The Tree of Me

The Week 2 prompt for Amy Johnson Crow's  "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks"  blogging challenge is "Favourite Photo." I really can't think of a favourite photo. I've agonised over which one to share. I have been fortunate to have been given many photographs from both my sides of my husband's and my family. Many are portraits in huge decorative frames. I can see eight now; there are many others in boxes and old suitcases. However, I won't share one of those. I have another unknown family group which is a favourite because the caption on the back reads, "From all of us to all of you." Thanks. However, I’ve decided to share one of my very small photographs. I have five photographs that are in little cases with delicate clasps. I am certain that two of them are  daguerreotypes as the images can only be seen in certain positions or angles which can be very frustrating. Daguerreotypes and possible ambrotypes- one is missing its cover  ...

7th birthday card from my friend Denise O'Leary. Today marks the seventh anniversary of my first blog post. I wish I had reread my old posts prior to beginning this one as I would have saved considerable time.  This is what happened three years ago. Like my  second  and  third  blogiversary I have rummaged through my  archive  (read boxes of stuff) and found my childhood birthday cards. There was an initial panic as I couldn't find the bag from a Fijian trip in 1971 which contained the cards. I had my husband looking in the roof only to later find the said bag inside a box in my study (where they should have been). Some things never change! Jump forward to 2018 and it was a repeat performance. This seventh birthday card was from my friend Denise. I'm pleased to say that we are still friends today.

It seems horses have caused a little bit of trouble in my family. My grandfather Jim had an altercation with a horse when he was 23 years old. Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Thursday 11 August 1932, page 16 WALLANGARRA - Kicked by Horse Mr Jim Moore, eldest son of Mr and Mrs Knox Moore, of Wallangarra, was endeavouring to catch a horse, when the animal kicked him just above the eye, temporarily stunning him. After first aid had been rendered he was conveyed to  Tenterfield and admitted to the Torquay Private Hospital, where an operation was performed. His condition was not considered serious. I wonder what the operation entailed? Did it require time in hospital? If so, how long was my grandmother home with a baby and a toddler?

I have just finished rereading Blaine T. Bettinger's book The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy. I decided to look carefully at my possible X-DNA inheritance. Females inherit X-DNA from both their parents, one X chromosome from each. Males inherit their X chromosome from their mother. This can be shown visually in the following charts. The first chart shows ancestors from whom I may have inherited my X-DNA. The next chart shows my husband's X-DNA inheritance. How will this be useful to me? When I use Gedmatch in conjunction with DNA Painter I may be able to be more specific in assigning matches to a specific ancestor. e.g. If I have an X-DNA match with another person and our Most Recent Common Ancestors (MRCA) are William Dawson and Bridget Mylan, I can attribute the segment to Bridget Mylan or her parents John Mylan and Matilda Agnew as I know that it is impossible for me to inherit X-DNA from William Dawson. The 6 g...

I am attempting to take part in Amy Johnson Crow's "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" blogging challenge. I have begun a few long term blogging challenges over the years but have never managed to complete any of them. My record is 17 weeks. Perhaps this one may be more successful. The challenge for Week 1 is "Start." One of Amy's prompts was the home person in your family tree. The 1 ID in my Reunion data is my great, great, grandfather Dr William Lee Dawson. He was the subject of my first and several other blog posts. I'll link to earlier posts about William Lee Dawson but will also add an image that very few people have seen. I am very fortunate to have in my possession a photo album which belonged to his daughter,  Louisa Annie Spinks (Dawson). It was given to me by her grandson Charles Roussac. Over the years many family members have visited his grave in Franklin, Tasmania, Australia. Each time I go to Tasmania I make sure I take a trip to Frank...

I lived for some time during my childhood in Tenterfield. Prior to the advent of Trove I  spent many hours trawling though both hard copies of old Tenterfield Stars and digital copies at Dixson Library at the University of New England. The Tenterfield Star is not yet on Trove so many finds are serendipitous. Such was the one about the land sale in the street I lived as a teenager. The Tenterfield Star, undated The Parkfield Estate Land Sale The sale of the Parkfield Estate sub-division, which has occupied public attention for some weeks past, took place yesterday on the ground. There was a good attendance of local buyers, but not so many from a distance as had been anticipated. The large barn fronting Pelham-street, was utilised as a   sale-room, in which also a very substantial luncheon was laid out.   I wonder if the barn was on the block where I once lived? I also query my poor referencing with this undated newspaper clipping. Pelham Street is...

A recent trip to Melbourne saw me visiting The Avenue bookshop in Albert Park. I was looking for suggestions for my choice for bookclub. I ended up choosing  The Book of Dirt by Bram Presser.   A few lines before the story begins had me intrigued. Within a few generations almost all of us will have been forgotten. Those who are not will have no bearing on how we are remembered, who we once were. We will not be there to protest, to correct. In the end we might exist only as a prop in someone else's story: a plot device, a golem. It's got me thinking about my ancestors - those people who were most certainly forgotten before I or other members of my family began our research. People who we have rediscovered in census data, old baptismal records, convict records, newspaper articles, shipping records, letters, military records and much more. People who were born, married and died and left no other records to others who have left a plethora of data for us t...