sources

Sources and citation

Miss W. Twitterchats , , , , , , ,

Again ANZAncestryTime twitterchat had our four questions but I am going to separate them with our answers.

Peggy_Marco / Pixabay

1. Do you cite your genealogy sources and why is it important to do so?

Karen: Much of the information I have found is in historical newspapers and documents such as electoral rolls, birth, marriage and death certificate transcriptions, and shipping records. I had little information to go on otherwise.

Helen: Of course! To provide evidence; so I can easily access/find the source again; to help others check my work and help with their research.

Michelle: Always. Although sometimes they are a rough entry in notes until I do them properly in my database.

Margaret: I try to on all my @WikiTreers profiles. Only exception is my mother’s research. If she has it and I can’t find it I use it

Helen: That’s a great recommendation. I have a family member’s research I can implicitly trust too. I love sharing my discoveries with her

Pauleen: The best kind of research geneabuddy…a serious, meticulous researcher

Helen: My wonderful older geneabuddy had access to the older generation I didn’t too, and she still has paper questionnaires from the 70s/80s she asked them to fill in about her family. GOLD!

Fran: How wonderful. Hopefully someone will digitise the images and also type up so they are not lost.

Brooke: and how do you write the citation for a questionnaire?

Helen: I’d include name of person answering, name of researcher, describe it as a genealogy questionnaire, private hands (in a publicly available document/blog)

Carmel: I record all sources in my genealogy database as I add the records. Add lots to Evernote too. All sources added to blog posts, Harvard style

Fran: I use my database also. I used to add more notes in Evernote but recently moved extras back to my database as notes or attachments so it can be found all in one place.

Maggie: Have learnt the hard way, and now am religious about keeping track of my sources – so I can go back and see what I found, how I found it, where I found it, and evaluate it against other sources.

Claire: I think we all have notes on pieces of papers that we have no idea where we found something!

Maggie: I think that’s when I switched to notebooks… at least the notes were all in one place. Still unsourced, but hey, better than loose scraps (and hopefully some context in there?).

Claire: I have my own referencing system for my offline tree. Online I sometimes add sources but generally don’t spend to much time on it, I don’t want to give all my work to commercials & I can produce the goods for genuine connections when asked.

Hilary: I have spent too much time redoing things because I didn’t do a good job of citation in the past so now it is the first priority. It is important to know where you found the information if some time later you find something that questions earlier research I found this problem just yesterday.

Pauleen: And to add insult to injury, the archives changes their cataloguing system and you have to “translate” the old citation into their new format.

Helen: Which is an ABSOLUTE disgrace! I’m an archivist and archivists should understand this! Don’t get me started!

Pauleen: And occasionally you find a person who can’t help make a transition you’re trying to track.

Helen: I am not going to ‘like’ this Pauleen! Where’s the ‘fuming’ icon?!

Sue: Did this in Tasmania but at least only added a 1 in the catalogue eg RGD37/46 became RGD37/1/46 – meaning first lot digitized I think

Brooke: I tend to copy the MLA citation for Trove articles because it is closest to UTas history citation style. It’s what you’re used to.

Jennifer: I’ve found many think that if it’s on the internet it’s free. I found a blog post I’d written about an ancestor on someone’s Ancestry account as if they wrote it. I asked them to take it down or add me as the source. They took it down after a while

Sue: having blogged with students since 2007, I quickly learnt about copyright with images and getting permission or else you get sued.

Pauleen: Even a copyright notice across the image doesn’t stop people using them. People in general are intransigent about copyright and don’t want to hear when you tell them they can’t.

Sharn: I find if I record my sources as I research it is less painstaking than doing it all at once.

Sue: when adding to profiles on trees, I include websources especially from Trove or the Tasmanian Names Index

Pauleen: When we get pressed for time when visiting a repository it’s all too easy to forget to properly document. Online catalogues can be helpful to overcome our omissions. I try to photograph the packet and my order slip before I start on the document. Thankful for the fact we’re now allowed to photograph. Once upon a time we had to get anything we wanted photocopied and sign a copyright disclaimer.

Maggie: I always photograph the order slips now, has saved my life many a time. And yes, always seem to be working at speed in archives

Sharn: As I research now I add my sources to a word document that I save to my computer and each topic has its own folder of sources I can return to.

Jennifer: This is what I’d like to do. I l wish I was as organised as you Sharn. I should make it a priority

Jennifer: I learnt in the early days of my research how important it was to cite sources when I couldn’t find something previously found in an archive. One day I’m going to go back to all those old early blog posts and find the source so that I can cite them. That’s the plan anyway, if I live long enough.

Pauleen: @legalgen has shown us the gold standard of citations in blogging, so we’ve started to learn from her example

Sharn: It is important to me to cite my sources as they establish evidence for my research. I also learn from other people’s citations

Pauleen: I agree. Following other’s citations in books etc can be useful wayfinders to future research opportunities.

Helen: Absolutely. I’m an avid footnote fan. I even own a book called The Footnote, by Anthony Grafton!

Pauleen: To footnote or to endnote, that is the question. I’ll have to look for that book.

Fran: Items I add to my main family tree I cite the sources. I need to as I cannot remember where I fond things. I do not always source blog posts as mine are usually quick and sweet little posts and not advanced pieces of research. If anyone asked I could refer to my main tree and see where I found the information.

Helen: Currently tutoring at tertiary level & correct citation is a huge part of their mark, effectively, because if the students don’t master citation, they fail their assignments!

Jennifer: It’s important to cite your sources so you or somebody else can find it again. It also gives credibility to the information and gives credit to other researchers or writers. Without citing sources you could be accused of plagiarism

Sue: when writing post on blog I link URL to images of words but don’t necessarily cite like in Chicago etc unless it is formal essay

geralt / Pixabay

2. Where do you use citations? ie blogs, reports, trees?

Karen: I included a long reference list for a recent article for the Lane Cove Historical Society journal. I send links to articles to family members, e.g. Trove articles. Citations are also in my family tree. Haven’t written blogs yet. Maybe I should.

Michelle: in my database and any report I write. I haven’t got into blogging yet but one day… I’ve begun putting biographies on WikiTree and the citations sometimes lag behind the text until I can copy/paste but I find it easier to just write without stopping.

Pauleen: I can understand writing without stopping but even if you just put the footnote # in there and come back after finished writing it helps.

Sue: Always good to check the site you got info from for how they want something cited or footnoted

Helen: Good point Sue. Some of them are very clear about that. Some of them could do better!

Sharn: I use citations in my house histories. The footnotes are as long as the history sometimes

Pauleen: I used them extensively in my major ADLH assignment for Oxford, as it was about Irish migration and conditions which wasn’t their area of expertise.

Fran: Mostly 100% in my main tree has some source. I try not to add unless I have time to do a source. I do them for other work like any essays, reports, etc when studying as this is expected and part of the process.

Maggie: Reports, trees, blog posts (though sometimes those ones might be less formal). However, I do have a bit (okay, a lot) more work to do on ones in the earlier nooks and crannies of my main research tree in Reunion.

Pauleen: I don’t use citations in trees online because I don’t add my primary research to those. I also don’t add it to my genealogy database as I prefer a narrative format.

Helen: We are very similar but that said, for one particular branch of the family I have an online database where I add sources and annotate. Here’s an example: ancestry.helenmorgan.net/people/13-0020

Pauleen: I like how you’ve got the person’s life history summarised in a clear way.

Helen: Thanks. Lots more to do on this. None of them are ‘finished’ – I intend to include more of my narrative writing too.

Hilary: I have been waiting for new desktop software update so now trying to use to rebuild my database using good citations as has better sourcing capabilities

Jennifer: I cite my sources on everything I write. I often write & publish blog posts on my phone when away from home and when I don’t have the source at hand. I always go back and add it later

Sharn: If I am out I add a source in NOTES on my phone so I can find it again later

Hilary: I am very active on @WikiTreers and busy cleaning up profiles so much of my current citation work is online

Sue: If I want to use something from Tasmanian archives always send them a request and include URL of blog post it will be used in. Haven’t been refused yet.

Pauleen: That’s interesting because I’ve been told before that the archive doesn’t own copyright and I had to go to the relevant dept. A right nightmare! That was for my book.

Sharn: I use footnotes on my blog posts and I now add source on my online trees (I’ll add ie a FindmyPast source on an Ancestry tree) so that I know where I found things

Margaret: I use them in the biographies I write for my profiles on @WikiTreers. I add them to the people in my Legacy trees

stevepb / Pixabay

3. What referencing system or guides do you use or would like to use for citation?

Karen: EndNote. I generally use APA7th when citing.

Sophie: Great question! Agree with others that there’s a need to be a little flexible with choice of ref style according to where you’re publishing/writing…but Shown Mills’ book is certainly handy

Sophie: One of my go-to items is Zotero @zotero which has an awesome browser add-on that allows you to perform a one-click grab of referencing metadata from pages and articles you visit online. An essential tool!

Hilary: I use Evidence Explained if I can but I also have Referencing for Genealogists: Sources and Citation which is better for UK sourcing

Michelle: I tried EE but found it inconsistent. And the comma inside the title quotes is grammatical nonsense. Now I use my own system which is pretty much [where I found it] citing [where it comes from]. For books etc I use Harvard which I’ve used for years.

Fran: Would love to say some official system. Do have my Evidence Explained beside me. I find The Lazy Genealogist system most successful. I use free form in Reunion. I go for more than less. Copy archives citations, add notes, transcriptions, images, links, etc.

Sue: depends who i am writing for. essay at uni or article for magazine, i would do formal citing with footnotes and bibliography. but blog post often links if info found online

Jennifer: I’ll use a link in a blog post too Sue if I have one. Will put the correct source in my FH software

Hilary: If websites provide their own citations I will use them but sometimes I edit them if incomplete

Helen: I no longer follow a particular system, just include everything needed for a clear, honest citation that allows it to be found again

Brooke: I think that’s completely valid. Being able to re-find the source is the point of the exercise.

Carmel: Indeed, as long as one has Who, What, When , Where , Why and How – that’s the criteria I use for citations then make sure some consistency of order is added

Jennifer: I always refer to Evidence Explained (EE) when unsure. If I’m really unsure I just write it to make sense so somebody knows where to look for it after they read it.

Sharn: I prefer Harvard style citations but in terms of organising citations they are in files under topics researched on my computer. I need some software!

Pauleen: Unless I’m required to use a particular citation model, I tend to use the Australian Style Manual. The main thing is to get the details documented so the record can be found again

geralt / Pixabay

4. How do you keep track of the sources you find or want to follow up? ie correspondence with relatives, downloads, photos

Brooke: How about naming files for digital sources? At a workshop, a historical fiction writer said that she simply names files according to what they mean to her, thinking of words she would use for searching, & let’s the computer’s search engine do the rest.

Jennifer: I like that idea. It keeps it simple. There’s really no need to overcomplicate as long as it can be followed. Different if it’s a source in a book or publication

ANZ: I am pedantic about my filenaming, use a standard convention so I can build my complete citation from it.

Brooke: Eureka moment! That’s a very smart way to go about it. Thank you.

Maggie: And don’t modify the original file, always edit a copy. That way the date of the file is the date you accessed/downloaded it.

Pauleen: Hadn’t thought to do that, good tip, thanks Maggie.

Pauleen: I remember once, at work, being told that file where you first think of a location as it’s likely that’s where you’ll look next time. Makes sense I think

Fran: For work I use names I would think of searching for next time I want it. Similar for family history though I start with a unique number so that once I find one piece I just search the number and find all related pieces.

Fran: A number for an item plus words for things like source, what it is, names and dates – sometimes shorthand. Eg a birth certificate, a will, a page from a census though this might have two pages if the family covers two pages. 0600-GRO-Death-Cert-Frances-Ann-Shepherd-DOD-1946.png

Helen: I would do this for some – very frustrating that with VIC BDM certs they provide them unmeaningfully as Cert_190923-2021 rather than before image_DeathCertificate_CAHILL_Michael_1863 – so I rename those. Otherwise I rely on filing by subject/context

Pauleen: I keep a running file of records I want to follow up in the archives or library and another for my infinite wishful “to do” list. I found my archives list very useful when I’d suddenly find myself in Brisbane from Darwin.

Michelle: I use a genealogy-specific gmail address and file all emails into folders by name.

Michelle: I have 4 colour-coded manila folders by grandparent surname where stuff for scanning goes till I deal with it. Same on computer for digital stuff. When I’m working on that line I go through it and process them

Karen: I have photos and documents stored in folders on my computer/Cloud and hard drives. Many have been sent via email, so I can often find them quickly through email searches.

Pauleen: Does anyone else ever feel like they’re drowning in a tsunami of data, sources, emails, photos etc etc? I’m finding it very overwhelming with my decades of “stuff”.

Fran: I can understand this better after seeing your book today. What a pile of work that would have been!! I suspect you need to prioritise and work on that first. Some might have to be left undone.

Pauleen: I was exceptionally organised when I was writing the book but now I’m retired I’ve moved into CBB (can’t be bothered) mode about far too much.

Maggie: ‘m not great at this bit – I need a correspondence log! Downloaded files are no problem, as I use a filenaming convention, but I need to sort out a proper system for photos.

Hilary: I have so much organising to do but not sure when it will be done as lockdown did not inspire me to do it. When I am filing downloaded images I am trying to stick with the original name just adding to the appropriately named folder

Sharn: It bothers me that I haven’t organised my email correspondence. I have a wealth of information in them. I record every source I find that is useful in word documents under the topic. I just add to those when I find more. I index them to keep track of what I have. I hate losing sources

Jennifer: I really dislike research logs. I just put where I researched and the results on the ancestor file in FH software

Fran: Big fail happening with keeping track on want to follow up. When I am tidying up pile of what looks like scrap I will find a page printed with a little note: check at XYZ place.

Pauleen: I’ve been retrieving old emails (some) and sending them to Evernote too. I’ve also copied the email chain for ones I’ve had lots of correspondence with and put them into a file.

Carmel: in email keep all genie correspondence in one folder, in gmail, tag with surname labels, also send to Evernote email with surname tag

Jennifer: I use the notes section in my family tree software to record sources that need follow up. I try to record all sources with a person on the tree. That’s my intention but I’m not always that organised. I’m very proud to see I scanned every one of my documents and photos in lockdown last year. Took all year. Was so happy when it was done

Want to practice your writing and citation skills?

Great quotes:

Jennifer: Thanks everyone for the really informative discussion on sources. I’m relieved to hear that I’m not the only one who isn’t perfect all the time. I did think it was only me

Penny: What is this you say – The Lazy Genealogist system? Is there such a thing?

Readers: Do you include sources and citations when writing blog posts, reports or on your trees?

Researching ancestors

Miss W. Twitterchats , , ,

We have now had 4 twitter chats for #ANZAncestryTime, but there has been no summary written for the very first one, so with nothing to do this afternoon, decided I would go back and write it up.

pgbsimon / Pixabay

What do you hope to discover when researching an ancestor’s life?

  • Helen: Context of their lives and what was happening
  • Chris: I really want to find out their stories
  • Sue: Dates and places but also stories of their lives
  • Seonaid: I hope to find out more about what makes me, me! Learn who I have come from
  • Shauna: to know more about them as individuals within the community – not just names and dates
  • Kylie: occupation, family, interests, events
  • Fiona: Fill in the gaps in their timeline with interesting stories and information about their lives.
  • Liz: Ideally Good things, evidence of a life well lived. Of course this is not always the case! I also want to find birth, death and marriage information because it is frustrating when you cannot find it – to build the story around
  • Alex: Context yes. And a bit of an answer to the eternal question does nature or nurture determine outcomes?
  • Jennie: Find that new cousin who might have photos
  • Pauleen: I like to explore their family and friends which tells me more about them. They weren’t “flying solo” FANS. But I love my “ordinary” ancestors…they just make you work harder.
  • Ruth: finding supporting evidence to help you appreciate their point of view that then informed their choices (career, marriage, immigration etc) – if they had choices available to them
  • Scottish Indexes: I want to find their stories, that means more to me than how far back I can trace the family.
  • Society for one place studies: Everything about the place, the people, and how they lived, worked, played, travelled and worshipped as a community, and how they were related to each other.
  • Brooke: It’s often easier to find the black sheep…more records for those who ran afoul of the law.
  • Fran: I like to figure out more about how my parents were made also. How my grandparents and earlier ancestors may have influenced them. I hope to discover more about their daily lives. It must have been hard coming to NZ in the 1840s and having to build somewhere to live.
  • Hilary: my DNA recently connected me with an Australian cousin
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What aspects of your ancestor’s community have you explored?

My 2x gr grandfather and his father were paperstainers. I’ve researched and discovered the wallpaper factory they worked at near Chelsea (London) – Seonaid

The neighbours, the main industries, the schools, the health issues – Michelle

I organised my own family’s vital records & all the kids’ school reports & certificates. 11yo does not believe that he will value this one day. I retaliated by making him look at all my 1979 merit certificates – Brooke

This week I have been exploring the working life of a client’s ancestor and found a very cool bankruptcy file that listed the ancestor as being owed wages which confirmed where he was working in 1902. Now to work it back a little bit further – Fiona

My grandfather and great grandfather both were very active in the community. It’s unfortunate that I never met either – Fran

Community industries, geography, illnesses, organisations, religious change, railways coming, changes of occupations over time – Helen

Visited their home towns, read books about the area they lived in, listened to oral histories – Kylie

I really love maps so I like trying to figure out where they all lived in relation to each other. Church reports or country show prizes are good info too – Alex

I think you have to tailor your searches depending on available re odds which differ from place to place. International, national and local events – Pauleen

I have been fortunate to find my Aus country ancestors well reported in their community in local newspapers via @TroveAustralia Members of community gps like Australian Natives Association, Agricultural Show Committees and more – Liz

Neighbours using the census, school records and newspaper help to build a story of community – Jennifer

Industrial, Religious, musical, so far – Chris

Also geography! I’ve learnt more about what’s where from genealogy than I did from geography class 🙂 – Alona

have discovered convicts in family so researched the prisons in England, the convict ships as well as transcribing the records in Tassie – Sue

I have a branch of artists and authors. I have been researching their ‘works’ and the times in which they were created. They lived very “bohemian” lifestyles – Jacqui

have found using maps when looking up census records to see how far the families have moved or not in that 10 year gap or between births or marriages of children – Sue

I had ancestors who made shoes for workhouse inmates – Hilary

Maps also for the market towns and places where a bride might be found. Where the same industry may be eg copper mines in Cornwall, coal mines in wales etc – Helen

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What resources can you suggest for researching your ancestor’s lives and community?

  • Shauna: I love digitised newspapers for finding stories I might never have discovered without keyword searching of newspapers. Newspapers have led me into court records, prison records and asylums – love my bad boys & girls
  • Helen: Newspapers are wonderful for finding the context and I am a nerd so also like reading Government reports about general population events like Registrar General Reports
  • Maggie: Trove and PapersPast have to be two of my favourite resources!
  • Shauna: And the British Newspaper Archives, the Irish Newspaper Archive and the Welsh newspapers which are free, even better (I have Welsh)
  • Jennifer: If an ancestor can’t be found in the usual place maps are invaluable for checking nearby parishes
  • Pauleen: School admission records can give a sense of community
  • Fran: I use maps however find the details in the NZ electoral rolls is the winner for me when tracking peoples movements as they are updated every year or two. then i move them to a map
  • Anne: TROVE is just GREAT!! I have found a couple of thousand references for one wine family in the Hunter. But even for my difficult Smiths I have found many references.
  • Seonaid: Oral histories are gold! I often encourage people to record the interview when they are at the “ask your relatives” phase of research (any phase)
  • Helen: Parish chest material for CofE which include vestry minutes payments for work, parish apprentices etc, Poor Law Union letterbooks, newspapers of course, context from government reports
  • Pauleen: I love using lists in @TroveAustralia for family names, shipping, or the family’s communities. Keep them private or public. Such a great resource!
  • Lis: I use everything and anything …software, newspapers, google, I try to think way outside of the box.
  • Kylie: Local history centres and libraries
  • Hilary: Local knowledge from Family and Local history societies is invaluable
  • Michelle: Apart from the popular census records and DNA, there historic maps and photos as well as tax and valuation and voting rolls. The Parish Tithe records have been particularly helpful for my Essex families.
  • Fran: The best source for me is Papers Past for finding about my grandfather and great grandfather’s lives and community. Not just BMD notices, load more details.
  • Fiona: Newspapers but not just for names start looking for articles about jobs, houses, groups and if you can’t find something read issues cover to cover.
  • Hilary: Facebook groups for the area can be useful
  • Jennifer: Newspapers, census, oral interviews. Society journals are often under under utilized but can be a great resource
  • Liz: Research the lives and communities of an ancestor via local newspapers, (shout out @TroveAustralia ) school records, records in local history collections via @VictorianCollections for example, local history groups and public libraries of course! Library and archives staff also know about what is yet to be processed in the backroom!
  • Shauna: Local histories can often give you clues that can be followed up in newspapers, directories, electoral rolls or school and church records
  • Alona: Newspapers, directories, religious records, community societies, sports groups, schools records, local town genealogy & historical societies … the list goes on!
  • Liz: I always advocate a serious researcher talk to the librarians and archivist who manage collections who provide another level of knowledge and expertise to any catalogue/database you are looking at
  • One Place Studies: There are 103 #OnePlaceStudy locations in Australia and 28 in New Zealand included in our One Place Studies Directory at oneplacestudy.org
  • Extracting the details from seemingly disparate record sets and cross-linking data to build up an integrated picture is all part of the fun of #OnePlaceStudies!
  • Jane: I found some interesting stuff in Chancery Bills and Answers
  • Sue: talking to the older members of family, local history societies, newspapers, local libraries and record offices, local family history books about family
  • Pauleen: local Council rates can tell you the standard of your ancestor’s house and whether he has more than one. Maybe he and his wife aren’t separated 😉
  • Maggie: For my Irish ancestors, I love Lewis’s Topographical Dictionary libraryireland.com/topog/ and also the census reports at histpop.org
  • Helen: Remember Archive.org (Internet Archive) for published histories of places and reports.
  • Jennie: Votes & Proceedings are also good value for searching out ancestors
  • Jennifer: There was so much information about my father’s street in a Slum Report presented to Parliament.
  • Shauna: I have purchased quite a few local histories from where my ancestors lived both in Australia and overseas – great background on events that have happened in those areas
  • Seonaid: Many libraries have local/community newspapers not available anywhere else. Also research files compiled by librarians, and indexes (what used to be card catalogues) Often photographs and diaries of local people donated to the library
  • Helen: Newspaper advertisements are pure gold, What could be bought, what entertainment, what were the concerns of the area as well as community attitudes. What jobs and of course the gossip and crime
  • Hilary: Speaking to people who live or have lived in the area can be very helpful
  • Alex: Trove without a doubt but failing that local histories, local societies, parliamentary papers or enquiries. Family Search wikipedia and genuki.
EME / Pixabay

Who is the most interesting ancestor you have researched?

Melissa: My intriguing 2xgg Antonio Lima, b. 1856 in the Azores, jumped ship in NZ in 1880 from a whaler & faked his death. A Catholic who had 12 kids… then got legally married to their mother 20 yes later!

Brooke: My most interesting ancestor is probably 5th great-grandfather John Grono. Sailor who came to Australia 1799. Became sealer, shipbuilder, farmer on the Hawkesbury R. They say he named Milford Sound, but it already had a name – Piopiotahi.

Kylie: Ellen Mary Chamberlain survived a shipwreck, raised 12 children I think, 2 marriages etc

Jacqui: only found out today a 4xgreat aunt only had one eye. Story was she lost the other one after she looked through a keyhole and someone poked a knitting needle through. Ouch.

Anne: All are pretty interesting. BUT I would love to find out more about Darby McGrath’s origins. Two Darby’s arrived as convicts. One ended up in Qld, successful grazier who hid his origins. The other settled outside Queanbeyan – where did my Darby come from?

Scottish Indexes: For me it was a client’s ancestor, Mary Third. She was in and out of prison. I was in tears in the @natlibscot reading a newspaper entry. I found this description of her tattoos MT+RW in the @NatRecordsScot An ordinary person with a life that could be a movie!

Alona: Then there’s the convicts of course! The two brothers who were sentenced to hang for rioting (labourers fighting for their rights). But the townsfolk saved their lives & they were sent to Tasmania instead.

Michelle: Lots of them are interesting, so I would have to toss up between William Jones and his taxidermied monkey (Parramatta 1844) and Reuben Uther – the founder of the first hat manufactory in NSW 3 July 1811.

Sue: great great grandmother Rebecca Jackson, convict from Donegal county, even visited the area she lived and the court where she, her younger brother, her father and another relative were all tried for stealing wearing apparel. Written about my research on blog.

Liz: A criminal ancestor (unfortunately) has been interesting to research and as he had a common name, these other clues helped me pin him down. I was also delighted to discover that his wife ran the pub they ‘owned’ while he was “away’

Alona: it’s a toss up between Otto Rafael Winter. Finnish seaman who sailed the world for 7 yrs on cargo ships, before jumping ship in Aus. OR Charlotte Phillips, housewife of a miner in Cornwall, who became a famous confectioner in New Jersey, USA.

Shauna: I love them all but will go with my great grandmother Dorcas Trevaskis – her name can be traced back generations in the Trevaskis family in Cornwall

Jennie: still researching him but Henry Bolton Edenborough – friend of artist Whistler, fought with Garibaldi & was prisoned at Castle Thunder during the US Civil War

Jennifer: I don’t have any ancestors that have done anything really remarkable. But I find it interesting to research the lives of the ordinary people and how their lives changed by making the decision to start a new life in Australia.

Lis: so many but my 2xggmother who came out from London on her own at 19…set up a sewing / haberdashery business in Adelaide and married about a year later. Brave?? Til I realised she was the eldest (and a girl) of 12 living children… get out now!

Chris: So far the most interesting has been my great Grandfather who was a seaman bringing Polynesians from the South Sea Islands to Queensland to work in the canefields. But, it’s sad too

Pauleen: my favourite ancestor is usually the one I’m tracking down right now, especially when that wall starts crumbling! I can’t truly pick one out though I do admire my Melvin ancestor’s effort to get out of poverty…with a few missteps.

Maggie: At the moment it’s my gg grandfather, Michael McGonnell, some tall tales (some true) from that fellow. One day I might even finish a little presentation on him

Hilary: My maternal grandmother had so many tragedies to face that researching her life made me realise her strength

Helen: George Howard Busby ran away to South Africa Boer War new Guinea Police, Fireman , Ambulance, Gallipoli Veteran, Military recruiter after discharge radio licence, Photographer and gave photo to Prince of Wales . He was maybe not the man to invite to dinner but …

Fran: My favourite is my maternal grandfathers sister – Mabel Kate Dawson born in 1881. In her early years she was on the “stage”, play the sax, and married a man with an interesting name of Roman Victor Jose Byron-Barhydt – Good name for researching.

jarmoluk / Pixabay

What topics would you like to discuss in future sessions?

  • I’m fascinated by food – what resources are there to find out what they ate, recipes or even how they did the cooking
  • I enjoy just seeing what people have been researching in the last week, seeing any new blog posts. Freeform. I didn’t realise you were going to do questions like #GenChat, but I liked it. 3 or 4 questions is about right for an hour.
  • I’d like to hear from people who have met up with distant cousins due to their research, social media or blogs
  • DNA, power searches of the WWW, German genealogy resources and how to access them, finding Catholic ancestors in Scotland and Ireland in the 1700s and 1800s, Catholic records in NSW
  • maybe unusual sources, occupations, specific religions, people’s research problems, research into specific countries
  • I just need to know what else I can look at to confirm what happened to those who went to Australia & New Zealand
  • Ways we can share our family history – Opportunity to ask a specific question in case others can provide advice #crowdsourcing
  • Religions and religious records would be interesting . . .
  • Organisation, DNA, or what resources (books, websites, webinars) they have found useful.
  • perhaps great books we’ve read recently. And what’s the next big thing or future direction for family history/genealogy.

Readers: Who was your most interesting ancestor you have researched? What sources did you use to get your information?

Letter H challenge

Miss W. Uncategorised , , ,

Despite having researched my family tree for over 40 years, there are always times when I need

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HELP    HELP    HELP    HELP    HELP    HELP

Because I am doing the Genealogy do over, I am needing help with my new software programme Legacy. After having used The Master Genealogist since it began, and making a mess of the sources in my database, I am determined to not enter any data in Legacy unless I have one or more sources for the information (and not from public trees on Ancestry). So I have joined a couple of Facebook groups to get help for this: Legacy User Group, Genealogy Do Over and Genealogy Cite your Sources. NB: I still haven’t installed Legacy despite having it for a week – I am going slowly with this do over.

With regard to sources, I am still undecided what style I will use. Most US genealogists follow the Chicago style used by Elizabeth Shown Mills in her book Evidence Explained. But when looking at Trove, I notice this is not one of the options so I think I might use the Harvard/Australian style – there is plenty of information about Harvard version on the net. I might send an email to the Society of Australian Genealogists (SAG) to find out what they expect for professional genealogy courses in Australia.

As I now have a desktop computer, a heavy laptop which needs renewing and an iPad, I need a programme that will sync across all three for when I go researching on the net, at libraries or archives. As a teacher I got used to OneNote from Microsoft but have noticed Evernote is also used a lot with genealogists. So at the moment I am checking it out and making comparisons to OneNote. Again I have joined the Evernote Genealogists Facebook group.

Once I start researching in England and Ireland I am going to need help there as well, even though I would love to go there again on holidays. So I will be doing a lot of emailing for county records, but also using rootsweb email groups. Often I can get help from someone actually living in the area where my ancestors lived. Or they might know some other resources I could use.

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

letter H