Follow Friday - An accumulation of my weekly research - 10

It is a long time since my last "Follow Friday- An Accumulation of my weekly research" post.  However, I have been spending many hours focusing on the story of my greatgreat grandfather Donald McDonald. So today I would like to share some of my research discoveries. 

I discovered Donald McDonald's obituary at the end of last year in TROVE.  The article confirmed the family stories that he had immigrated from Canada, and added the additional information that prior to coming to Australia, he had spent some time in the goldfields in California.

As outlined in my previous post the article also provided some other clues to his life before arriving in Australia, ie. That he was from Glengarry, Ontario and his family had a link with the Hudson Bay Company. I was very keen to research these clues further, but to my dismay found that researching in a new country was not as easy as I thought it would be ie, lack of knowledge of the social and political history, geography, new languages, unfamiliar with archives, birth, death and marriage records etc.  I recognised this as “Genealogical Culture Shock” and wrote about this on my blog on the Worldwide Genelogical Collaboration last month.

Following on from this blog – which looks at some ways that you can overcome this brick wall or “genealogical culture shock”, I have been reading, collecting resources, identifying relevant history books, linking with genealogical societies, and searching facebook, pinterest and blogs by others who are linked to or researching in this area of Canada.  For my Follow Friday Post – I would like to share with you some of the Resources I have found. 

Do you know of other research resources for this area? It would be great if you could share them as well!!

Books

Gravestones of Glengarry Series

The People of Glengarry: Highlanders in Transition, 1745-1820 by Marianne McLean.

The Scottish Pioneers of Upper Canada, 1784-1855: Glengarry and Beyond by Lucille H. Campey

The Man from Glengarry:: A Tale of the Ottawa by Ralph Connor

Clan Donald by Donald J. McDonald

The History of the Clan Donald, the Families of Macdonald, Mcdonald and Mcdonnell, by Henry Lee

Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to Canada Before Confederation by Donald Whyte

The Scots in Canada by J.M. Bumstead

Archives

Glengarry Archives: http://www.glengarryarchives.ca/

Library and Archives Canada: http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx

Hudson Bay Company Archives, http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/

Genealogical and Historical Societies

Glen Garry Historical Society: http://glengarryhistory.ca/new/

Ontario Historical Society: http://www.ontariohistoricalsociety.ca/en/About-The-Ohs_116

Web sites

Family Search, Glengarry, Ontario, http://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Glengarry_County,_Ontario

RootsWeb, Glengarry County GenWatch: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onglenga/

Clan McDonald Southern Ontario:  http://southernontario.clandonald.ca/

Clan Donald Canada Incorporated: http://www.clandonaldcanada.ca/

Canadian Headstones Project, http://canadianheadstones.com/links.htm

Libraries

Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Library, http://www.sdglibrary.ca/

Ontario Library, http://www.ci.ontario.ca.us/index.aspx?page=1

Toronto Public Library, http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/

Blogs

Library and Canada Archives Blog

Genealogy Canada

Scottish Genealogy Tips Tricks and Tidbits

Canada's History

Historica Canada 

Facebook

Canadian Council of Archives

The Ontario Historical Society

The Multicultural History Society of Ontario

Toronto Public Library

Archives Association of Ontario

Canadian Historical Society

Scottish Genealogy

Historica Canada

Pinterest

Canadian History: http://www.pinterest.com/jamesmac17/canadian-history/

Family History Canada: http://www.pinterest.com/bailleul/family-history-canada/

Scottish - Canadian History: http://www.pinterest.com/dianehewson/scottish-canadian-history/

McDanie/McDonald Genealogy: http://www.pinterest.com/scotsinamerica/mcdaniemcdonald-genealogy-western-nc/ 

Follow Friday - Recipes from the Past - A Christmas Sweet - 1911

When scanning through old papers on Trove and British News Papers on line I often come across interesting old recipes from past eras. Why not share some of these?  Maybe others would like to do the same?

In keeping with the festive season I have selected a Christmas dessert that was posted in the Tamworth Daily Observer just before Christmas in 1911. It sounds simple and delicious. 

A Christmas Dessert

Six large oranges

Half a pound of loaf sugar

A quarter of a pint of water

Half a pint of cream with sugar to taste

Put the sugar and water in a saucepan, boil until the sugar is brittle, peel the oranges, remove as much of the pith as possible and divide into slices without breaking the skin that surrounds the juicy part.  

Dip each slice into the hot sugar and arrange in layers around a plain mould, which should be oiled with pure salad oil.  The centre is left open for the cream.  Let the sugar become firm by cooling.  Turn the oranges out on a dish and fill the centre with whipped cream.*

----------------

* 1911 'FLIRTING.', The Tamworth Daily Observer (NSW : 1911 - 1916), 16 December, p. 6, viewed 12 December, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article109562655

Those Places Thursday – Araluen 1859 – Home of the McGregor and McPherson Families

In piecing together the story of the McGregor Sisters, I have spent quite a few fascinating hours

Sydney Morning Herald 29 June 1859

scanning newspaper articles in TROVE, reading about life on the gold fields in the Braidwood and Araluen district during the mid-1800’s.  It is easy to be side tracked as you flick from one article to another.  There are vivid descriptions of floods, snow falls, harsh conditions, lucky finds, accidents, bushrangers and of course the inevitable reports on the amounts of gold found in the previous week.  I was thrilled to find that one of these multi themed reports actually mentioned the McGregor and McPherson families, and thus giving me a clue as to how the McGregor Sisters parents James McGregor and Margaret McPherson met.  They were married in the Presbyterian Church at the nearby settlement of Jinglemoney, on the 23 June 1859, just a few days before this article was published.

It seems from the article that the McGregors and McPhersons were making a good living from the gold fields. It was fascinating to see part of the article report on recent snow falls.  I wonder if James and Margaret had snow on the day of their wedding?  

I hope you enjoy the sections of the article that I have included below, and I am sure you will agree these articles from the past bring to life the conditions that these pioneering families lived and thrived in.

Sydney Morning Herald Thursday 30 June 1859 page 5

BRAIDWOOD

(from our correspondent)

“After a storm comes a calm” This proverb is at present being fully verified.  The excitement caused by the elections is now over, the most pleasing reminiscences of the late contest being the contributions made to the different charities of the town by our newly elected member.  But the political excitement of the people has subsided, and a different one is rising in its stead by the unexpected advance in the price of all sorts of supplies.  From 4d. beef has gone up to 6d: from 18s. flour rose to 28s.; from 4s. potatoes rose to 7s.; and everything has taken, this last fortnight, a similar advance.  Heads of large families look, in many instances, dejected, and speak of a rise for their labour.  The rise at Sydney on groceries has been responded to here.  The weather is very dry; the diggers and farmers generally, complain of drought, and many storekeepers are becoming reluctant of furnishing supplies on credit.  A copious fall of rain, without flood, would overcome the unpleasantness that has taken possession of the minds of the community.

Where sufficient water is obtainable on the diggings the results are most satisfactory.  Last week a part of ten, on the Lower Araluen, obtained 96 ounces of gold, and a small company adjoining it, procured above 60 ounces.  On these diggings those who have their work opened and a good stream of water are doing well; indeed, it is rare to hear complaints from people who possess the first-named advantages.  A rush has lately taken place at Mericumbene and on the Moruya river.  Where, a few months ago, the wild beasts of the forest were the sole inhabitants of these regions, now tents, huts and comfortable homes are to be seen, inhabited by healthy and industrious people.  Stores, bakers and butchers’ shops, and public-houses are providing the necessaries of life to hundreds, from Braidwood to nearly Kiora, a distance of above forty miles. The last escort that left town took 2335 ounces of the precious metal.  The greatest part of that amount was procured at the Araluen diggings.  Considering the trouble and expense of getting supplies down there, things are cheaper at Araluen than at Braidwood.

During the last two months McPhersons’s and McGregor’s parties have realised an average of 40 ounces per week; the party is composed of four partners and a few hired men.   Like the auctioneers, we may well say, speaking of the lucky arties, the list of names is too numerous to mention.  At the Little River, and the neighbourhood diggings, the miners are doing pretty well – there, none but persevering people can expect to do well; the chances are very uncertain, but when you do hit upon the lead, it well deserves the title of “luck”……..

Mr Surveyor Ardill and his staff are now engaged to find the boundary line of Messrs Roberts’ property at Araluen, with the Government land.  Latterly there has been so much law work on this question, that the diggers have resolved to have it settled’; they therefore joined together to defray a surveyor’s expenses, and very soon a great annoyance will be stopped.  The same gentleman has also instructions from the Government to survey and mark out a grant from the Crown to the Catholic community of these diggings for the erection of a church, a schoolroom and a reserve for a burial ground. …..

The snow storm that passed over our district on nomination day has left behind traces of its presence.  Numerous trees have been thrown down; branches had to give under the weight of the snow, and many horses shied at the novel sight – thus causing not a few accidents.*

_______________________

*Citation: BRAIDWOOD. (1859, June 30). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 5. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13027028

Friday's Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge - E for Employment

It is pouring rain outside today, so what better opportunity than to finish of my next blog in Friday's Family History through the Alphabet Challenge as part of my attempt to complete the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge.

Today's challenge is "E" and this post was inspired my recent blog on sisters Mary Ann and Emma Jane Weston. As I put their stories together, part of my research involved looking how they, their husbands and other family members were employed.  The "Employment" of our ancestors helps us develop a more colourful picture of the circumstances of their lives.  So my Alphabet Challenge for today is "E for Employment".

There a number of different resources that can assist you with discovering how your family members were employed.  Here is a brief summary of some resources that are useful.

MC for Thomas Lee and Emma Jane Weston

1.  Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates:
Birth certificates generally list the occupation of the child's father, for example on Emma Jane Weston's Birth Certificate , her father is listed as a house painter.  Marriage certificates can give details of how the bride, groom and parents of couple are employed.  On Emma Jane Weston's certificate her husband Thomas Lee is described as a gold digger. (I believe this is literal, and not that Emma Jane was wealthy, he he.)

1851 Census Barnoldswick, George Rushworth and family

2.  Census: Census records provide us with a mine of information on how families were employed often listing the occupations of all family members and their neighbours. The census page from the Barnoldswick, 1851 Census  on the left shows how all of George Rushworth's family is employed.  It is obvious from their occupations that the main industries for this district were related to weaving and the textiles.

Military Record for Malcolm Michael Shepherd

3. Telephone, Post Office and Trade Directories:  These are another useful resource, which provide in alphabetical order, details of where family members lived and sometimes their occupations.  An example of a directory that is very useful for Australian Research is the Greville's Post Office Directory. I was able to find Emma Jane Weston's Uncle, Alfred Weston on the 1871 Greville's Directory abd confirm that he had moved to this district and was employed as a miner in Araluen, a mining community, in the Braidwood district of southern New South Wales.

4. Military Records: My recent blog "D is for Dog tags" outlines some of the wonderful information you can find when you access your ancestors military records. The front page of a soldiers record will give you details of their employment prior to their enlisting. An example of this can be seen from the front page of my grandfather Malcolm Michael Shepherd's military record.  His occupation is listed as a carrier in the Braidwood district.

Immigration: Mary Anne and Emma Jane Weston 1856

5. Immigration Records/Ship Logs: Emigration/Immigration and Shipping Lists are another useful resource.  When researching Mary Anne and Emma Jane Weston I was able to find out that they were employed as housemaids in London prior to travelling Australia on the "Kate".  These details were shown on the New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896 .

6. Letters, Obituaries and Newspaper Articles:  Finally,  the careful examination of the documents related to your family history that you have collected can be rewarding.  Often, when you reread a letter, obituary or newspaper article you are able to find clues to how your forefathers were employed. Old receipts or accounts from a family business will also provide you with clues. If you do not have newspaper clips or obituaries, Trove is a useful site for accessing these.  If you are new to Trove, a post from last year, TROVE, outlines how to register and the wonderful benefits it provides for family tree researchers. By searching the Trove you are able find feature articles, business advertisements, obituaries and death notices etc. These articles provide great clues to how your ancestors were employed.

I hope that you find these few hints helpful when looking for how your ancestors were employed.  Family tree research is more than names and dates, lets find out a little more more about how they felt, who their neighbours were and what was their life like!! 
 

Mystery Monday- The Mysterious Disappearance of Christina McGregor

Wallance Street Braidwood, http://www.visitbraidwood.com.au/bwdtown

Not long ago I came across an article that caught my attention. I was as I call it "playing" on Trove.  This means, I randomly put in names and places connected with my family tree and see what comes up.  Lots of fun if you have time.  This evening, I was searching for family names that lived in the Braidwood, Major's Creek and Araluen area of New South Wales.  In the late 1850-1860's this district was a thriving mining community and many of my ancestors gravitated here to try and make their fortune in the new colony. One branch of my family tree is the McGregors.  Peter McGregor and his second wife Christina Miller/Muller came to Australia from Scotland with their family.  Imagine my surprise when I came across this article.
 

Queanbeyan Age and General Advertiser (NSW : 1864 - 1867), Thursday 22 October 1863, page 2

MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE -On Thursday evening last, Mrs. McGregor of Berlang, left Toney's public-house at the top of Araluen Mountain to return home. The sun-was down at the time, and the night anything but favourable for a female to ride through a wild country alone. In the morning, as Mrs. McGregor had not returned home, search was made, and her horse with saddle and bridle on was found. Her husband, Mr. Peter McGregor, with some friends and neighbours,has been out ever since, but up to the date of the latest intelligence from Major's Creek, no clue can be found. It is much to be feared that Mrs. McGregor was thrown from her horse, and in the darkness of the night has fallen into some of the deep gullies and ravines which abound in this part of the country, in endeavouring to reach home. If such should turn out to be the case, but little hope remains that she will be found, for if dead her body would in all probability be devoured by native dogs, as was supposed to be the case with a lad who was lost in the same part of the bush some years since.

The article caught my attention, could this Mrs McGregor be related to me!!  I knew that my great,great,great Grandfather Peter McGregor had come to Australia and had settled into the Braidwood district, however, I had not heard any family stories about his wife Christina's untimely death!!

I searched  on Trove  little more, using the date of death to see if I could find any more information on Mrs McGregor's mysterious disappearance.  It took a while, finally I found another article that answered the question as to what happened to Mrs McGregor.

Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1875), Saturday 24 October 1863, page 4

The late mysterious disappearance.  In our last issue we stated that Mrs. McGregor, wife of Mr Peter McGregor of Berlang had been missing since the previous Tuesday evening.  Her body was found on Friday Morning, and a magisterial inquiry held on the following day, at Toney's Public House, Majors Creek before J.H. Griffin, Esq. J.P., cleared up the mystery. It appeared from the evidence that the last time Mrs McGregor was seen alive was on Tuesday evening at about five o'clock, when she called at Toney's public house, which is a distant about four miles from her house, and remarked, on leaving, that she had plenty of time to get home before dark. The people who saw her last say that she had a glass, but was sober at the time she started for home. On the following (Wednesday) morning her horse was found about half a mile on the road between the public house and Berlang, tied to a sapling and inquiries to the fact that she had not yet reached her home, induced a further search, which was continued until Friday morning, when her cold body was found in an old shaft full of water about 300 yards at the rear of Toney's premises by her stepson. 

A post mortem examination by Dr Beer proved that she had been alive when falling into the shaft, and she had died from asphyxia.  The night upon which Mrs McGregor was missing was intensely dark, wet and stormy and the probability is that she had missed her way, and got off the road, and in making back for the public house lamp, had fallen into the shaft.  Her remains were interned on Sunday in the presence of a large concourse of friends and neighbours.  Braidwood Dispatch October 21 

Death Certificate - Christina McGregor

Oh what a sad story!!!  I still had not confirmed that she was  Christina McGregor, the wife of my Peter McGregor.  Time to look for some concrete evidence.  I did a search on the NSW Birth, Deaths and Marriages site, and found a Christina McGregor who had died in the Braidwood District in 1863.  I sent off my money and request for a copy of the death certificate.  I had to solve this mystery!!

 For the next week, I checked my mail box with eager anticipation!! 

The certificatee finally arrived and confirmed my suspicions. The death certificate for Peter McGregor's wife Christina stated that she had died from  asphyxia, after falling into a mine shaft.

My mystery solved!  Poor Christina who had travelled all the way from Scotland with her husband Peter McGregor and her stepchildren twelve years prior had met with such an unfortunate accident at the age of 44.  

Once again, thank you Trove!! for helping me find another fascinating story about my family tree. 
  


 

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

The Excitment of Starting a New Family Tree

Jospeh Kaye,  http://photosau.com/Queanbeyan/scripts/home.asp

Last night it was my pleasure to introduce one of my friends to the delights of family research!!! 

She has been interested in her family background for a long time, but her busy life style had meant putting it on hold.  Having recently been to a short introductory course on starting a family tree she was keen to put what she had learnt into practice.  Knowing that I had been a family tree tragic for many years she sought my advice on some basic hints to get her on track.  

Where does one start??  I felt it was important to just provide enough information to get started, so that she could have the experience of putting all the pieces together herself.  Over a glass of red wine, we settled into starting the initial stages of her family story.   Firstly, using the birth dates of her parents and grandparents, I showed her how to set up an online tree in Ancestry.

Then, as most of her immediate family were born in New South Wales (Australia), we looked at how to look up the births, deaths and marriages of her family  on in the NSW Historical Indexes for Births Deaths and Marriages. Using the indexes we discovered details of quite a few of her fathers family, including great aunts, great and great, great grandfathers and grandmothers, some of whom she could remember.  I could see the excitement glinting in her eyes as we started to unravel her family story.  Oh yes,  another family tree digger is hooked!!!!

Then, my friend jumped up and said  "I have so show you something!!"  After a quick rustle in her cupboard she carefully brought out a beautiful old family bible that had belonged to her great great grandfather, Joseph Kaye who had settled in the Queanbeyan district in  the late 1830's.  The inside covers were filled with faded ink inscriptions of family birth, death and marriage details.  This was a treasure that all family historians dream of discovering! 

 As we poured over the inscriptions inside the diary, I decided that we had enough information to check out one of my favorite family research sites.  TROVE!    Trove is a free online resource provided by the National Library of Australia, which provides anyone with access to digital copies of newspapers, images, maps, books and many more items.  After showing her how to set up her own account, we typed into the search box "Joseph Kaye" Queanbeyan and then selected the "sort by earliest" button.  We were immediately rewarded with a number of articles about her great great grandfather.  One article from 1844, not only gave details of his marriage, but also details of where his wife's family came from and the name of his company and business partner.

MARRIED.  

At Queanbeyan, on Tuesday, the 5th November, by the Rev. E. Smith, by special  license, Joseph Kaye, Esq., of the firm of Hunt  and Kaye, to Eliza, fifth daughter of the late  Mr. John Hunt, of Fishlake, near Doncaster, England.  

(1844 'Family Notices.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 15 November, p. 3, viewed 10 July, 2012, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12417766)

 

Hours had ticked by and our bottle of wine was all but gone, and it was time to pack up for the night. However we both agreed it had been a very productive evening. As I wandered off to bed I grinned to myself,  "Another one has been hooked".

 

Gathering information for your family tree

I guess I have always been interested in history, and studied modern and ancient history at school.  This fascination  with the “times before me” was transferred to an ever growing interest in my family background and the people who came before me.  To begin with I was attracted by the puzzle of putting everyone in their place, with dates of birth, marriage and death. However, this has now evolved and I find I want to know more about the people,  the events they experienced and the times they lived through.

If you are planning to start putting together your family history you have to be prepared to become  a gather and collector of all different types of memorabilia.  Some items you will have to search high and low for and others will just land in your lap.  When I was first married and my two sons were very small, I started to be serious about researching our family roots.  This was in a time without Internet. All research had to be done in library’s, local museums, cemeteries, archives and more importantly by rummaging in many dusty boxes and suitcases that had been stored under beds or storage rooms. I wrote with great enthusiasm to many relatives telling them of my plan to put together our family history. Many of these letters went unanswered.  However, luckily  there were others in my family that were happy to share stories, old photos and letters and contacts with other family links.

The process of gathering information was much slower than it is today.  All communication was by post or phone and the building of the family tree was a much slower process.    Though I must confess, it was much easier to keep up with.  I don’t know what other family tree researchers feel, but my experience is that now it is impossible to keep up with the flow of information and resources  that are available to us today. (Mind you I wouldn’t want to change this, I love that you can search a name and instantly find when they were born, where they lived etc).

I believe that the things I learnt when I first started researching the family tree (a lot by trial and error) were valuable, and more importantly a lot of the information that I gathered during these early years have opened new family links more recently.  For example, recently I was reading through some notes that I had made when visiting my great Aunt in 1986.  She had mentioned that one of her Aunts had died in a fire.  Using the wonderful resource that we now have for Australian research I did a search on TROVE, and was able to find an article that gave the date of her death and the name of her husband and children.  From this little note that I had made many years ago, I was able to fill in a number of gaps in our family history.

If you are thinking of looking into your family tree here is a list of  some things that will help you find those important clues that will assist you along the way.

1. Letters - provide a lot of information, e.g. date, residence, family events, occupations  and general family history.

2. Diaries – if you are able to find an old diary or log book of an ancestor this is a wonderful bonus. They can provide so much information about the life and times of that family member.

3. Postcards, birthday or Christmas cards- can provide residential address, names of other members of the family and information on what they were doing at that time of history. 

4.  Old receipts -  provide names, dates and add to the story of the person.

5. Memorial Cards - these generally will give you birth and death date and sometimes family members.

6. Photos – look on the back for any notes that may give you clues

7.  Newspaper cuttings -  even if you are not able to see the link with your family, there must have been a reason they were cut out, so keep them.  Something might come up later that explains the importance of the cutting.

8. Christening certificates, school awards, note books – all add to the information about an individual.

9. Stories - write down or record stories from family members.  Don’t put this off.  There are so many of my older relatives that I wish I had made time to talk to.

10.  Establish links with others researching same family or connections with your family. This can be done through the Internet, online genealogy sites or just writing to family members.

11. Historical societies in towns where ancestors are a great source and may have old newspapers, photos, maps etc.  A lot of Historical Societies have books published on their area which are a mine of information about the times that our ancestors lived in.

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