Latest Family History Group News

The next meeting of the group is Thursday 6 May.  There are two topics. ‘What, Where and When’ . Often we know who the people are in a photograph but not where it was taken or when.  Take the people out of the photograph and see what the background can tell us. After coffee break we will have a look at what the UK 1841 census can tell us about our ancestors.

If you would like to come along please let me know as numbers are restricted in the Hall.  New members are most welcome.

At the April meeting we had a brief look at the software program Family Tree Maker which some of us use to record our research. A small group to look further at the program is meeting on Thursday 29 April in the Hall at 10.00. if you are interested please contact me.

In 2021 we convened a small group to discuss and work on the results from our Ancestry DNA tests. The next meeting is on Thursday 22 April in the Hall at 10.00 until 12.00. We will be looking at GEDmatch. If you are planning to attend it would be helpful if you have uploaded your DNA results into GEDmatch and then can bring along your DNA results in GEDmatch on your laptop to the Group.  GEDmatch is free for the basic level. Let me know if you are interested or want to know more about the topic.

A couple of news items: Do you have female convict ancestors? There is a new book, released on 1 April this year, by Babette Smith , author of a “Cargo of Women”.  “Defiant Voices: How Australia’s Female Convicts Challenged Authority” takes a fresh look at the women transported to Australia as convicts.

Also, if you are looking for UK parish registers for ancestors born before civil registration, there is a Masterclass in the Lost Cousins April newsletter (free). The Masterclass is titled ‘Tracking down pre-1837 baptisms and marriages’.  Its detailed and one point that I think will be very useful for those who have subscriptions to either FindMyPast or Ancestry (or both) is which site has which county parish registers online. Its copyright so I cannot reproduce it. Check out Lostcousins on line at www.lostcousins .com

If you have any queries about the Family History Group please give me a call.

Updated 14 April 2021

Family History Group Meetings

The Club Family History Group meets on the 1st Thursday of each month at 10.00 to 12.00.  We meet in the Hall. This is an activity run by volunteers for the Club. The Activity Leader is Liz Dean 0409 323 014. Contact Liz for information about the Group.

We have a common interest in researching our own family history and family history in general, including the social history of the various times our ancestors lived. We focus on (but don’t restrict to) what can be discovered from the comfort of our own homes or local libraries through the internet.

We have a topic each month either chosen by the activity leader or suggested by someone in the group. There is occasionally a guest speaker and suggestions or offers to speak are welcome. We always break for morning tea to give a chance to talk informally. We also run beginners groups on an ad hoc basis.

There is internet access in the Hall providing access to family history and other useful websites.

Anyone interested in researching their family tree, beginners especially, are welcome. But also anyone interested in genealogy or history in general is welcome too.

Topics include ‘Using newspapers to search for ancestors’ and ‘Dating photographs of our ancestors’.

Last updated on 11 February 2021