101 Reasons to attend #congress_2018 - Meet Shelley

Shelley, a young genealogist from Canberra who blogs at Twigs of Yore, will be attending her second Congress in 2018.

She blogged about her Congress plans this week. Shelley is a modest and intelligent young woman who has a background in statistics. She is a whizz with spreadsheets, databases and masssaging data who applies her skills to her genealogy research.

An expert user of Family Historian software Shelley has given me some valuable assistance in using that program. Check out her recent blog post Reconstituting the Allsops of Tissington–progress to get an indication of the depth of Shelley's knowledge.

At Congress you will have an opportunity to mix, mingle and pick the brains of many experienced genies like Shelley.

At Congress 2015 - Shelley, our Genimate Tanya and GeniAus

Fresh Eyes

Seeing my family data presented in a new format  this week has made some glaring omissions jump out at me.

My kids always claim they have trouble buying gifts for me but I think that my genealogy obsession makes me easy to buy for. There are so many genea geegaws, apps, magazines and books that I would love to have but baulk at purchasing. On the eve of Mother's Day I was visiting one of the kids who said "I still don't have a Mother's Day gift for you". My response was "You can buy me a piece of software if it's not too expensive". She agreed and passed over her Amex card so I could make the purchase then and there.

As a result I now have a copy of "The Family Historian", version 5. When I first looked at it I was flummoxed as the interface is so different from The Master Genealogist that I have used for over ten years. Last night I imported my gedcom into The Family Historian and started playing. That I did not need to refer to any help to accomplish this was a good sign. The data transfer appeared to be clean except for some of my notes. After a couple of hours playing around with the excellent (included at no extra cost) guide I began to feel quite comfortable negotiating the package. I added a couple of people, added some events, modified some records and added some sources referring to the free guide "Getting the most from Family Historian 5" beside me. 

I like that when in the Project Window that lists everyone in my database I can sort by each column eg Name, Dates, Birth Place, Relationship to Root Person (me but can be changed - nifty) and Date Modified. Down the track I will be able to customise this to see other than the fields that are presently displayed. Looking at my data from this summary view a few things jumped out at me: it was easy to see where I had no birth details (and I was able to fill in some straight away) and to identify my closest relations to whom I will give priority attention. 

 I like the ease with which one can negotiate from the Project Window to individual people's records. I have yet to explore the customisable Ancestor and Descendant Diagrams but they appear stunning. I viewed a couple of reports that can be shared and printed,; this was a simple process.

When I mentioned to people at Congress in Adelaide that I was exploring new software options I got a range of responses most of which fitted into the "If it ain't broke don't fix it" category. I will not throw my present program away without careful consideration.

Why did I decide to seek out new software?

* Having used TNG (The Next Generation) for publishing my tree online I realised that by comparison The Master Genealogist is rather clunky. I was seeking something with a more user friendly interface that was easier to navigate.

* I discovered that there is an addon from Family Historian that makes publishing to TNG ever easier than what it is.

* I thought a product from the UK would be more in sync with my needs as the ancestors all came from the Old Country.

* My genealblogging mate Shelley, from Twigs of Yore, has blogged about her positive experiences with Family Historian software; I value Shelley's opinions highly. Unlike me she thinks carefully before making decisions.

* A prominent Australian genie person has indicated that, in his opinion, The Family Historian  is one of the two top programs available.

* There are positive reviews on GenSoftReviews for The Family Historian.

* As with The Master Genealogist there is is online support from an active group of forum members.

* I believe it is a good idea to check the market occasionally to see what alternatives are around  -otherwise I'd still be using Internet Exploer for web browsing.

Australia Day 2012: Wealth for Toil

My mate Shelley over at TwigsofYore has issued a challenge for Australia Day 2012.

Australia Day 2012: Wealth for Toil

To participate, choose someone who lived in Australia (preferably one of your ancestors) and tell us how they toiled. Your post should include:

1. What was their occupation? 
2. What information do you have about the individual’s work, or about the occupation in general?
3. The story of the person, focussing on their occupation; or
   The story of the occupation, using the person as an example. 

Responses may be as long or short as you like, and as narrow or broad as you wish.

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

Frank Duncan - Soldier

Unfortunately in spite of all of their toil none of my ancestors was rewarded with wealth in the monetary sense. Rewards came in the form of happy lives and healthy families.

My grandfather, Frank Duncan, seemed to move from job to job in the country town of Cobar. As a young man he worked as a miner in Cobar's copper mines. After returning from World War 1 he purchased a station (very large farm) of 32,000 acres, Elsinore, outside of Cobar. He walked off this farm sometime during the Great Depression. 

From that time on he tried a few jobs. He had a catering truck that  he drove around the countryside to feed the crowds at race meetings and other gatherings. From this van he sold his home made pies and the ginger beer he brewed.

Together with my grandmother, Ethel Jane Pusell, Frank ran a cafe in Cobar. I am not sure how long this venture lasted. Frank eventually went to work at the Post Office. He rejoined the Australian Army in 1940 but did not see active duty. When the family moved to Sydney in the 1940s Frank worked at the Kensington Post Office. I am not sure what work he did there but I think he may have driven a van.

Frank Duncan's Catering Van

Frank was a proud man, the major source of his pride was his five daughters "The Duncan Girls" who were very fond of their "Dadda". What they lacked in material wealth was made up by the richness of the happy family life that they enjoyed up until Frank's early death at age 53.

Frank, Ethel and The Duncan Girls, members of the Junior Red Cross c 1936

Juice Defender

I was reminded this morning when reading a post from Richard Byrne that my mate Shelley from Twigs of Yore in her post, Life in the clouds and across the Galaxy, had suggested Juice Defender as a great app for an Android Galaxy Tab. I hadn't gotten around to installing it yet but will do so now.

Recommendations from two people whose opinions I respect are good enough for me. Shelley has " upgraded all the way to Ultimate", I'll hold on to my pennies for the minute and  try the free version in the first instance.

The opportunity this app provides to prolong the battery life of my Android device is rather appealing.

Australia Day Legacy

The dust has settled  after our midweek break for Australia Day. A group of Australian Genealogy bloggers have created a gift for others by taking part in The Australia Day Challenge organised by Shelley from Twigs of Yore.

I had a fantastic day sheltering from the heat in air-conditioned comfort and sitting at my computer reading and commenting on the contributions. We are a small nation with a wealth of history and snd a population that can tell a good yaarn.  Please take a look at the post in which Shelley has collated all the entries that were contributed to the challenge.

My comment on Shelley's blog sums up my thoughts.

"Great oaks from little acorns grow."
The power of geneablogging and its collaborative nature has been demonstrated in the success of your Australia Day Challenge that has provided a smorgasbord of some of the best Australian blog posts I have read.

The stories they tell tug at one's emotions, give a glimpse into the lives of our ancestors and teach us about Australian documents.

Thank you so much, Shelley, for you initial idea and supervision of an activity that is a stellar event on the genealogy calendar in Australia.

Australia Day posts (you don't have to be Australian to join in!)

For those of you who don't read Shelley's excellent blog Twigs of Yore and who have a connection to Australia I am posting this link to her post: Australia Day posts (you don't have to be Australian to join in!) 

Shelley has invited all with a connection to Australia to:

Find the earliest piece of documentation you have about an ancestor in Australia. If you don't have an Australian ancestor, then choose the earliest piece of documentation you have for a relative in Australia.

On Wednesday 26 January 2011 post your answers to these questions:

1. What is the document? 
2. Do you remember the research process that lead you to it? How and where did you find it?
3. Tell us the story(ies) of the document. You may like to consider the nature of the document, the people mentioned, the place and the time. Be as long or short, broad or narrow in your story telling as you like! 

Send Shelley the link to your post and she will  prepare a list of all the posts and publish it on Twigs of Yore.

Australia Day at Twigs of Yore

Shelley, over at the Twigs of Yore blog has issued an Australia Day challenge/invitation to Australian Bloggers.

She is asking that, on our national day, Australian genealogy bloggers write a post in answer to a task she has outlined. I am sure that Shelley would like to see contributions from expats and others who have Australian ancestors.


Here is Shelley's task:

Find the earliest piece of documentation you have about an ancestor in Australia. If you don't have an Australian ancestor, then choose the earliest piece of documentation you have for a relative in Australia.

On Wednesday 26 January 2011 post your answers to these questions:

1. What is the document? 
2. Do you remember the research process that lead you to it? How and where did you find it?
3. Tell us the story(ies) of the document. You may like to consider the nature of the document, the people mentioned, the place and the time. Be as long or short, broad or narrow in your story telling as you like! 

Shelley has made this response to a comment I made on her blog:

"Geniaus has made the brilliant suggestion that we should collate the posts somewhere.

If you join in, please email me (see the About Me page for my email address) with the URL and one short paragraph describing your post. I'll put together a post that collates and links to all the offerings."

So come on, genealogists, rise to the occasion and celebrate Australia Day in a unique way.

Blogging is a two-way street

The blog is a social medium; a collaborative tool that enables people to communicate and share information; it gives  consumers/readers an opportunity to communicate back through the 'Comments' feature that is enabled on most blogs. Blogging is a tool not just for communication but for conversation.

The genealogy blogging world is full of generous souls who believe that "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). These people blog because they have something to share and they don't want anything in return. People use blogging software because it provides an easy mechanism for online publishing.

As a blogger I try to blog 3-5 times per week whenever I have something that I think is worthy of sharing, that I want to record for posterity for the family or to take part in online festivals etc. If I didn't ever get a comment I would still blog.

I get a buzz whenever someone makes a comment on my posts - I am human and love a bit of reinforcement be it positive or negative. I wonder if other bloggers feel the same?  

Last night I received an email from an old mate, Carolyn, who said " I was elated to find such a wealth of information on the Geniaus Site with quick links to my favourite sites. I read today’s blog about your Christmas loot and note that Perry McIntyre is related to me...I will follow your blogs and wealth of info to see what I can do to pin down the John and Caroline xxx family." Getting this email that also gave me information about Carolyn's research was a welcome belated Christmas present. 

My blog statistics tell me that I have several hundred visits each week  but yet I may only get one or  two comments. It could be that my posts are not relevant to others. I think, however, it is that  many people miss the point about blogging being a social or collaborative tool. Maybe bloggers see it as a publishing tool and  their consumers treat it in the same way as they treat a magazine article or ebook as something to be consumed fullstop. I have looked at the blogs of some top bloggers and have noticed that, most of them too, don't seem to get many comments from their huge readerships.

As a consumer I subscribe to numerous blogs via RSS and read them religiously each day.  As I believe that "Blogging is a two-way street" I regularly comment on other bloggers posts. This morning I posted a comment on Dear Myrtle's post"Ancestor Approved - Thank-you"    and Shelley's "Twigs of Yore" post "In genealogy, the smallest discoveries can make your day". I found one post quirky and interesting and I agreed with the content of the other - so I told the writers.

As part of my genealogy resolutions for 2011 I am going to recognise that "Blogging is a two-way street" and commit myself to using the comments boxes on genealogy blogs for conversation.

How about joining some conversations in 2011?

Twigs of Yore

Shelley, from Twigs of Yore, another blogger who was included in the MyHeritage Top 100 list, yesterday weighed into the debate about these awards with her post In defence of my honour!

Pasted below is a copy of my response to Shelley's post:

My Geniaus blog was on the MyHeritage list and was chuffed to find myself there. When I received the initial email from MyHeritage telling me they were going to put my blog on a list and offering me a badge I didn't take much notice of it and ignored the message.

I was surprised when a few days later I found my blog listed in their Top 100. I was pleased, not just for myself, but for genealogy in Australia as there were a number of Australian blogs on the list. With our small population base we have a hard time getting noticed and noted in other 'best' lists that tend to feature North American blogs.

My Google Analytics reports show a spike in site visits around the time the awards were announced. I imagine this was the case for the other Aussie blogs listed. The MyHeritage Award has helped in telling the world that genealogy is thriving downunder.

I won't be removing my badge - I am honoured to have been noticed.