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...                        

Week 51 (Dec. 16-22): Good Deeds

The penultimate 52 Ancestors prompt is 'Good Deeds', and has me thinking about how helpful the wider genealogical community can be.

Earlier this week I blogged about the 15th birthday of the Trove website.  Trove is a collaboration between the National Library of Australia and hundreds of partner organisations across Australia that contribute collections and digital content.

Everything you would find on a visit to a library or museum can be found in Trove. It brings together billions of pieces of information. Search for digital copies of newspapers, Government Gazettes, maps, magazines and newsletters. Or books, pictures, photographs, archived websites, music and interviews. Even information about famous Australians, including copies of letters, diaries and personal archives. And it is all available free.

Text correcting has been a part of Trove since its first days, and in Trove’s 15-year history, Voluntrove text correctors has corrected over 513 million lines of text – and this number increases every single day. 

There are a number of other websites out there that help genealogists research their family histories, not to mention the huge number of archives, societies and groups around the world.  There are transcribers and volunteers and researchers who give their time and expertise to help others.  

Countless good deeds.

 

Trove Tuesday

Trove was launched in December 2009, making this month Trove’s 15th anniversary. From humble beginnings as an aggregator for a range of library services, Trove has grown "into a home for freely accessible cultural content that reflects our vibrant contemporary and historical cultures". Trove's vision is for Australians to have their culture at their fingertips – now and decades into the future. 

Today, Trove is one of Australia’s most popular websites with an enormous and diverse community of users. Significant to the development of the website are the Trove Partners, who contribute to the vast collections in Trove, and the 'Voluntroves', who help make the collections more searchable and accessible.

Trove evolved from a number of websites and databases, including the Australian Bibliographic Network, the web archive Pandora, Picture Australia and more.  The Australian Newspapers Beta service was released in July 2008, starting with 11 newspapers, including The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, The Argus and The South Australian Advertiser. There are now over 700 newspapers with no plans to stop.

Text correcting has been a part of Trove since its first days, and in Trove’s 15-year history, Voluntrove text correctors has corrected over 513 million lines of text – and this number increases every single day.

If you think the text correcting numbers are huge, wait until you learn the size of the collections in Trove. There are over 6 billion records in Trove, contributed by around 900 Trove Partners across Australia. To learn more about Trove, you can visit the news page or subscribe to the monthly Trove Treasures newsletter to find out about what’s new in Trove.

Traces Magazine

Edition 29 of Australian history and genealogy magazine Traces is now available free online for Campaspe Library members via our subscription to Libby eMagazines.

Inside this month's issue: 

• Heritage news
• Customs House, Brisbane Then & Now
• Face value: the physiognomy fad
• Austrialia del Espiritu Santo
• Ruling the waves : The art of charts
• The life and times of an early Melbourne detective
• Starting out in family history
• The lost and found of World War II
• What’s that thingamajig?
• The use and beauty of the aerial photograph
• The almost unknown soldier
• Speaking ‘Australianese’ : Quintessentially Australian words and expressions
• From roast wombat to vanilla ice : Australia’s oldest surviving recipe book
• When the walls can talk
• And more...