Interacting with historical society pages on Facebook can lead to results. We took a look at Facebook sites featuring Summerhill Estate at Wollert, where Val's ancestor John Hernan worked as an agricultural labourer on arrival in Australia; and the Ercildoune Estate. where Robyn's ancestors from both her maternal and paternal lines worked as farmers. Robyn showed us comments relating to photos she had contributed of her ancestor's cottage appeared on the Ercildoune Facebook site.
Bev reported recently using Graham Jensen's method of working from the sequence of arrivals in Australia, using an excel spreadsheet, to record first and second fleeters, convict ancestors, gypsy forebears, strong links to Cornish miners and more in the process.
Val continues to work towards the publication of her family history, and described with amusement a recent family reunion at which there were frequent reminders and encouragement for her to complete it. The index has been prepared, the conclusion written and final photographs are now being added.
Our 'People and Places' story topic 'Disasters and Tragedies' evoked stories of the Great Depression, the Irish Famine and Scottish Clearances impacting on our families . Bev described the Gretna Train disaster, which led to the death of 226 members of the Royal Scots heading to war in 1915, and its impact on her family, Viewing a video of the accident, caused by signalling errors, triggered Val's memories of the Violet Town train disaster and its impact on the communities of Violet Town and Benalla.
A very rich session overall!
‘The role of Letters in my research’ Share two or three interesting letters or emails about a shared ancestor which provided information and supported problem solving during your research. Set the context first, include the letter (or in the case of long letters, the relevant part), then comment on the aftermath.
OR
‘The role of books and other resources in my research’ Tell us about books (from historical novels to memoirs, autobiographies, academic essays, edited papers, research papers., etc) read during your research which have solved problems or otherwise strengthened your research. As we are living in the online environment, which resources available on the internet have given you leads, provided information, solved mysteries and more?
Beverley Lee