genealogy

Thirteenth Australasian Congress on Genealogy & Heraldry Adelaide 2012

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I wasn’t able to make it to the first day of the Congress because I was setting up my art exhibition.  Here are some of my notes and impressions of Day Two.

 

Day Two

I didn’t write any notes about Jenny Higgins’ keynote talk other than to say that she was a bit hard to hear and understand.

World War One Recruiting Poster

World War One Recruiting Poster

These posters were being given out by the South Australian State Records in the exhibition hall.

Ref No. GRG 32/16/9

I wonder if my Grandfather saw these posters before he joined up.

World War One Recruiting Poster

World War One Recruiting Poster

 

Scottish Research Online – Barbara Baker

For anyone who wasn’t familiar with the websites Barbara was talking about they could’ve come out of this session rather confused as she switched back and forth between slides of Ancestry, Family Search and Scotland’s People.  There wasn’t always time to read the slides either.  It would’ve been good to see everything about Ancestry and then move on to the next site.

I did pick up some tips and new places to search for my Scottish ancestors- http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/, look at Wills and the Coat of Arms Register on http://scotlandspeople.gov.uk/, http://www.electricscotland.com/, http://british-history.ac.uk/, http://www.happyhaggis.co.uk/ and to look at  http://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/ for the Farm Horse Tax records.

Horse Tax Record

Horse Tax Record Book

 Family Search Indexing – Stephen Young

The room for Stephen’s talk didn’t have much light on the speaker so it was difficult to lip read him.  I enjoyed Stephen’s talk about all the records Family Search indexes and about how to help with the indexing.  One tip that I noted was this:

“A farm labourer worked with animals and lived on the farm.  He usually stayed there a long time.  An agricultural labourer however worked in the fields, didn’t live on the farm and moved around from farm to farm or went to work fairs to gain employment.”  I have a number of ancestors listed as ‘agricultural labourers’ or ‘ag labs’ as they’re known but haven’t come across any farm labourers in any censuses yet.

Fascinating Facts & Figures From Five Countries – David Holman (keynote)

I thoroughly enjoyed David’s talk as I’m sure many people did going by the audience’s laughter.  David shared figures of the most common surnames and forenames in different countries.   He also spoke about uncommon and funny names and combinations of fore and surnames.  I didn’t write anything down because I was so interested and entertained by what David was saying.

David Holman

David Holman

I had to leave early for work so I didn’t get to hear any more talks but did spend some more time and money in the exhibition hall.  I’ll write a separate post about what I bought.

Genealogists For Families Dinner

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It was great to meet all the Genealogists for Families members tonight!!  We had a lovely dinner with much laughter and conversation.

Genealogists For Families  motto is, We care about families (past, present and future). Genealogists worldwide (and their non-genealogist relatives and friends) are working as a team to help less fortunate families.

Through Kiva, a non-profit organisation working with microfinance institutions, we make $25 loans (not handouts) that enable borrowers without access to traditional banks (including many women) to expand their business, support and educate their family, save for the future and raise themselves out of poverty. When the loan is repaid we can withdraw the money or lend it again. By repeatedly lending the same $25, we make a difference to many lives.

Definitions of Genealogical Words

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banns – a public notice or announcement, usually in church, of an intended marriage.word picture

beneficiary – someone that benefits from something. It is often the person designated to receive proceeds or benefits from a will.

BMD – birth, marriage, death records.

census – a count of the population, usually includes various statistics about the population.

centenarian – someone who lives to be at least 100 years old.

Christian names – the first and middle name given to a child at birth or baptism. Also called the given name.

citation – 1) a formal reference to a source of information. 2) an official summons to appear before a court.

cite – to quote an authority.

codicil – a supplement to a will.

decedent – the deceased person.

deed – a legal transfer of title.

descendant – originating from an ancestor.

descendant chart – a chart that lists all the descendants of an individual.

dowry – the money or property that a woman brings to a marriage.

executor – the person responsible for carrying out the terms of a will.

hundred – an administrative subdivision that existed in southern English counties prior to the 1974.  Also used in Australia.

intestate – a person who dies without making a valid will.

issue – a person’s children or offspring.

JP – Justice of the Peace.

nee – identifies a woman’s maiden name, from the French word for born.

posthumous – after death. Sometimes children are referred to as posthumous, which means the child was born after the father’s death.

probate – a copy of a legally valid will, usually held by a regional court.

relict – the surviving spouse in a marriage.

Soundex – a filing system used in old US censuses where the family name was filed by the sound it made. It was used to cross-reference similar sounding names such as Smith and Smythe.

testament – written instructions in a will as to the disposition of property and the body of the deceased.

testator – the person who made the will.

The 13th Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry

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The 13th Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry is on in my home town of Adelaide in just over two weeks, the 28th to 31st of March.  I’ve booked the days I can attend and selected which talks I’d like to see as well.  They are:

Word Picture

Barbara Baker – Scottish Research Online

Stephen Young – Family Search Indexing

Noeline Kyle – Finding Women In The Records

Heidi Ing – Light Literature & Strawberry Fetes

Colleen Fitzpatrick – Forensic Genealogy

Sue Reid – Online Newspapers

Jan Gow – New Zealand BDMs

Noeline Kyle – Writing Your History

Mike Murray – 10 Top Tips For Finding UK Ancestors

Roger Kershaw – Getting The Most Out Of nationalarchives.gov.uk

Colleen Fitzpatrick – Curious Case Of James-Jake Smithers-Gray

 

I think this will keep me out of mischief for the three days!!  I’m really looking forward to meeting fellow bloggers and Genealogists For Families members too.

 

A Cornish-man In Bendigo

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cornish pasty

Cornish Pasty

There was another old Cornish-man working on the Garden Gully line noted for his insatiable appetite for Cornish pasties. For his lunch each day, or, as he called it, for “krowst,” he would bring an immense pasty about 18in. long.  He was a man who looked ahead, for, as a young man, on the point of leaving Cornwall for Australia, he had tattooed on his chest his mother’s recipe for making a Cornish pasty. Later on, this was of great assistance to his Australian-born wife.  Taken from “Stories Of The Cornish Miners” http://home.vicnet.net.au/~bendcorn/miners_in_bendigo.html

Some of my ancestors worked mines on the Garden Gully line.  I wonder if they knew this man with the pasty recipe tattoo.

The Dawn – A Journal For The Australian Household New On Trove

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I’ve been interested in the Digitise The Dawn project from the time I first heard about it.  This newspaper is a historian’s and genealogist’s delight.

Louisa Lawson

“The Dawn” was published monthly in Sydney, Australia from May 1888 until it’s final issue in July 1905. Touted as a journal for the Australian household, it was filled with recipes, dress patterns, beauty advice and household hints, much like you might expect in any women’s magazine. It also contained articles on more serious matters of women’s right to vote, their struggle for equal pay and divorce law reform. But in an age where women around the world were struggling to gain the right to vote, and ask for equal pay for equal work, what set “The Dawn” apart was the fact it was produced, printed and published by an all woman team, under the leadership of the formidable Louisa Lawson.  Taken from an article by Donna Benjamin, you can read the rest of the article here.

Today all the issues of The Dawn are available on Trove in honour of International Women’s Day.

Article From the Front Page of the First Issue

I’ve read a few articles and done some searches but haven’t found anything relating to my ancestors but it has given me a greater understanding of the times they lived in.  I will certainly be reading and searching some more!