Family history across the seas

Geniaus has once encouraged us to reflect on our achievements in 2012 rather than all the things still on our wish lists or “gunna” lists. She rightly believes we don’t take sufficient notice of our successes in our on-going pursuit for more information. So she’s challenged us to take on the Accentuate the Positive Geneameme to encourage us to celebrate our successes.

So here is my response (inevitably edited to allow more choices!)

1.  An elusive ancestor I found wasn’t a direct ancestor but my 2xgreat grandfather’s Ulrich step-siblings in New York State as well as new information on the Dorfprozelten emigrants to Australia.

2  Precious family photos I found were shared at the Melbourne exhibition re Brigadier Walter & Helena Cass –amazing family artefacts for Mr Cassmob and fascinating for me. Also gorgeous photos of St Nicholas of Myra in Dublin thanks to Jennifer from A Flesh and Bone Foundation.

3.  An ancestor’s grave I found was renovation was completed in February 2012 with a bronze plaque replicating the information on the (restored) original stone, and adding birth details (thanks to the financial contributions of family members!!).

4.  An important vital record I found was the marriage of Denis Gavin and Eleanor Murphy in Dublin thanks to Irish Genealogy (see #6)

5.  Newly found family members who shared photos and family stories of the Gavins; the curator and inheritor of the WEH Cass papers, photos and letters. Lots of Dorfprozelten connections and meeting new Cass cousins (not mine, but great fun). (Also see #2)

6.  A geneasurprise I received was finding my Gavin couple’s marriage in Dublin (see also #4)

7.   My 2012 blog post that I was particularly proud of was Labour Day, the workaday life of a Queensland Rail numbertaker.

8.   My 2012 blog post that received a large number of hits or comments was V is for the Valiant of Villers-Brettoneux on Anzac Day.

9.  A new piece of software I mastered was adding Translation options to my blog, and recovering at least a good deal of my missing data after my hard drive crashed. My new best friend is Syncback, an easy backup program.

10. A social media tool I enjoyed using for genealogy was Google + though I probably use Twitter more. I can’t live without Google Reader which is where I subscribe to all the blogs I follow and star the posts I particularly like (not strictly social media I guess, but…)

11. Genealogy conferences/seminars/webinar from which I learnt something new were Roots Tech (online), genie visitors to Darwin and Unlock the Past in Brisbane.

12. I am proud of the presentation I gave during Seniors Month in Darwin, on writing your family history.

13. A journal/magazine article I had published was…..none, but I did write my 52 weeks of Beyond the Internet on my blog.

14. I taught a friend how to …can’t remember …lots of discussions, virtual and real. I did encourage others attending various Darwin genie events to join the Kiva Genealogists for Families team.

15. Genealogy books that taught me something new were Hey America Your Roots Are Showing and Finding Family, but I find I also learn so much now from reading blog posts and other’s web recommendations.

16. A great repository/archive/library I visited was PROV where we traced some of Mr Cassmob’s family and very brief visits to Queensland State Archives (for mine).

17. New genealogy/history books I enjoyed were How to Write History that People Want to Read and Titanic Lives.

18. It was exciting to finally meet some of Aussie geneablogger mates at the Unlock the Past Expo in Brisbane and also at the Kiva Genealogists gathering in Brisbane in March.

19. A geneadventure I enjoyed was returning to Papua New Guinea, recent family history but important nonetheless, visiting family homes and places. Also visiting Melbourne for the WEH Cass exhibition and meeting lots of new Cass cousins (connected through my blog contacts).

20. Other positives I would like to share is being listed  on Family Tree Magazine’s Around the World in 40 blogs and also Inside History’s Top 50 Genealogy blogs (selected by Geniaus) and publishing two books of my blog posts.