The Tree of Me

This morning I have been downloading some digital books from the Reading Room at Ask about Ireland . I have decided to download them to my iPad. That decision was easy. It is so much easier to read these documents on a iPad than on my laptop. Now to my problem - do I view them in iBooks or iAnnotate PDF ? I've downloaded Fingal and its Churches (a scanned digital book) to both to see which is superior. iBooks At the bottom of the screen there are thumbnails of the pages to quickly move to a specific page. I can't highlight the text as I would like. iAnnotate PDF It is more difficult to move to a specific page. As the book is scanned, I can't highlight text as I could with a normal pdf file. I can however, still user the ruler tool and draw a box around selected text. If I email the summary, it only says I have a line drawing on a specific page, so this is of little use. If I make a note, and email the summary, the contents of the note are in the summary. This s

Years ago I asked my father how his grandfather Knox Moore had lost a finger. Of course, he was astounded that I knew his grandfather was missing a digit and asked how I knew. The photos below show exactly how I made the discovery. It's there in his wedding photo in 1907 but by 1913 he was missing part of the first finger on his left hand. Knox Moore and his wife Mary (Polly) McColm - 1907 Knox and Mary Moore with their children Matthew, Rosetta, Knox (baby) and James (in front) - 1913 My father then said that Knox had lost his finger on a circular saw. Many years later someone asked him how he had done it and as he told them how it happened he did it again. Part of another finger was gone. For years I thought no more of the story. A couple of months ago I was randomly searching the digitised newspapers on Trove . Here was the story verifying that Knox Moore had had 2 accidents involving a circular saw. The Brisbane Courier (Qld.: 1864 - 1993), Friday 18 November 1

I have been meaning to start a genealogy blog for some time. I agonized over what to call it and have already changed the title twice today. Over the summer I have revived my genealogy twitter account (@shazbrennan) and begun to follow several blogs via Feedly . Shelly from Twigs of Yore set an Australia Day challenge for genealogy bloggers, so I thought it’s now or never. The Challenge Find the earliest piece of documentation you have about an ancestor in Australia. If you don't have an Australian ancestor, then choose the earliest piece of documentation you have for a relative in Australia. What is the document?  The document I have chosen to discuss is one that is actually in my possession. It is a single sheet of paper giving details of the births of my great great grandfather Dr William Lee Dawson on 16th September 1819, his brother Richard and sister Catherine. Although not an Australian document, it does document an Australian ancestor. William Lee Dawson Born