From Distress to Deliverance

In Covid times The Hawkesbury Family History Group has been holding its meetings both in person and via zoom and inviting interested genealogists to attend their meetings virtually. When I lived in Sydney I attended their meetings in person but, as I have moved away from the big smoke, I have not attended recently. One of the benefits of Covid is that I can now take advantage of the Group's excellent program. Their September speaker was Heather Garnsey and in November it will be Kerry Farmer who are both excellent, established presenters.

Yesterday Stephen Gow, a descendant of a Hawkesbury convict, spoke about the new book he has written about the life and times of that ancestor, William Gow. Stephen gave a most informative and interesting presentation in which he shared some information about the Gow family and discussed the planning, writing and publishing process of his book "From Distress to Deliverance". Stephen's Powerpoint presentation was rich in relevant images and light on text, it demonstrated how a slideshow can enhance a verbal presentation. I learnt some valuable tips on producing a high quality publication from Stephen's talk.

At the conclusion of his talk Stephen indicated that, as a self-publisher, he didn't have a formal distribution network for this book. Some copies are available from the Hawkesbury Regional Museum, alternatively intending purchasers can email Stephen at wptgowdescendants@gmail.com to organise delivery. I immediately emailed Stephen as I wanted to ensure that I snagged one of the three hundred copies from the limited print run.

I was surprised that I got an immediate response from Stephen, who said he would be passing close to Lake Macquarie today on his way home to Armidale. He offered to deliver a copy of the book to save me postage on the item. It's just an hour since Stephen popped in to deliver the book and have a chat.

Image: Courtesy Stephen Gow

I haven't had time to read the book yet but I am already impressed. "From Distress to Deliverance" is a solid tome, weighty in both form and content. A thing of beauty, it has a hardcover and is larger than A4 size, printed on thick paper, the layout is well executed and it is overflowing with colourful and clear illustrations. What warmed the cockles of this old librarian's heart are the features that make it easy to access and understand the information within its solid covers: a contents' page, conversion tables, references at the end of each chapter, a bibliography and source list, family history pages and a detailed index. This book will be too weighty for bedtime reading, I may even have to place it on a table to read comfortably but I know that it will be a rewarding experience. 

Congratulations, Stephen, on producing such a superb work. It is a testament to your passion for family and local history.

The way to my heart

I'm a bit of a bibliophile who tries to be sensible and not spend too much on books so I love receiving bookish gifts. Today I was really spoilt.

As a thank you for my presentation at Hawkesbury Family History Group I was presented with some pretty flowers and a shiny black bag that contained two recently published books, a historical society journal on Hawkesbury Personalities and an FHG newsletter.  This gift chosen by the Group Coordinator,  Michelle Nichols, was so appropriate for a booklover.

When I delved into the bag I was reminded that speaker gifts were a topic of conversation at the recent  member forum at NSW and ACT Association of Family History Societies Conference. Delegates were discussing options of gifts for presenters other than the usual bottle of wine or box of chocolates. A few suggestions were bandied around, someone suggested pens made from special timbers , others suggested petrol vouchers or gift vouchers.

Having been the recipient of all of the above as well as several local history books I have appreciated the vouchers and books most of all. As with many things in life one size doesn't fit all.

What I was trying to get across in my talk today was the idea that we should not only be well-mannered but thoughtful genies as well. In her selection of a gift for me today Michelle demonstrated that thoughtfulness. 

BTW I had a beaut time at the event today and was most appreciative of the lovely comments and interesting family skeletons attendees shared with me after the talk.

The audience at Windsor this morning

Give credit where credit is due.

My presentation at the Hawkesbury Family History Group on Wednesday this week is titled "Do the right thing - minding your manners in the geneasphere". 

One of my slides contains this clip of a comment from Alex in response to Susan's blog post.

Alex didn't have to tell Susan how she found her way to Susan's post but she did and I am most grateful. THANKYOU Alex. 

If you would like to join me for the talk at Hawkesbury Central Library at Windsor on Wednesday at 10:00am  I would love to see you there. Details can be found here: http://www.hawkesbury.net.au/community/hfhg/meetings.html

Do the Right Thing

I am excited to be returning to The Hawkesbury Family History Group Meeting on October 14 to present a new talk "Do the right Thing : minding your manners in the geneasphere". The Group has advertised the talk "as a fun and informative look at the principles of doing the right thing in family history research" so I will try to take a lighthearted approach to the topic.

Although I am not an etiquette expert I look forward to exploring the topic with the folk in the Hawkesbury group. As someone who has been guilty of several breaches of etiquette as I have navigated the geneasphere I have a few personal examples that demonstrate what not to do.

The powerpoint slides all have their headings, I just need to flesh it out with a few appropriate images and a little text.

If you'd like to join me at Hawkesbury Library in Windsor at 10:00am on October 14 you would be most welcome. The library has an excellent Local and Family History collection where you can linger after the meeting.

I can't believe that the gig is three weeks away and that I am well advanced in my preparation - perhaps I am heeding my own message to "Do the right thing". 

Trove Tuesday - Windsor visits

I visit Windsor, home to some of my convict ancestors,  each month (when I am around) for the meeting of the Hawkesbury Family History Group so I was interested to find on Trove a report of a visit to Windsor in September 1947 by members of another society of which I am a member, The Society of Australian Genealogists.

1947 'Genealogists Visit Windsor.', Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1954), 24 September, p. 11, viewed 1 September, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85787233

My Irish Eyes were Smiling

Guess who I heard speak on Wednesday?

HINT - she was the star turn at the Hawkesbury Family History Group meeting for National Family History Month.

1. She has a wicked, dry sense of humour.
2. She knows her topic inside out.
3. She is a non-boring academic type.
4. She is obsessed with her topic.
5. Perhaps she should have been named Colleen.
6. She is the Chair of the Great Irish Famine Commemoration Committee (GIFCC) which is actively seeking information about Earl Grey’s Irish Workhouse Immigrant women. 

I have heard Dr Perry McIntyre speak on a number of occasions and was privileged to hear her again on Wednesday morning. Perry's topic was "Single female emigration in the 1830s & 1840s". As examples to illustrate her presentation Perry cited Irish examples. Now that was right up my alley as I have a couple of troublesome Irish girls in my tree including my Great-great-grandmother Bridget (Did she swim?) Ryan.

Perry's opening slide

Perry explained the options, criteria and processes for single Irish girls who wanted to come to the colonies and illustrated her talk with images of contemporary newspaper ads, paintings and photos. She then explained what happened to the girls from when they came off the boats until they got hitched. The stories and photos she shared of several Earl Grey girls were interesting.  I wish I could find a picture of my girl, Mary Cregan/Cligan/Creigan/Gregson. 

As Chair of the Great Irish Famine Commemoration Committee (GIFCC) Perry is actively seeking information about Earl Grey’s Irish Workhouse Immigrant women; as requested I will be emailing Perry with the scant information I have on Mary Cregan/Cligan/Creigan/Gregson, another of my Great-Great-Grandmothers.

Perry suggested the Atlas of the Great Irish Famine as a useful resource for background information on the famine. She neglected to say that one needs to be a weightlifter to lift this weighty tome!

My revelation for the day came when I asked Perry about how I could access a resource in PRONI that refers to my girl Mary. Apparently our friends at Familysearch have filmed the records and I could order it in to a local centre but I will wait until I go to Salt Lake City for Rootstech in Febraury. It will be something to look forward to.

Should you wish to hear Perry speak on a similar topic she will be talking at The Quarantine Station at North Head later this month. Details here.

Thanks to Jonathan for the happy snap. Perry (left) and me

My super morning was topped off when I had a cup of coffee and nice chat with Jonathan Auld and Michelle Nichols in a nearby cafe. Thanks to Michelle for organising another great talk at Hawkesbury and to Michelle and Jonathan who, knowing about my fetish for geneabling, brought me back a badge from the London "Who do you think you are live" event they attended.

My Big Day Out

There were three genealogy related events in my day yesterday and I traversed quite a bit of the northern part of Sydney to attend them.

https://maps.google.com/

My day started with a 9:15 departure from my home in Galston (E on map) to Hawkesbury Library (B on map) for 10:00am, then I drove for about 50 mins to my next destination, Ku-ring-gai Historical Society (C on map) after spending a few hours there I set out for Hornsby Library (D on map) where I arrived at 6:00pm. I finally reached home around 8:00pm. Google maps estimate that I drove around 98 km. and it was worth every centimeter.

So how did I amuse myself?

Siobhan and her book

At Hawkesbury Library  I attended the monthly meeting of the Hawkesbury Family History Group. The guest speaker was Dr Siobhan Lavelle whose talk was about the 1813 crossing of the Blue Mountains. The content of the talk was different from what I expected but was fascinating; I had expected to hear a straight history of the crossing by Blaxland, Wentworth, and Lawson but Siobhan put a different slant on her talk. She discussed the various celebrations that have been held to mark anniversaries of the crossing and demonstrated, with references to books, newspaper articles, pictures and other resources, the influences that society and members of the explorers' families at various periods had on shaping those celebrations. I was most impressed by Siobhan's presentation; she was a lucid and entertaining speaker with a dry and irreverent sense of humour.

I purchased and look forward to reading a copy of Siobhan's book, 1813 a tale that grew in the telling, that is available from the Royal Australian Historical Society and bookshops in the Blue Mountains.

After chatting with a few fellow group members and Michelle Nichols, the local studies librarian, I popped into my Bambino and headed for Ku-ring-gai Historical Society where I spent a pleasant few hours scanning historical photographs and adding them to the Society database. I also managed to have a chinwag with members of the Preservation Group who were beavering away at various tasks.

Because at talks I habitually sit behind tall gentlemen who block my view of slides on the screens I like to arrive early to snag  a seat near the front of lecture rooms. I arrived 30 minutes early for the talk at Hornsby Library and was able to catch up with Peter Booth, Kim and his wife from Ku-ring-gai Historical Society and Neil Chippendale the local studies librarian. Guest speaker at the Hornsby talk was one of my favourite speakers, Dr Carol Liston, whose topic was "The Links between Local and Family History". Carol was in fine form and gave a great talk.

What I found interesting in Carol's talk was that she covered some of the same themes that Joshua Taylor had addressed in his talk last Saturday particularly the importance of Place in family history research.

Thanks to  Michelle and Neil, two of my local history heroes, for organising these great Family History Month events.

A Place of Refuge...

Christine Yeats at Hawkesbury today

....is not what comes to mind when I think of an Asylum but after hearing Christine Yeat's illuminating talk, Tracing Ancestors in Asylums, at The Hawkesbury Family History Group meeting today I have changed my thinking.

Christine, who is recently retired from State Records NSW, focused her talk on accessing patient identifying records from mental health facilities and government asylums in NSW.

After giving a brief history of asylums (places of refuge) in NSW and indicating the classes of people who may have been admitted  Christine told us of some of the records available and showed images of some of  those records.  One particularly grisly case was that of Martha Elizabeth Rumpf; take a look on Trove to see how this poor soul made the headlines.

Christine gave us lots of tips and a handout with many sites to follow up. I know that I have someone who died in the Liverpool Asylum for the Destitute later known as The Liverpool State Hospital and Home so I am going to read this Archives in Brief document suggested by Christine to see what I can find.

Christine suggested that if in your research you come across

• Unexplained absences
• Gaps in employment
• Gaps in birth of children
• Links on family tree who disappear
• Silence when a name is mentioned

you should check Asylum records.

My main takeaway from this session was - If there is an index (any index of names) available check it for your family names.

Should you get a chance to hear Christine talk on this subject grab it.

A Feisty Female

Local Author, Laurie Chater Forth, was the guest speaker at yesterday's meeting of The Hawkesbury Family History Group. 


I was lukewarm about attending this talk as I hadn't heard of either Laurie or her book "Margaret Catchpole – Her Life and her Letters ". And, wow, did I get a surprise?

Laurie was a charming, knowledgeable and interesting speaker who, in a quiet way, demonstrated a passion for her topic "Life of Margaret Catchpole". 

Laurie indicated that she would not give a "chapter and verse" talk on the life of Catchpole as most people in the audience probably knew the story of her life. I had heard of Margaret Catchpole, convict, and in my life as a librarian had biographies of Catchpole on the shelves but my knowledge of this formidable woman was scant.

Lauire 

I learnt that Margaret Catchpole, a convict, nursed women and babies in the Hawkesbury area in the early 19th century, was a successsful farmer and the first reporter in the district through the reports in her eleven letters (copies of which are held in the State Library of NSW and the national Library of Australia.



Joining a Local Writing Group provided Laurie with the impetus to get writing.  Her journey with Margaret Catchpole started in 1999 with an article in Hawksbury Independent. Isolation separation loyalty identity crisis.


In her talk Laurie outlined the research she had undertaken as she sought an answer to the question "Who was Margaret Catchpole?"


There had been many books and articles written about Margaret Catchpole but, through her research, Laurie was able to prove that many of these accounts were erroneous. Laurie is hoping, in her book that she describes as "an easy read", to have given Margaret Catchpole back her genealogy."

What Laurie gave me was an entertaining and illuminating talk on research methods and the life of a feisty female.

Thank you, Laurie. I am looking forward to reading your book.

Fishing Trip

There wasn't a drop of water in sight when I went on a very pleasant fishing trip today. 

After the meeting of the Hawkesbury Family History Group (and that's another fab story) I went down to the Hawkesbury Library carpark and was able to score one of the 4 hour parking spots so I moved the Bambino and went back to the library to do some fishing.

What this library has is a great collection of BOOKS, not just about the Hawkesbury Region but about genealogy in New South Wales. These books are in a light and airy section of the library and are organised according to Dewey (which makes this old librarian feel immediately comfortable). Michelle Nichols, The Local Studies Librarian at Hawkesbury is to be congratulated on the breadth and quality of the collection.

 As this was an unplanned visit I embarked on little fishing trip. I browsed the shelves book by book. I  even found a few books pertinent to my family research that are not in the collection of the National Library of Australia (Legal Deposit not working?).

Local Studies Area - Hawkesbury Library

Local Studies Area - Hawkesbury Library

This trip resulted in a very tasty haul as I found mentions of direct ancestors and distant family members in some of the books in the collection. I found two titles that I must own - so now the search is on for these books. I'll be returning to Hawkesbury for another fishing trip.

I'd love to own this book

 Whilst it is not good genealogical research practice to go on aimless fishing trips they can prove to be quite fruitful.

A Real Teacher

When one attends a genealogy conference in the United States the sessions are called "classes" and the presenters "teach" those classes. The use of these words from the field of education implies that the presenters have a set of skills beyond that of presenting a topic in a lecture. From my observations at the genealogy events I attend both in Australia and overseas only a small number of presenters demonstrate these skills at a high level. They may have great subject knowledge and be engaging and entertaining presenters who get their messages across but good teachers do a bit more than that. There are many great lecturers in the genealogy world but not so many great teachers.

Carol Liston at Hawkesbury

Good teachers are aware of the people in their classes; they are patient with those who do not catch on at first; they have a sort of sixth sense that allows them to adjust their lesson to suit the needs of the individuals in their classes; they are aware when someone in the class loses attention or cannot understand a concept; they respond to questions from the class as they go; they stop and emphasize or explain a point when necessary; they are willing to be interrupted: they will go off on a tangent and exploit any teachable moment that arises.

I do not expect all genealogy presenters to be good teachers but I am mightily impressed when I come across one who is as I did last week at The Hawkesbury Family History Group meeting.

Dr Carol Liston, an academic from the University of Western Sydney, spoke to our group about Accessing Land Titles records. This is a tricky subject that I have heard presented on a few occasions. Carol's presentation was excellent; she explained the topic well in simple language giving emphasis and further explanation when required. Having heard Carol's talk I think I finally get land records in NSW. The first thought I had after this event was that I had experienced good teaching at a genealogy event.


Carol is Associate Professor in History at the University of Western Sydney.  She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Sydney. Her research and teaching cover early colonial history in New South Wales, with interests in people (convict, colonial born and free immigrant), local history, heritage and the built environment. Her particular interest is the colonial development of the County of Cumberland and the use of land records to investigate its history.


Should you have a chance to hear Carol present (teach) I recommend that you make an effort to attend. I note that Carol will be presenting the John Crowe Memorial Address and speaking about how new technology has led to the digitisation of NSW Land Title Records at  the 28th Annual Conference of the NSW & ACT Association of Family History Societies in September - this could be your chance to hear her.


Have you encountered any Good Teachers at Genealogy events?

Carol Liston

It seems that whenever Carol Liston gives a talk I have something else on. I am so pleased that I am free  and able to attend Carol's talk next week on Accessing Land Titles records at The Hawkesbury Family History Group.  If you are at a loose end and would like to come along you would be made welcome.

Michelle Nichols has shared this information on a Rootstech List :

" This will be a very informative session where researchers can find out how to gain access to fantastic resources about land in NSW. Meeting will be held Wednesday 13 June 10am-12noon at Hawkesbury Library Service 300 George Street Windsor and is FREE! Enquiries phone 4560 4466 or email history@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au"

Head out to Hawkesbury

It isn't a bad drive outside of peak hour to Hawkesbury Library at Windsor although it's on the outer fringe of Sydney. Once one arrives at the library free parking can be found under the building.

I venture out there on the second Wednesday of the month to attend the meetings of the Hawkesbury Family History Group. This group is a support and information group for family historians co-ordinated by the Hawkesbury City Library Service. Anyone interested is invited to attend the meetings.

I was just putting the dates for the remainder of the year's meetings in my calendar when, looking at the list of guest speakers, I realised what are worthy crop they are.  If you would like to hear Carol Liston on "Accessing Land Titles Records", Vicki Eldridge on "Teacher and School History Records" or Angela Phippen on "Wises Post Office Directories" consider joining me at the Hawkesbury meetings; details can be found here.

In addition to the regular meetings the library hosts Family History Classes with Michelle Nichols, Local Studies Librarian. Some of these are free and some are $10. Bookings for these are essential; details can be found here on the library site.

I'm heading for Windsor on Wednesday this week to hear Julie and John Sword speak about "Family: the first century" history of the Sword family. For me it's a pleasant 30 minute cross-country drive through Sydney's beautiful semi-rural areas.

Noeline Kyle at Hawkesbury FHG

I have been a regular visitor to the meetings of the Hawkesbury Family History Group this year and have enjoyed the varied program of talks organised by Michelle Nichols.


Michelle just posted this reminder on the [AUS-GEN-EVENTS] elist. I am sorry I won't be around to hear Noeline speak at Hawkesbury this month as I enjoyed her sessions at Mosman earlier this year. It would be well worth the trip to Windsor to hear Neoline speak. There is parking available in the carpark under the library.


"The next Hawkesbury Family History Group meeting is Wednesday 14 December & the topic is 'Remembering, Recording & Writing Your Family Stories' with historian/author Dr Noeline Kyle. 


Would you like to write a family story that others will want to read, which is clearly set out, authentic & easy to read. Would you like to learn how to utilise strategies to begin organising your text into a credible, readable & appealing family story? 


Anyone interested is welcome to attend, no need to book just come along - it's free and starts at 10am at Hawkesbury Library, Deerubbin Centre, 300 George Street, Windsor. This will be the final meeting for the group for 2011 and the next meeting will be held 8 February 2012."

Data Lost - Drat

I am so annoyed with myself because I have lost the notes I took at yesterday's Hawkesbury Family History Group Meeting and it was a cracker of a meeting. Therefore I  cannot give a decent report of the meeting.

I took my notes on GDocs Notes on my tablet computer and was unable to sync them to Google Docs because reception from my carrier, Telstra, is so poor in the meeting room. I think at some stage I must have inadvertently deleted my text. Luckily I  had taken some photos of the items that members have brought along for the "Show and Tell" session at the meeting.

Each short presentation was unique and interesting, I congratulate everyone who shared an artefact and its story with us. I found this meeting so much more interesting than I sometimes find those with just one guest speaker. The articles shown included a medal for clog walking, certificates for Sunday school examinations, a metal hook from the fireplace of a house now demolished, a family Bible, family photos, a pharmacist's metal engraved plate, several books and some original indenture papers from the 19th century.

I am always banging on about speakers needing to have passion and each of these speakers yesterday did because most of the items they spoke about related to their own family histories and meant so much to them. I was so impressed with the amount of research that had been done to find the stories behind the artefacts.

It was my first time as a "Show and Tell" girl, I can't wait for next year's meeting. Now that I have a better idea of what to do I will be better prepared.

Should your society be thinking of having a "Show and Tell" session go for it.

19th Century Medal for Clog Walking in Scotland



Folder for 20th Century Sunday School Examination Certificates

Original Jurd Family Indenture from 19th century

A Boring and Unbalanced Diet

To recognise the "EAT History" theme of last week's NSW History Week Michelle Nichols chose a food related topic for her lecture at The Hawkesbury Family History Group meeting today.

In her well researched paper "Dining in the 19th Century" Michelle discussed the food eaten at various times during  the century. In the early part of the century the food was scarce, the diet boring and unbalanced and the people malnourished, she gave examples of the rations given to convicts, women and children in the early days of the colony. The main activities at this time were milling, baking, brewing and salting. As the colony grew local crops and herds of stock were developed and diets improved..

Michelle described the development of kitchens and food technology through the century using historic images on her slides. She shared some recipes, some of which like roasted and preserved emu sounded quite unappetising. Michelle used Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management, the 1864 Colonial Cookbook and recipes published in early newspapers to give us an idea of what would be in a mid to late19th century menu.

I learnt a lot from Michelle's talk. Most importantly it caused me to reflect on the challenges my earliest convict ancestors would have faced and added to my knowledge of the conditions under which they lived.

First Titleholders of Land in the Nineteen Counties of NSW

Geoff Cannon

Geoff Cannon reports that his wife says he always has either a map or beer in his hand.


At this morning's meeting of The Hawkesbury Family History Group Geoff Cannon from Maitland NSW spoke of his love affair with NSW maps and of the work that is a result of this liaison. 


Geoff kept the huge audience enthralled as he shared his knowledge of County and Parish maps in NSW. With his casual and down to earth approach he made a difficult topic enjoyable and easy to comprehend.


Geoff's work started many years ago with a plan map of Maitland in the Hunter region in NSW. He then procured all of the parish and town/village maps for that County. Geoff compiled on cards an index that listed the original titleholders of every land grant in the County.


Once he finished Geoff moved on to the neighbouring counties and Sydney, purchasing and indexing all of those maps. He plans to index 19 counties and anticipates publishing the last instalment of his work within five years. After attending a technology Conference of the Royal Australian Historical Society in Wollongong Geoff applied and was successful in gaining a grant to help him publish his work. 


His first work published 1997 was the result of 20 years research. He has since published further indexes on CD and in print. A listing of Geoff's publications and where they can be found in Australian libraries is on the Trove website.


After speaking about his work Geoff turned his attention to the Parish of St Matthew that includes Windsor, home of The Hawkesbury Family History Group and shared information about the first landholders in that area with the group. He indicated that before 1800 there had been 39 recorded grants in the Parish of St Matthew.


Geoff finished his talk with a poem by John Dunmore Laing about place names in NSW. I wish I would have asked for a copy of this, I will seek it out and share it via this blog when found.


I have only been to two meetings of this group so far and have thoroughly enjoyed the presentations by Geoff today and Karen Rogers last month. I am sorry that I will not be able to hear next month's presentation by Cassie Mercer from Inside History Magazine.

The GOONS at Hawkesbury

Karen Rogers

Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine were nowhere in sight when the GOONS came to The Hawkesbury Family History Group today.

 Karen Rogers, the NSW/ACT regional representative for the GOONS (The Guild of One-Name Studies) in Australia talked about surnames, their history and distribution and one-name studies at the meeting this morning.

After hearing Karen explain that a one-name study is a project researching one surname and all the people who have held it in the world I realised that my idea for researching the Curry surname in Australia did not fit the criteria for a study as a member of  "The Guild of One-Name Studies". I'll put my excel spreadsheets in mothballs and if I ever get around to doing the Currys I will go it alone.

We learnt that here are over 2,000 members studying around 7,850 surnames worldwide. One can check online to see if there is a study underway for one's family names. Karen explained the requirements  for those conducting studies; a great deal of research and preparation is needed before a study is accepted and then a considerable amount of work is required of  a study coordinator who has certain responsibilities such as becoming the world expert on a surname, ongoing research and answering queries within three weeks.

The seven aspects of a study are:

• Data collection
• Analysis
• Synthesis
• Publicising the study
• Responding to enquiries
• Publication of results
• Preserving the study

Karen suggested that one needed to be a bit obsessive to conduct a study but that medium size studies are a lot of fun. She said that "after a while people in your study become your family".

Karen also explained that one does not have to conduct a study to join The Guild of One-Name Studies. One can join as an ordinary member and reap the benefits that membership of the society brings.

It's taken me a while to get around to attending a meeting at this society, I was pleased that I chose today to visit. I found Karen's talk fascinating and wished that she would have had more time to further explore the information on her slides.

A New Year's Resolution is broken

I had promised myself that I was going to attend the meetings of the  Hawkesbury Family History Group  this year as it is an active group, just half an hour from my home and the place where a number of my early convict ancestors settled..

I have already broken my resolution because I am off to Rootstech. tomorrow.

 I am particularly sorry to be missing the meeting tomorrow, Wednesday 9 February 2011, at 10am.  where Ralph Hawkins, who has been the archives  officer with SAG,  will talk on "Faces & Places - Dating Family Photographs". The meeting is free and anyone interested is welcome to attend at Hawkesbury Library 300 George Street Windsor..

Gerringong Municipal Council 1871-1954

The message copied below is shamelessly snipped from a message on the Sydney DPS Rootsweb List. I don't think that the Gerringong and District Historical Society will object to the publicity but I have written seeking thier approval.

"A new book, "Gerringong Municipal Council 1871-1954" was released on Friday. It can be obtained from the Gerringong Museum, or by mail/email using the links at
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nswgdhs/gdhs.htm

The book details every Council election from the formation of the Council in 1871 until its amalgamation with Kiama in 1954 with, in most cases, vote counts and details of unsuccessful candidates. Every Alderman who served on the Council is identified, and his precise
term of service detailed.

Also included is the story of the controversial elections of 1911.

The GDHS has decided that the book will only be available in pdf format, to reduce the cost. The pdf can be printed and bound by the purchaser if required for about one-third the cost of the postage to
supply it already bound.

John Graham
Gerringong and District Historical Society"