Merry Christmas

As the year draws to a close, many of us are getting ready for some traditional family time.  For me, Christmas means that the tree is up - in fact it has been put up several times thanks to the enthusiasm of my cat who sees the Christmas Tree as his own personal climbing gym - and the house is decorated.  The fridge is full, the presents wrapped, cards sent and received.  Work is about to shut down until New Year, a lovely week of leave.

While my family has always had the traditional Christmas tree, wreath and turkey for Christmas lunch, some of our particular traditions were more unique to us - like watching "The Muppet's Christmas Carol" on Christmas Eve.  It is a tradition that we have had since I was a child and we watched it one Christmas on TV.  Much searching by my mother produced a video of the film and even as teenagers the tradition of watching "The Muppet's Christmas Carol" on Christmas Eve prevailed.  It continued as we became adults and spent Christmas with our parents, was tolerated by baffled partners and friends, and after our parents passed was continued by my sister and I.  Eventually while on a cruise I located a DVD copy (in April!) and after explaining the significance to several bemused holiday acquaintances, that night seven adults sat and watched the brilliant Michael Caine, so shiningly evil as Scrooge before he finds the spirit of Christmas, as he seamlessly interacted with his Muppet costars.

Kermit is a perfect as the kindly, patient Bob Cratchit, with Miss Piggy as his feisty wife Emily, Statler and Waldorf are the evil Marleys, cackling gleefully about evicting children from orphanages.  And Gonzo shines as the 'omniscient narrator', a blue furry Charles Dickens with his sidekick Rizzo the Rat who cheerfully states he is here for the food.

We both pretty much know the film by heart.  We've watched it every Christmas Eve since we were young children.  We will happily settle in to recite lines, sing the songs, munch mince pies and thoroughly enjoy our evening. This is our Christmas.

Some Christmas traditions have also changed.  Tinsel does not feature in my decorations any more after the year my tinsel-obsessed cat caused a rather expensive Christmas day visit to the family vet (again - I am so sorry, Debbie).  The same cat has also resulted in the rule that my Christmas Tree is put up undecorated for a week until he has lost interest in it.

So whatever your Christmas traditions I hope everyone out there enjoys the festive season and I look forward to 2024.  Merry Christmas!

Digitization of Wills UK

The UK Ministry of Justice has just released their plan to digitize historic wills.

Their statement reads :

"Genealogists, historians and amateur family archivists will be better able to access historic wills under proposals published today (15 December 2023).

The ambitious digitization programme could see millions of wills dating back more than 150 years moved online and more easily accessible to the public in a bid to improve the current storage system.  

Currently about 110 million physical documents are stored costing taxpayers £4.5 million per year. The consultation is seeking views on keeping hard copies for about 25 years, in recognition of their sentimental value to families, while saving them digitally longer term."

This plan has immediately stirred up a storm of controversy amongst Genealogists.  While it is agreed that digitizing the wills and making them more accessible is a boon to the Genealogical and Historical communities, the idea of destroying the hard copies of wills after 25 years is considerably less popular.

There have been a number of questions regarding the proposal.  How much will it cost to maintain the digital records? Things like the servers, the regular migration to modern formats to ensure they remain accessible etc? Digital is not 'free'.

The consultation will end on 23 February 2024.  So follow the link and have your say about the future of these important historical records.

Really Useful Podcast Series 3

The Family History Federation has now completed Season 3 of its series of Really Useful Podcasts introduced and presented by Joe Saunders.

The series comprises :

Episode 1 : Free Resources

Family history research can quickly become an expensive hobby. However, there is a wealth of free resources that we can use to help with our research while keeping costs down. We discuss some of the different free (online and in-person) resources available in this episode.

Episode 2 : Were your Ancestors Really Married?

Many of us will have questioned at some point in our research whether our ancestors were really married. In this episode our guests discuss how you can tell if people were married or not, share some stories and offer tips, including to use Rebecca Probert’s, Marriage Law for Genealogists.

Episode 3 : Migration Within Britain

People in the past moved about a lot more than we might think. In this episode our guests discuss the historical migration of people within Britain, including the kind of movements you might find in your family tree, what this can tell us and how we can research migrating ancestors.

Episode 4 : Family, Local and Social History

Local and social history are closely linked with family history. They enable us to discover more about our ancestors’ lives, adding detail to core information about life events. Our speakers discuss the value of local and social history and how to incorporate it into our research.

Episode 5 : Getting Started with DNA

In recent years DNA has become increasingly prominent in family history research, offering a method to complement our other sources or fill a gap in their absence. In this episode our guests share their advice on starting out with DNA.

Episode 6 : Proof is Essential

Proof is critical when building our family trees. We must use good methodology to gather evidence to prove our family history. Our guests discuss the importance of proof to family history research and offer some advice.

Family Tree UK Magazine

The latest issue of Family Tree UK magazine is now available free online for Campaspe Library members via our subscription to Libby eMagazines.

Inside this month's issue :

• Scottish Women’s Land Army records now available online - from ScotlandsPeople
• RootsTech 2024 first keynote speaker announced - Lynne M. Jackson, author, and president and founder of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation.
• Millions of military records • From the Crimean War to the battlefields of World War I on FindMyPast.
• A passion for stories - A new platform for sharing family history stories offers its members the chance to come together to pool ideas and learn from each other
• My family’s graves and how I found them - from Gaynor Haliday.
• Schwedersky – how we discovered an unknown East Prussian ancestry
• A Gingerbread story • Charlotte Soares takes us a on a seasonal look back at the story of ginger and its many uses.
• Living in Georgian splendour - Gill Shaw keeps digging…
• The nature and uses of memoir and storytelling - Emma Jolly concludes her family history series. 
• And more...

Accentuate the Positive Geneameme 2023

I am responding once again to the wonderful Jill Ball with her annual challenge.  I'm looking forward to reading all the responses from my fellow Genealogists out there.

1.  An elusive ancestor I found was – Thomas Farmer, Master Mariner (see post below)

2.  A precious family photo I found was – nothing new this year, but I have managed to put some time into making sure all my old photos are digitized and backed up.

3.  An ancestor's grave I found was – several online, including the previously mentioned Thomas Farmer.

4.  An important record I found was – Every record I find is important!  A significant find was the marriage certificate of my 4xGreat Grandfather John Pummeroy to Sarah Morgan.  Every other document I have gives her maiden name as Morgan, so I had always looked for their marriage under that name.  Subsequent research established that Morgan or Moreman was Sarah’s mother’s maiden name, her father was William Lindsey and she married as Sarah Lindsey, to John Pomroy in her home village of Woodbury in Devon.   One brick wall demolished!

5.  A newly found family member shared - notes on common ancestors.  I keep basic trees on several sites - Ancestry, FamilySearch, My Heritage, etc mainly as 'cousin bait' to make contact with others researching in the same tree so we can share information - and every now and then I strike it lucky.

6.  A geneasurprise I received was - so many genealogical websites, archives and companies who made special efforts to run meetings and conferences online to keep going during the pandemic continue to do so.  I find this so convenient as I can attend events from home that I would otherwise have no hope of accessing.

7.  A new piece of software or website I mastered was – Ancestry’s latest DNA update.

8. A social media tool I enjoyed using for genealogy was – Zoom, Skype and all the platforms that allow me to attend meetings, classes, conferences etc online. 

9. A genealogy conference/seminar/webinar from which I learnt something new was - RootsTech.  Another conference which continues to be held online and free.

10. I am proud of the presentation I gave at/to – all the branches of Campaspe Library.  It was wonderful to start running classes again after two years of the pandemic then having to cancel again in 2022 because of the worst floods on record.

11. I taught a friend how to - use Trove to access historic Australian newspapers and gazettes.

12. A great repository/archive/library I visited was - the National Archives UK - online.  Once again I've downloaded a number of wills and other digital records this year.

13. A new genealogy/history book I enjoyed was – Henry VIII : the Heart and the Crown by historian Alison Weir, following up her series ‘Six Tudor Queens, which focused on each of King Henry VIII's wives, this book tells events from the King’s perspective.

14. An achievement during the year was – keeping my files (fairly) up to date.  I have always struggled to make sure I keep my files in good order, and after spending so much time during the lockdowns getting them organised and up-to-date I am determined not to relapse!

15. Another positive I would like to share is ... The wonderful genealogical community out there.  So many people willing to help each other, suggest solutions to research problems, share their knowledge and expertise, and give back to others.

Thomas Farmer, Master Mariner

 Finding the details of an ancestor's life is always exciting, and lately I have been researching my 3xGreat Grandfather Thomas Farmer.

Thomas Farmer was born in London, baptised 2 September 1781 at St Ann Blackfriars, London, son of Thomas and Mary Farmer.  He died in Sidney Square, London and was buried 28 September 1850 at St Dunstan & All Saints, Tower Hamlets, London.

Baptism records of Thomas Farmer, 1781

 
Thomas and his wife Ann has 3 children that I have currently located.  Thomas, born 7 June 1812, Ann born 13 January 1820 and Margaret born 4 January 1822.

During my research, I discovered Thomas Farmer and wife Ann in the 1841 census, where Thomas is listed as a Master Mariner living in Jubilee Street, Tower Hamlets.  Daughters Ann and Margaret are both still living at home at the time of the census.

1841 census

I also discovered that Thomas was a Mason, listed as a member of the Dundee Arms Lodge in Nightingale Lane, Wapping.

Membership Register of the Dundee Arms Lodge, 1810

Thomas Farmer Junior was also a mariner - clearly sailing was in the family's blood as Thomas Jr followed in his father's footsteps.  Sadly, Thomas Senior would die only a month before his son gained his Master's certificate on 21 November 1850.

Thomas's youngest daughter Margaret is my great great grandmother.  She married Alexander Davis on 21 November 1843, and the couple would have five children born in Kent or London before the couple decided to emigrate to Australia.  Sadly, Margaret, daughter and sister of master mariners, would die at sea on the voyage to Australia on the ship 'President Perkouberen' giving birth two twins, neither of whom survived and were buried at sea with their mother.

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: 

• 12 Christmas projects 12 fun ways to build your family tree over the Christmas period
• Christmas quiz Try out these family history brainteasers
• Reader story Mary Jones' seven-year-old relative was arrested for stealing coal
• The history of Christmas dinner What did our ancestors eat at a festive feast?
• Old newspapers How to use newspapers in family history research
• London ancestors Our complete guide to tracing your family history in the capital
• And more
  

 

Ancestry DNA 2-step Verification

For those who have done a DNA test with Ancestry, you may have already noticed that to access your DNA matches you are now required to set up 2 step verification.

To set up this added layer of security, you are first required to choose between having your code sent to a mobile phone or an email address.  Then you input the number or address you wish to choose and confirm using your current Ancestry password.  A code is then sent to you via your chosen method for you to input before you are able to access your DNA matches.

Once you have accessed your DNA matches, you have several ways of sorting them.  At the top level, you can view matches by :

• Parent - view matches on your maternal or paternal line
• Ancestor - choose any ancestor in your Ancestry tree
• Location - zoom in on a world map to see where you matches are dispersed

You can also filter by 

• Unviewed matches - highlighting those DNA matches you have not yet evaluated.  
• Common Ancestors - viewing only matches whose Ancestry tree intersects your own
• Trees - sort by Private Linked Trees, Public Linked Trees or Unlinked Trees
• Shared DNA - sort by Close Matches, Distant Matches or by Custom Centimorgan Range
• Group - create you own custom group such as new matches

So if you have done an Ancestry DNA test and haven't checked back in a while, go set up your 2 step verification and check out the latest updates.

Family Tree US Magazine

The latest issue of Family Tree US magazine is now available free online for Campaspe Library members via our subscription to Libby eMagazines. 

Inside this month's issue :  

• 23andMe Data Breach
• 2024 Virtual Genealogy Conferences
• Living History - Building ancestral homes gives one woman a hands-on family history experience.
• The Year Ahead - 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet.
• FAQs - Go back to the basics with these answers to common genealogy questions.
• What Kind of Cousins Are We?
• Genealogy Mythology
• Types of DNA Tests
• Getting he Picture - Unlock the clues hiding in your family photos.
• Passenger Lists
• Preserving Scrapbooks
• Small Ethnicity Estimates
• Civil War Genealogy
• And more