Friday's Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge" - C is for Census

Friday is here again and it is time for my next post in Friday's Family History through the Alphabet Challenge which is my attempt to complete the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge.

"C" is the letter of the moment, and I am going with something very obvious!  "C" is for Census!  You may say "not very original", however, my justification is that I believe copies of the census play a very important part of family tree research.

As I am based in Australia I will, in this blog, refer mainly to the Australian Census.  However, a lot of this information is relevant for census records in other countries.

What is a Census?  It is the collection and recording of information on the population of a country. It collects information on occupation, number of people living in a dwelling, the type of dwelling and occupations of those living in that dwelling on Census night.  In Australia, the census is conducted every 5 years under the Census and Statistics Act of 1905.

The first national census in Australia was held in 1901, prior to this date the most common way to record information about the population was a muster or state census. Data on the population of Australia was collected from as early as 1788.  Up until the census in 1901 each of the states and colonies held regular musters or census that collected a variety of information, e.g. occupation, age, number of family members, gender and marital status. The state libraries provide access to these records  Victorian State Library, NSW State Library, and the State Library of Western Australia for example.

The collection of information on the Australia population in the early days of settlement wasn't easy, as is pointed out in the article written on the collection of the 1841 census for South Australia by Jaunay (2004). As Jaunay points out, the colony of South Australia was only 5 years old, the distances were vaste, tallies were incorrect, spellings were incorrect and there is a lack of detail. However, these musters if not entirely accurate,  provide us with a snapshot of the times. As the collection of information became more efficient over the years,  these systematic collections of population information have become a great source of information for social researchers, historians and genealogists.

If you are interested in an overall picture or snap shot of what it was like in Australia at a particular census time the Australian Census Web site provides summaries or "snapshots" of the data collected at the time of the census.  An interesting snapshot on the 1901 Census can be found on this site at "A Snap Shot of Australia 1901.

Now you may ask, how does the census help me with my family tree research?  Here is a brief summary of the information that can be gleaned from your ancestors census record:  It will provide some of if not all of the information on: their address, occupation, names of those in the house on census night, ages, where they were born, the relationship and gender of the people living in the dwelling and their neighbours. 

Looking at the census over a number of years will help you trace the movement of your ancestors, when the children left home, if the grandparents have moved in to be looked after in their old age and if they absent it may give you a clue as to when they may have passed away.  If a young child appears on one census report and then not on the next there is a fair chance that they may have died in infancy. 

A census record can also be very useful in locating other members of the family, once you have located one member of the family it is a good idea to go through the pages before and after on the census record as you can often find other members of the family who live near by. 

I would be interested to hear from others on their tips for gathering and analysing information re their family tree from census records!!


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*Jaunay, G. (2004), "1841 South Australian Census, What you will and won't find", http://www.slwa.wa.gov.au/find/guides/family_history/australia/new_south_wales/census, viewed 4 January 2013.

Wisdom Wednesday - My discovery for this week - Pinterest

Well I am not sure if this fits under Wisdom Wednesday, but I do think it has the potential to fit in this category.  Lately, I had noticed a lot of references to Pinterest and this sparked my interest, however, as usual time limitations had meant I hadn't checked it out.  However, yesterday I was reading through the blog list on Geabloggers and saw a blog by Jana, "Tuesday's Tip - Three Awesome Websites for Genealogy ... Found on Pinterest!   The light bulb started flashing!!! Time to check this out!.

Hitting Google search I googled (so to speak) and found what a was looking for, Amazing!! and sooo pretty :)  I quickly set up an account and started to play.  Oh I could really get hooked on this!!

What is Pinterest?  Basically it is a tool that anyone can use to collect and share things that you find on the web.  You pin these items to your sit or board and there is the option to create a board for any particular topic that you are interested in, for example you can use it to plan a party or wedding, or collecting recipes or travel information. 

The most exciting thing is that you can browse pinboards created by others, making it a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from others who share similar interest.  Also I must point out, that if you are working on a project that you do not want to share you can make your "board" private or just share with a selection of friends.  (great for team work).

I can see great potential for family tree and genealogy research.  You could have separate boards for different branches or surnames in your family tree, boards to collect information about the area they lived in, maps, photos etc.  I am sure there are many researchers who are already using this resource, but I must admit I am quite excited about setting up some "boards" to support my research and share it with others.

I believe the Pinterest Mission says it all

Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.

Tuesday’s Tip - Evernote and Family Tree Research

This week I made a concerted effort to familiarise myself with some of the features of the App Evernote.

As most of my family will agree, I am not good at taking my time to read instructions and generally just jump straight in, often missing some of the basic and vital tips.  So this time I, started carefully, by first watching the short introductory video on how to get started http://evernote.com/video/

Then I went to their How to Get Started page  and made my way through each step, testing each application. These steps provided information on installation, creating an account, creating your first entry, adding an images, synchronising with your phone, laptop etc, saving web content.  All pretty basic you might say, however, after a week of playing around with Evernote, I think you need to have it set up properly and understand its applications to really reap the benefits.

I was really impressed with the fact that I could sync with my phone, work and home computer, Ipad, and laptop (yes!! gadget tragic). This means that if I find a interesting article/photo when reading paper on the train, I can take a photo of it with my phone and send to Evernote, or if I am  reading article on Ipad I can send the link with the appropriate "filing tag" for later reference.  Likewise, if I am researching in a library, I can take a photo of article/photo from book or magazine and link to my Evernote account.

My gadgets really came to the fore over the weekend.  I was visiting an Aunt and she had some old family photos and was very loathed to part with them for even a second so that I could scan them. However,  I was able to take a photo of them with my phone and immediately send the pictures to my Evernote account, tagged with the appropriate family names, and a short note of who were in the picture and the approximate date that the picture was taken.

To gain the full benefit I have taken the time to set up NoteBooks (folders) to correspond with the four main branches of my family tree.  Then as I save items, I am tagging them with the Surname within each branch, and description of the item eg "photo", "newspaper article",  "link" , "certificate" etc. 

I have to confirm that my so far my Evernote experience is very positive and I am sure as I become more familiar with it's different applications it will prove to be among my most valuable research tools.

Follow Friday - An accumulation of my weekly research - 3

Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday - Author Unknown

Oh yes Friday is here again!!! and as usual, there are a lot of things on my to do list that have not been ticked off!! (Hence my opening quote), I am definitely not Robinson Crusoe!!!

I did manage to finish my story on my grandmother Eliza Hazel Palin and have to reflect that writing these short histories of my female ancestors is taking longer that I thought. I have found that I am getting caught up in the stories of their times and the events they lived through.  What is becoming even more obvious to me is the huge holes in their stories, all that information that has been lost along the way.  It makes me wish I had taken more time years ago to gather the stories while there were people around to tell them.  All very well in hindsight you might say.

My biggest project this week has been reading and learning about the online application called Evernote.  So far I am quite impressed with its different applications and plan to write next week on how it can be a useful tool for the genealogy research.  If you are interested in checking this application it can be downloaded from http://evernote.com/.

Earlier this week I did get sidetracked researching one of my husbands great uncles that fought in WWI, so this week I will share with you a few useful sights if you are planning to research a member of your family that fought in the Great War.

The Australian War Memorial; http://www.awm.gov.au/

Role of Honour: Search site http://www.awm.gov.au/research/people/roll_of_honour/

ANZAC's Diaries: http://www.anzacwebsites.com/gallipoli/diaries.htm

The ANZACS: http://www.lighthorse.org.au/

Gallipoli and the Anzacs: http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/

Indigenous Australians at War: http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/collections/exhibitions/iaaw/home.html

The Australian Light Horse Association:  http://www.lighthorse.org.au/

Australian at War: http://www.australiansatwar.gov.au/default.html

National Archives: Army WWI: http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/defence/service-records/army-wwi.aspx

Australian WWI Nurses:
http://www.travel-nurse-information-australia.com/World-War-1-Nurses.html

Evernote - Will this be a useful tool for my genealogy research?

I am sure I am not on my own when it comes to having bits and pieces of their geneaology research in a number of places.  I try very hard to keep the all the pictures, files, useful links, newspaper clippings, emails and letters from other researchers and so on,  in some kind of ordered manner.  However, I must admit the amount coming in is often far greater than the time I have to sort them. 

I am hoping I have a solution.  I am an avid follower of Paul Higgins site on Emergent Futures and receive his monthly news letter which gives a great summary of new innovations and trends.  In the last newsletter there was an interesting article on his Favorite Applications.   The first application was on  Evernote.  Now I have to confess, when I first purchased my Ipad (which I love) I madly downloaded many of the new apps, that were going to make my life easier and fun.  One of these apps was Evernote as it came highly recommended by many.  I did set up an account and after a brief look at its applications, didn't get back to using it.

Now after reading Paul Higgins article, I have decided that this could be the tool that I can use to tie all my research together. 

This tool allows you to store your notes, pictures, develop check lists, maps, clip interesting articles, etc.  Then the bonus is that you can now access all the items you have saved at any time on your Ipad, phone, or laptop. 

I can see great potential for this app with family tree research so I plan to explore this further, and make an effort to learn the full value that this tool has to offer.  Watch this space as I share my progress.

TROVE continued - Updated List of Digitalised Australian Newspapers

Today, I would just like to make a short entry with some more information on the wonderful work that National Library of Australia has done with the their project to Digitalise Historical Australian Newspapers. As I have described in previous blogs, I find the TROVE web site an invaluable resource.

I was excited to read on the Genealogy and Historical News website that there was now a new updated list of all the newspapers that have been digitalised through the generosity and funding of a number of organisations.  If you are interested in seeing this updated list it is available on the Genealogy and Historical news at this link, http://www.gouldgenealogy.com/2012/07/update-on-troves-historical-australian-newspaper-digitisation-program/

In my previous blogs on Angus Shepherd and the benefits of TROVE I remark on how this resource has helped me so much with researching my family tree.  It is also interesting to read some of the comments that readers have added to the bottom of the article which include

"I have found this the most valuable tool for me research and know all the obits, family notice etc. just add a whole dimension to my research…"

and

"For genealogists, it adds another medium from which we can piece together our family trees. So often more is gained from a newspaper account of BDM & funeral notices have led us to many a resting place of a long lost relative. Papers of long ago where full of personal information especially country happenings which has put a personal touch to my family tree. Thanks so much to all the great work."

Thank you to the Genealogy and Historical News for sharing this updated list with us.  Spread the word to all family tree researchers.  TROVE is a most valuable research tool.

Angus Shepherd - A Story from TROVE

Horse teams carting goods from  Nellingen to Braidwood, crossing Currajong Creek

 In my last blog I wrote about how I have found TROVE to be one of the most valuable research tools for Australian Family Tree Researchers. Today, I would like to share with you one of my most recent finds.  Angus John Shepherd  (1889-1971) was my Grandfather, Malcolm Michael Shepherd's (1892-1932)  brother.  Their family came from the Araluen, Braidwood district and had been carriers between this district and Nelligen for a couple of generations.

 This area has a long and colourful history, of life on the gold mines, bushrangers and rural settlement.  I was searching TROVE, using the names of towns to try and find more about the times and social conditions that my ancestors lived in when I came across this article.  You can only imagine my excitemen. I was actually reading an article written about my great uncle which so vividly describes he and his partner being caught in a very serious flood and being lucky to escape with their lives. The loss of his team and merchandise most probably had considerable effect on the lively hood of his family.

 The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 30 March, p. 10
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/28120545

FLOODS. HAVOC IN THE BRAIDWOOD DISTRICT.

SENSATIONAL ESCAPES BRAIDWOOD, Thursday.

Reports from the district lying  between the top of Clyde Mountain and Nelligen show that much damaged was done by the rain. Roads have been washed out feet deep in a number pf places, while the bridges over Ryan's Creek, two culverts and a footbridge have been practically washed away. Fencing hasgone in all directions. In addition to which a number ot stock perished in tho flood. The rainfall was easily the heaviest in the memory of the oldest inhabitant. lt was estimated up to Friday that over 2C inches had fallen. There has been further rain since. 

Two carriers, John Rogers and Angus Shepherd, plying between Nelligen and Braidwood,had an exciting experience. They camped on their usual camping ground close to Ryan's Creek, with their teams. They occupied an old hut, and were awakened in the middle of the night by feeling water entering the bunks. The creek had completely overflowed its banks. The water was several feet deep in the house, and the men escaped through the window. The teams were also surrounded by water. To remove the horses was out of the question, and the men had to run for their lives. Three of Roger's horses were carried away by the flood waters and drowned; also one of Shepherd's. All the loading on the waggons was washed off, although it included some heavy articles of merchandise. It is estimated that over £300 worth of goods was on the waggons, including a lot of rum and other spirits for local publicans. The full extent of the loss is not yet known. The place is entirely cut off from communication.

J. E. Anderson and family had a narrow escape. Anderson has a sawmill at Currowan. The flood water rose with such rapidity that in a short space of time there was over two feet of water in their house, running strongly. Meanwhile the rain was pouring down in torrents. Anderson took his wife on his back and waded waist high to the side of the hill. A man named Backhouse, who happened to be in the house, carried Anderson's little daughter to some high ground. Where they had to remain until daylight.

In the Braidwood district comparatively little damage was done, beyond the destruction of fencing and roads. The latter were cut up in a frightful manner; also many culverts damaged. The shire council has decided to approach tho Government for a Special grant to assist in repairing the damage, the work being altogether beyond its financial capacity.

The flood at Araluen was the highest on record. 130 more points fell on Friday night, and close on an inch on Saturday morning. 

1914 'FLOODS.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 30 March, p. 10, viewed 17 June, 2012, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28120545 

Angus not only survived this incident, two years later he enlisted into the 33 Battalion (Service No. 2898) which fought in Belgium in WWI.  On his return he married and lived and worked in the Nelligen - Bateman Bay district for the rest of his life.

TROVE

In my last blog I spoke about the joys of assisting a friend into making the first steps towards researching her family history and how we used TROVE to search for some more details on her great great grandfather. Over the past few years I think I would have to rate TROVE as one of my most valuable research tools.

The National Library of Australia has developed TROVE as a free search engine that gives us access to a variety of collections in Australia and some overseas collections that relate to Australia.  These collections include Australian Newspapers, photos, articles, maps and books. No matter what your are researching, whether it be your family history, social conditions of a certain era, history of occupations, CWA recipies or sporting history as a few examples,  with just one click on trove.nla.gov.au you are able to find the most amazing collection of related material. The huge bonus to all researchers is that this information is free and accessible to all.

You can easily register as a user by going to this site https://trove.nla.gov.au/signup.  As you delve into the records you are able to tag articles of interest under you membership for later reference. Much of the TROVE content is digital and comes from libraries, cultural and educational institutions all around Australia.
When a researcher searches the site they are taken straight to the source, giving them immediate access to the information they are looking for.
As I look on family tree research as not only the collecting of the dates of birth deaths and marriages but also the collecting of family stories I find Trove to be one of the most valuable tools in my family research. There have been many occasions when I have used it to check a story that has been passed down in the family.  Often the discovery of a birth or death notice will provide that long searched for link to other members of the family or a place of birth.  However, what I find most exciting is that you are able to access stories about the towns and the times that your ancestors lived in, and some of the historical events that they lived through. 

Try your luck with TROVE.  The possibilities are endless.  Some of the areas I would suggest looking in are advertisements for sales of properties, family events, probate notices, court cases, obituaries, WWI and WWII notices or the names of towns that your families lived in. Small snippets from these types of searches have provided me with a rich source of information on where my ancestors came from, their occupations, life styles and important events in their lives.

TROVE also provides family tree researchers with the opportunity to share their discoveries and look for other researchers with similar interests on their forum.  If you are interested in using this resource it is very easy to register at this site  http://trove.nla.gov.au/forum/faq.php

I hope you find this resource as rich and rewarding as I have and please share your TROVING stories.

Happy Troving

Delicious and Geneology - A great Family Tree Research Tool

 Am sure all family tree researchers spend many hours on their computer searching numerous sites for information on their family tree.  I found that I was collecting large numbers of websites  that I wanted to refer to later or read when I had more time. Often, when I went to look for the site again  I couldn't find it.  It was frustrating, so  I began creating word documents with lists of  family tree internet links for later reference.  However, I found that these collections became clumsy, messy, and often I miss placed them.  Then about four years ago, while I was studying at uni I discovered Delicious. 

Simply put "Delicious helps you find cool stuff and collect it for easy sharing. Dig into stacks created by the community, and then build your own!"

 Delicious is a social bookmarking site, that can be used by all Internet users (for no cost) to organise store, manage, search and share bookmarks for online resources.  Anyone is able to join the site at http://www.delicious.com/. Once you have joined the site you can set up your profile, with stacks (or folders) that contain links to videos, pictures, tweets, blog posts, or articles on anything that you are researching, following or just interested in, eg, recipes, travel articles and of course family tree research.  I have set up stacks that relate to the different families in my tree and  when I find any files, photos, family tree sites or blogs I save the links into the appropriate stack.

 Once you have set up your profile, you are able to use your save button to tag any item you wish to save.  The site has clear and easy to follow instructions on their help page showing you how to join and start saving the links you discover as you research.  The ability to be able to save links to all internet sites I want to save, and at the same time place them in a context that relates to a particular area has been
amazing.

The second BIG advantage of using Delicious is that you are able to share your research with others, by setting up stacks with groups who are researching the same topic/themes as you.  You are able to make comments and share your comments with other researchers and visa versa.

Social bookmarking is a great tool that can be used to consolidate bookmarkes from your computer, laptop and Ipad, assisting you in organising these bookmarks and sharing them with other with similar interests.

If you have not taken advantage of this valuable tool, give it a try, personally I have found it an invaluable tool.