Geneameme: Accentuate the Positive 2015

I initially ignored GeniAus Jill's mention of a Geneameme to accentuate the positive genealogy achievements during 2015.  I had a Geneabreak in 2015 due to other commitments so did not feel that there would be anything to contribute.

However, when I started thinking back through the year,  I realised that although I have completed less research and written less blogs than normal, that I did still have positive genealogy achievements;

Photos were removed from plastic and
are now in Archival Albums

Precious family photos

My lovely Aunty has allowed me to borrow my grandparents photo albums.  I have moved the photos from the plastic coated albums into archival photo albums and archival storage crates, which I wrote about here.  I have scanned many of the pictures previously but I am now going through them again and scanning them all front and back.  As my research and knowledge has increased,  I have a greater understanding about many of the photos now.  They will be the source of blogs for many years to come!  I have a very long list of future topics now :)


An Ancestors Grave I found

In June we went on a Geneaholiday and visited the Daylesford/Creswick/Maryborough/Ballarat area, where my father's maternal and paternal family originally settled in the 1860s.  It was a great trip to visit the places where my ancestors had lived.  We visited many cemeteries and located many graves but the highlight for me would have been locating the unmarked grave in Ballarat cemetery of 5 of my Drayton family relatives, including my Great Great Grandmother and Great Great Great Grandfather.  I am in the process of  writing a blog about the family and erecting a headstone with QR coding (which I wrote about here) linked to the blog.  I am also very proud of the relatives who have donated money to assist me in this endeavour, which will be finalised in 2016.

A newly found family member

As a result of my blog,  I have been contacted by two family members during 2015, who are able to provide me with additional information and photos.  I need to do a trip to SA (but don't get enough annual leave each year for all the trips I want to do in 2016!)

2015 Blogs

I was very surprised to see that I wrote as many as 20 blogs during 2015. The blog that was read the most during 2015 was "How do you record your research leads for follow up?".  This was followed by an ANZAC day post; "Cards from the Front".
My personal favourite blog post for 2015 contains photos of famous airplanes and reminiscing about my Grandmother. How amazing for her to see pilot Sir Charles Kingsford Smith land the Southern Cross at Nhill!; "Did Charles Kingsford Smith inspire my grandmother to travel?"

Other Achievements during the year

1.     My Christmas present to myself was ordering 3 DNA kits, to test my mother, father and husband.  I am eagerly awaiting the results, which should be available very soon!  This will certainly be a new learning curve for me in 2016!

2.     I successfully completed the SAG Certificate in Genealogical Research while working 55-60 hours per week in my paid job.  I would love to do the Diploma but just don't think I can fit it in with my other commitments at the present.

3.     I have started collating a spreadsheet listing the details (as precise as I can be from census records etc) of the addresses/towns that my ancestors lived in.  This is in preparation for a research trip to UK

4.     I have joined Toastmasters to improve my public speaking skills as my goals include becoming more involved in the local family history group and to start speaking to local community groups about Family History.

So all things considered,  I have had a successful year from a genealogy, personal and professional perspective as I am very proud to have won a national industry award relating to my day job during 2015, which will keep me busy in 2016.  That said, I really did miss researching family history and writing blogs during 2015 so will attempt to rectify that in 2016 and I am off to a good start!

When I was Young

Thank you Alona from lonetester HQ for prompting a geneameme to record memories from our youth.

1. Do you (or your parents) have any memorabilia from when you were a baby?

Mum kept my Infant Welfare book.

I was born 6 weeks premature and weighed 6 pound 2 ounces.  It seems that I must have been a healthy baby and allowed out of hospital as my first weigh in at the Infant Welfare Centre was a fortnight after I was born.

2.  Do you know if you were named after anyone?

"Sharon" was the name of a character on a popular radio series at the time.  Mum and Dad liked the name but cannot remember the name of the program now.  According to the Australian National Film and Sound Archive, there was a series called The Beauty Makers with a character named "Sharon" so maybe this is it?

3.  And do you know of any other names your parents might have named you?

No.

4.  What is your earliest memory?

I seem to remember sitting on a blanket playing.  There is a footpath not far away.  Mum yells at me and hits something out of my hand.

I told Mum about this memory years ago and she could not believe that it was true.  When I was about two years old, she found me sitting and playing with a can, which had a redback spider in it. She panicked, yelled and hit the can out of my hand!

Mum was always so calm and patient and didn't yell at us kids so maybe I remember this as I was scared because it was the first time that I heard her yell?

5.  Did you parent/s (or older siblings) read, sing or tell stories to you?  Do you remember any of these?

We grew up reading and I remember going to the library to get books as I had read every book in the Primary School by Grade 4!  We had Golden Books from a young age too.  I am sure that Mum would have read to us but unfortunately I do not remember it.

My Grandmother sent me this in 1977.
At each click of the button it shows a
different scene of Italy in the viewfinder.

6.  When you were young, do you remember what it was that you wanted to grow up to be?

From a young age (when I was in primary school), I wanted to travel around the world, which was inspired by my grandmother, who sent me postcards and gifts from her travels around the world. You can read about some of them here.

7.  Did you have a favourite teacher at school?

I can remember vividly the teachers that I didn't like!

8.  How did you get to school?

We went to a number of different schools so it depended where we lived.   We walked to Primary School but High School was the school bus for the majority of the time.  I would always read on the bus.

9.  What games did playtime involve?

• Hopscotch
• Elastics
• Ropes - there were ropes strung up in the pine trees that you would balance and swing on (they would be considered totally unsafe today)
• Climbing Tree - I remember having to write lines on the blackboard all recess "I will not climb trees".  After school, I had to climb the tree again to get my school jumper (which was a flag at the top of the pine tree) so I would not be in trouble when I got home!
• Basketball
• Poisonball - I often won as was small and quick and seemed to be able to easily avoid the ball, which was thrown at full force by those at either side of the court.

10.  Did you have a cubby house?

Not really.  We made our own "cubby houses" in a variety of locations.  In the bush down the road, we rested sticks against a big tree and covered with branches and leaves.  Under the house (yes, with the spiders) we dug out an area and brought in toys and things to be a "cubby house".   In the "haunted" shack next door to the beach house, that we weren't supposed to go in! We also played under the local bridge near the river.

11.  What was something you remember from an early family holiday?

Most of our school holidays were at the Beach House.  I could write a book about them!  I only remember one holiday that was not at the Beach House or camping.  We stayed in units at Cooma with family friends (so the dads could go fishing at Adaminaby).  Us kids were playing at a nearby park when a man approached us and wanted us to go back to his cabin at the caravan park.  As the eldest child, I was aware of "stranger danger" and gathered all the kids together and told them that we needed to go back to where we were staying.   I immediately told mum, who reported it to the police. I described the man (I can still remember that he was wearing a football jumper).  It matched the description of a criminal, who had escaped from a local jail!  

12.  What is a memory from one of your childhood birthday's or Christmas?

I would have been 5 years old and remember being woken up by a noise and bells (which I was certain was Santa's sleigh on the roof).  I heard my bedroom door open but kept my eyes tightly closed as I did not want Santa to know that I was awake or he may not leave a present!  I got a bike with a bell on it from Santa that year!

I always wondered why we received less toys from Santa than the other kids at school, especially when I had been so good all year!

We always received one toy, an item of clothing, a book and stocking of lollies.  However all the other kids seemed to get more than one toy!

Christmas 1975 -  Wearing our new Christmas Clothing with our Christmas Toys.
I am on the right with "Chrissy Doll".  When a button on her back was turned, her pony tail would be
retracted and go short.  A button on her belly button was pushed to make the pony tail grow long again.

13.  What childhood injuries do you remember?

Thankfully, I have had no notable injuries (I am lucky enough to have never broken a bone).  However,  I had epilepsy as a child and often had grand mal seizures, which could result in bruises and such when I fell.  However I soon realised the warning signs so could make sure that I warned mum and was seated in a safe location when a seizure occurred.

14.  What was your first pet?

I remember Rex very well.  I followed him everywhere..............even through a hole in the fence and out into the street and down by the river!

I started to copy him and cock my leg.  The doctor told mum that I needed a sister or brother!

Left:  1967 - Mum and I with puppy Rex.  I am already staring at him
Right: 1968 - Rex and I at Quambatook.  I hope that I am not eating his food!

15. Did your grandparents, or older relatives tell you stories of "when I was young..?"

Mum & Dad often told us stories.  When I started high school,  I started to develop an interest in family history and would ask questions and write down the answers.

16. What was entertainment when I was young?

We made our own fun.  We could be out all day as long as we were home before it got dark!   I am surprised I am still here with some of the things that we did!

If it was raining and we had to stay indoors then we would play board games and cards.

17.  Do you remember what it was like when your family got a new fangled invention?

In 1976 dad came home with a colour television to watch the Olympics.  We thought it was wonderful but you could not compare it to today.  It was primarily tones of pink, orange and green!

18.  Did your family have a TV?  Was it b&w or colour?  And how many channels did you get?

As above.  I don't remember how many channels that it had.  I do remember the baby sitter watching number 96 and we had to go to bed!

I also remember watching The Sullivans and getting really upset when John died.  Mum tried to tell me that he wasn't really dead and it was acting but I didn't understand as I had seen him killed!  How naive we were to the kids of today!

19.  Did your family move house when you were young?  Do you remember it?

Yes.  I have written about the many homes that I have lived here.

20.  Was your family involved in any natural disasters happening during your childhood (ie fire, flood, cyclone, earthquake etc)?

Thankfully not. However I have a still have a phobia about fire due to experiencing many fires when I was a child;

• I do not remember but evidently woke mum and dad up and told them that the beach house lounge room was full of steam (but it was smoke) as there was a fire under the house due to embers from the fireplace.
• We were woken in the middle of the night when the hardware shop across the road in Stratford caught fire and all the paint tins were exploding.
• A house down the road from the beach house was on fire and there was panic that the kids were still inside (they weren't and had evacuated when they accidentally caused the fire).
• Dad was driving us to Dargo and there was fire on either side of the road and fire engines everywhere.

21.  Is there any particular music that when you hear it, sparks a childhood memory?

We grew up with dad playing Slim Dusty, which I hated as a child but now enjoy.  

I also remember taping the Top 40 hits on the old tape recorder.  Then playing over and over again to write down the words.  I will never forget the words to The Time Warp!

22.  What is something that an older family member taught you to do?

Cooking scones with Nanna.  Gran taught me the names of many flowers in her garden.

23.  What are brands that you remember when you were a kid?

You are kidding aren't you!!!!!  Mum made most of our clothes and bought our jeans from Coles!  At High School,  I hated that we had daggy knitted school jumpers rather than bought jumpers.  On casual days I still wore uniform rather than my ill fitting Coles jeans!  How ungrateful I was!

24.  Did you used to collect anything?  

I think that I have always collected things.  My collection badge was the first badge that I remember receiving in Brownies. The collection was matchboxes, which I still have!  I also still have the tattoos from chewing gum!

I was very annoyed with Mum for throwing out my Agate collection.  (she thought it was an ice cream container of rocks!)

25.  Share your favourite childhood memory.

I have written about my favourite childhood memories of my Nanna here and here

Australia Day Challenge 2014

Climbing my Family's Gum Tree

The surnames of my ancestors who first set foot on Australian soil (my boat people)

I have not completed any family history research or blogs for over two months but thank you to Pauleen from Family History Across the Seas for proposing this Australia Day Challenge and prompting my return.

My first ancestor to arrive in Australia was:

Samuel Mottram, who arrived at VanDiemans Land (Tasmania) on 8th August 1838,  aboard the convict boat,  Lord Lyndoch.  He was 38 years old.  It is uncertain if he was accompanied by his young wife Catherine and daughter Margaret or if they followed him soon after.

Samuel was not a convict.  He was a soldier in the British Army who was escorting 330 convicts to Australia.  

I have Australian Royalty (tell us who, how many and which Fleet they arrived with)

I thought for a while that my elusive Elias Jones was a convict.  However, I was disappointed after researching three convicts name Elias Jones to find that none of them were my ancestor. So no, I do not have any Australian Royalty.

Alexander Walker was 5 when he arrived
in Geelong, on the James Brown,
 with his family on 5th January 1853.
A brother died on the journey.

I’m an Aussie mongrel, my ancestors came to Oz from:

Twenty from England, Six from Ireland, Five from Prussia, One from Wales (the elusive Elias Jones) and another elusive ancestor, Samuel Drayton, from United States.

Did any of your ancestors arrive under their own financial steam?

Fourteen were "Assisted passengers",  nine were "Unassisted passengers", a further nine are unknown with three of those appearing to swim!.  Two ancestors were working on boats (a convict boat and a whaling boat) and decided to remain in Australia.

How many ancestors came as singles?

I admire the bravery of all those who made the long and dangerous voyage to Australia.  Six of my male ancestors came out as singles.

How many came as couples?

There were only two couples (husband and wife). 

Edith Bound was age 8 and Amelia (Milly) Bound was 20, when they arrived in Port Adelaide, with their widowed mother and 7 siblings, aboard the Oaklands.  They were the last of my "boat people" to arrive on 21 September 1878

How many came as family groups?

The majority arrived as a family group.  Nine family groups made the voyage to Australia with five ancestors being younger than 10 years of age (the youngest being age two).  At age 22, Margaret Gully and her sister Ellen were very brave to make the journey to Australia from Ireland.  It must have been very difficult for my GGG Grandmother, Amelia "Jane" Bound (nee Congdon), who had recently been made a widow, to make the journey with 9 children, the youngest being 10 months old.

James Pilgrim was 22 when he
arrived in Melbourne
10th October 1858
aboard the Lady Milton

Did one person lead the way and others follow?
Yes, I immediately think of my GG Grandfather, James Pilgrim, who followed his older brother John to Australia and was soon followed by his younger sister Emma and her husband, with a further three siblings remaining in Essex.

What’s the longest journey they took to get here?

Over 3 years! Samuel Drayton boarded the whaling boat Sophia in Nantucket on the 15th June 1848. He was one of 25 crew. It is known that the schooner stopped at Pacific islands to offload barrels of sperm whale oil, arriving at Port Jackson, NSW,  on 28th October 1851.  I am hoping to get a copy of a log book detailing the voyage.  Fingers Crossed!

Did anyone make a two-step emigration via another place?

I believe that two of my unknown boat people may have left UK and spent time in USA and NZ respectively, before coming to Australia, which is why I cannot confirm their arrival details.

I would love to find out how and 

when Richard Foy came to 

Australia.  

I believe that he arrived in QLD 

in the 1870s but the records

 have been destroyed

 by flood so I cannot prove.

Which state(s)/colony did your ancestors arrive?  Did they settle and remain in one 

state/colony? Did they stay in one town or move around?

13 Victoria,  12 South Australia, 2 Tasmania and one in NSW.  I also believe that one ancestor arrived in Queensland prior to making his way to Victoria.  However, I cannot prove it, as the relevant QLD immigration records were destroyed in floods. 

Samuel Mottram, who was mentioned previously, arrived in Tasmania.  After two years, he went to WA, where the family stayed for 22 years before following their son to the Victorian goldfields. However many of the other children remained in WA.

Most of my boat people ancestors made their way to Victoria with a few remaining in SA.

Do you have any First Australians in your tree?

We may have aboriginal blood in one "branch" of the tree but it will need a DNA test to prove it.  On a different perspective, I am married to a "First Australian".  My husband's mother was born in Germany and his father in Romania whilst my husband was the "first" of his line to be born in Australia.  (I haven't done much work on his family tree).

Were any self-employed?

Yes, I have many farmers in my ancestry. 

What occupations or industries did your earliest ancestors work in?

I have previously written about the occupations in my family history.  Those who arrived in Australia, were primarily farmers or miners.

My father was the first white collar worker in the family, while I was the first to go to university (advanced diploma) with my daughter the first to obtain a degree.

Does anyone in the family still follow that occupation?

James Pilgrim purchased farm land in 1882, which is now operated by his Great Grandson.   There are many properties in the area, which are owned by various members of the Pilgrim family.

Mary Ann Warner was 4 years old
when she arrived at Port Adelaide,
aboard the Westminster
with her family on 5th July 1848

Did any of your ancestors leave Australia and go “home”?

Only one that I am aware of but it was only for a visit to seemingly collect additional furniture and goods.

Now it's all about me

What's your State of Origin?

Victoria.

Do you still live there?

Yes, I have lived in 15 towns within the State of Victoria, which are

listed in another post. 

Mother and Daughter
Jane Warrick (nee Trethewy) and
Mary Ann Scott (nee Warrick).
Jane was 22 when when she arrived in
Port Hobson aboard the Appleton on
25 January 1857 with her husband
and two children under two.

Where was your favourite Aussie Holiday place as a child?

Nearly every school holidays, we would go to the "Beach House" at a tiny coastal town on the South East coast of Victoria.  My parents have lived there since they retired so I wont mention the name.  I still find it one of the most relaxing places to visit.

Any special place(s) that you like to holiday now?

My husband and I love to travel and see new places.  I have a list of places that I am "ticking off".  Our most recent holiday was to US.  It is my dream to spend 3 months in a campervan, travelling England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, visiting all the places where my ancestors lived (but doing some touristy things too)..........................but that will need to wait until the kids have finished uni and/or I retire!

Share your favourite spot in Oz:

Now that is HARD as there are so many great places to see and things to do.  I keep going back to Cairns as my sisters live there.  I  don't think I could live there but I always enjoy it and there is always plenty to do and see.

Any great Aussie adventure you've had?

Jungle Surfing at Cape Tribulation and Climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge.  Hard to believe that I am scared of heights isn't it! 

What's on your Australian holiday bucket list?

Definitely Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kings Canyon and the Red Centre.

How do you celebrate Australia Day?

I don't tend to go to Australia Day events but instead use the time to do research and blog! 

 I thank my ancestors for making such sacrifices and having the courage to make such a long and difficult journey to Australia so that we can have a wonderful life now.

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY

Donald Scott was 23 when he traveled
alone aboard the Sappho, which arrived
in Geelong on 18 December 1852. 

Mary Ann (Polly) Warrick was my
youngest "boat person" as she was
only 2 years old when she arrived in
Port Hobson aboard the Appleton on
25 January 1857.

I would love to find out how and when
Richard Foy came to Australia.  I believe
that he arrived in QLD in the 1870s
but the records have been destroyed
 by flood so I cannot prove.

Eduard Geier was 22 when he
came to Australia.  His father
was the oldest of my 'boat people"
at age 63. They arrived in
Port Adelaide aboard the
Alfred on 6th December 1848.

Matthias Lange was 49 when
he arrived with family at
 Port Adelaide in 1846, aboard the
George Washington.

Post 101: The Bloggers Geneameme

It was very interesting to read some of the responses to the Geneameme proposed by Jill at Geniaus to promote National Family History Month.

Source: http://www.kingletas.com

What are the titles and URLs of your genealogy blog/s?

Just the one - Strong Foundations.  

Do you have a wonderful "Cousin Bait" blog story? A link to a previous blog post might answer this question. 

Unfortunately I haven't been contacted by any long lost cousins yet.  However I am now closer and in regular contact with many cousins and relatives who enjoy reading my blog and tell me that they enjoy learning about their family, although they never comment.

Why did you start blogging? Is there someone who inspired you to start blogging?

I originally started the blog with a different name and purpose; to provide information about a family reunion and book launch.  Not long after the reunion, Alona at Gould Genealogy initiated the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge................then I was hooked.  Thank you Alona :)

How did you decide on your blog/s title/s?

One of the many titles I was considering for the family history book was "Strong Foundations" after my Great Great Grandfather, James Pilgrim, who as a young man (before an accident) was a stone mason.   He was a pioneer, had very strong faith, strong opinions and great strength of character.  Many of his traits and strengths have been passed through the the genes.  Yep.  I believe that I came from strong foundations.

Do you ever blog from mobile devices? What are they?

Just my lap top.

How do you let others know when you have published a new post?

Post a link on;

Facebook - none of my friends or colleagues ever read it.  Only family.

Relevant Webpage - eg Sepia Saturday or Geneabloggers etc

Google+ (still not sure about how this works so would be happy for hints or tips)

How long have you been blogging?

The family reunion and book launch blog was commenced January 2011.  It didn't get much attention (only 602 page views) as the majority of of those who were interested did not have the technology and wrote me letters by hand.

It wasn't until  May 2012 when I started my web log (I do like this term better than blog).  This will be post 101.

What widgets or elements do you consider essential on a genealogy blog? 

If I could only choose one, it would be the search widget.   As I write more posts, I use the search function all the time to find and check prior posts.  The tags also make it easier for me to locate prior posts.

When I read others blogs, I like to read their "About Me" and the list of prior/recent posts.

What is the purpose of your blog/s? Who is your intended audience?

This has changed over time.  My purpose now is to record family history research for other family members to enjoy and learn.  If others enjoy them too, that is a bonus.

By using prompts from other blogs, I complete research on alternative people and topics that I may not have otherwise considered, which I really enjoy.

Which of your posts are you particularly proud of?

That is a hard one as there are many.  I do really enjoy doing the research and take pride in most of my posts.  I get a real sense of accomplishment when I complete research and post about someone who does not have family to remember them.

I did get emotional and really enjoyed writing the post about my grandfather returning home from the war.   I didn't know my grandfather and all I had was a picture of the ship (no name) when I started.  As it turns out, this post is written differently to any others that I have written and I felt that he was watching over and helping me.

I also put a lot of research into a post about my Great Grandmother - K is for Killed.  This post was summarised and included in the "One Picture" section of the most recent issue of Inside History Magazine, which made me proud.

How do you keep up with your blog reading?

I don't.  My "to do" list is a mile long. I subscribe to those blogs that interest me.   My email is full of blog alerts, yet to be read.

Working full time, my blogging is primarily on a Friday night and weekend.  I try to comment where I can but often read without commenting when pushed for time.

What platform do you use for publishing your blog/s?

Blogger. 

What new features would you like to see in your blogging software?

I would like to have more flexibility with formatting eg. where I insert pictures and text.  Sometimes I would like to be more creative with the look of a post.

Which of your posts has been the most popular with readers?

The two interactive posts, where questions were posed, received the highest number of comments.

A Genealogy Matching Game - How many faces can you match?

Could this be my Great Great Great Grandparents? - Still unresolved unfortunately

Are you a sole blogger or do you contribute to a shared blog?

It is just me.

How do you compose your blog posts?

Firstly I need to be motivated and enthusiastic about the topic.  Then I look through all the information I already have on the person/topic and see what else I can locate.

Then it just seems to flow.  My biggest issue is keeping posts to a readable length (and I often fail).  I regularly seem to have so much information that I cannot include it all.

Do you have any blogs that are not genealogy related? If you wish please share their titles and URLs.

Prior to the genealogy blog, I did write a couple of travel blogs on Travelpod with photos so family and friends could see what we were doing on our travels.  However this has been inactive for some time.

Have you listed your blog/s at Geneabloggers?

Yes

Which resources have helped you with your blogging?

I have learnt so much from other bloggers and researchers.  It is such a very friendly,  helpful and supportive community.

What advice would you give to a new Geneablogger?

Just make a start.  Read lots of blogs.  Be willing to learn and enjoy it.

Like others have mentioned, one of the unexpected benefits of blogging has been networking and friendship with others from all around the world.  

The internet really has made the world a smaller place......and to think that my grandmother had to board with her Aunty as 8 miles was too far to travel to High School every day!