GeniAus has once again challenged us to think positively about what we achieved in our family history during 2019. Here are my responses to her questions (unnumbered since it was being temperamental) * An elusive ancestor I found was: a link to my David Callaghan’s parents, thanks to a DNA match and correspondence with the … More Accentuate the Positive 2019
Once upon a time, several decades ago, a young woman was living with her husband in the small town of Alotau in Papua New Guinea. She was six months pregnant and for some reason thought it would be a good idea to celebrate their first New Year’s Eve together with friends. At the time, the … More A surprising New Year ‘s Eve
Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of my first post on this blog. Little did I know at the time how much it would become part of my life, or how many friends I’d make through it. Over the years I’ve followed various prompts and written up stories as I’ve made discoveries about individual members or … More 10 Year Blogiversary
For the astounding loss of human life and potential around the world. For those who served and gave their lives, ally or enemy For their country’s cause, safety and honour. For the ANZACs who travelled so far to fight in distant lands. For the families and communities left behind to wait and mourn, And the … More Lest We Forget 2019
I’ve mentioned before that I consider the potential benefits of a conference from a combination of factors: learning opportunities + friends and networking + location (which includes travel and research options). Ultimately I decided to try out the London RootsTech as I’d been to two in Salt Lake (2015 an 2017) and it also meant … More RootsTech London 2019 – my thoughts
Do we under-estimate the significance of serendipity in our research: those felicitous timings of people, place or discoveries? Or do our ancestors really want us to know something and make sure we find it? Many years ago, one of my relations told me that my great-grandparents, Duncan McCorkindale and Annie Sim, had lost twins as … More Serendipity meets Genea-generosity
On a cool autumn day, 31 May 1881, Elizabeth Brophy was in her home at Jeffcott St, Melbourne with her six year old daughter Sarah and her other daughter, Lizzie, aged four[i]. Lizzie was handicapped and could neither speak nor walk. Her usual place was tied in her chair near the fireplace where “she rocked … More Trove Tuesday: the tragic tale of Lizzie Brophy
Few would be unaware of the hazards of the sea, especially in challenging storms, although most of us will have avoided ever being confronted by them. Among the Irish newspapers on Find My Past I found some stories which attested to the toughness and determination of my ancestor, David Callaghan. In particular six fishermen were … More Hazards of the Sea
The last six weeks or so have been full of family history learning for me. August was Family History Month in Australia and a one-day seminar at the LDS Family History Centre at Forest Glen on 1 August was the start of lots of geneafun. For me, the stand-out speaker was Brenda Wheeler. As always … More Of Learning and Checklists
Yesterday the Castle Hill RSL had an electric atmosphere as 400 hyper-excited amateur genetic genealogists convened to hear a panel of experts teach them more about DNA, what it means for genealogy and how to maximise its benefits. Add to that the opportunity to catch up with genimates from all over the conference, make some … More DNA to the Max
Family history across the seas 