An Invitation for You

 I attended my first DNA talk in Australia ten years ago in October 2010.Here is what I wrote on this blog after the event:

The last talk I attended certainly was the jewel in the crown of a fantastic day. Kerry Farmer presented a talk on "DNA and genealogy". I am scientifically illiterate but came away from Kerry's talk feeling as though I had a basic grasp of the concepts she had outlined. Kerry was a calm and competent speaker who was exceptionally well prepared. At the beginning of the talk she shared a wonderful handout, her many slides were attractive and informative and she made those of us in the audience who didn't have a clue about the subject comfortable enough to ask our silly questions.

Ten years down the track Kerry is one of the most knowledgeable Australian presenters in DNA. I am thrilled to be the host for Kerry's session for her talk via Zoom for the Lake Macquarie Family History Group next Saturday. I always learn something new from Kerry.

If you would like to join us for this presentation please contact the email address on the following image.

 

101 Reasons to Attend #congress_2018 - The Unexpected

In a comment on my very first 101 Reasons post Fran Kitto said " One "reason to attend" is that you learn something you do not even expect to learn. 

I even wrote about this from the Qld conference last weekend. http://travelgenee.com/history-book/ I was so underwhelmed by the talks when I read about them before the conference yet every one I attended was great and I learnt something from each."

Spot on Fran! The surprise outcomes we take away from events such as Congress add value to our experience.

One of those may be meeting up with Fran!

Fran Kitto (L) with Sharn White and Kerry Farmer (R) at Congress in 2015 (They are all returning in 2018)

Fools rush in...

... and as I like to think I'm not a fool I took my time in submitting DNA samples to Family Tree DNA. It has been refreshing to hear both at Rootstech and AFFHO Congress that experts suggest this as a good testing company.

Mr GeniAus and I purchased our kits in April 2011 and finally submitted our samples in February this year. Now four years after purchasing our tests I have my Family Finder and mtDNA results back and Mr Geniaus has his Family Finder results, his Y-DNA results are not yet in. We had also asked a cousin to test and she did so promptly back in 2013 but, as I was ignorant, I only ordered an mtDNA test for her. I need to cough up another $US99 and ask her permission to do the Family Finder test on her sample so I can compare common matches.

I have spent several hours today negotiating the Family Tree DNA site and uploading gedcoms, surnames and locations and earliest known ancestors for both Mr GeniAus and me. As I am scientifically challenged I am hoping that he will learn along with me and even take on communicating with his matches. I have been to several talks about DNA but still have limited understanding but think that having some personal results will help me learn. Tonight's bedtime reading will be the latest edition of Kerry Farmer's booklet on DNA.

I recently complained about the cost of BDM certificates but these DNA tests are really rich, I may have to forgo a holiday so I can fund all the tests I need want to ask relatives to take.  I think I'll get my Mum to test first but, as she's a bit of a sook, I don't like my chances of getting decent samples from her. I have a couple of first cousins in my sights especially the one who shares my four grandparents (I am an only child).

Now that my results are in I can see myself becoming a Haplogroupie.

Trove - Pandora Archive

A couple of years ago I was contacted by The National Library of Australia asking for permission to archive this blog in The Pandora Web Archive. I put the email aside to deal with later and promptly forgot about it.

When I was approached again earlier this year I acted immediately and gave the library permission to archive my blog.

The Pandora site explains:
"PANDORA, Australia's Web Archive, is a growing collection of Australian online publications, established initially by the National Library of Australia in 1996, and now built in collaboration with nine other Australian libraries and cultural collecting organisations.

The name, PANDORA, is an acronym that encapsulates our mission: Preserving and Accessing Networked Documentary Resources of Australia."

Here is my blog's entry on Pandora:

I notice that several of my genimates including Shauna Hicks and Kerry Farmer have also had their blogs or websites archived on Pandora. You can see a full list of Genealogy and Family History sites in Pandora here: http://pandora.nla.gov.au/subject/80

I am thrilled to have been chosen for the Pandora Archive.

Confused by DNA?

I have attended a few talks on DNA and genealogy here in Australia and overseas. Our own Kerry Farmer has given one of the most coherent and understandable presentations I have heard.

If you would like to have the mysteries of DNA unravelled you would be welcome at Kerry's talk at the Ku-ring-gai Historical Society this coming Saturday. For further details please visit the Society's blog post:
http://kuringgaihs.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/dna-for-genealogists.html

I hope to meet up with some of my genie pals at this event.

Mosman Council: Ancestry and FindMyPast online genealogy workshop

I've booked for this talk by Kerry Farmer who always gives a polished presentation.

Mosman Council: Ancestry and FindMyPast online genealogy workshop:

'via Blog this'

Elusive events

As a new retiree with a commitment to CGD I am seeking edcational opportunities to further my genealogical skills and knowledge. Like Joan Miller of Luxegen I think I may become a Genea-Conference groupie.

I dream of an online calendar that lists all events that may be suitable for budding and experienced  Australian genealogists. Something based on the Geneawebinars Blog would seem to fit the bill...but who will take responsibility for such a resource?

Presently it is a tedious process to identify learning opportunities. There are a number of organisations that offer relevant events but there is no one central place where all event details are listed.  To locate events within cooee of Sydney, NSW  I need to go to the SAG Calendar, Unlock the Past Events, Joy Murrin Events Calendar, NSW State Records, The Royal Australian Historical Society, The State Library of NSW, The National Library of Australia, The National Archives of Australia , Geneawebinars, and webpages of local family history societies (if they have one).  I also follow some libraries and groups on Twitter and Facebook and subscribe to a number of e-newsletters. This is a time-consuming exercise and does not ensure that I find all possible events.

Just this morning I saw a comment on Facebook by Kerry Farmer that she was giving a talk at Ku-ring-gai Historical Society. I visited that society's webpage and found a .pdf document listing a number of family history talks for this and next month. It was too late for me to attend this morning but I will attend some of these in the future.


How do other Australian Genealogists find events?

I wonder how hard it would be to get people and society representatives to contribute details of events to a blog like the Geneawebinars Blog if I set one up?

Time to spit or swab?

Yesterday  I took part in a webinar hosted by Elise from Relative Roots.  What I heard built on a previous lecture by Kerry Farmer I had attended in Sydney. Thanks to these two ladies for their wonderful explanations I think I now understand the basics of DNA and its application in genealogy.

My interest in DNA has been sparked as a number of my virtual genealogy pals, Shelley, Carole and Shaunna recently took advantage of a special from 23and Me to have some DNA testing. They have been regularly tweeting about their experiences.

In the webinar, Genetic Genealogy for Beginners: DNA is the “Gene” in Genealogy after introducing attendees to the webinar software Elise gave an outline of her presentation. The topics covered were:

* What is Genetic Genealogy?
* Brief History of Genetic Genealogy
* DNA Basics and Inheritance
* Types of Genetic Genealogy Tests
* Making the most of your Genetic Genealogy Experience.

The topics I found most valuable were DNA Basics and Inheritance and Types of Genetic Genealogy Tests. Elise used a number of illustrations to explain  inheritance; her clear explanations combined with these illustrations helped my understanding enormously. I now understand how YDNA and mtDNA are passed down.

Until recently there have been no genealogy tests that will help me identify ancestors through YDNA. Although my father had two brothers none of them had male offspring, my mother is one of five girls so I do not have an uncle I can lean on to provide a sample for testing.

As Elise explained Types of Genetic Genealogy Tests I realised that I could take an mtDNA test (mitochondrial) to find persons who are related through a direct maternal line. As there are two of my father's sisters alive I'd like to get one of them to take an mtDNA test to get information on that line. 

An Autosomal DNA would allow me to  discover connections to descendants of my sixteen great-grandparents. I think I need to take this test too. Elise used a wonderful graphic (that she said wasn't hers) to demonstrate how DNA passes from generation to generation. This graphic (which I can't reproduce because of copyright) gave me a clear understanding  of how DNA passes from generation to generation.

Before I spit or do a cheek swab for testing I  might need to rob a bank. On FamilyTreeDNA the site suggested by both Kerry and Elise the costs for me would be $US599 for Family Finder (Autosomal) + mtFullSequence (Use the power of the Full Mitochondrial Sequence (FMS) test to learn about the maternal line origin and find matches in your direct maternal line, and add to it the mighty Family Finder Test to help you find family across all your lines lines up to 6 generations back.)

To do Family Finder + mtDNAPlus on one of the aunts would cost $US438. As I have been writing this post and talking to Mr Geniaus he has showed interest in getting his DNA tested. A Comprehensive Genome test would cost $US837. When I have a  spare $US2000 I might organise these tests. In the interim I think I will go for a Family Finder (Autosomal) + mtDNA at $US299 while the Aussie dollar is strong against the US dollar.

Money matters aside I must thank Elise for an enlightening and informative free webinar. She wass friendly, knowledgeable and professional. If you want to learn more about Elise's planned webinars take a look at her Genealogy Webinars page.

Another Saturday at SAG

It's a bit of a lifelong learning overload for me at the moment. Last Saturday I attended the "From Ireland to here" at SAG and today I returned for two more educational sessions.

The Society of Australian Genealogists offers an excellent program of talks, meetings and seminars for both members and non-members in Sydney. I commend their program to anyone who lives within cooee of Sydney. I have been a fairly inactive member of the Society for a number of years but recently decided that my commitment to lifelong learning would be enhanced by attendance at some of their events.

This morning I attended "Sussex Online and Online Parish Clerks" a talk by SAG member, Linda Bishop. It was Linda's first presentation for SAG and she was understandably nervous when she started. However, once she got into her topic she relaxed and impressed the audience with her knowledge of resources pertinent to Sussex. Initially Linda discussed her work as a voluntary OPC (Online Parish Clerk) for Shipley in Sussex. Linda gave an indepth tour of the Shipley pages and pointed out that by "clicking on everything" one might stumble across resources relevant to one's research. She exhorted us to consider helping the OPC project by either becoming Online Parish Clerks or submitting transcriptions of records to the appropriate parishes on the OPC sites.

Linda provided a wonderful handout of online resources some of which were pertinent to Sussex and some of which, such as Vision of Britain,  have information on many counties. I now need time to research my few Sussex ancestors on the sites Linda suggested. Linda, who has a great depth of knowledge about Sussex, generously offers lookups in her personal library to those who contact her via the Shipley page.

After Linda's talk those who were attending the TMG Sydney User Group meeting repaired to the cafe on the corner for lunch. The group is led by Kerry Farmer who initially welcomed new members and  then led a discussion that planned the agendas for the groups meetings in 2011. There was not a formal program for today's meeting; it was a BYOL (Bring your own laptop) day. After identifiying a number of issues that group members wanted to discuss we split up into groups and, under the tutelage of  experienced users of the package, discussed ways in which various features of the TMG  program could be applied. I was in Carole Riley's group that discussed focus groups, flags and accents and ways to record census data and emigration and immigration. I have been using this program for many years and am still a beginner; by attending user group meetings I am able to see how others customise the program for their particular situations and learn how I can use the program for my situation.

Thanks to SAG, Linda and the TMG Sydney User Group for providing me with rich learning experiences today.

2010 History & Genealogy Expo at Parramatta - Saturday

Was it only four days ago that I retraced Friday's steps to Parramatta for the second day of the expo?

My Saturday started on a high note with  "Immigration from Ireland" by Dr. Perry McIntyre. After my initial shock in finding that Perry, whom I had read about for many years, was a girl not a boy I settled in for a most informative talk. Who said academics were boring? Kerry was the anthtihesis of boring as she spoke with passion and a depth of knowledge on this subject.  Kerry skillfully placed her talk, that was illustrated with images and statistics, in an historical perspective giving us an understanding of why our ancestors left the Emerald Isle. Kerry confirmed that finding traces of Irish ancestors can be a challenge but that with persistence one can sometimes be successful.

A silde from Perry's talk

In my second talk I went on a virtual tour of the treasure of the Mitchell Library with Paul Brunton. In his talk " The Mitchell Library and its collections" Paul,  after giving a short history of the library, focussed on some of the treasures of the library that are not what they seem. He talked about collection items that included, maps, letters, manuscripts, china and artworks. Paul indicated that looking at these old items in current often gave historians clues about social life and conditions of the times in which they were produced. Paul,a polished presenter who gave a talk laced with humour, demonstrated a passion for the Mitchell and its collections.

A 19th century cartoon from the Mitchell

I felt like I had won the trifecta after attending my third talk "The SAG Treasure Chest: how the Society's collections can help you" with Heather Garnsey, SAG Executive Officer. I had heard three competent, passionate and knowledgeable speakers in one morning.

An introductory slide from Heather

In her informative session Heather gave the audience a history of the Society and then outlined the items in the collection and how they can assist with one's research. She indicated the economic benefits of membership for those join up and use SAG's facilities. I am a longtime member of the Society who does not use these facilities nearly enough, Heather gave me a wakeup call.

Heather's conclusion

During the next two sessions I spent time volunteering on the TMG Sydney User's Group table. It was an honour to sit with these enthusiastic people who give of their time and energy so freely to promote the package about which they are so passionate. One thing users need to consider when purchasing software is the amount of support available. Apart from online support from the vendor members of the users group offer their expertise generously through a listserv and regular meetings at SAG.

There is no rest for the wicked so at 2:00 pm I found myself at the back of a crowded room for Chris Paton's talk "Discover Scottish Church records". Chris did his best to liven up this rather dry and confusing topic. My enjoyment suffered as I was unable to see Chris' slides on the screen and  seeing these visual prompts was vital  in following Chris. Additionally, as I could not see I was unable to record any of the URLs to which Chris referred. I hope I can find them in his book.

During the break I purchased a coffee and came across Neil Chippendale, Local Studies Librarian from Hornsby Library, who was scheduled to give a talk. I lamented that speakers had not been giving handouts; Neil promptly produced from his bag those he had prepared. Good on you, Neil, I didn't go to your talk but know that your participants would have been happy to get those notes of yours.

The last talk I attended certainly was the jewel in the crown of a fantastic day. Kerry Farmer presented a talk on "DNA and genealogy". I am scientifically illerate but came away from Kerry's talk feeling as though I had a basic grasp of the concepts she had outlined. Kerry was a calm and competentent speaker who was exceptionally well prepared. At the beginning of the talk she shared a wonderful handout, her many slides were attractive and informative and she made those of us in the audience who didn't have a clue about the subject comfortable enough to ask our silly questions.

Thanks again to the people from Unlock the Past and Gould Genealogy (it's hard to work out which is which or if they are one and the same) for putting together this event.

See my post for Friday's talks  here

2010 History & Genealogy Expo at Parramatta

I had a wonderful time at this event last Friday and Saturday and, after a hectic weekend, feel the need to blog about it. I will probably do a few posts, a general one and one each for Friday and Saturday concentrating on the sessions I attended.

Firstly I want to thank Allan Phillips and the crew from Unlock the Past for organising the event.It was pleasing to that The Australian Society of Genealogists supported the event. Heather Garnsey and her crew from SAG were very busy proferring assistance to visitors right through the event.  Having been a chair and member of conference  committees during my working life I know how much planning goes into staging such an event.

As with  many such events it is not only the formal program that enriches ones experience but the opportunity to meet and network with like-minded people. I was delighted to finally meet a number of online genealogy contacts in person including Kerry Farmer who was my tutor in an excellent  NIGS Genealogy course and Cheryl-Ann who was a fellow class member. I also got to finally meet Shauna Hicks in the flesh after sharing many months of online communication.

Kerry Farmer proffers advice

The program was varied; providing sessions for those who were beginners to those who were old hands at the genealogy game. There was something on offer to satisfy all tastes. It was regrettable that due to a timing glitch Heather Garnsey, especially as she is such a font of information, was told during her talk that she had to cut it by fifteen minutes. Apart from this sessions ran on time with sufficient time to move from room to room.

I attended around ten talks and found that most of the speakers were knowledgeable in their areas of expertise and had a reasonable presentation style. I thought I had chosen wisely omitting a few I had heard befare who weren't quite up to scratch. So over the two days I would only label one of the the speakers as woeful and a waste of time.  You win some, you lose some!

An earlybird waits  for a talk

I was disappointed that most of the speakers did not provide a handout or a link to a site where an outline of their talk could be found.  Kerry Farmer and Neil Chippendale were well prepared with handouts, sadly others were not. It was disappointing that some speakers appeared to use their sessions as infomercials to peddle their publications. Sessions of this type should perhaps be free.

The exhibition or trade fair had a great representation from voluntary and commercial organisations. There were numerous opportunities to part with ones pennies or pick the brains of enthusiastic volunteers. I spent some time working on The Master Genealogist Sydney User Group Table where users of TMG demonstrated its features to visitors. As a new member of this group I am in awe of  ways members have customised this program to suit their particular research needs.

Arriving at the venue and finding a free covered carpark just across the street put me in a good frame of mind for the event. Registration at 8:30 am was a painless process; I received a smile, an envelope containing tickets for the talks I was scheduled for and a goodies bag within a minute or two of appeearing. When I decided to attend an extra talk it was a simple matter to exchange my $5 for a ticket. This organisation was excellent.

The venue was clean and airy with a coffee shop and bistro facilities. On day two I packed some peanut butter sandwiches for lunch to avoid the long queues at the coffee shop. The bistro dinner shared with TMG mates and Unlock the Past staff was hot, freshly cooked and tasty.

As someone who has mobility problems I found the multi-level venue hard to navigate. There was an inclinator for those who needed help to get to the auditorium for the exhibtion but I could not find an alternative to the steep stairs down to two of the seminar rooms ; I am glad that I was not an exhibitor who had to transport boxes of goods for sale up and down the stairs to get in there.

I commend Allan Phillips and the crew from Unlock the Past for bringing this event (and Chris Paton) to Sydney.

Australian and New Zealand Genealogy Course

On June 7 I first blogged at Spur of the moment student about The Australian and New Zealand Genealogy Course I had enrolled in run by NIGS with tutor, Kerry Farmer.

In the early stages of the course I put up a few posts: First disappointment - NIGS Course, Prompt response from NIGS, Keen as mustard, Geniaus: Reflections from a "spur of the moment student".

Now that I have finished the course it's time for a final reflection.

Would I do it again?  Yes.

Would I recommend it to others? Yes

What were the strengths of the course? The well-written and comprehensive notes. The responsiveness of the tutor, Kerry Farmer. The ability to study in one's own time. The great value for money. The ability to take part in online discussions with people with shared interests from other states and countries.

What were the weaknesses? The difficulties encountered in downloading .pdf files of course material. These could be emailed as zipped files sto course participants. Unclear directions on connecting to the online discussions although this was rectified before the second week of the course. The online discussions would be enhanced with a little more structure ie focus questions or talking points that could be distributed to course participants prior to discussions.

I can't say that I learnt a lot from the course but the few new resources I learnt about led to some great finds. The course was an exercise in positive reinforcement for me as I realised that I do have some knowledge in the subject. Additionally, because the course materials were set out in a logical sequence, the course gave me a scaffold or structure for organising my knowledge.

Being able to join in any NIGS online discussions that took place during the period of the course was an added bonus.

The course is being continually updated. It is currently jam-packed with information that may daunt beginning genealogists, however I believe that Kerry Farmer and NIGS are reviewing the course content. I note that the course is now rated as "Intermediate" on the NIGS site.

Anyone with an interest in Genealogy in Australia and New Zealand would benefit from this course.

Reflections from a "spur of the moment student"

Week three of the NIGS Australian and New Zealand Genealogy course has arrived and, because I took a trip to Canberra last week,  I have fallen behind in my studies; a situation I will redress today.


I was  excited about the first online meeting scheduled for our group last week.  I studiously downloaded and tested the required software (so I thought). Around fifteen minutes prior to the meeting I tried to connect to the chat but had no success; I fiddled with all sorts of things on my computer but just could not get through. Both an officer of NIGS and Kerry Farmer, our tutor have sent me directions for connecting.  I have connected to the "trial meeting" this morning so hopefully can join in the live meeting tonight. It is interesting to note that a confusing link on the NIGS Chat sessions page has been changed.

Kerry has been an exemplary tutor connecting with her students through a number of relevant emails that answer questions raised in the first online meeting or pointing out more relevant resources. Her written notes are comprehensive and easy to follow.

Keen as mustard

It seems as though the participants in the "Australian & NZ Genealogy Course" from NIGS are as keen as mustard as is our leader Kerry Farmer. Kerry has gone out of her way to negotiate with the people at NIGS in Canada to accommodate the needs of her students.

Lesson 3: Births, Deaths & Marriages teaches about resources for finding these details of these events in Australia. The comprehensive course notes are set out clearly and logically. As it is a long weekend in Australia Kerry organised for our course materials to be available online earlier than the advertised date. Additionally Kerry wanted her students to have time to be able to take advantage of a long weekend special to order transcriptions at a reduced rate.

From Kerry's emails I can deduce that we have people from at least three continents in our study group.Tonight we have our first online chat where I will meet these folk.Can't wait.

Spur of the moment student

I am aware that there are huge gaps in my knowledge in the field of genealogy and have been considering formal post-graduate study in genealogy for a number of years. I am often 'gunna' enrol in some award or other but never quite get around to doing do.

A few times I have looked at the offerings of the NIGS (The National Institute for Genealogical Studies) and had read about their "Australian & NZ Genealogy" course. This appealed to me as it is a non-award course at a reasonable cost, led by an Australian genealogist, Kerry Farmer, with a good reputation. Perhaps it would help me decide if I really want to pursue formal studies in this area.

Last Friday a post on Facebook by Gould Genealogy alerted his friends that the next NIGS "Australian & NZ Genealogy" would be starting today, 7 June. I enrolled on the spur of the moment.

It is Day 1 for this 'spur of the moment student' and I already have a good feeling about the course. The leader, Kerry Farmer, has emailed participants with details of the course and asked a few questions that will help her know her students. My reply to her elicited a prompt, warm and personal reply back form Kerry = A good start.

Now to read the course materials.....