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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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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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Citing Ancestry DNA tests
IntroductionAt the last VicGUM meeting a few of us had a chat about citing our Ancestry DNA test results. I came away feeling that we hadn’t quite nailed it. There wasn’t that elegance of simplicity that happens when a solution to an issue really hits the mark. I didn’t want to make a bad decision. This…
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Research my family history – No 2
Today I walked by the place where the Duke of Monmouth was proclaimed King in 1685. There is only one Balch recorded as being a Monmouth Rebel – Thomas Balch of Staple Fizpaine (just south of Taunton). Thomas Balch was recorded as being “out in the rebellion”. It was indeed fortunate that he was as…