Really Useful Podcasts - Episode 6

The Family History Federation has now launched Episode 6 of its new series of Really Useful Podcasts.

 
This new episode focuses on Newspapers.  The website describes it : 

"Joe is joined by Mish Holman, professional genealogist who is particularly interested in theatre ancestors and census enumerators, Margaret Roberts, speaker, editor of the Playing Pasts online sports history magazine and Publicity Officer for the FHS of Cheshire, Paul Chiddicks, blogger and Family Tree Magazine’s ‘Dear Paul’ and Natalie Pithers, professional family historian, blogger and host of the YouTube/Podcast series #TwiceRemoved.

Newspapers are a superb yet under-used resource for family history. We discuss the kinds of information you can find within them ranging from accidents to awards and how to go about searching for genealogy gold."

Any long term readers of this blog will know how much I LOVE newspapers, especially the magnificent and free Australian newspaper site Trove.  From family notices to court reports, sporting achievements to business advertisements, stories of shark attacks and vagrancy, destitute widows and shipping arrivals, I have found so many wonderful things in the newspapers about members of my family.

As more and more newspapers are digitised and added to the collection, I keep finding snippets that add to my family history.  Thanks to newspapers I discovered that my great uncle Alfred Pummeroy, a jockey, was fined for incompetence.  While searching death notices I discovered my great grandfather James Nicholas Clark and great great grandfather John Clark were both members of Masonic Lodges.

So take some time searching old newspapers - you never know what you might find.

Really Useful Podcasts - Episode 5

The Family History Federation has now launched Episode 5 of its new series of Really Useful Podcasts.

 
This new episode focuses on One-Place Studies.  The website describes it : 

"Joe is joined by Janet Few, historian, President of the Family History Federation, former chair of the Society for One-Place Studies and author on the subject, Pam Smith, former professional genealogist and passionate local historian who is co-founder of the local history data management app Name & Place and Elizabeth Walne, professional genealogist, writer, tutor, speaker and One-Place researcher.

One-Place Studies are rich local and community histories that involve similar skills and sources as family history. We discuss how to go about choosing and carrying out your own study and the pleasures and pitfalls of doing so."

A One-Place Study is not something I have considered starting yet, but it is always useful to know how to go about it, and I certainly need to investigate if there is already a One-Place Study being conducted in any of the areas I an researching.

Really Useful Podcasts - Episode 4

 

The Family History Federation has now launched Episode 4 of its new series of Really Useful Podcasts.

This new episode focuses on Social Media.  The website describes it : 

"Joe is joined by Andrew Martin, family historian, author, digital archivist and host of The Family Histories Podcast, Margaret Roberts, editor of the Playing Pasts online sports history magazine and Publicity Officer for the FHS of Cheshire and Daniel Loftus, Gen-Z Genealogist and founding member of The Hidden Branch group for young family historians.

Social media can be a fantastic tool for both the individual family historian and societies to communicate and connect. We discuss the different platforms, their pros and cons and our guests offer some top tips on using them."

As a dedicated user of social media for genealogy, I have been using social media platforms Blogger and Twitter for a number of years, but there is always new information to be gained in how to best use various platforms.   This podcast helped me see new ways to get the most out of my time and resources - many thanks to the presenters.

The National Archives Podcasts

The National Archives UK has just launched a new series of free podcasts focusing on 20th Century Migration.  

According to the Archives :
"There are over 900 years of immigration records available for research here at The National Archives. In our latest three-part podcast series, we’re exploring the rich history of migration in the 20th century.

This series focuses on three major Acts that highlight shifts in policy around migration and citizenship over the past 100 years. We feature the profound and lasting impact of migration for citizens and non-citizens alike throughout Britain, its Empire and the Commonwealth."

An introductory podcast in this series was launched Monday 22 November.  

There are a number of other topics covered on the National Archives Podcast page, including Countdown to the 1921 Census ; Digitally Reconstructing Ireland's Lost Archive ; a three part series on Crime ; and more.  Take a look and see what you can learn.

Really Useful Podcasts - Episode 3

 

The Family History Federation has now launched Episode 3 of its new series of Really Useful Podcasts.

This new episode focuses on Online Events.  The website describes it :

"Joe is joined by Kelly Cornwell, professional family historian, blogger and speaker, Jane Hough, amateur genealogist and blogger, and Margaret Roberts, editor of the Playing Pasts online sports history magazine and Publicity Officer for the FHS of Cheshire.

During the pandemic of 2020-1 many events in the family history world moved online and it looks as though many meetings, talks and conferences will have an online element ongoing. We discuss the excitement and variety of online family history events and how attendees and organisers can get the most out of them."

Living in a country area, with my nearest state capital over 200km away, I have greatly enjoyed the many talks, conferences and meetings which have been held online over the past 2 years, and have benefited from them immensely.  So many of these events I could never have attended had they been held in-person only.  While online attendance does impact the networking and mingling aspects of in-person events, it has opened many opportunities up to those of us unable to travel as much as we would like and who are researching of families from afar.

I certainly hope that in the future, many Family History events will continue to have an online element, catering for those who would otherwise be unable to attend and participate.

So listen in to this new podcast and hear what the experts have to say about Online Events.

Really Useful Podcast Episode 2

 
The Family History Federation has now launched Episode 2 of its new series of Really Useful Podcasts.

This new episode focuses on Identity.  The website describes it :

"Joe Saunders is joined by Dr Penny Walters, lecturer and author on various genealogy topics including ethical dilemmas and the psychology of searching and Yetunde Abiola, family historian and expert on the impact of ancestors' stories on the lives of future generations and the complexities of Caribbean, diaspora and Colonial genealogies.

Identity is a crucial part of family history and can be both a difficult and joyful thing. We discuss race, belonging, ethnicity and DNA as important factors around identity and how important it is we manage expectations, perceptions and how we must understand genealogy within historical context."

So listen in to this new podcast and hear what the experts have to say about Identity.

Really Useful Podcast

The Family History Federation has just launched 'The Really Useful Podcast', a new series of Family History podcasts set to cover a range of topics and feature expert guests. 

Episode 1 is now live and focuses on Occupations.  The website  describes it -
"In this episode of the Really Useful Podcast, Joe Saunders is joined by Mish Holman, professional genealogist who is particularly interested in theatre ancestors and census enumerators, Mike Esbester, academic historian and co-lead on the Railway Work Life and Death Project and Judith Batchelor, professional genealogist, writer and tutor at IHGS.

Work affected our ancestors and shaped their fortunes. Occupational records can be used to research your family history and give a fuller picture of their lives. Among other things our speakers touch upon the need to think about women’s work, what drew people to certain occupations and offer some top tips for researching."

National Archives UK

The National Archives has launched it new-look website after several months of public consultation and design.  Not only is there a new homepage layout but also a 'mega menu' which drops open to display all the main sections of the page for fast, efficient access.  The Archives hope that the new interface will offer a better experience for mobile users, who make up approximately 20% of the sites visitors.  Their many online collections can be browsed in a number of categories, including

• 20th Century Politics 
• Air Force 
• Army 
• Crime
• Looted Art
• Maps
• Marines
• Medals
• Merchant Navy
• Migration
• Navy
• Wills and Probate

The National Archives also boast a series of podcasts in which Researchers and historians from The National Archives and elsewhere offer expert guidance on researching family history and unlocking the multitude of sources available.

RootsTech

RootsTech is an opportunity to discover the latest family history tools and techniques, connect with experts to help you in your research, and be inspired in the pursuit of your ancestors. It is a conference with a unique emphasis on helping individuals learn and use the latest technology to get started or accelerate their efforts to find, organize, preserve and share their family’s connections and history. Workshops and interactive presentations are aimed at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced level.

The conference took place in Salt Lake City, Utah from March 21-23, and many of the presentations can be viewed onlint via the RootsTech website.

National Archives UK

The National Archives Podcast Series
Listen to talks, lectures and other events presented by The National Archives of the United Kingdom.  The list is updated frequently as new podcasts are released.  Go to http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/rss/podcasts.xml

Genealogy and Family History Podcasts

For those unfamiliar with them, a podcast is an audio or video file that is made available on the Internet for download and playback using a computer or a mobile device such as an Ipod.
Podcasts of the BBC Radio genealogy programmes are now available online.  Tracing Your Roots was a series of talks on BBC Radio 4, and Digging Up Your Roots is BBC Radio Scotland's genealogy programme.
The National Archives in Britain also have a series of podcasts available on a variety of topics.

Family History Feast Podcasts

The podcast of the annual Family History Feast held on Monday 2 August 2010 is now available on the State Library of Victoria website.

The individual links are:

Joan Hunt: http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/node/2716
Sandra Burt: http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/node/2717
Kim Burrell: http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/node/2718
Peter Gloury: http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/node/2719
Philip Thiel: http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/node/2721
The Don Grant lecture given by Professor Geoffrey Blainey is now live: http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/node/2715