Week 14 (Apr. 2-8) Language

Language is something which constantly evolves, with words over time taking on new meanings and new words constantly added to any vocabulary.  This is something we need to be aware of in our family history research - what a particular word meant 200, 100 or even 20 years ago may not be what it means today.  Similarly, what was acceptable language years ago may not be acceptable or commonplace today.

This change in language is particularly clear in newspapers - not merely the language itself but also what was acceptable in reporting and how events were reported.

My great uncle Norman Clark died at the age of 19 when he was taken by a shark off Middle Brighton Pier on Feb 15th 1930.  He was the first swimmer to be killed by a shark in the bay for over 50 years, and was killed in full view of hundreds of people as there was a boating regatta taking place at the time.  The incident was reported in numerous papers around Australia - not just the Melbourne Argus but papers like the Rockhampton News, Launceston Times, Adelaide Advertiser, Brisbane Courier and Western Australian Mail.  Below is one of the many (over 70!) newspaper reports which appeared in papers around Australia in the days after Norman's death.

 

 

 

Just looking at the language is fascinating - I doubt it would be allowed today to describe a young man's death in a shark attack as a "thrilling struggle".  This sub-heading does highlight how language much changes - not just the basic meaning of a word but also how it is used.  At the time of this headline 'thrilling'  more closely meant 'dramatic' rather than 'exciting', and certainly what was acceptable when reporting such a tragedy back in 1930 is not what our newspapers would publish today.

The description of the attack is graphic and would not be reported in such a way today - it simply would not be acceptable.  Even reporting the victim's full name prior to all family members being notified - I have a subsequent report from the Adelaide Advertiser in which his older sister is interviewed and reveals that she found out about her brother's death by reading about it in the newspaper while she and her husband were on holiday in Adelaide.

Trove Tuesday

This month on Trove, Stephanie Morris of the National Library of Australia talks about the history of Women in Photography.

The earliest known female photographer in Australia is Louisa Elizabeth How. An album of her amateur photography taken between 1858 and 1859, held by the National Gallery of Australia, are the oldest known photographs by an Australian female photographer known to still exist. 

Stephanie discusses the work and stories of some of Australia’s earliest female photographers, including Alive Mills, May and Mina Moore, Bernice Agar, Pegg Clarke and Ruth Hollick. 

New historical photography collections are added to Trove each year. The website provides a guide on how to search images in Trove. 

You can also discover the story of Australia’s first professional photographer.

Traces Magazine

Edition 30 of Australian history and genealogy magazine Traces is now available free online for Campaspe Library members via our subscription to Libby eMagazines.

Inside this month's issue:  

• Wales House, Sydney 
• Shum’s magazines – shaping a nation
• Churchill’s Australian critic 
• Japan’s maritime story in postcards
• Who murdered Mary Murphy?
• 1921 Census reveals snapshot of life 
• Bessie’s way: a life story in two parts
• Skywriting
• Commonsense cookery
• Vanishing features of the heritage home
• And more...

What were Bishop's Transcripts?

Shortly after the establishment of the Church of England, a law was passed which required parish priests to record all the baptisms, marriages, and burials that they officiated each year. These records, called registers, were supposed to have started in 1538, although this is not consistent throughout England.

From 1598, every parish priest of the Church of England was supposed to make a copy of his parish register and send it to the archdeacon or bishop every year. Generally referred to as Bishop’s Transcripts, these copies were generally produced in the same form as a regular parish register. 

As bishop’s transcripts generally contain more or less the same information as parish registers, they are an invaluable resource when the original parish register has been damaged, destroyed, or otherwise lost. Bishop's transcripts can also be of value even when parish registers exist, as priests often recorded either additional or different information in their transcripts than they did in the original registers. Most bishop's transcripts before 1812 were recorded on blank sheets, and then on pre-printed forms from around 1813 onwards. Many priests stopped producing these transcripts with the beginning of civil registration in 1837, but some persisted even into the twentieth century.

It should be noted that many bishop's transcripts may not be available during the Interregnum, 1642-1660. During this period, the hierarchy of the Church of England was disrupted, leading to a lapse in record-keeping and communication in some dioceses.

In general, transcripts contain records of the following events:

• Baptism often called "christening" in Anglican usage, is the initial rite by which an individual is received into the community of faith within the Church of England. This rite is normally undertaken shortly after birth, though it may follow weeks or even months later.  Some were years later, or even adult baptisms, and it is not unheard of for several siblings of varying ages to be baptised together.
• Marriage sometimes listed as "weddings". From the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, couples usually (but not always) married in the bride's parish.
• Burial has historically occurred within a few days of death. Until the late nineteenth century, burial registers record many nonconformists, as nonconformists were often buried in Anglican churchyards when cemeteries belonging to their sects were not available.

 In many online databases, Bishop's Transcripts will be marked BT.

 

Who Do You Think You Are Magazine

The latest issue of Who Do You Think You Are magazine is now available free online for Campaspe Library members via our subscription to Libby eMagazines.

 
Inside this month's issue :

• Cousin marriage The law on cousin marriage and how it affects family history research
• The history of facial hair Why Victorian men loved big beards
• Easter The history of popular Easter traditions
• The American War of Independence Trace ancestors on both sides
• Royal Military Police How to find 'redcap' ancestors
• Around Britain Hampshire
• And more...
  

Week 13 (Mar. 26-Apr. 1) Home Sweet Home

Throughout my family history, there have been a number of places that were 'Home Sweet Home' to my ancestors, and finding out about them is a big part of my research. 

My father's family had strong ties to Fordham Hall (also called Manor Farm) in Essex, being tennants at the Hall for several generations.  Although they were not the owners, they were major local landholders and were the gentry of their small community.

Fordham Hall, Essex

Fordham Hall eventually became part of the Woodland Trust, but for years it was 'home sweet home' to my father's family.

For my father, the second youngest of 10 children born in Australia after my grandparents emigrated, 'home sweet home' was a full house indeed.  Often the family lived in small farmhouses, with only a few rooms.  They moved several times during my father's childhood, but none of the homes the family occupied would be called spacious.

The Green family home in Mildura, Victoria

'Home sweet home' for my father was the sheep station called 'Para' on which I was born.  My father worked there as a stockman for approximately 20 years, and my mother became station cook after their marriage.  I have a number of family stories of Dad's time at the station, and it was his favourite of all the places he called home.

Para Homestead

My sister and I were both born during our parents last years at the station.  Just before we reached school age, our family moved to the small town of Moama, where we lived for the rest of my childhood.  I have blogged a few times about cleaning out this home after my parents died, before the home was sold and I moved to my current Home Sweet Home.

Website Wednesday - Old Occupations

Family historians often locate records that list ancestors with unusual and intriguing occupations. Many of these occupations may have originated as far back as the Middle Ages and by the 14th century it was common for people to take their occupation as a surname. i.e. Skinner - Flayer of animal hides for leather or Fletcher – maker of arrows.

One website that help offer explanations of what our ancestors occupations were is Hall Genealogy's Old Occupation Names.  While the site has not been updated recently, it still offers explanations of hundreds of old occupations, listed alphabetically. 

Each old occupation listed has a short explanation of what it involved, sometimes with multiple explanations or a timeline of when the occupation existed.

Imagine looking up a marriage certificate and finding your female ancestor had listed 'Hooker' as her occupation - and the relief of finding she was actually working in a textile mill!