Family history across the seas

Once again Aussie Geneablogger extraordinaire, GeniAus, has offered us her traditional New Year challenge “Accentuate the Positive” from our research over the past year. This is my response.

1. An elusive ancestor previously unknown relative I found was my mother’s cousin, Hugh Moran.
2.  A great newspaper article I found was Hugh Moran’s personal descriptions of life in Prisoner of War camps in Italy and Germany during WWII.

   3.  A geneajourney I took was a revisit of Murphy’s Creek and perambulations on the Darling Downs. Also, my first trip to the Gold Coast since 1992, to attend the excellent Footsteps in Time Conference.

   4.  An important record I found was a mudmap of the Oughton Cottages in Courtown, Gorey where my Callaghan ancestors lived. It was hiding among the newly released 1847 Quarto books from Griffith’s Valuation and enabled me to track the homes of my ancestors.

   5.  A newly found recently-reconnected family member shared the christening gown worn by my grandmother and all her siblings c1870-1890. Such a treasure to see and hold. Another treasure was receiving a modern photo of Hugh Moran (see above). Another cousin regularly sends me family photos from her heritage collection. Some cousins have also very generously shared their DNA with me, enabling me to pin down new connections – with more to be unravelled.

   6.  A geneasurprise I received was a phone call from my 2^nd cousin who I hadn’t seen since we were pre-teens. We’ve loved reconnecting and I’m grateful she found me, and that we live relatively close by!

   7.   My 2017 blog posts that I was particularly proud of were: the stories I’ve wanted to tell about my father’s life and work; and uncovering the war-time experiences of Hugh Moran.

   8.   I made a new geminate, Katherine R Willson, when we shared an Uber with her and the Legal Genealogist en route to the Post-Roots Tech bloggers’ gathering in February. We had an absolute hoot in the car. She has a heart that encompasses so many.

3. 9.  A new piece of technology I used was Graphing DNA using Excel tools shared by Shelley from Twigs of Yore. I can see the usefulness of it and will learn more from Shelley during her presentation at Congress 2018. Meanwhile I’ll keep plugging away at my DNA matches and genealogy software.

   10. I joined the Caloundra Family History Research Group and re-joined the Genealogical Society of Queensland (GSQ) where I started my research back in 1986.

   11. Genealogy events from which I learnt something new was Footsteps in Time and the Unlock the Past Roadshow in Brisbane.

   12. A blog post that taught me something new – so many offer new insights, it’s difficult to single out just one.

   13. A DNA discovery I made was confirmation of the suspected link to the Reddan family of Gortnaglough, Broadford, Clare.

   14. Along with geminate Fran aka the TravelGenee, we taught Caloundra genimates the practical basics of how DNA testing works and how it might help them.

   15. A brick wall is still standing – My truly elusive ancestor, James McSharry aka Sherry continues to defeat me. So far, DNA hasn’t solved this dilemma as I’d hoped it would.

   16. A great site I visited was the Genetic Genealogy Tips and Techniques Facebook page – I use it constantly to (try to) learn.

   17. A new genealogy/history book I enjoyed was Looking Over My Shoulder by Patrick O’Brien about the O’Brien family from Carrownakilly, near Killaloe in East Co Clare.

   18. It was exciting to finally meet Dirk Weissleder and learn more about German research and new collaborations.

   19. I am excited for 2018 because there are going to be so many learning opportunities at Congress 2018 and an opportunity to meet “old” genimates and make new friends.

   20. Another positive I would like to share is that I participated in various blog memes, gave presentations through the year, and helped friends begin their family research.

Thanks GeniAus for the chance to reflect positively on our achievements over the year.