Week 1 (Jan. 1-7): In the Beginning

We all begin our Family History research at various times in our lives and for various reasons.  For me, family history research began quite early, when I was just 16.  History was my favourite subject at school, and when I picked up a book on genealogy in my local library, I was hooked immediately and started asking my parents loads of questions, the bulk of which they couldn't answer.

I am still surprised by how little my parents knew about their families and even their parents, especially my father.  Both his parents had passed away, his mother before I was born and his father when I was very young.  What was his mother's maiden name?  No idea.  "Never came up", he said.  His grandparents names?  Dates and places?  He knew very little other that that his parents had married in England before moving to Australia, and his father came from Essex.  So Dad's elder siblings were my best source of information, and I wrote numerous letters over the next few years.  Looking back I realise how much easier it is today, with the internet, online records and email providing fast - sometimes immediate - answers.  Beginning my research back in the 1980's was a much slower process, especially as with Dad's side of the family I was researching overseas almost immediately.

My mother's side of the family was both harder and easier.  My maternal grandmother was still alive when I started my research and she was a wonderful source of information, although again her knowledge of details was rather hit and miss.  She came from another big family, one of a dozen children with a couple of half siblings as well.  Having that extra generation to question made starting my research much easier, as well as the fact that my maternal ancestors had been in Victoria, Australia for a few generations.  It was when I went back further that life got harder - my paternal ancestors are all English, but on the maternal side I have Irish, Scottish and German as well, and I quickly discovered these could be harder to trace.  My one year of high school German was not much help at all with deciphering old handwritten German records.

Looking back, I can also see the many mistakes and research errors I made during those early years.  I was still in High School, I had done no training in Genealogical research methods, and basically made it all up as I went along, recording details as I uncovered them haphazardly in a series of notebooks.  I accepted family stories and legends as completely correct, I didn't record where I found a number of documents, and a couple of times I incorrectly assumed a family relationship based on data that fit 'well enough' and spent months chasing a family that wasn't actually related.  Much of the work I did back then had to be redone years later when I started researching with a bit more methodology.

It wasn't all wasted effort, however, and I found myself with copies of photographs the originals of which have since disappeared, and with notebooks full of stories and memories of family members who have since passed away.  In several cases VERIFYING those stories exposed inaccuracies or added new details, but had I not made such an early beginning in family history I would have missed out on those stories completely.

Who Do YouThink 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 : 

• Remembering Auntie Betty
• 50 websites to watch in 2025
• Regional Round-Up
• Sporting Heroes
• REME Service Records - Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
• Digital resources for researching Welsh roots
• The history of the Coastguard
• A Valley Built On Mining
• Celebrating our ancestors caught on camera
• The Great Plague of London
• And more...

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: Your Year in Genealogy
• AncestryDNA ‘Largest Ever Update’
• Bluesky attracts Genealogists
• Coming soon : private trees at FamilySearch?
• Trouble at 23andMe
• New Year’s Resolutions
• Vintage genealogy - how genealogy has changed and what we might see in the next 25 years.
• Photo-Preservation Q&A
• 6 Steps for Finding Enslaved Ancestors
• Island hopping - Set sail for your Caribbean roots
• Land Records
• Finding Newspapers at OldNews
• Saving Holiday Treasures
• Etiquette in Online Research
• Too Few DNA Matches
• Ancestry.com - Tips for Searching Records, Building Trees & More 
• And more...

Week 52 (Dec. 23-31): Resolution

'Resolution' is the final theme for this year's #52Ancestors, and I have been looking back at all the posts I have made this year, at the research I have done and the finds made, and perhaps it is time to make a few genealogical resolutions for the coming year.

Firstly, I have loved taking part in this years #52Ancestors challenge, and am resolved to take part again next year.  I have really enjoyed the way many of the themes have prompted me to re-look at my research and consider it in new ways.

Secondly, I have been posting regular 'Trove Tuesday' posts, and want to continue doing so next year.  Not every week, but at least every second week, alternating with some 'Web Wednesday' posts highlighting some of my favourite websites.

Thirdly, I need to go back and revisit some of my earlier research, checking for accuracy, research gaps and new data available.  It is all too easy to concentrate on newer areas of research and not revisit family branches that seem 'complete'.

Finally, I resolve to keep learning, to keep listening to podcasts, attending (physically or online) conferences and meetings, to keep chatting with geneamates and sharing finds and information.  The genealogical community is always so supportive and collaborative, and sometimes I forget to reach out and share my successes and brick walls with other researchers.

A good resolution to my genealogical year!

Merry Christmas

To all those who have read this blog throughout the year, and to all those our there in the wider Genealogical community, I wish you a happy, healthy and safe Christmas and New Year.

Accentuate the Positive Geneameme

Once again Jill Ball at GeneAus has encouraged 'geneabloggers take stock of what they have achieved or not achieved in the previous twelve months and set themselves goals for the coming year' with her Accentuate the Positive Geneameme.  I have responded for several years to Jill's prompts, and an happy to respond again.

Remember to Accentuate the Positive 

1.  Google provided an answer to - just about anything!  The answer may not always be totally accurate, but a little digging usually resolved my geneaquery.

2.  I was the recipient of genearosity from - my friends at the Kyabram Genealogy Chat.  A great group who meet monthly at Kyabram Library, who are always eager to help one another, share their knowledge and celebrate each other's successes.

3.  This headstone gave me some extra information - the Mulholland family headstone in Bright Cemetery.  It gives names and dates, especially of children who died in infancy, that are not recorded elsewhere.

4.  A useful record I discovered was - my great grandfather James Nicholas Clark's full divorce record - such a lot of detailed information about his life and the breakdown of his first marriage.

5.  A newly found family member who shared - that I made a mistake in my Pummeroy line!  Oops!!

6.  A geneasurprise I received was - newly digitized records - there is always something new online.

7.   My 2024 post that I was particularly proud of was - I managed to complete (mostly on time) the entire year's #52Ancestors challenge.

8.   DNA helped me to - connect with distant relatives.

9.  I was pleased I upgraded - my internet connection.  So much faster!

10. Although Face to Face events have returned Zoom has  - enabled me to attend meetings and conferences I could not have attended otherwise.

11. I dipped my toes into - more face-to-face genealogy meetings after so much isolating.

12. I connected with - several distant relatives online.

13. By dipping my toes into AI I was able to - I haven't done much with AI yet, but I have started learning more about what it can do.

14. I was honoured to - speak at the Rushworth Family History Day.

15. I found this presentation most useful - RootsTech.

16. A great repository/archive/library I visited was - the Public Records Office of Victoria.  I finally made it for some in-person research, augmenting what they offer online.

17. I got the most value from this book - Among the Wolves of the Court by Lauren Mackay.  A wonderful book on Tudor history.

18. It was exciting to finally meet - several distant relatives online.

19. A geneadventure I enjoyed was - the 2024 RootsTech conference online.  So many wonderful presentations!

20. Another positive I would like - the continuation of many online meetings and conferences.  Living in a country area and working full time, I have often missed out on so much because I could not travel and take time off work.  Being able to attend virtually from the comfort of home has been a huge bonus for me.

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 : 

• 1.7 Million WWII campaign medal cards now online 
• WikiTree celebrates 40 million ancestors & cousins!
• RNLI celebrates 200th anniversary with digitised archive on Ancestry
• DNA news
• LiveMemory™: The latest AI innovation from MyHeritage
• Trackuback celebrates 4th anniversary
• Family Tree Academy Festive Quiz 2024 
• Discover the science behind your DNA test
• Help! I’ve hit a brickwall – What next? 
• Telling your ancestor’s story through a single source 
• A funny thing happened on the way to the Record Office… 
• Family Tree Genealogy gift guide
• And more...