Week 5 (Jan. 29-Feb. 4) A Breakthrough Moment

A breakthrough moment in my research was the mystery of my great-aunt Alice May Pummeroy.  According to the Victorian Birth Index, Alice May Pummeroy was born in Carlton in 1897 to Alfred Henry Pummeroy and Eliza (Beseler).  Alice was only 3 years old when her father died of pneumonia, leaving his widow destitute with 4 young children -  Edith Margaret (who was deaf and mute) 4, Alice May 3, Alfred Edward 2 and William Henry 2 months.  Eliza took in washing to support her family, and the local ladies benevolent society gave her 3 shillings a week in assistance.  All the other siblings can be traced through electoral rolls and other records, but Alice disappears, and for several years I searched for her in vain.

Eventually perseverance paid off.  My breakthrough moment came when I found a record in New Zealand for a May Alice Pummeroy marrying David James Moorhead in 1918.  Looking in New Zealand for May Moorhead, I located several electoral roll listings before she disappeared again, reappearing in Victoria as May Alice Moorhead in electoral rolls from 1950 to 1980.  David James Moorhead is recorded as dying in Victoria in 1951, age 77.  His death certificate lists him as being born in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

There is no death notice for Alice May (or May Alice) Moorhead in the Ryerson Index or in the Victorian Death Index, nor was there a will with the PROV.  A fellow genealogist sent me another piece to the puzzle, with a death notice and cemetery record which shows May Alice Moorhead died 1st September 1989, age 92, in Salisbury North, South Australia.  She was cremated at Enfield Memorial Park, SA.  Her death certificate confirms she is my great aunt.

Why she chose to move from Melbourne, Victoria to South Australia I don't know - possibly she had children or friends who settled there and she moved to be closer to them.  All her siblings lived and died in Victoria - she was the one who travelled away.  This just goes to show that people can change their names, move to places you don't expect, and you just need to keep looking and broaden your search if you don't find them where you expect them.  Your breakthrough moment will come.

Website Wednesday - Accredited Genealogists Ireland

Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI) is the accrediting and representative body for professional genealogists on the island of Ireland (Ireland and Northern Ireland). The Association was established in 1986 to set a high standard of work among its members and to protect the interests of its members and their clients.  To qualify for membership, a genealogist’s work is reviewed by an Independent Board of Assessors.

In addition to working as professional genealogists undertaking commissioned research, many members also share their expertise through lectures and courses on genealogy, both in Ireland and internationally. They contribute to the field by publishing books on genealogy and history, and their knowledge is often sought after for appearances on TV and radio programmes. 

Since its foundation, AGI has maintained its position at the forefront of Irish genealogy advocating for the preservation of and maintaining access to records for genealogists and family historians in the future.

Late last year, Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI) released two additional free publications in its Irish census records series: “1911 Census of Ireland: a guide for family history researchers” and “Beyond Form A: unlocking the hidden depths of the Irish census“. 

Who Do You Think You Are Magazine Feb 2026

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 : 

• Illegitimate names
• Historians trace Birmingham almshouse residents
• Ancestry adds UCL records
• University to compile first ancient Celtic languages dictionary of Britain
• Cambridgeshire Archives acquires 18th-century land ownership document
• Become a Pro with Ancestry - is it worth the cost of upgrading?
• Case study : tracing an RAF crew 
• Solving DNA dilemmas 
• ‘My Grandfathers fought on opposite sides in WW2’
• Irish Teaching Records 
• Free British resources 
• Go Further - More free sites worth their weight in gold
• And more...

 

Week 4 (Jan. 22-28) A Theory in Progress

Theories about our ancestors' lives are all well and good, until they lead us astray.  Following a theory too closely, however, can mean we don't look for records in the right places. 

One such example was the family of my great grandfather, James Nicholas Clark.  From information in marriage and death records, James was born around 1856, and his family came from Bristol, England and settled in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia.

For years I searched the Victorian immigration records for the family's arrival.  For years I searched for James's birth or baptism in and around Bristol.  My theory in progress was that the family travelled from Bristol to Victoria sometime around 1870, when they first appeared in St Kilda records.  That was my theory in progress.  Of course I was wrong!

After discovering that the German branch of my family had emigrated from Hamburg, Germany to Hahndorf, South Australia before travelling overland into Victoria to settle, it struck me that perhaps my Clark family had also arrived in a different colony in Australia before moving to Victoria, and I began looking further afield.  A new theory in progress!

There I found them, arriving in Launceston, Tasmania in 1855, where the family lived for at least 12 years before they crossed Bass Strait and settled in Victoria.  An unnamed male child, almost certainly my great grandfather James Nicholas, was registered in Launceston in 1856, and James’s younger sister Annie Amelia Clark was born 31 March 1857 in Port Sorrell, Tasmania.  Annie was followed by several other children also born in Port Sorrell.

This prompted me to revisit several other theories about my family and explore possibilities I had not previously considered.  It pays to check your theories and think outside the box. 

Website Wednesday - The Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland

The Huguenots were members of the French Protestant Church, many of whom, in the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, left their homes in France to escape persecution. More than 50,000 of these refugees came to the British Isles and, in 1718, a French Hospital was founded in London. In 1885, the directors of the Hospital created a Society to promote the publication and interchange of knowledge about Huguenot history.

The original ‘Huguenot Society of London’ has since been renamed 'The Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland', and an Irish Section with its own website has been established. Both sections of the Society aim to form a bond of fellowship among those who respect and admire the Huguenots and seek to perpetuate their memory, and membership is open to anyone wishing to join.

The Huguenot Society provides a variety of resources that can help those searching for their ancestors: its own publications, substantial collections of family history material in the Huguenot Library and leaflets providing guidance. Further support and information is available for the Society’s members. 

FamilySearch

Last year FamilySearch announced that Full-Text Search is now part of its standard search tools. Since its initial release in FamilySearch Labs during RootsTech 2024, the feature has undergone numerous enhancements to improve its power and usability. 

The number of record collections available on this free database is enormous.  As of 16 January 2026, FamilySearch includes the following :

6,652 searchable and full-text transcribed image collections. There are over 2.403 BILLION "results" in these collections.  

24,568 browsable (some indexed, none transcribed) image collections. There are over 5.894 BILLION images in these collections.  There are 2,101 collections from the United States and 6,968 from Europe.  

3,429 Historical Record Collections (many indexed, browsable).

You do need to sign up to use FamilySearch, but you can authenticate using Google, Facebook or Apple or create your own sign in by providing your name, date of birth and email, and choosing a username and password.

So if you haven't visited the FamilySearch website for a while, take a look and see if they have new information for you to help in your family history research. 

Week 3 (Jan. 15-21) What This Story Means to Me

There are many family stories I have uncovered over the years which have made clear how fortunate I am to live in a time when, in most countries, there are safety nets to help those who fall on hard times.  For some ancestors, finding help during times of trouble was difficult, and few social services existed.  

One such family I have followed through the census is my Hines branch of the family tree.  In the 1841 census (below) parents James and Susan are alive and children John, Samuel, Albert and Hannah are listed with them.  Eldest daughter Susannah is not home on census night and so not listed here.

 

By the time of the next census in 1851, circumstances have changed for the family.  Both parents have died, and the five siblings have been split up.  The two eldest children, Susannah and John, now aged 18 and 16, are living with their maternal grandparents and are listed below as house servant and farm servant respectively.

Middle child Samuel, age 14, has been found a home with relatives, and is listed as a lodger in the house of James Prentice.  His maternal grandmother Susannah's maiden name was Prentice (she is the Susannah Woollard listed above, who took in the two eldest children), and James Prentice is her nephew.

The two youngest children, Albert, now age 12 and Hannah, age 10, have been less fortunate.  Apparently there were no relatives willing and able to take these youngest children, and they are listed in the census as paupers in the Cosford Union Workhouse.

So not only have these children lost their parents, they have also been split up, the ones old enough taken by relatives and put to work.  The two youngest, not yet old enough to perform sufficient useful labour, are sent to the workhouse.

#52Ancestors