Week 22 (May 28-June 3) Reunion

The theme for Week 22 is 'Reunion', and a family reunion, large or small, can be a wonderful source of information, family stories and photographs for the family historian.  

For whatever the reason - birthdays, weddings, funerals or other special occasions, a major family reunion can be a huge undertaking, especially when the family is large and widespread.  Smaller family reunions, especially with family members visiting from distant locations, can be more intimate and just as special as a huge gathering.

I have been fortunate to have attended a few family gatherings over the years.  Given my early interest in family history, I usually arrived armed with notebook and pen, ready to jot down any interesting stories or unknown facts that came to light during the event.

I also have a number of photographs in my collection from various family gatherings, some of which took place before I was born.  I have commented before that my father was one of 10 children, and that I have only one (somewhat blurry) photograph of all 10 siblings together.

The above photo was taken c1965 and show my father and his brothers and sisters gathered around their father.  And yes, second eldest Ernest (Squib) is standing with a beer bottle balanced on his head, something which always impressed me as a child.

On my mother's side of the family, among my treasured photos are a pair dating from 1947.

Divided into the male and female sides, my mother is 5 years old and standing at the front of the group, with my grandmother Gladys on one side and grandmother Priscilla on the other.

The male group, again featuring matriarch Priscilla, has my grandfather William standing directly behind her.  For many of my aunts and uncles, these are the only images I have of them, so they are precious to me indeed. 

A wonderful legacy of a family reunion.

Website Wednesday - Mapping Women's Suffrage

Do you know if any of your ancestors in Britain were Suffragettes?  The new website Mapping Women's Suffrage may hold the answer for you.

 
The Votes for Women campaign was a long and difficult struggle fought by women and men in cities, towns, and villages right across the country. Mapping Women's Suffrage identifies, plots and records the everyday locations and lives of as many Votes for Women campaigners as possible across England at the height of the suffrage movement in 1911. You can search or click on the suffrage map to find where the campaigners lived, accessing a cache of biographical information, photographs and archive documents about them. 

The suffrage map has been custom built to create user friendly layers of knowledge and learning capturing the whereabouts and the lives of suffrage campaigners and their roles in the votes for women campaign. The map currently enables a range of digitised materials such as photographs, letters and official documents - often scattered across and between different physical and online locations - to be gathered together for each campaigner, centralised and viewed at the place they were living at the time of the government census survey,of 1911. The map also provides tools you can use to filter campaigners on the map by key data about them. This currently includes which suffrage society they supported in 1911, and whether they took part in an organised suffrage boycott of the government census that year. You can also choose whether to view campaigner locations on a current street map, or a historical 1888-1913 Ordinance Survey Map.
 
Each Votes for Women campaigner recorded on the map is denoted by a circular coloured icon or ‘dot’ at the address where they were living in 1911. The suffrage map recognises the contribution of multiple suffrage organisations – both law-abiding suffragists and law-breaking suffragettes - in winning Votes for Women. Therefore, the map colour codes each campaigner icon on the map by which suffrage society they were most active with at that time - purple for WSPU, red for NUWSS, and so on. You can use the side menu tools on screen, to turn on and off campaigner icons on the map, either by suffrage society, and/or by their stance on the census boycott.

The website is still a work in progress as new data is added and the online database grows, but take a look to learn more about the struggle for women's right to vote, and see if your ancestors were involved in the movement.

Growing a strong Family Tree

Genealogy is an exciting journey of discovery, but it’s easy to get caught up in the thrill of the chase. With so many online tools and databases, anyone can start creating their family history instantly – but how many of us pause to ask: does my tree have solid roots?

Jumping to conclusions is one of the quickest ways to build a shaky tree. Many genealogy websites show helpful hints or suggestions, based on similar names, dates, or locations. These can be incredibly helpful, but they also come with the risk of connecting you to the wrong ancestor. It is so, so tempting to accept hints that fit your current data, but doing so without further investigation is extremely risky.

Genealogy websites use advanced algorithms that sift through massive databases to generate their “hints”—suggested records for ancestors that might be connected to your family tree. So, on the surface, these hints seem like a quick way to expand your family tree with minimal effort.  However, there’s always a catch………

The truth is, these “hints” are often far from perfect. The algorithms are incredibly powerful, but they’re still just algorithms. They use complex logic to match names, dates, locations, and other variables, but there’s no guarantee that the hints they generate are actually accurate. We’ve all seen those really helpful online trees with ancestors who died before they were even born! It’s important to remember that these notifications are “hints” not “facts!” You still need to check and verify everything for yourself.

It’s tempting to rely on these hints and shortcut your research, but there’s no such thing as a true shortcut when it comes to family history research. While these hints might suggest a promising lead, they should never replace your own research. Simply attaching a hint without verifying the information can lead you down the wrong path and result in shaky foundations for your tree. Before you add any new information to your tree, double-check the information. Cross-reference census records, birth certificates, wills, or any other historical documents that provide hard evidence. Genealogical research is all about verifying facts, not making assumptions. If you’re unsure about a connection, mark it with a question mark and continue searching for more proof before making it permanent.

The same caution is necessary when viewing existing online trees - it’s important to remember that not all family trees are created with the same care and diligence that yours hopefully will have. Just because someone else has a connection listed doesn’t mean it’s correct, and if you do find some information that conflicts with what you have already discovered, don’t assume they are right and you are wrong. You can politely ask the owner of the tree if they can prove the connection that they have and you can check and verify this against your own known research. I have discovered multiple trees online that connect the same incorrect set of records to an ancestor - all it takes is one person to make an assumption and it seems dozens of others will copy them.

When you research your family’s history, always aim for primary sources—original records that document an event directly. Primary sources provide direct evidence of events and relationships, and they will be the strongest foundation for your research. No record is perfect, and discrepancies are common. The key to building a solid family tree is finding consistency across multiple sources. For example, you might find different spellings of a name in various records, or a few years off on a birth date. This doesn’t automatically mean that the document that you have just discovered is wrong, but if you notice a significant gap in dates or facts that don’t align, it’s a red flag that you need to investigate further. Try keeping a log of discrepancies and focus on resolving them. Sometimes, the answer lies in cross-referencing a wider variety of sources to create a fuller, more accurate picture.  And always remember to record your sources - where you found each fact, so you can retrace your footsteps if necessary and evaluate the authority of your data.

Building a family tree is like constructing a house, it requires a solid foundation. By being diligent, checking your facts, and focusing on verified sources, you can avoid the pitfalls of shaky family trees. Remember, genealogy isn’t a race to fill in the blanks; it’s a process of careful research, critical thinking, and, above all, patience.

Week 21 (May 21-27) Military

Russell Nicholas Clark, WW2

The prompt for Week 21 is 'Military'.  My family was extremely lucky, in both world wars and other conflicts, to have most of those who served not only come home, but come home fairly unscathed.  Once second cousin was killed in France in World War 1 ; one uncle died in the Merchant Navy in World War 2.  All the other relatives who served – my father, uncles and great-uncles and more recently several cousins - returned safely to their loved ones.  While they all had to live with the memories of the conflicts, they were mostly uninjured by their experiences and able to rebuild their civilian lives.  

So many others were not so fortunate.  Numerous Australian families endured the loss of loved ones on foreign soil, the arrival of the dreaded telegram, or the return of family members forever scarred by their service.  So many who returned faced a lifetime of ruined health or years of recovery and rehabilitation, and ongoing trauma from their wartime experiences.  My family has been lucky indeed.

 

Leonard Clark, WW2

My father, after attempting to enlist underage and being caught and sent home, served as ground crew in the Air Force in the latter stage of World War 2.  Stationed in Darwin for much of his active service, he always regretted that he never made it out of Australia and always refused to march in ANZAC Day or Remembrance parades.  At the end of his service he was stationed in Sydney helping unload POWs returning home from Japan, an experience he would never talk about.

 

ANZAC has very much become a part of our national vocabulary.  Many of the people who lived though that campaign were ordinary volunteers, just as Australia’s current veterans are ordinary volunteers.  They put their daily lives on hold to serve and protect us all, most with very little clear idea of just what they were volunteering for.  Even as a young child I was taught the significance of ANZAC Day, attended services, and spent my pocket money on ANZAC Day badges, many of which I have in a container at home, which I still add to annually.

Ernest Green, WW2 postcard from Egypt

Through the National Archives of Australia I have downloaded several family military records -  the NAA has indexed and digitised Boer War and World War 1 and 2 dossiers, which you can search and view online for free.  Other websites include Discovering Anzacs which allows you to add your stories and images, and the Australian War Memorial, which has databases like the WW1 Embarkation Rolls and WW1 Red Cross files.  Researching  newspaper reports in Trove has also been a gold mine, with reports of enlistments, farewells, news from the front, even letters home published in local papers.

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 : 

• Social media How to get help with your family history online
• Zeppelin raids How one man identified the victims of Britain's first air raids
• The history of slums Living in poverty in the cities of Victorian Britain
• Family Hero Dawn Robinson-Walsh's convict ancestor built a better life in Australia
• French genealogy Getting started with family history research
• Around Britain Research in the West Midlands
• And more....
  

 

Website Wednesday - National Archives of Australia

The National Archives of Australia is a rich source of information for family historians.

Many of the records in the collection are about people who:

• migrated to Australia
• served in our defence forces
• are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin
• were interned or investigated by the government
• applied for copyright, patents or trademarks

The best way to search is to think about how family members had contact with the government, then work out what types of records the NAA might have about them.

There are many ways your family might have had contact with the government.

• Migrating to Australia
• Becoming an Australian citizen
• Applying for a relative to visit from overseas
• Serving in the army, air force or navy
• Enrolling to vote
• Registering a patent or trademark
• Working for the government

You can search for family surnames using RecordSearch.  Once you have found what you are looking for, your RecordSearch item list will display an item description that shows an item's status. This will be either:

• open
• open with exception
• not yet examined, or
• closed

If the record you want is open, or open with exception, you can view it online through RecordSearch if a digital copy is available, order a digital copy or arrange to view the record in the research centre.

If the record you want is not yet examined, you will need to apply for access. To do this you will need to submit an access application online, or contact the NAA with the details of the record.

Closed records can only be accessed records that are in the open access period under the Archives Act.

Week 20 (May 14-20) Wheels

This week's #52Ancestors prompt is 'Automobiles', which brings to mind stories of my parents' wedding in 1967, which featured my father's beloved Chev Biscayne.

The Biscayne was one of the few cars my father owned during his lifetime, and was definitely his favourite.  Driven mainly for trips from the sheep station where we lived on the Darling River into Mildura or down to Melbourne, it was also the wedding car when my parents married.

Proudly decorated for the event, by the end of the reception it had, to my father's dismay, been liberally 'decorated' with toilet paper and eggs and was driven away trailing streamers and tin cans.  It was a story I heard many times during my childhood.

The Biscayne was my father's pride and joy, and he owned it for many years.  I have fond memories of family outings in that car as a young child, before it was eventually replaced with a 1967 Chrysler Valiant, in which my sister and I both learned to drive.

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 :

• 'This is the community’s wealth’ - insight into the Anglo-Saxons via their runic inscriptions
• US WW2 draft registrations 1940-1947 indexed by AI
• Extensive Dunbartonshire collections now online
• Blenheim Palace celebrates 75 years of opening to the public
• Wiltshire FHS baptisms & burials project complete!
• Chalke Valley History Festival all-inclusive tickets
• DNA Club news
• RAF Museum Midlands secures £650k grant
• Tracing ancestors in the British Armed Forces
• Bigamy - Anything you can do, I can do better!
• A chip off the old block
• Leaving a true part of ourselves for future generations

Website Wednesday

Explore Your Genealogy is an educational website developed by the Family History Federation that relates to every aspect of tracing your family history, from the very first steps to more complex research.

The main objective of the website is to promote the study and interest in family history (and associated disciplines including local and social history) in a free-to-access, easy-to-navigate website.  New articles and topics are being added regularly. 

Explore Your Genealogy already covers a range of topics, beginning with a section on 'How do I start?"  Further topics include :

• Civil Registration
• Parish Registers
• Family Heirlooms
• Wills
• Graveyards
• Military
• Archives
• DNA
• Poor Law Records
•  Census Records
• And much more

Each topic heading can contain multiple articles containing a wealth of information useful to beginners and experienced researchers alike.  There is always something new to learn!

The Family History Federation also produces the Really Useful Bulletin, which is published monthly and free to all.  The Bulletin will provide information about updates on a regular basis, and past issues can also be viewed on the website.

Week 19 (May 7-13) At the Library

How often do you visit your local public library for your Family History research?  If you haven't visited lately, you may be missing out.

Most public libraries today offer a number of resources for family history researchers.  If your ancestors lived locally, your library's Local History collection may hold valuable resources.  You can also check the local libraries in the areas your ancestors lived to see what is available - especially with today's online catalogues and potential for digitised copies and inter-library loans.

Most libraries today also offer free in-house access to online databases, such as Ancestry Library Edition or Find My Past.  While these databases are generally only available for use in the library - via public access computers or perhaps using your own device and the library wi-fi - they are a bonus for the budget conscious and allow researches to download or print relevant records.

Borrowing your favourite genealogy magazine from your local library instead of purchasing it is also a money-saving option.  Many libraries subscribe to a number of magazines for people to read in-house or borrow.  As access to eBooks and eAudio has grown, so does access to digital issues of magazines, and genealogy magazines may also be available in digital issues that you can download and read at home.

Does your local library offer classes on family history topics?  Hints and tips on getting the most out of your valuable research time?  What about a Family History Chat or hosting meetings of your local Family History Group?

Don't forget the library staff themselves can be a valuable resource.  Does your local library have a local / family history librarian?  Someone who you can call on for a little help getting the most out of library resources or available databases? 

It might be well worth your time to visit your local library to see what the have to offer family history researchers.  And most - if not all - of their resources are free!

Website Wednesday - PROV

The PROV - Public Records Office of Victoria - has a number of fantastic online resources for family history researchers, from Asylums to Wills and so much in between.  They even have 16 short video tutorials will introduce you to popular research topics to get you started on your journey!

Below are the details of a few of the many Victorian State Government records that have been digitised and are available free online.

 
Inquest records up to the year 1937 have been digitised and can be viewed online. Inquest records from 1938 onwards are not digitised and can only be viewed in the reading room after you place an order.  You need to know an approximate year of death, and the name/s of the deceased. It is worth noting that not all deaths resulted in an inquest. However, records of a post-mortem and initial investigation may be available - consider searching through the Body Cards as well.

Ward of the State and Care Leaver records for the period 6 December 1864 to 12 October 1923 have all been digitised and individual children can be found by typing their names into the search form. You can use the 'date' fields to narrow the list if you are searching for a commonly used name.  Currently there are five volumes covering the period 1923-1925 which are in the process of being digitised and/or indexed. Digital copies of the volumes covering this period will be progressively made available on the catalogue and then will be made name searchable shortly thereafter.

Passenger Lists.  An “assisted” immigrant had their voyage subsidised from the UK by the Victorian government for the purpose of being employed on their arrival.  Indexers transcribed the names and ages recorded on lists of passengers aboard ships which arrived at Victorian ports from overseas, between 1839 and 1871.  For Unassisted Passengers, indexers transcribed the names and ages recorded on lists of passengers aboard ships which arrived at Victorian ports from overseas, between 1852 and 1923 (for passengers post 1923, try searching records of the National Archives of Australia). 

The Central Registers of Male and Female Prisoners (1855–1948) cover individuals held at Melbourne area prisons (Collingwood, Carlton and Williamstown stockades, the Eastern Gaol, the Hulks and Pentridge). The records also include regional prisons for female prisoners only.  Search by a prisoner’s surname (or alias), or prisoner number.

Wills 1841-1950 and Probates (1841-1937) can be viewed online.  A will is a legal document in which a person can give instructions on how their property should be distributed after they die, and naming executors to do this on their behalf.  A probate file contains documents received or created by the Supreme Court to verify the will and issue the grant of probate that authorises the executors named in it to distribute the estate.  An administration file contains documents received or created by the Supreme Court to issue the grant of letters of administration that authorises the distribution of the estate in cases where the deceased left no will or new executors had to be named.  Digitisation of these records is ongoing; the next batch that will be digitised and published online will be for the period 1926-1950.

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 : 

• Web Highlight: RootsTech from Home
• New Tools from the Big Sites
• Turnover at the National Archives
• Ireland preps 1926 Census
• Waves of History
• Home Again
• Raising the Flag - Research your WW2 family members
• Falling in at Fold3
• Case Study : Dad and Uncle Art
• Find Your U.S. Ancestors
• Your Reunion-Planning Checklist
• Speaking softly • Navigate hard-to-talk-about subjects
• Gazetteers
• Locating Tombstones at Find a Grave
• Preserving Old Photo Albums

Week 18 (Apr. 30-May 6) Institutions

Over the years of my research I have discovered several ancestors who spent time in institutions such as workhouses, orphanages and lunatic asylums.  I have discovered that two of my Great Great grandfathers died in lunatic asylums, both from what we understand today to be dementia.

For many families, caring for an elderly relative, especially one who had developed dementia, was simply not possible, and before the rise of affordable nursing homes and old age care there were few places where the elderly could be cared for.  In times when dementia was little understood and any kind of mental illness carried a weight of social stigma for the family as well as the sufferer, hiding the person away in an institution was a frequent solution.  Others, unable to care for themselves because of their deteriorating mental state, were arrested for various reasons and ended up before the courts.  Many ended up in lunatic asylums, spending their declining years in conditions that today we would consider inhumane and totally unacceptable.  For my ancestor Edward Beseler, this was to be his fate.

Edward Beseler was born in 1836 in Neubukow, Germany and emigrated to Australia as a child with his family, father Carl Friedrich (Frederick) Beseler, mother Susetta Eva (Lisette) nee Farckens and 4 siblings.  The family arrived in Adelaide in 1847 on the ship Pauline, with the ship's passenger list describing Carl Beseler as a shoemaker.  The family lived in Adelaide for several years before travelling to Victoria, settling on a farm in Ercildown.

Edward was naturalised as an Australian citizen in 1863, and married Emma Flower in 1865.  Emma was born 19 September 1841 in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales and died 1 August 1882 in Donald, Victoria.  Together the couple had 10 children.

By 1900, Edward was in his 60s and showing signs of dementia.  Matters came to a head in 1909 when he appeared in court (see report below) on the charge of having insufficient means of support, was found to be insane and an order of commitment was made.

From the Ballarat Star, 4 February 1909

Edward was admitted to the Ararat Mental Asylum, where he was assessed, found to be suffering from senility, and committed to the wards.  In his asylum record he is described at the time of his admission as being in fair bodily health for his age, clean and tidy but difficult to communicate with as he was quite deaf and illiterate, and described as suffering from delusions.  While there are only a few doctor's notes in his file, by 1917 Edward's health was deteriorating and he died in the asylum on 7 December 1918, only a few months short of 10 years after his admission.