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Treachery at Jacobsdal
This is an unexpected update to my story about my great great uncle James Albert Porter. Recent events and observations have caused me to review my small understanding of the life of James Albert Porter who was born in Ballarat in 1873 and died at his Orford home in 1953. James Albert Porter was educated…
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52 Ancestors in 52 weeks:Week 1 – Foundation
Barn on Squattleseamere Pastoral Run (P M Daly Personal Collection) For: Alica & Liam Last April I drove past my first home – Squattleseamere on the Woolsthorpe Heywood Road. There was nothing left. All gone. Long ago the pastures were replaced by blue gums. The house, or I should I say two houses, had…
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Accentuate the Positive Geneameme 2020 – Patsy’s Paddocks
Jill Ball encourages us each year to reflect on the year just past. See http://geniaus.blogspot.com/2021/01/accentuate-positive-geneameme-2021.html .I have been thinking for some days now how to approach my reflection of 2020 when that reflection is of fleeting images. I think of distant paddocks of 640 acres or thereabouts and of the pastoral runs of ten thousand…
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DNA Down Under – un alpabetising the cemetery list
Why Patsy’s Paddocks? I do like alliterations and I’ve always known fields as paddocks. Following Victorian land selections is one way of following my family history and this has often meant following the history of paddocks I rode across as a kid. Who was the elusive William Campbell of Campbell’s paddock? Why was Farie spelt…
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Reflections on a discussion
Broadwater State School No 1250 Personal CollectionThe action of the last few weeks has been in stark contrast to the relative peace of the past couple of years in which I have been able to do a little of my own family history. Developments in digitisation and DNA has meant that I wasn’t keeping up. Do we ever? Three of us…
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Family history research in the 21st century
It’s more than time to take a 21st century look at how I should conduct my family history research. A review of my family file is well overdue. Some of the information I hold about my close ancestors really hasn’t been looked at for more than thirty years. In the 21st century there are reams…
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AncestryDNA: more traditional research required
AncestryDNA seems to have provided two things for me. The first is confirmation of the family research I have already done. DNA’s independence from traditional family history sources gives my family research additional surety. But do I really need that extra surety? Not really. The second thing AncestryDNA has provided me is heaps and heaps…