Researching Abroad Day 2

Day 2 of Researching Abroad was German-European research, with Dirk Weissleder as the main presenter.  His presentations included Primary and secondary sources on genealogy in Germany ; Introduction to European research ; The International German Genealogical Partnership  ; and Archives, libraries & institutions for genealogical researchers in Germany.  I had not had the chance to hear Dirk speak before, but I greatly enjoyed his expertise and humour, and would not hesitate to attend his presentations again, and I can only say that Dirk’s command of the English language is far, far better than my own very limited command of German.

I have been researching my own German ancestors for a number of years, both through online resources and by writing to archives and record repositories in Germany.   My single year of High School German is simply not up to the task of trying to communicate with officials, nor for translating the records I have managed to find.  Clearly I was not the only Australian with German ancestors facing this problem, and a recurring question throughout Dirk’s presentations was “Is that record/website in English?”  The answer was generally no, and I could hear a little sigh go around the room each time.

Some highlight points include :

• Remember to consider the history of Germany – the country only exists as a unified nation since 1871.  Before then, it was an amalgamation of Kingdoms, Principalities, Duchies, and Free Cities.

• For many people their regional background is more important than the national background.  Someone from Hamburg may identify as being from Hamburg first and from Germany second.

• Good preparation is essential.  Aim for precision not speed, and be defined in what you want to find.

• Destruction of records in Germany is going to be a problem that may require some lateral thinking and creativity to work around.

• Family Books were definitely a new resource to me, as were several websites and possible avenues for further research – there is always something else to look for!

Again, there were other presentations during the day.  The Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies and the Genealogical Society of Victoria both spoke about their European Resources, there was another presentation about My Heritage, and Patsy Daly spoke about using DNA to solve genealogical puzzles.

Finally - the opportunity to chat with other researchers, swap stories, successes and favourite resources, catch up with a few familiar faces I only see at days like these or have talked to online but never actually met – it is always a wonderful part of any genealogy seminar.  Many thanks the Alan and the team at Unlock the Past for organising yet another wonderful genealogy event.  I hope to see you at the Deniliquin Genealogy Expo in October, where I am happy to note Unlock the Past is listed among the exhibitors.

Researching Abroad Day 1

A while ago I said I was booked in for the Unlock the Past Researching Abroad roadshow in Melbourne - and if you have not booked in to the Roadshow at one of its locations you are definitely missing out.  Last Friday and Saturday I was at the Veneto Club in Bulleen, Melbourne for two days of wonderful talks.

Day 1 concentrated on the British Isles, with Chris Paton the main speaker.  His four presentations covered British and Irish Newspapers ; Scottish Research Resources before 1800 ; British Censuses and Substitutes ; and Discover Irish Land Records.  A few gems from among the 20 plus pages of notes I took during the day (I concentrate better with a pen in my hand)

• Some newspapers publish two (or more) editions during a day and each will vary - and not every version will be digitised.  It pays to check.
• Browse as well as search - you never know what you might find if you look around.
• Scotland is not England - Scotland has its own legal, religious and cultural structures and seems to have delighted in doing things differently than their English counterparts.  Before 1707 they even had their own units and measures - and Scottish handwriting had its own little ways too!
• Ireland is also not England - they too had their own structures and ways of doing things.
• People lie (this I already knew, but it is worth reinforcing).  Any record is only as good as the informant - and for a variety of reasons sometimes people lie!

 Also on the day Unlock the Past had a table of brochures to pick up and books for sale, and their were also tables staffed by VicGUM, Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies, Genealogical Society of Victoria and FIBIS.  Intersperced with Chris's talks there were presentations from AIGS and GSV on the British Isles resources they have available, and a presentation on what My Heritage and Living DNA have to offer.

Genealogy Expos Coming Up

I think I'm going to be covering a few kilometers on October this year, with some great Genealogy Expos coming up.
The first takes place in Deniliquin on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th October.  The Deniliquin Family History Expo has been an annual event for a few years now - I've been to several and they just keep getting better. 
The list of exhibitors is impressive - their flyer lists over 30 - and there are a number of speakers to listen to across the two days of the expo.  They include : Jason Reeve from Ancestry, Doug Elms from Victorian GUM, Andrew Gildea from Finders Cafe, Neil Smith from Mostly Unsung, Joy Roy from the Scottish Ancestry Group, Ann Burrows from the State Library Victoria and Kaye Vernon from Teapot Genies.
The Expo takes place at the Deniliquin RSL and admission is just $10 per day.
This is quickly followed by the Colac & District Weekend of Family History on Friday 20th, Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd October.
The event kicks off on the Friday afternoon with sessions on researching, writing printing and publishing your family history, lead by the wonderful Hazel Edwards.
On the Saturday is the main Family History Expo, with exhibitors, demonstrations, talks and competitions - I'll be following their website for more details about exhibitors and speakers.
The event finishes on the Sunday with cemetery tours, history walks and sessions on organising a family reunion.
Some wonderful events to look forward to - and hopefully I'll be able to fit in a little sightseeing while I'm there!

Women's Voluntary Service diaries

31,401 pages of diaries by members of the Women’s Voluntary Service (WVS) are available to view for the first time.  The diaries date from 1938-1942 and cover more than 1,300 different cities, towns and villages across Great Britain.
They were inscribed on the UNESCO UK Memory of the World register in 2010 as one of the most important historical documents in the UK, but have only just been digitised after RVS raised £28,000 for the project from over 700 members of the public via the website Kickstarter.
Stella Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading, founded the WVS in May 1938 and toured the country throughout 1938 and 1939, telling audiences “the greatest disservice a woman can do at the moment is consider herself useless”.  By the end of August 1939, over 300,000 women had joined the organisation and more than 1,200 WVS centres had been set up around the country.
During the war, one in ten British women was a member of the WVS. The jobs these women did were rarely glamorous, but success of the WVS was in using the skills women already had, the skills of wives and mothers; knitting, sewing, cooking, and of course compassion and diplomacy. Where new skills were needed, such as driving in the blackout, extinguishing incendiary bombs or making jumpers from dog’s hair, training was given and many stepped up to the task.
Every account is written in a different style by a different woman. Some are long, others short but all give a fascinating window on a world which is soon to be out of living memory.

London School Records

Over 60 years of London school records will be available to search on Ancestry.
The two new collections contain an index and images of school admissions and discharges from 1912-1918 and Poor Law school district registers from 1852 to 1918.

In total, they contain records of 319,000 children, and can include details such as their name, age, address, parents’ names, religion, previous schools and whether they were an orphan or illegitimate.
The Poor Law Commission, established in 1834, required each union to set up a residential school for pauper children. The 1870 Education Act introduced a national requirement for children to be educated to the age of 10, and by 1918, the school leaving age was 14.

Family History Feast at the State Library of Victoria

One again during Family History Month the State Library of Victoria is offering their Family History Feast, a wonderful day of free Family History sessions by a group of great speakers.  This year the Feast will be held on Monday 21st August, and bookings will open 9am on Monday 24th July.  While the Feast is free it is vital to book as there are only so many places and it does tend to book out.  If you do miss out, don't despair as the Feast will be filmed and broadcast live
.
To give you a taste of what the Feast has to offer, below is the program from the SLV's website.

Family History Feast 2017 Program

9.30am Doors open
10–10.05am
Welcome
Kate Torney, Chief Executive Officer, State Library Victoria
10.05–11am
Exploring Koorie history and genealogyJohn Patten, Manager Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Museums Victoria
11–11.45am
Overview of Public Record Office Victoria land records 
Charlie Farrugia, Senior Collections Advisor, Public Record Office Victoria
11.45am–12.05pm
Care and preservation of your family history collection
Conservation staff, State Library Victoria
12.05–1pmBreak
1–1.45pm
Farmland and manor houses to air fields and hospitals: military property acquisition during WWII
Terrie Page, Assistant Director Access and Communication, Victorian State Office, National Archives of Australia
1.45–2.15pm
From cattle yards to war workers: the plan collection of Bendigo Regional Archives Centre
Dr Michele Matthews, Archives Officer, Bendigo Regional Archives Centre
2.15–3pm
Family history on the map
Sarah Ryan, Coordinator Map Collection, State Library Victoria
3–4pm 
2017 Don Grant Memorial Lecture – Families and land: land settlement and the role of families, Victoria 1870–1940
Dr Charles Fahey, Convener History Program, Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University
Introduced by Jan Parker, President, Victorian Association of Family History Organisations (VAFHO)

Family History Month Blogging Challenge

While looking through the many events listed on the National Family History Month website and asking myself if I can possibly fit anything else into August that I have not already committed to (answer - probably, but I may have to give up sleeping), I found the NFHM Blogging Challenge.

What a great idea!  I do like blogging challenges - they get me thinking and blogging about topics I wouldn't have come up with in my own - and I especially like the literary theme (I am a librarian).  I have read all four books listed - some many years ago - and I love the inclusion of All the Rivers Run, as I can remember the filming of the miniseries here in Echuca back while I was at school.

So now its time to revisit the books and start thinking about how I will respond to each for the blogging challenge.  Have a look at this and the many other NFHM activities and see what is there for you.  Thanks to everyone out there who is participating - the more the merrier!