyber buddies, I also write for myself. It is a way for me to record what I am doing, to write down ancestor stories, and to look back on what I have done over the past few years of having a website and blogging. The Wayback Machine (part of the Internet Archive) has captured snapshots of my website over the years and this Diary is archived in the National Library of Australia's Pandora web archive accessible through Trove.

So yes I do think people should keep on blogging and imagine if every genealogist and family historian blogged their family stories. We would be finding cousins all over the place and brick walls would come tumbling down which are some of the positives I have seen so far in my own writing.

And on that note I have to get back to some serious work! Until next time happy researching.

Genealogy Notes 17-22 Jun 2014 - National Family History Month 2014

This past week has been busy with lots of preparation for National Family History Month 2014 which is an initiative of AFFHO (Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations). I am the voluntary coordinator so I have been making arrangements with the National Archives of Australia for the launch. NAA have hosted the launch since 2006 so their support is really appreciated. Ancestry.com.au and FamilySearch are our two major sponsors this year and their is a long list of prize sponsors on the NFHM website.

Here is an image from last year's launch with Professor Cliff Pollard who spoke about WW1 nurses. Our 2014 keynote speaker is Dr Richard Reid on the Western Front 1914-1918.

Apart from launch arrangements I have also been busy checking events that ate being put into the NFHM web calendar. Spam is a problem for everyone so each event has to be approved before it becomes visible and lots of events have gone up over the last week. Any genealogy/family history society, library, archives or similar organisation can put their August events up in the web calendar. It is a great way for more people to see what events you hold.

I have also been doing a bit more promotion on the NFHM Facebook page and as of this morning there are 952 Likes so it definitely looks like we are going to hit the 1000 Likes before the launch of NFHM on 1 August. My thanks go to all my cyber buddies who help promote NFHM in their various social media circles.

I forgot to mention last time that Inside History Magazine asked me to do a guest blog on 'how to ask an expert'questions you have on your genealogy and family history research. You can read the blog post here. It is based on my own experiences trying to help people and the more clear and concise you are, the more likely someone will be able to give you the answer or suggest other things to look at.

It was a forgetful week last week as I also neglected to say that I met Rebecca Wheatley at the National Archives of Australia advisory meeting on the centenary of WW1. She is working on the Monash University One Hundred Stories Project and we were shown some very moving and emotional stories about soldiers who came home from the war. These are being put on YouTube and the link is here. Penguin is planning to publish a book of the One Hundred Stories in November 2015.

One of my favourite online newsletters is Lost Cousins which comes out every week. Another is Snippets from Queensland Family History Society and I am a subscriber to Dick Eastman's newsletter (plus edition as I like the longer articles as well as his short news stories). Dick also suggested that I put the NFHM event up on his web calendar which I have done and I must remember to check that more often myself.

My talk at the Caloundra Family History Research group went well and I was showing them some of my favourite Google tools for family history. As usual I have placed a copy of the talk on the Resources page of my website, scroll down to Presentations. Google is always changing so I need to update the talk every time I do that presentation.

I have got another busy week planned with lots of writing - there are a couple of jobs that I simply must finish before we get too close to NFHM. From 7-11 July I am attending the annual conference of the Australian Historical Association which is in Brisbane this year. There is also a Professional Historians Association Queensland day in conjunction with the AHA conference so I am going to that as well. Should be a stimulating week of history and networking.

Today we are finally getting to celebrate Mum's 80th birthday (having had to delay it several times due to her not being all that well). So I must dash as I don't think she will want to be kept waiting (we are the ones picking her up and taking her to the venue). Final thoughts - not genealogy I'm afraid but I am finally treating myself to a trip to Sea World to see the polar bears so an exciting week coming up. Happy researching.