GSC Calendar 2023
What's on in 2023
GSC Calendar 2023 ffr.pdfDownload a copy of our Genealogy Sunshine Coast calendar for 2023
Genealogy Sunshine Coast
March 2023
Two great workshops coming up in July.
Roots Magic software is a necessary tool to preserve your research and prove your sources of information.
Trove is another really good tool to use for your family research, you never know what you may discover in the newspaper about your ancestors; great material for gathering stories to personalise your family tree.
SATURDAY 22 JULY
9.30am Roots Magic and Family Search
1pm Trove and on-line newspapers
Saturday 19 August, Member's General Meeting 10am followed by our AGM
have a cuppa and chat beforehand; always a great morning tea; library open for research afterwards.
August is 'Family History' month, so we will be celebrating by holding another Open Day on Saturday 26th. Come and enjoy free access to all the wonderful goodies we offer: library, computers and scanners, digitised records; world-wide access to Ancestry records, etc.
BEGINNERS WORKSHOP commences Wednesday 30th August; start at the very beginning of researching your ancestors. 3 consecutive Wednesdays, $10 per session. Basic computer skills required.
If you are looking for a Christmas present with a difference this year, try our Grandma's Favourites recipe book, compiled by GSC member, May Hampton, a former President of Palmwoods CWA. I find this book a fantastic reference book and invaluable if you weren't the family member who inherited mum or grandma's much used recipe folder.
A special at $10, it is excellent value and it has all those tips and hints available in the one volume.
Convicts
Convict case study - John Knatchbull
This illustrated case study has been developed to show what types of records can be found in NSW State Archives & Records collection.
Google Tools
Did you miss the workshop last Saturday? Milli described all aspects of Google and how to use it with your genealogical research, storage of documents and photos, using google docs and sheets, searching within the many Google Aps and much more. GSC Workshop notes are available here
or
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16Uc1GKRtb4Xo4kaOcof-7NJxXQEfTpp6/view
Australia
eGold : A Nation’s Heritage
goldmining across Australia. this web page is broken into 3 sections –
Themes, 15 key themes (Commerce & Industry, Cultural Institutions, and so on). The Overview puts each theme into its historical context, and introduces some of the concepts, places, people and things which you will find in the Entries for each theme. the Sources tab, you'll be taken to thumbnail links to various digital resources relevant to the information in each Entry, as well as lists of bibliographical and archival citations.
A to Z – browse in four ways by subject, theme, digital resource and bibliography
Search - You can search the entries, digitised sources or bibliography from this page.
https://www.egold.net.au/home.html
Queensland
Having trouble finding immigrant arrivals in the 1860s?
Did you know that many of the passenger lists for arrivals into Queensland in the 1860s were destroyed or badly damaged during the 1893 Brisbane floods? The lists that survived were transcribed, mainly containing just immigrants’ names and age. These lists are held by Queensland State Archives (QSA). They are available online through QSA’s index Assisted Immigration 1848-1912
Here are some other resources that are available to help you with your search.
· Queensland immigration records 1848-1915 on microfilm at State Library of Queensland
· National Archives of Australia: J715 series - Ships passengers lists - Brisbane – inwards, 1852-1964
· Queensland Customs House shipping index – passengers & crew 1852-1885; 1886-1899. By Queensland Family History Society (we have these CDs in our library)
· They came direct series of booklets compiled by Eileen Johnson, cover immigration ships arriving in Queensland during the 1860s and early 1870s. (we have many of these titles in our library)
· Emigrants from Hamburg 1850-1879 (we have these books and CDs in our library)
· Newspapers: Passenger arrivals were recorded in the newspapers under “Shipping intelligence”
Adapted from State Library of Queensland blog – for full article : https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/having-trouble-finding-immigrant-arrivals-1860s
New South Wales
State Library of New South Wales - World War I Collection
Browse a remarkable collection of over 550 personal accounts that reveal the diversity of service and impact on individuals lives. The list of diarists gives a brief background of the author and links to their diaries (though the one I tried bombed out but was able to find the diary by their “Search our diaries” page). The stories page is by topic compiled from a number of sources. Plus you can also listen to readings from the diaries.
Tasmania
Teaching in Tasmania: three teachers’ lives, 1868-1945 by Anthony Black
When I started this research, my plan was to do several case studies of teachers using our records, and link their stories to the qualifications they had, how they got them and what they meant at the time. What I ended up with instead was a look into their lives, a window onto the lived experience of teaching in Tasmania over 150 years. Inside the records of the Education Department I found astonishing personal stories. The respectful but strident statements of a young woman refusing to transfer to a school because she knew what it was like there for her predecessor. The struggles of a young man whose teaching career was interrupted by his service in World War I and the difficulties and challenges on his return. The sense of loss and indignation of a high achieving woman in the 1940s, calmly and professionally writing to the Minister of Education asking for pay parity.
United Kingdom
World War II Women's Land Army Index Cards, 1939-1948
More than 90,000 index cards revealing the employment details of the ‘land girls’ who served in the wartime Women’s Land Army have been digitised and made available online by Ancestry.
This collection includes the following details:
Name
Any known aliases, including maiden names
Address
Employment county
Employment place
Birthdate
Age at enrolment
Date of enrolment
Occupation
Date of employment
Date of release
WLA membership number
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62020/
Ireland :
Researching in the Registry of Deeds (online and off) by Donna M Moughty
This blog describes and illustrates these records, with hints and further links. The author describes how she went about finding entries for Johnston of Unshinagh, Leitrim.
https://www.irishfamilyroots.com/post/researching-in-the-registry-of-deed-online-and-off
This blog she found very helpful in navigating the Deeds index in conjunction with the digital images from FamilySearch
Scotland :
National Library of Scotland blogs : These two blogs give a very brief history of the counties along with images and links to a range of topics in regards to each county.
· Zoom into Perth and Kinross: https://blog.nls.uk/zoom-into-perth-and-kinross/
· Zoom Into Angus: https://blog.nls.uk/zoom-into-angus/
National Library of Scotland maps : https://maps.nls.uk/
On our Map images website, you can access and view over a quarter of a million maps as high-resolution, colour, zoomable images. Watch an introductory video. Read research guides for using maps to explore specific subjects.
Europe : Germany
Dates: Germans have historically used numerical abbreviations for months ending in -ber: 7ber, 8ber, 9ber, and 10ber. But July and August, the seventh and eighth months, don’t end in -ber. This counting goes back to the time when the year began on March 25, which made March the first month, April the second month, and so on. The abbreviations 7ber, 8ber, 9ber, and 10ber refer to September, October, November and December. The variations 7bris, 8bris, 9bris, and 10bris mean “of September,” “of October,” and so forth. These abbreviations were common even after the calendar was modernized to begin the year on Jan. 1.
Sometimes Roman numerals are used for months, for example, Xber, Xbr and Xbris refer to December. If the Roman numerals are not followed by -ber, -br, or -bris, they conform to the new calendar style, with X for October and XII for December. A record might read as follows: geboren den 15. V. 1833 (born 15 May 1833) or getauft den 3. IV. 1759 (baptized 3 April 1759).
Another way to distinguish dates in Germanic records is the occasional reference to special days: Easter is Ostern, Pentecost (Whitsunday) is Pfingsten, Christmas is Weihnachten, and New Year’s Eve is Silvester. [familytreemagazine.com]
For more information about Germany and Languages including handwriting and dates go to Family Search: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Germany_Languages
4 Questions Genealogists Should Always Ask
1. Who is the informant? and how much do they really know?
2. What information is included? Don’t fall into the trap of overlooking other details in the record! They may provide clues to other records or family connections.
3. When was the record created? it’s important to note the date of the event itself and the date the record was created.
4. Where is the event recorded? Counties and boundaries change, so knowing where the original record is can provide additional clues to finding other records
[adapted from familytreemagazine.com]
Definition of mythology: genealogy without documentation.
Family History Seminars and online Conferences
DNA
Member query. I have had a Family Finder DNA test done, but my wife who was adopted has not done a DNA test. For my daughters, would a mtDNA test be better than the Family Finder?
The Family Finder test would be helpful in eliminating any matches from your side of the girls' inherited DNA. Only One would need to do the mtDNA as they would have received the same from their mother. mtDNA is passed on to all a woman's children, but it is only the daughters who can pass it on to the next generation. But both should take the Family Finder as the inherited aDNA (autosomal DNA) will be different for each girl.
Queensland
Queensland Reports – Public Notice Database
The Public Notice Database contains a record of notices of intention to apply for grant of probate or letters of administration, in relation to deceased estates lodged in the Supreme Court of Queensland, published in the Queensland Law Reporter (“QLR”) since 1 January 2012.
Since the launch of this new website, the Public Notice Database has been expanded to include notices of intention to apply for admission to the legal profession, as well as notices in the miscellaneous or “other” category: notices of missing will and notices of intended distribution of an estate.
https://www.queenslandreports.com.au/qlr/public-notice-database
Queensland Courts – Supreme and District Court – Civil files search
link to the search facility – Party search (eCourts) plus instructions on using the site. This site is useful for locating probate applications. The online search facility is not available for all Queensland Courts and the date range available varies with most dating from 2002 and 2007. Brisbane dates from 1992 and Townsville from 1996. [Coraweb]
https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/services/search-for-a-court-file/search-civil-files-ecourts
http://apps.courts.qld.gov.au/esearching/
New South Wales
Old Fairbridgians Association, Molong
This website is for the former children of the Fairbridge Farm School, Molong NSW, who migrated from Britain to Australia between 1938 and 1974. https://oldfairbridgians.org/
Murwillumbah Area Old School Photos.
Photos are from schools (many now closed) in and around Murwillumbah, N.S.W. All were taken in the Twentieth Century (or earlier!). Many of the photos do not have identifying names; if you recognise father, mother, uncle, grandmother, friend, or yourself, feel free to supply a name (tag if you want), and even write something about their lives. https://www.facebook.com/mbahphotos/
Victoria
Geelong and District Database : a wonderful collection of databases and indexes
The records in this database come from a number of sources - the detailed results MAY include:
all details from the source [Directories are normally fully transcribed]
little more than you see in your initial search BUT the detail screen will provide more information about the source and how you can get more information - this may be from a library, research centre, or a local family or historical society
more detail that will help you with your research
http://zades.com.au/gandd/index.php/databases/gddbs
South Australia
Genealogy SA : Online Database Search
What You Can Search : BDM registrations, newspaper notices, burial records, church records, admission records, and more. Fee’s may be charged for further details, but the search is free.
https://www.genealogysa.org.au/resources/online-database-search
England : Essex – History House
History House is primarily about the county of Essex but there are many other interesting things on History House including tips, advice, and resources to help you research your ancestors; and interesting and unusual stories from British history. 5,260 pages on the website - and more to come.
https://historyhouse.co.uk/index.html
Ireland : Eddies Extracts
On this website you will find not only extracts of Births, Marriages, Deaths etc I have transcribed from various newspapers but also many news stories, book extracts, church records, records of deceased seamen, the names of over 25,000 Presbyterians who served during the Great War of 1914-1919 and more.
While in the News Extracts section the Birth, Marriage and Death transcriptions may be of the most immediate interest to those researching their family history there is a wealth of information contained in the general "clippings" which include court reports, inquests, subscriptions lists (some of which contain 100s of names) and many other items of general historic and social interest.
https://eddiesextracts.com/index.html
Scotland : Scottish Indexes
As well as an index to 1000s of historical records Graham and Emma have created a Learning Zone where you can learn more genealogy skills. From a beginner’s guide to using High Court records you’ll find a wealth of knowledge. The Asylum section of Scottish Indexes will help you find out about every Scottish asylum, where the records are held and how to access them.
https://www.scottishindexes.com/default.aspx
Wales – Welsh Newspapers Online
Welsh Newspapers Online – a free resource from the National Library of Wales offers searches of, and access to, 120+ newspaper titles 1804-1919. You can search all categories, news, family notices, detailed lists or advertisements. https://newspapers.library.wales/
Some of my favourite genealogy treasures … are what my ancestors tried to hide
The dos and don’ts of DNA
Which services do and don’t allow police access. Blog dated 6 March 2022
https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2022/03/06/the-dos-and-donts-of-dna/
Queensland - new book – Asleep in the Deep : a love lost on the SS Yongala
The sinking of the SS Yongala resulted in the loss of 121 lives — it was a truly calamitous event. But up until now, very little was known about those people and how their loved ones coped with the loss.
https://northqueenslandhistory.blogspot.com/2022/09/asleep-in-deep-new-book-by-trisha.html?m=0
Queensland Family History Society – Books: Name Accumulation Index (QBNI)
“This index contains names of early Queensland families across a variety of areas. New titles from the Print Library are being added each month so don't forget to search regularly to discover references to your Queensland ancestors.” Some of the books featured in this index we have in our library.
https://www.qfhs.org.au/online-access/qfhs-books-name-accumulation-index/
Victoria – Wangaratta Family History Society – Search Indexes
Another handy index to search collections of books. Once again some of the titles featured we have in our library. Enter your search term (I just use a surname) it will bring up a list of names in their record indexes, but scroll down - as below that is a link to results in their Books & Magazines Library which contains further entries. View the results for a list of books or journals. If you add to my research a box pops up with the page number (you can remove them by clicking on view list, or pay the small fee). http://www.wfhs.org.au/search
New South Wales Gaol Inmates / Prisoners Photo Index
The Gaol Photographic Description Books contain a photograph of each prisoner and the following information: number, prisoners' name, aliases, date when portrait was taken, native place, year of birth, details of arrival in the colony - ship and year of arrival, trade or occupation, religion, standard of education, height, weight (on committal, on discharge), colour of hair, colour of eyes, marks or special features, number of previous portrait, where and when tried, offence, sentence, remarks, and details of previous convictions (where and when, offence and sentence).
South Australia - Adelaide BDM Free Transcripts
City of Unley Family History collection at the Unley Museum offers free South Australian transcripts for Adelaide district – births 1856 to 1922, deaths 1864 to 1967 and marriages to 1868 to 1937. [Coraweb]. https://www.unley.sa.gov.au/Events-programs-facilities/Facilities-venues/Unley-Museum/Activities-and-Resources/Family-History
Tasmania – Friends of the Orphan Schools
“The Orphan Schools and St John's Park Precinct situated in St. John's Avenue, New Town, Tasmania, is a heritage site of local, state and national significance. The Orphan School buildings, constructed between 1831 and 1833, and St John's Church, built in 1834 form the nucleus of the Precinct, which has expanded over the years to incorporate a number of late nineteenth- and twentieth century buildings in a range of architectural styles. The precinct also comprises two disused burial sites and plantings of historic significance which date from the 1840s.” Search Orphans Register. If no result use all 3 search options. https://www.orphanschool.org.au/
Western Australia - Enrolled Pensioner Force
“The Enrolled Pensioner Force consisted of soldiers who came to Western Australia between 1850 and 1874, mostly during the years of convict transportation as convict Guards. They were soldiers discharged from active service and who were awarded Military pensions”. The site has information and photographs about the Pensioner Force. There is a list of EPGs which has biographical information on the men which may include family details, previous service, ship and date of arrival. Thirty seven ships brought 1,248 Enrolled Pensioner Guards (EPGs) to Western Australia 1850 to 1874. Just over 700 EPGs were Irish. A similar number stayed in Western Australia https://enrolledpensionerforcewa.org.au/
UK – GENUKI Gazetteer
One of my favourites
This gazetteer covers the whole of England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. You can use the gazetteer to find the location of places, view online maps, and discover which Genuki pages may contain information about that place and the genealogical resources which are available for it. https://www.genuki.org.uk/gazetteer
England - Medway Council Heritage Services online catalogues.
Click the Search tab to explore the collections of Medway Archives Centre and the Guildhall Museum, Rochester. You can also select from a list to browse hundreds of catalogues of historical documents held at Medway Archives Centre, including: Parish records (Archdeaconry of Rochester); Local authorities ; Public records (petty sessions, shipping registers) ; Statutory authorities ; Dean and Chapter of Rochester ; Poor Law Unions and similar organisations ; Charities ; Schools ; Parish councils ; Non-conformists ; Estate records ; Maps ; Unofficial or privately originated collections
https://cityark.medway.gov.uk/
Ireland – Wicklow Digitised Collections
Popular collections now digitised and freely available here, including 19th century Grand Jury Presentments, council minute books, workhouse records.
Scotland - Inveraray Jail, Argyll
The Prison Database 1820-1889 (search by name or age) also provides details on those who were transported to Australia. https://www.inverarayjail.co.uk/our-history/
Wales – People’s Collection Wales
A free website is dedicated to the story of Wales. The Collection is full of fascinating photographs, documents, audio and video recordings and stories that link to the history, culture and people of Wales. These items have been contributed to our website not only by national institutions but also individuals, local community groups and small museums, archives and libraries across Wales. https://www.peoplescollection.wales/
If I could go back in time and talk to one person …
I’d yell at my GGG Grandma for marrying a guy named John Smith
DNA – Fact or Fiction
DNA tests can pinpoint locations where your ancestors lived. Status: Busted
Even just the word ethnicity is enough to get some geneticists’ dander up, as there are conflicting opinions about what that word even means. As a result, a handful of factors stand in the way of ethnicity estimates being able to reveal where your ancestors lived in detail. Scientists can make inferences about your ancestry based on trends among populations, but they currently can’t say for sure that your ancestors lived in a specific country, much less a specific town.
The importance of movement
Some of the categories defined by DNA companies are purely geographical, like Northern Europe or the British Isles. Others are cultural, like Jewish or Inuit.
If your ancestors and their offspring had stayed in one geographic region and never allowed outsiders to enter, we could easily distinguish their DNA (and yours) from the DNA of people living in other regions. Over time, all of the inhabitants of your region would come to share specific genetic mutations (usually harmless changes in DNA). This would identify them as a distinct population, in much the same way as a surname identifies members of a family.
But our ancestors didn’t stay in one place. For thousands of years, humans have moved about, leaving their genetic imprints wherever they procreated. This makes it increasingly difficult for geneticists to distinguish one region’s population from another’s.
By Diahan Southard, familytreemagazine.com
DNA Painter newsletter from Jonny Perl
New in enhanced histograms in the Shared cM tool
I recently collaborated with Blaine Bettinger and genealogist Paul Vanston to release an important new enhancement to the histograms in the shared cM too
Other third-party tools
Earlier this month I delivered the keynote speech at the Genetic Genealogy Jamboree conference. I spoke about the need for third-party DNA tools. As part of my work, I compiled a categorized, filterable list of other third-party DNA tools for genealogy besides those at DNA Painter.
https://dnapainter.com/tools/other
Next GSC DNA one on one and DNA discuss – Monday 18th September
The DNA fact or fiction is worth discussion by our DNA discuss group...you can get direct links to an area or town...but it depends on what test you can take...Y DNA tests can be very useful and it can take time to get enough tests done by others of your ethnicity...and endogamous communities can be very enlightening as more people test...
Queensland State Library Blog
Women at war – by Suzanne Mulligan
During World War II many Queensland women “did their bit” for the war effort on the home front and overseas. Some had completely new jobs created to directly help with the war effort. Others took up positions to fill a labour shortage due to the absence of men who were away fighting in the war.
The four women featured represent a small number of those who were eager and willing to contribute to the Queensland response and war effort.
Those featured are
· Eve Scott (nee Hicks) born Longreach in 1917
· Edith Edwards (nee Cox) born Brisbane in 1926
· Hazel Hernsdorf born Brisbane in 1923
· Muriel Bath (nee Beresford) born England in 1908
https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/women-war
New South Wales – Moruya district
The Story of Toragy Pt Cemetery by Shirley Jurmann
Historic Toragy Point Cemetery at spectacular South Head Moruya provides a unique window to the past. Of the 20 recorded burials, only about a quarter of made it past 65 years of age – the rest were young children or the result of drowning or accidents.
Surnames highlighted in this article are : Brown, Constable, Edwards, Evans, Gausted, Harrington, Hay, Heritage, Igene, Loutitt, McGleish, Ross, Sharpe, Thomson, Wyatt
https://mdhsociety.com/2022/06/26/the-story-of-toragy-pt-cemetery/
Victoria – Melbourne 1945
We viewed this at one of our general meetings last year. An interesting site for those with a connection to Melbourne and suburbs. Zoom in to see the changes from 1945 to now. https://1945.melbourne/
State Records of South Australia – Admission Registers for the Royal Adelaide Hospital 1840-1904
Information recorded in the registers varies over time but often includes patient’s name, admission number, admission and discharge dates, ailment, rates charged, the medical officer in attendance, address, marital status, occupation, place of origin, age, length of residence in the colony and ship by which arrived. Deaths within the hospital are noted. The lists are arranged alphabetically by the patient’s surname and usually include all of the information that appears in the registers, apart from ailment and any medical officer notes. TIP: A good place to find ship of arrival and length of residence in the colony. [source Coraweb]
https://archives.sa.gov.au/finding-information/discover-our-collection/health-and-welfare/hospitals
Early New Zealand Photographers and their successors
This wonderful website has biographies, photos and many links to people, places, buildings, types of photos, etc. Not just New Zealand content links to Australia and Fiji.
https://canterburyphotography.blogspot.com/
United Kingdom
Populations Past – Atlas of Victorian and Edwardian Population
a site for those who like playing with maps and statistics
This website allows users to create and view maps of different demographic measures and related socio-economic indicators every 10 years between 1851 and 1911. These include fertility, childhood mortality, marriage, migration status, household compositions, age-structure, occupational status and population density. Brief explanations of each measure are included, indicating how they are calculated and explaining how they relate to other measures. Users can zoom in to a particular area on the map, and compare side by side maps of different times or measures. When large areas are viewed the data for England and Wales are displayed in Registration Districts (RDs), but the display changes to Registration Sub-Districts (RSDs) when the users zoom in. Scottish data are only available at RD level, although the team are working on creating smaller subdivisions of the larger cities and these will be added to the website in due course. The data for the smallest geographical units underlying the maps can be downloaded using an 'export' button.
https://www.populationspast.org/imr/1861/#6/54.457/-5.131/bartholomew
British in Ceylon Parish Records - Findmypast
From 1815 until 1948, Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, was a British colony. These records span that time period and have been collected and transcribed by the Kabristan Archives. They include the names of those who were serving in Ceylon and were married, died, or had children. The collection also include over a thousand names of those were served in Ceylon during the First World War. The collection contains baptisms, marriages, burials and Colombo Kanatte Cemetery War Dead from the First World War.
Every record will include a transcript, but the details in each transcript will vary depending on the event, whether it is a baptism, marriage, burial or other event.
You will be able to access these records at GSC
Tips to analyze genealogical evidence
1. Evaluate the Source - Examine the sources attached to the information. Do they support the researcher’s conclusions?
2. Determine Validity - Is it an original record? an index that points to the record? A transcription? The further you get from the original record, the more likely errors have been introduced.
3. Measure the Time - Evaluate the time between the event and when the source you’ve found was created. People relying on their memory of a date or place may not remember it accurately.
By Diane Haddad. Familytreemagazine.com (August 2022 - full article at GSC)
Further reading in our library – Shelf location: GEN GUI Sources
· Citing Historical Sources : A Manual for Family Historians
· Evidence : citation and analysis for the family historian
Murphy’s Law of Genealogy
The correctly shelved books and correctly filed forms are never the ones you need
DNA - FamilyTreeDNA – SALE till end of August – prices are US$
Y-DNA Tests - Discover more about your paternal line with Y-DNA. From $99 (was $119)
MtDNA - Discover more about your maternal line with mtDNA. $139 (was $159)
Family Finder - Discover more about your origins and connect with relatives. $49 (was $79)
myDNA Wellness + Family Finder
- Unlock insights into your health and wellness, and discover your ancestry. $69 (was $119)
AncestryDNA's Chromosome Painter
AncestryDNA recently released their first chromosome painter
What exactly is a chromosome painter? How does it differ from a chromosome browser?
Both the chromosome browser and the chromosome painter visualize your chromosomes. The biggest difference between the chromosome painter at AncestryDNA and a chromosome browser (that is not provided) is that the painter gives you insight into your own DNA, and the browser allows you to explore your relationship to others.
How should people use this new tool in their research? What new information can it tell you about your family tree?
This chromosome painter view is not much different than the original SideView ethnicity inheritance tool
that was originally introduced. They are both meant to show you which ethnicities you received from your mom, and which from your dad. Knowing this may give you insight into missing ancestors and fuel your search.
How does Ancestry's new tool compare to already-existing chromosome painters from 23andMe and DNA Painter? Is it worth using more than one chromosome painter?
Ancestry’s chromosome painter is basically identical to the tool at 23andMe. However, the tool at DNA Painter is actually a chromosome browser that you can paint, called a chromosome map! The point of DNA Painter’s chromosome map is to make an interactive image of your own DNA, using the DNA you share with your matches, to create a map showing the DNA you inherited from your ancestors.
Rachel Christian, New Media Editor, Family Tree Magazine
Diahan Southard, Founder and CEO, Your DNA Guide
For further information – come along to our DNA Discuss days on the 3rd Monday of each month
Queensland – Soldier Settlements
Queensland State Archives holds a number of records about soldier settlements for the First World War and the Second World War.
Under the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act 1917 and associated regulations, every discharged member of the armed forces was entitled to apply for land and financial assistance. Under the Act this included war workers, munitions workers and the dependents of a deceased soldier or sailor such as a widow, mother, sibling or child who were dependent upon his earnings 12 months prior to his enlistment.
The main purpose of this Act was to place ‘willing and suitable settlers on the land’. It also aimed to open new land for settlement and at the same time to provide employment and assistance for the thousands of discharged soldiers after the wars. Another form of assistance granted to discharged soldiers was in the form of grants to build houses.
Research Guides at Queensland State Archives : Soldier Settlement
This 6 page guide lists what records are available from the QSA with links to those items
https://www.publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/brief-guides-at-qsa
New South Wales – School Records
Webinar : School records : In NSW education has been compulsory since 1880 and the local school is often at the centre of the local community. School records in the NSW State Archives Collection contain a wealth of information about the people who attended school, their teachers and school buildings in which they worked. This webinar focuses on how to research students, teachers and school sites in the NSW State school system.
https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/webinars/school-records
The Teachers' rolls, 1869-1908 (NRS 4073) are one of most useful sources for researching individual teachers in the later half of the nineteenth century. They provide a service record for each teacher and include date of birth, examination results, appointments, promotions and date of resignation.
Index contains name and reel number.
https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/node/1431/browse
Victoria - Queen Victoria Medical Centre records
Added to the PROV collection are records from Monash Health.
The Queen Victoria Medical Centre has a long and fascinating history beginning in 1896 when it was opened under the name of the Victorian Hospital for Women and Children. It was established by eleven female doctors including the first woman ever to be registered with the Medical Board of Victoria, Dr Constance Stone. Dr Stone had to go overseas to study medicine as, at the time, the University of Melbourne did not admit women to the course. She studied in the US and Canada, then worked in London before returning to Melbourne in 1890, forming the Victorian Medical Women’s Society and setting up the hospital.
Shortly after being renamed the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in 1897, it found its permanent home in Mint Place, which was a section of Little Lonsdale Street between William and Queen Streets named Mint Place owing to the Royal Mint building built there between 1869-72. The hospital remained there until 1946 when it moved to the corner of Swanston and Lonsdale Streets taking up residence in the old Royal Melbourne Hospital.
https://prov.vic.gov.au/about-us/our-blog/whats-new-2022-april
Western Australia – Death certificates : Certificates – take with a pinch of salt
An interesting article with tips and tricks about death certificates – the numbering system, where registered - it could be registered far away, and perhaps not registered until the next year. Stillborn baby registrations and Registry Offices are covered in this article.
https://www.outbackfamilyhistoryblog.com/certificates-take-with-a-pinch-of-salt/
New Zealand – Goldrush online : The Goldminer's Database
Search over 85,000 records of goldminers from the Otago, West Coast and Thames goldrushes of New Zealand, spanning the years 1861 to 1872. Index includes date, location, source. Some with links to further information.
The Journal page has many excellent articles (these include maps and photos).
England - What are Bishop's Transcripts?
Beginning in 1598, ministers were required to send copies of their registers to an archdeacon or bishop annually. These copies are referred to as bishops’ transcripts, or sometimes archdeacon transcripts. As a result, two copies of many parish registers exist from 1598 to about the mid-1800s. After civil registration began in 1837, the value of keeping bishops’ transcripts diminished, so by 1870 most parishes had stopped making them.
Bishop's transcripts should be an exact copy of the parish register but they often are not. This may be because:
The minister was saving time and space by abbreviating entries when copying them.
The minister may have added more detail to an entry when he copied it into the BTs.
BT's were on separate pieces of parchment and some may have been lost over the years.
BT's may survive where the parish registers do not.
Entries may have been accidently skipped or mis-transcribed when the record was copied for the BT's.
Many bishop’s transcripts are on film at the Family History Library, listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalogue under:
England, [county name], [parish name] - Church records
Most films contain all the years for one parish on one film. However, some are arranged by deanery and year. Those arranged by year and then by deanery are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalogue under: England, [county name] - Church records
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/England_Church_Records
Ireland - AncestryIreland.com ($)
Not to be confused with Ancestry.com, based in Utah, AncestryIreland is the online home of the Ulster Historical Foundation (ULF), an educational charity from Belfast, as well as its membership arm, the Ulster Genealogical and Historical Guild.
As part of the Irish Family History Foundation’s network of island-wide genealogy centers, the ULF uploads its church and civil record transcriptions for counties Antrim and Down to the subscription-based RootsIreland database, but these records are also accessible on AncestryIreland. The difference is that while RootsIreland offers these and other records as part of a monthly subscription package, AncestryIreland offers them on a pay-per-view basis. Your most cost-effective option will depend on the geographical focus of your research and how much time you can dedicate to your ancestral hunt over a month. Also depending on your particular research needs, you might consider membership in the guild. This opens up some 200 small- to medium-sized databases covering more of Ulster, many of them exclusive and dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries.
[Familytreemagazine.com]
For more hints and web pages to explore come along to our Irish Interest Group on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. A search of our web page (use the little magnifying glass, on top right of screen) will bring up further topics of interest. https://sites.google.com/site/genealogysunshinecoastinc/
South Africa - Local Armed Forces Nominal Rolls, 1899-1902
Another entirely new collection on FindmyPast is from The National Archives, this series comprises over 53,000 records detailing some of the British Army units raised locally in South Africa during the Second Boer War. These local units mainly consisted of British men who had emigrated to South Africa before the war.
The record transcripts reveal names, ranks, army units and in many cases, enrolment and discharge dates, all useful information for fleshing out the military branches of your family tree.
You will be able to access these records at GSC
A brief history of the Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was one of the bloodiest and longest wars engaged in by the British, with South Africa's effective guerrilla tactics challenging over 500,000 British soldiers during the conflict.
The British famously underestimated the Boer forces, leading to significant loss of life on the British side. In the first offensive of October 1899, the outcome of the battle was unclear. In the second offensive just two months later, the British Army won, though not without significant losses.
In early 1900, the British Army took Bloemfontein, and in June they took Johannesburg. In 1901, the British started to capture both White and Black South Africans and place them into labour camps, while simultaneously cutting off the food supplies in their occupied territories. They destroyed property and cattle across the country. Towards the end of the war, there were nearly 40 camps across South Africa.
Though the British Army won, the war cost nearly £200 million and the British lost over 22,000 men in total. Peace negotiations began in March of 1902, and on 15 May, 30 representatives from each side completed and signed the Treaty of Vereeniging.
While collections like this can never truly portray the true atrocities of war, they can help to spotlight the stories of the individuals that served and fought, outside of grand facts and figures.
https://www.findmypast.com.au/blog/new/britain-south-african-military
An excellent Facebook group if you have Greek ancestry - https://www.facebook.com/groups/118224528189671/permalink/5048238311854910 and a special event online via Youtube is the second conference helping you to research your Greek ancestry from January 29 to 31 2022... remind yourself on your calendar!
Hellenic Genealogy Geek -
GREEK ANCESTRY CONFERENCE online via Youtube -
Saturday 29 January and Sunday 30 January 2022
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVLnzIQ6foxaJq0cpvqLgaQ
DNA PAINTER - more new tools
ROOTSMAGIC AND FAMILYSEARCH
Help Sessions and WORKSHOPS
On each third Tuesday of the month, there is a regular help session from 1pm to 4pm, but you can request assistance from many of our volunteers during our usual opening hours.
Check out the Rootsmagic website , especially their Learning tab and their You Tube videos .
(thank you Ray Chilton)
Full Transcriptions are at least 33% cheaper than official birth, death or marriage certificates.
What is a Transcription?... An attractively presented, A4, typewritten copy of an entry in the NSW Birth, Death and Marriage Registers delivered to you by email, fax or post. It has all of the same detail as an official certificate, but is not a legal document
Christmas Special! $18.00 Full NSW Certificate Transcripts until New Years
http://nswtranscriptions.com.au/pages/our_services/bdm/nsw_bdm.php
Irish Genealogy Resources No. 3 Headstones & Obituaries
(https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/news/irelandxo-insight-top-free-irish-genealogy-resources-2020)
Want to tramp around a cemetery inspecting headstones, at the click of a mouse? Or fine-tune a newspaper search for deaths and obituaries?
The IGP Headstones Project search for leads by surname or browse through an entire cemetery.
The Historic Graves website is an invaluable resource for anyone researching family headstones.
The British Newspaper Archive (pay to view) database can be searched for free and is a treasure trove of obituaries and untimely death reports of individuals who would not have been able to afford a headstone let alone an obit (e.g. a small farmer killed by a bull).
Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)
(Familytreemagazine.com (link from email 14 Oct 2020))
This ever-expanding website draws on the resources of some of the nation’s leading repositories. Explore more than 11 million digitized items from libraries, archives and museums across the country in this online repository. Search the whole collection with a single click, or narrow your search to a place or time period for photographs, books, audio and video files, maps and more. Catalog listings link to digitized items on the holding library website. browse exhibits on topics such as the Civilian Conservation Corps, Civil War maps and the Gold Rush. Note: though this is an American site it does include some overseas content - try typing in a place to see what pops up.
Why Don’t I Share Any DNA With My Cousin?
For those new to DNA testing, it is often a struggle to realize that not everyone on your pedigree chart will share DNA with you. The obvious DNA eliminators are male line (Y chromosome) and female line (mitochondrial DNA). If you do not lie on that path, you will not share that specific DNA with an ancestor. But, what about autosomal DNA?
As a reminder: autosomal DNA is contained in the 22 chromosomes that are not involved in determining a person's sex. Autosomal DNA is roughly cut in half each generation it is passed down. Therefore, the further two cousins are away from each other the less (if any) DNA they will share. It is common to know cousins through genealogy work with which you share no autosomal DNA. That does not mean you are not related. It simply means you were unlucky in the game of DNA chance.
However, do not give up hope! It is possible that you both inherited different segments and you may have another cousin you both match with. This is why you may hear people tell you to test deep and to test wide. "Deep" refers to testing the oldest members of a family first. "Wide" refers to testing as many people of the same generation as possible. Casting that net wide will help find DNA matches you may not have, but someone else does. At the end of the day, you all have each other (or your ancestors) on your family tree!
Shannon Combs-Bennet, [Family Tree Magazine email 8 Oct 2020]
Understanding the Waves of German Immigration
One of the things I was most surprised to learn about when I started researching my German family history was the fact that there were two distinct waves of German immigration to the American colonies and the United States. They came from different places in German-speaking Europe for different reasons and settled in different places in America.
First Wave (1600s–1770s) German immigrants, totaling about 80,000, primarily came from what’s now southwestern Germany and northeastern France, namely from the areas known as Saarland, the Palatinate, Württemberg, Baden, and Alsace. Most left Europe from the Dutch port of Rotterdam, arrived in Philadelphia, and settled in the frontiers of southeastern Pennsylvania, the Shenandoah Valley, and further south in central and western Virginia and North Carolina. They were overwhelmingly from the Lutheran and Reformed churches and were seeking an opportunity to own land, escaping the feudalism of their homeland. A small but well-known portion of them were Anabaptists (Moravians, Amish, and Mennonites) fleeing persecution and seeking religious freedom in Pennsylvania. Many of the First Wave immigrants became part of what is known as Pennsylvania German (also known, somewhat misleadingly, as Pennsylvania Dutch) culture, even developing their own dialect of the German language.
Second Wave (1800–1920) German immigrants, totaling about five million, were a more heterogenous group economically, religiously, and geographically. There were more members of the upper and lower German classes in this wave as opposed to the first that contained many from the “middle” economic strata. The Second Wave also included a more even distribution of Catholics and Protestants. They mostly came from what’s now eastern Germany and western Poland, more specifically the areas known as Pomerania, Brandenburg, Saxony, Bavaria, East and West Prussia, and Posen. Most left Europe from the ports of Bremen or Hamburg, arrived in New York or New Orleans, and settled in southeastern Texas and the Midwest, especially in cities like Milwaukee, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Chicago. Many of them were entrepreneurial, seeking business opportunities in the burgeoning economy of the United States.
Sean Kessler . [Family Tree Magazine email, 2 Oct 2020]
Canadian web tips
If you have North American family, it can be quite difficult to research given the fragmentation of records by state and province and the fact that a large proportion of these are not yet available online. One of the best free resources for Canadian research is the Library and Archives of Canada, and in particular, their online censuses which range from the early 1800s for Quebec and Ontario to the majority of provinces from 1881 to 1921. The censuses are searchable and access to the images is also available. The Archives also have passenger and border entry lists from 1865 to 1935.
Library and Archives Canada : https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx
Library and Archives Canada – Censuses : https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/Pages/census.aspx
Library and Archives Canada – Immigration Records :
https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/immigration-records/Pages/introduction.aspx
[SAGe September 2020. newsletter of Society of Australian Genealogists],
Look forward to catching up soon – happy researching!
Jan and all the team at GSC
Do you have a story you wish to publish?
We are available to help you print your family history. Before you begin, please talk to us and we will be able to advise you in regards to programs to use such as Microsoft Word, photos, style, page numbers, paper, binding, etc. This enables us to work more efficiently and hopefully save us all a little time.
It is great to see the family stories coming to life in print – well done to all our budding authors who have been working so hard and checking their work so meticulously – your families will be enthralled I’m sure!
Geneamusings is a useful website with links to current blogs and websites
The link below is to information on AncestryDNA Update and if you have an Ancestry DNA test linked to your Thrulines and matches, you should read the new information and save any records you have saved in your Ancestry files online.
https://genealem-geneticgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/07/ancestrydna-update-on-6-7cm-removal.html
Information is also available -
GEDMATCH -
Nambour Rural School
Nambour Rural School was the subject of Tony Brady's thesis which is available on QUT EPRINTS online and it is well worth reading.
Brady, Tony James (2013) The rural school experiment : creating a Queensland yeoman. PhD thesis, Queensland University of Technology
On Facebook, here is the link from the Nambour Remember When page -
https://www.facebook.com/tony.brady.752/videos/10158514729044394
Some photos from my PhD on the Queensland Rural Schools that began with Nambour in 1917. Perhaps you know someone
If you have names, dates and stories to share of your experience at the Nambour Rural School we would love to hear from you at genealogysc@gmail.com or share your thoughts on this post on Nambour Remember When.
National Library of Scotland
Highly recommended for the quality and diversity of the maps on this site .
Incredible detail is available if you have ancestors in Scotland and want to learn more about the area in which they lived and worked.
Creating historical and other jigsaws – just for fun
Our attention has been drawn to a free software package that enables you to turn historical and other images into jigsaw puzzles. You can have fun either with the images that others have provided or work with your historical society or other photos of your own.
A JOURNAL OF THE PLAGUE YEAR: AN ARCHIVE OF COVID19
While we are mostly blocked from attending our local historical society premises, we have the opportunity to prepare answers for the questions that may be asked in the future. What were the impacts on our local community? How did people adjust?
Some societies have already suggested that their members keep personal records and accounts of their day-to-day existence in the lockup, for inclusion in society archives once this is all over. FAHS endorses that as a very valuable project.
FAHS also suggests that some of you, our ‘laid-off volunteers’, may also wish to use part of their time to collect records about the experiences of their local community, its people, businesses and organisations.
Through newspapers, the capture of website images and social media conversations, taking their own images, you can build a record of how your community was impacted. What effect did the lockdown have on local businesses? How extensive was unemployment? How did people in the community respond to the peculiar circumstances.
Such material may be collected and printed in hard copy, and/or form a digital archive for future reference and research. You could even contribute to A Journal of the Plague Year: an Archive of COVID-19, which is a collaboration between universities worldwide, including the University of Melbourne.
Stay connected to State Library
We encourage you to become a member online to access thousands of free ebooks, newspapers, journals, films and other resources from home. You can learn a new skill with Lynda.com and explore our fascinating exhibitions and digital stories.
Our reference librarians will continue to provide our Ask Us service.
Access Ancestry with your library card
If you have a library card with the State Library of Qld or the National Library of Australia, you may be able to access Ancestry online from home - give it a try and see how you go!
Legacy Webinar free each day
Each day in April, Legacy Family Tree Webinars are presenting a free webinar on a wide variety of topics - so click on the yellow link at the top of the page to see what is on offer.
FamilySearch New Tool Unlocks Data in Digital Record Images
https://media.familysearch.org/familysearch-new-tool-unlocks-data-in-digital-record-images
Most likely the family history breakthroughs you need to connect to elusive ancestors hiding somewhere in billions of free, unindexed digital record images at FamilySearch.org, are now a simple search away. Thanks to the release of FamilySearch’s new Explore Historical Images feature, your likelihood of finding records about ancestors has increased dramatically. The new tool helps users easily navigate the growing sea of free digital image collections at FamilySearch to make ancestor discoveries more quickly.
GSC Newspaper Cuttings Collection
- this extensive collection has been indexed and you can find an example of a pdf file of the index for Nambour and surrounds on our GSC Projects page
You are welcome to send in a query to see what we have on your ancestor or your area as the database is constantly updated.
All news articles are also being scanned to help preserve them and to index the information to help in locating articles of interest.
Our header on this page is just a segment of one of the thousands of articles available for research.
If you have the app version of Familysearch loaded on your tablet or your phone, check out the My Contributions feature for your account -
https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/family-tree-my-contributions/
To find the My Contributions feature, open the Family Tree app, and tap the More icon in the bottom right corner (iOS) or the 3-bar menu in the top left corner (Android). This will bring up a menu of options. Tap My Contributions. You will then see three categories—Stats, Changes, and Private Persons.
British Red Cross VAD volunteers WW1
This may assist with research.
Try searching with "surname" only.
Also try by County, ie Antrim, Buckinghamshire, etc
Cheers
Ray
http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/blog/15-best-websites-finding-clergy-your-family-tree
The 15 best websites for finding clergy in your family tree
An Anglican or nonconformist clergyman in your family tree can be a treat for genealogists, says Jonathan Scott
Make sure you watch these free videos from Rootstech 2020
https://www.rootstech.org/video-archive
I thoroughly recommend this video on using the FamilySearch Wiki-
https://www.rootstech.org/video/unlocking-the-power-of-the-familysearch-wiki
As we are a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, you will have access to the image based resources they are referring to in this video, so make sure you watch it to make the best use of the fabulous resources available online.
or choose from any of these videos from the RootsTech Sessions
https://www.rootstech.org/category/2020-rootstech-sessions
A reminder of the fabulous information available from the National Library of Australia and TROVE -
Try the askalibrarian service if you need help with a difficult query -
https://www.nla.gov.au/askalibrarian
This blog on the webinars available is very informative -
https://www.nla.gov.au/stories/blog/behind-the-scenes/2019/10/24/the-wonderful-world-of-webinars
and make sure to watch and listen to their list of very relevant webinars on topics you will find of interest for your family history research -
https://www.nla.gov.au/content/past-webinar-recordings
Do you have some Viking DNA ?
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-51135287
Watch this fascinating video based on the results of the first study in Viking DNA on YouTube
Viking II Launch Lecture January 2020
one of a series on the VIKING GENES YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCttVP52IuXdvNbvihIE2RPA
The first study in 2004 began in the Orkneys and this video outlines some of the information from that first study.
They are looking for volunteers for the second part of the study from the Orkneys and Shetland, but you can contact them to see what the current criteria are.
https://www.ed.ac.uk/viking/whats-new/events/viking-genes-with-professor-jim-wilson
If you have two grandparents from the Shetland or Orkneys, you could join this FTDNA group -
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/shetland/about/background
Check out Geneanet online
a very useful site if you have European ancestors -
You may need to register and log in to get better results, but there is a free membership and a premium membership available.
From Vintage Queensland - Album – People in Gayndah
Picnic given by the Hon. B.B. Moreton and Mrs. Moreton between Gayndah and Wetheron in 1867.
Those in the picture, from left to right, are:- Mr. Perie (Yenda), Mrs. W.H. Franklin, Mr. Moreton's groom, Dr. Ernst, Mr. F.G. Gonolly (father of Dr. Glynn Connolly, of Brisbane), Mrs. S. Caston, Hon. B.B. Moreton with his daughter, Miss Ellie Moreton (in drag),
Mrs. B.B. Moreton (Wetheron), Mr. Parry-Okeden's groom (holding leader of tandem), Mrs. ----, Mr. C.C. Rawson (Tenningering), Mr. W.E. Parry-Okeden and Mr. R.W. Stuart (Mount Debateable), Mr. S. Caston (Gympie), Mr. F.D.G. Pockley (reclining), Rev. Mr. Dinnin,
Mr. A.C. Thomas (Ideraway), Mrs. F.G. Connolly, Mr. H. Wilson, Mr. I. O'C. Bligh, P.M., and Mr. W.H. Franklin (both standing in Mr. Okeden's tandem cart), Mr. Connolly's groom, Mr. John Connolly (who celebrated his 100th birthday at Gayndah on Saturday last), and Mrs. John Connolly (Gayndah).
(from the Queenslander newspaper via Trove) - see the image on the right below.
Are you using Facebook for your historical research ? It can provide so many clues to interesting websites and organisations, family reunions, old photographs and links to new sites and new developments in archives and libraries. Make sure to save your favourite sites so you can find them on a regular basis.
