Week 37 (Sept. 10-16) In the News

Over the years of my genealogical research I have made many fascinating discoveries, and many have come from searching old newspapers, and these are certainly my favourite resource.

One of the saddest stories I have found in my family history is that of Eliza Pummeroy (nee Beseler).  Eliza was born in 1871 in Learmonth, Victoria to Edward Beseler and Emma (nee Flower).  Eliza married Alfred Pummeroy in1895 in St Kilda, where Alfred worked as a plasterer.  They had four children before Alfred suddenly became ill with pneumonia and died on 6 Feb 1901, leaving Eliza with 4 young children and in a desperate situation.

The family lived in rented housing and had little by way of savings.  With four children to look after, the eldest 4 years old and deaf and mute, the youngest (my grandfather William) only 2 months old, Eliza was unable to do much by way of paid work.  She took in washing to make a little money, and was given 3 shillings a week by the local Ladies Benevolent Society.  It wasn't enough.

After struggling for a month after her husband's sudden death, Eliza took the step of applying to the local court for help, risking having her children removed from her custody and placed in an orphanage, something she was adamant she did not want.  The judges hearing the case awarded her 10 shillings from the poor box and committed the children to the department, with the recommendation they be handed back to their mother.

This appeal was reported in several newspapers.  Two reported the case with a fair amount of detail, including the fact that the children all appeared clean and well cared for, while a third much briefer article gave a somewhat different impression, especially with the heading 'Neglected Children'.

Prahran Telegraph, Sat 9 March 1901, p3.

The Argus, Sat 9 March 1901, p15.

The Herald, Fri 8 March 1901, p5.

Memories of September 11

I doubt anyone will ever forget the events of the September 11 attacks, where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news:

• At 8:46 a.m., AA 11 slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
• At 9:03 a.m., UA175 slammed into the South Tower.
• At 9:37 a.m., AA77 crashed into the Pentagon’s west side.
• At 9:59 a.m., the South Tower imploded and fell, raining debris and ash on the city.
• At 10:03 a.m., UA93 crashed into a field in the Pennsylvania countryside.
• And at 10:29 a.m., the North Tower collapsed from the top down. A cloud of ash turned day to night in the narrow streets of lower Manhattan.

In those terrible moments between 8:46 a.m. and 10:29 a.m., nearly 3,000 men, women and children lost their lives.  The youngest was two. The oldest was 85. 

Where I live in Australia, the clock is 14 hours ahead of New York.  So at the time of the first attack, it was 10:46pm my time.  I was already asleep.  Like much of the rest of Australia, I woke up to the news of the attacks. 

My family heard the news on the radio at 7:00am - there had been a terrorist attack in the US and the World Trade Centre in New York had been hit by a hijacked plane.  We rushed to turn on our TV.  As the picture came on, the first thing we saw was a replay of the second plane hitting the south tower.  For several minutes we weren't sure if this was live, or had happened several hours ago.

I was late for work that day.

In the library where I work, we dug out an old TV from our storeroom and set it up out in the public area of the building, keeping the news on all day.  People spoke in more hushed voices than usual.  Everyone was shocked.

While cleaning out the family home after my parents passed away, I found an thick notepad filled with writing.  It belonged to my mother, and in it she had recorded the entire first Gulf War, starting with the September 11 attacks.  It is her record of those events and another important document in my family history.  

It reminds me that we are all living through history, and how important it is to record the major events we have lived through, and pass our memories on to those who come after.  Because some events should always be remembered.

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: Mystery of the Melungeons
• Behind the Scenes: Celebrating 90 Years
• New Owner for 23andMe
• Pope Leo XIV : finding his roots
• Ancestry Launches $5,000 Membership ‘CLUB 1890’ 
• Letters on Tombstones
• The FamilySearch World Tree 
• Hitting the Deutsche Mark - Find your Deutschland ancestors
• Special US Censuses
• Consulting the ISOGG Wiki
• Saving Funeral Memorabilia
• Creating a File-Backup System
• Deleting DNA Data and Samples
• And more..... 

RootsTech 2026

Get ready to sign up for RootsTech 2026.  Registration opens on September 24! Whether you’re newly curious about family history or an expert genealogist, this global conference is for you. Don’t miss out—mark your calendars now!

Whether you're intending to attend in person or online from the comfort of home, RootsTech has numerous learning opportunities.  Keynote speakers, main stage forums, speakers, expo hall - RootsTech has so much to offer.

So save the date and get ready for another spectacular event.

Week 36 (Sept. 3-9) Off to School

The topic for this week is 'Off to School', and education has played such a huge part in my life.  I was one of those kids who loved school, loved learning, loved books - it is no surprise I have ended up working in a library.  Neither of my parents had the opportunity to continue in school that my sister and I had, but both Mum and Dad loved to read and saw the value of education for their daughters.  They supported our education and were the parents who always attended parent/teacher nights, helped out at school working bees, canteen and library, and always attended school plays and other activities.  Both could not have been happier when their daughters headed off to university, and proudly attended our graduations.

Me ready for school c1977

For my parents there were fewer educational opportunities.  Both left school early to go out to work to help support their families, but learning was still lifelong and libraries and books played a big part in their lives.  Any topic they wanted to know more about was only a visit to the library away, and reading non-fiction because you happened to be interested in the topic was how we were brought up.  My father even had the opportunity to go back to school later in life, doing a correspondence course from Sydney University in farm management and sheep breeding as part of his job on a sheep station.  Not bad for a man who had left school at Grade 6 to go out to work.

Webtember at Legacy Family Tree

It’s almost time for Legacy Family Tree Webinars’ annual online conference Webtember 2025 to begin.

On each Wednesday in September, there will be four or five webinars focused on a specific theme.

Wednesday, September 3: German Genealogy
Dive deep into your German roots with these classes:

• Finding Your Ancestors in German Directories by Ursula C. Krause
• Exploring Mecklenburg’s Rich History and Genealogical Treasures by Andrea Bentschneider
• German Genealogy: Latest and Greatest Websites and Tools by James M. Beidler
• The Emperor’s New Code by Ute Brandenburg
• Eight Little-used Published German Sources by Warren Bittner

Wednesday, September 10: Writing
Learn how to tell your family’s story with these writing-focused classes:

• Creating an Ancestor Sketch by Thomas MacEntee
• Manage large writing projects through optimistic start, muddled middle, and triumphant finish by Rhonda Lauritzen
• The Five Writing Scripts of the World by Amie Bowser Tennant
• Using Historical Context in Your Genealogy Writing: A Gettysburg Soldier Case Study by Bonnie Wade Mucia, AG®
• How to write a genealogical crime mystery story by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

Wednesday, September 17: MyHeritage
Uncover new possibilities with MyHeritage through these webinars:

• An Overview of MyHeritage by Alon Ehrenfeld
• 10 Surprising Things I Discovered about My Ancestors Using MyHeritage by Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A.
• MyHeritage’s OldNews.com is Good News for Genealogists by James Tanner
• Mastering the MyHeritage DNA Test by Richard Hill

Wednesday, September 24: US Historical Records
Explore the rich records of the United States with these classes:

• Just What IS the AGBI, Anyway? by Carol Ansel
• School Censuses: What, When and Where by Billie Stone Fogarty, M.Ed.
• Research Treasures from W.P.A. by Sharon Batiste Gillins
• Discovering Old Land Surveys in Deeds and Probates by J. Mark Lowe, FUGA
• 12 Ways to Use Gravestone Clues to Grow Your Family Tree by Cathy Wallace

Webtember 2025 is free to attend live, and recordings will be available for a limited time after each session.

Register here to attend the live classes and see the schedule.

Week 35 (Aug. 27-Sept. 2) Off to Work

Discovering an ancestor's occupation can give enormous insight into their life.  Did they work on the land, have a profession, learn a trade?  Were they educated for their job, or serve an apprenticeship?  Or were they less educated and learned their role as they worked?

Census records can tell you about your ancestor's profession, as can trade directories, apprenticeship records, newspaper reports and more.

For several of my ancestors, the newspapers have given me much information about their work. 

Due to my previous research I already knew Christopher Prentice worked as a Water Bailiff.  I hadn't known this was an elected position until I found the article above, which was placed in the Ipswich Journal on Saturday 12 September 1778 thanking those who had elected him to the position for their trust.

6 years later Christopher was standing for election to the Water Bailiff position again, and took out another notice in the Ipswich Journal applying for re-election.