Monday, October 31, 2016

First on Librarything

I had been dragging the chain with my purchase of  Getting the Most from Family Historian 6 by Simon Orde but I finally succumbed and ordered it from Gould Genealogy 11 days ago. For the past week I have been watching out for the Australia Post man who finally delivered the book half an hour ago.

I love Family Historian and for the most part find it intuitive but sometimes I need help. Although Family has excellent online support I sometimes like to follow instructions from a book (call me old-fashioned). I'll read this book over the next few days and let you know what I think of it.

I was surprised, when I entered the details into my Librarything account, to find that I was the first person to add the book to that database.

SAG at Hawkesbury

I had a pleasant time at the Society of Australian Genealogists event in the Hawkesbury last Saturday.

Michelle Nichols
When I arrived early at Windsor Library Danielle Lautrec, Education Officer from SAG, was in attendance and ready with her clipboard to welcome attendees. When the Library opened at 9am we all trooped in to be welcomed by Michelle Nichols, Hawkesbury Local Studies Librarian and font of local knowledge. Our group of a dozen plus (I didn't count) settled into one of the library's comfortable meeting rooms.

Danielle introduced herself and asked us to share our Hawkesbury connections. I think only one attendee didn't have Hawkesbury connections. After this round table Michelle entertained us with her  talk on early history of the Hawkesbury which gave us lots of information to add colour to names and dates in our family trees. Although I had heard this talk before I still learnt lots as Michelle tailors her talks to each audience she addresses.

Following the history Michelle discussed the resources in the local studies collection at Windsor. It is a well-stocked collection with many genealogy resources for people researching in New South Wales and beyond. After this intro we adjourned to the local history area to do some personal research. The local history section at Windsor is in a bright and comfortable corner of the library and is a pleasant environment in which to work.


The Local Studies Area at Hawkesbury Library, Windsor

At 12:30pm some of the group adjourned to the historic Macquarie Arms Hotel for sustenance and a chat. After we had refuelled Danielle took us on a visit to the adjacent Hawkesbury Regional Museum. Both the Hawkesbury Library and Museum are housed in spacious, modern buildings. The Council is to be commended on its support of local heritage and history.

This was a fab format for a SAG event. Thanks to Danielle for looking after the group and Michelle for the presentations and guidance.

I hope SAG organises more regional visits in the future. I would love to do a similar visit to Camden where my Curry ancestors were early inhabitants.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Win a Rootstech Registration

All of the Official Ambassadors for the Rootstech 2017 Conference have been given a Free Rootstech Pass to give away to one of their readers/followers/groupies. If they all Ambassadors participate there will be a lot of free passes on offer up to the cutoff  on November 30.

I must put my thinking cap on and devise a game of skill or chance so that I can also give my prize away. In the meantime I am noticing that several of my Genimates have posted details of thier competitions.

Ruby Baird has put details of her giveaway on her Instagram Account : her Instagram handle is @genealogyrambler. Her blog can be found here:  genealogyrambler.blogspot.com

Randy Seaver has his on his blog at http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/10/win-free-rootstech-2017-february-8-11.html

Lara Diamond has also shared details of her giveaway on her blog here: https://larasgenealogy.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/rootstech-free-admission-contest.html

As I see more competitions appear I will try to share them on social media.

GAGs - GeniAus' Gems - 28 October 2016

I can't quite remember what I have lined up for my post this week so let's dive into the Evernote notebok where I store my selections and see what I have for you.

A snip from my GAGs Evernote Notebook

1. Some bonus information for Kylie
http://blog.kyliesgenes.com/2016/10/baptism-record/

2. Sorry Sandra - she's not my Elizabeth Clarke/Clark.
http://ancestralresearchjournal.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/i-am-looking-for-elizabeth-clarke-do.html

3. A local album shared with The State Library.
https://berowralivinghistory.com/2016/10/28/the-reluctant-punt-passenger/

4. After five years for Kate's blog post finds an answer.
http://chineseaustralia.org/emma-tear-tack/

5. A South African geneablogger writes a post with an Australian flavour.
http://molegenealogy.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/the-ghosts-of-kangaroo-island.html

6. I tune into some of these Illinois presentations.
http://blog.geneawebinars.com/2016/10/illinois-state-genealogical-society.html

7. What do you do with family heirlooms?
http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2016/10/25/incorporating-family-heirlooms-into-your-decor/

8. A preservation project at GSQ.
http://gsqld.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/the-wheeler-project.html

9. I was caught out by Sharon's title
http://genealogymatters2me.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/trove-tuesday-man-who-hanged-his-wife.html

10. It's a good thing that I enjoy the sounds of silence.
http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/mindfulness/silence-good-brain/

11. Shelley's experiment generated some good conversations in the geneasphere.
http://twigsofyore.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/ancestry-hints-good-great-horrid.html

12. Another analysis on the Australian Genealogist Rockstar event from John. Interesting to see which overseas genies we love.
http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/rockstar-genealogist-extra-australianew.html

I usually don't include posts written by yours truly but, as I want to highlight the work of a dedicated group from Ku-ring-gai, I'm sharing this link:
http://kuringgaihs.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/award-for-khs-world-war-i-writers-group.html

New to Me Aussie Blogs:
World Connections To Ceylon and India Trees  http://ceylonandindiaconnectionsworldwide.blogspot.com.au/

What Next? Cake Competition at Rootstech

Another Keynote who is unknown to me - can't wait to hear his presentation.

The Cake Boss Buddy Valastro Will Keynote, Judge at RootsTech 2017: Popular Italian-American celebrity chef, Buddy Valastro, of the hit TLC series, Cake Boss™ will keynote RootsTech 2017 on Saturday, February 11, 2017 and judge cake decorating contest hosted by RootsTech.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Rootstech Keynote Announced

Familysearch have shared details of one of the keynote speakers for Rootstech 2017. LeVar Burton. Although I'm not familiar with him or most of the people selected as keynotes for Rootstech over the years I look forward to these keynote presentations as the Rootstech organisers have a knack for  selecting amazing keynote presenters.

Salt Lake City, UT,
October
19,
2016

Reading Rainbow’s LeVar Burton Will Keynote RootsTech 2017

FamilySearch International is pleased to announce that LeVar Burton will be the Friday keynote speaker at RootsTech 2017 on February 10, 2017. Burton is known by millions for his legendary starring role as Kunta Kinte in 1977 in the globally acclaimed and award-winning ABC mini series, Roots, as chief engineer Geordi La Forge in the iconic Star Trek: The Next Generation television series, and as host and executive producer of the beloved PBS children’s series, Reading Rainbow. Burton was also the co-executive producer of the re-envisioned production of Roots that aired in June of this year on the A&E Networks. 
Reading Rainbow was one of the longest running children’s television shows in TV history (1983-2009) and one of the most acclaimed, earning more than 200 awards including 26 Emmys and a Peabody. "There's a whole new generation of kids that need to develop a relationship with the written word, especially, I believe, in this ultra-technological age. I'm in this for the mission. This is what I do," said Burton.
He is excited about the opportunity to keynote at RootsTech where he plans to share personal stories about RootsStar Trek, his Reading Rainbow foundation, and also stories of his mom and her commanding influence on him.
"The story of Roots traces a family's journey from Africa to America and back. At RootsTech, I'll share some of my own journey of family, storytelling and the influence of African culture on my American Experience."
Burton’s acting career began as a college student at the University of Southern California with his first-ever audition—winning the role of Kunta Kinte in ABC’s wildly popular 1977 TV mini-series, Roots. Thus, at age 19, he found his picture on the cover of Time magazine. Soaring to stardom was only the beginning for Burton. He followed it with many roles—most notably in Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
An advocate for children’s literacy, Burton’s Reading Rainbow provides an outlet for innovative uses of storytelling. Reading Rainbow uses technology and media to inspire today’s children to love reading, and is currently the number one educational app on iTunes. The digital service includes more than 500 children’s fiction and non-fiction books, and 200 newly-produced video field trips with new content added weekly.
RootsTech is held at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City and will be simulcasted around the world with many sessions recorded for later viewing. RootsTech offers a line-up of world-class speakers, thrilling entertainment and engaging classes and activities with a bigger-than-ever expo hall. There will be something for everyone regardless of age or experience. Registration for RootsTech is currently open at reduced rates at RootsTech.org. Rootstech 2017 is sponsored by FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com and MyHeritage.com.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Poor cousins downunder

Having read what my genimates from across the seas have to say about Ancestry's We're  Related App I thought I'd  join the fun, download it and play.

I was thwarted  -  the app is not available for download  in Australia.


Trove Tuesday - Emmie Ball

Emmie Ball, a Great-aunt of Mr GeniAus, married Eric Gladstone Deadman from Liverpool, NSW. I turned to Trove to add some Emmie stories to our family tree.

1918 'A SOLDIER'S BRIDE.', The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), 27 April, p. 11. , viewed 25 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article86204916

This article reported that Emmie was a Bridesmaid at her Brother, Fred's wedding. 

"The chief bridesmaids were Miss Emmie Ball (sister of the bridegroom) and Mrs. Lucy Fox (the bride's sister), both wearing pale pink silk voile and carrying bouquets of pink and white chrysanthemums."

1920 'LIVERPOOL.', The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), 29 May, p. 5. , viewed 25 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article103251637




1920 'LIVERPOOL.'The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), 11 December, p. 5. , viewed 25 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article103257807

Emmie celebrates her Coming of Age.




1921 'WEDDINGS IN THE DISTRICT.'The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), 24 September, p. 4. , viewed 25 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article103815353

Emily is a Bride: 

"WEDDINGS IN THE DISTRICT.
A LIVERPOOL BRIDE.
A quiet wedding was celebrated at St. Bede's Church of England, Drummoyne, on Thursday, the 8th Inst., when Miss Emily Ball, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Ball, of "Dorking Villa," George-street, Liverpool, was married to Mr. Eric Gladstone Deadman, youngest son of Ald. S. and the late Mrs. Deadman,of Goulburn-street, Liverpool; the Rev. S. Deadman, brother of the bridegroom, offic-iated. The bride was given away by her brother, Mr. James Ball, Marrickville,and
was daintily gowned in apricot georgette,beautifully embossed with a hat to match. Miss Lily Toner attended as bridesmaid,and wore a pretty frock of white crepe de chine and a black picture hat. Mr. E.
McDermott was best man. After the ceremony, the bridal party left for Liverpool, where about 40 guests were entertained at the residence of the bride's parents, and the usual toasts were honored. The evening was spent in dancing and singing; Vocal and musical items were contributed by Mesdames Jackson and E. Hanna,Miss C. Deadman, Messrs. F. Weekes. J. Kaye, H. Watt, T. Fitzpatrick and Johnson. Later mr. and Mrs. Deadman left midst cheers and good wishes for their
honeymoon, which is being spent at Ka-toomba, thence to Wollongong; the bride travelling in a smart navy crepe de chine costume and a small mastic hat.


1921 'WEDDINGS IN THE DISTRICT.'The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), 3 December, p. 4. , viewed 25 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article103816337

Emily attended the wedding of her friend Lily Grundy.
1931 'Advertising'The Biz (Fairfield, NSW : 1928 - 1972), 17 April, p. 4. , viewed 25 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article76326910

Emily auctioned some property:

1944 'Family Notices'The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 4 May, p. 10. , viewed 25 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17906257

Emily's mother dies:
BALL - May 3 1944 Emily fond wife of John James, and dear mother of Hannah, Fred, Emily, James (deceased) and of James Kay aged 79 years.
1944 'LIVERPOOL', The Biz (Fairfield, NSW : 1928 - 1972), 12 October, p. 3. , viewed 25 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article76278461


"Mrs. E. Deadman. of Goulburn Street, Liverpool, was admitted to Parramatta District Hospital on October 4."


1945 'Family Notices', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 16 June, p. 24. , viewed 25 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27937197

Emmie's son is killed in action:

DEADMAN.-May 14, 1945, killed in action, Bougainville, NX194063, Lance-Cpl. Colin Frederick, dearly loved elder son of Mr. and Mrs. Eric Deadman, of 46 Goulburn Street,Liverpool, and brother of Jean, Norman, James, Leslie, Shirley, and Barry. Duty nobly done.

1950 'Family Notices', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 16 May, p. 18. , viewed 25 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18167306

Emily's father passes away:

BALL, John James. — May 15, 1950, formerly of Liverpool, husband of the late Emily Ball, and dear father of Annie, Fred, and Emilie, aged 84 years.

I couldn't find any further references in Trove to Emily who passed away in 1959.







Monday, October 24, 2016

A First Cousin Once Removed

Some time last year when Mr GeniAus tracked down the contact details of his father's first cousin he immediately contacted her by 'phone and asked would she mind if we visited some time.  Then life got in the way.

Finally on Sunday we made our way up the motorway to the Port Stephens region where the cousin resides. We had armed ourselves with some ancestor charts, a narrative on some of her Ball ancestors, copies of photos and some chocolate biscuits. Can you believe I left my camera behind in our accommodation in Newcastle? Luckily Mr GeniAus and I both had our mobile 'phones. I had my laptop in the car but didn't take it into the house initially as I didn't want to overwhelm this octogenerian. 

Mr GeniAus' Grandfather - there is a strong family resemblance
We organised our arrival for 10:00 am so the cousin wouldn't feel obligated to feed us. Of course we stayed longer and enjoyed lunch with the cousin and her husband. The cousin was most interested in her family history but didn't have any certificates or documents to share. She corroborated stories we had heard and gave us some names and dates that provided enough clues to track down references for some BDMs  and burials. She was able to help us identify some family members in our photos and we set her straight on one she had mislabelled. 

It was a Win-Win day - we came away with images of two studio photographs of Mr GeniAus' Great-grandmother one of which was with his Grandfather. This was so special because the only photos we have of these two are a couple of blurry amateur images. The cousin was delighted because of the documents we had prepared for her. 

The icing on the cake was when I fetched my computer from the car and read the cousin an account of her parents' wedding I had found on Trove. When we got home Mr G printed off a hard copy and have mailed it to her with a copy of her Grandmother's will.

I had a fun day today going through the notes and finding references including articles from Trove to add to my database.

Collaboration Rocks.

Friday, October 21, 2016

GAGs - GeniAus' Gems - 21 October 2016

I had my grandparent's hat on today at one of the granddaughter's schools so this GeniAus' Gems is an evening edition.

Mr GeniAus is interviewed today at Grandparents' Day
It feels like I have read and saved lots of beaut blog posts to Evernote this week and, although I could share them all with you, I like to restrict my list to no more than a baker's dozen. My tough task for the next half hour or so is to cull my saved list. I reiterate that this list is subjective and reflects what strikes a chord with me.





5. Because I have family in Eastwood.

6. For my mates who are bibliophiles.

7. Help needed by one of the quirky blogs I follow.

8. On keeping a diary - from Patsy.
https://patsytrench.com/2016/10/17/keeping-a-diary/


10. Do you use this phrase?
http://ozwords.org/?p=7379



New to Me Blogs

 Gordon Family History https://gordonfamhistory.wordpress.com/

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Funeral Booklets

When I attended a family funeral yesterday both Mr GeniAus and I took a funeral booklet/order of service.



I have been sorting out my huge "to be sorted" pile of ephemera this week and I came across several duplicate funeral books for family members. I really only need one of each for my files. I then remembered the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet where I have a collection of funeral books for unrelated people. I have saved all of the funeral books for services I have attended over the years plus I have been given some by people who are aware of my hoardng and genealogy obsessions.  I realised that these private publications can be a goldmine of genealogical information and wondered  if I should I should share them with the geneacommunity. Some of the earliest booklets I have are quite simple while some of the newer ones are quite sophisticated publications but they all contain genealogical data. One would hope that the people compiling these publications  provide accurate information.

The latest addition to my collection gives birth and death dates for the deceased, the name of the celebrant and the names of those taking part in the service. It is highly likely that some of these people are family members. The booklet also has two pages of photographs of the deceased covering his life span. Some of these booklets give other information like the date and time of the service and details of the burial or cremation.

I am going to gather up my collection of duplicate family booklets and those for unrelated persons and offer them to a genealogy society or library that I hope will index them. I may even offer to index them if the repository provides me with guidelines.

What do you do with the funeral booklets you collect? Please don't toss them - send them to me and I'll add them to my collection.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Trove Tuesday - Adding to the Pusell story

Nearly everyone in Australia with the name of Pusell (and variants) is related to me. We are descendants of the convict James Pusill


My Grandmother Ethel Jane Pusell (Bottom right) and siblings
As I hadn't done a simple Trove search for Pusell in a while I thought it time to repeat the search. I was rewarded with a few more snippets about my Pusell cousins. I found all of these in The Lithgow Mercury (NSW : 1898 - 1954)  that must have been digitised since I last did this search. While I was at it I also corrected the text in most of the articles I found.

An obituary confirmed much of the infoormation I had on this family and provided some new leads. As the original article is hard to read I am providing a transcription.

LITHGOW
DEATHS
MRS. J. PUSELL
Particularly well known in Lithgow district where she had lived for many years, Mrs. Eliza Jane Pusell, late of the Pottery Enclosure, passed away last night, in Lithgow hospital, aged 71years.
Deceased had been a patient at the hospital for the past four months and her passing was not unexpected. 


Although of a quiet, home-loving nature, the late Mrs. Pusell had an unusually large circle of friends who will mourn her passing. Born at Bylong, she is sur-vived by her husband, Mr. John James Pusell and one son and four daughters, members of the family being Mr. John James Pusell, Jnr., of Woilon-
gong, Charlotte (Mrs. K. Ross, of Brisbane), Alice (Mrs. B.Hanby, of Auburn), Mary (Mrs.F. Jackson, of Pottery Estate and Lena (Mrs. R. Delaney, of Kurri Kurri),. to whom sym-pathy will be extended.

A resident of the Pottery Estate for many years, deceas-ed did not take an active interest in public affairs, but was a keen conversationalist and was every ready to help in times of trouble. Her value
as a neighbor and friend was held in high regard and she held the esteem of all who knew her.

The funeral has been, set down for tomorrow, being scheduled to leave the funeral parlors of Messrs. Wood and Wood following a service tim-ed to begin at 4 p.m. for in-terment in the Church of Eng-
land portion of Bowenfels cemetery.

 Source: 1953 'LITHGOW DEATHS', Lithgow Mercury (NSW : 1898 - 1954), 6 March, p. 2. (CITY EDITION), viewed 17 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223420813

From 1926 I have a mystery to solve - I don't know which of the Pusell girls is referred to in this article.

1926 '"Miss Lithgow" Candidates.', Lithgow Mercury (NSW : 1898 - 1954), 31 December, p. 4. , viewed 17 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224582558
Text Transcription for the above article: 
Miss Pusell, has been nominated by the Lithgow Athletic Club, the members of which are determined to demon-strate they have organising as well as athletic ability. They have several schemes in mind which are calculated to give them a good fighting, fund. Miss Pusell has an engaging personality, and this should stand her in good stead when votes are being sought.

There were details of a fatal accident:

1948 'ANOTHER MOTOR CYCLE TRAGEDY', Lithgow Mercury (NSW : 1898 - 1954), 12 August, p. 2. , viewed 17 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219740239


I won't publish the 1948 birth notice I found for a previously unknown cousin of mine as I hope she is still alive and kicking. I have added her to my family history database.
This wedding report gave me further info on family members:


1933 'WRIGHT-PUSELL WEDDING',Lithgow Mercury (NSW : 1898 - 1954), 12 October, p. 4. (TOWN EDITION), viewed 17 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219557835


Sunday, October 16, 2016

Time for a Facelift

This old blog was looking a bit tired.

I had to play with the layout to update to my Rootstech Ambassador Badge and my Gold Rockstar 2016 badge so the blog's appearance has been on my mind. My 7th Blogiversary is just around the corner so it's time for change.

When writing a post earlier today I used the image below and thought that it would make a nice header so I went over to Canva, imported the image and played around. See the result of my playing above.


I've had a few green leafy headers, some white and blue ones and some featuring my tribe of grandchildren but I've never featured myself. I loved the colours of the ocean in this photo from Waimea Bay so I thought I'd give it a go. The image tones in nicely with the Rootstech Ambassador Badge too. Of course I included my avatar drawn by my now 15 year old granddaughter when she was just six, I have to include that as it is my brand.

To maintain consistency I may have to change my Facebook and other Social Media headers too.

I'm pleased with my facelift.

Diving into the too hard basket


I've invested a few $$$ into DNA tests for family members.

So far I have tested with Ancestry DNA and FTDNA and Mr GeniAus, My Mum and Mr GeniAus' cousins have tested with FTDNA. I uploaded my results to Gedmatch some time ago. I also have three more kits for other family members to use.

DNA research had been in my gunna pile or too hard basket.  I haven't devoted much time to chasing up connections. I wonder if this is because most of the approaches I made to other folk have been ignored. Added to this I am scientifically illiterate so this DNA stuff doesn't come easily to me.

Since my Mum's results came in I thought I should bite the bullet and devote some time to DNA. This has been my week for it. I have uploaded Mum's results and Mr GeniAus' results to Gedmatch plus I have uploaded gedcoms for all three of us. Unfortunately Mr GeniAus doesn't have any significant matches on Gedmatch . I have had fun with Mum's results and have identified and contacted several folk with whom we both match.

I only got an MTDNA test for one of Mr GeniAus' cousins - I will add an autosomal test for her. Another of his cousins is only on FTDNA with an autosomal test. I have been talking to her and she kindly given me access to her results so I am adding a Gedcom for her to FTDNA and uploading her results to Gedmatch  (at least Mr GeniAus is assured of one close match then).

As I have been disappointed with the lack of responses I have had from my closest matches I thought about identifying less close matches who might actually answer me. As a first step I downloaded all of Mum's and my matches and combined them into one spreadsheet. That's 2410 matches. I went through these and identified all of the email addresses that were obviously Australian plus a couple I recognised as belonging to genimates. I also identified those who were matches to both Mum and I. I  have started emailing people from these groups.

I am pleased to report a modicum of success. Both of the genimate's email addresses I recognised sent me replies. I have been envious of my genimate Sharn who has found connections with people we know. The good news is that I have a connection with Mr Cassmob, my genimate Pauleen's husband. I suspect that this is way back in Ireland - time will tell.

I had speedy responses from three other Australians I emailed but nothing from the overseas ones who connect with Mum and I.  A new 4th cousin match on my Irish Ryan/Harrington line responded to me. Once this lady gave me her grandparents' names it was easy to place her in my tree. It's such a good feeling when one can confirm one's paper trail with DNA.

There was another surprise in my mailbox yesterday - I got a message from a chap who matches both Mum and me. I responded straight away with some thoughts about where we may connect. I just hope he replies.

After trying to use Genome Mate Pro to track my matches I have left it in the too hard basket for the time being. I am sticking with my home grown spreadsheet. On comparing my columns with those suggested in a post on Kitty Cooper's blog I found that I had only missed two of the suggested columns: "Date – I use the date the Match was made (a sort on this column lets me see the most recent) and Tree – copy in the URL of any Tree or site for your Match’s Tree. I've added those." I also have the matches names in one column but will split these as suggested "Match Name (two columns for first and last names, which permit a sort either way)". I have an additional column for the geographical location of the match. That spreadsheet is just for managing my connections I am still pondering how I'll track matching segments.

I'm wanting to highlight my DNA matches in my Family Historian software and am hoping that some user who is cleverer than me will come up with a solution.

Should you want to see if you are a cousin of mine on Gedmatch please do a one-to one comparison with me T775101 or my Mum Elsie T929154.

Although my dive has been a challenge my vigorous attack on the too hard basket has given me an increased understanding of DNA and yielded some positive results.

More diving is on my agenda.


Friday, October 14, 2016

You're invited

One of the hats I wear is as an organiser of the Hornsby Shire Family History Group.
Jenny Joyce
At our formal meetings each month we have a guest speaker. In organising the speakers' program I have been fortunate to have several of my genimates as guest presenters. I am so appreciative of your support.

Next Wednesday Jenny Joyce will be presenting The Amazing things in the UK Gazettes, an informative talk I first heard at the Canberra Congress last year. If you have ancestors from the UK and would like to hear how this resource can assist your research you would be most welcome to join us at Hornsby Library at 2:00 pm on Wednesday 19th October. Further details.

You will be assured of a warm welcome and a great learning experience.

This is a FREE event. 

GAGs - GeniAus' Gems - 14 October 2016

Thanks to those readers who sent me messages after the reappearance of my GeniAus' Gems posts last week and to the vigilant Randy Seaver for including a link to my list in his Best of the Genea-Blogs.

My life is getting back on track again - I have been to a local geneaevent, cooked a few meals and hit the road in my new car. Things are looking good.


 Here for your reading pleasure are a few of theblog items I enjoyed this week.

1. Barb discovers Bigamy!!
http://barbs01.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/oh-my-bigamist-in-family.html

2. Thanks to Jo Ann for responding to my recent challange.
http://ofmyfleshandblood.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/my-top-10-genealogy-tools.html

3. My Canadian genimate Christine Woodcock has been posting some useful items for North America's family history month. Here are just a couple.
http://scottishgenealogytipsntricks.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/family-history-month-lair-records.html
http://scottishgenealogytipsntricks.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/family-history-month-using-google-for.html

4. Pauline from GSQ asks "Where were you when .... ?"
http://gsqld.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/where-were-you-when.html

5. Congratulations to Merron who has reached a milestone.
https://westerndistrictfamilies.com/2016/10/08/100-anzac-heroes/

6. Lauren displays her DNA matches.
http://mypastwhispers.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/dna-verified-ancestor-update.html

7. Thanks to Shauna for her comprehensive reports on the Unlock the Past expo.
http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/report-on-day-one-of-unlock-the-past-history-genealogy-expo-adelaide-7-oct-2016/
http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/report-on-day-two-of-unlock-the-past-history-genealogy-expo-adelaide-8-oct-2016/

8. Found this Aussie news on Chris's UK blog.
http://britishgenes.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/australian-national-archives.html

9. Lilian reports on her South Australian research jaunt.
http://researchbylily.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/south-australian-research.html

10. I love reading Michelle's Hawkesbury stories. This centenarian lived in the same street as my Magick ancestors.
http://hawkesburyheritage.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/eliza-kingswood-centenarian.html

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

A Smooth Spin

It's six years since I blogged my excitement about the arrival of my new Bambino and reminisced about the cars I had owned.

I enjoyed driving my little car which was great for fitting into tight spaces. It was fun peeling the roof back and the wind whistle through my hair.The small motor didn't have much oomph and the back seat was getting cramped for grandchildren some of whom are taller than me. I decided that it was time for a slightly larger and more powerful repalcement.letting

I ordered a new car at the beginning of August and it was duly delivered a couple of weeks later while I was in hospital. Mr GeniAus had to collect it from the dealer for me and bring it home. I finally got a ride when Mr GeniAus drove me home when I was discharged. Since then I have insisted that whenever I had to go out that we take my car so it had done 500km awithout me getting behind the wheel.

My doctors have given me permission to drive so last week we took the new car to the Motor Registry and transferred my personalised number plates from the Bambino.

Plates are on the new car now
I was nervous about taking it out on the road as it seems to have as many controls and buttons as a jumbo jet. I just took the plunge and took it for a spin around the garden (we live on five acres). I adjusted the seat and mirrors, practised going backwards and forwards and learnt where the main controls are. I had already mastered the GPS and Bluetooth while I was a passenger.

It was such a smooth ride. I'm going driving the new JIL11B when I hit the road tomorrow. It may become my new favourite.

Have you written about the cars you have owned?




Trove Tuesday - The Dead Centre of Town

As out kids grew up they had to endure many "Dad jokes" as we drove around the countryside. The most well-worn one was "That's the Dead Centre of Town" uttered whenever we passed a cemetery.

I wondered if there was any cemetery humour buried in Trove.

1909 'Humour', Great Southern Herald (Katanning, WA : 1901 - 1954), 20 January, p. 1. (SUPPLEMENT TO THE GREAT SOUTHERN HERALD), viewed 08 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146148099
1903 'HUMOUR.', The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser (NSW : 1856 - 1861; 1863 - 1889; 1891 - 1954), 18 December, p. 2. , viewed 08 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article191964568
1893 'Humour.', Glen Innes Examiner and General Advertiser (NSW : 1874 - 1908), 14 February, p. 3. , viewed 08 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article217785836

1896 'HUMOUR', The Hay Standard and Advertiser for Balranald, Wentworth, Maude...(Hay, NSW : 1871 - 1873; 1880 - 1881; 1890 - 1900), 5 August, p. 5. , viewed 08 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article144646240
Having reviewed these snippets and several others  I found on Trove I don't think that Mr GeniAus' jokes were that bad after all.

Monday, October 10, 2016

The Irish Inheritance - New Geneafiction

Recently my genimate Pauleen shared her Goodreads review of The Irish Inheritance on Facebook.

As I value Pauleen's opinions and I enjoy geneafiction I wandered over to Amazon Australia and invested $AU4.99 in a copy of the ebook. I can blame Pauleen for my lack of sleep last night as the book hooked me in and I just had to read it until I finished in the wee hours. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the story that was set in the present time and around the time of the Easter Uprising. Having recently visited Dublin and the graves of some of the Irish Rebels in Glasnevin Cemetery I was most interested to read the author's descriptions of the Rebels' activities during the uprising. This was an easy read with Jayne, the genealogist , a determined and committed protagonist. 

Like Pauleen I twigged to one of the mysteries but I was completely surprised by the final revelations. If you are a fan of geneafiction I can highly recommend this book. I look forward to reading further titles from M J Lee

Rebel Leader Daniel O'Connell's vault at Glasnevin.

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Who is Annie Dowd d 1970?

In a bundle of my Dad's stuff I found a memorial card for an Annie Dowd who died on 17th January 1970. On checking my family files I found no information about Annie so I wondered Who was Annie Dowd and if she was a family member.


The card gave me a name and date of death and from its format I deduced that Annie was a Catholic. I assume that Annie was someone known to Dad and his family.

My first stop was the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages index. There I found one Annie Dowd death in 1970. This looked promising as Dad grew up around Cowra where the death was registered. 

Dad lived nearby on Rivers Road.

Checking out the Australian Electoral Rolls on Ancestry showed that Annie was living at The Rivers, in Canowindra (my Dad's home town) with William Joseph Dowd.

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Original data: Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll]


Back at the NSW BDM Index I found Annie's Marriage to William and that her maiden name was Rousch. I remember my grandmother and aunts talking about the Rousch family who were friends and neighbours. I then knew why this card was in my father's stuff as it related to someone in the family network.
A further Registry index search brought up Annie's birth.


It was time for Trove. An article in a local newspaper (1939 'GOOLAGONG.', The Grenfell Record and Lachlan District Advertiser (NSW : 1876 - 1951), 29 June, p. 2. , viewed 05 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article115444714) confirmed a few things about Annie. 

It told me her father was John, that she married William Dowd in the Catholic Church at Canowindra and Confirmed that The Rivers was the Rousch family property. It also told me that Annie was known as Doone.

Further hunting in Trove found several snippets about Annie's activities including this photo of her with William Dowd in 1938.

1938 'READY FOR THE SHOW', The Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), 8 April, p. 3. (LATE FINAL EXTRA), viewed 05 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article229867809
The caption for the photo read "Atmosphere of the Royal Show, With bundles of hay to bed down cattle.Miss Doone Rousch and Mr. W. Dowd. of The Rivers, Canowindra, walk across the  showground. A small army is working at full pressure to dress the Show for to-morrows opening.

So now my curiousity is sated what will I do with the memorial card? I think I will donate it with other bits I have gathered on unrelated persons to a genealogy society in my home state that will  index it and add it to its collection.

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