Lilian's Tree

What a busy week! Our family arrived on the 20th and left on the 26th, so we have had a wonderful time. Cooking, board games, shopping, puppy walking, dinners out and lots of lovely chats, giggles and sing-a-longs. Christmas morning was an early start, 6.00am, (it could have been 5.30!) presents given, lots of giggles and surprises, big breakfast, cooked by our son-in-law then we each went to different places. We went to our younger daughters place and had Christmas with her and her husbands family. Three, (10, 8 &5) children, who LOVE Christmas, a 2year old, who is just starting to catch on and a 4month old, who couldn't have cared less, made it lively! Home and five of the six started a Monopoly game, me I relaxed and listened to the fun. Competition was fierce and cut-throat, with buying, selling and negotiations done as if it was real. The game was suspended at 10.15pm, to be finished on Boxing Day morning. Not as early a start but still early, for us. Breakfast and

After looking at the photos for several days, I decided that the gap had to be filled. Done! I think it now looks finished. All are now straight, too! What do you think?

The photos are hung. The granddaughters did the design and I did the work. Here is the photo. Bye, Lilian

What Christmas Traditions do you have? Ones that have been passed down from one generation to the next? As a child I can remember Mum would make both the Christmas cake and pudding. The Pudding would have sixpences and threepences in it, pre decimal currency. It would be made weeks before, in a pudding cloth and then, once cooked, hung in the bathroom, (not all bathrooms had loos in them, most loos were outside, this was a bathroom).  My Aunts would do the same. Mum even made my sister and I puddings, after we were married. I can remember, on Boxing Day, all the extended family, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins etc. would get together at Cronulla Beach. The kids would go off and swim, the Uncles would listen to the cricket and would also walk to the headland and watch the Sydney to Hobart yachts to past. The Aunts would sit and talk, some would probably knit. Lunch was leftovers and then everyone would share their cake and pudding. We kids always tried to find the piece of pudding with a c

21 photos ready to be hung. I will post a photo once they are up but here they are, all framed. It was hard selecting them, there were so many memories.

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/genealogy http://ireland-calling.com/lifestyle/free-online-irish-history-course-from-trinity-college-dublin/ These have come up on Facebook and I thought that they might be useful.  I'm going to do the one from Futurelearn as I think it could be useful. It also doesn't hurt to refresh your skills. The one from Dublin isn't in my timeframe, so I'm nor going to be doing it. Id anyone does, please let us know what it was like. I'm now going to print holiday photos, of  Europe as our Granddaughters are  going to help me hang them. Bye for now, Lilian

Well I've been wearing it for a week and find that I now reach for the lipstick, as I get ready to go out. I'm over the strangeness of wearing lipstick and it got me thinking; When did I stop wearing lipstick, on a day-to-day basis?   I don't know, probably when I stopped working full-time, maybe before that, I can't remember. So from now I, even if it is just to get the mail, at the post office, I'll put lipstick on. Bye for now, Lilian

I 'played' on FamilySearch.org last night and if I've got it right, I've found my 5xgreatgrandfather. Did a bit of a happy dance, actually spun round and round on my chair. I will look at the records, in Salt Lake City, in February, to confirm it. FamilySearch.org is done by the Mormans and is a really useful site. I have also ordered film, to view at my local stake.  Have a look, you might just find that missing piece. Bye for now, Lilian

The second Thursday of each month is writing group, in at the Society of Australian Genealogists, (SAG) and this is usually followed by lunch at a local cafe. Today was different, as there was another seminar on, in the afternoon. Writing Group was great with 14 members presenting a short talk on a chosen topic. The group is very talented and we were treated to a wonderful selection of topics. The group went for lunch but two of us had booked the afternoon session. Crime and Punishment presented by John Cann, from NSW Archives. Taking us on a journey from 1788 to today, John gave us an overview of what types of records, we could access. While he mentioned two paid sites, most of his talk centred around TROVE and the NSW Archives. Showing us copies of actual documents, he explained what was NOT online and how a visit to the Archives would be useful. If you think you might have a person, with a 'shady' past, have a look at these two sites. www.records.nsw.go

I am reading a blog, INWORDSANDINK, by Haley. Haley is a young woman, who feels she is lacking in confidence. She has started a challenge, for herself, by wearing red lipstick, everyday and it is not a colour she usually wears. Her last three posts have been about the challenge and how it is going, so far. I think she is amazing. It got me to thinking. I wear a lot of red, shirts, shoes, nail polish, I feel that it gives me confidence but not lipstick. Today I bought a red lipstick and put it on. It feels strange and I have startled myself but I am going to keep on wearing it. I don't know if I lack confidence or, as my husband says, I am just normally outgoing, saying Hi or smiling at people. It will be interesting to see how I go. Will keep you posted. Bye for now, Lilian.

I'm an enthusiastic reader, usually having two to three books on the go, at once. I thought that I would share the pile I have gone through. I really enjoy Mary Higgins Clarke and these three were no exception.  The Melody Lingers On, I picked up in Paris and finished it in Venice. The blurb says, '...  a huge financial scandal and a breathtaking tale of deception and betrayal.' Really good. Death Wears a Beauty Mask and Other Stories, is a collection oh 10 short stories, with a twist. Enjoyed it. All Dressed in White has us back with Laurier Moran as she recreates the disappearance of a bride-to-be. Gripping! Kathy Reichs has Dr Tempe Brennan investigating a ' ... case more complicated and horrifying than she could ever have imagined ...' I enjoy Kathy's books. Undercover is a love story, with a bit of a twist. Set in Colombia, Argentina, France and the USA, it is a fast flowing story, that gets you hooked. Lastly, what is on my beds

Some information, so you can research your family over the Christmas break. Civil Registration start dates for the states and territories are; 1838 - Tasmania 1841 - Western Australia 1842 - South Australia 1853 - Victoria 1856 - NSW and Queensland 1870 - Northern Territory 1930 - ACT. For earlier Births, Death and Marriage records, you will need the church records. These are; 1787 - NSW 1803 - Tasmania 1829 - Queensland 1836 - Victoria 1842 - South Australia. Victoria now has their Indexes FREE to search, as of November 2015. Happy Researching, Lilian

Paul and I went to the Friends of the State Library Christmas Concert and High Tea. It was lovely. Stopped at Martin Place and took a snap of the Christmas tree. Looked at the windows at David Jones and couldn't figure out the story. It was all this colouring in stuff, with one window as Santa's workshop, the rest were weird.

I have taken on a Spring School course from the University of Tasmania (UTAS), Writing Family History. While I missed starting, last week due to the work in my study, I have caught up and am looking forward to this weeks lectures. Done in two, three week blocks means we have a break over the Christmas period. From the course outline, the topics are set out using the formula of how, who, where, what and when. These are then broken down into a series of between three or fours lectures, per week, that we can both listen to or download. This week is the How part and deals with developing our writing skills, (something I need help with), and I'm considering the topic, Conversations with the Past. It should be very interesting as I have several ancestors I'd love to have a conversation with. Parallel to this lot of study is my ongoing genealogy course, with a new subject about to start. Well it keeps me busy! I don't think the study will be fully 'done' Christmas bu

Today is our Ruby Wedding Anniversary, 40 years! We have had our ups and downs, like all married couples. Raised two incredible daughters, who in turn married wonderful men and have delighted us with four amazing grandchildren. We give thanks for them, they are blessings. But with the passing of 40 years, I've dugout our wedding photos. Years ago I transferred them from a sticky page album to an archive one and in that I wrote out our guest list. Reading that and looking at the photos, I pause to reflect on those who have gone.   60 people at our wedding and 22 have now gone. Sixteen of them family members. My Mum, widowed in 1958, passed away in 2006. The Uncle, who 'gave' me away, also gone. Paul's Mum and Dad, wonderful people, they had  57 years together, before Mum passed away in 2006. Six years latter Dad went to be with her. Our Best man, Paul's brother, Gary and their Auntie Joan, both taken by cancer.  Our Minister, as well. When we married, we w

Well the washing is done, dried and put away. The food was unpacked straight away and the bags put away and now even the suitcases are away. Photos uploaded, mail collected, Christmas ham ordered, now to blog! We left last Tuesday (17th) and made Echuca our overnight stop. It made for a long drive but we had several rest stops along the way. Went to The Mill, a tapas bar for dinner, wonderful! We had never tried tapas before and really enjoyed it. Wednesday morning we took a paddle steamer ride on the Murray River. While this was our second paddle steamer ride, it was our first going upstream. The Murray River. Enjoying morning tea. From Echuca we drove through to Bendigo, with lunch at the Boardwalk Restaurant, beside Lake Weeroona. Then onto the Bendigo - Maryborough road and a pleasant drive through the Victorian countryside. After a stroll through Maryborough and an argument with Navman, we made it to our accommodation, Donkey Tales, at Daisy Hill. As the na

We have had seven days away, in Maryborough, Victoria. Our Granddaughter was racing, for her school team, in a Human Powered Vehicle or HPV. Her team did really well! When I'm more organised, I'll write some more and add photos. Now for a cuppa, Lilian

What, if any, family tree program do you use?  How do you find it?  Do you have your tree online, and with who?  Is there any problems with having it online? I use Brothers Keeper by John Steed and find it really good. Having the paid version gives me access to different report types and they are useful. It is the only program I use and I'm looking for one I can use for clients, as I don't want to mix families. Brothers Keeper allows you to split data bases, so I could use it, at a pinch.   I have tried My Heritage and am now getting bugged to update etc. I also, ages ago, put a small section of the tree on Ancestry, but took it down as I wasn't sure about them. FamilySearch has provision to have your tree with them and I'm considering it, so feedback would be great. Any ideas would be most welcome. Bye for now, Lilian.

Back on 1st October, I wrote about a book I had been give and the interesting note inside it.  I haven't had any success in finding any descendants but I'm going to keep looking. Thinking I might contact local family history groups, to see if they can help. Bye for now, Lilian

Like the rest of the world, I really feel for the people caught-up in the Paris tragedy. When we were there in July the security was very high. I have joked that I saw more armed troops on the streets of Paris than in Greece and Turkey, combined. I didn't feel unsafe, just a bit more cautious of what was going on around us. How this happened is something that the French authorities will have to look at but it has brought home to me that we should be very thankful that we don't have any land borders. I found security, boarding a plane about the same as here but at the other end, we just walked out of the 'secure' area and no-one stopped us. People were also walking into the area and meeting people, no-one stopped them. We need to be vigilant but not let these thugs stop us from enjoying life, because if we do, they win. Bye for now, Lilian

Well my study is painted and I've got my computer back on the desk, but how long I'll stay in the room depends on the paint smell. It's pretty bad. After I got the USB of family photos, I cropped individuals out of groups, named them and added them to the my family tree program.  Still got a few individuals to do but I've been able to do my grandparents, their children and grandchildren. Some of the great-grandchildren are also done and one great-great-grandchild too.  I had to re-do some of the documents, as there was a problem with the location but that is done too. Will have to do my husbands side as, to quote him, "if you don't, the tree will be lopsided and might fall over." Love him to bits! Bye for now, Lilian

I'm not one for passing on the old chain letters, that we would sometimes get. (Remember those?)  I also don't usually copy and paste things from Facebook, (that say to pass it on) but on Friday I was having a bit of fun, with a friend and did just that. You had to work out a message and then follow the instructions. Now I'm being 'blamed' because a 'friend' also followed the instructions, struth!  I have no doubt that most of my friends would have worked out the message and gone, 'so that is what it means' and then left it, fine. What are your thoughts on the 'chain letter' post that come up on Facebook? Do you ignore, like I usually do or pass it on? Bye for now, Lilian.

Two weeks ago I attended the Royal Australian Historical Society's annual conference. It was good to catch-up with friends, promote the family history group and hear very interesting speakers. The topics were broad, covering migration, from our convict beginnings to the migration of today. Sunday started with presentations of awards and then a panel discussion and this is where it became interesting. New South Wales is looking at decreasing the number of Local Government Areas, (LGA) and something that I hadn't considered is what happens to local family/local history groups, with the restructuring?  While the council I live in will stand alone and out groups are safe, there are several others that are facing problems. Problems that were raised were, What if the LGA is divided between two other LGA areas?   You would loose your groups identity. What happens if the LGA is absorbed by its neighbouring LGA? If your group is in a council owned building, will you be able to stay

My study is nearly empty and things are scattered throughout the rest of the house, making it hard to find anything. The painter arrives next week and the carpet at the end of the month, new bookcases, to put together are in the lounge room and the third bedroom is packed with boxes. It will be great to have it fresh and tidy. We minded our darling grandson, overnight on Sunday and it was great. James is such a cutie and is learning is numbers, pointing them out on the DVD player, phone, clocks, boxes. He also recognises letters and points them out too. My cousin, Ruth, sent me an USB full of old family photos. A wonderful look back at family weddings or just candid shots of the family. Fantastic! Have you made copies of your photos and given them to other family members? Not only is this a good way of keeping in touch but it means that you have a copy, off site, encase of any mishaps. This is also good for your research, too. My plan is to make copies of the group photos and t

I've been very busy  packing things into boxes and moving things out of my room. The freezer was the biggest item, so far and it is now in the laundry, my sewing drawers are in my husbands study. All but two shelves are gone and he has removed the brackets for several others, that might not go back up. The room looks so big, it echo's and it seems to be brighter! During all this I've been researching and sewing, trying to get things done before the painter arrives. Below are photos of the room. My research is going to be continued in Salt Lake City, I will need to access microfilm for the details as certificates aren't available for the timeframe I'm looking at. Last weekend I attended the annual conference of The Royal Australian Historical Society, held a Bankstown Sports Club. I had a great time catching up with friends, making new ones and listening to very interesting speakers. Bye for now, Lilian.

The painter has been, to give a quote, ordered the carpet, it is going to happen before Christmas! Today I moved two bookcases into the third bedroom, (thankful there is no bed in there) and the filing cabinet into my husbands study. I have managed to put all my research into the second filing cabinet, on the landing, nice and close.  I've taken books of the shelves and all the stuff of the notice boards. Just waiting on a date for the painting to start. I've also been sewing the new quilt and doing research, so life is still going on. I gave myself a genealogy test, today. I filled in all my direct ancestors, without looking at the family tree program. I was able to do everyone as far back as my Great-grandparents and then only eight of my Great-great-grandparents. Not to bad, me thinks. Bye for now, Lilian.

Claire, as promised, here are some of the photos. Claire, with her Grandma, my Auntie Joyce. The birthday girl! Between them they have 356years. The cousins, with Lyn hidden. The next generation, with Auntie Joyce.

I posted about how my Grandparents addressed each other and who taught my mother and aunts to knit, today I have some answers. My three remaining aunts were all together, to celebrate the 90th birthday of one of them. I was able to ask them the questions and hear them discuss them. It seems that my Grandparents addressed each other as Mum and Dad. My eldest aunt said that Auntie Edith taught them to knit. I can assume that since Auntie Edith and Mum both knitted, that their Mum taught them. It was a wonderful day catching up with four of the five remaining Aunts and Uncles, cousins I hadn't seen in ages and taking heaps of photos. (These will come) Bye for now, Lilian

Well it looks like my study will be painted and re-floored before Christmas, not in the New Year! I'm thrilled that I've been through everything and now will only have to move them. Think I'll stick the boxes, drawers and shelving in the garage and the books in the spare bedroom. I wonder if the freezer will fit in the laundry? Must measure it up. That would give me a bit more space. Or I could move it to another spot in the room. My sewing table will have to go down the garage and my desk will have to stay. It will work out well. Now do I want vinyl or carpet on the floor? Suggestions, please. I have spent part of this week, quilting and I didn't realise how much I missed it. I've made a small quilt for a gift, a bigger one, that a friend have given me the fabric and pattern for, two placemats, for a gift and have just finished cutting out the pieces for another quilt. I've had this kit for awhile and feel like making it up. Small surprise quilt.

In January I'm starting a Genealogy Do-over, where we take a fresh look at our research. Thomas McEntee is organising it and I'm looking forward to it. In preparation for the start and because I hope to paint my study, next year, I gave the study a do-over.  I've filled the re-cycling bin twice and the garbage once. I still have some tweaking to do but I'm thrilled with the results. I got rid of a desk, moved a book case and went through everything on the shelves. Being a quilter, too, there was heaps to go through. The photos. Bye for now, Lilian

A bit late but the talk I gave on Blogging went really well. Lots of questions and Jill Ball was there and helped with the answers. Some of the group have blogs and we looked at them. Lunch was good and I met my husband at our train station and we went for coffee.

I'm presenting a talk on blogging, tomorrow and am testing if I can blog, on my iPad. Didn't see why it wouldn't work but sometimes technology and I don't play nice. The talk is not using PowerPoint but actually doing it 'live'. Trying to get the Internet to behave and let me present will be a challenge. Watch this space.

Before we went to Melbourne, last week, I was given a book and another mystery to try and solve. The book is, " The Road From Coorain, An Australian memoir" by Jill Ker Conway. Coorain is a sheep station in New South Wales, near the town of Mossgiel, which is between Ivanhoe and Hay. That isn't a mystery but the note inside is. H Findlay had penned a note detailing when the author's parents settled on the station. Who the local doctor at Mossgeil was. What the settlement was like and other bits of information, all on a slip of paper no bigger than a 6" x 4" photo. My search is to try and find any descendants of either Jill Ker Conway or H Findlay and to offer them the book and note. Watch this space for updates. Bye for now, Lilian

Using TROVE, I have been able to find out more information on my two soldiers. In the Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 4 November 1915, is a notice relating to the death of Private Jack Harvey. It mentions that he enlisted at the start of the war and was employed on Round Hill Station. I faired a bit better for Private George Parnaby. The Argus, Melbourne, Monday 1 November 1915, gives details of when he enlisted, his 18th birthday, that his mother died when he was 2 years old  and that he was shot in the head. The Sea Lake Times & Berriwillock Advertiser, Saturday October 9, 1915, has a lovey detailed piece about George's memorial service. Not much to sum up the lives of two servicemen. Bye for now, Lilian.

 Lone Pine Cemetery, Gallipoli Peninsula, Thursday 15 August 2015, under blue skies 100 years after a bloody battle left over 3,000 men killed, most with no known grave, I pondered the question, 'Is there anyone left to mourn?' While we pilgrims wandered the site, reading the headstones, 'Believed to be buried in this cemetery' is a common message. Names, dates, sometimes a verse are all that we have about these men. I wondered if there is anyone at home, left to mourn these men and I decided to try and find out. I had brought with me, poppies I'd purchased from the Australian War Memorial, Canberra. Placing them on two graves, I took a photos, recording the details. Now home I began my search. _____________________________________________________________________________                                                    1765 Private J HARVEY                                                        2nd BN Australian INF                                       

Royal Palace, across the Danube River. Parts of the palace are now home for a collection of Hungarian Fine Art, in the National Gallery. The castle is lit up at night and looks beautiful.   The Hungarian Parliament building. Built between 1885 and 1896, in time for the Millennium parliamentary session. It is 268m long and is symmetrical. The dome is 96m high. St Stephen Basilica. Named for King Stephen 1, third ruler of the nomadic and pagan Hungarian tribes. He converted to Christianity and after his death, was canonized. Construction started in 1851 and it was finally opened in 1905. Heroes' Square was built in 1896 for the millenary anniversary of the Hungarian conquest. The Millennium Monument is 36m high, with the Archangel Gabriel on the top. The National Heroes'  Monument was built in 1929 and is just in front of the Millennium Monument. It also has the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Budapest is a fascinating city and one we enjoyed exploring. Tur

Morning, I've uploaded my photos to the PC, 2898 was the total. An average of 483 photos a week! My camera has GPS, so I've downloaded that information as well and with my journal entries, I will be able to name them. Another thing I did, before I went away, was to start a new email, just for the trip. I then asked people if they would like to get my email updates and I ended up with around 40 on the list. When I emailed they were all BCC and I emailed it to my usual email. Thus giving me a copy of what I'd written. This is the plastic case I kept the SD cards in. I think that it came with a card, ages ago. Bye for now, Lilian

I know some of my friends travel way more than I have, but I've discovered some things that I thought might be useful. Photos. Boy how we love to take photos and with a digital camera we take heaps. Before we left I purchased six SD cards, labelled each one, with the countries we were going to and slipped them into labelled snap lock bags and then into a plastic case. The night before we left a country, I'd change cards, and LOCK the one I'd just removed. This way I only have photos from one country on each card and am only dealing with small amounts of photos at a time. (I haven't counted how many in total, will let you know.) Keep a journal. I promised myself that I would keep a journal, on the iPad, never happened. My husband bought me this journal, for Christmas, it hasn't any dates, like travel journals, so it was perfect. I picked up the four coloured pen at Sydney airport, as I'd managed to pack the other pen in the suitcase. I dated and named e

42 days, 6 countries, 9 stops, to many plane flights, bus rides and train trips to count, no lost items or luggage equals one amazing trip! We travelled to Budapest, Berlin, Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome, Athens, Santorini and Istanbul. Saw amazing sights, revelled in all that history, stared goggle eyed at painted ceilings, ancient ruins and beautiful gardens. Eaten and drank local food and wine. Walked for miles and miles exploring these places and it wasn't an organised tour. When we decided to travel to Europe we had some specific places we wanted to see, looked at tours and went, not for us. Our travel agent was amazing, working out the most direct way and easiest way to accomplish this, with out blowing our budget. Everything that we could organise, book and pay for, before we left Australia was done, so the we only had to pay for extra side trips and food. So much easier that trying to do it there. Doing it this way gave us down time, in each stop instead of the rush, th

I've been spending time browsing around in FamilySearch,     https//familysearch.org     and found this section.  The Apps are divided into five different groups; Find Ancestors (36), Family tree software (27), Photos and Stories (45), Charts and Tree Views (27) and Tree analysing (33). Number in brackets are how many in each group. They are for both android and ios, with  a brief description of each one. I looked at some interesting podcasts, that I'll consider downloading. If using your iPad or Tablet is how you do your family research, have a look. Bye for now, Lilian.

How many of us read other peoples blogs? I have several that I read and find that they are a wonderful way to get to know others.  The blog I'm going to review here is from FamilySearch. Now before you go, "not them, Again!" When was the last time you really had a good 'play' on their site? It is free and very useful. Go on, have a look. FamilySearch Blog is like most blogs, with frequent posts and what I like about it is that you don't have to scroll through every blog to find the one that you want to visit, again.   there are 18 different categories for you to read. I like going into What's New at FamilySearch and Tech Tips. These help me know what is new and solve any small problems I might have with searching. So go and read a different blog and enjoy. Bye for now, Lilian

http://www.angielucas.com/yeahwrite/2015/06/5-writing-tips-interesting-personal-stories.html I found this link on the FamilySearch Facebook page and thought that it was interesting. While the tips relate to scrapbooking, they are useful for story writing too.   I know I need to really get into writing up what I know about various family members but I keep doing other things instead. Bye for now, Lilian.

I love to knit, I usually have two or three different things on the go, socks, jumper and a larger item, so I have a variety. As I was knitting this morning, I thought about my mum and how she taught both my sister and I to knit. My sister took to it, as a child and knits beautifully, she even won awards. Me, well I took a bit longer to really get into it. I've got a cardigan and socks for me, on the go and a blanket as well. Then I thought, who taught my mum and her six sisters to knit? Their Mum, an Aunt? I don't know. I do know that if wasn't the paternal grandmother, so I have ruled her out. I have three remaining aunts, so I am going to write to them and ask if they remember who taught them. I am also curious as to how my grandparents addressed each other. Was if Mother and Father, as some families did? Was is Evelyn and Arthur, their given names? Was it something different? I'll ask my aunts that as well. So do you knit and who taught you? Who taught them? W

Sometimes I wonder if all this information, that is up on the web, is really what we want. I think we 'paint' a picture of an ancestor and then find it difficult to marry what we find to what we want. Am I right?  Take my search today.  I decided to see what Arthur Galbraith, Grandpop, had been up to and if there were any new records. I entered all the details and thousands of records came up! Opps, better narrow it down to Australia, much more manageable.  I found his birth and marriage details, electoral roll entries, showing both  himself and Grandma and the eldest child. I followed this through until 1963 and at times he was living alone and others had family with him. There was one entry that puzzled me, it was an entry in the New South Wales Gaol Description and Entrance Books, 1818 - 1930. Opening it I found that, yes, it was my Grandfather and he had been caught throwing stones, his sentence 10/- or [something] hours. He was 14 years old, his height was given as 4&#

A long weekend. What are your plans? I'm going to do some family research, some knitting and some reading, just what a long weekend should be about. I heard that Ancestry has free English records, this weekend, they might be worth a look. Darn, there is a pile of ironing, noooooooo!  Have a great weekend, Lilian

Paul and I spent last Tuesday exploring the new World War 1 area of the AWM. It is fantastic, very hands on, with touch screens everywhere. They have it set out chronologically and each section has display cases and a touch screen. You want to know more about what is there, pick an object, touch the object on the screen and the information is displayed. Very light and well set out. It was well worth the visit.                                                     "G" for George, bomber.                                                  The Changi Quilt. Poppies on the WW11 Roll of Honour. I was to busy enjoying the WW1 Gallery to take any photos, you will have to visit, yourself. Bye for now, Lilian

Do you subscribe to genealogical magazines?  Do you find them useful? I subscribe to three magazines and sometimes buy a fourth one. Two are English and two are Australian. Your Family History, (top left, English) is one I sometimes pick-up, if I think the contents are interesting. This one has an interesting article on The Making of America. This looks at the British and Irish, who started news lives in America. There is also an article on the Bismarck. It find it useful and enjoy reading readers queries and how to solve them. Family Tree, (top right, English), this is the one I subscribe to and I find the articles, columns and sections very informative. The previous few months have had a series on how to blog and as a blogger, I discovered some useful tips. This month has an articles on the Magna Carta, Waterloo, The Salvation Army and by Chris Paton, Lost & Found in the archives. Australian Family Tree Connections, (bottom right), has readers stories and photos, Surname

When I last posted, I had a sore throat, well that got better and we went away. I was so looking forward to a week with the family in Victoria BUT my cough became a chest infection and for awhile I was really sick. Back home, yesterday and have heaps to catch-up on. (like the washing) More later, Bye for now, Lilian

It has been a while since I last did a blog, sorry. We had a lovely weekend,  Mother's Day, at Kangaroo Valley and I woke up Monday with a sore throat. The rest of the week passed, with me feeling very blah and not doing much. I did finish my National Institute of Genealogical Studies, subject Australian Newspapers and got 100% in the exam. The subject was really interesting and I learnt new things and had others re-enforced. I am still loving the course. Still not feeling well and now I have a 'fantastic' cough, that really gets me going. Think a warm bed and a good book are in my future. Bye for now and stay well, Lilian

Was your ancestor a Bang Beggar, an Earth stopper or a Pardoner? I was browsing a list I have of websites (I do this to see if they still exist or what changes there might be), and came across this one. Index to Old Occupations.   http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/index.html It is for the Hall Genealogy Website and has other interesting areas to look at. You select a letter of the alphabet, click on it and you get a list of Old Names  and the New Name or Description. Useful information to have. Now I hear you muttering, 'What is a Bang Beggar?'    A Bang Beggar, was a Parish Officer who controlled how long strangers could stay in the Parish.  The others I mentioned, I'll leave for you to find. Well worth a look even if you haven't found a strange occupation. Bye for now, Lilian

 I love searching through all different types of records. Type in a name and see what pops up. Well... The other week, searching through the National Archives site, I entered Grandpops name and their was his application to enlist in World War 1.  As he was a married man, with three children I was surprised that his service hadn't been mentioned, before. Today I received an email with a link to the documents and what a surprise. He tried to enlist twice, the first time on 12 January 1916 and the second time on 10 July 1917. He was knocked back both times and the reasons given were alcohol (1916) and (1917) haemorrhoids and physique below standard. Interesting but sad at the same time. I wonder how he felt.

Leslie John Abberton  Born 1898 to Thomas and Louisa Abberton (nee Nicolls). He was their fifth child and forth son. Leslie enlisted on 28 February 1917, following two of his older brothers into the service. He served in the Middle East with the 2nd Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron. Leslie died of wounds on the 30 November 1917 and is buried at the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt. His name is listed on panel 180 in the Commemorative Area of the Australian War Memorial.                                 Thank you, Uncle Les for you sacrifice. Lest We Forget.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young. Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. These two stanzas are part of the  poem "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon.

http://www.army.gov.au/Our-history/Traditions/   Discovered this page, looking for something else. It explains the Traditions of the Army. Seem very fitting. Lest We Forget.

I'm still very new to the world of DNA but I did enter my results on to the GEDmatch site and have made a distant connection. Well he found me. We are very, something like 6 generations ago, related. That does take it back overseas, somewhere. We will both have to do some research on it. The person I though might be related, isn't but we do share a surname, in the ancestors. Again more digging. So while I was in the mode for DNA(ing) I did a one-to-many search and have found a closer match, only 4.5 generations back. I'm now working up the courage to contact him to see if there is a solid connection. Must re-read Kerry Farmer's book, DNA for genealogists, from Unlock the Past. (Gould Genealogy are the supplier). Bye for now, Lilian

Have you ever found an abbreviation and wondered what it means? The link, below has a good document, (13 pages), of abbreviations. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rigenweb/abbrev.html While it is Roots Web and Ancestry, you can access it for free. Bye for now, Lilian

A “brush with the law”, listed Sue,  from my writing group, now why would I want to do that topic, my family were saints! Well that is until I started reading the New South Wales Police Gazettes. First there was great-grandfather, Thomas Abberton, posting a £5 reward for the return of his stolen horse, that’s not bad. But wait there   more, and I was only searching the Abberton side. Next was Uncle Fred, theft, assault and the interesting one, carrying   firearms on Sunday. Looking deeper into the gazettes I found that he was caught carrying the firearms, two breach-loading guns and a repeater rifle, value £14 7s, after having broken into a shop and stealing them. He pleaded guilty to larceny and was sentenced to 18 months hard labour.   Well he was only an uncle. Oh, look, Thomas Abberton! What has great-granddad done? Opps! It isn’t him but my grandfather, also Thomas and the charge desertion. The year 1904. So who did he desert and why? His wife, Louisa, had died in 1903,

Sixty-six years ago on Saturday 16 April 1949, Edna May Sigrist and Patrick James Hunter Magill were married.  Both had served their country in World War 11, Dad in the Army, in New Guinea and Mum in the Air force, in Australia. Mum had a younger sister and Dad was one of 10. Sadly we have lost them both but they had 57 years together.