Commencing our November session with ‘Pains and Gains’ again led to shared problem solving and lots of encouragement and ideas for next steps. Bev reported on using the Ryerson Index, an index of death notices in Australian newspapers, for more recent death notices details.  Robyn described having trouble locating traces of the family name ‘Delargy’, however reported locating some new evidence on Wikitree which she is validating.  Barry has been using the Irish search information supplied by Elizabeth at the last session. While unable to trace his GG Grandfather’s records, he has been able to confirm some information about his GG Grandmother. His search continues.  Jan continues searching for evidence of the Keon family from the Irish websites but has had no luck to date.  Andi went to Wunghnu Cemetery searching for family graves, finding a ‘Mills’ grave-stone, but no other family members. It has been found that three family members drowned in the same boating accident, however Andi found nothing in the cemetery records of their resting place.  David became immersed in shipping passenger lists while researching and locating the passenger list for William Hinds. He shared fascinating findings based on his research into the ‘Thomas Arbuthnot’; noting that the lists were segregated into male and female; highlighting financial details such as the passage cost was £19 and sharing his conclusion that the income earned by the ship’s owner/s was significant. Marg went to Malmsbury on the day lockdown ended as planned, meeting a helpful and informed local historian who had located extensive family history for her.  Marg also located a possible contact in Ireland for information on the Ryan family and sent an email. There has been no response to date. Wendy gave the group a new search site called Ancestorian, which is free. The site has information from various regional groups and appears to be a valuable research tool.

After the break we shared stories on the November topic ‘Census’, using Census results, or records which would enable us to form a census-like view, to describe what might be happening for a family in our tree across the decades.  Robyn was able to track her maternal great great Grandfather Norman McIntyre family across 70 years using largely Scottish census results; while Barry had by necessity to use Electoral Rolls which are the closest thing to a census list of names in Australia during the 1900’s.  Bev’s search took her from Lincolnshire to Indiana, with the US Census records from 1860 to 1880 helping her develop a picture of her great grand uncle’s life in America.  You can read these and other ‘Census’ stories on the website. 

At the end of the session, we firmed up our ‘course description’ and plans for next year.  Our current group will continue to be offered for members who already working on their family tree.  Social distancing regulations permitting, we are adding a hands-on segment to some of our sessions and offering a new ‘Beginners’ course in 2022.  Comprising up to three one-to-one sessions in Term 1 transitioning to small group sessions in Term 2, Family Research – Beginners is designed for members who would like to start an online tree or gain confidence in using an online tree they started years ago.  

Bev Lee, Barry O’Connor and Wendy Sturgess

As discussed during our session today: 

Following on from last month's presentation on Free Irish Records, Elizabeth has sent us the handout she promised on websites which we may found useful - I've attached this below.  

Elizabeth also provided a USB containing the Word document of her talk and the images of the documents handed out in class.  I've incorporated the images of the records  into the text and worked with Elizabeth's feedback to prepare a second document which reflects the effort she put into preparing her  presentation and the case studies she developed drawing on her own family records.   I hope you find it useful as a review of the session and that Elizabeth is able to draw on it in future if asked to do a similar presentation. 

Bev Lee

Irish Geneology drawing upon Free Irish Records - presentation by Elizabeth Kearns to the Family Research group, U3A Benalla,  on October 28, 2021 (large file)

'Free Irish Records' - handout of useful websites,  Elizabeth Kearns 29 October 2021

November's topic may come to you easily, but could leave you feeling perplexed and 'stumped'.  This being the case, it seemed worthwhile to tease it out a little for you.   

The topic has been designed to help you to flesh out the story of your family a little more - their family structure, whereabouts, etc.  Here's a reminder:  

‘Census’ Find one of your favourite families in your family tree. Pick a year for a census in which you describe what you know about where they were living, who was likely to be living there, what their occupations were, what else was happening in the country, world at the time… in fact anything else you know about them then. Create your own census, or draw upon a census document you have found during your research to develop your ‘census report’ around. 

In some cases, following a set of census records eg. England or Scotland from 1841 to 1911 (and in a few months to 1921) could produce a fairly rational and full story of a family's life.   However, even then, children can be born and die between censuses so never appear on a census.  This could happen to more than one child in a family across a decade.   Families can suddenly appear - if they migrated from Ireland to England or Scotland, for example, and disappear as they migrate overseas.  

However a number of our families are beset by a lack of published census results.   As we learnt from Elizabeth last week, only the 1901 and 1911 Irish Census records are available in full.  In Australia, although there were musters in the early days, there are  few dedicated census results with names listed at addresses available.  Australian censuses appear to have been (and still be) used more to collect aggregate information to provide a basis for social, economic and cultural policy formation than to provide details of who is living in families.    

The following link explores this dilemma -  https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Australia_Census 

'Thinking outside the square', we are likely to need to draw on other records to see who may have been living in the households of our forebears at a particular time.  Electoral rolls can be useful, as Barry found, however remember that they won't include family members under 21 years.  Another problem, people may be living in the same household, but for some reason have different surnames, so they are unlikely to appear on the same page of the electoral roll.  

Considering these (and other problems) underpins the purpose behind this month's topic, which is really to try to enhance the story of your forebears' lives by 'hypothesizing'  possible census results for decades commencing in eg. '01', '11',...'81', if they weren't published.  I could, for example, hypothesize my Lee family's 'census results' in Ireland in 1861 based on knowledge gleaned from 1871 Scottish Census and Catholic Baptismal Records from Ireland in the 1850's and 60's, and then follow up with what was on the 1881 Scottish census to explore a little more about what happened with the family a decade after the arrival, when perhaps some of the children had married and had children of their own.

Australian records  provide a particular challenge.  It will be the work you have done in finding BMD records which will provide much of your evidence, supplementing information from Electoral Rolls when they began to be published.  I'd suggest that you stick with the '01' '11' etc decades for the imagined census dates for story telling purposes.

Of course, some of you will be able to do a broad sweep across 70 years of  UK or Scottish  published census results if that takes your fancy.

If you have time and the interest to understand more about censuses, you might like to watch the video which follows.

I hope this is helpful.  Do feel free to respond to the topic in your own way; however if you want to chat about it, give me a call. 

See you on the 25th November at 1pm!

​Bev Lee

Our 'Pains and Gains' reports to the group this month were wide ranging. Barry reported finding his maternal great grandmother's death certificate listing senile decay (or old age) as a cause of death, while David visited the Family History Research Group where he was able to locate the birth certificate of an uncle he was searching for. Marg said that most of her work during the month related to researching the topic for today, however asked the question 'How do you find people who came in via New Zealand?'.  This led to lots of discussion and sharing of ideas.

Robyn expressed frustration that a lot of people who are DNA matches don't have family trees online, while others have private trees.  We talked about the advantages of public trees, particularly for the sharing of photographs and documents, some of which can be quite rare.  Andi described sharing photographs helpful, recently finding some photos and documents of a grandfather she knew little about.  Andi is currently accessing a lot of BDM certificates and described taking a sharing approach to them.   A useful suggestion which all agreed on - to make your tree private while working on it, moving it to public view at other times. 
 
Our focus area this month was Irish Records.  Irish born U3A member and keen family researcher Elizabeth Kearns gave a most informative presentation on Free Irish Records, using a case study and other resources relating to her family to demonstrate the process of discovering a range of documents.  Elizabeth answered questions from the group during her presentation and stayed to contribute ideas to people with Irish ancestry who wrote about 'black holes' in their research later in the session.  We would really like to thank Elizabeth for the effort she took in preparing the presentation, for the handouts and list of resources prepared as a follow up to her presentation. 
 
Having missed last month’s topic ‘Family Treasure Chest’, Wendy brought in her grandmother's doyleys and a handmade scarecrow doll; while Margaret brought in the treasured items which had featured as photographs last month.  Some interesting tips emerged when the seed pearl necklace was handed around – ‘wearing pearls helps to retain their lustre’, and 'don't put perfume near pearls'. 

Stories discussed in the second half of the session related to 'black holes' class members remain perplexed about in their research. The stories shared were most engaging, with lots of hypotheses or hunches for the group to consider, some of which resulted in suggestions which might assist in making a breakthrough. You can read our 'A Black Hole' stories at  https://u3abenalla.weebly.com/family-stories/category/a-black-hole.
​
At the end of the session, we discussed planning for 2022.  The group would like to continue and were positive about the suggestion of developing a cooperative team approach.  Both Wendy and Bev mentioned needing to step back a little next year, Wendy to travel, Bev to 'downsize' and sell her home.  Barry has already put his hand up.  With almost all class members 'intermediate' to 'advanced' family researchers this year, the 'story telling approach' adopted during Covid was very well received and will almost certainly continue to be a component of the course.  The small classroom is now available, so it may be possible to offer small group, hands on sessions for beginners as well next year.  Watch this space for further developments.

Next Month's Topic - ‘Census’ Find one of your favourite families in your family tree. Pick a year for a census in which you describe what you know about where they were living, who was likely to be living there, what their occupations were, what else was happening in the country, world at the time… in fact anything else you know about them then. Create your own census, or draw upon a census document you have found during your research to develop your ‘census report’ around. 

Wendy Sturgess and Bev Lee

Welcome

"Pains and Gains" - reports on family research work completed during the month.
(Includes the Facebook Recommendations post below)

Irish Records - Elizabeth Kearns - Irish born U3A member and keen family researcher Elizabeth Kearns will share tips on useful resources when researching Irish families and answer questions. 

Break


This month's topic - sharing of stories 

‘A black hole…’   Write about a ‘black hole’ you are still perplexed about in your research.  Who does it involve?  What do you know about them?  Where is the gap in your research?  What do you think may have happened ie. What are your ‘hypotheses’/What is your hunch?  Why do you think you are still finding it hard to make a breakthrough?  Where to next?

Planning for 2022 - including a review of the  Course Description in Program Guide:

"Family Research is a ‘guided self-help group’ which aims to provide support and encouragement to members who are working on their family history.  We also provide 

• Mentoring for members keen to develop skills in using family history resources such as Ancestry.com; Trove; My Heritage; Scotland’s People and other online records such as Births Deaths Marriages, Rates Notices and Cemetery Records 
• Links to the resources available at the Benalla Family History Group
• ​Opportunities to write about our families, with monthly topics such as ‘Found’; ‘A Family Secret’; ‘A Family Treasure’; ‘I wish I’d met…’; ‘In search of ….’; ‘A black hole’; ‘Grandparents’, and more!"

​
Next Month's Topic - ‘Census’ Find one of your favourite families in your family tree. Pick a year for a census in which you describe what you know about where they were living, who was likely to be living there, what their occupations were, what else was happening in the country, world at the time… in fact anything else you know about them then. Create your own census, or draw upon a census document you have found during your research to develop your ‘census report’ around. 

It is easy to 'Search' (box upper Left) for Facebook groups with similar interests.  

Here are some handy sites in Facebook recommended by Wende Sturgess to begin...

• ‘Ancestry Website users’
• ‘Trove – Help Find my Ancestors’
• ‘Genealogy in Australia’
• ‘Genealogy My Ancestors Came to Australia’

Ancestry website users
For users of the Ancestry website (All regions are welcome) and the Ancestry mobile app, to share questions and find answers in the mechanics of using the website and the mobile app. The group concentrates on the genealogy aspect of using the Ancestry Website, finding the documents to support your tree.  If you need help on how to search for your long passed family, then this is your group. There are two sets of Units required before you first post. You will have to agree to those in the questions asked you request to join this group. there are short tutorials on the workings of this group and and even quicker set on ways to better navigate facebook. There are, also, several other non-mandatory units on ways to use ancestry.
.Private group  · 16K members     2 posts a day

Trove - "Help! Find My Ancestors"
This group has been designed to assist members who need some extra help with Trove. Locating that elusive family notice or article can sometimes be frustrating. Trove is a wonderful tool to use to find information about the daily lives of our ancestors. Birth, Death, Funeral and Marriage notices are just one treasure trove of information that can be sourced from the Trove website. I started this group as a support group for new family history researchers to check in and ask questions on where to look for more information about their ancestors. However, I have quickly discovered that many researchers have difficulties using Trove. There is also a section on tips and tricks on how to find these articles yourself. Also for experienced researchers to provide their expertise to new researchers, so regardless of your knowledge and experience this group is for you. Happy Hunting!  
Private group  · 3.8K members  10 posts a week

Genealogy in Australia 
To join Genelogy in Australia you are required to answer only two admin questions. We are all willing and friendly volunteers with varying degrees of experience in genealogy and family history. We all share a passion for our ancestors and their stories. If you require assistance with your research, please ask, we are more than happy to help you dig for answers. Please note that we do not search for living people in this group. By joining you agree to read the Welcome Message pinned in Announcements and the Group Rules. Grahame, Lynn, Michelle and Kylie July 14th 2021
Private group  · 12K members 7 posts a day

Genealogy My Ancestors Came to Australia
​A Geneology group to help your fellow researchers find records and help chip away at those brick-walls. Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members are warned that our group may at times contain images of deceased persons.
Private group  · 21K members  10 posts a day

There are many, many FB groups on particular interest areas eg. Irish Family History, DNA, and more.... here are two more Trove related and general ancestry .... 

​Trove User Group
This group is for users of Trove. It is for sharing ideas and asking questions on how to get the best out of your searches on Trove. This is not a genealogy site for getting help on finding relatives, but for how to search for them on Trove. Please take the time to read our search tips in the 'files' section, you could find the answer to your question there. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/troveusergroup/files   
Private group  · 6.6K members   6 posts a week
​
Ancestry Helpers 
This page was created for those that are looking for help in their family research. To help members interested in learning how to do the family research. We are here to help you with your family research. Most of us have been doing family research for quite a while and enjoy helping others. We will help you learn how to do the family research correctly and will give you ideas/suggestions or techniques on how to further your research with the tools that are available. Please join this group if you are needing help in your family research or are willing to help others in their family research.
Private group  · 27K members  10 posts a day

Thanks to Andi Stevenson and Wende Sturgess for pointing us in the direction of geneology related Facebook Groups.  What a fertile ground for family history research! 

Back together again after Zoom sessions in July and August! 

In 'pains and gains', Andi described finding that her grandfather had lost his appeal against 'a maintenance order' - leaving her wondering exactly what that was about!  Barry found an uncle who had abandoned his family; continued his research on Hansard re land titles in the Shire of Swan Hill; and in an ongoing search, found Lewis Ignatious O'Connor listed as a butcher.  Robyn was delighted at finding photographs of the Antique Mart her grandfather owned in Hamilton and accessing other photographs of the building following contact with the Hamilton Historical Society; also at finding in the electoral rolls that he was a wheelwright. 

David shared a solution to an ongoing problem with Ancestry.com freezing – a change from Firefox to Google Chrome.  He continues to be perplexed about a photo taken in Glasgow which he thought was of his grandfather's sister but decided it couldn't be as it was taken between 1880 and 1884. On comparing it with a photo of his grandfather's sister taken when she was older, he noticed the two women had similar features. 

Marg described enjoying phone contacts with relatives as she writes stories to share in class.  Bev reported back on writing a 'vale' for her 103 yr old aunt and godmother, who had been a milliner in Flinders Lane during the early 1930's.  Bev had been able to draw upon an interview with her aunt during a visit to see her in Sydney in 2010, when her aunt was 94 and still living in her home. We talked about the importance of talking to our older family members if we have the opportunity.    

We were waiting with bated breath to hear from Margaret, as we'd heard there had been important developments in her search to find her mother.  Margaret's mother left Margaret and her brother and sister with their grandparents while her husband was at war in 1941-2.   We sat spellbound listening as Margaret described her disappointment after receiving DNA results a couple of months ago, then her joy at being contacted by a half sister who had completed a DNA test after Margaret had received her results.  A joyous, serendipitous result!  We all decided that Margaret's story surpassed the case studies in the handout - 'Unlocking Family Secrets - the emotional impact of geneological research in trove' - Ashley Barnwell, University of Melbourne, Trove.

​Family Stories this month related to ‘Memories Treasure Chests’ - boxes, shelves, drawers, old suitcases etc - containing objects and artefacts relating to our family history.  Stories were captured of forebears by drawing upon photographs; an autograph book; recipe books; a willow pattern saucer; a telegram; newspaper reports; a kimono; military items including a dog tag and British War Medals; a stainless steel bracelet; a triple strand of simulated pearls; membership badges, a gold pen, watches and more.

​Next month's topic - ‘A black hole…’   Write about a ‘black hole’ you are still perplexed about in your research.  Who does it involve?  What do you know about them?  Where is the gap in your research?  What do you think may have happened ie. What are your ‘hypotheses’/What is your hunch?  Why do you think you are still finding it hard to make a breakthrough?  Where to next?

Bev Lee and Marg McCrohan

A post script to our (already lengthy) report in the October edition of the Newsletter -

An apology in late September, Wendy suggested that we put together a list of questions on DNA and Family Research to ask Jim Burnell, who is happy to come back to talk to us again.  Wendy has begun to develop a list from questions appearing on the Facebook group page she belongs to.  The class wholeheartedly agreed to Wendy's suggestion.

​During the session, Bev briefly introduced 'Cluster Research', which stresses the importance of thinking laterally when we come across family secrets, brick walls and dead ends - for example, looking into siblings lives for hints, census pages in the neighbourhood surrounding the person being sought, and more.  Here's a video if you would like to look into this further - 

The topic for the month was to discuss a family secret.  These stories are compiled on the family research site under the Family Stories link on our page and are well worth the read.

During the session the dilemma and ethics of sharing information on public forums was discussed.  Some of the stories potentially had sensitivities and implications for other possible (unknown) readers.  Decisions needed to be made by some class members about what to include in, and indeed whether to include, stories for the website. References on ethical dilemmas were previewed which provide some guidance -  Genealogy 101: Ethics for the Genealogist (blog post) and National Geneological Society – Guidelines for Sharing with Others.

Our new attendee Helen then outlined how direct family links to Benalla discovered during recent family research have made her feel that her move to Strathbogie many years ago and subsequent move to Benalla were preordained.

Next month’s topic is: ‘Memories Treasure Chest’ - Create or draw upon a ‘Memories Treasure Chest’ (box, shelf, drawer, old suitcase etc) containing objects and artefacts relating to your family history.  Capture the story of two ancestors using items such as maps, menus, theatre programs, an old report card, vials of perfume, a garment, treasured photographs, a souvenir, an expired passport or other object/s. Tell the story of each ancestor and item(s) chosen for them in no more than 250 words per ancestor.

Wendy Sturgess and Bev Lee