This month we welcomed guest speaker Margaret Jenkins for our opening segment ‘Writing and Sharing Our Family Story’. Margaret’s story of the writing and publication of ‘A Press Missionary’, the life of her great grandfather, Thomas Allard Pettit, was fascinating.
A diary, written by Thomas during his journey to Australia by ship in 1884 and found in a ‘rarely if ever opened trunk in a rarely if ever used room’ after her father’s death, became the catalyst for a post retirement family history journey. Margaret chose the title ‘A Press Missionary’, to reflect Thomas’s life as a journalist, skilled businessman and civic leader with a penchant for reviving old newspapers and starting new ones across Victoria. Thank you for sharing your story and experiences with us, Margaret!
In 'Pains and Gains’, Barry described how, frustrated with the usual research avenues, he had tried a simple Google search for the names of his GG Grandparents. Up came both names on the same page, unfortunately the dates were three decades out. He also investigated each name and found that there were fifteen women with the same name as his GGGM, but none of the dates matched the era. He also discovered that a lot of his GGGM’s family migrated to Canada.
David described working on his wife’s family history and correcting some errors in preparation for a cousin’s reunion in March 2023. He had a further gain when he located a photograph showing three generations of the family, complete with names, which is such a bonus! His pain for the month, the Virtual Irish Treasury is not really working for him.
Margaret, still to hear France about her enquiry, brought along promotion material for the sale of her impressive childhood home, Annamult House in Kilkenny, Ireland.
Bev, after listening to Graham’s story last week, had found herself speculating – “was there no marriage certificate for her great grand-parents because her great grandfather’s first wife was in a psychiatric institution?"
”.
This month’s topic, ‘Occupations’, encouraged us to look into the occupations of our forebears and to reflect on whether there were patterns which have been passed down. David’s reflections on the topic led him to look at the bigger picture, of what might be happening and changing in society over time. Both David and Marg reflected on the opportunities that have opened up for later generations, given the start that many of our ancestors had. We are hoping that members who didn’t make it to the session are able to share Occupations stories next time.
Jane’s presentation “Some ethical issues which can arise during family research” was thought provoking, but a little rushed as we were already over time. We agreed that Jane should begin our October session, taking us through the slide show again to allow time for discussion.
October’s Topic – ‘From the Bookshelves’ A book/books which has/have historical significance in terms of your family/family research...
Bev Lee, Barry O’Connor and Jane Rushworth
A diary, written by Thomas during his journey to Australia by ship in 1884 and found in a ‘rarely if ever opened trunk in a rarely if ever used room’ after her father’s death, became the catalyst for a post retirement family history journey. Margaret chose the title ‘A Press Missionary’, to reflect Thomas’s life as a journalist, skilled businessman and civic leader with a penchant for reviving old newspapers and starting new ones across Victoria. Thank you for sharing your story and experiences with us, Margaret!
In 'Pains and Gains’, Barry described how, frustrated with the usual research avenues, he had tried a simple Google search for the names of his GG Grandparents. Up came both names on the same page, unfortunately the dates were three decades out. He also investigated each name and found that there were fifteen women with the same name as his GGGM, but none of the dates matched the era. He also discovered that a lot of his GGGM’s family migrated to Canada.
David described working on his wife’s family history and correcting some errors in preparation for a cousin’s reunion in March 2023. He had a further gain when he located a photograph showing three generations of the family, complete with names, which is such a bonus! His pain for the month, the Virtual Irish Treasury is not really working for him.
Margaret, still to hear France about her enquiry, brought along promotion material for the sale of her impressive childhood home, Annamult House in Kilkenny, Ireland.
Bev, after listening to Graham’s story last week, had found herself speculating – “was there no marriage certificate for her great grand-parents because her great grandfather’s first wife was in a psychiatric institution?"
”.
This month’s topic, ‘Occupations’, encouraged us to look into the occupations of our forebears and to reflect on whether there were patterns which have been passed down. David’s reflections on the topic led him to look at the bigger picture, of what might be happening and changing in society over time. Both David and Marg reflected on the opportunities that have opened up for later generations, given the start that many of our ancestors had. We are hoping that members who didn’t make it to the session are able to share Occupations stories next time.
Jane’s presentation “Some ethical issues which can arise during family research” was thought provoking, but a little rushed as we were already over time. We agreed that Jane should begin our October session, taking us through the slide show again to allow time for discussion.
October’s Topic – ‘From the Bookshelves’ A book/books which has/have historical significance in terms of your family/family research...
- Do you have any books on your bookshelves which belong to, or remind you of your ancestors; can you remember the books on your parents and grandparents’ bookshelves? Browse through your bookshelves, or through memories of bookshelves in days gone by, selecting a number of books to write a little about which are related in some way to the lives of your forebears.
- Have you read any historical fiction or non-fiction books which are relevant to your family story? (If not, perhaps you could Google to discover some). Who wrote them, and how did they relate to your family history, and what impact did they have on you?
Bev Lee, Barry O’Connor and Jane Rushworth
