Gems in the Library
2016
December
This month I’m focussing on an unexpected little gem that has been found hiding in the exchange journals and should be of interest to members with German ancestry. As the Library continues to grow and space is limited it has become necessary to dispose of some of the earlier issues of the journals.
Ances-Tree is the journal of the Burwood-Drummoyne & Districts Family History Group. Jenny Paterson wrote six articles titled German Immigrant Ships to Eastern Australia – Resources and Problems and these were published in six issues of the Journal beginning with March 2003.
March 2003 Vol 16 No 1 – This article is about the ship Beulah which arrived in Sydney from London on 4 Apr 1849 with 169 assisted German immigrants.
July 2003 Vol 16 No 2 – The ship Parland arrived in Sydney from London on 5 Jul 1849 with 181 assisted German immigrants.
November 2003 Vol 16 No 3 – The ship Harmony arrived Sydney from London 23 Sep 1849 carrying 30 assisted German immigrants and the ship Balmoral arrived in Sydney from London on 3 Feb 1850 with 23 assisted German immigrants,
March 2004 Vol 17 No 1 – The ship San Francisco arrived in Sydney from Hamburg on 31 Mar 1852 with 120 assisted German immigrants.
July 2004 Vol 17 No 2 – The ship Reiherstieg arrived in Sydney from Hamburg on 5 Aug 1852 with 67 assisted German immigrants and also 30 unassisted passengers.
November 2004 Vol 17 No 3 – The ship Peter Godeffroy arrived in Sydney from Hamburg on 25 Oct 1852 with 108 assisted German immigrants and almost twice as many who were not assisted by the NSW Government.
The articles give the sources for Jenny’s information, passenger lists, lists of employers, individual stories, references to other research material, marriages conducted on board ship and other bits of information and research tips.
Needless to say these six issues are not being disposed of and are being kept at the back of the box of Ances-tree Journals situated on the top shelf of wall 2 in the library. And, of course they can be borrowed. Please just remember to write up the details in the red covered Library Loans book.
Lake Macquarie Family History Group has also compiled 29 pages of German Research Notes which can be found on the journal reader in the Kevin Faulks Room and can be saved to a USB. These notes cover all aspects of German research and will be invaluable to researchers of this topic.
Esther Dean #23 Life Member
Ances-Tree is the journal of the Burwood-Drummoyne & Districts Family History Group. Jenny Paterson wrote six articles titled German Immigrant Ships to Eastern Australia – Resources and Problems and these were published in six issues of the Journal beginning with March 2003.
March 2003 Vol 16 No 1 – This article is about the ship Beulah which arrived in Sydney from London on 4 Apr 1849 with 169 assisted German immigrants.
July 2003 Vol 16 No 2 – The ship Parland arrived in Sydney from London on 5 Jul 1849 with 181 assisted German immigrants.
November 2003 Vol 16 No 3 – The ship Harmony arrived Sydney from London 23 Sep 1849 carrying 30 assisted German immigrants and the ship Balmoral arrived in Sydney from London on 3 Feb 1850 with 23 assisted German immigrants,
March 2004 Vol 17 No 1 – The ship San Francisco arrived in Sydney from Hamburg on 31 Mar 1852 with 120 assisted German immigrants.
July 2004 Vol 17 No 2 – The ship Reiherstieg arrived in Sydney from Hamburg on 5 Aug 1852 with 67 assisted German immigrants and also 30 unassisted passengers.
November 2004 Vol 17 No 3 – The ship Peter Godeffroy arrived in Sydney from Hamburg on 25 Oct 1852 with 108 assisted German immigrants and almost twice as many who were not assisted by the NSW Government.
The articles give the sources for Jenny’s information, passenger lists, lists of employers, individual stories, references to other research material, marriages conducted on board ship and other bits of information and research tips.
Needless to say these six issues are not being disposed of and are being kept at the back of the box of Ances-tree Journals situated on the top shelf of wall 2 in the library. And, of course they can be borrowed. Please just remember to write up the details in the red covered Library Loans book.
Lake Macquarie Family History Group has also compiled 29 pages of German Research Notes which can be found on the journal reader in the Kevin Faulks Room and can be saved to a USB. These notes cover all aspects of German research and will be invaluable to researchers of this topic.
Esther Dean #23 Life Member
November
After you’ve done years of research and spent a lot of money on certificates, what are you going to do with the end result?
My first thought was to put all this effort into a book, mostly for the family, but also for others. If you are thinking along these lines, have a look at the Families (FAM) Section of the Library where there is a fine selection of various styles of writing and methods of compiling the family history, Borrow a couple to get ideas.
Two very fine examples in the library are FAM008 Cornstalks by Valerie Ross (Everingham descendants) and FAM007A and FAM007B Small Family in Australia. These two books trace families of very early days in the Colony. Have a look at FAM086 My Yorkshire & Lancashire Families by Ellane Garside, FAM063 Perrim, Johnson, Conlon Ancestors – Four Families by our late member Beryl Conlon or FAM055 The Bates of Sussex Street by Marie Heilbrunn. These three are all written in different styles.
In the Guides (GUI) Section there are several books which give help in writing your book. See GUI104 Writing Family History Made Very Easy by Noeline Kyle; GUI100 Writing Interesting Family Histories by Carol Baxter; GUI010 Writing up Your Family History by John Titford or GUI075 Writing a Family History by Dorn Meadley. All full of useful hints.
In our CD collection under FAMILY TREES, have a look at CD368 Australian Family Histories 5th Edition. This is an index (surname and title) to 9093 family histories and genealogies published in and relevant to Australia. You never know, you might find someone who has already written some of your family history.
And when you’ve finished writing your wonderful book, don’t forget to donate a copy to Wyong Family History Group.
And finally, the Society of Australian Genealogists in Sydney is asking for family history writers to please lodge a copy of their publication with them for use by future researchers.
Esther Dean Life Member #23
My first thought was to put all this effort into a book, mostly for the family, but also for others. If you are thinking along these lines, have a look at the Families (FAM) Section of the Library where there is a fine selection of various styles of writing and methods of compiling the family history, Borrow a couple to get ideas.
Two very fine examples in the library are FAM008 Cornstalks by Valerie Ross (Everingham descendants) and FAM007A and FAM007B Small Family in Australia. These two books trace families of very early days in the Colony. Have a look at FAM086 My Yorkshire & Lancashire Families by Ellane Garside, FAM063 Perrim, Johnson, Conlon Ancestors – Four Families by our late member Beryl Conlon or FAM055 The Bates of Sussex Street by Marie Heilbrunn. These three are all written in different styles.
In the Guides (GUI) Section there are several books which give help in writing your book. See GUI104 Writing Family History Made Very Easy by Noeline Kyle; GUI100 Writing Interesting Family Histories by Carol Baxter; GUI010 Writing up Your Family History by John Titford or GUI075 Writing a Family History by Dorn Meadley. All full of useful hints.
In our CD collection under FAMILY TREES, have a look at CD368 Australian Family Histories 5th Edition. This is an index (surname and title) to 9093 family histories and genealogies published in and relevant to Australia. You never know, you might find someone who has already written some of your family history.
And when you’ve finished writing your wonderful book, don’t forget to donate a copy to Wyong Family History Group.
And finally, the Society of Australian Genealogists in Sydney is asking for family history writers to please lodge a copy of their publication with them for use by future researchers.
Esther Dean Life Member #23
October
Recently Librarian Glenise held a competition asking members to search our resources to find the number of mentions of the death of James Munro in Queensland on 1 Dec 1915. Unfortunately I was the only member who took up the challenge.
I could only find one resource – CD241 Toowong Cemetery where the entry read “James Munro DOB 5 Jan 1851 DOD 1 Dec 1915 – Portion 14, Reference 108”.
However, clever Glenise found a second record which prompts me to remind members of one of the golden rules – Look Outside the Square. Who would have thought that the NSW Probate Index 1800-1985 would have an entry which read “James Munro, died Queensland 1 Dec 1915”.
Looking outside the square leads me to highlight a group of CDs installed on computers 1,2,4 and 5 in the computer room – Police Gazettes.
Do you ignore the Police Gazettes because your ancestors weren’t criminals? Perhaps you should think again. Perhaps your ancestors were victims of crime or maybe missing persons.
An entry on page 7 in the NSW Police Gazette dated 7 January 1874 reads “John Curtis, charged on warrant with stealing a mare and colt (not recovered), the property of Joseph Simmonds, Crowther, has been arrested by Constable McManus, Young Police. Committed for trial at the next Court of Quarter Sessions to be held at Young. Bail allowed – self in eighty pounds, and two sureties in 40 pounds each.” From this President Kerrie now knows that in 1874 her Great Grandfather Joseph Simmonds was living at Crowther in the Young District of NSW and had been the owner of two horses.
An entry on page 62 of the 1873 NSW Police Gazette has the headline “Extract from Victoria Police Gazette Feb 11, 1873 – Missing Friends” followed by “Inquiry is requested for FELIX SALZMANN, born at Naters, canton of Valois, Switzerland, aged about 29 years, tall, stout, chestnut hair; a farmer or farm labourer. Left his home for Santa Fe, Buenos Ayres, and thence for Australia, but has not been heard of for four years. His father and mother are dead, and a fortune has been left him. 0659 8th February 1873”. Nice information if he was a member of your family.
Our collection of CDs of Police Gazettes covers NSW 1862-1938; Queensland 1864-1905; South Australia 1901-1910. Happy hunting!!!
Esther Dean LM #23
I could only find one resource – CD241 Toowong Cemetery where the entry read “James Munro DOB 5 Jan 1851 DOD 1 Dec 1915 – Portion 14, Reference 108”.
However, clever Glenise found a second record which prompts me to remind members of one of the golden rules – Look Outside the Square. Who would have thought that the NSW Probate Index 1800-1985 would have an entry which read “James Munro, died Queensland 1 Dec 1915”.
Looking outside the square leads me to highlight a group of CDs installed on computers 1,2,4 and 5 in the computer room – Police Gazettes.
Do you ignore the Police Gazettes because your ancestors weren’t criminals? Perhaps you should think again. Perhaps your ancestors were victims of crime or maybe missing persons.
An entry on page 7 in the NSW Police Gazette dated 7 January 1874 reads “John Curtis, charged on warrant with stealing a mare and colt (not recovered), the property of Joseph Simmonds, Crowther, has been arrested by Constable McManus, Young Police. Committed for trial at the next Court of Quarter Sessions to be held at Young. Bail allowed – self in eighty pounds, and two sureties in 40 pounds each.” From this President Kerrie now knows that in 1874 her Great Grandfather Joseph Simmonds was living at Crowther in the Young District of NSW and had been the owner of two horses.
An entry on page 62 of the 1873 NSW Police Gazette has the headline “Extract from Victoria Police Gazette Feb 11, 1873 – Missing Friends” followed by “Inquiry is requested for FELIX SALZMANN, born at Naters, canton of Valois, Switzerland, aged about 29 years, tall, stout, chestnut hair; a farmer or farm labourer. Left his home for Santa Fe, Buenos Ayres, and thence for Australia, but has not been heard of for four years. His father and mother are dead, and a fortune has been left him. 0659 8th February 1873”. Nice information if he was a member of your family.
Our collection of CDs of Police Gazettes covers NSW 1862-1938; Queensland 1864-1905; South Australia 1901-1910. Happy hunting!!!
Esther Dean LM #23
September
Most of us have suffered the frustration of ordering a birth, marriage or death certificate only to find that it is for a complete stranger. What do you do with the unrelated certificate? Solution – donate it to the Wyong Family History Group please .
Over the years we have collected unwanted certificates and they have now been filed in four white ring folders located on the shelf above the Library computer – GUI049 Births, GUI050 Marriages, GUI051 Deaths 1 and GUI052 Deaths 2. Each folder has an alphabetical list in the front.
A database has been created which is updated regularly by Helen Innes and is very easy to use. The icon for the unrelated certificate database is on the Library computer. Also available on our website.
Our collection of certificates is not overly huge at the moment, but it is still worth checking out, just in case someone has purchased your ancestor’s certificate by mistake. If you find that we do have your certificate, you are welcome to photocopy it, but please return it to its right place in the folder.
So, when you next come into the Cottage, bring in a list of your surnames – you never know, we may have a certificate for you.
On the right of the Library Computer is the England Wales Section. In 1085/86 King William sent representatives all over England and Wales to each shire to find out what or how much each landholder had in land and livestock and what it was worth. These records were transcribed and printed in book form which became known as the Domesday Books. The library does not have the full set of these books but there are eleven on our shelves and they are worth browsing through. Members who have traced their ancestry back to the time of William the Conqueror may find mention of their ancestor. If not, it is still interesting to learn about each village at that time and add this information to your family story.
For instance in ENG080 Somerset the village of South Petherton “King Edward held it. It has never paid tax, nor is it known how many hides are there. Land for 28 ploughs. In lordship 2 ploughs; 5 slaves; 22 freedmen; 63 villagers and 15 smallholders with 26 ploughs. A mill which pays 20s; meadow, 50 acres; woodland 11 furlongs long and 10 furlongs wide. 2 cobs; 1 cow; 12 pigs; 63 sheep. It pays £42.1.00d at 20 (pence) to the ora. Of this manor Merleswein held 2 hides in (Over) Stratton before 1066; it was thaneland. It now pays 60s in the King’s revenue. From this manor ½ hide has been taken away. Norman holds from Roger of Courseulles. Value 16s. Before 1066 a customary due was paid every year to this manor from Cricket (St Thomas); that is 6 sheep with as many lambs, and each free man (paid) 1 bloom of iron. Thurstan holds from the Count of Mortain; but he has not paid the customary due since the Count has had the land.”
The eleven books on our shelves are for Berkshire, Cornwall, Devon pt 1 and Devon pt 2, Dorset, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Wiltshire and Somerset.
Esther Dean Life Member #23
Over the years we have collected unwanted certificates and they have now been filed in four white ring folders located on the shelf above the Library computer – GUI049 Births, GUI050 Marriages, GUI051 Deaths 1 and GUI052 Deaths 2. Each folder has an alphabetical list in the front.
A database has been created which is updated regularly by Helen Innes and is very easy to use. The icon for the unrelated certificate database is on the Library computer. Also available on our website.
Our collection of certificates is not overly huge at the moment, but it is still worth checking out, just in case someone has purchased your ancestor’s certificate by mistake. If you find that we do have your certificate, you are welcome to photocopy it, but please return it to its right place in the folder.
So, when you next come into the Cottage, bring in a list of your surnames – you never know, we may have a certificate for you.
On the right of the Library Computer is the England Wales Section. In 1085/86 King William sent representatives all over England and Wales to each shire to find out what or how much each landholder had in land and livestock and what it was worth. These records were transcribed and printed in book form which became known as the Domesday Books. The library does not have the full set of these books but there are eleven on our shelves and they are worth browsing through. Members who have traced their ancestry back to the time of William the Conqueror may find mention of their ancestor. If not, it is still interesting to learn about each village at that time and add this information to your family story.
For instance in ENG080 Somerset the village of South Petherton “King Edward held it. It has never paid tax, nor is it known how many hides are there. Land for 28 ploughs. In lordship 2 ploughs; 5 slaves; 22 freedmen; 63 villagers and 15 smallholders with 26 ploughs. A mill which pays 20s; meadow, 50 acres; woodland 11 furlongs long and 10 furlongs wide. 2 cobs; 1 cow; 12 pigs; 63 sheep. It pays £42.1.00d at 20 (pence) to the ora. Of this manor Merleswein held 2 hides in (Over) Stratton before 1066; it was thaneland. It now pays 60s in the King’s revenue. From this manor ½ hide has been taken away. Norman holds from Roger of Courseulles. Value 16s. Before 1066 a customary due was paid every year to this manor from Cricket (St Thomas); that is 6 sheep with as many lambs, and each free man (paid) 1 bloom of iron. Thurstan holds from the Count of Mortain; but he has not paid the customary due since the Count has had the land.”
The eleven books on our shelves are for Berkshire, Cornwall, Devon pt 1 and Devon pt 2, Dorset, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Wiltshire and Somerset.
Esther Dean Life Member #23
August
We all know that the internet does NOT contain all available records. Don’t we!!!! This month I want to highlight four resources we have in the Microfiche Collection which cannot be found on the internet. The microfiche are found in the filing cabinet in the corner directly opposite the door in the Kevin Faulks Room (front computer room) and next to it is the microfiche reader.
1.1993 Electoral Roll for all Australian States and Territories. These fiche are in alphabetical order – State by State – and are found in the top drawer of the cabinet in the section applicable to each State. The fiche consist of Surname, Christian name and address. If you have lost contact with a family member who was alive in 1993, check out this resource. And if you find him/her have a look to see if there is someone else with the same surname at the same address. You may find another family member.
2.Wollongong Cemetery – Three fiche filed in the middle row of the top drawer behind Cemeteries. The details have been collected from headstone transcriptions, burial records, and H Parsons Funeral Directors records. Also from official Council burial registers as of 1989.
The first fiche contains the index to the deceased. This index gives the Surname, Christian Name, Denomination, Section, Row and Grave Number. Following the index on fiche 1 are the denominations Congregation, General Baby Section, Independent, Methodist, Moslem, Presbyterian, Salvation Army, Seventh Day Adventist and Old Wesleyan/Presbyterian.
Fiche 2 contains details for C of E and the C of E Plantation.
Fiche 3 contains the RC Baby Section, RC Mausoleums, RC New Section, RC North Section, RC South Section and RC West Section.
Sometimes you may find another family member buried in the same grave. E.g. Charles Bowman was buried with his wife Hephzibah and also with his grandson.
NSW Probate Index 1800 - 1985– located in the front of the right hand row of the top drawer. The index contains the Series No, Surname, Christian Name/s, Place of Death, Date of Death and whether Probate or Administration was granted.
If you have a relative who owned property in NSW and who may have left a will but cannot be found on the index for State Records, it is wise to check out this Probate Index. The index on State Records website is not complete. Except for approx. 31,000 WWI era records, there is no index between 1890-1928, and no index from the early 1970s on Archives Investigator (State Records). State Records hold Probate Packets from 1817 up to 1976 and part of 1989. These can be viewed and photocopied at State Records, Kingswood NSW.
4.Colonial Secretary’s Correspondence and Letters Sent re Convicts and Others 1826-1894 – found in the Convict section, first row in top drawer. From early in the life of the Colony ALL administration matters were handled by the Colonial Secretary. All letters were given numbers and filed in numerical order. An index to these letters is available on State Records website, but only up to 1825. Letters for the following years are also held at State Records but not indexed by them. The late Joan Reese spent many many hours compiling an index for the letters 1826 – 1894 and these have been produced on microfiche. Details include Surname, Christian Name/s, a short description of the subject and letter identification e.g. 86/7578 which means letter number 7578 in the year 1886. If you find a reference to your ancestor, take note of the details and when next at State Records you can view the correspondence and obtain a photocopy.
These are but four of the many little gems in the Microfiche Collection. So in the words of the Ancestry actors “Come find me”.
Esther Dean Life Member # 23
1.1993 Electoral Roll for all Australian States and Territories. These fiche are in alphabetical order – State by State – and are found in the top drawer of the cabinet in the section applicable to each State. The fiche consist of Surname, Christian name and address. If you have lost contact with a family member who was alive in 1993, check out this resource. And if you find him/her have a look to see if there is someone else with the same surname at the same address. You may find another family member.
2.Wollongong Cemetery – Three fiche filed in the middle row of the top drawer behind Cemeteries. The details have been collected from headstone transcriptions, burial records, and H Parsons Funeral Directors records. Also from official Council burial registers as of 1989.
The first fiche contains the index to the deceased. This index gives the Surname, Christian Name, Denomination, Section, Row and Grave Number. Following the index on fiche 1 are the denominations Congregation, General Baby Section, Independent, Methodist, Moslem, Presbyterian, Salvation Army, Seventh Day Adventist and Old Wesleyan/Presbyterian.
Fiche 2 contains details for C of E and the C of E Plantation.
Fiche 3 contains the RC Baby Section, RC Mausoleums, RC New Section, RC North Section, RC South Section and RC West Section.
Sometimes you may find another family member buried in the same grave. E.g. Charles Bowman was buried with his wife Hephzibah and also with his grandson.
NSW Probate Index 1800 - 1985– located in the front of the right hand row of the top drawer. The index contains the Series No, Surname, Christian Name/s, Place of Death, Date of Death and whether Probate or Administration was granted.
If you have a relative who owned property in NSW and who may have left a will but cannot be found on the index for State Records, it is wise to check out this Probate Index. The index on State Records website is not complete. Except for approx. 31,000 WWI era records, there is no index between 1890-1928, and no index from the early 1970s on Archives Investigator (State Records). State Records hold Probate Packets from 1817 up to 1976 and part of 1989. These can be viewed and photocopied at State Records, Kingswood NSW.
4.Colonial Secretary’s Correspondence and Letters Sent re Convicts and Others 1826-1894 – found in the Convict section, first row in top drawer. From early in the life of the Colony ALL administration matters were handled by the Colonial Secretary. All letters were given numbers and filed in numerical order. An index to these letters is available on State Records website, but only up to 1825. Letters for the following years are also held at State Records but not indexed by them. The late Joan Reese spent many many hours compiling an index for the letters 1826 – 1894 and these have been produced on microfiche. Details include Surname, Christian Name/s, a short description of the subject and letter identification e.g. 86/7578 which means letter number 7578 in the year 1886. If you find a reference to your ancestor, take note of the details and when next at State Records you can view the correspondence and obtain a photocopy.
These are but four of the many little gems in the Microfiche Collection. So in the words of the Ancestry actors “Come find me”.
Esther Dean Life Member # 23
July
This month I’d like to recommend the Local History section of the Library, situated on the wall directly opposite the door. This section containing hundreds of books is split into sub-sections
LHS (NSW), LHACT, LHC (Central Coast), LHNI (Norfolk Island), LHNT (Northern Territory), LHQ (Queensland), LHSA (South Australia), LHT (Tasmania), LHV (Victoria), LHWA (Western Australia), LHW (Wyong), AHS (Australian History) and GEN (General).
These books are specific to certain areas and contain many names and photographs. So check the Library Catalogue to see if we have a book for the area where your family lived. You might find their names or a photograph and information to flesh out your family history story. I have chosen four examples –
1.LHSA006 Burra and District; A Pictorial Memoir by Ian Auhl – Wow! If your ancestor lived in the Burra District in South Australia PLEASE have a look at this book. The many photographs include pioneers, weddings, school children, civic fathers, buildings and lots more.
2.LHV005 Tallangatta Valley; the First 100 years 1881-1981 – Again if your ancestors lived in this part of Victoria its worth a look. There’s an application for establishment of a State School with a list of the children who would attend and how far they were from the proposed school and also the established school.
3.LHS113 The History of Anthony Hordern and Sons Limited – This book was produced to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the State of NSW and also 115 years of trading by Anthony Hordern. Do you have an ancestor who worked for Anthony Hordern? If so you may find him/her mentioned in the pages of this book and also find a photograph.
4.LHC024 The Forgotten Valley; History of the Macdonald Valley and St Albans NSW by Marjorie Hutton Neve. This is a very detailed story of the settling of the Macdonald Valley and if your ancestor was there in the early years of the Colony, you might find a mention of him or her. Not a lot of photos but the information is great. Convicts as well as settlers are mentioned.
Let your fingers do the walking and visit the Library Catalogue.
Esther Dean #23 Life Member
LHS (NSW), LHACT, LHC (Central Coast), LHNI (Norfolk Island), LHNT (Northern Territory), LHQ (Queensland), LHSA (South Australia), LHT (Tasmania), LHV (Victoria), LHWA (Western Australia), LHW (Wyong), AHS (Australian History) and GEN (General).
These books are specific to certain areas and contain many names and photographs. So check the Library Catalogue to see if we have a book for the area where your family lived. You might find their names or a photograph and information to flesh out your family history story. I have chosen four examples –
1.LHSA006 Burra and District; A Pictorial Memoir by Ian Auhl – Wow! If your ancestor lived in the Burra District in South Australia PLEASE have a look at this book. The many photographs include pioneers, weddings, school children, civic fathers, buildings and lots more.
2.LHV005 Tallangatta Valley; the First 100 years 1881-1981 – Again if your ancestors lived in this part of Victoria its worth a look. There’s an application for establishment of a State School with a list of the children who would attend and how far they were from the proposed school and also the established school.
3.LHS113 The History of Anthony Hordern and Sons Limited – This book was produced to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the State of NSW and also 115 years of trading by Anthony Hordern. Do you have an ancestor who worked for Anthony Hordern? If so you may find him/her mentioned in the pages of this book and also find a photograph.
4.LHC024 The Forgotten Valley; History of the Macdonald Valley and St Albans NSW by Marjorie Hutton Neve. This is a very detailed story of the settling of the Macdonald Valley and if your ancestor was there in the early years of the Colony, you might find a mention of him or her. Not a lot of photos but the information is great. Convicts as well as settlers are mentioned.
Let your fingers do the walking and visit the Library Catalogue.
Esther Dean #23 Life Member
April
The names in the following story have been changed to protect the identity of the people involved.
Some years ago I took a phone call from a lady in Sydney who I will call Shirley Anderson. She had been born in 1937 in Gosford Hospital and was adopted. She had always known the name of her birth mother – Joan Elizabeth Burns.
Shirley had looked up the NSW Births Deaths and Marriages website and found a marriage in 1941 for a Joan Elizabeth Burns to Frederick James Peters. The marriage was registered in Wyong and she contacted our Group to see if we had any information about this couple.
They were not mentioned in our Pioneer Register.
On the off chance that husband and wife had died we checked our recently published Cemetery Books. They had both been buried in Ronkana – the wife in 1984 and the husband in 1996.
In our microfiche collection we have the 1993 electoral roll for all States in alphabetical order, so it was easy to look for Frederick James Peters in NSW. The electoral roll showed him living in Ourimbah. Others of the same surname were also in Ourimbah, one in the same street.
Next we checked the current telephone book and found one of the Ourimbah Peters now living in Narara. Was this Shirley’s relative ?????
I contacted Shirley and gave her this information, but emphasised that if she were to contact the person in Narara, she must remember that if he/she were related Shirley’s existence may not be known. It would need to be handled very delicately.
A few weeks later I got a phone call from Shirley’s daughter. Yes they were related. Shirley had three half brothers and a reunion was arranged. Shirley now has a photograph of her mother.
If you are looking for the location of a relative around 1990s don’t forget our 1993 electoral roll. Easy to use and can open up a whole new line of enquiry.
Esther Dean LM # 23
Some years ago I took a phone call from a lady in Sydney who I will call Shirley Anderson. She had been born in 1937 in Gosford Hospital and was adopted. She had always known the name of her birth mother – Joan Elizabeth Burns.
Shirley had looked up the NSW Births Deaths and Marriages website and found a marriage in 1941 for a Joan Elizabeth Burns to Frederick James Peters. The marriage was registered in Wyong and she contacted our Group to see if we had any information about this couple.
They were not mentioned in our Pioneer Register.
On the off chance that husband and wife had died we checked our recently published Cemetery Books. They had both been buried in Ronkana – the wife in 1984 and the husband in 1996.
In our microfiche collection we have the 1993 electoral roll for all States in alphabetical order, so it was easy to look for Frederick James Peters in NSW. The electoral roll showed him living in Ourimbah. Others of the same surname were also in Ourimbah, one in the same street.
Next we checked the current telephone book and found one of the Ourimbah Peters now living in Narara. Was this Shirley’s relative ?????
I contacted Shirley and gave her this information, but emphasised that if she were to contact the person in Narara, she must remember that if he/she were related Shirley’s existence may not be known. It would need to be handled very delicately.
A few weeks later I got a phone call from Shirley’s daughter. Yes they were related. Shirley had three half brothers and a reunion was arranged. Shirley now has a photograph of her mother.
If you are looking for the location of a relative around 1990s don’t forget our 1993 electoral roll. Easy to use and can open up a whole new line of enquiry.
Esther Dean LM # 23
February
On the left of the library doorway, four shelves from the top, is the section called GUIDES (GUI).
As the name implies this section contains resources to guide members through the various branches of research.
I’ve selected several to highlight –
1.GUI 013 Connecting Kin – Do you have a child in your family who has disappeared and you don’t know what has happened to it? Perhaps has been placed in welfare? This book is a must to read through It has suggestions of how to find records of children who were adopted or were raised in care. It covers NSW Government welfare agencies, non Government welfare agencies (e.g. Churches), hospitals etc. It is fully indexed.
2.GUI 040 Wills and other Probate Records by Karen Grannum and Nigel Taylor. This book explores the history of wills, and where to find them.
3.GUI043 Relations in Records ; a guide to family history sources in the Australian Archives. This book contains suggestions of where to look in Australian records e.g. immigration, shipping, defence, population, naturalizations, aliens and internees to name a few.
4.GUI 023 Family Photographs and how to date them by Jayne Shrimpton. If you have any old photographs whose origin is unknown, then this book will help to identify the period it was taken.
5.GUI 030 How to Trace your Convict Ancestors, their lives, times and records by Janet Reakes. Although this book was printed in 1982 and reprinted in 1999 the information it contains is relevant to today.
6.GUI 122 In Search of Your Canadian Roots, tracing your family tree in Canada by Angus Baxter.Some of us find we have family in Canada and the information in this book could put you on the right track to finding them.
7.GUI 128 Buried Treasure ; What is in the English Parish Chest by Paul Milner. Some years ago I was searching through the Parish Chest film for the Most Holy Trinity Church in Kirton Nottinghamshire and came across this little gem dated 29th March 1785. “This is an Artockel of an agreement amongst the in habbtance of Kirton that if any person puts aney beast into a paster called Conah without nogges on there horns or Saw the tipe of the horn Ends of Shall forfit an pay the Sume of Seven Shillings & Sixpence for everey Defalts maid in that paster.” This was witnessed by 9 residents, one of which was my 4 x Great Grandfather John Weightman.
Some Guides have been placed in the England and Scotland sections and it is worthwhile checking these two shelves for ways to find information. For instance we have ENG 031 Tracing your Ancestors in the PRO England and ENG 048 Tracing your Pauper Ancestors,
So next time you are in the Library, have a browse through the Guide Section. Even the most experienced researchers may find something they didn’t know.
Esther Dean Member # 23
As the name implies this section contains resources to guide members through the various branches of research.
I’ve selected several to highlight –
1.GUI 013 Connecting Kin – Do you have a child in your family who has disappeared and you don’t know what has happened to it? Perhaps has been placed in welfare? This book is a must to read through It has suggestions of how to find records of children who were adopted or were raised in care. It covers NSW Government welfare agencies, non Government welfare agencies (e.g. Churches), hospitals etc. It is fully indexed.
2.GUI 040 Wills and other Probate Records by Karen Grannum and Nigel Taylor. This book explores the history of wills, and where to find them.
3.GUI043 Relations in Records ; a guide to family history sources in the Australian Archives. This book contains suggestions of where to look in Australian records e.g. immigration, shipping, defence, population, naturalizations, aliens and internees to name a few.
4.GUI 023 Family Photographs and how to date them by Jayne Shrimpton. If you have any old photographs whose origin is unknown, then this book will help to identify the period it was taken.
5.GUI 030 How to Trace your Convict Ancestors, their lives, times and records by Janet Reakes. Although this book was printed in 1982 and reprinted in 1999 the information it contains is relevant to today.
6.GUI 122 In Search of Your Canadian Roots, tracing your family tree in Canada by Angus Baxter.Some of us find we have family in Canada and the information in this book could put you on the right track to finding them.
7.GUI 128 Buried Treasure ; What is in the English Parish Chest by Paul Milner. Some years ago I was searching through the Parish Chest film for the Most Holy Trinity Church in Kirton Nottinghamshire and came across this little gem dated 29th March 1785. “This is an Artockel of an agreement amongst the in habbtance of Kirton that if any person puts aney beast into a paster called Conah without nogges on there horns or Saw the tipe of the horn Ends of Shall forfit an pay the Sume of Seven Shillings & Sixpence for everey Defalts maid in that paster.” This was witnessed by 9 residents, one of which was my 4 x Great Grandfather John Weightman.
Some Guides have been placed in the England and Scotland sections and it is worthwhile checking these two shelves for ways to find information. For instance we have ENG 031 Tracing your Ancestors in the PRO England and ENG 048 Tracing your Pauper Ancestors,
So next time you are in the Library, have a browse through the Guide Section. Even the most experienced researchers may find something they didn’t know.
Esther Dean Member # 23
January
This month I’d like to highlight a little used section in our Library – the category titled Funeral Directors Records. It’s a small section, situated on the top shelf to the right of the doorway, which could provide the solution to a brick wall.
Various Family History Societies have been fortunate to gain access to the records of their local Funeral Directors, transcribed them, and then made them available to the public.
They generally contain the name of the deceased, age at death, date of death, date of funeral and place of funeral, but can also contain such gems as the grave location, place of birth, relative etc., depending on the record kept by the Funeral Director.
If you have a relative whose date of death is hard to find, please check out the Funeral Directors Records section. This is particularly handy for deaths occurring post 1985 which is the cut off date for official BDM indexes and also our NSW Probate microfiche.
Imagine that your relative is Mrs Christina Campbell Clayton. The entry for her in the records of FDR003 Wood Coffill in Katoomba reads “Date of Death Friday 16 May 1952; Age at Death 83 years, Place of Death Blue Mountains Hospital Katoomba, Date of Burial Saturday 17 May 1952, Place of Burial Northern Suburbs, Religion PR, Minister Waugh, Informant Mr Wallace H Stevenson, Relationship Son-in-law, address of informant 293 Katoomba Street Katoomba.” As if this isn’t enough under the heading Other Details “Remove to Katoomba chapel where Funeral leaves. Advertisements CLAYTON, Christina Campbell, May 10 1952 at Katoomba & of 28 Barry Street Neutral Bay, beloved Mother of Hazel, Kenneth (Dec) and Peggy (Mrs W.H. Stevenson) aged 83 years. Auckland papers please copy. A Service for the late Mrs Christina Campbell Clayton will be held in the Chapel of Northern Suburbs Crematorium this (Sat) morning at 10 o’clock.”
Not quite as informative but handy is the entry in FDR005 Alan Harris McDonald Funerals Wagga for “Gary Russell KEW, age 21, Cowabbie Street Coolamon, date of death 29 Oct 1958, date of burial 31 Oct 1958, place of burial Church of England Section of Coolamon Cemetery”
Closer to home our own Group has been transcribing the records of Simplicity Funerals on the Central Coast. Also FDR010 Bowdens Family Funerals (1999-2015).
But wait, there’s more!!! Then there is our CD collection under the category Cemeteries and Funeral Directors which includes Max Perrams Funeral Records for Liverpool NSW (1962-1997) and Logan Funeral Directors in Narrabri (1900-2009). Also in this section are the records of RH Creighton in Gosford, Gosford Courthouse Burial Records, Charles Kinsela in Sydney, Metcalfe and Morris in Parramatta and two Funeral Directors in Taree – E W Bridge and W F Howard.
Finally take a wander into the front computer room and in the top drawer of the microfiche cabinet under the heading Funerals and Burials you will find the records of Olsens in Sutherland (1963-1990) and Walter Carter (1887-1922).
Esther Dean
LM # 23
Various Family History Societies have been fortunate to gain access to the records of their local Funeral Directors, transcribed them, and then made them available to the public.
They generally contain the name of the deceased, age at death, date of death, date of funeral and place of funeral, but can also contain such gems as the grave location, place of birth, relative etc., depending on the record kept by the Funeral Director.
If you have a relative whose date of death is hard to find, please check out the Funeral Directors Records section. This is particularly handy for deaths occurring post 1985 which is the cut off date for official BDM indexes and also our NSW Probate microfiche.
Imagine that your relative is Mrs Christina Campbell Clayton. The entry for her in the records of FDR003 Wood Coffill in Katoomba reads “Date of Death Friday 16 May 1952; Age at Death 83 years, Place of Death Blue Mountains Hospital Katoomba, Date of Burial Saturday 17 May 1952, Place of Burial Northern Suburbs, Religion PR, Minister Waugh, Informant Mr Wallace H Stevenson, Relationship Son-in-law, address of informant 293 Katoomba Street Katoomba.” As if this isn’t enough under the heading Other Details “Remove to Katoomba chapel where Funeral leaves. Advertisements CLAYTON, Christina Campbell, May 10 1952 at Katoomba & of 28 Barry Street Neutral Bay, beloved Mother of Hazel, Kenneth (Dec) and Peggy (Mrs W.H. Stevenson) aged 83 years. Auckland papers please copy. A Service for the late Mrs Christina Campbell Clayton will be held in the Chapel of Northern Suburbs Crematorium this (Sat) morning at 10 o’clock.”
Not quite as informative but handy is the entry in FDR005 Alan Harris McDonald Funerals Wagga for “Gary Russell KEW, age 21, Cowabbie Street Coolamon, date of death 29 Oct 1958, date of burial 31 Oct 1958, place of burial Church of England Section of Coolamon Cemetery”
Closer to home our own Group has been transcribing the records of Simplicity Funerals on the Central Coast. Also FDR010 Bowdens Family Funerals (1999-2015).
But wait, there’s more!!! Then there is our CD collection under the category Cemeteries and Funeral Directors which includes Max Perrams Funeral Records for Liverpool NSW (1962-1997) and Logan Funeral Directors in Narrabri (1900-2009). Also in this section are the records of RH Creighton in Gosford, Gosford Courthouse Burial Records, Charles Kinsela in Sydney, Metcalfe and Morris in Parramatta and two Funeral Directors in Taree – E W Bridge and W F Howard.
Finally take a wander into the front computer room and in the top drawer of the microfiche cabinet under the heading Funerals and Burials you will find the records of Olsens in Sutherland (1963-1990) and Walter Carter (1887-1922).
Esther Dean
LM # 23
2015
December
So, you have traced your ancestor in Australia as far back as you can, but you can’t find him arriving in Australia. What to do? You have looked in the usual passenger lists without result.
Have you thought your ancestor may have worked his way to Australia as a member of the crew?
On computers 1, 2, 4 and 5 we have two invaluable CDs titled Registers of Discharge of Seamen 1859-1978 Vols 1 and 2 (CD298) and Registers of Discharge of Seamen 1878-1887 Vol 3 (CD370). Here I found my 2 x great grandfather John Thomas Gamble arriving on board the Camperdown on 3 February 1859. He had worked his way as an able seaman and was discharged in Sydney.
Also on computers 1, 2, 4 and 5 is (CD042) WA Passenger Arrivals 1839-1890. This CD also includes Ships Crew List 1829-1887. For example – Alexander ANGUS arrived in Fremantle aboard the ship Lady Amherst on 19 Feb 1857 having worked as Mate. Ref No CSR 441/8.
OR – perhaps your ancestor travelled to Australia as crew and then DESERTED!!!! In the Library Shipping Section you will find book SHI004 Ships Deserters 1852-1900. This is a list of deserters compiled from notices in Newspapers. Imagine if your ancestor was Michael O’Keife and you came across the following “MICHAEL O’KEIFE stoker, 30 years of age, 5 ft 11 in in height, brown hair, hazel eyes, fresh complexion, marked with small pox; native of Malagh, Cork. £3 reward. This man probably sailed from Auckland to Sydney about this date. He is known to Serjeant N Ryan, of the Sydney Police, by whom he has been apprehended twice before, on 27th April, 1860 and 1st June, 1859; his brother is an orderly at Government House, and his wife resides at Sydney.” This was a notice dated 24 Sep 1860 listing deserters from HMS Cordelia on 5 September 1860. You might not want to claim him, but there is a lot of information in that notice.
And then there is our microfiche collection which sometimes gets overlooked. We have Ships Musters Departures 1816-1825; Passengers and Crew in and out of Sydney from Sydney Newspapers Vol 1 1830-1832, Vol 2 1833-1835, Vol 3 1836-1837, Vol 4 1838, Vol 5 1839, Vol 6 1840 and Vol 7 1841. We also have Free Passengers and Crew on Convict Ships into Sydney 1830-1840 Part 1 and 2. All of these are worth checking out if you have a missing ancestor in the first 50 years of the Colony.
When you visit the Cottage have a look in the Library, you never know what you will find.
Esther Dean
Member #23
Have you thought your ancestor may have worked his way to Australia as a member of the crew?
On computers 1, 2, 4 and 5 we have two invaluable CDs titled Registers of Discharge of Seamen 1859-1978 Vols 1 and 2 (CD298) and Registers of Discharge of Seamen 1878-1887 Vol 3 (CD370). Here I found my 2 x great grandfather John Thomas Gamble arriving on board the Camperdown on 3 February 1859. He had worked his way as an able seaman and was discharged in Sydney.
Also on computers 1, 2, 4 and 5 is (CD042) WA Passenger Arrivals 1839-1890. This CD also includes Ships Crew List 1829-1887. For example – Alexander ANGUS arrived in Fremantle aboard the ship Lady Amherst on 19 Feb 1857 having worked as Mate. Ref No CSR 441/8.
OR – perhaps your ancestor travelled to Australia as crew and then DESERTED!!!! In the Library Shipping Section you will find book SHI004 Ships Deserters 1852-1900. This is a list of deserters compiled from notices in Newspapers. Imagine if your ancestor was Michael O’Keife and you came across the following “MICHAEL O’KEIFE stoker, 30 years of age, 5 ft 11 in in height, brown hair, hazel eyes, fresh complexion, marked with small pox; native of Malagh, Cork. £3 reward. This man probably sailed from Auckland to Sydney about this date. He is known to Serjeant N Ryan, of the Sydney Police, by whom he has been apprehended twice before, on 27th April, 1860 and 1st June, 1859; his brother is an orderly at Government House, and his wife resides at Sydney.” This was a notice dated 24 Sep 1860 listing deserters from HMS Cordelia on 5 September 1860. You might not want to claim him, but there is a lot of information in that notice.
And then there is our microfiche collection which sometimes gets overlooked. We have Ships Musters Departures 1816-1825; Passengers and Crew in and out of Sydney from Sydney Newspapers Vol 1 1830-1832, Vol 2 1833-1835, Vol 3 1836-1837, Vol 4 1838, Vol 5 1839, Vol 6 1840 and Vol 7 1841. We also have Free Passengers and Crew on Convict Ships into Sydney 1830-1840 Part 1 and 2. All of these are worth checking out if you have a missing ancestor in the first 50 years of the Colony.
When you visit the Cottage have a look in the Library, you never know what you will find.
Esther Dean
Member #23
November
Have you ever found the date and place of arrival of your ancestors in Australia and then lost any record of them for a few years? Where did they go? What did they do? A recent addition to our CD collection CD527 “Employment & Dispersal lists Assisted Passengers Arriving 1848-1854 at Moreton Bay, Port Phillip, Sydney and Twofold Bay” may solve your mystery.
This CD has been installed on computers 1,2,4 and 5 in the Computer room and is accessed under Shipping.
This only covers a short time-span – a mere seven years. However, during these seven years there was a great influx of immigrants who were escaping the poverty caused by the industrial revolution and the mechanisation of farming. They looked to Australia for a better life and Australia needed them.
The information on the lists have been extracted from the NSW Governor’s Despatches with the exception of the general and disposal list of the female immigrants on the Culloden which is from the NSW Colonial Secretary’s In-letters. The CD contains 23,262 transcriptions for a total of 117 ships. 64 ships arrived in Sydney, 46 arrived in Port Phillip, 6 arrived in Moreton Bay and 1 in Twofold Bay.
An example is the Smart family from Huntingdonshire who arrived aboard the Wilson Kennedy in 1852. The entry reads – “George SMART, 37, farm servant, Wilson Kennedy, Departure port Plymouth arrived Sydney 27 Dec 1852. Passage partially defrayed in most cases. 3 days on ship in harbour. Wife Elizabeth, son James, 1m 1f ch 7-11 yrs, 1m ch 1-7 years. Employer Messrs Jas & Wm McArthur Camden. Wages £25. Term 12 months with double rations.”
Son James at age 15 was considered an adult and had a separate entry – “ James SMART, 15, farm servant, passage partially defrayed in most cases – 3 days on ship in harbour. Parents George & Elizabeth & c. Gone with his parents.”
3 yr old Elizabeth Smart is mentioned as having died 10 Nov 1853 of diarrhoea during the voyage.
Also on board was George’s older brother John – “John SMART, 32, house servant. Passage partially defrayed in most cases. 3 days on ship in harbour. Wife Elizabeth. Employer both; Mr C Prout, Cooks River near Sydney. Wages both £35. Term 6 months with board & lodging.”
If this was your family, what a wonderful find this would be.
The CD is fully searchable by surname and forename, ship, arrival port or a combination of these. By just typing in a surname you might find another ancestor you didn’t know you had.
So, come into the Cottage and have a look at this resource. And remember this information is NOT AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET.
Esther Dean
Member # 23
Life Member
This CD has been installed on computers 1,2,4 and 5 in the Computer room and is accessed under Shipping.
This only covers a short time-span – a mere seven years. However, during these seven years there was a great influx of immigrants who were escaping the poverty caused by the industrial revolution and the mechanisation of farming. They looked to Australia for a better life and Australia needed them.
The information on the lists have been extracted from the NSW Governor’s Despatches with the exception of the general and disposal list of the female immigrants on the Culloden which is from the NSW Colonial Secretary’s In-letters. The CD contains 23,262 transcriptions for a total of 117 ships. 64 ships arrived in Sydney, 46 arrived in Port Phillip, 6 arrived in Moreton Bay and 1 in Twofold Bay.
An example is the Smart family from Huntingdonshire who arrived aboard the Wilson Kennedy in 1852. The entry reads – “George SMART, 37, farm servant, Wilson Kennedy, Departure port Plymouth arrived Sydney 27 Dec 1852. Passage partially defrayed in most cases. 3 days on ship in harbour. Wife Elizabeth, son James, 1m 1f ch 7-11 yrs, 1m ch 1-7 years. Employer Messrs Jas & Wm McArthur Camden. Wages £25. Term 12 months with double rations.”
Son James at age 15 was considered an adult and had a separate entry – “ James SMART, 15, farm servant, passage partially defrayed in most cases – 3 days on ship in harbour. Parents George & Elizabeth & c. Gone with his parents.”
3 yr old Elizabeth Smart is mentioned as having died 10 Nov 1853 of diarrhoea during the voyage.
Also on board was George’s older brother John – “John SMART, 32, house servant. Passage partially defrayed in most cases. 3 days on ship in harbour. Wife Elizabeth. Employer both; Mr C Prout, Cooks River near Sydney. Wages both £35. Term 6 months with board & lodging.”
If this was your family, what a wonderful find this would be.
The CD is fully searchable by surname and forename, ship, arrival port or a combination of these. By just typing in a surname you might find another ancestor you didn’t know you had.
So, come into the Cottage and have a look at this resource. And remember this information is NOT AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET.
Esther Dean
Member # 23
Life Member
October
Jean Macleay has hung up her pen and will no longer write about items in our Collection. Thank you Jean for all your work. So what happens now? You’ve got me and I hope I can live up to the standard set by Jean. Here goes ……
Does anyone have ancestors who lived in the Hunter Valley of NSW? If so, then the library is a goldmine for your research. We start with a gold nugget – a set of microfiche titled Boyles Index for Lower Hunter 1801-1881 – located in the top drawer of the microfiche cabinet in the Kevin Faulks Room. The late Harry Boyle was a well known historian in the Maitland area and spent many many years compiling an index from newspapers, Lands Title Office records, Local History collections in Maitland and Newcastle and many others. There are two sections - Subject Headings and Individual Names. Each entry refers the researcher to the original record where that name occurs. This is one way to find where your ancestor was at a given time.
In the Library in our Directory section we have DIR025 The Newcastle Directory 1880-1881 and DIR026 Federal Directory of Newcastle and District 1901 – another way of placing your ancestor in a certain place at a certain time. In the Register section of the library we have REG058A Hunter Valley Directory 1841 Part 1 and REG058B Hunter Valley Directory 1841 Part 2. This is a comprehensive list of residents in the Hunter in 1841 compiled by Elizabeth Gilford from various sources. My convict John Fibbens is listed as “John Fibbens, labourer, Muswellbrook (1841) ticket of leave holder servant to William Cox Wybong (April 1840)” and his wife Sarah as “Mrs John (Sarah) Fibbens Muswellbrook”. The books REG056A Newcastle and Lower Hunter index to pre 1900 Pioneers and REG056B The Fettered and the Free are also excellent places to look for your Newcastle and Hunter Valley ancestors.
In the computer room on computers 1,2,4 and 5 you will find CD353 Hunter Valley Pioneers pre 1900.
And don’t forget the local history section of the library.
Esther Dean #23
Life Member
Does anyone have ancestors who lived in the Hunter Valley of NSW? If so, then the library is a goldmine for your research. We start with a gold nugget – a set of microfiche titled Boyles Index for Lower Hunter 1801-1881 – located in the top drawer of the microfiche cabinet in the Kevin Faulks Room. The late Harry Boyle was a well known historian in the Maitland area and spent many many years compiling an index from newspapers, Lands Title Office records, Local History collections in Maitland and Newcastle and many others. There are two sections - Subject Headings and Individual Names. Each entry refers the researcher to the original record where that name occurs. This is one way to find where your ancestor was at a given time.
In the Library in our Directory section we have DIR025 The Newcastle Directory 1880-1881 and DIR026 Federal Directory of Newcastle and District 1901 – another way of placing your ancestor in a certain place at a certain time. In the Register section of the library we have REG058A Hunter Valley Directory 1841 Part 1 and REG058B Hunter Valley Directory 1841 Part 2. This is a comprehensive list of residents in the Hunter in 1841 compiled by Elizabeth Gilford from various sources. My convict John Fibbens is listed as “John Fibbens, labourer, Muswellbrook (1841) ticket of leave holder servant to William Cox Wybong (April 1840)” and his wife Sarah as “Mrs John (Sarah) Fibbens Muswellbrook”. The books REG056A Newcastle and Lower Hunter index to pre 1900 Pioneers and REG056B The Fettered and the Free are also excellent places to look for your Newcastle and Hunter Valley ancestors.
In the computer room on computers 1,2,4 and 5 you will find CD353 Hunter Valley Pioneers pre 1900.
And don’t forget the local history section of the library.
Esther Dean #23
Life Member
Library Research Tips
2015
August
Did you know….that those of us from British stock have many readily available resources to help us with our research. But what if our forebears come from Germany? We are most fortunate at ‘The Cottage’ that we have been given a set of notes that give us the means of researching German family in a very easy to follow format. These notes are on the Journal Reader PC in the Kevin Faulkes Room. So as you do, go to Journals, then Europe, then German Research notes.
First of all you are told to find the current post code of the area in which you have an interest. Then you must check on the original spelling of anglicized names. Unfortunately there is no central BDM such as we take for granted.
After these and other basic tips there follows a great tutorial by Fred H Hold. If you copy these notes onto your memory stick and print them out at home you will have the best chance possible of successful searching.
Whilst it is generally known that in the early 1800s many German families first settled in South Australia, we are also fortunate enough to hold books in our Library that give detailed information of groups of German families found to be living in communities in Western Australia, Queensland and NSW. If you were to use the “find” function in the book section of the Library catalogue, then type in the word German and select “find all”, you would find approximately 10 books that could also be of assistance.
And let’s not forget the Burwood & District Family History Group journal “Ances-tree”. This journal often contains articles on German Research Guides as well as details of numerous German families.
Jean Macleay #359
First of all you are told to find the current post code of the area in which you have an interest. Then you must check on the original spelling of anglicized names. Unfortunately there is no central BDM such as we take for granted.
After these and other basic tips there follows a great tutorial by Fred H Hold. If you copy these notes onto your memory stick and print them out at home you will have the best chance possible of successful searching.
Whilst it is generally known that in the early 1800s many German families first settled in South Australia, we are also fortunate enough to hold books in our Library that give detailed information of groups of German families found to be living in communities in Western Australia, Queensland and NSW. If you were to use the “find” function in the book section of the Library catalogue, then type in the word German and select “find all”, you would find approximately 10 books that could also be of assistance.
And let’s not forget the Burwood & District Family History Group journal “Ances-tree”. This journal often contains articles on German Research Guides as well as details of numerous German families.
Jean Macleay #359
July
Did you know….that this miserably cold and often wet weather we are suffering at the moment is the perfect opportunity to sit in a warm room and write the story of your family. You have the bones in your tree having done your research. You will probably have studied our ‘Church Records’, ‘Cemeteries’ and ‘Pioneer Register’ records. But look in our library for books that will give you the background and colour into which you can place your forbears. Assuming that most of us have beginnings in the UK you can curl up in bed and read a who-done-it set in the County from which your folk came. This is great for clues for the life style lived in that area. I recently read a couple of books set in Norfolk on the salt marches. The tide virtually rules the lives of the folk here. Prior to that my reading was set in Lancashire and on the islands set way up north west of Scotland. No wonder they packed their bags and came here, it may have even been worth coming as a convict! Amongst our novels there are many that are descriptive of the early days in the colony, drawing word pictures of the day to day way of life and often sketches of their accommodation e.g. The Colonists.
Books in our local history sections are on the shelves state by state, just key in to our ‘Find’ facility the name of the town in which your family lived and again you will find background and sketches and photos that you can use in your story. I have found that we have 17 books with Sydney in the title, so there will be plenty of illustrations in that lot. Don’t forget the little journals put out by the many local family history groups.
Then turn to the “Guides” section in our library. Many, many tips on how to write and publish, all approaching from a different angle, mean that you need to spend considerable time perusing this lot. But that’s all right, the library is nice and warm.
Jean Macleay #359
Books in our local history sections are on the shelves state by state, just key in to our ‘Find’ facility the name of the town in which your family lived and again you will find background and sketches and photos that you can use in your story. I have found that we have 17 books with Sydney in the title, so there will be plenty of illustrations in that lot. Don’t forget the little journals put out by the many local family history groups.
Then turn to the “Guides” section in our library. Many, many tips on how to write and publish, all approaching from a different angle, mean that you need to spend considerable time perusing this lot. But that’s all right, the library is nice and warm.
Jean Macleay #359
June
Did you know… that there are many more CD’s with obscure pieces of information to explore. So this time let’s again click on CD collections on the desktop and open ‘England and Wales’.
Have a look at CD417 ‘British Universal Directory of Trade, Commerce and Manufacture 1791’. Comprehending Lists of the Inhabitants of London, Westminster and Borough of Southwark and all of the Cities, Towns and principal Villages in England and Wales with the Mails, and other Coaches, Stage-Wagons, Hoys, Packets and Trading Vessels. In the section “Anecdotes of London” it tells us that “The beft grafs fed ox is worth 16 shillings, The beft grafs fed bull is worth 16 shilling, The beft goofe 3 pence, a pheafant 4 pence and the beft pigeons 3 for a penny”.
There is also the details of imports and exports into and from Great Britain from Chrifmas 1784 to Chrifmas 1785 (no mention of Australia in these years); the name and address of all those in the House of Peers both town and country residence; an alphabetical list of the Royal Navy of Great Britain 1781. In the London Directory we are given the names, profession and residence of all London business from dealers in horfes to cheefemonger to watchmaker etc. etc.
You could spend all day exploring the little gem and surely you will find an ancestor.
Cheshire Marriages 1557-1812 is CD106. These are in date order and are a transcription of the church records, consequently easy to read. These cover Taxal, Lymm Disley, Marple, Christleton and Gansworth.
Try looking at the Dorset & Wiltshire Postal & Commercial Directory 1865 CD023. This directory contains a brief descriptive account of each town, parish, village and hamlet.
An example: “East Grimstead is a hamlet in West Dean parish 1 mile east of West Grimstead and 2 ½ W of West Dean. The church is of the modern English style. The chancel window is stained glass, representing the Crucifixion. There is an infant school. Letters from Romsey arrives 10am dispatched at 4pm.
This is an absolute treasure trove of great detail and again could take a whole day of browsing.
Finally you could explore ‘The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland’. There are 4 volumes listing every city, town, village and hamlet with a short description and history of each. This is great detail and background for your story.
Some of the text in the above volumes is quite small so use the “Ctrl+” to read more easily. Don’t forget to take your memory stick (or buy one at the cottage) so you can snip and save the details you want.
You must be able to find the elusive great, great uncle Charlie in one or more of these disks if you have any idea of the area in which his family lived.
Jean Macleay #359
Have a look at CD417 ‘British Universal Directory of Trade, Commerce and Manufacture 1791’. Comprehending Lists of the Inhabitants of London, Westminster and Borough of Southwark and all of the Cities, Towns and principal Villages in England and Wales with the Mails, and other Coaches, Stage-Wagons, Hoys, Packets and Trading Vessels. In the section “Anecdotes of London” it tells us that “The beft grafs fed ox is worth 16 shillings, The beft grafs fed bull is worth 16 shilling, The beft goofe 3 pence, a pheafant 4 pence and the beft pigeons 3 for a penny”.
There is also the details of imports and exports into and from Great Britain from Chrifmas 1784 to Chrifmas 1785 (no mention of Australia in these years); the name and address of all those in the House of Peers both town and country residence; an alphabetical list of the Royal Navy of Great Britain 1781. In the London Directory we are given the names, profession and residence of all London business from dealers in horfes to cheefemonger to watchmaker etc. etc.
You could spend all day exploring the little gem and surely you will find an ancestor.
Cheshire Marriages 1557-1812 is CD106. These are in date order and are a transcription of the church records, consequently easy to read. These cover Taxal, Lymm Disley, Marple, Christleton and Gansworth.
Try looking at the Dorset & Wiltshire Postal & Commercial Directory 1865 CD023. This directory contains a brief descriptive account of each town, parish, village and hamlet.
An example: “East Grimstead is a hamlet in West Dean parish 1 mile east of West Grimstead and 2 ½ W of West Dean. The church is of the modern English style. The chancel window is stained glass, representing the Crucifixion. There is an infant school. Letters from Romsey arrives 10am dispatched at 4pm.
This is an absolute treasure trove of great detail and again could take a whole day of browsing.
Finally you could explore ‘The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland’. There are 4 volumes listing every city, town, village and hamlet with a short description and history of each. This is great detail and background for your story.
Some of the text in the above volumes is quite small so use the “Ctrl+” to read more easily. Don’t forget to take your memory stick (or buy one at the cottage) so you can snip and save the details you want.
You must be able to find the elusive great, great uncle Charlie in one or more of these disks if you have any idea of the area in which his family lived.
Jean Macleay #359
May
Did you know………that by sitting at any one of our computers and simply clicking on ‘CD collection’ (recently changed from ‘Shortcuts’) on the desktop, you will find a list of all the CDs that can be accessed from that computer. Do this next time you are thinking what lead can I follow up next, and as promised last month you will find some interesting and obscure information.
As I am writing this on Anzac Day I will recommend the following:
“Australia’s Fighting Sons of the Empire” CD333. This has a list of the principal events from 28/6/1914 being the murder of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, mentions 9/1/16 which was the final evacuation of Gallipoli, and then to the end of the Great War.
It has photos and short biographies of all of our soldiers in the order of the town from which they enlisted. So I found my Uncle Keith enlisting in Maclean and then under Small. The biography was accurate although it did tell me that he went through the battle of Bullecourt , a fact of which I was unaware, before he went on to Polygon Wood where he was killed on 26 September 1917.
My next recommendation if you have a bit of time to spare is EB007 which proves to be a magazine called “Aussie – The Australian Soldiers Magazine”. This is a highly entertaining magazine written and printed in the field. The fighting men provide short stories, paragraphs of jokes, humorous verses, serious verses and humorous drawings. That men in that terrible field of combat could maintain their lively sense of humour is amazing. Do spare them a bit of your time.
Thirdly, have a look at CD497 “The Spirits of Gallipoli” by Kim Phillips. This carefully researched book lists all of the men who served in this field. Further, if you click on ‘chronology’ you will find the names of those men who died listed in date order. In fact, anything you want to know about Gallipoli is on this disk. Just click on the headings on the left of the screen to access the various categories of information.
The 3 CDs noted above are to be found in the Military folder on computers 1 and 5.
Finally, do not fail to browse “Railways and Tramways Roll of Ambulance Corp Members 1886 to 1923 CD369. This shows the names in alphabetical order, their position in the Railways/Tramways and the place of their examination. I found my Uncle Bert (Herbert D Cross) who I did know was a tram then bus driver.
This CD can be found in the NSW folder on computers 1, 2, 4 and 5.
Jean Macleay #359
As I am writing this on Anzac Day I will recommend the following:
“Australia’s Fighting Sons of the Empire” CD333. This has a list of the principal events from 28/6/1914 being the murder of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, mentions 9/1/16 which was the final evacuation of Gallipoli, and then to the end of the Great War.
It has photos and short biographies of all of our soldiers in the order of the town from which they enlisted. So I found my Uncle Keith enlisting in Maclean and then under Small. The biography was accurate although it did tell me that he went through the battle of Bullecourt , a fact of which I was unaware, before he went on to Polygon Wood where he was killed on 26 September 1917.
My next recommendation if you have a bit of time to spare is EB007 which proves to be a magazine called “Aussie – The Australian Soldiers Magazine”. This is a highly entertaining magazine written and printed in the field. The fighting men provide short stories, paragraphs of jokes, humorous verses, serious verses and humorous drawings. That men in that terrible field of combat could maintain their lively sense of humour is amazing. Do spare them a bit of your time.
Thirdly, have a look at CD497 “The Spirits of Gallipoli” by Kim Phillips. This carefully researched book lists all of the men who served in this field. Further, if you click on ‘chronology’ you will find the names of those men who died listed in date order. In fact, anything you want to know about Gallipoli is on this disk. Just click on the headings on the left of the screen to access the various categories of information.
The 3 CDs noted above are to be found in the Military folder on computers 1 and 5.
Finally, do not fail to browse “Railways and Tramways Roll of Ambulance Corp Members 1886 to 1923 CD369. This shows the names in alphabetical order, their position in the Railways/Tramways and the place of their examination. I found my Uncle Bert (Herbert D Cross) who I did know was a tram then bus driver.
This CD can be found in the NSW folder on computers 1, 2, 4 and 5.
Jean Macleay #359
April
Did you know………that hiding in our very large CD collection are some real little gems. Records and lists containing often really obscure collections of data that may unravel your family mystery. This is the first of a series of articles to bring these to your attention. Most of them are easily searchable and once you are aware of what is available to you there may be a new path to follow.
“Notorious strumpets and dangerous girls’, CD301, is a compilation of all the available information on the 1675 women convicts transported to Van Diemen’s Land before 1830. The information covers from the time of their trial to the time they ceased to be of concern to the authorities in the colony. The information is clearly presented and well indexed.
Many of these ladies? had originally been transported to Sydney but further transgressions resulted in them being sent south.
Just as a taste here is one story:
Elizabeth Leonard may be your ancestor and you have found that she was convicted at Middlesex Gaol on 19 March 1785 and was transported here on the ‘Lady Penryn’, one of the first fleet ships, for feloniously assaulting Hannah, the wife of Samuel Boardman on 23rd September 1784, in a certain place called the privy of the New Prison, near the King’s highway, and putting her in fear and danger of her life, and feloniously taking from her person, and against her will, four shillings and sixpence in monies numbered, the property of the said Samuel. BUT did you know that she had aliases of Elizabeth Kellyhorn or Linnard or Leonell and was sent on to Van Diemen’s Land under one of these names!
She continued her wicked ways apparently and was transported from Sydney to the Derwent where she arrived aboard the ‘Sophia’ on 5th February 1805. Lieutenant-Governor Collins said to Governor King that as the women disembarked, he was concerned to see one who he well remembered i.e. Elizabeth Leonard alias Kelleyhorn, now a Veteran in Infamy and Nuisance at Sydney!
Have a look at this disk. You may not find your person but you will be highly entertained by the various strumpets’ stories.
Jean Macleay #359
“Notorious strumpets and dangerous girls’, CD301, is a compilation of all the available information on the 1675 women convicts transported to Van Diemen’s Land before 1830. The information covers from the time of their trial to the time they ceased to be of concern to the authorities in the colony. The information is clearly presented and well indexed.
Many of these ladies? had originally been transported to Sydney but further transgressions resulted in them being sent south.
Just as a taste here is one story:
Elizabeth Leonard may be your ancestor and you have found that she was convicted at Middlesex Gaol on 19 March 1785 and was transported here on the ‘Lady Penryn’, one of the first fleet ships, for feloniously assaulting Hannah, the wife of Samuel Boardman on 23rd September 1784, in a certain place called the privy of the New Prison, near the King’s highway, and putting her in fear and danger of her life, and feloniously taking from her person, and against her will, four shillings and sixpence in monies numbered, the property of the said Samuel. BUT did you know that she had aliases of Elizabeth Kellyhorn or Linnard or Leonell and was sent on to Van Diemen’s Land under one of these names!
She continued her wicked ways apparently and was transported from Sydney to the Derwent where she arrived aboard the ‘Sophia’ on 5th February 1805. Lieutenant-Governor Collins said to Governor King that as the women disembarked, he was concerned to see one who he well remembered i.e. Elizabeth Leonard alias Kelleyhorn, now a Veteran in Infamy and Nuisance at Sydney!
Have a look at this disk. You may not find your person but you will be highly entertained by the various strumpets’ stories.
Jean Macleay #359
March
Did you know………that after checking the Ryerson index for your deceased ancestor, there are many other avenues available to you at our cottage for obtaining further information that may provide the key to unlocking a family mystery. But first, just a reminder for those folk who were unable to attend John Selwood’s talk on the subject, the Ryerson index is an on-line site listing obituary notices for millions of people placed in many, many Australian newspapers. Just Google Ryerson and use the ‘Search’ facility’. But back to the cottage...having ascertained where and when your ancestor died you have access, again, to thousands of cemetery and funeral directors records, in book, CD and microfiche form. Use the ‘Control F’ search function on the library computer and look in all 3 sections. Remember down at the bottom of the screen there are tabs to open whichever section you require.
There is wonderful information to be found on our microfiche. This includes the Burial Index pre 1856, lots of cemeteries, including Wollongong General Cemetery for which you will not find an online index and a number of Funeral Directors’ records.
The following is typical of the information you find in many of the Funeral Directors’ notes:
“Congregational Interment. Two Graves. Remove in own Coffin to Congregational Church Katoomba where Funeral leaves. Vehicles - Motor Hearse & 2 Carriages. 2 Death & 1 Funeral notice Herald only. ADVERTISEMENTS. 1. 12/8/29 at His Parents’ Residence Duff St Katoomba, youngest Son of Mr & Mrs E Hewlett Hobden. In His 18th Year.
2. Grandson of Mr L E Isaacs & Late Mrs L E Isaacs of Pt Lucinda, Bream & Arden Sts, Coogee. The Relatives & Friends of Mr & Mrs E Hewlett Hogben & Family, their Youngest Son & their Brother.
(OPBM Vol 10; Recorded in BDM as HOGBEN, Colin Howlett”
Jean Macleay #359
There is wonderful information to be found on our microfiche. This includes the Burial Index pre 1856, lots of cemeteries, including Wollongong General Cemetery for which you will not find an online index and a number of Funeral Directors’ records.
The following is typical of the information you find in many of the Funeral Directors’ notes:
“Congregational Interment. Two Graves. Remove in own Coffin to Congregational Church Katoomba where Funeral leaves. Vehicles - Motor Hearse & 2 Carriages. 2 Death & 1 Funeral notice Herald only. ADVERTISEMENTS. 1. 12/8/29 at His Parents’ Residence Duff St Katoomba, youngest Son of Mr & Mrs E Hewlett Hobden. In His 18th Year.
2. Grandson of Mr L E Isaacs & Late Mrs L E Isaacs of Pt Lucinda, Bream & Arden Sts, Coogee. The Relatives & Friends of Mr & Mrs E Hewlett Hogben & Family, their Youngest Son & their Brother.
(OPBM Vol 10; Recorded in BDM as HOGBEN, Colin Howlett”
Jean Macleay #359
February
Did you know………there are some very useful aids in our resources to help you trace the details of the demise of your UK forebears. Go to computer no.2 in the room opposite the Library and click on the shortcut to the “National Burial Index” which you will find on the desktop. Here you need to insert CD434. You will find this disk on the top of the black shelves. Take your list of possible candidates with you and enter their details on the search page. If your ancestor is in their records you will find a confirmation of their date of death and the place of their burial. The chance of finding your person of interest on this disk is very good considering there are over 18 million burial records dating from the 16th to 21st centuries.
Having gained the date and place if interment of your person of interest from CD434 or, indeed, any other source, and whilst you are still on computer no. 2, click on Google and on the favourites bar you will find “Deceased Online”. We have a subscription to this site so once opened, you will find you are already logged in. Here you may find details of the grave’s inscription and if you are lucky an actual image of the headstone or the original burial register. Do this each time you are at the cottage because much information is added to this site on a regular basis.
Jean Macleay #359
Having gained the date and place if interment of your person of interest from CD434 or, indeed, any other source, and whilst you are still on computer no. 2, click on Google and on the favourites bar you will find “Deceased Online”. We have a subscription to this site so once opened, you will find you are already logged in. Here you may find details of the grave’s inscription and if you are lucky an actual image of the headstone or the original burial register. Do this each time you are at the cottage because much information is added to this site on a regular basis.
Jean Macleay #359
January
Did you know…..that our Group will be making our first trip to NSW State Records at Kingswood this year on Saturday 28th February? This is where you will find information that will enrich the story of your ancestors. Records, such as probate packets, can contain a copy of your ancestor’s last will and testament, details of any property they may have owned, a list of those family members entitled to any inheritance and possibly, even a copy of their death certificate. This information can prove invaluable to your research. Pleased be warned though, that when looking for details of probate packets on-line on the State Records website that the indexes to Probate packets 1885 – 1927 are not on-line. The index for probate packets 1885 - 1927 can only be found on microfiche and we are fortunate enough to have a copy of the fiche that cover this period at the Cottage. Old wills are also often to be found with Original Land Grants.
A wealth of other records are available at State Records and you will find details of these at www.records.nsw.gov.au > Quick Links > Archives in Brief – fact sheets. Alternatively, in our Library in the Archives section, Wall 1, top shelf, you will find a white folder entitled Archives In Brief – NSW State Records, which holds an up-to-date printed listing of available records.
Don’t forget to book and pay for your seat on the bus early – only 20 seats are available for this trip. Happy Hunting!
Jean Macleay #359
A wealth of other records are available at State Records and you will find details of these at www.records.nsw.gov.au > Quick Links > Archives in Brief – fact sheets. Alternatively, in our Library in the Archives section, Wall 1, top shelf, you will find a white folder entitled Archives In Brief – NSW State Records, which holds an up-to-date printed listing of available records.
Don’t forget to book and pay for your seat on the bus early – only 20 seats are available for this trip. Happy Hunting!
Jean Macleay #359
2014
December
Did you know………many of our treasures are hidden behind the library door. If you take a peek around you will find journals from similar groups to ours in Great Britain. As the majority of us have some roots from that region you are sure to find snippets and background that applies to your forebears. A read through the journals from your area of interest gives you some insight into the essence of life in that area and helps you know your kinfolk better.
More than that, we have had donated to us many journals from England, Wales, Canada and New Zealand. These may be found stored in boxes on top of the bookshelves on walls 3 and 4 in our Library.
It’s good to have some of this light, easy, but interesting reading for lazy summer afternoons so grab six from your area of interest when the Cottage re-opens after the Christmas break. A full list of both donated and exchange journals, as well as a list of all of the various magazines the Group holds to assist with your research will be appearing on the latest update of the Library catalogue. Why not check this out on our website when you find time to relax after what we hope will be an enjoyable Christmas and New Year?
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
Glenise Clery #284 and Jean Macleay #359
More than that, we have had donated to us many journals from England, Wales, Canada and New Zealand. These may be found stored in boxes on top of the bookshelves on walls 3 and 4 in our Library.
It’s good to have some of this light, easy, but interesting reading for lazy summer afternoons so grab six from your area of interest when the Cottage re-opens after the Christmas break. A full list of both donated and exchange journals, as well as a list of all of the various magazines the Group holds to assist with your research will be appearing on the latest update of the Library catalogue. Why not check this out on our website when you find time to relax after what we hope will be an enjoyable Christmas and New Year?
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
Glenise Clery #284 and Jean Macleay #359
November
Did you know………That the covering, repairing, re-numbering and re-cataloguing has now been completed in our library. Please come in and admire the result of many months of work carried out by a few enthusiastic volunteers.
This month spend a bit of time browsing the section ‘Diaries’. This is a small section but has the writings of some really interesting and worthy people. Particularly recommended are the diaries of Joseph Banks and Elizabeth McArthur.
Another small section that is worth sitting and having a detailed look at is the ‘Directories’. These books can place your ancestor in a particular area at a known time and also give details of their trade /profession. ‘Newspapers’ can also prove very interesting. Many are not simply copies of various broadsheets but are lists of vital genealogical information which has been indexed from newspapers that may not yet be available on-line.
Don’t forget that you are able to borrow up to six magazines at a time for two weeks, so work your way through the many on offer on the trolley in the hallway. They are chock-a-block full of amazing tips and interesting articles that will inspire you in your research. All that we ask is that you write up the items you are borrowing in the red loan book and return them within the required time.
Jean Macleay #359
This month spend a bit of time browsing the section ‘Diaries’. This is a small section but has the writings of some really interesting and worthy people. Particularly recommended are the diaries of Joseph Banks and Elizabeth McArthur.
Another small section that is worth sitting and having a detailed look at is the ‘Directories’. These books can place your ancestor in a particular area at a known time and also give details of their trade /profession. ‘Newspapers’ can also prove very interesting. Many are not simply copies of various broadsheets but are lists of vital genealogical information which has been indexed from newspapers that may not yet be available on-line.
Don’t forget that you are able to borrow up to six magazines at a time for two weeks, so work your way through the many on offer on the trolley in the hallway. They are chock-a-block full of amazing tips and interesting articles that will inspire you in your research. All that we ask is that you write up the items you are borrowing in the red loan book and return them within the required time.
Jean Macleay #359
October
Did you know…..that our wonderful website is a great way to prepare for a day’s research at the Cottage? An hour or so preparing will maximise your results. Here’s how: Mr Google will take you to the right place if you type in “Wyong Family History Group” (put this site up on your favourites bar now for future reference). Having arrived at the home page just have a quick look at the coming functions and meetings before you press the heading “Resources”. Go next to ‘Library Catalogue’. This you can download and is where you will see the various categories in which our books are filed, then you can scroll down and peruse what is available that might be helpful to you. On the bottom of the library catalogue page you will find various tabs that will take you to many other resources that may assist with your research. The first shows the CDs that are loaded on to our computers or those that are kept in the black box in the computer room to be loaded as required. The next tab shows you the microfiche that we hold and these are able to be read on the scanner in the front computer room. Do not ignore these old fashioned means of recording as they often contain information that has been overlooked in more recent transcriptions. Continue looking through the microfilm, journal and Loan CD sections. There may be something here that will assist with your research.
Have a look at the rules on borrowing various resource items. Many of our newer members will need to make themselves aware of these.
Another useful resource are LDS films. You may order any of these that may advance your research, many of which will come all the way from Utah. Ask the person in charge in the office to help you with this. Last, but definitely not least, you are able to download a listing of the hundreds of birth, marriage and death certificates as well as many other items of interest which are to be found in the library in folders labelled ‘Unrelated Certificates’. These are unwanted certificates which have been ordered and then donated by members and are constantly being added to and then indexed by a volunteer member. It is important that we verify our records by obtaining certificates, and there is not one of us that has not been disappointed that the one we await with so much expectation turns out not be our elusive great aunt Maud. Please think about donating any unwanted certificates you have lying around at home. They may well help solve somebody else’s brick wall.
There is so much more that will assist with your research on our website. Why not spend some time and have a good look around? And wow! You may even find that a lead to your great aunt Maud has been lurking here all the time!
Jean Macleay #359
Have a look at the rules on borrowing various resource items. Many of our newer members will need to make themselves aware of these.
Another useful resource are LDS films. You may order any of these that may advance your research, many of which will come all the way from Utah. Ask the person in charge in the office to help you with this. Last, but definitely not least, you are able to download a listing of the hundreds of birth, marriage and death certificates as well as many other items of interest which are to be found in the library in folders labelled ‘Unrelated Certificates’. These are unwanted certificates which have been ordered and then donated by members and are constantly being added to and then indexed by a volunteer member. It is important that we verify our records by obtaining certificates, and there is not one of us that has not been disappointed that the one we await with so much expectation turns out not be our elusive great aunt Maud. Please think about donating any unwanted certificates you have lying around at home. They may well help solve somebody else’s brick wall.
There is so much more that will assist with your research on our website. Why not spend some time and have a good look around? And wow! You may even find that a lead to your great aunt Maud has been lurking here all the time!
Jean Macleay #359
September
Did you know…..that if you have recently joined our group then you are embarking on an exciting journey of discovery. Start at our library. It is a room full of books, journals and magazines all of which have relevance to family history. But that’s not all. Many CDs are also available to you. Just as an example the section labelled ‘cemeteries’ has hundreds of books, CDs and fiche listing folk laid to rest in various cemeteries, usually titled by the area. If you cannot find your area of interest in a book then check CD063 which shows you records of hundreds of cemeteries. This CD is listed as New South Wales Small Cemeteries in the Cemetery Folder in Shortcuts on our computers. A willing volunteer will show you how to find the town or location in which you have an interest in our library catalogue. But don’t forget that you can go to the cottage already armed with references to the specific area you wish to research by looking at the Resources section on our Wyong Family History Group website which is very easy to navigate.
If you have no luck using the above methods then just do the old Google thing and search for say ‘Hometown’ cemetery. Many cemeteries have been listed on line. Again, a word of caution. Even if you find the cemetery of interest, still look at the older records. Some of the older research gives details you may not find in later on line versions.
Jean Macleay #359
If you have no luck using the above methods then just do the old Google thing and search for say ‘Hometown’ cemetery. Many cemeteries have been listed on line. Again, a word of caution. Even if you find the cemetery of interest, still look at the older records. Some of the older research gives details you may not find in later on line versions.
Jean Macleay #359
August
Did you know…..that the whole of Wall 2 has now been covered and re-labelled. This wall is taken up with “Local History” and “Australian History”. Local History does not mean the history of our locality but rather history related to Australia’s various states and is further divided into many, many localities within those states. The wide green patch on the bottom of the spines of the books denotes it’s category but there are further small coloured patches denoting the state e.g. a red star for Queensland and an orange dot for South Australia. The books at the bottom of the shelves with yellow patches are Australian History with titles like ‘Early Colonial Marriages’, ‘Australian Squatters’ or ‘Australian Women’. These books are indexed so Great Aunt Maud may be lurking anywhere within the book about the district or locality in which she resided.
A reminder of how quick and easy it is to find what you are looking for on the library computer – simply press Ctrl + F and in the box which appears type the town or district in which you need to search. Then keep pressing ‘find next’ and you will find, in turn, every book with that word in its title.
There has been considerable revision of the category of many books and an updating of the references that may come up in ‘find’, so that something you have looked for at an earlier date may now be found when you search.
Compliments on how good the library is looking will be accepted by the librarian.
Jean Macleay #359
A reminder of how quick and easy it is to find what you are looking for on the library computer – simply press Ctrl + F and in the box which appears type the town or district in which you need to search. Then keep pressing ‘find next’ and you will find, in turn, every book with that word in its title.
There has been considerable revision of the category of many books and an updating of the references that may come up in ‘find’, so that something you have looked for at an earlier date may now be found when you search.
Compliments on how good the library is looking will be accepted by the librarian.
Jean Macleay #359
July
Did you know?.....that the majority of us true blue Aussies have our roots in the United Kingdom and/or Northern Ireland. There is a good deal of help to be found for your research in the UK on Wall 3 of our library. Ireland can be difficult to research, but in the Ireland section there are many ‘How To’ books. For instance ‘A Guide to Irish Research’ IRL001, ‘Help my Ancestors are Irish’ IRL021, ‘Tracing your Ancestor in Ireland’ IRL010, ‘Tracing your Irish Ancestors’ IRL041. There are also two good books to read if your great, great grandmother came over as an ‘Irish Orphan’, a victim of the potato famine. They are ‘Barefoot & Pregnant” IRL062 and A Decent Set of Girls IRL037.
In the Scotland section there are again helpful guides for you research for instance SCT087 and SCT071. Books that help you find your family’s tartan are SCT002 and SCT063.
Many of us find an ancestor who came here as a child sent here “for a better life”. Check out Child Migration ENG110. Ten Pound Poms is another book that applies to many immigrants. We have the Doomsday books for many counties as well as many other books giving information about counties. Search with CtrlF for the county of interest to you to find your area of interest.
On the trolley in the hallway is more must read in the shape of the many magazines originating in the UK. They contain much good and up to date information on search methods and many interesting stories.
Finally, don’t neglect the journals behind the door on Wall 1 which come from the many family history groups in the UK. Their origin is clearly marked on their containers. You may just find a picture of old Aunt Maud from Gloucester!
Jean Macleay #359
In the Scotland section there are again helpful guides for you research for instance SCT087 and SCT071. Books that help you find your family’s tartan are SCT002 and SCT063.
Many of us find an ancestor who came here as a child sent here “for a better life”. Check out Child Migration ENG110. Ten Pound Poms is another book that applies to many immigrants. We have the Doomsday books for many counties as well as many other books giving information about counties. Search with CtrlF for the county of interest to you to find your area of interest.
On the trolley in the hallway is more must read in the shape of the many magazines originating in the UK. They contain much good and up to date information on search methods and many interesting stories.
Finally, don’t neglect the journals behind the door on Wall 1 which come from the many family history groups in the UK. Their origin is clearly marked on their containers. You may just find a picture of old Aunt Maud from Gloucester!
Jean Macleay #359
June
Did you know?.....that our group recently received the donation of a beautiful old atlas “The Harmsworth Universal Atlas and Gazetteer” from Jack Lawrence. This volume has been rebound with the aid of a grant from the Wyong Shire Council. The atlas was published in 1906 – 1908 and shows country borders as they were at that time. As these borders have changed greatly over time this is a good reference when endeavouring to understand the place referred to in old Aunt Maud’s Birth Certificate. Of course the countries belonging to the British Empire are coloured pink as we remember them in our school atlases. It also shows all the trade routes, the position of ocean cables, ocean depths, the location of industries including the Australian gold fields to name a few.
This beautiful old book may be found on a trolley in our hallway. Please do not move the book from its cushion but take photographs of the pages that interest you.
One section of our library that you may not have thought to explore is “Religion”, particularly as it is right down the bottom on the right hand end of wall one. Not the bible but the history of parishes which were the social hub of any town. They are well illustrated and in the main well indexed. Check the library catalogue for the town old Aunt Maud lived in and you may just find her mentioned in the history of the church she attended.
Jean Macleay #359
This beautiful old book may be found on a trolley in our hallway. Please do not move the book from its cushion but take photographs of the pages that interest you.
One section of our library that you may not have thought to explore is “Religion”, particularly as it is right down the bottom on the right hand end of wall one. Not the bible but the history of parishes which were the social hub of any town. They are well illustrated and in the main well indexed. Check the library catalogue for the town old Aunt Maud lived in and you may just find her mentioned in the history of the church she attended.
Jean Macleay #359
May
Did you know?.....that
if you look at Wall 2 in the library (opposite the door), down the bottom on
the right you will find a modest little section of 74 books under ‘GENERAL’.
This is a fascinating section to browse. It has many diverse volumes such as “A
History of Main Roads”, “Cyndi’s List of 4000 Genealogy Sites”, “A History of
Bushranging”, “Older People and the Law in NSW” (is that us?), “Shipwrecks in
Randwick Municipality” (really?), or “Graphology”. A note here that there is
also a new book in GUIDES called “Cracking the Code of Old Handwriting GUI055.
This is a good reference for deciphering old family documents or of great use
if you are transcribing for Family Search.
A real gem is the “2007 Year Book”, this has subheadings such as ‘the Prevalence of Asthma and Diabetes’, Death Rates from Cardiovascular Disease’, ‘Labour Force Statistics’ or ‘The main reason people don’t visit Heritage Parks”.
This is all great browsing for at least an hour. You may not find old Aunt Maud in this section but there is lots of great ammunition for dinner party conversation!
Jean Macleay #359
A real gem is the “2007 Year Book”, this has subheadings such as ‘the Prevalence of Asthma and Diabetes’, Death Rates from Cardiovascular Disease’, ‘Labour Force Statistics’ or ‘The main reason people don’t visit Heritage Parks”.
This is all great browsing for at least an hour. You may not find old Aunt Maud in this section but there is lots of great ammunition for dinner party conversation!
Jean Macleay #359
April
Did you know?.....that there is a vast quantity and quality of records to be found in the ‘REGISTERS’ section of our library. Pull down any volume at random and you will find lists of hundreds and hundreds of people who lived in the district where the book was produced. In the books using the list format, they give the birth, marriage and death of the main person then a list of children giving their particulars. So if you know that great aunt Maud came from, say, Molong, you will not find a book dedicated to that town. But if you search our catalogue using the (Control F) function, you will find six books that include Molong in their records! You may also find small towns by searching by district. You can also find records under Schools (REG031), Goldfields (REG002B), Population, Land, Stock Book (REG194A), Child Migrants (REG 020A, REG020B), Coalmining Deaths (REG 089A, B & C). Don’t forget that Gosford, Wyong and hereabouts could be found under a ‘Brisbane Waters’ or ‘Central Coast’ reference.
All Registers aren’t just dry old lists. I have found, particularly in the more recently produced volumes, that there are many pocket biographies, photographs and anecdotes about the different persons and information about the town and district.
Just a reminder to periodically check our ‘Unrelated Certificates’ volumes. There is one each for Births, Deaths and Marriages, all indexed and regularly updated. You may find a certificate you need in there and you are welcome to take a copy. The ‘Unrelated Certificates’ folders are to be found on the top shelf on wall 2 in the Library, adjacent to the Wyong Local History book section. If you send for a certificate and find it is not your family after all, please donate it to the cottage for these folders. There is a tray in the office marked ‘Unrelated Certificates’ in which to place them ready for cataloguing and filing.
Jean Macleay #359
All Registers aren’t just dry old lists. I have found, particularly in the more recently produced volumes, that there are many pocket biographies, photographs and anecdotes about the different persons and information about the town and district.
Just a reminder to periodically check our ‘Unrelated Certificates’ volumes. There is one each for Births, Deaths and Marriages, all indexed and regularly updated. You may find a certificate you need in there and you are welcome to take a copy. The ‘Unrelated Certificates’ folders are to be found on the top shelf on wall 2 in the Library, adjacent to the Wyong Local History book section. If you send for a certificate and find it is not your family after all, please donate it to the cottage for these folders. There is a tray in the office marked ‘Unrelated Certificates’ in which to place them ready for cataloguing and filing.
Jean Macleay #359
March
Did you know?.......that a few members have been gathering each Friday to re-cover and re-label our older books. At the same time the category of the book has been reviewed and in some cases changed to a more appropriate place on the shelves. You will notice the difference visually particularly in the ‘Local History’ section where the different localities now have a small identifying emblem on their green patch. It’s all looking very good but remember that just makes it easier to replace books on shelves in their correct spot. But when you go into the library to check this out, pause a little longer. Wouldn’t you like to know what went on in years gone by where you now live? Borrow a book or two from the ‘Local History’ section and enjoy a browse; or have a sit for a while and peruse the Pioneer Registers (red patch) and explore where your forebears came from and what shaped their lives.
Enjoy where your reading takes you.
Jean Macleay #359
Enjoy where your reading takes you.
Jean Macleay #359
February
Did you know?.......that you are now able to find out whether there has been a history written about the family you are researching.
Go to computers numbered 1, 2, or 5 and click on ‘Shortcuts’ on the desktop, then on to ‘Family Trees’ and there you will find our newly acquired CD368 (Australian Family Histories 5th Edition). Easily navigated, you will find chapters in alphabetical order of surname or simply search for this using the “Control F” function and putting your surname in the search box.
If you find your name among the 368,768 listed on this CD, the short piece tells you who wrote or compiled the book, the title, it’s ISBN number and which primary family name it refers to. Some of these books are in our library. You may also find a copy in municipal libraries or in second hand book shops. Don’t forget that you may be able to borrow a copy through an inter Library loan as a copy of many of the books listed, which are Family Histories and Genealogies published in, and relevant to Australia, will be held at the National Library.
Jean Macleay #359
Go to computers numbered 1, 2, or 5 and click on ‘Shortcuts’ on the desktop, then on to ‘Family Trees’ and there you will find our newly acquired CD368 (Australian Family Histories 5th Edition). Easily navigated, you will find chapters in alphabetical order of surname or simply search for this using the “Control F” function and putting your surname in the search box.
If you find your name among the 368,768 listed on this CD, the short piece tells you who wrote or compiled the book, the title, it’s ISBN number and which primary family name it refers to. Some of these books are in our library. You may also find a copy in municipal libraries or in second hand book shops. Don’t forget that you may be able to borrow a copy through an inter Library loan as a copy of many of the books listed, which are Family Histories and Genealogies published in, and relevant to Australia, will be held at the National Library.
Jean Macleay #359
January
Did you know?.......that our library would be the envy of most history groups. It has a broad range of resources to aid members and visitors in their search for their family histories. Why then do you, the members, not make more use of our library? Virtually everybody heads straight for the computer rooms. True there is good stuff there, but save 20 minutes per visit to browse our shelves. In the sections covering district pioneers and cemeteries (these are not for loan) you may find the wording on your great-grandfather’s gravestone which gives the names of children and grandchildren. But the sections we urge you to explore are the books written about the area and times of your forebears. These will add the colour to your stories and give you an understanding of their life-style. The novels we hold are based on good historical research such that you could well imagine your person in the setting described. Particularly recommended this month are two new books that you will soon find in the ‘Military’ section. They are, Horseman Pass By by Lindsay Baly and Beneath Hill 60 by Will Davies. If you had an uncle, grandfather or any relative involved in the Great War and want to get an idea of what they went through, these books will put you right in the middle of the battle.
Looking forward to seeing you in the library and seeing a note in the red book showing that you have borrowed a couple of books. Happy New Year.
Jean Macleay #359
Looking forward to seeing you in the library and seeing a note in the red book showing that you have borrowed a couple of books. Happy New Year.
Jean Macleay #359