Mortality rates in the 19th Century and the eras before was very high. People died of illnesses, that these days, would be a mere inconvenience. Many families lost numerous children before they turned 5. Genealogists love death certificates – they provide us with a wealth of information, including cause of death the 52 Ancestors in …
This weeks 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is Conflict and I’ve decided to talk about the toll that war took on my family. Week 42 – Conflict War is such a destructive process – of lives, culture, freedom. World War I and World War II were the most destructive in modern history. …
The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge this week is sports. Sport was never a big thing in my childhood – we didn’t tend to watch it or play it. I grew up riding my bike around the neighbourhood or swimming in a mates pool. Our extracurricular activities revolved around music not sport. Dad, did …
The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge this week is Ten. So many ways to interpret this – ten children, the tenth person on your tree, the 10th army unit. I opted to go with ten children. Week 40 – Ten Susan Criddle and David Brand were my second great-grandparents on my mother’s …
The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge for Week 39 is On the Farm. Many of our ancestors would have been involved in farming in years gone past and my family were no different. Even those who didn’t live on farms most likely had a few chickens and a veggie patch – I know my …
This weeks challenge in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is Unusual Source. There are so many resources out there for genealogists to explore. The usual birth, death, marriage, census, immigration, and military records but there is so much left to find. Week 38 – Unusual Source For a long time I have wanted …
Over the weekend I was fortunate to have time to attend my first Genealogy Seminar. It was run by the Genealogical Society of Queensland and offered a varied range of topics and speakers. The seminar was titled Top Genealogical Sources: The Expert’s Guide with invited guests talking about their favourite genealogical source. The topics were varied …
The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge for Week 37 is Closest to Your Birthday. I trawled through my ancestors to find someone who may share a birthday with me, but alas, was unable to. The closest date I could find was the death of my great-grandfather. Week 37 – Closest to Your Birthday …
I have gotten a bit behind on the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge with my UK trip and so now face the daunting task of catching up. The Week 36 challenge is Work to coincide with Labour Day in the USA – in Australia ours is May. I have chosen for this topic to …
At the end of July I wrote a post about Thomas MacEntee’s Genealogy Do-Over and that I was going to start the process. I have started but it is not going as fast as I would like. Prior to going to the UK in early September I started putting boxes of stuff into the study which …