The Tree of Me

Pure Cork - Michael Lenihan

2012-02-28T20:36:00.000+11:00

The second book I have chosen to read this year for my National Year of Reading challenge is Pure Cork by Michael Lenihan.

I saw this book advertised and immediately ordered it as I have ancestors who came from Cork. I didn't stop to think that the book might be about the city Cork and not the County. My ancestors Patrick and Hanora Flynn and their daughter Ann and her husband Thomas Moylan came from County Cork.

Pure Cork is a pictorial history of the city of Cork. Chapters include:

Entertainment
Transport
Industry
People
Shawlies
Buildings
Churches

I was hoping to discover what life was like in Cork when my family lived there. As they left in 1821, 1824 and 1826, I needed fairly early references. Although living in County Cork, I don't know if any of my ancestors actually went to the city of Cork. Who knows, perhaps they did?

So what did I discover?

Cork's oldest hotel, Victoria Hotel was established in 1810.
The Imperial Hotel was established in 1816.
I wonder if they ever purchased a lottery ticket? Advertisements for lotteries have been found for as early as 1799.
In 1810 a carriage works was established by James Johnson
A brewery had been in existence as early as 1667. By the 1830s Beamish and Crawford was the largest brewery in Ireland.
The English market was in existence since 1788.
The Hive Iron Works was established by Thomas Addison Barnes in 1800.
I wonder if they ever held a bank note?
A new barracks had been built for Cork in 1801.
Donkeys were used to transport goods.
Did they ever walk at Mardyke Walk?
The county jail had been remodelled in 1818. (Although both Patrick Flynn and Thomas Moylan were convicts, neither was tried at Cork)
Many of the women wore shawls and were known as shawlies. The shawls would be used to carry fruit, vegetables or babies.

It's quite likely that the Flynns and Thomas Moylan never went to Cork. I don't know how far they may have travelled. However, Patrick Flynn was tried in County Wexford and Thomas Moylan in County Limerick, so perhaps they did travel longer distances. I like to think that perhaps Hanora wore a shawl and that the images of shawlies in Pure Cork give me an idea of what she may have looked like.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lenihan's collection of images paint a very complete picture of life in Cork. The back cover of the book advertises Hidden Cork. Looks like I'll have to purchase this book as well!

Dray Proprietor's License

2012-01-28T23:38:00.000+11:00

Amongst the treasures at my nanna's house is a renewal of a Dray Proprietor's License dated 28th January 1892 belonging to my great, great grandfather John Ryan who lived at 23 Cambridge Street in Balmain.

A simple google search for "dray proprietor's license" Sydney came up with the 1854 Act for the Licensing and Regulation of Carters plying for hire with in the City of Sydney. It is a 9 page document which sets out the terms and conditions that were expected to be met by license holders.

Section 4 stated that the license would only be granted if the proprietor or driver was of good name fame and character. The vehicle could not be unsafe or in bad repair or unfit for the conveyance of goods or merchandise. The vehicle also had to have its number painted on a plate or plates and affixed to wherever the Commissioners saw fit. I assume 184 must have been John Ryan's number. Unless the charges had been increased he would have paid £2 annually for his license.

The license appears to be for a van. Earlier he had a dray and there was a photograph of him with his dray but unfortunately this has disappeared.

My First Anniversary

2012-01-26T16:50:00.000+11:00

Today is the first anniversary of my genealogy blog although I have to admit this wasn't my first genealogy blog. I had started one a couple of years previously but it only lasted a short time. I wasn't happy with what I had done, nor its name so I deleted it.

Why did I take so long to start again? The answer was to be found by reading Amy Coffin's The Big Genealogy Blog Book two weeks ago. "The hardest part of starting a blog is coming up with a name. Once you've made that decision, the rest is easy." I agonised for over a year about what to call my blog. However, I was spurred into action by the Australia Day Challenge by Shelley from Twigs of Yore. I knew what I was going to write in this challenge so I had to come up with a name for my blog quick smart.

It was unintentional, but I think now that I subconsciously borrowed the name from an article, The Tree of Me published in The New Yorker on 26 March 2001. I was initially drawn to the article as I have Seabrook ancestors.

Over the year I have had many people contact me about various posts.

My post about Jimmy Semmens has reunited the photo with one of his sons.
After writing about Sam Dawson from Cloghran, Ireland, I have been corresponding with a lovely lady in America whose father was Sam's valet and butler. She saw my posts and contacted me and has provided me with several stories about her family and mine. Thank you so much. Post 1 Post 2 Post 3 Post 4
My post about Norman Dawson put me in contact with a second cousin I had never met.
My posts about Wallangarra and the Moore family have put me in contact with a second cousin once removed.
I was contacted by someone in the Air Force within hours of writing my Anzac Day post about Alan Seabrook Mitchell.

Without starting my blog, I would not have been able to achieve any of the above.

It is interesting to see what search terms have been used to reach my blog. Recently they have included:

road construction
mcinerney family history
charles ryan watches
how can I transfer my pdfs from ibooks to iannotate
1880s working conditions in meat packing company
everything about wallangarra railway
h.m.s. conway cadets
ematris county monaghan

My most popular blog posts have been:

iBooks or iAnnotate pdf on my iPad
Anzac Day Blog Challenge - Alan Seabrook Mitchell
Australia Day Challenge (2011)
Family Treasures - Pocket Watch
16 great great grandparents
Jimmy Semmens - Australian Bantam Weight Champion
Not everyone leaves a comment
Ebay and genealogy
The humble apron
Golden wedding anniversary - Robert and Ann Waters

I have thoroughly enjoyed the past year. Thank you to those who follow my blog and have encouraged me on the way. I wonder what the next twelve months will bring?

Australia Day 2012 - Wealth for Toil - Dr William Lee Dawson

2012-01-25T17:01:00.003+11:00

Last year Shelly from Twigs of Yore challenged geneabloggers to blog about the oldest documentation we had about an Australian ancestor. This challenge actually prompted me to begin my blogging journey. My initial Australia Day challenge was about Dr William Lee Dawson. This year's challenge is described below.

Australia Day 2012: Wealth for Toil

To participate, choose someone who lived in Australia (preferably one of your ancestors) and tell us how they toiled. Your post should include:

What was their occupation?
What information do you have about the individual’s work, or about the occupation in general?
The story of the person, focussing on their occupation; or
The story of the occupation, using the person as an example.

Dr William Lee Dawson

I am again going to use my great great grandfather, Dr William Lee Dawson (1819-1871) as my chosen ancestor. William Lee Dawson began his medical studies on 1st November 1845 at the Apothecaries' Hall and St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin. His first courses were: Anatomy and Physiology, Demonstrations and Dissections, Principles and Practice of Surgery and practical and clinical instruction. It is interesting to note that the Anatomy classes took place during winter so that corpses wouldn't decompose as quickly.

Between 1845 and 1849 he attended classes at the School of Anatomy, Medicine and Surgery in Park Street, Dublin, Mercer's Hospital, the Coombe-Lying in Hospital and the School of Medicine of the Apothecaries' Hall.

Courses included:

Anatomy and Physiology
Chemistry
Surgical and clinical lectures
Theory and practice of medicine
Theory and practice of surgery
Materia, Medica and Therapeutics
Diseases of the eye
Midwifery and diseases of women and children
Medical and surgery practice
Practice of Dispensary
Dissections

J.J. Rivlin in his article Getting a medical qualification in England in the nineteenth century states that by the mid 1840s the MRCS required experience of midwifery (including 6 deliveries), a course of lectures on physic, and one winter and one summer session in the hospital practice of physic. The requirement for the hospital practice of surgery was three winter and two summer sessions.

After completing medical studies in Ireland, William Lee Dawson went to study in London at the Royal College of Surgeons. He was admitted as a member of the college on the 22nd July 1853. In August of that year he was interviewed by W. Burnett, the Director General of the Medical Department of the Navy and was found "qualified to serve as Surgeon on board any of the vessels belonging to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company." (Letter in my possession)

He sailed for New York aboard the Asia and there he met the ship Dee. His diary does not give any details of his medical work, but instead it is a record of the ports visited, the weather and his impressions of the various ports. William returned to England in June 1854 after resigning "in consequence of the Surgeons not having the same privileges as the other officers, they coming home every six months." (WL Dawson - diary)

His next appointment was to join the ship Mooltan bound for Hobart Town. Upon arrival in Hobart Town the Immigration Agent stated that "The Surgeon Superintendent appears to have paid much attention to his charge, and to feel a great interest in the people. His familiar acquaintance with their name and circumstances is very remarkable; he has also taken much interest in their disposal after arrival." (CSO 24/257/10644 Archives of Tasmania)

Hobart Town Gazette 5th December 1854

William Lee Dawson was appointed Medical Officer at the Huon until his death in 1871. Several years ago, I looked at the death registers for Franklin to give an insight into the type of work performed by Dr Dawson. There were many accidents involving timber felling - in fact on one day in October 1858 five people aged from 6 to 50 were accidentally killed by the felling of a tree. He possibly would have been at the birth of triplet daughters born to John and Jane Price. One was stillborn and sadly Maryanne and Eliza died ten days later from debility. The winter of 1860 was particularly bad as 5 children died from whopping cough and in the first three months of 1866 five children died from cynanche tonssilaris - an acute inflammation of the throat where the patient struggles for breath. In 1871 a baby boy died from inanition combined with a malformation of the palate and other portions of the face and lips. Others were accidentally drowned, burnt or died from whooping cough, influenza and acute diarrhoea. William Lee Dawson was called to give evidence at many inquests and his diary gives the names of those deceased and their cause of death.

Treatment for diphtheria glued into Dr William Lee Dawson's diary

A family story tells of a police officer bringing in an injured timber worker whose leg needed to be amputated. The police officer could not manage to stay in the room to assist, so my great grandfather who was 10 years old at the time had to assist.

Amputation saw belonging to Dr William Lee Dawson

Unfortunately William became ill with consumption and died on 29th June, 1871 aged 51. He left a wife, Emma and 4 young children. His obituary in The Mercury on 30th June 1871 stated that he was a benevolent, but rather eccentric practitioner (who) had been the favourite medical advisor to all persons in the Franklin district....His nature was of the true character of charity - universal, and consequently embracing all objects and persons, poor as well as rich. His skill as a surgeon and operator was not surpassed in this colony. He had his failings like other men, but they were unlike those of most colonists "written upon his sleeve" and exposed to public criticism. His virtues preponderated over what are called failings, and the attentions paid to his wearying sick bed show that he was beloved by those who laughed at his eccentricities, while they believed in his inestimable value as a citizen.

From 1854 until 1871 Dr William Lee Dawson provided medical care for residents of Franklin and the Huon district of Tasmania. Although one might expect Dr Dawson to have left his family in a reasonable position financially, a letter sent from Dublin to his widow expresses regret that he did not leave them in favourable circumstances. Perhaps this was because of his charitable nature.

My sincere thanks go to his daughter Louisa and her daughter and grandchildren who treasured the documents which have allowed his family to gain an insight into the life of William Lee Dawson. I only hope that the current custodian can take as much care and keep them safe.

Abundant Genealogy - Week 4 - Free offline genealogy tools

2012-01-24T20:08:00.000+11:00

Week 4 – Free Offline Genealogy Tools: For which free offline genealogy tool are you most grateful? How did you find this tool and how has it benefitted your genealogy? Describe to others how to access this tool and spread the genealogy love.

My favourite free offline genealogy tool is Dixson Library at the University of New England in Armidale, NSW, Australia. I have been using this library since 1978 when I began university.

If you have ancestors who lived in the New England area, the New England Room may be just the thing for you.

The New England Collection exists to ensure the preservation of works related to the New England region...It covers a collecting area from the Queensland border in the north to the Gloucester Shire in the south and from the coast to the Bourke Shire in the west.

Check out what is in this collection via the online catalogue. I have been able to access many books and ephemera about the towns where my ancestors lived and worked.

Dixson Library also has a family history collection with many varied resources including:

BDM indexes
shipping records
convict records
electoral rolls
land records
muster and census records
naturalisation records

Of course, many of these records are available online so these resources are probably not used as much as they once were.

My favourite section of Dixson Library is the newspaper collection. Microfilms of newspapers from the northern part of NSW (including the north coast), Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne can all be found. Best of all, you don't need to request access to individual microfilms as they are all on open access. This collection is particularly useful as there are few NSW country newspapers on Trove. The range also goes beyond 1954 so more recent news stories can easily be accessed. You can either print pages or save them to a thumb drive.

As a member of the community you are free to use the resources at Dixson Library. However, if you wish to borrow from the library in person you must become a member.

If you live nearby a visit to Dixson is well worth the effort. If you don't live close, why not include a visit to Dixson when you are next holidaying in the New England region. Don't forget to check opening hours before you leave home.

Abundant Geneaolgy - Week 3 - Free Online Genealogy Tools

2012-01-17T16:39:00.001+11:00

Week 3 – Free Online Genealogy Tools: Free online genealogy tools are like gifts from above. Which one are you most thankful for? How has it helped your family history experience?

Where does one start? There are so many fantastic free online sites so I don't think I'll be able to stop at one.

I love The Ryerson Index which is an index to death notices in current Australian newspapers. It is a fantastic resource and thanks must go to those who freely give their time to work on this project. I'm only sorry that the newspaper from where I grew up is not one of those indexed. I'd index it if I had regular access to the paper. Unfortunately, I read the paper fourth hand in bulk about three times a year and I can't guarantee that issues aren't missing.

Recently I've been spending a lot of time on the Public Record Office of Victoria website, particularly looking at their Wills, Probate and Administration Records 1841-1925. I have been able to access free of charge several family wills which have proved to be extremely beneficial in my research. Thanks for providing these to the public.

I visit Trove's digitised newspapers on a weekly basis. To play a part in the continual improvement of Trove I always correct the electronically translated text. Although this digitisation project has yet to digitise any of the papers of the small country towns that I am interested in I have still been able to locate stories about my families. I was really pleased to be able to verify a story that my father had told me about his grandfather. You can read about it here.

I am very grateful for cemetery sites. The Australian Cemetery Index is a record of inscriptions on headstones or plaques found in each cemetery at the time it was surveyed. Currently there are 616 NSW cemeteries and 181 from Queensland with much smaller holdings for the other states. I have been able to see images of the headstones of many of my extended families on this site. These images have given me death dates which in turn have often led to published obituaries. It's not quite as exciting as finding the headstone yourself but it certainly makes research easier.

I'm looking forward to reading about other fantastic free sites.

Genealogy with Picture Australia

2012-01-11T06:53:00.000+11:00

As a genealogist it is important to place your family in a location and a time period. Families, place and time are crucial to make your family history live. Through research I have discovered that in the past members of our family were in significant places at significant times or were part of significant events.

Without research, I would not have known the following:

Gustav Baumgarten (gg uncle) is mentioned in Ned Kelly's Jerilderie Letter.
William Lee Dawson (gg grandfather) was a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in London.
Willi Scheef (very distant relative) was killed on the Hindenberg.
Family just out of Dublin could hear the gun shots during the 1916 Easter Rising but didn't know what was happening.

The list goes on. But what about the families that didn't seem to leave any information other than what can be gleaned from births, deaths and marriages? What was happening in the town or area in the time period they lived there? Check for images on Picture Australia.

The image below which is out of copyright and can be found at the State Library of Queensland shows the official welcoming party for the Duke of Gloucester when he entered Queensland in 1934.

A quick search of the internet reveals the following:

The Duke of Gloucester, sent primarily to celebrate the centenary celebrations of Victoria, toured Australia in 1934. Travelling by train and car, he spent 10 days in Queensland. Arriving on 1 December 1934 he visited Wallangarra and Stanthorpe and spent the weekend at “Terrica” station in the Stanthorpe region. The British Royals: a Queensland Story

The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 December 1934, p. 10

Why could this be significant for my family? My Moore family lived in Wallangarra at that time and I'm certain that most of the townspeople would have turned up to witness this event. Of course, I'd love to know if any of my family are standing there watching what is happening. Perhaps they are out of the picture. I wonder which people in Wallangarra at the time were considered important enough to be standing in the front few rows or were they the dignitaries who were probably travelling on the train with the Duke?

I think my family would have been there, don't you!

Abundant Genealogy - Week 2 - Paid Online Genealogy Tools

2012-01-10T16:52:00.001+11:00

Which paid genealogy tool do you appreciate the most? What special features put it at the top of the list? How can it help others with their genealogy research?

As I still work full time in a busy job I don't feel that I have the time to effectively utilise more than one paid site, although I would like to. I joined Ancestry several years ago with the offer of a free two weeks or one month and then forgot to take out my credit card details - a great marketing ploy! However, I have not been disappointed at all in that time.

The great advantage of course in having your own subscription is that you can use it whenever you like. Last night my aunt rang me up about something, so I used Ancestry to check what she was asking me and together we discussed the results.

I consistently (or perhaps persistently) use the Australian electoral rolls. The recent introduction of the 1980 rolls has allowed us to make contact with distant family members and this has proved to be exciting.

Recently I have also been using Warwickshire Births, Marriages and Deaths on Ancestry and have uncovered more information on my Allsop family.

The online family trees on Ancestry can assist others with their research. However it can also be a hindrance. Many of them contain significant errors and I have often contacted the owner asking how they make a specific connection. Some have taken down the erroneous information and others have ignored my messages to contact me. However, I feel the pluses outweigh the minuses. I also have to realise that my research is not without errors (I just wish I knew what were the errors!)

The only other paid site I use occasionally is a subscription taken a week at a time during my holidays to the Sydney Morning Herald Archives. I wrote a post about this earlier this month which can be accessed here.

I'm looking forward to seeing what others believe are their best value for money tools.

Lindsay Baumgarten - Barnawatha

2012-01-06T09:59:00.000+11:00

Last night I was fortunate to come across a blog Carol's Headstone Photographs. Carol has taken photographs of many Victorian cemeteries and several from New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. Simply browse her site, hosted by RootsWeb, send her an email requesting specific photos and Carol will email them to you.

I browsed the list and saw Barnawatha. My mother's great aunt had lived at Barnawatha and sure enough there were several Baumgartens buried there. The branch of the family that I am interested in had left Barnawatha and moved to Moolan Downs in western Queensland in 1908. However, one of their children had died at Barnawatha.

Lindsay Gustav Dawson Baumgarten, the fourth son of Gustav and Catherine Baumgarten died on 12th August 1885, aged 11 weeks.

Thank you Carol for your fantastic service to the genealogy community.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Week 1 - Blogs

2012-01-05T21:36:00.000+11:00

One of the goals I have set myself this year is to take part in Amy Coffin's 52 weeks of Abundant Genealogy. I'm not sure how I'll go, but if I don't make a start I certainly won't finish!

Week 1 - Blogs: Blogging is a great way for genealogists to share information with family members, potential cousins and each other. For which blog are you most thankful? Is it one of the earliest blogs you read, or a current one? What is special about the blog and why should others read it?

I have my genealogy blogs in three sections on Feedly - Aus-Genie, British genealogy and Genealogy. When I check Aus-Genie I am always excited to see a post from Geniaus. I first met Geniaus at least 10-12 years ago when she came to Coffs Harbour and presented to a group of Teacher Librarians. I can still remember her talk was presented with a webpage to accompany it. She was enthusiastic and that enthusiasm rubbed off. I didn't know then that we shared another passion, that of genealogy. Her blog posts show that she has lost none of that enthusiasm and it still rubs off. Please don't stop blogging. You inspire me to keep blogging.

I also want to mention one other blog which I love. Although she hasn't blogged since November last year, Caro's Family Chronicles are a simply a delight to read. If you have ancestors from London you must read the posts titled Lost in London.

2012 Genealogy Goals

2012-01-05T13:46:00.001+11:00

After reading several posts from others who have evaluated their year and set goals for 2012 I though that perhaps I should do the same. I tend to be someone who flits from one thing to another, (In fact I am in the middle of something now and have dropped it to write this post.) so a few goals won't go astray.

After much thought I know I need to make organising what I already have a priority over discovering more wonderful information. So with this in mind here are my goals for 2012:

Link my currently scanned and filed information to the appropriate individual or family in Reunion.
Tidy up all my sources in Reunion. (After combining my family’s 3 files into 1, I still have many multiple sources.)
Complete scanning all my paper files. (in 2011 I worked on my filing system and am happy with that, but I still have the contents of at least a dozen large folders to scan.
Take part in Amy Coffin's 52 weeks of Abundant Genealogy.
In addition to the blogging challenge above I want to blog on average once a week.
Complete my National Year of Reading Genealogy Challenge.
Make some firm decisions about my image collection and begin to organise them. (Any suggestions here will be gratefully accepted.)

William Thomas Seabrook 1881-1914

2012-01-03T17:05:00.001+11:00

Today, 3rd January, 2012 marks the 98th anniversary of the death of William Thomas Seabrook, the 6th child of William John Seabrook, wine merchant and his wife Maria Sophia Mason of Melbourne.

William is buried in the Brighton Cemetery, Melbourne and if you are interested in reading his tragic story it is published on the unofficial history of Brighton Cemetery website.

William Thomas Seabrook, 1881-1914

Family Homes - No 2 - Franklin Tasmania

2012-01-03T10:08:00.000+11:00

The three photographs below are of a house in Franklin, Tasmania that my great great grandfather, Dr William Lee Dawson had built in 1861.

Home of Dr William Lee Dawson, Franklin, Tasmania

Side view of the home

According to his diary, William Lee Dawson, his wife Emma (Seabrook) and their two eldest children Catherine Ellen and William Henry moved into the house on Wednesday 20th March, 1861. Two further children, Lousia and Robert were born while the Dawsons lived here. They continued to live in this house until William's death in 1871. Shortly after his death, Emma rented the property to a Robert Walker and moved to Hobart Town and later to Melbourne.

The house cost a total of £236 3s 6d to build. From the ledger in William Lee Dawson's diary we can ascertain that the house had a green baize door. The baize would have been attached to the door that separated the servant living quarters from that of the family. Baize had the effect of quietening the noise. (Wikipedia) There was calico on the shop ceiling (I assume this was his surgery) and the rooms were papered. There was a stone hearth and steps, a stove in the front room of the house and the chimney was whitewashed. The front door had a bronze knocker and handle. Out the back there was a shed and an orchard of fruit trees of various descriptions.

The ledger contains more than 120 entries for costs associated with building the home. These include: shingles, palings, nails, hinges, paint, oil, turps, cartage, room paper, stone, lime, calico for shop lining, varnish, green baize for door, bronze knocker, scraper for door, timber and labour including cartage, lathing, plastering, painting.

Unfortunately the house is not standing today and efforts so far have been unable to locate the block on which it once stood.

National Year of Reading - Genealogy Challenge

2012-01-02T18:16:00.018+11:00

I have set myself a genealogy challenge for this Australia's National Year of Reading. As I am a teacher librarian I also need to read to keep up with the students at my school. It looks like it will be a busy year.

Each of the books listed below come from my bookshelf. I have selected 12 - an equivalent of one per month. Most of them have a special significance. Some will be more challenging than others and a couple of them I'll be able to read in an hour. I'll review each of them here. What books are you going to read this year?

Image	Title/Author	When completed

	The Arsenic Century James C Whorton	7th January 2012
	Pure Cork Michael Lenihan	27 February 2012
	London: The Biography Peter Ackroyd
	Free Passage: The Reunion of Irish Convicts and their Families in Australia 1788-1852 Perry McIntyre
	Our Daily Bread German Village Life, 1500-1850 Teva J Scheer
	The Great Irish Potato Famine James S. Donnelly, Jr
	A New History of Ireland Christine Kinealy
	The Victorian Chemist and Druggist W.A. Jackson
	The Victorian Hospital Lavinia Mitton
	Built by Seabrook: Hobert Buildings Constructed by the Seabrook Family from the 1830s Malcolm Ward
	Graham Kennedy Treasures Friends Remember the King Mike McColl Jones
	Kelly Country A Photographic Journey Brendon Kelson & John McQuilton

Sydney Morning Herald Archives

2012-01-02T09:18:00.000+11:00

As I'm on holidays I have taken out a week's subscription to the Sydney Morning Herald Archives. These archives cover from 1st January 1955 until 2nd February 1995. I have been using them to look up death and funeral notices to add names to more recent branches of my families. I use the Ryerson Index and electoral rolls on Ancestry in conjunction with the SMH Archives.

The archives are relatively easy to search. When you hover over a page, a section turns yellow and that section is enlarged when you click on it. You can print or save the page as a pdf if you wish or add it to My Collection on the website.

Each time I find a death on the Ryerson Index I add it to a spreadsheet with the details from the index and the main family name it pertains to. I have a separate page for each newspaper. After I find the information from the newspaper I delete the line from the spreadsheet. Usually I conduct this research at Dixson Library at the University of New England in Armidale, which has microfilms of most of the newspapers I'm interested in. However, as my list is extremely long, I'm pleased to be able to make significant inroads this week without leaving home.

I've already got my money's worth. A few queries have been proved correct and others have been disproved. I've even discovered that I lived at a university college with one of my third cousins in the early 80s.

The Arsenic Century - James C. Whorton

2012-01-01T21:28:00.000+11:00

As 2011 is the National Year of Reading here in Australia I decided that I'd needed to start today. Each time I go to Sydney I treat myself a book from Kinokuniya. I love to browse their history section and always have to contain myself to select only one from several that look interesting. On my last visit I purchased The Arsenic Century - How Victorian Britain was Poisoned at Home, Work and Play by James C. Whorton. You can read a review here. Already I am enthralled.

Apparently there was a network of women in Essex who "placed poison and knowledge of its (arsenic) use in women's hands so they could do away with any bothersome person." Members of the community knew what was happening but did not often report their knowledge. Many women murdered their husbands and several children. These women probably don't have any living descendants today as I think they got rid of them all!

Poorer members of the community could pay Friendly Society memberships (life insurance policies were out of their league) and join burial clubs. Upon death, the cost of a funeral (and a little profit along the way)
could be met. It became common practice to enrol children in these clubs. In Manchester there was a saying, "Aye, aye, that child will not live, it is in the burial club!" Living as we do today, this is inconceivable.

As well as being used for devious purposes, arsenic killed many Victorians via green wallpaper, cake ornaments, baby powder and pints of beer. The list goes on and on. It's a wonder anyone survived!

If you have family who lived in Victorian Britain I think this book will be a must. In fact, I'm off to bed to read more now.

My Rooted Technology

2011-12-07T19:51:00.000+11:00

Thanks to Geniaus for yet another meme. You can tell she has retired and has plenty of time on her hands. Half her luck!

If you want to join Geniaus and others in the fun and show off your own tech cred, here are the rules for the My Rooted Technology meme:

Technology you already use: bold face type
Technology you would like to use or learn more about: italicize (color optional)
Technology you don’t use, have no interest in using or no longer use: plain type
Explain or give opinions in brackets [ ] at the end of each bullet point

I have a tablet computer such as an iPad that I use for genealogy [I have been an Apple fan since my first purchase in 1984, so naturally I have an iPad]
I have downloaded one or more apps to a Smart Phone or similar device. [So many, some for pleasure, some for genealogy, others for productivity and lots just to check out for possible educational value.]
I belong to a genealogy society that uses social media. [Two Australian ones]
I use GEDCOM files and understand the various compatibility issues involved
I have added metadata to some of my files and digital photos. [Like Geniaus I am a librarian but I still have to do something with my images - perhaps this is a holiday job]
I have utilized an API from a genealogy-related application or website.
I have taken a DNA test related to my genealogy research.
I have used the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
I have a Facebook account and use it regularly for genealogy.
I use tech tools to help me cite my sources in genealogy research.
I have developed a genealogy-related app for a Smart Phone or similar device.
I use a genealogy database program (Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, RootsMagic etc.) [Reunion for Mac and The Next Generation of Genealogy Software (TNG) - another holiday job to get ready for public access
I use cloud computer resources to store my genealogy data. [I have a Dropbox account and store on iCloud]
I have made one or more contributions to the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
I have attended a genealogy webinar.
I have organized and administered a DNA testing group related to my genealogy.
I use apps involving GPS and Geo-caching for my genealogy research.
I have a Google+ account and use it regularly for genealogy. [Don't use it regularly - time is my problem]
I have created and published a family history e-book.
I have created a wiki related to my genealogy research. [Created several wikis but not related to genealogy research]
I have conducted a genealogy webinar as a presenter.
I read genealogy-related blogs to help improve my own research. [Like Geniaus, in bed, but usually late at night - email and Facebook in the morning]
I have one or more genealogy-related blogs to help improve my own research.
I have a Twitter account and use it regularly for genealogy. [Have slackened off at the moment - waiting for holidays again]
I have one or more genealogy-related websites which I run and administer.
I have created a screencast or video related to genealogy and posted it at a video sharing site (Vimeo, YouTube, etc.).
I use one or more digital tools to capture and record my family history.

The Humble Apron

2011-12-01T20:38:00.000+11:00

This evening I read a tweet from My Heritage about an article at the emissourian - Society Pays Homage to the Humble Apron. After reading the article I began to consider which aprons have meant something to me in my life.

The first apron that came to mind was a green and white gingham apron that I made while I attended Jennings Public School. The girls spent many weeks making the aprons after making several preparatory obligatory samples. We had to cross-stitch the pleats into place and then cross-stitch several flowers onto the material and I can still remember how particular I was while sewing. I wanted it to be perfect! Of course, while the girls were making aprons the boys were in another room. What they were making, I can't remember, but I do have recollections of them basket weaving at some stage.

I was very proud of this apron but never wore it as I considered it was too precious. After a search in my camphor chest I found my apron, still in pristine condition after 40 years (Was it really that long ago?)

Apron made by Sharon Moore at Jennings Public School, 1970 or 1971.

The next memory I have is not of an apron I can ever remember seeing, and probably wouldn't wanted to have seen and I certainly would not have wanted to launder it. The memory is of a photograph of my father wearing an apron. He wore an apron every working day for many years, from the age of about 14. After he left school he was employed at Anderson's Meat Packing Company in Wallangarra and became a master boner. He later was promoted to manage the meat works. I have vivid memories from childhood of him sharpening his knives.

Ron Moore, Anderson's Meat Packing Company, Wallangarra early 1950s.

Thanks, MyHeritage for the tweet and emissourian for the article which has revived memories of two very different aprons, both with special memories.

The Third Annual Great Genealogy Poetry Challenge

2011-11-19T19:47:00.005+11:00

Thanks to Geniaus for finding this challenge from Bill West.

1. Find a poem by a local poet, famous or obscure, from the region
one of your ancestors lived in. It can be about an historical event, a
legend, a person, or even about some place (like a river)or a local
animal. It can even be a poem you or one of your ancestors have written!
Or if you prefer, post the lyrics of a song or a link to a video
of someone performing the song.

2. Post the poem or song to your blog (remembering to cite the source
where you found it.)

3.Tell us how the subject of the poem or song relates to your ancestor's
home or life.

I can immediately think of 2 possible posts. I grew up in Tenterfield so Peter Allan's, Tenterfield Saddler could be a good choice. However, last year I went to Northern Ireland and was very fortunate to be shown around the Castledawson, Bellaghy area by Eugene Kielt from Laurel Villa in Magherafelt.

Laurel Villa Guesthouse in Magherafelt is often the venue for Seamus Heaney to read his poetry. In fact each of the guestrooms at Laurel Villa is dedicated to a great Ulster poet - MacNeice, Kavanagh, Longley and Seamus Heaney.

I have chosen something (I had trouble stopping at one) from Heaney. A search of my four Heaney books doesn't give the poem I want, but a search on the internet has.

Broagh

Riverbank, the long rigs
ending in broad docken
and a canopied pad
down to the ford.
The garden mould
busied easily, the shower
gathering in your heelmark
was the black O
in Broagh,
its low tattoo
among the windy boor trees
and rhubarb-blades
ended almost
suddenly, like that last
gh the strangers found
difficult to manage.

Copied from the blog Irish Matters.

I have Irish papers which state that my great, great, great grandfather James Agnew and his brother Henry came from Broagh. For many years I searched for Broagh as a townland. I could not understand why I couldn't find it. I knew it was near Castledawson, Derry but it was nowhere to be found. Last year I finally discovered that it is part of Tamniaran but that residents have always said they come from Broagh. At last I had discovered exactly where the Agnews came from. Broagh is obviously a significant place for Heaney and for me also. (The Heaneys and the Agnews lived quite close to each other in the 1800s.)

You need to listen to the poem to really appreciate it. Unfortunately I couldn't find an audio version anywhere and it doesn't appear to be YouTube. The pronunciation of the name Broagh is quite tricky but I hope to master it one day.

I also have to include a portion of Heaney's essay titled Mossbawn (the farm where he grew up). Heaney describes the land.

" The world grew. Mossbawn, the first place, widened. There was what we called the Sandy Loaning, a sanded pathway between old hedges leading in off the road, first among field and then through a small bog.....The sides of the lane were banks of earth topped with broom and ferns, quilted with moss and primroses. Behind the broom, in rich grass, cattle munched reassuringly. Rabbits occasionally broke cover and ran ahead of you in a flurry of dry sand. There were wrens and goldfinches. But, gradually, those lush and definite fields gave way to scraggy marshland. Birch trees stood up to their pale shins in swamps. The ferns thickened above you. Scuffles in old leaves made you nervous and you dared yourself always to pass the badger's set....
To this day, green wet corners, flooded wastes, soft rushy bottoms, any place with the invitation of watery ground and tundra vegetation.....possess an immediate and deeply peaceful attraction."

(Finders Keepers - Selected Prose 1971-2001 - Seamus Heaney)

Each time I read this, I can imagine the landscape and I'm sure this is what my great, great grandmother Matilda must have experienced and saw when she ventured out in the fields of Broagh.

April 2010

Moyola River, near Broagh - April 2010

Harold Wilfred Ryan (1896-1896)

2011-11-13T19:36:00.000+11:00

Harold was my grandmother's older brother.

Family Homes - No 1 - Groom Street, Kyogle

2011-11-13T16:44:00.003+11:00

In this series of posts I will highlight former family residences. The first is one of the childhood homes of my grandmother Elsie Ryan. Although born in Smithfield in Sydney she moved to Kyogle with her family when she was about 3. She lived with her parents Michael and Sarah, sister Mary and brothers Bert and Jack at Groom Street in Kyogle.

Groom Street, Kyogle, probably 1910's

On a recent visit to Kyogle, I photographed the house.

2011

It looks like the fence is still standing after one hundred years. The roof has been redone and the bullnose verandah has gone and has now become part of the roofline. I wonder who planted the tree behind the house?

Certificate of Irish Heritage

2011-10-31T21:30:00.000+11:00

I have been reading about the Certificate of Irish Heritage that is available for purchase to anyone with Irish ancestry and can provide their Irish line of descent. On the certificate you can name two Irish ancestors.

Of course, for me and I assume many people the problem is which two of my Irish ancestors would I give pride of place to on the certificate.

I have 16 direct line Irish ancestors who arrived in Australia between 1822 and 1883. I have 10 on my mother's side and 6 on my fathers. I suppose I would have to choose one from each side. I have 11 Catholics, 1 Church of Ireland and 3 Presbyterians. There were 8 men and 8 women. There were 3 female children and 1 male child. There were 3 convicts. There was one doctor. Two share my maiden name of Moore.

Who would you choose?

My mother's side

1. Patrick Flynn was my first Irish ancestor to arrive in Australia. Patrick was a whiteboy from Cork and was sentenced to life. He arrived in 1822.

2 and 3. Patrick's wife Hanora and their daughter Ann came to Australia in 1826. Hanora took care of their children in Ireland. Upon arrival she successfully applied to have Patrick assigned to her.

4. Thomas Moylan who arrived in 1824 from Cork married Ann Flynn. He took up arms in Ireland and was sentenced to life. He died when their 4 sons were quite young and Ann was left to bring them up alone. She had to admit two of her sons to the Orphan School.

5. James Agnew from Castledawson, Londonderry, was sentenced to life in 1836 after being an accessory before the fact of murder. The trial papers and references tend to say he was a good man and the murdered man was a menace to the community.

6. Ellen Agnew his wife remained in Ireland for several years before coming to Australia with their 4 children in 1847.

7. Matilda Agnew was born after her father was imprisoned and so did not meet him until she came to Australia when she was 11 years old.

8 Dr William Lee Dawson from Swords, Co Dublin was the first doctor at Franklin in Tasmania. He arrived in 1854.

9 John Charles Ryan from Waterford is a bit of a mystery. His arrival date is unknown.

10 Mary O'Halloran (Halloran)'s date of arrival is unknown but it is assumed she came to Brisbane possibly with her brother and sister.

My father's side

11 and 12. John Moore and his wife Margaret Henry came to Australia from Antrim in 1883 after having lived in Greenock, Scotland.

13 Knox was the son of John and Margaret. He was about 10 when he arrived in Brisbane.

14, 15 and 16 John McInerney and his wife Mary Maley? and their daughter Mary Ellen arrived in Melbourne in 1854. John died 14 years later in a timber accident that left Mary with 9 small children to raise.

I really want a certificate but I don't know who to honour.

Geneameme - Beyond the Internet

2011-10-30T12:24:00.000+11:00

Pauline at Family history across the seas has come up with another Geneameme – Beyond the Internet.

My responses are below.

Things you have already done or found: bold face type

Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)

Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type

You are encouraged to add extra comments in brackets after each item

1. Looked at microfiche for BDM indexes which go beyond the online search dates. (I can remember 27 years ago being in Brisbane visiting my mother and going to the State Library and sitting, standing and keeling at indexes for hours over a three week period - very pregnant at the time and no access to indexes where I lived)

2. Talked to elderly relatives about your family history.

3. Obtained old family photos from relatives.

4. Have at least one certificate (birth/death/marr) for each great-grandparent.

5. Have at least one certificate (birth/death/marr) for each great-great-grandparent. (Missing Malcolm McColm – have the index number but haven’t purchased – will have to rectify.)

6. Seen/held a baptism or marriage document in a church, church archive or microfilm.

7. Seen your ancestor’s name in some other form of church record eg kirk session, communion rolls.

8. Used any microfilm from an LDS family history centre for your research.

9. Researched using a microfilm other than a parish register

10. Used cemetery burial records to learn more about your relative’s burial.

11. Used funeral director’s registers to learn more about your relative’s burial (My mother once read the details upside down while the clerk refused to give her an address.)

12. Visited all your great-grandparents’ grave sites. (They are all over the place – 2 in Wallangarra (Qld), 2 in Tenterfield (NSW), 1 in Whittlesea (Vic), 1 Casino (NSW) and 2 in Cooma (NSW). Haven’t been to Whittlesea.

13. Visited all your great-great-grandparents’ grave sites. Even further afield this time. 3 in Wallangarra (Qld - 1 unmarked)), 1 in Warwick (Qld), 1 in Drake (NSW), 1 in Tenterfield (NSW - unmarked), 2 in Sandgate (NSW – both unmarked), 1 in Franklin (Tas), 1 in St Kilda (Vic – unmarked), 2 in Cooma (NSW) 2 in Rookwood (NSW) and 2 in Karrakarra, Perth, (W.A.) I haven’t been to Warwick which is not that far away. I have visited the spot at St Kilda and I have to confess that I have only driven past Sandgate Cemetery in Newcastle (my children would hold their breath – a long hold as we used to drive along two sides). I made sure I went to Karrakatta when in Perth a couple of years ago and I’ve made the trip to Cooma and Franklin.

14. Recorded the details on your ancestors’ gravestones and photographed them.

15. Obtained a great-grandparent’s will/probate documents.

16. Obtained a great-great grandparent’s will/probate documents

17. Found a death certificate among will documents. (At QLD State Archives)

18. Followed up in the official records, something found on the internet.

19. Obtained a copy of your immigrant ancestors’ original shipping records.

20. Found an immigration nomination record for your immigrant ancestor

21. Found old images of your ancestor’s place of origin (online or other). – Visited the ruins in Ireland.

22. Read all/part of a local history for your ancestor’s place of residence.

23. Read all/part of a local history for your ancestor’s place of origin.

24. Read your ancestor’s school admission records.

25. Researched the school history for your grandparents.

26. Read a court case involving an ancestor (online newspapers don’t count for this). (Irish trial papers – at least 50 A3 sheets – simply brilliant!)

27. Read about an ancestor’s divorce case in the archives. (There are some at QLD State Archives but I don’t really want to read them)

28. Have seen an ancestor’s war medals. (Both my husband’s and my direct lines have missed all wars.)

29. Have an ancestor’s military record (not a digitised copy eg WWII).

30. Read a war diary or equivalent for an ancestor’s battle. (Great uncle)

31. Seen an ancestor’s/relative’s war grave.

32. Read all/part of the history of an ancestor’s military unit (battalion/ship etc). G-for-George told me exactly what happened the night relative Allan Seabrook Mitchell died.

33. Seen your ancestor’s name on an original land map. (Grandfather near Old Bonalbo)

34. Found land selection documents for your immigrant ancestor/s.

35. Found other land documents for your ancestor (home/abroad) (Serendipitously, the preceding document also belonged to a family member.)

36. Located land maps or equivalent for your ancestor’s place of origin.

37. Used contemporaneous gazetteers or directories to learn about your ancestors’ places.

38. Found your ancestor’s name in a Post Office directory of the time.

39. Used local government sewerage maps (yes, seriously!) for an ancestor’s street. (No, but they would show where my great uncle died, as he drowned as a child playing a game jumping over the trenches at Callan Park as the sewerage was being put on.)

40. Read an inquest report for an ancestor/relative (online/archives). (Several including a tree felling accident and a drowning – both in Victoria)

41. Read an ancestor’s/relative’s hospital admission.

42. Researched a company file if your family owned a business.

43. Looked up any of your ancestor’s local government rate books or valuation records. (Tasmanian government gazettes.)

44. Researched occupation records for your ancestor/s (railway, police, teacher etc).

45. Researched an ancestor’s adoption.

46. Researched an ancestor’s insolvency. Andrew Silas Waters - Armidale

47. Found a convict ancestor’s passport or certificate of freedom.

48. Found a convict ancestor’s shipping record.

49. Found an ancestor’s gaol admission register.

50. Found a licencing record for an ancestor (brands, publican, etc).

51. Found an ancestor’s mining lease/licence.

52. Found an ancestor’s name on a petition to government.

53. Read your ancestor’s citizenship document. Husband’s side.

54. Read about your ancestor in an undigitised regional newspaper. (Spent hours in Tenterfield trawling through these and then suggested to UNE that they should be digitized. I drove them from Tenterfield to Armidale in my boot)

55. Visited a local history library/museum relevant to your family.

56. Looked up your ancestor’s name in the Old Age Pension records.

57. (Researched your ancestor or relative in Benevolent Asylum/Workhouse records. There are a couple in England to be investigated)

58. Researched an ancestor’s/relative’s mental health records.

59. Looked for your family in a genealogical publication of any sort (but not online remember).

60. Contributed family information to a genealogical publication. (Not for many years)

I have been rather devious in the past so have been able to tick off many of the above. I once organised a trip to Canberra and Cooma with my family so I could traipse the Cooma Cemetery. When we arrived in Canberra I gave my husband instructions to take the kids to Questacon while I would be almost next door at the National Library. My daughter once asked someone if they would like to see our holiday photos. Of course, they were of numerous headstones from the cemeteries we passed on our way.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Where do You Fit?

2011-10-30T11:40:00.000+11:00

This weeks challenge from Randy at Genea-Musings.

It's Saturday Night again -- and time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) Use the Population Counter on the BBC News website to determine your place in the current world population, and your place in all of history (of course, these are estimates...see the website for how they calculated this). Enter your birth date into the fields and click on "Go."

2) Tell us about your results in your own blog post, as a Comment on this blog post, or as a status line in Facebook or a Stream post on Google Plus. For extra credit, show us the image from the website with your information on it.

I entered my date and discovered this.

Currently Australia's estimated population is 22 398 014. Every hour there are 33 births, 16 deaths and 26 immigrants arrive. An annual growth of 1.7%.

The site also told me that I would believing longer but that working people like me will be supporting increasing numbers of older people. Does this mean I'll be working longer? In that case, I may have less time to devote to my passion. There is not a minute to waste!

What have I been doing in October?

2011-10-30T09:20:00.000+11:00

Today is the second last day of October and I see that I have only blogged twice. So what have I done that has been keeping me away from blogging? Paid work, work, work! I have not had time to look at my TNG website which I had hoped to have live by now. (Perhaps a job for the Christmas break!)

However, I have been able to grab some time to scan documents - something that I really needed to do. I kept putting it off because I wasn't happy with my electronic filing system. Originally I had my files prefixed with the ID number from Reunion for each individual. However, earlier this year I decided to combine some of my Reunion files. I had one family file for my husband but three for my side. I have now combined my three and have spent many hours merging the identical people. I'm now happy with this part of my research. Of course, after merging the files the ID numbers changed so my filing system was useless.

I asked Geniaus earlier in the year to describe her filing system. I also purchased an ebook titled Sassy Jane's Guide to Organizing your Genealogical Research Using Archival Principles by Nancy Loe. After reading the rational for her method I have decided to go with that for my documents. I'm still undecided and thinking about photos.

For today I'll talk only about the specific sources of information. The image below shows how I file this data. I have two identical folders for myself and my husband.

If I have several items that pertain to a specific family they have a surname folder in the above folders. Each individual document is saved by SURNAMEChristianName with appropriate ending including an abbreviation for the newspaper (if this is the source) and the date. This does mean that all the documents about an individual can be spread over several folders. However, using Spotlight on my Mac means I can find them all very quickly and in Lion get a preview of the document without opening it. This means I can see what birth certificates I have very quickly. I can see what obituaries I need to find.

Now that I am satisfied with my system, I have begun to scan. I am nowhere near complete, but I have made significant progress and have refound many items of interest which I will share on this blog. You know, the items that have been placed in a box, ready to file!

Can anyone see anything I have overlooked in my system. Or is anything not readily obvious? While writing this I realise I need to have an authority control document for consistency particularly for my newspaper abbreviations which are clear to me but not to others.

Now off to breakfast to celebrate my husband's birthday. He's wearing his new R.M. Williams boots!

The Ancestor's Geneameme - Part 2

2011-10-15T13:43:00.000+11:00

I'll complete the Geneameme for my husband's side of the family.

The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments in brackets after each item

Which of these apply to you?

Can name my 16 great-great-grandparents - (Thomas Brennan, Margaret Tobin, James Ryan, Catherine Cleary. Alfred Kerr, May Ann Spatch, Thomas Squires, Mary Ann Lydamore, Christoph Scheef, Margaretha Munk, Georg Glock, Barbara Waegerle, Andrew Waters, Margaret Doherty, Elis Dawson and Mary Richardson)
Can name over 50 direct ancestors - 83
Have photographs or portraits of my 8 great-grandparents - Not sure if we have one of Alexander Kerr and his wife Edith Squires
Have an ancestor who was married more than three times
Have an ancestor who was a bigamist
Met all four of my grandparents (Albert Scheef died many years before my husband was born)
Met one or more of my great-grandparents (Alexander Kerr was alive when my husband was born but unfortunately they never met)
Named a child after an ancestor (Our eldest son shares his name with his great grandfather)
Bear an ancestor's given name/s
Have an ancestor from Great Britain or Ireland - both
Have an ancestor from Asia
Have an ancestor from Continental Europe - Germany
Have an ancestor from Africa - Ultimately we all have ancestors from Africa
Have an ancestor who was an agricultural labourer - several
Have an ancestor who had large land holdings - several - Armidale and Uralla area
Have an ancestor who was a holy man - minister, priest, rabbi
Have an ancestor who was a midwife
Have an ancestor who was an author
Have an ancestor with the surname Smith, Murphy or Jones (egg grandparents to reach a Smith)
Have an ancestor with the surname Wong, Kim, Suzuki or Ng
Have an ancestor with a surname beginning with X
Have an ancestor with a forename beginnining with Z
Have an ancestor born on 25th December
Have an ancestor born on New Year's Day
Have blue blood in your family lines
Have a parent who was born in a country different from my country of birth
Have a grandparent who was born in a country different from my country of birth
Can trace a direct family line back to the eighteenth century
Can trace a direct family line back to the seventeenth century or earlier
Have seen copies of the signatures of some of my great-grandparents
Have ancestors who signed their marriage certificate with an X - will need to check this one out
Have a grandparent or earlier ancestor who went to university
Have an ancestor who was convicted of a criminal offence - (Andrew Waters - forgery and William Spatch - stealing copper)
Have an ancestor who was a victim of crime - Georg Glock (gg grandfather) - http://tiny.cc/fjr6a There are also 2 murder victims in the family (but not direct lines)
Have shared an ancestor's story online or in a magazine (Tell us where) (Various blog posts)
Have published a family history online or in print (Details please)
Have visited an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries - Do the foundations count?
Still have an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries in the family
Have a family bible from the 19th Century
Have a pre-19th century family bible

The Ancestor's Geneameme

2011-10-15T13:14:00.004+11:00

My friend Geniaus has made another meme for us to complete.

The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments in brackets after each item

Which of these apply to you?

Can name my 16 great-great-grandparents (John Moore, Margaret Henry, Malcolm McColm, Jane Fleming, Thomas Merchant, Sarah Hooton, William Allsop, Mary McInerney, William Dawson, Emma Seabrook, John Lylan, Matilda Agnew,, John Ryan, Mary O'Halloran, Peter Ogden and Elizabeth Harrison)
Can name over 50 direct ancestors - 125 - However, some of them are female christian names
Have photographs or portraits of my 8 great-grandparents - Only have 7, Michael Patrick Ryan is missing.
Have an ancestor who was married three times
Have an ancestor who was a bigamist. .Not a direct ancestor. (Family stories suggest that John Cottle, the husband of Maud Ford was a bigamist and this was why she committed suicide 6 weeks after she married. I haven't actually checked out the accuracy of this story.) The Tenterfield Star 30 January 1906, p. 6. Infinitely sadder than the above, are the circumstances connected with another death, which occurred in our very midst, on Anniversary Day. Mrs John Cottle, a young and apparently happy bride of not quite two months, died by her own hands for no assignable reason whatsoever. Sincere sympathy is felt for her husband, parents and numerous relations. As inquest proved that poison had been taken. The body was followed by friends and interred. Mr W A E Parrott officiated at the graveside, reading the service authorised by the Archbishop of Canterbury for use upon such occasions.
Met all four of my grandparents - (James Moore, Esme Moore, Donovan Dawson and Elsie Dawson)
Met one or more of my great-grandparents (Rose Merchant (Allsop))
Named a child after an ancestor (I'd be in trouble if I mentioned it here.)
Bear an ancestor's given names.
Have an ancestor from Great Britain or Ireland (All my direct lines)
Have an ancestor from Asia
Have an ancestor from Continental Europe.
Have an ancestor from Africa
Have an ancestor who was an agricultural labourer - several
Have an ancestor who had large land holdings (Robert Cumin Dawson in Ireland)
Have an ancestor who was a holy man, minister, priest, rabbi (my 5g grandfather Rev Michael Lee - Ireland)
Have an ancestor who was a midwife
Have an ancestor who was an author
Have an ancestor with the surname Smith, Murphy or Jones - (5 greats in a direct line to get to a Smith)
Have an ancestor with the surname Wong, Kim, Suzuki or Ng
Have an ancestor with a surname beginning with W
Have an ancestor with a forename beginning with Z
Have an ancestor born on 25th December
Have an ancestor born on New Year's Day
Have blue blood in your family lines
Have a parent who was born in a different county from my county of birth
Have a grandparent who was born in a different county from my county of birth
Can trace a direct family line back to the eighteenth century
Can trace a direct family line back to the seventeenth century or earlier
Has seen copies of the signatures of some of my great-grandparents
Have ancestors who signed their marriage certificate with an X
Have a grandparent or earlier ancestor who went to university - 5 great grandfather Rev Michael Lee graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a BA in 1726.
Have an ancestor who was convicted of a criminal offence - Patrick Flynn, Thomas Moylan and James Agnew (All Irish)
Have an ancestor who was a victim of crime.
Have shared an ancestor's story online or in a magazine Other than my blog and not strictly an ancestor but the nephew of my gg grandmother) http://tiny.cc/grqw3
Have published a family history online or in print - http://tiny.cc/z5j8i and http://tiny.cc/h1roh
Have visited an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries (In Ireland and Sydney)
Still have an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries (In Ireland)
Have a family bible from the 19th century (My aunt has one.)
Have a pre-19th century family bible.

My great great grandmother Jane McColm had 2 death certificates

2011-09-29T22:25:00.001+10:00

My great, great grandmother Jane Smith McColm has 2 death certificates. When she died on 22nd January 1888 just 3 weeks after giving birth to her 7th child, Ethel Peel McColm, her husband Malcolm obviously didn't know where to register her death.

Sound strange to you? Jane died at the Railway Yard at Wallangarra on the Queensland-N.S.W. border. (I've just realised that the postcard I purchased a couple of weeks ago, has further meaning.) What did her husband do? He registered her death in both Stanthorpe (Qld) and Tenterfield (N.S.W.)

It is very interesting to compare the two death certificates.

The first one I discovered was the N.S.W. one. This stated that she was 40 years old and came from Wigtownshire in Scotland. Her father, James Fleming, was a druggist and her mother was Jane Milroy. Jane was married to Malcolm McColm and had no children. She died of puerperal fever. I wasn't happy with this certificate. I knew she had children - my great grandmother was one of them. Wigtownshire in Scotland also didn't give me the information I required.

A couple of years later I was browsing the Queensland indexes when I found her death registered again. I ordered the certificate and was delighted. The registrar in Stanthorpe was much more thorough than the one in Tenterfield.

Jane, 33, was born in Stranraer, Wigtownshire, Scotland and she had 7 children, Elizabeth 9, Samuel 8, James 6, Jane 4, Mary 3, and Ethel Peel 5 weeks and 2 days. Ethel's age doesn't tally with the duration of Jane's illness, but the certificate is typed and not a copy.

I am so pleased that Malcolm registered Jane's death twice. The experience left me wondering about the quality of information registered in Tenterfield at that time. A less than diligent Clerk of the Court!

Meme: The Tech-Savvy Genealogist

2011-09-17T16:31:00.000+10:00

Geniaus started this meme earlier in the week. It was adjusted by TransylvanianDutch. Geniaus' list of 50 items was expanded to 80. Let's see how I go.

The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type

Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)

Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type

Feel free to add extra comments in brackets after each item

Which of these apply to you?

1. Own an Android or Windows tablet or an iPad [iPad]

2. Use a tablet or iPad for genealogy related purposes [iPad]

3. Use a Kindle, Nook, or other e-reader for genealogy related purposes [Kindle - don't use as much now I have an iPad]
4. Have used Skype or Google Video Chat to for genealogy purposes
5. Have used a camera to capture images in a library/archives/ancestor's home
6. Use a genealogy software program on your computer to manage your family tree
7. Use multiple genealogy software programs because they each have different functionalities [Reunion and TNG (still working on this)]
8. Have a Twitter account
9. Tweet daily
10. Have a genealogy blog
11. Have more than one genealogy blog
12. Have lectured/presented to a genealogy group on a technology topic
13. Currently an active member of Genealogy Wise [would like to be able to see comments directly in my email]
14. Have a Facebook Account
15. Have connected with genealogists via Facebook
16. Maintain a genealogy related Facebook Page
17. Maintain a blog or website for a genealogy society
18. Have submitted text corrections online to Ancestry, Trove or a similar site
19. Have added content to a Person Page on Fold3 (formerly Footnote)
20. Have registered a domain name
21. Post regularly to Google+ (Holiday time only)

22. Have participated in a genealogy-related Google+ hangout

23. Have a blog listed on Geneabloggers
24. Have a blog listed on Cyndi's List

25. Have transcribed/indexed records for FamilySearch or a similar project

26. Have converted a family audiotape to digital
27. Have converted a family videotape to digital
28. Have converted family movies pre-dating videotape to digital. (Lots of family movies just waiting)
29. Own a Flip-Pal or hand-held scanner
30. Can code a webpage in .html
31. Can code a webpage in .html using Notepad (or any other text-only software)
32. Can write scripts for your webpage in at least one programming language
33. Can write scripts for your webpage in multiple programming languages
34. Own a smartphone
35. Have a personal subscription to one or more paid genealogy databases
36. Have a local library card that offers you home access to online databases, and you use that access.
37. Use a digital voice recorder to record genealogy lectures
38. Have contributed to a genealogy blog carnival

39. Have hosted a genealogy blog carnival

40. Use an Internet Browser that didn’t come installed on your computer
41. Have participated in a genealogy webinar
42. Have taken a DNA test for genealogy purposes
43. Have a personal genealogy website (Set up, but no public access yet)
44. Have found mention of an ancestor in an online newspaper archive
45. Have tweeted during a genealogy lecture
46. Have tweeted during a family reunion (Twitter didn't exist when I went to my last reunion)
47. Have scanned your hardcopy genealogy files [Still working on it!]
48. Use an RSS Reader to follow genealogy news and blogs
49. Have uploaded a gedcom file to a site like Geni, MyHeritage or Ancestry
50. Own a netbook
51. Use a computer/tablet/smartphone to take genealogy lecture notes
52. Have a profile on LinkedIn that mentions your genealogy habit
53. Have developed a genealogy software program, app or widget
54. Have listened to a genealogy podcast online
55. Have downloaded genealogy podcasts for later listening
56. Backup your files to a portable hard drive
57. Have a copy of your genealogy files stored offsite
58. Know about RootsTech
59. Have listened to a BlogTalk radio session about genealogy
60. Use Dropbox, SugarSync or other service to save documents in the cloud
61. Schedule regular email backups
62. Have contributed to the FamilySearch Wiki
63. Have scanned and tagged your genealogy photographs

64. Have published a genealogy book in an online/digital format

65. Brought a USB device to a microfilm repository so you could download instead of print.
66. Have a wearable USB device containing important files. (Watch, keychain necklace, etc) [Sounds like a great idea!]
67. Created a map on Google Maps plotting ancestral homes or businesses.

68. Recorded the GPS coordinates for a tombstone, or ancestral home

69. Edited the Wikipedia entry for an ancestor, or their kin [Does the town I grew up in count?]

70. Created an entry at FindAGrave for a person
71. Created an entry at FindAGrave for a cemetery
72. Uploaded the MediaWiki software (or TikiWiki, or PhpWiki) to your family website.
73. Have downloaded a video (for genealogical purposes) from YouTube or other streaming video site using KeepVid.com, or in some other fashion
74. Have transferred a video from a DVR to your computer for genealogical purposes
75. Have participated in a ScanFest
76. Have started a Genealogy-related meme at least one other geneablogger participated in.
77. Have started a Genealogy-related weekly blogging theme other geneabloggers participated in.

78. Have used Photoshop (or other editing software) to ‘clean up’ an old family photo

79. Done digital scrapbooking
80. Printed out a satellite photo from Google Maps of a cemetery, and marked where a tombstone was located on it.

Ebay and Genealogy

2011-09-09T19:13:00.001+10:00

Although my children have purchased many an item from ebay in the past, until about 2 weeks ago I had never placed a bid.

However, something tweaked my interest. I have a google alert set up for Wallangarra, the small country town in Queensland where I lived until I was almost 13. Most of the alerts I receive are for house sales and the Riding and Pony Club with occasional football results. But last week there was an alert for a postcard of the Wallangarra Railway station for sale on ebay. I just had to have it!

I was the only bidder for the Wallangarra Station - Border of N.S.W. and Queensland postcard so it was mine. It had never been posted. It has a squiggly line on the back which is definitely not writing. This is a shame as it would have been great to have identified the card with a specific family. Unfortunately, I also don't know when the photograph was taken. The only thing I can positively say is that my family lived there when the photo was taken.

The only family member I believe who worked at the railway was my grandfather Jim's brother, Knox Moore. However, the railway line was significant for Wallangarra. It was the terminus of both the Queensland and the New South Wales lines and many men in the town worked for the railways.

My next quest was to see if my family did have any other associations with the Wallangarra railway station. A search on Trove for Wallangarra + Moore + railway station comes up with several useful hits.

My great grandfather Knox owned an orchard in Wallangarra and I have never thought of how he marketed his fruit. Two editions of The Brisbane Courier give me the answer. Knox Moore was described in The Brisbane Courier of 9th February 1929 as being a successful grower in Wallangarra. Others mentioned in the article included: Thomas McMeniman, Springborg Brothers, G and S Fletcher and H Brushaber. The second article describes the daily Fruit Train Service from Wallangarra to Brisbane.

The Brisbane Courier, Saturday 9th February 1929, p. 11.

It was either a very early start to have the fruit at the station ready to leave before dawn or was it delivered the evening before? It seemed a long time to get to Brisbane - a journey of just under 300km. However, after collecting fruit from Wallangarra, the train would have stopped at Wyberba, Lyra, Ballandean, Glen Aplin, Severnlea, Stanthorpe, Applethorpe, The Summit, Thulimbah, Cottonvale and Dalveen for more fruit and vegetables and in this time had only travelled about 60km. No wonder it took almost a day to reach Brisbane.

After my successful google alert, I intend to set up several more for other towns in which my ancestors lived. You never know what you might find and where it might lead you.

2011-09-05T20:34:00.000+10:00

Geniaus has asked us to join the 99 Things Genealogy Meme. Perhaps this will make me add a few extra tasks to my genealogy work before the end of the year.

The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (color optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type

Here is my contribution:

Belong to a genealogical society.
Joined the Australian Genealogists group on Genealogy Wise
Transcribed records.
Uploaded headstone pictures to Find-A-Grave or a similar site.
Documented ancestors for four generations (self, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents)
Joined Facebook.
Cleaned up a run-down cemetery.
Joined the Genea-Bloggers Group.
Attended a genealogy conference.
Lectured at a genealogy conference.
Spoke on a genealogy topic at a local genealogy society.
Joined the Society of Australian Genealogists.
Contributed to a genealogy society publication.
Served on the board or as an officer of a genealogy society.
Got lost on the way to a cemetery.
Talked to dead ancestors.
Researched outside the state in which I live.
Knocked on the door of an ancestral home and visited with the current occupants. (Took photos of the remains of my great, great grandfather's house in Co. Dublin)
Cold called a distant relative.
Posted messages on a surname message board.
Uploaded a gedcom file to the internet.
Googled my name. (and those of ancestors and distant cousins)
Performed a random act of genealogical kindness.
Researched a non-related family, just for the fun of it.
Have been paid to do genealogical research.
Earn a living (majority of income) from genealogical research.
Wrote a letter (or email) to a previously unknown relative.
Contributed to one of the genealogy carnivals.
Responded to messages on a message board.
Was injured while on a genealogy excursion.
Participated in a genealogy meme.
Created family history gift items (calendars, cookbooks, etc.).
Performed a record lookup.
Took a genealogy seminar cruise.
Am convinced that a relative must have arrived here from outer space.
Found a disturbing family secret.
Told others about a disturbing family secret.
Combined genealogy with crafts (family picture quilt, scrapbooking).
Think genealogy is a passion not a hobby.
Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person.
Taught someone else how to find their roots.
Lost valuable genealogy data due to a computer crash or hard drive failure.
Been overwhelmed by available genealogy technology.
Know a cousin of the 4th degree or higher.
Disproved a family myth through research.
Got a family member to let you copy photos.
Used a digital camera to “copy” photos or records.
Translated a record from a foreign language.
Found an immigrant ancestor’s passenger arrival record.
Looked at census records on microfilm, not on the computer.
Used microfiche.
Visited the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
Used Google+ for genealogy.
Visited a church or place of worship of one of your ancestors.
Taught a class in genealogy.
Traced ancestors back to the 18th Century.
Traced ancestors back to the 17th Century.
Traced ancestors back to the 16th Century.
Can name all of your great-great-grandparents.
Found an ancestor on the Australian Electoral Rolls
Know how to determine a soundex code without the help of a computer.
Have found relevant articles on Trove.
Own a copy of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
Helped someone find an ancestor using records you had never used for your own research.
Visited the main National Archives building in Washington, DC.
Visited the National Library of Australia.
Have an ancestor who came to Australia as a ten pound pom.
Have an ancestor who fought at Gallipoli.
Taken a photograph of an ancestor’s tombstone.
Can read a church record in Latin. (Haven't needed to try yet - schoolgirl Latin may fail me)
Have an ancestor who changed his/her name.
Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
Created a family website.
Have a genealogy blog.
Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information received from someone.
Have broken through at least one brick wall.
Done genealogy research at the War Memorial in Canberra.
Borrowed microfilm from the Family History Library through a local Family History Centre.
Found an ancestor in the Ryerson index.
Have visited the National Archives of Australia.
Have an ancestor who served in the Boer War.
Use maps in my genealogy research.
Have a convict ancestor who was transported from the UK.
Found a bigamist amongst the ancestors.
Visited the National Archives in Kew.
Visited St. Catherine's House in London to find family records.
Taken an online genealogy course.
Consistently cite my sources.
Visited a foreign country (i.e. one I don't live in) in search of ancestors.
Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes.
Have an ancestor who was married four times (or more).
Made a rubbing of an ancestors gravestone.
Followed genealogists on Twitter.
Published a family history book (on one of my families). (Two actually.)
Learned of the death of a fairly close relative through research.
Offended a family member with my research.
Reunited someone with precious family photos or artefacts. (Best claim is to reunite to half sisters who had lost contact with each other)
Have a paid subscription to a genealogy database.
Edited records on Trove. (Currently 973 on the corrections list)

The Fathers of Him

2011-09-04T08:02:00.001+10:00

Happy fathers's day to all my husbands "fathers" who have lived in Australia.

Father
James Jeffery Brennan (1930 - 2001)

Grandfathers
Patrick Brennan (1898 - 1975)
Albert Scheef (1876 - 1953)

Great grandfathers
William Brennan (1851 - 1928)
Alexander Kerr (1875 - 1960)
Jakob Scheef (1835 - 1904)
Robert Waters (1855 - 1932)

Great great grandfathers
James Ryan (c1840 - 1922)
Alfred Kerr (1845 - 1918)
Thomas Squires (1855 - 1906)
Georg Glock (1806 - 1883)
Andrew Silas Waters (c1814 - 1870)
Elis Dawson (1822 - 1888)

Great great great grandfathers
Robert Kerr (1803 - 1853)
William Spatch (c1816 - 1864)
Thomas Dawson (1801 - 1863)

Great great great great grandfather
James Key (c1788 - 1875)

My husband's oldest "father" was his great, great, great, great grandfather, James Key who died at Stonehenge near Glen Innes in 1875 aged approx 87. His youngest "father", great, great, great grandfather William Spatch, also died at Stonehenge aged 48 in 1864.

The Fathers of Me

2011-09-04T07:58:00.001+10:00

Happy father's day to all my "fathers" who have lived in Australia.

Father
Ronald Leslie Moore (1932 - 2001)

Grandfathers
James Malcolm Moore (1909 - 1989)
Donovan Franklin Dawson (1899 - 1972)

Great grandfathers
Knox Moore (1873 - 1942)
Phillip Richard Merchant (1883 - 1951)
William Henry Dawson (1859 - 1916)
Michael Patrick Ryan (1866 - 1940)

Great great grandfathers
John Moore (1846 - 1929)
Malcolm McColm (1851 - 1924)
Thomas Hugh Merchant (1843 - 1902)
William Henry Allsop (1847 - 1921)
William Lee Dawson (1819 - 1871)
John Mylan (1833 - 1918)
John Charles Ryan (c1837 - 1910)
Peter Ogden (1838 - 1911)

Great great great grandfathers
James Henry Merchant (1818 - 1865)
Joseph R Hooton (1827 - 1902)
Samuel Allsop (1818 - 1877)
John McInerney (c1829 - 1868
Henry William Seabrook (1806 - 1883)
Thomas Moylan (1795 - 1838)
James Agnew (c1796 - 1864)

Great great great great grandfather
Patrick Flynn (c1791 - 1862)

My oldest "father" was John Mylan, my great, great grandfather who died in 1918 at Cooma, NSW a few days short of his 85th birthday. My youngest "father" was my great, great, great grandfather John McInerney who was accidentally killed while felling a tree between Alberton and Port Albert in Victoria in 1868 aged 39 years.

Samuel Cuming Dawson - Cloghran

2011-08-28T15:02:00.001+10:00

I have written three previous posts about Samuel Cuming Dawson of Cloghran, Swords, Co Dublin, Ireland. The first discussed a letter he posted to Autralia in 1878 when he was a cadet aboard the Conway. The second showed the honour board when he won the Queen's Medal. The third post discussed information from the Maritime Museum in Liverpool.

Today I write what may be the final post for Samuel Dawson. Last year, I visited Swords and found Samuel's headstone at St Columba's Church of Ireland at Swords, Co Dublin. Unfortunately, I couldn't read the date of his death.

Headstone of Samuel Cuming Dawson - St Columba's Swords.

Today I have been using my NLA card and have been trawling the Irish Newspaper Archives with great success. (However, it's a shame the site is so slow to move to the next result page.)

A search for Dawson and Cloghran has come up with 598 results and one of the first ones was an obituary for Mr Sam C Dawson.

Of course, his obituary invites further research. His brother R.C. Dawson warrants more work as does the horse Blandford. Fortunately most of this has been done and will feature in future blog posts.

SLQ Images - Wallangarra - 1909

2011-08-21T12:38:00.001+10:00

Deserted area and dirt road in front of Royal Hotel and other buildings at Wallangarra, c1909.

I love looking at the images on the State Library of Queensland website and those on Picture Australia. The photograph above is one of my favourites as it is of the small country town in Queensland that I grew up in. The dirt road is now the New England Highway which passes through Wallangarra. I grew up just around the corner.

However, the main reason I love this image is that my grandfather was born in Wallangarra. So this photograph shows me what Wallangarra looked like in 1909 when he was born. Even better, my grandfather was born at the Royal Hotel. So this photograph shows me exactly where James Malcolm Moore was born. My grandfather always said he was born on the billiard table. I never knew if he was joking or not!

Have you looked at Picture Australia to see what images there are for the town you or your ancestors grew up in? You never know what treasures you may find.

Image from the State Library of Queenland.
You may use material on the State Library website for the purposes of private study, research, and criticism and review without permission. We ask that you acknowledge State Library of Queensland when you use material from our website.

Talks by Helen V Smith

2011-08-20T16:25:00.000+10:00

Over the past two days I have attended talks by Helen Smith. Last night’s talk Where to From Here was at the Coffs Harbour City Library and this afternoon’s session Death Certificates and Archaic Medical Terms was hosted by the Coffs Harbour Family History Society.

Both talks very well presented. Although I have been researching my family history since the late 1970s there is always something new to learn.

What am I going to do as a direct result of these talks?

I had not thought of trying to trace some of my gggg grandmother Anne Moylan’s children using the surname of their stepfather. 2 sons, Thomas and John kept the name Moylan/Mylan and I have traced their lines. However, I can’t find James or William. I’ll try and look for them with the name Powell.

2. I’m going to buy a copy from Abebooks of an old medical dictionary. Many years ago I had taken a few notes about the causes of death of the inhabitants of Franklin in Tasmania. My great great grandfather was the doctor and there from 1855 until his death in 1871. I was interested to see what cases he may have attended.

3. Download more podcasts from The National Archives. I have previously listened to several of these podcasts but then gradually forgot about them. It’s always great to be reminded of something you’ve known about but neglected. However, I live so close to work that it’s almost not worth listening to anything while driving.

4. Work out what all the causes of death on my death certificates really mean.

Here is a list of some of the causes of deaths of members of my family.

scarlatina maligna
influenza
pneumonia
inanition
infirm
senile decay
cerebral haemorrhage
fractured ribs, pneumonia, congestion brain
myocarditis, heart failure
syncope
found drowned but how he got into the water there is no evidence to show
transverse myelitis
bronchitis
old age and paralysis
cancer of throat
degeneration of all tissues - cancer of lower jaw and chin
disease of lungs
chronic nephritis
subacute pneumonia exhaustion
vomiting due to umbilical hernia
fever after confinement
tabes mesenterica
carcinoma of the liver (disseminated)
acute cholecystitis
mitral regurgitation
fractured patella and shock
decay of nature
age and general debility
concussion of brain
haemorrhage after childbirth

Family Treasures - Cylinder

2011-08-15T21:34:00.000+10:00

The next of my family treasures is a cylinder originally owned by my great great grandfather Dr William Lee Dawson.

Dr William Lee Dawson 1819 - 1871

Two weeks ago I bit the bullet and undid the precious cylinder. I’m not sure how many times it has been opened and the contents removed. However, I don’t think it would have been all that often.

Cylinder containing medical certificates dating from 1845.

The cylinder probably was purchased some time between 1845 when my great great grandfather began his medical training at St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin and 1853 when he became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons, London.

Almost immediately afterwards he sailed for New York aboard the Asia steam ship and afterwards he joined the Dee, sailing round the Carribean. His diary tells us that he resigned as he was not satisfied with the conditions for Surgeons as they did not have the same privileges as other officers.

In 1854 William Lee Dawson became the surgeon aboard the Mootan bound for Hobart Town. The cylinder had now been from Ireland, to England, to New York and the Carribean, back to England and then on to Hobart Town. The cylinder stayed in Tasmania until Dr Dawson’s death in 1871. About 12 months later his widow Emma moved to Melbourne and the cylinder stayed there until this century.

I was given the cylinder about 6 years ago, as the custodian knew of my great interest in the family. I had previously written a book, Kilronan to Franklin and Beyond – The Story of Dr William Lee Dawson and his Descendants and some of the contents of the cylinder were published in the book.

What is in the cylinder? There are 27 certificates from various medical institutions in Dublin. Each course of study earned a certificate – from anatomy and physiology, surgery, diseases of the eye, to midwifery and diseases of women, lectures and dissections. From St Vincent's Hospital, the Apothecaries Hall, Mercer's Hospital, Coombe Lying in Hospital to the Dublin School of Medicine and the School of Anatomy, Medicine and Surgery.

As well there are letters of reference obtained during his studies, a letter with a duplicate copy written by the Colonial Secretary stating the immigrants on board the Mooltan arrrived in a clean and healthy condition. Another certificate appoints Dr Dawson as the Surgeon of the Huon Rifle Company Southern Tasmanian Volunteers in 1861.

Now to your collective wisdom. What do I do with these treasures? I want to get them scanned so that I actually have a digital copy. Do I roll them back up and put them back in the cylinder? Do I place them in archival material? I am concerned that separate from the cylinder they may become lost. Some of the larger certificates are quite damaged on the edges as they have been crammed into the cylinder. So you can see that I am concerned about what is the best course of action. Any suggestions?

Jacob Scheef - Letters to Home - 13 August 1885

2011-08-13T12:26:00.001+10:00

My husband's family are very fortunate as his great grandfather travelled back to Germany from Armidale, NSW from May to September 1885. While visiting family he sent many letters back to Australia and kept a diary of his time overseas. I'll post his letters on the day they were written. These letters can be seen at the University of New England (UNE) Archive in Armidale, NSW, Australia. Biographical Entry

Hamburg

the 13 Aug 1885

My Dear Wife and Children

Last week I sent you a letter informing you that I thought I would be unable to go through America home. Now I must inform you that I could get no passage in the ship Austral which I was intended to do because it is full and that a full week before she is ready to sail and there would be no other ship leaving before the 5 September so I took passage through America to Sydney which cost me £32.5.0 and am leaving tomorrow evening from this port for Philadelphia. I hope this will find you all well the same as it leaves me and give my best respects to all who inquire.

Your loving Husband and Father

Jacob F Scheef

I hope to be with you again in two months time. I have got knives for all of you from my sister and from my brother-in-law the photographs of his family and my sister promised to send the likeness of herself and family to Australia to me I have also got various kinds of seeds amongst it the plum seeds which is fit for drying purposes and which I always wanted also corn long stone turnips onions and a few ears of good wheat.

I may write again soon from America but the letter from there will not be home before me.

Truly yours

J F S

I am glad that I am homeward bound.

Jacob Scheef - Letters to Home - 24 July 1885

2011-07-25T21:37:00.001+10:00

the 24 July 1885

My dear Wife and children

I have received 3 letters from you since I am in Germany the last two dated the 31 May and 2 June and I received the letter of recommendation from the Lodge as well as the 4 Expresses I see that you are all doing well and get on with your work well as for giving you any instructions or advice is of no value now because we are too far apart and I see through the letters that you manage right enough. When I wrote my first letter to you from here I was only 3 days here and they were wet so I could tell you very little since then I was in Höpfigheim Untertürkheim and the surprise I got there was the same as they were here Your Uncle Christian is alive yet and is well and hearty and so is his wife and they send you all their best wishes there are the most of your cousins in America and doing well.I will go and see them again before I go home and that won’t be long. Last week I was in Untertürkheim and saw the relatives there the most of my relatives are dead but one old uncle is still alive yet and is well he is 82 years of age and went with me to Stuttgart walking better than I could the country looks splendid everywhere grapes and pears are in abundance and the grains and all other produce look beautiful. Next week the harvest will begin and I have to look out for my return the time hangs heavy on me sometimes when I am not moving about from place to place I am trying to bring or send a waggon to you but as yet there is some difficulty about the transport of it the waggon will be a complete hay waggon of the carrying capacity between 4 and 5 tons and it will cost here £10 ten pound delivered at Heilbroun I will know next week if it can be transported or not If it can be transported I will not be able to go through America home as I will not have enough money left and then I will go from England with the same company as I came here with and that will be probably week after next as my staying here is of no use after that but I hope to receive another letter from you before I start homeward trusting at the same time that you are all well and in good spirit. As for myself I am getting on fine as far as my health is concerned only sometimes I feel that I am not at home and have nothing to do. I believe if nothing comes against me that when I be back again that I will be as healthy as I was ten years ago.

I hope this letter will find you all well and healthy and so is the wish of all our friends here and they send their best well wishes and respects to you all. Give my best respects to all my friends and acquaintances and I trust that I will be soon amongst you again.

Your loving Husband and Father

Jacob F Scheef

SNGF - My husband's great great grandparents

2011-07-17T15:20:00.004+10:00

After blogging about my great great grandparents I though I should add those of my husbands.

Thomas Brennan is presumed to have been born and died in Ireland. He married Margaret Tobin on 18th February 1846 at Leafe Hill, Muckalee, Co Kilkenny, Ireland.
Margaret Tobin is presumed to have been born and died in Ireland.
James Ryan, son of Daniel Ryan and Anastasia Deeves was born c 1840 at Kilcooley, Co Tipperary, Ireland. He married Catherine Cleary at Uralla, NSW, Australia. James died in Uralla 20th September 1922 at Uralla, NSW, Australia
Catherine Cleary, daughter of John Cleary and Catherine Heffernan was born c1846 at Cashel, Co Tipperary, Ireland. She died on 3rd April at Kentucky, NSW, Australia.
Alfred Kerr, son of Robert Kerr and Ellen Smail was born on18th June 1845 at West Maitland, NSW, Australia. He married Mary Ann Spatch on 3rd July 1864 at Glen Innes, NSW, Australia. Alfred Kerr died on 26th March 1918 at Glen Innes, NSW, Australia
Mary Anne Spatch, daughter of William Spatch and Ellen Key was born on 14th November 1848 at Glenelgin, NSW, Australia. She died on 14th July 1906 at Glen Innes, NSW.
Thomas Squires, son of Henry/James? Squires and Sarah ? was born c1855 at Wanstead, Essex, England. He married Mary Ann Lydamore on 22nd March 1875 at Shoreditch, London, England. He died after 1906, presumably near Glen Innes, NSW, Australia
Mary Ann Lydamore, daughter of Samuel Lydamore and Catherine Fuller was born on 1st May 1839 at Yarmouth, England. She died on 24th January 1924 at Glen Innes, NSW, Australia.
Christoph Scheef, son of Johann Scheef and Anna Steinle was born on 9th March 1794, at Unterturkheim, Wurttemberg, Germany. He married Margaretha Munk(in) on 28th August 1821 at Unterturkheim, Wurtemberg, Germany. He died before 1885.
Margaretha Munk(in), daughter of Jonathan Munk and Christina Haberle was born on 21 June 1798 at Unterturkheim, Wurtemberg, Germany. She died before 1885 at Steinheim an der Murr, Germany.
Johann (Georg) Glock, son of Georg Glock and Christina Vayh was born on 10th April 1806 at Grosbottwar, Wurtenburg, Germany. He married Barbara Waegerle on 3rd July 1836 at Hopfigheim, Wurttemberg, Germany. Georg died on 3rd June at Uralla, NSW, Australia.
Barbara Waegerle, daughter of Christoph Waegerle and Katharina Klumpp was born on 18th April 1810 in Wurttenberg, Germany. She died at Uralla, NSW, Australia on 18th September, 1869.
Andrew Waters, son of ?, was born c1814 in England. He married Margaret Doherty in Sydney, NSW, Australia on 24th June 1850. Andrew died on 3rd January 1870 at Kelly’s Plains, Armidale, NSW, Australia
Margaret Doherty, daughter of Robert Doherty and Betty ? was born c 1826 in Donegal, Ireland. She died on 12 December 1875 at Gara, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
Elis Dawson, son of Thomas Dawson and Betsy Hare was born on 14th September, at Renhold, Bedfordshire, England. He married Mary Richardson on 23rd May 1841 at Renhold. Elis died on 1st October 1888 at Armidale, NSW, Australia.
Mary Richardson, daughter of Thomas Richardson and Mary Holton was born in 1822 at Renhold, Bedfordshire, England. She died on 8th march 1859 at Booralong near Armidale, NSW, Australia.

SNGF - 16 Great Great Grandparents

2011-07-17T14:19:00.004+10:00

From Randy Seaver Genea-Musings.

Ah, Genea-folks, it’s Saturday Night again – are you ready for more Genealogy Fun?

Your mission tonight, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) List your 16 great-great-grandparents with their birth, death and marriage data (dates and places). [Hint - you might use an Ancestral Name List from your software for this.]

2) Determine the countries (or states) that these ancestors lived in at their birth and at their death.

3) For extra credit, go make a “Heritage Pie” chart for the country of origin (birth place) for these 16 ancestors. [Hint: you could use the chart generator from Kid Zone for this.] [Note: Thank you to Sheri Fenley for the "Heritage Pie" chart idea.]

Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a post on Facebook or google+.

Well it is Sunday here in Australia but here are my great great grandparents.

John Moore, son of John Moore and Elizabeth Glenn, was born in 1846 in Co. Antrim, Ireland. John married Margaret Henry on 20th September 1871 at Ballymoney, Co Antrim, Ireland. John died in Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia on 2nd September, 1929.
Margaret Jane Henry was born on 18th Feb 1850/51 in Ireland, daughter of James Moore Henry and Rose Black Hannah. She died in Wallangarra, Queensland, Australia on 1st August 1923.
Malcolm McColm, son of Samuel McColm and Mary MacCaul, was born in 1851 in Scotland. He married Jane Fleming in 1877 at Inch, Witownshire, Scotland. Malcolm died on 22nd August near Warwick, Queensland, Australia.
Jane Smith Fleming, daughter of James Fleming and Jane Milroy was born on 28th October 1853 at Stranraer, Wigtownshire, Scotland. She died on 22nd January 1888 at Wallangarra, Queensland, Australia.
Thomas Merchant, son of James Merchant and Sarah Matilda Neal was born on 21st January 1843 at Sampford, Wellington, Somersetshire, England. He married Sarah Hooton on 4th January 1869 at McLeod's Creek, Timbarra, NSW, Australia. Thomas died on 1st December 1902 at Drake, New South Wales, Australia.
Sarah Jane Hooton, daughter of Joseph Hooton and Rebecca Bettis was born on the Wilson Kennedy, at sea on 26th November 1852. She died in Tenterfield, NSW, on 8th December, 1924.
William Henry Allsop, son of Samuel Allsop and Elizabeth Handley was born on 11th August 1847 at Stockingford, Warwickshire, England. He married Mary McInerney on 13th January 1870 at Alberton, Victoria, Australia. William died on 2nd January 1921 at Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Mary Ellen McInerney, daughter of John McInerney and Mary Maley was born c1852 in Waterford, Ireland. She died on 16th March 1919 at Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
William Lee Dawson, son of Robert Dawson and Eleanor Giles was born on 16th September at Dublin, Ireland. William married Emma Seabrook on 25th August 1856 at Hobart Town, Tasmania, Australia. William died on 29th June 1871 in Franklin, Tasmania, Australia.
Emma Seabrook, daughter of Henry William Seabrook and Sarah White was born on 1st May 1834 at Hobart Town, Tasmania, Australia. She died on 27th July 1885 at East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
John Mylan, son of Thomas Mylan and Ann Flynn was born on 24th December 1833 at Sydney, NSW, Australia. He married Matilda Agnew at Countegany, Cooma on 29th December 1856. John died on 18th December 1918 at Countegany, Cooma, NSW, Australia
Matilda Agnew, daugher of James Agnew and Ellen Lagan was born on 9 November 1836 at Castledawson, Co Derry, Ireland. She died on 16th August 1905 at Cooma, NSW, Australia
John Charles Ryan, the son of John Ryan and Catherine Crawley was born c1837-39 at Portlaw, Co Waterford, Ireland. He married Mary O'Halloran on 1st July 1864 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. John died on 15th November 1910 at Balmain, NSW, Australia.
Mary O’Halloran, daughter of Michael O’Halloran and Mary Lyons was born c1846 at Roscrae, Co Tipperary, Ireland. She died on 5th December 1895 at Balmain, NSW, Australia.
Peter Ogden, son of Samuel Ogden and Ann Hope was born in 1838 at Bolton, Co Lancashire, England. He married Elizabeth Harrison on 5th August 1860 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. Peter died on 11th July 1911 at Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia.
Elizabeth Harrison, daughter of William Henry Harrison and Ann Waller? was born c1841 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. She died on 11th August 1927 at Leederville, Western Australia, Australia.

I should really follow now with my husband's great great grandparents.

Family Treasures - Elector's Rights

2011-07-14T20:58:00.001+10:00

Each time I go to vote I simply go to a polling booth, give my name and address, state that I haven’t voted previously in this election and I’m given a voting paper. I don't need to give any identification.

One hundred and ten years ago, my great grandfather Michael Patrick Ryan and his father John Charles Ryan had to produce their New South Wales Elector’s Right Residential Qualification papers to vote.

The Wikipedia article The Electoral Atlas of New South Wales states that the 1893 Act had adopted a Voter’s Right document that a voter presented to be checked off the roll before a ballot paper was issued. In 1900, the compilation of annual rolls was made a function of the local police and Elector’s Rights were abolished in 1906.

Amongst our family papers are another pair of treasures, original Elector’s Rights of John Charles Ryan, carter and Michael Patrick Ryan, storeman of 23 Cambridge Street, Balmain. If enrolled they were entitled to vote at Elections of Members of the Assembly in the electoral district of Balmain. They were qualified in respect of Manhood and of Residence in Balmain district.

John Charles Ryan, 23 Cambridge Street, Balmain

Michael Patrick Ryan, 23 Cambridge Street, Balmain

Armidale Family History Group - 25th Anniversary

2011-07-11T20:23:00.001+10:00

Last week I received an invitation to the Armidale Family History Group Inc's 25th anniversary celebrations to be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 30th and 31st 2011.

Although not an original member of this group I became a member when I lived in Armidale in 1988. Each month we used to meet at Dixson Library at the University of New England. Now the group have their own research rooms in Kentucky Street.

I remember helping to survey the cemetery at that time but had left town before the books were finally published.

On Saturday afternoon from 2 - 4 pm there will be afternoon tea at their Research Centre, Kentucky Street. The Anniversary Dinner will be held that evening at the Armidale City Bowling Club, Dumaresq Street.

On Sunday at 10 am Graham Wilson, patron of the group will host a cemetery walk.

If you wish to attend, RSVP to the Family History Centre, P.O. Box 1378, Armidale, NSW, 2350 or email afhg@northnet.com.au by Monday July 25th 2011.

Hope to see meet old friends there.

German Ancestry

2011-07-10T09:21:00.000+10:00

For many years I had put research on my husband's twenty-five percent German ancestry into the too hard basket. His great grandfather's name Jacob Scheef wasn't on the shipping list indexes. It wasn't until I found the name of the ship on his naturalisation papers and then went directly to the shipping list that I found Jacob Scheef. He arrived on the Grasbrook on 26 September 1865 aged 20. I couldn't read the name of the town where he was born on the shipping list so I was still lost.

It wasn't until many years later I happened to be in Sydney at a SAG event and I went to the German stand and someone said with only a quick glance that it was Untertürkheim. Armed with that information, a quick search of Scheef and Untertürkheim revealed many treasures. Someone had already transcribed many Church records and I could now progress a few generations further back than my husband's great grandfather. I was soon in contact with a few people over the world.

This weekend I was looking carefully at my database and realised that the information concerned more distant branches and I actually had no information about Jacob Scheef's immediate family. All I had known was that the church records had somehow indicated that his mother had left Untertürkheim with her family and moved to Steinheim an der Murr.

Many hours on family search have now given me several more German names and I will post them here in the hope that someone out there is also researching these names.

Direct line surnames - Scheef Munk(in), Steinle, Haberle, Lauterwasser, Häberle and Zaiss.

Indirect lines - Schanz, Strudel, Pantle, Buder, Klumpp, Lautenschlager, (Elizabetha Dorothea Scheef (Jacob's sister's family), Winkler, Schmid, Krauch.

In Australia Jacob Scheef married Christina Jacobvina Glock who lived only a few kilometres from him in Germany.

Her family names include: Glock, Wäegerle, Klumpp, Vayh and Rau.

These families all lived in or close to either Untertürkheim, Steinheim an der Murr, Hopfigheim and Großbottwar.

If anyone is researching these names, I'd love to hear from you. I have copies of many letters written and sent from Germany from the 1860s until the 1890s. I know some were written by Schanz (Scheef's brother-in-law) and he is mentioned in Jacob Scheef's letters home when he visited Germany in 1885.