Latest Family History Group News
Welcome to 2024. Last year was another successful year for the Family History Group. Many thanks to all the members who have supported the group especially those who presented talks and set up computers, and contributed to all the discussions.
The sessions have returned to once a month and be on the THIRD THURSDAY at 10.00 am and we hope to see familiar and new faces!
On March 21 we will start the session with a demonstration of syncing from Ancestry to Family Tree Maker and vice versa. We expect this to generate questions. If there is time, we may also try to use information from the group about a brick-wall ancestor to see if the group can help generate some new leads…
Building your family’s story takes time and the Family History Group will now focus on practical application rather than presentation only. There will be a monthly topic but problem solving will be an integral part of the monthly sessions. Information will still be projected on the screen but will become more interactive. Attendees will be encouraged to share any ‘brick walls’ or problems they are encountering, but also any discoveries or what has worked for them during their family history journey. You can also bring your device along for research and to record any useful information.
This new format will ‘feel it’s way’ and Lyn will take the lead for the first few months.
Your queries, questions and input will help formulate the months ahead program – the topics are endless.
Updated 4 February 2024
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
February 2024
A session featuring a presentation of two Family History websites – Ancestry and MyHeritage – two big sites offering memberships, and offered comparisons of the features of those sites. Thanks to Mark preparing and presenting a useful PowerPoint and Sue driving the slides and helping to demonstrate some points. It generated discussion and questions and took up the entire session. There were some suggestions for content for March.
December 2023
Many thanks to Lyn and her helpers who stepped in to present “Summer Holidays”.
November 2023
After our great guest speakers over the last two meetings it’s was back to me. The topic was ‘It’s fortunate his name wasn’t Smith’. Searching for someone with a family name that is shared by many, many people always demands more patience than a less common name. This is about a man who started out in Manchester, England in the 1880.
October 2023
For the second month in a row we were fortunate to have a terrific guest speaker, Club member Werner Kretschmer who talked about his life from a child in Raussian controlled Berlin to Australia, his research into his family and writing his book ‘A Boy from Berlin’.
September 2023
Our guest speaker Dr Helen Monro, spoke about early rechabites, oddfellows and benevolent ladies mainly in Victoria – perhaps you have such charitable people in your family tree?
August 2023
We focused on family tradions such as birthday celebrations. Australian celebrations and family traditions.
July 2023
We had a terrific guest speaker from ACT Heritage, Linda Roberts, at the July meeting. A big thank you to Linda for her entertaining and informative presentation and to all the members who came along and thoroughly enjoyed it.
June 2023
The topic was ‘Home, Sweet Home’. Knowing a little about the houses our ancestors lived in helps us understand them.
May 2023
We had a very interesting talk from member Vi on her experiences as an evacuee from Glasgow at the start of WW2. Shehad an extended stay with her aunt and uncle and considers she had many advantages over her sibling who was too young to leave their mother and stayed in Glasgow. We also had a look at two websites for Scottish genealogical records; ScotlandsPeople and the National Records of Scotland. If you are interested in the history of Scots emigration including to Australia dip into T.M Devine’s To the Ends of the Earth.
April 2023
Topic: ” Is there a doctor in the house?”
Does it add to our ancestors’ life stories to investigate people who are not related to us? Their names appear on census records, certificates, journals and other documents. I’m thinking of witnesses at a wedding, officiating clergy at baptisms and doctors who certify cause of death. Its the doctors that provide the topic for this next meeting.
March 2023
What happens to your family history research after you stop researching or when you die’
Many thanks to Lyn for presenting this topic. Websites she used are listed below.
Ancestry
National Library of Australia
- Google = nladonations for details
- If you have items already to donate, email specific details to
- [email protected] and
- [email protected]
ACT Family History Society (previously HAGSOC)
British Genealogy
Roots Chat
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?action=search2
Family Search
- https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-donate-to-familysearch
- https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-tag-memories-of-my-ancestors-or-relatives-in-family-tree
Family Tree Magazine
February 2023
“Lost children” – and they are very tricky to find…..
Several websites were mentioned in the presentation and these are listed below:
The Foundling Hospital Museum, London https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/
Information about UK workhouses www.workhouses.org.uk
The UK National Archives www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Information on UK 19th Century UK prisons https://www.prisonhistory.org/
Information on Children’s Homes in the UK http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk
The Alliance for Forgotten Australians https://forgottenaustralians.org.au/
History and Information about Australian orphanages, Children’s Homes and other Institutions www.findandconnect.gov.au
December 2022
The topic had a Christmas theme – ‘Childhood Christmas’
November 2022
Unfortunately our guest speaker was unwell so we improvised but kept to the convicts topic.
October 2022
Lyn presented on the topic is ” Hints and links when you are stuck”. She suggested some websites that could assist us when we have a brick wall in our research.
Mark – who presented on Adobe Photoshop at the August meeting was unable to come along to the September meeting but presented at the October meeting on solving the problems of getting photos from our ipads and phones to our computers.
Many thanks to both group members for giving up their time and preparing presentations.
September 2022
Rick Sochrane from Canberra printing firm Bytes ‘n Colours gave a most informative talk about his company’s work including preparing files for printing your family history. Note the minimum print run is just “one”! A write up will be in the newsletter.
At the August monthly meeting we looked at two topics: a brief look at immigration from a country other than UK – we looked at the UK at the July meeting, and ‘Restoring old photos’.
July Topic: “Australia – Land of Opportunity”
Since our convict days people have come from many parts of the world to live here in Australia. Some paid their own way whilst others were assisted by organisations. How did your ancestors reach this land of opportunity?
Websites that proved useful in finding information about immigration, particularly assisted migration, and the schemes which promoted migration included:
- The Australian National Archives – there are some great research guides www.naa.gov.au
- The National Archives of the UK – www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
- re descendants of the lace makers of Calais – https://www.lacemakersofcalais.com.au
- Immigration Museum, Victoria www.museumsvictoria.com.au
- National Museum of Australia – www.nma.gov.au
- History of the Department of Immigration – www.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Highland and Island Emigration Society (Scotland) -Scotlands People www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
- State Library of Victoria for info on assisted verses unassisted passage – www.slv.vic.gov.au
- Find and Connect website – historical resources relating to institutional care in Australia – www.findandconnect.gov.au
- Trove and other newspaper resources are a great way to find out about incoming ships and passengers and also about the schems such as the ‘Dreadnought Scheme’ and the ‘Barwell Boys’.
June Topic The weather and its impacts on our ancestors’ lives. Many of our ancestors may have been affected by drought or famine, have moved to another country or lost loved ones – the weather can have a big impact on us. We can add interest and context to our family history stories by considering “The weather”. Sources of information include family letters and diaries and newspaper reports of weather events and weather forecasts just to mention a few.
I’ve listed some websites here which were referred to in the meeting:
Historic data for the UK – https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/historic-station-data
An archived website with fascinating information about hsitorical weather events – https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20130428155005/http://booty.org.uk/booty.weather/climate/wxevents.htm
and if you are lookingfor weather events 1700-1849 try – https://www.pascalbonenfant.com/18c/geography/weather.html
You might have to cut and paste into a browser.
For Australia – the Bureau of Meteorology website has historical data for a range of sites and dates.
For any of you that were at the meeting – Elizabeth Stratton’s 13 month old baby did not drown with her in the canal in 1862. The child had already been returned home before Elizabeth set off to walk her friend home.
And while I have your attention – FindMyPast has a terrific collection of British and Irish newspapers on its website. I have just found my great grandfather at the Wexford Ireland magistrates court in 1890 arguing over an assault case. Searching by his name didn’t find this article but his address in Wexford did. Just shows that broad searches sometimes brings interesting results.
Also – if you are considering writing the results of your research there is an interesting website by Carol Baxter who is offering online course (for a fee) on writing and publishing. She has written several books resulting from her research. Check out www.writingfabulousfamilyhistories.com/home Thank you Beverley for the link.
Liz Dean
Updated 11 November 2023
Family History Group Meetings
The Club Family History Group meetings have changed for 2024. It will now meet only on the third 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. Please read the weekly Club newsletter for the latest information about the group or ask the helpful volunteer staff in the Office. The newsletter is on the Club website.
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. We always break for morning tea.
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.
See ‘latest news’ on this page for information on current meetings.
Last updated on 23 January 2024