comment challenge

Letter L challenge

Miss W. Davey, Hearn

This was easy to think of this week.

170112

Creative Commons License Simon Evans via Compfight

Life long learning

When I think back to the early 1970’s when I first began my research, I could have given up so easily as I had to travel to the archives to do any research at all.  I had to search lots of microfilms and microfiche. I had to search many different card index for photos, arrivals, departures etc.

But as a beginner teacher at that time, I knew the value of learning all the time. I became a life long learner.

Genealogy is a life long journey of a quest for knowledge on our ancestors. At least it is easier now using digitized records but it has also become easier to make mistakes by copying inaccurate information from other people.

I can now do all that searching online for Tasmanian ancestors by using a Tasmanian Names Index from LINC Tasmania, which includes the Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office (TAHO).

I made mistakes with one branch of my tree thinking John DAVEY a free settler from Devon was born in Cullompton, Devon. I even visited there when on an overseas holiday. Took photos, shared them at family reunions, only to find that I couldn’t prove that was actually my John DAVEY once I had looked at census documents now online. I have the possibilities now down to 7 persons from the 50 I had to start with.

Another of my ancestors Martha VICO (VIRCOE) nee HEARN I had as coming from Shebbear, Devon. But now I have found her marriage records in London showing she was born in Edgeware, London. Again this information had been shared with others at reunions.

I have a database with nearly 10,000 people on it all related to me somehow, but this is only on my home computer, not online at all. So there is less chance of any errors I have made being passed on ad infinitum to everyone in the world.

As part of Thomas MacEntee’s Genealogy Do Over, I have decided to start a new database concentrating on only direct lines with spouse and siblings included. Also any information added will have to have at least 2 different sources.

Readers: Please leave a comment about my post or something beginning with L that relates to your family history or your research.

letter L

Letter K challenge

Miss W. Uncategorised , , ,

Victory.....and defeat

Philip Watts via Compfight

Wouldn’t we all like to descend from a King or Queen? Their genealogy is so well documented but instead we have to start with

Kith and Kin

According to the MacMillan Dictionary, the British definition is

Kith comes from a word of Germanic origin meaning ‘known’. Kin is also of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘give birth to’. Your kith are your friends or acquaintances, while your kin are all the people you are related to.

Here in Tasmania some of your kith can also be your kin somewhere down or across through the generations.

When starting out your family history research, it is so important to question those kin about their memories and knowledge of the family or person you are researching. Start asking questions as soon as possible or perhaps show them a picture they can reminisce about, even finding a newspaper article might bring back memories. All these will help build the story of that person or family group you are researching.

Kin often have heirlooms handed down through the family; not so in my family though. All I have is a handwritten copy of dates from a birthday book for the DAVEY family in Evandale area.

For the family history course I participated in during December/January 2014/5 one of our activities was to interview a person. I chose my dad as I wanted to gather more info about his parents and grandparents. I  recorded using Soundcloud app on my ipad and had a list of questions I wanted to ask. But after asking the question I would let dad ramble with his thoughts and I found out lots of things I never knew and probably would never have asked him about.

So make sure you question your kin (and even your kith) as they might have something to add to your family history research.

Readers: Please leave a comment about my post or something beginning with K that relates to your family history or your research.

letter K

Letter J challenge

Miss W. Uncategorised

Had to think hard this week for a topic and then suddenly lots of J words appeared: judges, justice, Justitia hulk but I thought of my ancestors and what they had to do.

Carpentaria Lightship CLS4, and the James Craig

Pete The Poet via Compfight

Journey

Each person arriving in Australia had to make a journey including the indigenous landowners.

  • What were their journeys like?
  • How did travelling by ship as a convict differ to that of a free settler or a marine?
  • What did each of them bring with them on their journey?
  • How does the journey of the modern Australians differ to the earlier Australians?
  • How did they feel journeying to the other side of the world?

Many of my ancestors did not come of their own accord but had their journey paid for by the government of the old country England. They then worked hard to make better lives for themselves here in Tasmania. In fact for at least three generations they all remained in Tasmania.

But my troublesome ancestor William Smith took off on many journeys as the captain of a whaling ship. There would have been many special problems on a whaling journey especially when chasing and flensing a whale once it was caught.

I also have made many journeys to various countries around the world but have always come home to Tasmania.

Readers: Please leave a comment about my post or something beginning with J that relates to your family history or your research.

letter J