Trove Tuesday - A Magick Uncle Writes

I've recently been Troveing to see what I can add to the stories of fellow descendants of my ancestor Elizabeth Phipps. My Great-Great Uncle James Magick/Madgwick who lived to the ripe old age of 91 is Elizabeth's Grandson.


I have struck gold mainly in the Gilgandra Weekly and Castlereagh (NSW : 1929 - 1942) the newspaper for the area where James resided for most of his long life. In 1934 James wrote a series of reminiscences in this newspaper. To be able to read the words of an ancestor is priceless. There are also many other articles mentioning James on Trove.

In the interests of saving space I will not post the original articles here but links to those articles on Trove.

This article found here announced the series, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article113681259

Gilgandra Weekly and Castlereagh (NSW : 1929 - 1942), Thursday 24 May 1934, page 6 

TURNING BACK THE PAGES  

— EARLY HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT 

MR. JAMES MADGWICK REMINISCENT 

There is probably no more picturesque figure in the Gilgandra district than Mr. James Madgwick, who recently celebrated his 81st birthday, having been born at Cobbora on 9th February, 1853. Practically the whole of his life has been spent in this district, and he is one of the few pioneers alive to-day who can reliably comment upon the remarkable changes that have occurred dur ing the past 30 years. A splendid type, a thorough gentleman and one who is highly respected by all classes of the community, it is with pleasure we announce the publication of a series of articles from Mr. Madgwick's pen. They will deal with early life along the Castlereagh and Marthaguy, as well as personalities whom the young er generation know in name only. The first article will appear in our next issue.

Links to the articles written by James:

31 May 1934
1934 'THE FIRST INSTALMENT', Gilgandra Weekly and Castlereagh (NSW : 1929 - 1942), 31 May, p. 10. , viewed 01 Feb 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article113681342

7 June 1934
1934 'Turning Back The Pages', Gilgandra Weekly and Castlereagh (NSW : 1929 - 1942), 7 June, p. 10. , viewed 01 Feb 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article113681461

14 June 1934
1934 'Turning Back The Pages Early History Of The District', Gilgandra Weekly and Castlereagh (NSW : 1929 - 1942), 28 June, p. 9. , viewed 01 Feb 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article113681864

21 June 1934
1934 'Turning Back The Pages', Gilgandra Weekly and Castlereagh (NSW : 1929 - 1942), 21 June, p. 10. , viewed 01 Feb 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article113681691

28 June 1934 
1934  'Turning Back The Pages Early History Of The District', Gilgandra Weekly and Castlereagh (NSW : 1929 - 1942), 28 June, p. 9. , viewed 01 Feb 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article113681864

It is interesting to note that James claims to have been born in 1853 while I have a reference to a baptism for James in 1852!!! 

An instruction for my executors

Spotted at a genealogy conference.

Calling Members of the Commonwealth at Rootstech 2020

For the past few years I have organised a very casual dinner for one of the minority groups attending the Rootstech Conference in Salt Lake City. Some of my genimates have been asking about this event - the Commonwealth Dinner - never fear planning is underway.

Unfortunately as I have a date with a surgeon I won't be at Rootstech in Salt Lake City this year. I can't buck tradition so the Commonwealth Dinner will go ahead. Thanks to English genimate and Rootstech Ambassador, Heather Nowlan who has volunteered to coordinate this year's event. 

We need your help to get the word out so have set up a Facebook Group for you and other Commonwealth Genies at Rootstech SLC 2020. Please join the group and tell your friends about it. It will give you a place to meet others online and ask your questions prior to the big event.

Once Rootstech gets underway there is little time to organise  a function.  If you are new to Rootstech this dinner will give you an opportunity to meet and chat with new and old friends.   

We are extending this invitation to you, The People of the (Former) British Commonwealth now the Commonwealth of Nations to join us for a casual dinner. Please feel free to bring along your partners, travelling companions etc.

Commonwealth folk please accept the following as your invitation. 

You are invited to a casual "People from the Commonwealth" get together 

at the 

Blue Lemon, 55 West South Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84111

from

6:00pm - 8:00pm on Monday 24 February 2020. 

RSVP Please leave a comment on this post or in our Facebook Group

As the restaurant closes at 9:00pm please arrive in plenty of time to dine and chat. We will gather at the rear of the restaurant so we won't cause too much disturbance to other patrons. After closing time new found friends may wish to adjourn to a neighbourhood establishment to continue their conversations.

 NB - Images on the left are of some attendees at the 2019 event in Salt Lake City

Accentuate the Positive Geneameme 2019 - The Responses

Although I have not had as many responses to the Geneameme Challenge this year as in earlier years the quality of the responses tells me that it is a worthwhile exercise. I owe a HUGE thank you to everyone who put their fingers to the keyboard for this exercise. A shoutout also goes to
these people Jonny Perl, Blaine Bettinger and this event DNA Downunder that got so many mentions in the responses.

Back in the day when I was a Teacher/Librarian we had a big push to teach Information Skills that could be applied to any task which the students undertook. These are life skills that can be applied to everything from making a peanut butter sandwich to breaking down a brickwall in a family tree. 

The Information Skills Process

It's interesting to note that not only schools have a commitment to information skills. A quick tour of Google found that many universities have information skills programs.

So often we genealogists are so keen to attend to the next task on our list that do not take the time for step 6 ie to assess or reflect on our work. If we do not take time then we may continue to repeat our mistakes. Now I will step off my soapbox and share the reflections of those committed genies who took up my challenge.

Alex Daw  https://familytreefrog.blogspot.com/2020/01/accentuate-positive-geneameme-2019.html

Bobbie Edes  https://gsq-blog.gsq.org.au/accentuate-the-positive-geneameme-2019/

Harrison  https://harrison2214.wordpress.com/2020/01/04/accentuate-the-positive-geneameme-2019/

Jacquie  https://seedstotree.blogspot.com/2020/01/saturday-night-2019-positive-geneameme.html

Jane  https://janeologist.blogspot.com/2020/01/accentuate-positive-reflection-on-my.html

Janelle Collins  http://janellestree.blogspot.com/2020/01/accentuate-positive-geneameme-2019-as.html

Janice Sellers  http://www.ancestraldiscoveries.com/2020/01/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-accentuate.html

Jenni  jengenie.wordpress.com

Jill Ball  https://geniaus.blogspot.com/2020/01/accentuate-positive-geneameme-2019.html

KerrieAnne   https://asteelygenesjourney.wordpress.com/2020/01/12/accentuate-the-positive/

Kirsty Gray  https://family-wise.co.uk/blog/

Lilian Magill  http://researchbylily.blogspot.com/2020/01/accentuate-positive-2019.html

Linda Stufflebean https://emptybranchesonthefamilytree.com/2020/01/accentuate-the-positive-geneameme-2019/

Lisa Gorrell  https://mytrailsintothepast.blogspot.com/2020/01/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-accentuate.html

Lois Willis  https://loiswillis.blog/2020/01/12/sunday-afternoon-genealogy-fun-accentuate-the-positive-geneameme-2019/

M. Diane Rogers  https://canadagenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-merry-new-year-ahead-in-2020.html

Maureen Trotter  https://geniaus.blogspot.com/2020/01/accentuate-positive-geneameme-2019-from.html

Megan Franklin  http://meganfranklin.com/accentuate-the-positive-geneameme-2019/

Pauleen Cass  https://cassmobfamilyhistory.com/2020/01/03/accentuate-the-positive-2019/

Randy Seaver  https://www.geneamusings.com/2020/01/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-accentuate.html

Robbie Stockfeld  https://robbiesspot.wordpress.com/2020/01/11/accentuate-the-positive-2019/

Samantha John  https://lyfelynes.com/accentuate-the-positive-geneameme-2019/

Shauna Hicks  http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/accentuate-the-positive-geneameme-2019/

Vorfahrensucher @kafeldu Tweeted her responses.

Sincere apologies if I have missed anyone. Please let me know and I will add further responses here.

Rootstech Free Pass Giveaway - A Birthday Surprise

When I notified the winner of my Rootstech Free Pass Giveaway Competition this morning she responded "Thank you. A wonderful birthday gift!". I was thrilled to find that today is her birthday - what a super surprise for her.

My winner is my genimate Lilian Magill, an Australian geneablogger and Rootstech supporter. I imagine she is wearing a big smile today.

Lilian taking a break for sustenance and networking at Rootstech 2016

GeniAus (L) and Lilian (R) at Rootstech 2016

 I think this will be Lilian's 3rd trip to Salt Lake City for Rootstech. I am sorry that health issues prevent me from joining the Aussie contingent this year but I know that Lilian and the other Aussies attending will be wonderful ambassadors for genealogy downunder.

Accentuate the Positive Geneameme 2019 - from Genimate Maureen

My genimate, Maureen Trotter, whom I first met on an Unlock the Past cruise several years ago, took up my offer to send her geneameme responses to me for posting on this blog. I thank Maureen for her support and thoughtful responses.

Should you wish to send me your responses I will be happy to post them here too. See http://geniaus.blogspot.com/2019/12/accentuate-positive-geneameme-2019.html

___________________________________________________

1.  An elusive ancestor I found was - the missing quarter of my ancestry

3.  A geneajourney I took was – to South Gippsland taking a DNA test to my 92 year old Aunt

4.  important record – I am in the midst of locating lots about my “new” family

5.  A newly found family member shared

·    lots of 2^nd cousins sharing their DNA results (and some trees) made identifying my paternal grandfather’s family much easier. It was one of the neighbours!

·       a 3C2R living in Dublin shared a copy of the 1841 Census of Coatbridge (near Glasgow) which showed his great grandmother was living with her sister, my great great great grandmother and her family on Census night.

6.  A geneasurprise I received was – the surname was not what we had been told!

8.   I made new genimates who – share my passion for using DNA analysis to learn more about our ancestors

9.  A new piece of technology or skill I mastered was – lots this year, mostly DNA related!  Next steps include trying some of the more recent possibilities for Genetic Affairs clustering and finally starting DNA Painter itself. Visual Phasing sounds like a wonderful challenge for a bit further down the track.

10. I joined – the GSV DNA Genetic Genealogy Study Group and lots of Facebook DNA groups

11. A genealogy education session or event from which I learnt something new was – the 4 days of DNA Down Under

12. A blog post that taught me something new was – just about everything by Blaine Bettinger, Roberta Estes, Dana Leeds, Yvette Hoitink, and many others

13. A DNA discovery I made was - a very distant DNA match with genimate & Facebook friend Janelle.

14. I taught a genimate how to – in the 6 months since my first DNA test results arrived, I have helped many people with analysing and clustering their DNA results and using the WATO tool more effectively.

15. A brick wall I demolished was -not quite demolished yet, but my grandfather has to have been one of two brothers!

16. A great site I visited was – the DNA Painter site has been incredibly valuable to me in sorting out my DNA results. If you haven’t used the Shared cM Project or WATO yet, you should!

17. A new genealogy/history book I enjoyed was – “Genetic Genealogy in Practice” and “Advanced Genetic Genealogy”.

18. It was exciting to finally meet – a couple of my “new” cousins

19. I am excited for 2020 because – my sister and I are planning a trip to parts of Scotland that our newly discovered ancestors came from.

20. Another positive I would like to share is – how wonderful it is to be retired, with good health and sufficient income to be able to delve into a range of hobbies and interests, go on the occasional trip and still have time and energy to help family and community groups.

Accentuate the Positive Geneameme 2019 - GeniAus

Accentuate the Positive Geneameme 2019

As it would be rather rude of me to ask my genimates to respond to this challenge without doing so myself I thought I had better get a move on. I realise how onerous this challenge can be so I applaud all who have taken the time to participate.

1.  An elusive ancestor I found was unfortunately they are all still in hiding.

2.  A great newspaper article I found was... this is difficult as every time I return to Trove I find something new about one of my ancestors because Trove keeps on adding new titles to its collections. 

I have been unable to pinpoint when my Pusell Great-Grandparents moved from Burraga to Cobar. Just one sentence in a new to me article on Trove from 1903 quotes someone talking about an incident in Burraga. The chap said "I got up and went to Mr. Jas. Pusell's, about a quarter of a mile away. Mrs, Pusell came out and struck a match and looked at me."  This seemingly unimportant statement is geneagold to me as it gives me a contemporary source for my ancestors' location. 

3.  A geneajourney I took was  as I'm rather greedy I took several geneajourneys to conferences in the US, UK and Australia this year. 

I love catching up with the Geneabloggers at Rootstech in Salt Lake CIty

We changed our itinerary at the last minute to visit Yorkshire in June when I found a new record on Ancestry that sent us chasing down some of Mr GeniAus' ancestors. 

4.  I located an important record.  Following on from the discovery mentioned in qn. 3 I made contact with Rev Hilary Smith from the Fulneck Moravian Archives who smartly replied with information on the Midgley ancestors. We made arrangements to visit Fulneck and view the amazing records there. We received a royal welcome at the Fulneck village where we were given tours of the Museum, village and archives. 

Rev. Hilary had laid out on a table in the vestry a collection of original records that contained mentions of the Midgley ancestors. 

Original records in the Fulneck Archives

As if this wasn't enough we visited the Fulneck Cemetery and found the grave marker for one of Mr GeniAus' direct ancestors. We were also give directions to the Gomersal Moravian Cemetery where we found a grave marker for another direct ancestor. 

Elizabeth Midgley nee Birkby Grave Marker in Gomersal Moravian Cemetery

5.  A newly found family member shared  a photo of Mr GeniAus Great-Grandparents, William Henry Parkinson and Martha Jane Midgley.

6.  A geneasurprise I received was contact through my website from a living Kealy cousin in Waterford, Ireland. A descendant of Patrick Kealy and Katherine Bowe he is keen to meet up when we next go to Ireland. I wonder if he would like to do a DNA test. My shout of course.  It pays to have your genealogy posted on the web. 

7.   My 2019 social media post that I was particularly proud of was... Number 10 - the New arrival, https://geniaus.blogspot.com/2019/10/number-10-new-arrival.html,  in which I tried to document the history of our searches for clocks mad by James Gowans and son.

8.  I made a new genimate who... I have made several new genimates this year. Highlighting one of them just one of them would be very difficult.

9.  A new piece of technology or skill I mastered was the The GotoWebinar Dashboard. As I am now hosting some of the webinars for The Society of Australian Genealogists I had to learn how to launch, monitor, produce and save the webinar recordings. 

10. I joined  the committee of my local Family History Group as President.  One of the first things I did was set up a Facebook Page for them here,  https://www.facebook.com/lmfhg/.

11. A genealogy education session or event from which I learnt something new was  Of all the events I attended I learnt the most from DNA Downunder in Sydney. The standout speaker was Blaine Bettinger. Catching up with so many geneabloggers and  genimates was an added bonus.

There were so many genimates at DNA Downunder in Sydney

12. A blog post that taught me something new was I am always learning something new from genimates' blogs. The last thing I mastered with the help of Jonny Perl's blog post, https://dnapainter.com/blog/cluster-auto-painter-unravel-your-dna-test-results/, was the Cluster Auto Painter tool. 

13. A DNA discovery I made was that, five years after doing my first DNA test and  attending countless presentations I am finally gaining an understanding of what it is all about. As someone who never studied science I have been on a deep learning curve.

14. I taught a genimate how to I hope that I managed to teach something to a few of the genies who attended the presentations and webinars I delivered. 

Panel Presentation with Kirsty Gray and Janet Few at THE Genealogy Show

15. A brick wall I demolished was ... my sledgehammer isn't too sharp so, while I added a couple of generations to Mr GeniAus' tree I didn't even put a crack in any of my brickwalls.

16. A great site I visited was...  it had to be the Fulneck Moravian Settlement near Pudsey in Yorkshire. Even if you have no ties to the Moravian Church the village  is still worth a visit. The original buildings which mostly stand unaltered date from the mid 18th century. 

Entrance to the Fulneck Moravian Settlement

17. A new genealogy/history book I enjoyed was I had to look at my Librarything account for an answer to this one. Murder, Misadventure and Miserable Ends: Tales from a Colonial Coroner's Court was not strictly genealogy but it was a valuable read as it gave me an insight into the early history of the colony of New South Wales and the grisly activities of the Coroner's Office.  

18. It was exciting to finally meet  so many UK and Irish genimates in the flesh at two events I attended in the UK, THE Genealogy Show and Rootstech London. These events gave me an opportunity to press the flesh with people I had previously only known online. BTW I'll be back in Birmingham in June to present three talks at THE Genealogy Show.
 

Catching up with Genimates, Robert and Nathan at THE Genealogy Show

19. I am excited for 2020 because... There is so much family information hiding out there for me to find.  Actually this last stanza of Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" describes this well:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

20. Another positive I would like to share is ...  my geneactivities continue to enrich my life. Thank you to all my genimates for your support and generosity.

Rootstech 2020 - Free Pass Giveaway

One of the perks of being a RootsTech 2020 Ambassador is that I receive a free pass for myself and one to give to one of my genimates. RootsTech 2020 will be held at The Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 26 to February 29, 2020.

Each year I have packed my bags and made the long trek from Australia to Salt Lake City to  attend Rootstech, The Greatest Geneashow on Earth. Unfortunately this year I have a date with a surgeon so cannot attend Rootstech physically; I'll certainly tune in virtually while recuperating.  The good news is that I still have a pass to give away.

This competition provides me with an opportunity to give someone else a chance to experience the excitement and education Rootstech offers. 

The winner of this competition will

  receive a complimentary RootsTech 2020 Pass with access to over 300 classes: 

• -Keynote/General sessions
• -Power Hours on popular topics
• -New Lunch and Learn Session
• -New Specialized Forums
• -Expo Hall
• -Evening Events

This 4-Day Pass does not include airfare, hotel or the coverage of any other expenses. If the winner has already registered for RootsTech 2020, the original registration fee will be refunded.

What do you need to do to be in the draw?

Publish to me, @geniaus, on Twitter, a tweet that describes Rootstech using three words eg Rootstech is a great genealogy gathering. Make sure you add the hashtag #Rootstech to your post. 

• One entry per person
• By entering this draw you give permission for your name to reported on social media.
• The winner will be chosen randomly. 

I will publish the winner's name on this blog by Saturday 11 January, 2020 (GMT time).  Please tweet your entries to me by midnight Thursday 9 January 2020  (GMT time).

Christmas Greetings from Katherine

I posted this on my Facebook Page today but then decided that it is worthy of a blog post.

Delivered to Carey Bay

In my mailbox today. Thanks to genimate Katherine R. Willson for the beautiful homemade Christmas card that arrived downunder today. As a labour of love Katherine creates over 400 handmade cards which she mails to genies all around the world. I am thrilled to have received one of these artworks.

If you don't know Katherine, a professional genealogist from Michigan, she is one of the powerhouses behind The Virtual Genealogy Association, https://virtualgenealogy.org/, of which I am a proud member. Katherine also produces the free list of Genealogical and Historical Groups on Facebook, https://moonswings.files.wordpress.com/…/genealogy-on-faceb….

You can read more about Katherine on her website, https://socialmediagenealogy.com/.

From the mouths of babes

I tidied up my physical desk as per the guidelines from Drew and  George in their current 31 Days of Getting Organised Challenge  and unearthed a few treasures.  Among them was a piece of paper on which my grandchildren recorded a few thoughts about me that my husband solicited when preparing his speech at my last birthday party.

A Dozen of the Best

This is what was said about me:

• She likes parties
• She likes coming to Grandparents' day at school
• She likes holiday time
• Takes us out to dinner
• She's going to take me on a cruise (not sure about that one)
• She's very funny
• She's very helpful
• She takes lots of photos
• She takes us on holidays
• She keeps old stuff.