Paul O'Keefe coming to Victoria

My mate Paul O'Keefe has let me know that he will be travelling south of the border to Victoria in August. You can read all about Paul on his website Neducate.

Paul, who lectures on his ancestor, Ned Kelly, is an engaging and entertaining speaker. Here is what I said after I first heard him present : http://geniaus.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/spine-tingling-stuff.html.

Paul's gig at El Dorado (not too far from Wangaratta) will be a charity event with funds raised going to the local El Dorado Museum.

Trove Tuesday - A question answered

Two years ago I wrote this post, Do you know Nellie Francisco?, which I will copy below. 
at the end of the post I posed a question to which I now have an answer. Please read on....

Do you know Nellie Francisco?

Going through an old photo album with my Mother today we came cross this photo "That's Nellie Francisco, I was her bridesmaid", Mum said.

Knowing that the photo was taken in Cobar I had a look at the NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages Online Historical Indexes. I put Francisco in the Brides Last Name at Marriage box, selected a date range of 1935 to 1945 and Cobar as the District where the event was registered.  Here is what I found.

It appears that Nellie (Ellen Elizabeth) became Mrs Jack Richard Buckley in 1940. 

Mum couldn't recall the name of the little flowergirl. I wonder who she was?

--------------------------------

I go back to Trove every now and then to repeat my searches. As I had a few minutes to spare recently I popped the terms Elsie Duncan Cobar into the search box to see what new items I could find and I was rewarded with an answer to my question. The little girl's name is Melva Bourne. You can read all about the wedding in this report that I found on Trove.

1940 'WEDDING.', Molong Express and Western District Advertiser (NSW : 1887 - 1954), 6 April, p. 8, viewed 18 March, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140648797

This example demonstrates the value of redoing our Trove searches.

A Thoroughly Modern Genie?

I am thrilled to be heading up to our beautiful Central Coast in August to present a day's workshop for The Wyong Family History Group. I note that attendance is not restricted to Group members so if you would like to join in this day's activities in the event that they have titled "Family History in the Modern Era". I would love to see you.

Full details and the online booking form are available here on the new Wyong site.

Booking Form for Event

It is wonderful to see the Committee at Wyong embracing 21st century technology with their online booking system.

A Hornsby Date for your Diaries

I have been notified that the next family history talk at my local library in Hornsby will be presented by Local Studies Librarian, Neil Chippendale.

Neil Chippendale worked as Local History Librarian for the London Borough of Hounslow for 14 years. He also operated a small family history business titled "Chippendale's Family History Research Service". He worked for the Cairn's and Maryborough Family History Societies and also did work for Janet Reakes. He moved to Australia several years ago and now works for Hornsby Shire Council in NSW running the local and family history sections of the library service.

Please contact The Library for Bookings

*****

Neil Chippendale

will talk on

An introduction to English & Welsh Family History

at

          Hornsby Shire Library,

28-44, George Street, Hornsby.

2077

on

Friday 30^th May 2014

at

2:00 PM

$5:00

To book please phone 9847-6614

For further information phone

Hornsby Local Studies: 9847 6807.

Linking Lives to Learning and Leisure

Suez Canal Transit

Tomorrow we will transit the Suez Canal.  I wonder how the statistics compare with those from 1891.

1891 'SUEZ CANAL TRANSIT.', The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), 5 October, p. 2, viewed 8 May, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12727812

Moores and Munros

It's always exciting to hear from distant cousins.

This week through my family site I have made two exciting new connections. One for Mr GeniAus' Munro line from Paisley, Renfrewshire in Scotland and one for my Moores (Tierney from Dungog line).

What is fantastic is that my new Moore contact lives just a few kilometers from me and we are making arrangements to catch up in the near future. I can't wait to have this certificate and photo sharing session.

Now I must take a look at my data and make sure that it is all squeaky clean before I share too much with these new contacts.

GeniAus' Family Site

Do you know Peg?

I recently found this photo of Mum with two of her sisters, Kathleen and Eileen, and a friend named Peg. It may have been taken in Cobar or Kensington, NSW in the early 1940s.

L_R Elsie Duncan, Kathleen Duncan, Peg, Eileen Duncan