The Year in Review

A rather challenging and different year is almost over, and as I usually do at this time, I'm looking back at the genealogical highlights.  Feel free to make your own responses to each question.

1.  An elusive ancestor I found was - Thomas Farmer, Master Mariner.  Born 1781, Thomas was also a Mason, made a member of the Dundee Arms lodge 8 March 1810. He is one ancestor I have managed to discover quite a bit about during the year.

2.  A precious family photo I found was - my fathers WW2 Air Force enlistment photo.

3.  An ancestor's grave I found was - Thomas Farmer, 1781-1850 (see question 1).

4.  An important record I found was - Thomas Farmers Master Mariner's certificate.  Downloading a digital copy of his original certificate was definitely a highlight!

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 effort to keep going during the pandemic.  From the National Archives UK making all their digital records free while in lockdown to Ancestry allowing libraries who subscribed to Ancestry Library Edition to let their patrons access the database from home, so many went out of their way to keep us all researching.

7.  A new piece of software or website I mastered was - the updated Trove website.  While I am still not convinced I like it better than the old version, spending time getting to know the ins and outs of the new site has been useful.

8. A social media tool I enjoyed using for genealogy was - Zoom.  Online meetings and get togethers have been the order of the year, with so many planned activities, conferences and meetings having to be cancelled by the pandemic.

9. A genealogy conference/seminar/webinar from which I learnt something new was - The Virtual Genealogical Society's Annual Conference.  Like so many of the talks, presentations and meeting I attended this year, everything was online and attended from the safety of my study.

10. I am proud of the presentation I gave at/to - Library patrons via Facebook on using Ancestry Library Edition from home during lockdown.

11. I taught a friend how to - download her family tree from Ancestry.

12. A great repository/archive/library I visited was - the National Archives UK - online.  I've downloaded a number of wills and other digital records this year while the website so generously made them free.

13. A new genealogy/history book I enjoyed was - Tudor History: A Captivating Guide to the Tudors, the Wars of the Roses, the Six Wives of Henry VIII and the Life of Elizabeth I.  A great ebook read.

14. An achievement during lockdown was - a major cleanout and reorganisation of my house.  While stood down from my job for several weeks, I built shelving, cleaned out my garage, sorted through my wardrobe, reorganised the lined cupboard, cleaned out the pantry, and turned my 3rd bedroom / junk room / study into a usable work space.  All those jobs that I'd never found time for got done, along with 2 trips to the local recycling centre.  The glow of accomplishment was wonderful!

15. Another positive I would like to share is ... Treasures hidden away in dark corners.  As mentioned previously, a few years ago I faced the task of clearing out my family home after the deaths of my parents.  Treasures were found in every corner, and quite a few were glanced at briefly before being boxed up to transfer to my new home.  During lockdown, many were rediscovered, more closely examined, recorded for posterity and put on display around my home.

WDYTYA 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 RB Digital eMagazines.

Inside this month's issue

• 50 hottest websites Don't miss our annual preview of the biggest record releases and online resources family historians can look forward to in the new year
• Picture perfect Helen Dawkins explains how to safeguard your old family photographs to ensure they are protected and preserved for generations to come
• Reader story
Katie Carmichael investigated her great grandfather's mysterious death in 1930s New York
• Remembering the Holocaust How to trace the victims of Nazi persecution using online records
• Railway mania
Did your family lose money in the rise and fall of railway speculation?
• Plus: The lives of the first policewomen; finding Irish probate records; tracing publicans in your family tree... and much more!

WDYTYA 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 RB Digital eMagazines.

Inside this month's issue

• Give your tree the WDYTYA? treatment Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine editor Sarah Williams shares top behind-the-scenes tips from the TV series to help you uncover your family history
• Reader survey Tell us what you think about the magazine for your chance to win a £200 Marks & Spencer e-Gift Card
• New census series
Don't miss our new monthly series exploring UK census records as far back as 1801
• Christmas crackers The cracking story behind the festive tradition
• World War Two army service records
All you need to know about discovering the war heroes in your family tree
• Plus: The best websites for finding cemetery records; researching shipwrecks; finding Polish refugees in your family tree, and much more!

Donating Your Research

Have you ever considered what will happen to all your family history research after you are gone?  Do you have family members who are interested in genealogy who will take on your research and pass it on, who understand your work and value it?  Or do you wonder if all your details and documents will end up in boxes in the garage until they are eventually thrown out?

While I have provided casually interested cousins with some details of my research and copies of documents and photographs, I have no close relative who is interested in continuing the family history research I have been accumulating for decades.  Several of my friends are facing the same situation - their children and grandchildren might enjoy a few stories now and then, but they are not interested in the detail and have no desire to continue the research.

Donating your research to a local, state or national Genealogical Society is an option worth investigating.  The Society of Australian Genealogists accepts both published and unpublished materials which have value for genealogical research.  They accept both hard copy and digital formats, and their website has both a Background Information Leaflet on donating your research to the SAG, and an Assessment Form for unpublished materials.

Your research does not have to be complete to be donated, and they accept relevant supporting documents such as immigration and military service records, correspondence, birth death and marriage records, and research notes.  Any research you donate will be able to be viewed by other researchers, and you will be expected to fill out a donation form. 

There are other Genealogical Societies around the world who are prepared to accept donations to preserve the information for future generations of researchers, so consider who will look after and pass on your research, and if donating a copy of all you have learned is worthwhile.

WDYTYA 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 RB Digital eMagazines.

Inside this month's issue

• Missing birth records Can't find your ancestor's birth? Genealogist and former deputy registrar Antony Marr shares his top ticks for tracking them down
• VJ Day 75 years later Historian Kevin Telfer looks back on the turbulent months between the end of the Second World War in Europe and in Japan
• Slavery in Jamaica In light of the debate about the legacy of the slave trade, Richard Atkinson reveals how it felt to discover that his ancestors owned slave plantations
• Getting started More people than ever started their family tree in lockdown. Jonathan Scott picks the best websites for beginner family historians
• The lives of Boy Scouts Writer and Scout leader Nina Hoole reveals how the Scout movement made a difference to thousands of our ancestors
• Lancashire Our complete guide to family history in this historic northern county
• Plus... Finding records of Japanese PoWs; discovering the lives of chimney sweeps; reader stories from the Battle of Britain, and much more…

History Magazines Online

Campaspe Regional Library has expanded its selection of online magazines available for patrons through RB Digital.  The selection now available includes a number of history magazines, which can all be downloaded and read on you PC, tablet or iPad.  Below is a small selection of the "All About History" specials available.

On Bosworth field in 1485 the feud that had caused bloodshed and battle for three decades came to an end. The victor was the last hope of the Lancastrians, Henry Tudor. In this book, you'll get the full picture of how Henry's Tudor dynasty cemented its place in history, from the red-soaked fields of the War of the Roses, to the string of Tudor monarchs, to what everyday life was like for the lowly population. Packed with beautiful illustrations and insights into the period, this is the perfect guide for anyone who wants to expand their knowledge of the most legendary period of English history. Featuring: Battle for the throne - Find out how the War of the Roses came to be and the key battles that decided its victors The key figures - From Henry VII to Elizabeth, by way of Henry VIII's wives and Thomas Cromwell, get to know the key Tudor players Tudor life - See what life was like for everyday folk as well as the upper classes in the Tudor period Change & Legacy - From religious to artistic revolution, discover how the period has affected life to the present day.

The mid-17th century was one of the most explosive periods in history across the British Isles. In England, a desperate king fought bitterly against his defiant Parliament; in Scotland religious turmoil sparked invasions from the north; and in Ireland, an oppressive regime led to an all-out Catholic rebellion. In this bookazine, we explore the how all these events, and more, combined to make up the British Civil Wars, from the political machinations of Parliament to the bloody battlefield clashes at Edgehill, Naseby and Marston Moor. We follow the meteoric rise of Oliver Cromwell and his New Model Army, as well as the tragic decline of Charles I – a king executed by his own subjects. We also investigate how the countries transformed in the period of Interregnum, for better and for worse, before taking a look at how the monarchy made a stunningly peaceful return during the Restoration.

The Life And Times Of The Stuarts focuses on a nation-defining period of British history that is every bit as enthralling, dramatic and pivotal as that of Henry VIII and co. BBC History magazine now turns its attention from The Story Of The Tudors to the seismic changes that occurred within the British Isles during the Stuart rule between 1603 and 1714. Inside you will find: • The Gunpowder Plot • The English Civil War • Charles I’s execution • Oliver Cromwell’s rule • The restoration of the monarchy • The ousting of James II in the Glorious Revolution and many other key events in British history! This special edition calls upon the expertise and analysis of the world’s leading historians as an in-depth and invaluable way to understand more about this absorbing time.

Meet the colourful monarchs who reigned though some of Britain’s most tumultuous and dramatic centuries Inside you will discover: -A timeline of key milestones, from the Norman conquest to the fall of Richard III at the battle of Bosworth -The regal women who stamped their mark on medieval Britain: Matilda, Isabella of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine -The motives and military exploits of Henry V, Edward I and Richard the Lionheart -How Owain Glyndwr and Robert Bruce fought English rule in Wales and Scotland -The debates that still rage about Richard III and the death of Edward II -Civil Wars that rocked England, pitting Matilda against Stephen and York against Lancaster

Ancestry Library Edition from home extended

Ancestry has just announced that home access to Ancestry Library Edition will continue for another month, until 31 August.  They made the decision back in April to allow this database, normally only accessed in the library buildings using our public PCs or wi-fi, to be accessed from home while libraries were either closed or only open to limited numbers.  So those Campaspe Regional Library members who are still unable to research Ancestry Library Edition in the library can continue to access this fantastic genealogical resource from home.

To access Ancestry Library Edition, you need to go to the Campaspe Regional Library web page at https://www.campaspe.vic.gov.au/library  On the right hand column, click on the link for 'Things to do from Home'.  The link for Ancestry Library Edition from home is at the top right.  You will be prompted to log in using your library card number and PIN, then follow the prompts to Ancestry's page and continue researching your family history from the comfort of home.

A huge thank you to Ancestry for making this resource available from home during the pandemic.  I hope you all enjoy access and stay safe.