A Fluffy Family Member

Six years ago I blogged about some very important four-legged family members here. Since Marty's grisly end and because we travel a lot I have been disinclined to get another pooch although I love having a dog around the house.

My poochlessness came to an end on Boxing Day when the family presented me with a fluffy little bundle of joy. While we were overseas the kids and Mr GeniAus colluded to find the perfect pup for me and they have delivered (with a promise of pet-sitting when we are adventuring).

Paddy, who has been living with family members for four weeks, has stolen their hearts and in the bargain has been exposed to lots of children. He is in for a quiet existence as he keeps this LOL (little old lady) company as she hunts for ancestors.

Already Paddy has proved to be a perfect Geneapet. When he first followed me into my study he found a niche on a bottom shelf between two piles of filing. Each time Paddy has entered he has settled in that same spot.

Getting settled

Doggie Dreams

And how did we choose the name Paddy?

I said to family that he should have an ancestor's name so as we sat around mulling over names my 13 year old grandson opened my family website on his smartphone and started putting forward suggestions which various other family members commented on and rejected. I was keen on Frank but that was howled down. We finally agreed on Patrick Curry,  my convict ancestor, who was known as Paddy.

The original Paddy Lived a long and fruitful life and related in an interview in The Sydney Morning Heraldin 1848 (1848 'Advertising.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 8 June, p. 3, viewed 30 December, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12902254) that he had a fortunate life and wanted for nothing. I hope I can give his little namesake a similar experience.

Revitalised

Regular readers may have noticed that the frequency of my blog posts decreased over the past few weeks. Mr GeniAus and I took a break and travelled by sea from Dubai to Cape Town.

Our adventure

I had great intentions of blogging and researching my family history during days at sea but  found myself organising photos from the amazing ports we visited and taking part in tempting onboard activities. I am pleased that I managed to schedule a few posts before I left home so that my blog wasn't totally dormant.

We arrived home  just in time for dinner on Christmas Day. Now that we are mostly done with family festivities I am devoting my spare time in January to Rootstech preparation and my to do list. If you are expecting some sort of response from me and don't get one please send me a gentle reminder.

I have many blog posts waiting to  be read in my RSS feed and will attend to them shortly. Hopefully I will have a selection for a GeniAus Gems post on Friday or Saturday.

It's great to be back. I feel revitalised and ready to reenter the geneasphere with a vengeance.

Trove Tuesday - Not what I expected!

I thought I'd visit Trove to see what I could find out something about the street on which I live. I expected articles about potholes, maintenance and perhaps some history. If you read to the bottom of this post you'll see how I was surprised.

I discovered that our road was opened in 1895  and there were great celebrations in the local area.

"Hornsby-Galston Road.

THE OPENING FESTIVITIES.

Saturday last was a gala day at Galston, the well-known prolific fruit-growing centre, situated about six miles from Hornsby, the occasion being the opening, of a new road between the two places by the Minister for Works. Mr. Young left the Redfem Railway Station at 9 a.m., and was joined at Hornsby by Messrs. Garrard (Minister for Education and Industry), and Mr. E. M. Clarke, M.L.A. The members of the local progress committee, con- sisting of Messrs. A. Higgins, W. Higgins, T. Salmon, Geo. Higgins, J. Fitzgerald, and M. Haydon, seized the opportunity to interview the Minister with respect to local requirements, notably the imperative necessity for an overway bridge across the main and North Shore railway lines, some-what nearer the railway station than the one at present in existence, and the removal of a large quantity of decaying rubbish that had been shot close to the engine shed. The Minister for Railways having promised to bring both matters under the notice of the commis- sioners, the party adjourned to the local hotel for refreshments prior to leaving over the new road to Galston.

The road winds along through pretty scenery rising to a height of 400 feet, which is the highest point, and from whence a splendid view of the hill and dale, with the Blue Mountains as an imposing background, is to be obtained. On arrival at Berowra Creek, near the end of the new road, luncheon was par- taken of Mr. H. Hudson occupied the chair, and among other residents of the district were Messrs. B. Crossland, C.Lovely, J. W. Wilkins, and J. Ungler. 

After the usual loyal toasts were disposed of the chairman proposed the health of the Ministry and Parliament, and ex- pressed his conviction that the present Government were doing their best to ad-vance the interests of the colony, and that the Parliament was as honest a one as they could have. The Minister for Works, in re- plying to the toast, said the Government had perfect faith in the future of the colony, and regretted the pes-simistic views of public affairs that were taken by a large number of people. If they had confidence in themselves and in their resources, they would soon belanded on the high road to prosperity. The Government as freetraders recognisedthe duty of helping the producers to get their goods to market, to promote easytransit, to lessen the cost of living and bring the markets of the world within as easy reach as possible of the producers. The opening of that road was a step in that direction, and it would prove an advantage and a convenience to a dis trict which, he understood, contained some of the finest soil in the country. TheMinister for Education having also briefly returned thanks, Mr. G. M. Clark replied on behalf of the Parliament. Prosperity to the district was proposed by Mr. D. Davis and responded to by Messrs. Ungher, Hutchinson, and A. Higgins, and the healths of Mr. W. Smith, divisional engineer, and Mr. Hope (the officers whosuperintended the construction of the road), the press, and the chairman were also honored. 

The party, after inspecting several orchards in the vicinity, returned to town by way of Parramatta. The cost of the road was £4800, and in its construc-tion 40,000 cubic yards of rock were excavated, the work being partly by the " butty gang" system, and partly by con- tract at a cost of 4½d to 7d per cubic yard. The work has been very substantially executed, and includes numerous retaining walls, small bridges, and culverts. The distance saved to the fruitgrowers in getting their produce to the railway is about fourteen miles, and that shouldmake a considerable difference in their profits."

1895 'Hornsby-Galston Road.', Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931), 4 March, p. 7, viewed 23 October, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article108074916

The first post that appeared in my results list was not at all what I expected. It was a poem about Galston Road. Today vehicles on the road can be noisy but if one wanders away from the road one can experience the natural delights described in these verses. I enjoy this environment each day and as I sit at my desk I can hear the magpies and  see those "tall dreaming gums against the sky"

1919 'GALSTON ROAD.', Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), 29 January, p. 28, viewed 23 October, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article159657390

A further search of Trove for Gladys Pattison returned a healthy list of links to poems published in various newspapers between 1918 and 1928.

Trees along Galston Road

Trove Tuesday - Family Skeletons

I found on Trove a page of cartoons from 1952. Here is one of them.

1952 'FAMILY RECORDS.', The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), 20 September, p. 1 Supplement: SUNDAY MAGAZINE, viewed 12 October, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57565343

Pink Toe

I've already mentioned that I broke my toe while climbing back on to the vessel we were schnorkelling from in the Seychelles. Thanks to the ship's doctor for his care and hot pink bandage. Thanks also to the  Regent GM for taking care of the medical bill - that removed some of the ouch for us.

Footwear for the moment are my ugly tourist sandals!

Pretty in Pink

A New Portrait

I love the portrait that I use as my profile picture on blogs and other social media. It was drawn by my eldest grandchild about eight years ago.

When I was going through some family photos recently I found a picture I took in her younger brother's classroom in 2012.  His teacher had obvioulsy set the same assignment for her students. What I had photographed was a new and different portrait drawn by my grandson.

Trove Tuesday - Fascinating Genealogy

This post reminds that there is much world news published on Trove. Unravelling the genealogy of this group could be challenging.

1953 'First picture from polygamy colony.', News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), 3 August, p. 5, viewed 12 October, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134203002

Trove Tuesday - A Genfunny

As this week's contribution I'm sharing a Genfunny from 1905.

1905 'GENEALOGY.', The World's News (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 1955), 29 April, p. 4, viewed 12 October, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article136666574

GAGs - GeniAus' Gems - 21 November 2015

Yesterday just disappeared on me and I didn't get round to posting my weekly list.... but a girl's gotta have fun!

An exciting event in the world of Ausralian Geneablogging took place this week when Jen Coates set up a Facebook Group for Austalian Local and Family History Bloggers. Membersip has lead me to a few "New to me" blogs and unlocked the identity of some previously anonymous (to me) bloggers. Thanks Jen for your invitation to join the group. Membership of the group is open to personal bloggers while those who blog for insitutions and societies are not able to join! If you fit the criteria do look for the group on Facebook and ask to join up.

Here is a selection from my reading this week. 

1. I'm with Lois on this.
http://loiswillis.com/2015/11/13/computer-vs-paper-forms/

2. Michelle tells of a headstone from 1804.
http://hawkesburyheritage.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/hawkesburys-oldest-headstone.html

3. Sharon asks if an historical figure influenced her grandmother.
http://shazlex.blogspot.ae/2015/11/did-sir-charles-kingsford-smith-inspire.html

4. Confused by Irish surnames?
http://astheywere.blogspot.ae/2015/11/mc-or-o-what-is-to-be-john-grenham.html

5. Spelling variations stumped Prue.
http://becomingprue.blogspot.ae/2015/11/samuel-henry-baumgarten.html

6. From one libraary to anoter
http://statelibrarynsw-familyhistory.tumblr.com/post/133380016992/a-visit-to-the-national-library-of-ireland

7. A well travelled book.
https://anmm.wordpress.com/2015/11/13/the-pentateuch-that-made-three-voyages-on-the-ss-great-britain/

8. Patsy wanders down Melbourne's laneways.
http://www.patsyspaddocks.com/melbournes-laneways/

9. I love a library story, thanks Trisha.
http://northqueenslandhistory.blogspot.ae/2015/11/mr-townsvilles-municipal-library.html

10. Shelley shares a mudmap.
http://twigsofyore.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/a-quick-mud-map-of-death-search.html

11. Diane in praise of blogging.

http://diane-adventurebeforedementia.blogspot.ae/2015/11/now-and-then-or-wonders-of-blogging.html

Su talks of the "joys of blogging"
https://suzysu.wordpress.com/2015/11/19/faces-from-an-unexplored-past/

12. I think we all are similarly captivated Linda.
https://mccollierheritage.wordpress.com/2015/11/19/captivated-by-someone-from-the-past-dorothy-lindsay-johnstone/

12.

Trove Tuesday - Trifling Certificates

This past week has seen me with a case of Writers' Cramp as I have prepared our Christmas cards ready for posting.  Of course that got me thinking about Christmas cards in Australia so I popped over to Trove to see what I could find.

"Christmas Cards

Christmas cards are a modern institution. The first genuine Christmas card was sent in 1844, and it is believed the sender was W. E. Dobson, R.A. He had a friend from whom, he had received certain courtesies of which he desired to show some especial appreciation. The time was Christmas. So, after some thought, he made a sketch symbolising the spirit of the festive season and posted it to his friend. The sketch was done on a piece of Bristol board about twice the size of the modern letter-card. ' It depicted a family group toasting absent friend among appropriate sur \"roundings.From this small beginning the idea, now so largely utilised, and constituting such a vast industry, was developed." Source: 1938 'Christmas Cards.', Kalgoorlie Miner (WA : 1895 - 1950), 6 December, p. 3, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87495932

1882

"Christmas Cards.

THE Christmas cards grow more and more beautiful every year. We have received some from Messrs. Dunn and Collins, which, for richness of execution and design, excel anything ever before seen. They are elaborate works of art." Source: 1882 'Christmas Cards.', Melbourne Punch (Vic. : 1855 - 1900), 26 October, p. 8, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article174557875

1883

1883 'CHRISTMAS CARDS.', Illustrated Sydney News(NSW : 1881 - 1894), 24 November, p. 7, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64035093
1913

"PERSONAL CHRISTMAS CARDS. That is your name and address with any greeting you desire neatly printed on each card. This makes your Christmas greeting a direct personal message to your friend or relation. It is the latest mode of sending a greeting and the cost is very trifling. Samples at the "Gaz- ettes" General Printing Office, will be cheerfully shown, for the English mail orders must be executed at once.-Advt." Source: 1913 'PERSONAL CHRISTMAS CARDS.', West Gippsland Gazette (Warragul, Vic. : 1898 - 1930) , 11 November, p. 2 Edition: MORNING., viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article68666267

1934

1934 'CHRISTMAS CARDS.', Catholic Freeman's Journal(Sydney, NSW : 1933 - 1942), 13 December, p. 10, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146411750

1940

1940 'CHRISTMAS CARDS.', The Macleay Chronicle(Kempsey, NSW : 1899 - 1952), 16 October, p. 4, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173124799

1954

1952 'Christmas Cards.', The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), 20 December, p. 4, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27127852

A New Title in My Genealibrary

As I was doing the Christmas shopping I spotted a book about Australian rock band, Powderfinger. I considered buying it for my son who is a fan of the band but I bought it for my Genealibrary. The book's RRP is $AU45 and I would probably have passed it by at that price. It was on sale at QBD Books for $AU14.95, a more palatable price.

ISBN: 9780733628825

Are you wondering why I bought this for my Genealibrary? 

Not long ago we discovered from a newly found elderly cousin that Mr GeniAus is related to band member,  Darren Middleton. My genealogy software tells me that Darren is Mr GeniAus' second cousin once removed. They are descended from John James Ball and Emily Royds.

This book has a chapter about Darren that contains plenty of information about his life.... true Geneagold!

You can see why I just had to buy it.

A Welcome Invitation

Usually when I receive an invitation to join yet another Facebook group my reaction is "ho hum not another group"!

Yesterday as I was travelling on the train to the city an invitation came through that brightened my day. It was from Jen Coates who has set up a FB group just for Australian Local and Family History Bloggers. What a fab idea at a time when several of my blogging mates are taking a sabbatical from blogging, we all need a little encouragement and support to keep going. As one member of the new group has said " I need some motivation to blog more often and this may help. I got out of the habit of blogging regularly a few years when I was studying and have not managed to get myself back into it to the same extent."

As I was travelling into town I added some of my mates to the group and on the way home added a few more but I didn't know how to send invitations to the many bloggers I know via Google+ and other social media channels. It's pleasing to see the way that the members of the new group have embraced the concept and it would be great to see membership grow.

Jen describes the group "I have had something like this in mind for a while as there seemed to be no place to discuss issues that were common only to history web writers. 
I would be very happy for everyone to introduce themselves once but I don't see this page as promotional as this would merely double up on the multiple avenues already available and we would be preaching to the converted!
I see this page as a resource for creative history writers."

If you fit the above criteria and would like to join the group you could try clicking on this link and seeing if it gives you an option to request membership.

Hope to see you in the group soon.

GAGs - GeniAus' Gems - 13 November 2015

As I've a busy day ahead of me tomorrow I'm preparing this post ahead of time. There was quite a collection of Remembrance Day posts this week. I had int4ended to prepare a second GAGs list of these but time has caught up with me. I hope you enjoy the following selections.

1. I love travelling vicariously with my Genimates. I enjoyed Shauna's journey.

http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/travelling-the-burnett-a-scenic-family-history-heritage-gourmet-adventure/

2. Something different from The Maritime Museum
https://anmm.wordpress.com/2015/11/11/how-to-make-a-buttercream-battleship-or-delicious-destroyer-cake/

3. And so say all of us.
http://geelonganddistrict.com/2015/11/11/3-cheers-for-vic-bdms/

4. Cured,Relieved, Died  in Wagga Wagga
https://onrecordblog.wordpress.com/2015/10/27/cured-relieved-died/

5. Ideas for Movember
http://blog.nms.ac.uk/2015/11/10/ten-victorian-sensation-moustaches-for-movember/

6. Jennifer is amused.https://jonesfamilyhistory.wordpress.com/2015/11/10/trove-tuesday-those-pesky-buttons/

7. Carmel demonstrates how two favourite tools can work together.
http://librarycurrants.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/trove-tuesday-new-life-for-lists.html

8. Sharon reports on a progressive cemetery
http://shazlex.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/a-progressive-old-cemetery-stories-from.html

9. Diane helped organise a magnificent family reunion.
http://worldwidegenealogy.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/family-reunion-reflection.html

10. Via poses many questions
http://bisnonni.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/location-location-in-famly-history.html

11.Pauleen has been busy relocating and settling into her new environment. It's great to see her return to blogging with such a comprehensive post.
https://cassmob.wordpress.com/2015/11/11/death-of-an-anzac-lieutenant/

12. I bet the people at Cairns FHS are feeling super satisfied.http://cdfhs.org/cairns-born-adoptee-finds-his-birth-mother/

We will remember them

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; 

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 

At the going down of the sun and in the morning 

We will remember them."

Trove Tuesday - Names and Places

One of my favourite searches in Trove is a simple search for a Surname and Place eg I regularly rerun Duncan Cobar and Tierney Dungog to see if I can happen across new articles about these branches of the family in Trove.

This morning I was thinking about my Pusell branch and recalled that they lived in Burraga and Rockley so firstly I put Pusell Burraga into Trove's search box. I didn't get round to searching for Pusell Rockley because I got some valuable new hits from the Pusell Burraga search. 

The first treasure was an obituary for my Great-great Uncle, William John Pusell:

"PERSONAL

The death occurred at the Bathurst District Hospital last night, of Mr. William John Pusell, of Burraga. He had been ill for some considerable time. Mr. Pusell was born at Rock- ley 88 years ago, and lived in the  Rockley and Burraga districts all his life and was well known and highly respected. He is survived by two sis-ters, Mrs. Davis, of Burraga, Mrs.Godden, of Forbes and one brother, Mr. Jack Pusell, of Lithgow. Num- erous nephews and nieces also survive. The funeral will take place this after- noon, moving from Messrs. MacDon- ald and Moloney's funeral parlors,   223 George Street, for the Church   of England portion of the Bathurst cemetery at 3 p.m. today." (1953 'PERSONAL.', National Advocate (Bathurst, NSW : 1889 - 1954), 23 October, p. 2, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161710405)

Reading on I discovered that William had been conveyed to hospital in Bathurst in October 1946 (1946 'GENERAL NEWS.', National Advocate (Bathurst, NSW : 1889 - 1954), 1 October, p. 2, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161335588) and in 1952 (1952 'MEDICAL CASE.', National Advocate (Bathurst, NSW : 1889 - 1954), 24 July, p. 2, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161527353). 

There are too many of these ambulance reports to list but one from 1949 caught my eye as it named Pusell's residence as "Baldridges, Burraga" giving me a new place lead to follow up. (1949 'AMBULANCE CASES.', National Advocate (Bathurst, NSW : 1889 - 1954), 25 March, p. 2, viewed 10 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161699439).

In addition to articles about Great-great-Uncle William I found enough mentions of other family members to keep me amused for several hours.

Do you return regularly to Trove to carry out similar searches?

Hiding my Age

A prompt from Geneabloggers over the weekend reminded me that I had missed my blogiversary last week. I must be hiding my age well because, although Geneabloggers told me that this blog had started in 2009 I thought I was a tad older than that. I've put a reminder in my Google Calendar so that I won't miss this event next year when GeniAus turns 8.

Going back through the archives I discovered my first GeniAus post from 5 November 2008.

GeniAus First Post

 Who was I kidding? Crowded? Back in 2008 there were very few geneablogs around, I am so thrilled that, when I retired, I found a niche in which to blog. I had been blogging about education, libraries and technology for several years and enjoyed communicating via this medium and wanted to continue writing bits and pieces. I am pleased that many of my Australian Genimates have taken up blogging, presently I follow over 200 Australasian Blogs in my RSS reader.

Unfortunately I didn't keep a screen shot of my blog as it appeared in 2008. The first image in 2011 I have comes from The Wayback Machine.

GeniAus Blog 27 January 2011

Although the blog has had a number of new looks over the years the thing that has remained constant is my GeniAus portrait done by my then 7 year old granddaughter.

GeniAus Portrait 2008

Entering the Geneasphere via this blog opened up a whole new world to me. I am so grateful to all the friends and opportunities it brought my way. Thank you to all who have stopped by GeniAus over the years, I appreciate your friendship, interest and support.

My life has been enriched by through Geneablogging.

GAGs - GeniAus' Gems - 6 November 2015

I am one of three geneabloggers who has written about the world of geneablogging over the past week. Should you wish to read the articles here are the links:

Where have all the bloggers gone? http://geniaus.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/where-have-all-bloggers-gone.html
What is the future of genealogical blogs? http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/what-is-future-of-genealogical-blogs.html
The True Future of Blogging  http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2015/11/2015-true-future-of-blogging.html

I am hopeful for the future because from my observations while many people give up on blogging (and I miss their contributions) there is a group of enthusiastic newbies continually joining our ranks.

Now let's concentrate on this week's contributions (and I had a huge list to choose from this week).

1. Because I can I'm sharing a post of mine to thank those who assisted with our Hornsby Shire FHG display last week.
https://hornsbysfhg.wordpress.com/2015/11/01/heritage-day-at-wallarobba/

2. A new blogging theme from Jennifer.
https://jonesfamilyhistory.wordpress.com/2015/11/04/waters-wednesday/

3. Mole in South Africa reminds us that it's Remembrance Day next week.
http://molegenealogy.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/lest-we-forget-remembrance-day-coming.html

4. A yummy Christmas gift from one of my fave blogs.
http://blogs.hht.net.au/cook/eat-your-history-the-book/

5. Shelley sends out a challenge to FindMyPast. Will she get a satisfactory reply?
http://twigsofyore.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/findmypast-frustration-metadata-madness.html

6. And Carmel highlights an issue with MyHeritage Snmart Matches.
http://librarycurrants.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/smart-or-not-so-smart-matches-on.html

7. Heather is embarking on an ambitious project and needs help from downunder
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com.au/p/honor-roll-project.html

8 Some useful words for genealogists
http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/11/synonyms-for-dying/

9. I've fond memories of reading these stories.
https://slwa.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/the-lynley-dodd-story/

10. What inspires you to blog?
https://en.blog.wordpress.com/2015/10/28/what-inspires-us-to-blog/

11. A catchy title for this post.
http://rootsbid.com/blog/panning-for-irish-genealogy-gold/

12. An interesting interpretation of a topic.
http://rootsbid.com/blog/panning-for-irish-genealogy-gold/

13. I had to make it a baker's dozen this week so you can reflect on Paula's message.
http://genealogybypaula.com/2015/10/genealogy-should-not-be-a-solitary-passion-use-the-buddy-system/

From time to time geneabloggers need to take a sabbatical. Welcome back to these two bloggers:

http://footsteps.bannisterfamily.org/2015/11/returning-to-action.html

http://hedding-family.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/when-ernulphus-hedding-was-born-on-21st.html

And here's a new to me local blog
http://berowralivinghistory.com/blog-posts/

Trove Tuesday - Parkinsons Found

We have chased Mr GeniAus' Parkinson ancestors from Yorkshire to Australia and back again and haven't been able to gather much info on them.

I noticed earlier today that The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser (NSW : 1856 - 1861; 1863 - 1889; 1891 - 1954) is now digitised on Trove and I knew that the Parkinsons when in Australia resided in Armidale so off I went to Trove where I did a simple search for Parkinson in that newspaper..... and I found some stuff.

I didn't expect to find an obituary for William Henry Parkinson of Batley, Yorkshire, Mr GeniAus' Great-Grandfather.

1925 'OBITUARY.', The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser (NSW : 1856 - 1861; 1863 - 1889; 1891 - 1954), 11 September, p. 6, viewed 2 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article191992774

This is so exciting as it confirms the children's names and locations and tells us something about the old boy's activities.

 Mr GeniAus' Great Uncle, George Henry,  stayed in Australia when the rest of the family returned to Yorkshire. An item in 1903 relayed some sad news for the Parkinson family.

1903 'Events & Rumours.', The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser (NSW : 1856 - 1861; 1863 - 1889; 1891 - 1954), 13 February, p. 5, viewed 2 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article191959755

I didn't realise that another brother, Robert was working in Liverpool, NSW but I knew that Harry was in England. This item filled me in.

1916 '"HELL ON EARTH.".', The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser (NSW : 1856 - 1861; 1863 - 1889; 1891 - 1954), 4 February, p. 6, viewed 2 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article191872649

Another article (1927 'Mr. G. H. PARKINSON.', The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser (NSW : 1856 - 1861; 1863 - 1889; 1891 - 1954), 19 July, p. 2, viewed 2 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article192071565) that I will try to transcribe later tells me that George Parkinson was afforded a hearty farewell by the congregation of the Armidale Methodist Church when he left his position at Armidale Motors to move to Ipswich in Queensland in 1927.

And finally in 1949 there is news of George's death.

1949 'PERSONAL.', The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser (NSW : 1856 - 1861; 1863 - 1889; 1891 - 1954), 18 February, p. 8, viewed 2 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article193686273

I wonder if there is an Ipswich paper digitsed on Trove that will tell me more of the Parkinson story.

Joining the J Team

There's nothing like being ready ahead of time and I'm ready for Saturday.

I was thrilled when I was approached by Heather Garnsey from The Society of Australian Genealogists to join a panel for their first virtual  "Lost In weekend : how to do your Family History in 2015" that will be held on Saturday and Sunday 7 and 8 November. Being part of this event which I think is the first online conference orgainsed by a genealogy society in Australia is so exciting. Events like this that allow distant members to connect with presenters in other locations should be a part of all major society education programs.

A healthy number of genies have registered for the event which is open to members and the public - if you have been considering attending it would be wise to register now as there is a ceiling on  the number of registrations. You can view the program and register at the SAG website.

I will be appearing between 1:30 and 2:30 pm on Saturday in What’s the best organising system? – Panel discussion: described thus "Family history research generates a lot of documents, photos and certificates. A panel of researchers discuss how they organise all their stuff, to help you choose a system that works for you."

My Presentation for Saturday

I heard today that I will be joined by fellow SAG members Jennie Fairs and Judy Keena - perhaps we can call ourselves The J Team. My greatest challenge is that we are each to speak for only 8-10 minutes and then answer questions from attendees. I think I'm going to be speaking very fast.

I hope some of you will join me on Saturday.

Bring on the Keynotes

Many of my fellow Ambassadors for the 2016 Rootstech Conference have been busy sharing details of the Keynote speakers that have been announced for the Thursday Rootstech Sessions. You can read all about them here.

As a foreigner I have only heard of one of the three speakers, Steve Rockwood, but I am not perturbed because the Rootstech organisers have consistently sourced excellent people (most  who were previously unknown to me) as keynotes. Some like Curt Witcher and Jay Verkler (of the amazing hair) have really resonated with me as they shared very strong messages about the Future of Genealogy.

I got to interview Jay Verkler at the first Rootstech in 2011

How about the barefoot boy, Josh Coates, who presented without shoes in wintry Salt Lake City? Judy Russell's keynote in 2014 was a real wakeup call and multi-faceted David Pogue in 2013 (whom I got to interview - watch it here) was a real showman. This year young Australian, Tan Le, had many in tears while Old Rocker, Donny Osmond, took us on a trip down memory lane. And then there was everyone's cousin, A J Jacobs,  who befriended the geneabloggers. I passed on an invitation to interview this funny guy and have been regretting it ever since.

A chat on the couch with Tan Le

A J Jacobs and his geneablogging cousins

 One of the reasons I attend Rootstech is to hear new (to me), inspiring, entertaining and challenging speakers and I am more than satisfied with most of the selections made by the organisers each year.

I don't mind who they serve up - the keynotes will make my trip worthwhile.

And here's that interview with David Pogue:

Where have all the Bloggers gone?

The number of blog posts that appear in my RSS feed each week has been slowly diminishing.  Some of my geneablogging mates have disappeared from the scene and some are blogging less frequently. I miss you all and hope that you'll return to blogging real soon.

Some Geneablogging Mates 2012

Apologies to Peter, Paul and Mary  for the following:

Where have all the bloggers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the bloggers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the bloggers gone?
Lost in cyberspace, everyone?
Oh, we miss our blogging friends?
Oh, when will you ever blog?

Where have all the bloggers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the bloggers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the bloggers gone?
Researching, every hour?
Oh, we miss our blogging friends?
Oh, when will you ever blog?

Where have all the bloggers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the bloggers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the bloggers gone?
Lost in archives, everywhere?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn? 

Where have all the bloggers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the bloggers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the bloggers gone?
Gone to graveyards, everyone?
Oh, when will they ever blog?
Oh, when will they ever blog? 

Where have all the bloggers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the bloggers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the bloggers gone?
We miss you, everyone.
Oh, we miss our blogging friends?
Oh, when will you ever blog?

Where have all the bloggers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the bloggers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the bloggers gone?
Please come back, everyone.
Oh, we miss our blogging friends?
Oh, when will you ever blog?