52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 45: Bearded

Each November the amount of facial hair on the males of the population seems to explode, after all it is “Movember”.  This weeks challenge in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, is featuring ancestors who donned a beard.  Some men seem to love the beard, some love the clean shave – the popularity of each seems …

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 43: Cause of Death

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 …

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 42: Conflict

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. …

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 41: Sports

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 …

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 40: Ten

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 …

Genealogical Society of Queensland Seminar

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 …