Am I ready for a Do-Over?

I'm not sure that I am.

So many of my genimates have enthusiastically embraced Thomas MacEntee's Genealogy Do-Over activity that I feel a bit odd not rushing to join in. 

Of course with my voyeuristic tendencies I will tune in each week to see what is being suggested and I will no doubt take some of the suggestions on board. I think I will be like Jackie who in her blog post today when asking herself if she "can do it" has said "I'm not sure I can. Or if I want to do so. I may adapt and 'just' revisit my tree, One person at a time,"

I am going to keep all my precious stuff in my newly updated Family Historian Version 6 database

My policy from days gone by has been to continually evaluate my practices for whatever I do. Pauleen Cass described someting similar in her wonderful post My Three Rs of Genealogy Research: Review, Record, Revise.

So for my do-over I am going to keep puddling along reviewing work from years ago, revisiting and scanning some of the records I have stored away in folders (Mr Geniaus found some gems today that I had completely forgotten about), recording what I see with a pair of more experienced eyes and revising what I have already recorded. There are lots of Rs there!

Thanks to Pauleen Cass for permission to usse her 3R's graphic

I know my main enemies are lack of time, my inclination to practise tangential genealogy and leap into new projects without thinking things through but I'm enjoying myself.

I commend all those brave people who are lining up for the do-over - I will be following your progress on your social media.

We have a winner - Rootstech Competition

Thank you to all those who submitted entries in my recent competition to win a free registration to Rootstech 2015.

Congratulations go to the winner, Karla Robinett, who wrote an enthusiastic Geneapoem for her entry. If you feel like following Karla's example and writing a bit of Geneapoetry using the entries in the Geneadictionary please do. I would be delighted to publish your efforts there.

Here is Karla's entry:

I’m a Trogenealodyte holed up like a mouse.

 

Leafing through the Treetops in my Treehouse,

 

Decrapifying my Cousin’s Sourcey crap.

 

Sinking in a Tangential  Lineage Trap.

 

A Geneajaunt to Rootstech with Flying Monkeys will be

 

The true Genea – Jewel for a Geneafreak like me.

 

(I’ll be doing a Geneajigg!!!)

I hope Karla has her Dancing Shoes ready!

Trove Tuesday - Curry Family History

I have recently registered a Surname study for my maiden name, Curry, with The Surname Society and also started the CurryAus Blog to record the progress  of that study so today I turned to Trove.

My readers know that I am easily distracted so it's no surprise that, although I am not nearly ready to start delving into Trove's treasure for my infant study, I could not resist taking a look.

Firstly I set up a CurryAus Surname Study list in my Trove account for filing away all the interesting snippets about Australian Currys that might come my way ( these just fall into ones lap!). I found a couple of articles and added them to my new list - one can't have an empty list can one?

Then I searched for "Curry Family History" and I discovered that someone else has been tagging Curry articles with this tag. On examination I see that these refer to the Curry family from Emu Plains.  I popped these articles into my list for later use as I am trying to go about this study in an orderly fashion. I will, however, share one of these with you as it is Trove Tuesday.

Because of the poor imaage quality of the original I'm sharing a transcription. The wealth of information in this article demonstrates how valuable Trove will be for my surname study

1949 'Obituary.', Nepean Times (Penrith, NSW : 1882 - 1962), 20 October, p. 8, viewed 30 December, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article117914501

MR. W. CURRY

Mr. Walter Curry died at his resi-dence, Brougham Street, Emu Plains,on October 2, at the age of 64 years.

Mr. Curry was born at Emu Plainsand lived there all his days, greatlyrespected by the community. His fath-

er was killed in a railway accidentwhen he was only a lad. For someyears he was employed by Blue Moun-tains Shire Council, and afterward,for a lengthy period, by the Main  Roads Department, with the positionof ganger.

Mr. Curry was a keen cricketer and  captained Emu "B" team for someyears, and was captain of an Emu "B"team which defeated Penrith "A" in achallenge match in 1923. He was quitea good player.

He is survived by his wife, formerlyIvy Dukes, daughter of the late Mr.and Mrs. Thomas Dukes, of EmuPlains, and by two daughters and foursons - Ruby (Mrs. F. Smith, Penrith),Arthur (Emu Plains), Freda (Mrs. El-lison, Albion Park), Irwin, Edward,and Colin, all of Emu Plains.

The funeral took place on 4th instand was largely attended. The inter-ment took place in St. Paul's ceme-tery, Emu Plains, the last rites beingconducted by the Rector, Rev. W. A.Watts. The many wreaths includedtwo from the Main Roads staff andone from Emu Plains Cricket Club.

Accentuate the Positive 2014 Geneameme

Let's do it again!

In 2012 and 2013 I invited other family historians to take part in an Accentuate the Positive Geneameme because I felt that a lot of my geneablogging friends were too hard on themselves. Quite often  they lament that haven't achieved as much as they set out to do or that they haven't blogged with the frequency they envisaged.

Yesterday I read a post from Alona Tester that mentioned those geneamemes and that prompted me to run it again. Thanks, Alona.

Accentuate the Positive Geneameme 2014

I invite you to take part in this activity by responding to the following statements/questions in a blog post. Write as much or as little as you want or just answer a few questions.

Once you have done so please share your post's link in a comment on this post or to me via email to Jillballau@gmail.com. I will, in due course post a list of links to your contributions on this blog.

Remember to accentuate the positive 
Please delete the items that are not relevant to your situation.

1.  An elusive ancestor I found was

2.  A precious family photo I found was

3.  An ancestor's grave I found was

4.  An important vital record I found was

5.  A newly found family member shared

6.  A geneasurprise I received was

7.   My 2014 blog post that I was particularly proud of was

8.   My 2014 blog post that received a large number of hits or comments was

9.  A new piece of software I mastered was

10. A social media tool I enjoyed using for genealogy was

11. A genealogy conference/seminar/webinar from which I learnt something new was

12. I am proud of the presentation I gave at/to

13. A journal/magazine article I had published was

14. I taught a friend how to

15. A genealogy book that taught me something new was

16. A great repository/archive/library I visited was

17. A new genealogy/history book I enjoyed was

18. It was exciting to finally meet

19. A geneadventure I enjoyed was

20. Another positive I would like to share is

Better than a bundle of cookbooks

One of the new techtoys I acquired on my recent trip was a new mini tripod. I have an el cheapo model with very wonky legs so am delighted with this sturdy little replacement.

When I conduct GeniAus Hangouts on Air from my kitchen (so I can have a wired connection to the internet) I perch my webcam on a pile of coookbooks. When next I hangout I will be using my new Vanguard VS-86 Table Tripod with Ball Head.

I am most grateful to Mr GeniAus who braved the freezing conditions in New York City to fetch this item from one of my favourite stores, B&H Photographics.

The new toy

If you are suffering from Tripod envy you can order one online from B&H - they even ship to Australia.

AFFHO Congress 2015 Interviews

I have been neglecting my AFFHO Congress Official Blogger duties while I have been out of the country but now I am back I will take up the mantle once more.

My co-bloggers Pauleen and Shauna have been conducting interviews with several of the Congress presenters as I will be doing now that I am home.

In case you have missed some of the interviews here is a list of those posted so far:

Kate Bagnall  http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/interview-with-kate-bagnall-speaker-affho-congress-2015/

David Berry  http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/interview-with-david-berry-speaker-affho-congress-2015/

Pauleen Cass  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYQU-ohGrDs

Kerry Farmer  https://cassmob.wordpress.com/2014/12/14/meet-congress-2015-speaker-kerry-farmer/

Shauna Hicks  https://cassmob.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/meet-congress-2015-speaker-shauna-hicks/

Jenny Joyce https://cassmob.wordpress.com/2014/12/21/meet-congress-2015-speaker-jenny-joyce/

Seonaid Lewis  https://cassmob.wordpress.com/2014/12/18/meet-congress-2015-speaker-seonaid-lewis-from-nz/

Perry Mcintyre  https://cassmob.wordpress.com/2014/12/09/meet-congress-2015-speaker-perry-mcintyre/

Michelle Nichols  http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/interview-with-michelle-nichols-speaker-affho-congress-2015/

Jennie Norberry  http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/interview-with-jennie-norberry-speaker-affho-congress-2015/

Cora Num  http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/interview-with-cora-num-keynote-speaker-affho-congress-2015/

Richard Reid  http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/interview-with-richard-reid-keynote-speaker-affho-congress-2015/

Sue Reid  http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/interview-with-sue-reid-speaker-at-affho-congress-2015/

Robyn Williams  http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/interview-with-michelle-nichols-speaker-affho-congress-2015/

There are more interviews in the pipeline.

GeniAus Geneavlog - 20141227 - Back in the Geneacave

Having returned from my recent overseas trip I am looking forward to resuming my blogging activities. In this video I talk about a few geneactivities from the trip.


Having viewed the video I realise that I forgot to mention the wonderful half day seminar on death and disease I attended at The Society of Genealogists in London. Oops.

Christmas Wishes from an Old Girl

I previously posted this poem sent to me by an old mate "Carolyn" in 2010.  As I have several new readers I am posting it again as a Christmas Greeting to you all.

Merry Christmas To You.

If I were ol' Santa, you know what I'd do
I'd dump silly gifts that are given to you
And deliver some things just inside your front door
Things you have lost, but treasured before.

I'd give you back all your maidenly vigor,
And to go along with it, a neat tiny figure.
Then restore the old colour that once graced your hair
Before rinses and bleaches took residence there.

I'd bring back the shape with which you were gifted
So things now suspended need not be uplifted.
I'd draw in your tummy and smooth down your back
Till you'd be a dream in those tight fitting slacks.

I'd remove all your wrinkles and leave only one chin
So you wouldn't spend hours rubbing grease on your skin.
You'd never have flashes or queer dizzy spells,
And you wouldn't hear noises like ringing of bells.

No sore aching feet and no corns on your toes,
No searching for spectacles when they're right on your nose.
Not a shot would you take in your arm, hip or tummy,
From a doctor who thinks you're a nervous old granny.

You'd never have a headache, so no pills would you take.
And no heating pad needed since your muscles won't ache.
Yes, if I were Santa, you'd never look stupid,
You'd be a cute little chick with the romance of Cupid.

I'd give a lift to your heart when those wolves start to whistle,
And the joys of your heart would be light as a thistle.
But alas! I'm not Santa. I'm just simply me,
The matronliest of matrons you ever did see.

I wish I could tell you all the symptoms I've got,
But I'm due at my doctor's for an oestrogen shot.
Even though we've grown older, this wish is sincere,
Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year.

Trove Tuesday - Grandfather's car

I had heard that my grandfather, Frank Duncan, liked cars.  Recently as I was digging around in Trove I came across this article that tells of my grandfather's activity on this day in 1925.

1925 'MORE NEW CARS.', Western Age (Dubbo, NSW : 1914 - 1932) , 25 December, p. 2, viewed 18 March, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article137082487

From the Archives - A Dog's Christmas

I am resharing this Christmas post from 2009.

Ralph and Buddy are no longer with us but we have three new granddogs:   Freddo, Millie and Myelo.

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

Taking a rest from Christmas preparations I am thinking of friends. Dogs, man's best friends, have been an important part of our family history.

We have had a few pooches over the years - they have been 'orphan' dogs - either surrendered to the local council or purchased from the pound. Robbie was a deceased next door neighbour's dog given to me by one of my students. Each of these hounds has had a unique personality and has enhanced our family life.

Our first dog Thomas didn't stay with the family long, he was a little too energetic for our tiny courtyard and so went to live with some very good friends who had a much larger yard. Willy, a Border Collie cross, was a gentle and obedient larrikin who was scared of storms. The only time he ventured onto the carpeted areas of our home was when a storm was brewing and he was seeking refuge under a chair or table. When we moved to an acreage Willy became adventurous and was able to find his way out of our property. He was the victim of a car travelling along the road outside our house.

Robbie, an Australian Silky Terrier, was my dog. He followed me everywhere and snarled at anyone who came too close to me. The kids had enormous fun dressing Robbie in doll's clothes and parading him around. Mr Geniaus did not appreciate Robbie's over-protectiveness.

Marty, another fluffy dog, a cross Maltese Terrier/Shitzu wasn't blessed with a similar intelligence to the other dogs but he was another loyal companion who follwed me around the house. When we rescued him from the pound he would cower in the corner under a chair and was very timid. After a few months he realised that ours was a safe environment and he realised that he was in charge. Sadly Marty met a cruel end at the paws and jaws of a neighbour's German Shepherd. Until we can guarantee its safety by electrifying our fences or securely fencing off an area close to our house I will not have another dog. I do miss the company of a little four-legged friend.

We have three grand-dogs who regularly visit. Ralph, a Border Collie cross, is now an old man who likes to spend his day resting. Like Willy he is gentle and intelligent. Little Neuro is a bundle of energy who, although he is over five, still races round with the energy of a new pup. Buddy, a handsome red and white Border Collie, arrived last Christmas. He has boundless energy and enjoys digging up the garden.

A Dog's Christmas Poem by Shel Silverstein

Tonight's my first night as a watchdog,
And here it is Christmas Eve.
The children are sleepin' all cozy upstairs,
While I'm guardin' the stockin's and tree.
What's THAT now . . . footsteps on the rooftop?
Could it be a cat or a mouse?
Who's THIS down the chimney?
A thief with a beard - And a big sack for robbin' the house?
I'm barkin'. . . I'm growlin' . . . I'm bitin' his butt.
He howls and jumps back in his sleigh.
I scared his strange horses, they leap in the air.
I've frightened the whole bunch away.
Now the house is all peaceful and quiet again,
The stockin's are safe as can be.
Won't the kiddies be glad when they wake up tomorrow . . .
And see how I've guarded the tree.

Missing GAGs - GeniAus' Gems?

My regular readers will know that I have been out of action for the past eight weeks and that I have had limited access to the internet for both reading blog posts and posting my Gems compilations.

I have therefore been unable to post my GeniAus Gems compilations. I will be back in the saddle soon and will post the next edition of GAGs on January 2, next year.

May I introduce you to....

Thanks to my Genimate, Tessa Keough, for her invitation to be interviewed for the  Geneabloggers "May I introduce you to" series. I was rather chuffed when I received Tessa's invitation several weeks ago. It was published yesterday on the geneabloggers site.

You can read the inteview here:http://www.geneabloggers.com/introduce-jill-ball/ 

Tinsel Town

As I was looking for a cemetery photo to adorn a post on the Geneadictionary I came across this photo of Ben Hall the Bushranger's grave in Forbes Cemetery.  I snapped this image in April last year when visiting my Great-Grandmother's grave.

Tinsel Town!

I can't fathom why the grave was adorned with Christmas Tinsel in April.

Another grave photo

International Volunteer Day

International Volunteer Day was was established by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in  1985. It is celebrated around the world on on 5 December each year.

Today I salute all the volunteers in the genealogy world whose efforts help us in our search for ancestors.

Trove Tuesday - A Flight in Genealogy

It's a genealogy poem that I offer up for my Trove Tuesday post this week.

1927 'A FLIGHT IN GENEALOGY.', Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1954), 9 December, p. 14, viewed 1 September, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85956077