With the extended lockdown we will sadly be unable to meet in person tomorrow.  Chatting with Wendy today, we decided to offer a Zoom meeting instead.  We hope to provide the opportunity to share the month's family research progress, 'highs' and 'lows' and to share stories on this month's topic ‘I wish I’d met/known’.   A reminder of the brief:  ‘Sometimes while we are researching we come across someone we wish we'd met or known.  Write about them, what intrigued you about them and what questions you would like to ask them if you'd met.'  

If you are able to send your stories, photos, power point presentations before the session to go on the website that would be great, however feel free to send them in afterwards, or as always, present your story orally.  

I know that a number of you are very comfortable using Zoom, but others may need some support.   Please email me back or call me to let me know if you wish to attend but would like some help with Zoom beforehand?  

Here's the invitation with the link:
Topic: Family Research July Zoom Meeting
Time: Jul 22, 2021 02:00 PM 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79633997458? pwd=RGtHY1VXalpKbGFoN2p2VGEyVnpUQT09

Meeting ID: 796 3399 7458
Passcode: DV6ZhG

If we need more than an hour, we will take a break at about 55 minutes to get a coffee, then rejoin the meeting.  


Bev

5762 8171  or 0478 607 838  bevlee47@gmail.com

​Eleven people met for a U3A session of Family Research on Thursday 24 June. In the pains and gains session (ie: what was achieved since the last meeting), DNA results (good and “bad”); techniques of using Ancestry tools to enhance research; difficulties encountered with Irish records; shipping records results and stories about sharing of information with family were recounted.  Wendy Sturgess brought along a family bible and two old family albums which she recently had beautifully restored and collected since the last meeting.

Jim Burnell, a retired Professor of Molecular Biology at James Cook University, then shared his detailed knowledge on DNA and its regulation. He explained how the interpretation we receive after submitting a test works with identification of our ancestral lineage.  He also explained how regulation of the genes impacts in disease processes and the potential for cure. This kept everyone fascinated and many questions were answered.

​After the break, members spoke about contacts they had made with new people during their individual research and their ongoing relationship with them, helpful or otherwise, in response to June’s topic ‘Found’[BL1] .

Next month’s topic is ‘I wish I’d met/known’. The brief:  ‘Sometimes while we are researching we come across someone we wish we'd met or known.  Write about them, what intrigued you about them and what questions you would like to ask them if you'd met.'
​
Wendy Sturgess

In his presentation on 24 June, David raised queries around whether to trust the information shared on ancestry and sought clarification of the meaning of primary research.

Contributions by the class were spot on, however a closer look at this area seems worthwhile.  

"Primary sources are documents, images or artifacts that provide firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning an historical topic under research investigation. Primary sources are original documents created or experienced contemporaneously with the event being researched. Primary sources enable researchers to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period.

A secondary source is a work that interprets or analyzes an historical event or period after the event has occurred and, generally speaking, with the use of primary sources. The same document, or other piece of evidence, may be a primary source in one investigation and secondary in another.

The search for primary sources does not, therefore, automatically include or exclude any format of research materials or type of records, documents, or publications.

As an example, a diary from an immigrant from Vietnam to the United States documenting her travel experiences from Vietnam to Orange County would be considered a primary source for research on Vietnamese immigration to Orange County. However, a book written by a professor that analyzes the various writings of Vietnam immigrants and interprets the experience of those immigrants is a secondary source for this research." 

(Source - University of California -Introduction to online tutorial on 'What are Primary Sources' available at  https://www.lib.uci.edu/what-are-primary-sources)

The last paragraph reminded me that members have, for example, letters from family members documenting life and family events at the time in which they lived, which at first glance would be considered primary sources.  However what if they are reporting on what someone else said to them?  The lines between primary and secondary sources be blur!

Recommended Reading - Article 'Using the Geneological Proof Standard in Your Research'  www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Using_the_Genealogical_Proof_Standard_in_Your_Research_(National_Institute).

​Online tutorial 'What are Primary Sources' https://www.lib.uci.edu/what-are-primary-sources  

Our agenda for today's class includes 'Show and Tell', guest speaker Jim Burnell on DNA, a break, after which we'll share stories on this month's topic 'Found'.  The brief:  One of the thrills of family research is unexpected contact with someone who is also working on your family tree.  They may even be a close, but long lost, family member.  Write about the first contact, how you/they followed up, what you learnt about the contact.  Do you keep in touch?"

Guest speaker Jim Burnell, who is Wendy Webster's brother, was a Professor of Molecular Biology at James Cook University where he lectured medical, dental and other studies for many years.  Jim's presentations explaining DNA for the Benalla Family Research Group members have been very popular.  There will be opportunities to ask questions and to have Jim back again for a continuation session, as Wendy said 'he is not going to leave town'.

Next month's topic is 'I wish I'd met/known...'  The brief:  Sometimes while we are researching we come across someone we wish we'd met or known.  Write about them, what intrigued you about them and what you would like to ask them if you'd met.'

Bev Lee

We began our late May session reflecting on the fact that working on our family histories can evoke feelings at quite a deep level.  We spoke about the unexpected grief and loss evident last session when the sharing of stories about grandparents led to people, often to their surprise, choking up a little.  We talked about this often happening on 'Who Do You Think You Are?'. 

Wendy Sturgess, commenced this month's 'Memorable Moments, Frustrations and Breakthroughs'   segment, reporting on a recent visit to an isolated cemetery at Durham Ox in the Mallee the western district where many of her extended family are buried.  Wendy also described having great fun buying family history books she has always wanted on-line, displaying them for us to peruse, and shared details of Facebook groups she finds particularly useful.  When reporting back on her 'lost graves' project, Wendy Webster said a particularly interesting lost grave was for a man whose death registration provided evidence that he had died at Winton.  Nothing else could be found out about him until the transcript of a coroner's inquest included statements from a work mate who had at least known something about the man. 

David Hall and Wendy Webster reported on the two-day local Australian Heritage Festival event, 'Making the Dead Come Alive', organized by the Benalla Family Research Group recently.  David described being thankful to one of the family researchers, Judy, for tracking an ancestor he was finding difficult to find.  Wendy told us about a new local history-oriented network being created to enrich the work being done across a range of organisations in Benalla and its rural villages, including Winton and Tatong.

Members spoke about having to adjust to changes on favourite sites including Ancestry and Trove, which Barry suggested have resulted from efforts to make the sites smart phone/tablet friendly.  Andy and Barry shared 'work arounds' for the Ancestry changes, while Trove was identified as an area class members would like to spend more time on.  

Our topic for May, 'In Search of...', involved writing about someone who is proving, or proved to be, difficult to find.  As stories were revealed by class members and remaining questions expressed, there were moments of recognition across the group of similar problems to be solved, similar questions remaining. Bev concluded this segment by describing the range of resources used to develop a picture of her paternal grandfather's family of origin and early life in Scotland, with a particular focus on the use of Scotland's People, a wonderful on-line resource for people with Scottish ancestry.

Next month's topic is 'Found' - the brief, 'One of the thrills of family research is unexpected contact with someone who is also working on our family tree.  They may even be a close, but long-lost family member.  Write about the first contact, how you/they followed up, what you learnt from the contact.  Do you keep in touch?"  (The suggested word limit is 150 to 400 words, however it is fine to share your story in other ways, including oral presentations; document 'show and tells', power point presentations, and more).

If this topic doesn't 'fit' with your family history journey to date, feel free to develop your own 'back up' topic, for example, take a significant person and prepare a brief biography of them, as David did recently. 

​Bev Lee and Wendy Sturgess

Our April 22 session began with an apology and photographs from co-convenor Wendy '"Hope you all have a successful day today and I will see you next month.  Below is my home for the next 6 weeks with my travelling buddies (Ted has been allowed to bring a friend of his own."  

Report backs on family research completed over the last month followed.  It was fascinating to listen to journey's taken, discoveries made, with many opportunities taken to note down ideas and resources to follow up in our own research.  

'Show and Tell' featured Jan's family history album - Jan is using scrapbooking techniques to record and share family history.   Bev brought along 'Winton Swamp to Winton Wetlands', a fascinating coffee table book whose authors drew extensively upon local family history records and photographs to describe the impact of the transitions which have taken place there. Barry and Andi reminisced about their experiences during the Moorngag cemeteries project.  Engaging in family history projects with 'true locals' has proven to be a wonderful way of learning about Benalla and its 'villages' for a number of class members who moved to Benalla in retirement.  

A highlight of the 'show and tell' session was Marg's photocopy of a Trove article received that morning in the mail which included only the second photo she has ever seen of her mother.  We were all so delighted for her and were able to track the article on Trove to screen in class. 

Our story brief for April - 'Grandparents' - brought out memories, mostly fond,  of grandparents, including loving grandmothers who gave great hugs, and world weary, irascible grandfathers who lived with them in later life. Stories were rich in images, with even quite small details evoking memories of early decades shared with grandparents. A story about a grandparent who always returned from town with a 'Mars Bar and packet of Smarties' for his grandchildren  reminded me that my grandfather kept a supply of 'Kool Mints' for us, such a small treat but so looked forward to.  

Some class members reporting knowing barely even one grand parent.  David chose a 'great grand relative' instead, concluding a very interesting presentation stating his next goal was to  learn to use Trove to discover more about him...  'No time like the present!'... We again opened up Trove on the large screen, a search begun in fun proving a great way to introduce features of Trove, including the capacity to save records in lists and to download and print out documents as pdf's.  

Next month's topic is ' In search of ..... ' -  'Write* 150 - 400 words about someone who is proving, or proved to be, difficult to find.  Who were they, what did you find out about them, and what would you still like to know.  If you face or faced obstacles along the way, describe them and how you managed to resolve them.  Are you 'happy enough' with your findings to date?'  (*it is fine to share your story in other ways, including oral presentations; document 'show and tells', power point presentations, and more). 

Bev Lee
April 2021

On Monday 29 March 2021, ten enthusiastic participants met for the second family research session. They were joined by special guest Judy Perry.

Those who had been unable to attend the previous month outlined their objectives for the year and their areas of interest. The other members then spoke about their progress during the last month.  There was much laughter as newly discovered family scandals and intrigues were revealed.  Wendy Webster brought along the folders of work she has already completed towards her Winton Pioneers project. These were of great interest to new member Pat McDonald, who has Winton pioneers among his ancestors.
 
Judy read out a very poignant eulogy she had written for the loss of her husband 20 years ago.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.  She also read another piece she had written which gave people an idea of the types of family research story styles which could be utilised.

The writing topic for the month was on a family treasure that the owner would find hard to let go of.  Items were varied with a beautiful bowl, an embroidered postcard, a tiny compass, a hand-made lace cloth, letters/documents of significance, telegrams, treasured photographs, beautifully bound old books of Shakespeare and a drawing done by an ancestor during their school days.

​Given the task of dating an old photo, Wendy Sturgess explained the techniques she used from comparing the costume worn to catalogues dating costume styles to particular eras and the use of a facebook group to help.

The three hour session passed very quickly.

The next session is scheduled for Thursday 22 April from 1pm in the U3A room at the Senior Citizen’s Centre.
​
Topic of the Month for April:  Describe your relationship with a grandparent using a fond memory.
 
Wendy Sturgess and Bev Lee

We've found a solution to our inability to use the U3A Meeting Room on Thursday 25 June due to electrical works being carried out in the Seniors Community Centre.  It's a good solution as the date is only five days away, on the 5th Monday (usually not timetabled for classes).  We didn't want to wait another month to meet together!

Our next class is now Monday 29 March from 1 to 4 pm in the U3A Meeting Room.  Hope to see you there!  (Don't forget to bring along a 'Family Treasure' story).  

Bev Lee and Wendy Sturgess

A question for Wendy!  A photo from my great aunt Beatrice's (1873-1959) childhood (to perhaps 30 ish years of age) scrapbook.  My mother, Paula Lee nee Devitt (1913 - 2014), thought that this might be a photo of her great grandmother, the mother of her grandfather, George Charles Beech Hooper (1846 - 1920).  If this is so, she would be Frances Emily Freame, 1811 - 1896.  I'm wondering what period of time her costume would indicate?    Bev Lee