QFHS Snippets - March 2009 Volume 9, No. 3

March 2009

March is a busy month for your Society - we have numerous special interest group meetings being held. You are very welcome to attend.

We require a volunteer to the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations - could this be you?
A new immigrant index for 1864-1878 for Queensland is now available.
The State Library of Queensland is offering a Fellowship as well as a Library Award.
Are you doing research in New Zealand? Historical records are now available online.
The 1891 census of Canada is becoming accessible via the internet. There's even some helpful tips for making your trip to the cemetery easier!

Happy researching!
Remember to send your Snippets pieces to us at: snippets@qfhs.org.au

About This Newsletter
QFHS Gaythorne Centre
QFHS Dates to Remember
Seeking a Representative to the AFFHO
Discharge Certificate Has Found its Home!
Index to Register of Immigrants 1864 - 1878 Online
The Commissariat Store and Museum
Celebrate Queensland's 150th birthday in Yarraman
The State Library of Queensland - John Oxley Library Fellowship
The State Library of Queensland - John Oxley Library Award
State Library of Queensland Exhibition - Panoramic Queensland
Online Access to New Zealand Birth, Death and Marriage Records
Engineers and Professional Members Online
Deceased Online
Online Dictionary of Irish Architects
Census of Canada, 1891
1914 United States County Maps by State
Helpful Hints for Visiting a Cemetery
Murphy Was a Genealogist :-)
Acknowledgements

1. About This Newsletter

Snippets is a monthly publication of the Queensland Family History Society Inc. (QFHS). QFHS Website http://www.qfhs.org.au/

Please do not click on reply to contact Snippets - the 'click on reply' facility is strictly for 'un-subscribing' to the mailing list.

You are encouraged to contribute items which you feel would be of general interest to the family historian hunting for that illusive relative. Humorous items and items relating to the technology of using computers in genealogy are also welcome. Submit your BRIEF items supplemented by hyperlinks to additional details.

Snippets will rarely include items of a commercial nature and only then when they are likely to be of interest to a majority of our readers.

Submit your items to us here: snippets@qfhs.org.au Top of page |

2. QFHS Gaythorne Centre

Our address is:

58 Bellevue Ave,
Gaythorne QLD 4051
QFHS library - (07) 3355 3369

For details about QFHS Centre, including location map, transport etc, click here: http://www.qfhs.org.au/location_hours.htm#Library

3. QFHS Dates to Remember

QFHS Monthly General Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of the month (but not in January and December), at the QFHS Library, and start at 7:30pm. Attendance is free, and visitors are welcome

Next Meeting: Wednesday, 18 March 2009

Heather Smith from the Wynnum/Manly Historical Society will speak on "Lord Kitchener".
________________________________________

QFHS Daytime Meetings are held on the first Monday of the month (but not in January and December) at 20 Marmont Street, Geebung from 10am - 12 Noon.

Next Meeting: 6 April 2009

Contact Maureen Mutton on 3265 4378 if you would like to attend. Top of page |
________________________________________

Central European Group

Meetings are held 10am - Noon on the 4th Saturday of each odd-numbered month at QFHS Library. A $2 donation goes toward purchasing relevant records.

Next Meeting: 28 March 2009

For further information, contact Eric Kopittke on (07) 3376 4339 or email kopittke@tpg.com.au OR centraleuropean@qfhs.org.au
________________________________________

Educational Workshops

Cost is $5.50 per person which goes towards purchasing more research materials for the Library. Time - 10am to 12 noon at QFHS Library.
Workshop dates for 2009 are:

Sunday, 26 April - "How to Keep Your Records in Order"
Sunday, 28 June - "Where to Begin"
Sunday, 30 August - "How to Keep Your Records in Order"
Sunday, 25 October - "Where to Begin"

For bookings - contact Desley Schafer - phone (07) 3204 4254 or email: educationofficer@qfhs.org.au
________________________________________

English West Country Group

This group researches the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset. Meetings are held from 12 Noon - 2pm at the QFHS Library, on the fourth Thursday of the odd-numbered months.

Next meeting: Thursday, 26 March 2009

For further information contact Robert Browning on (07) 3359 9801 or email: robertbb2@bigpond.com Top of page |
________________________________________

Family History Writing Group

These meetings are held from 9am - 11am at QFHS Library.

Next meeting: Saturday, 21 March 2009

For further information contact FHWriters@qfhs.org.au OR Robert Adamson on (07) 3266 8353 OR Sue Reid on (07) 3378 2278. Top of page |
________________________________________

Family Tree Maker User Group

These meetings run from 10am - 11:30am venue at QFHS Library and are held on 1st Friday each month except January and last Saturday in each even-numbered month except December.

The next meeting will be held on: 3 April 2009

Topics put forward for future meetings include:

Friday 3 April - Intro - Version 17/2007 and beyond
Saturday 25 April - Intro - Version 17/2007 and beyond
Friday 1 May - Transferring GedCom files - Up to Version 16/2006
Friday 5 June - Transferring GedCom files - Version 17/2007 and beyond
Saturday 27 June - Books - Up to Version 16/2006

For further details, please e-mail Kerri Kleidon at familytree@qfhs.org.au
________________________________________

Irish Interest Group

Meetings are held from 10am - 12 Noon at QFHS Library on the second Saturday of the even-numbered months (not December).

Due to the timing of Easter this year, the next meeting is: Saturday, 13 June 2009

For more information about Irish Interest Group contact Mary King on (07) 3205 3353 or email irish@qfhs.org.au
________________________________________

Member Orientations - 'Old' & New Members Welcome

You will almost certainly learn new stuff about the Society, and helpful hints about using the Library and researching, all in a friendly atmosphere and informal setting. New members are especially welcome.

Upcoming orientations: Friday, 20 March 2009 at 10am and Saturday, 18 April at 9:30am

Numbers are limited to allow full participation. BOOKING is ESSENTIAL. Please note:
Sessions are usually fully booked, with a waiting list, so please advise the organisers as soon as possible if you find you are unable to attend when you have a booking.

Contact Bev Bonning on (07) 3355 7389 or Wendy Annand on (07) 3395 2530 or email them at welcome@qfhs.org.au Top of page
________________________________________

Scottish Interest Group

Meetings are held from 10am - 12 Noon at QFHS Library. Donations to buy more Scottish resources are welcome.

Next meeting: Saturday, 14 March 2009

For further information: Email scottish@qfhs.org.au OR phone Sam on (07) 3266 9131 Top of page
________________________________________

Welsh Interest Group

This group meets on the fourth Sunday of the odd numbered months from 10am - 12 Noon at the QFHS Library.

Next meeting is: Sunday, 22 March 2009

Contact Paul Wood on welsh@qfhs.org.au for further information.

4. Seeking a Representative to the AFFHO

Ann Swain is retiring as QFHS Representative to the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations. Therefore, QFHS is seeking a member to be the QFHS Representative to AFFHO. Meetings are conducted every three months via a telephone link (a local call).

Any member interested in becoming our representative please contact Ann Swain by telephone on (07) 3352 5537 or email her at: president@qfhs.org.au

5. Discharge Certificate Has Found its Home!

In our last edition of Snippets we mentioned a Discharge Certificate wanting a home. Through the powers of email, cyberspace and Snippets, this certificate has now been returned to its rightful owner - Anne Wiltshire of Runaway Bay. The certificate had belonged to her grandfather's brother.

In addition to receiving the Discharge Certificate, an unknown gentleman forwarded a substantial amount of information on the Salmon family which he must have compiled after reading Snippets.

Plus Anne was contacted by a previously unknown half first cousin! The cousins have lots of information to share and hope to meet up in the near future.

Anne has asked Snippets to thank Barbara, the unidentified gentleman, and everyone who assisted in this quest. Top of page

6. Index to Register of Immigrants 1864 - 1878 Online

The Index to Register of Immigrants 1864-1878 is now available on the Queensland State Archives website. This index was compiled from Series ID 7454, a register of immigrants created by the Assistant Immigration Agent, Toowoomba.

This register contains 888 entries including details of applications for passage certificates for immigration, registered in Toowoomba. The date, name and age of immigrant, trade, where living (country of origin), amount paid, name of depositor and relevant remarks as to where living in the district are included in the details. Interestingly, the majority of Immigrants listed in this register originate from Ireland.

Find that elusive ancestor at: http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/research/index/imm1864_1878.asp

7. The Commissariat Store and Museum

This is Queensland's oldest occupied building. It was built by convict labour in 1829 and dates from Captain Patrick Logan's time as Commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Colony.
This beautiful old building shares with the Windmill on Wickham Terrace the distinction of being the only remaining buildings of the original colony. The Commissariat Store is located at 115 William Street Brisbane - in the heart of Brisbane's CBD.

The Commissariat Store is the Head Office of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland with The Welsby Library located within the building and is open for research on Thursdays.
Celebrating Queensland's 150 years - two exciting exhibitions will be opening early in 2009.

From 19 March, an exhibition will commence, Sesquicentenary of Queensland - 1859 - 2009. It will showcase many of the Society's collection of artifacts since the European settlement including a tribute to the pioneering women of the colony.

Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 4pm. Entry fee is $5 for Adults and $2.50 for Children and Seniors with on-site volunteer tour guides are available most days.

For further information phone (07) 3221 4198 or visit: http://www.queenslandhistory.org.au/ Top of page

8. Celebrate Queensland's 150th birthday in Yarraman

There are four days and three nights of fun and festivities to enjoy in Yarraman from 1 - 4 May. Events include a street parade, entertainment incorporating bands, a 60 piece string performance, and lots, lots more!

For more details and regular updates sign on to the website http://www.yarraman.net/and click on the Q150 icon.

9. The State Library of Queensland - John Oxley Library Fellowship

The John Oxley Library Fellowship encourages the research and documenting of Queensland history, using sources contained within the State Library in general, and specifically within the collections of the John Oxley Library.

The Fellowship attracts a prize of $20,000 which may be used to supplement the researcher's income during work on their project or to meet any necessary travel and research costs, within the parameters of the Fellowship. Applications close at 5pm on 20 March, 2009.

Read more at: http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/about/ppp/lb-award/jol-fellow/

10. The State Library of Queensland - John Oxley Library Award

The John Oxley Library plays a vital role in the development and communication of knowledge of Queensland's history. The John Oxley Library Award promotes the value of historical knowledge to Queenslanders' continuing understanding of themselves and each other. The John Oxley Library Award recognises an outstanding contribution to the appreciation of Queensland's history.

The Award is open to individuals and organisations, including historians, writers, filmmakers, broadcasters, local history associations, libraries and archives. The Award attracts a $5,000 prize. Nominations close on 20 March, 2009.

Read more at: http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/about/ppp/lb-award/jol_award/ Top of page

11. State Library of Queensland Exhibition - Panoramic Queensland

Take a wider view of Queensland's 150 year history in this exhibition of landscapes and townscapes captured in their full panoramic glory.

The John Oxley Library's collection of panoramic photographs provides a timely view of how the landscape has changed during the past 150 years.

See Brisbane as it was in 1862.
Marvel at the romance and engineering of the first permanent Victoria Bridge, built in 1874.
Chart the cultural development of Brisbane River's South bank through a series of panoramas.

The exhibition also includes panoramic photographs from Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Ayr, Caloundra and Coolangatta and a selection of panoramic cameras will be displayed.

The Exhibition is open daily 10am - 5pm until Sunday, 12 July 2009 at Philip Bacon Heritage Gallery, level 4 at State Library of Queensland, Stanley Place, South Bank,
Brisbane and entry is free!

View the virtual exhibition for more details at: http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/whats-on/exhibit/online/panoramic_qld/

12. Online Access to New Zealand Birth, Death and Marriage Records

A website which provides online access to New Zealand's historical birth, death and marriage records has recently been launched. The website, developed by the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs, will be useful to genealogists and people who would like historical birth, death and marriage information about their relatives, said Dr Worth.

The Births Death and Marriage Historical Records website provides access to information about:

Births that occurred at least 100 years ago
Stillbirths that occurred at least 50 years ago
Marriages and eventually Civil Unions that occurred 80 years ago
Deaths that occurred at least 50 years ago or the deceased's date of birth was at least 80 years ago

To use the site, people enter a family name and a 'search from date' or a registration number into the search box. Online searches are free. You can then order a certificate or a print out from a list of search results and pay by credit card.

Try your luck at: http://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.identityservices.govt.nz/ Top of page

13. Engineers and Professional Members Online

Finding out about your ancestor's occupation and achievements allows us genealogists to build a more complete picture of our ancestors' past. Familyrelatives.com has released a collection of Professional member lists including the Engineers Who's Who and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales 1923.

The Engineers Who's Who 1939, is a register of engineering appointments and attainments and a useful family history source for researchers with engineers in their family. At this time with the impending Second World War many engineers were involved with the war effort in the Admiralty, the War Office as well as those who joined the armed forces.

Nearly 7000 names are recorded in this volume. The records in the main include the surname, forename(s), British order of chivalry, qualifications, accomplishments and appointments as well as the private address, career and education. In some instances the age, war service and useful dates are included, providing a fascinating insight into individuals.

Researchers can search the index by name and look at scans of original records and one can also browse the records. These records are available as part of the familyrelatives.com subscription which provides unprecedented value for money. A number of features and records are available for free on: http://www.Familyrelatives.com/ Top of page

14. Deceased Online

Deceased Online is the first central database of statutory burial and cremation registers for the UK and Republic of Ireland - a unique resource for family history researchers and professional genealogists.

Until now, to search these records you had to approach about 3,000 burial authorities and nearly 250 crematoria in the UK alone, each independently holding their own registers, mostly as old fragile books. No official central repository exists. Records from 1837 onwards are available on this site.

Searching is free, and can be restricted as required to country, region, county, or individual burial authority or crematorium. Register as a Deceased Online user and gain access to additional records.

Check it out at: http://www.deceasedonline.com/

15. Online Dictionary of Irish Architects

The Online Dictionary of Irish Architects provides information on the lives and works of architects, builders and craftsmen born or working in Ireland during the period 1720 to 1940 and the details of the buildings on which they worked. Some 6,000 individual architects or architectural practices are included in the Dictionary, including over 40,000 building references.

Try your luck with this free database at: http://www.dia.ie/ Top of page

16. Census of Canada, 1891

A new online database, Census of Canada, 1891 has recently been launched. Researchers can access digitised images of original census returns featuring the name, age, country or province of birth, nationality, religion, and occupation of Canada's residents at the time of the 1891 Census.

Information was collected for Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia and the North-West Territories (which at the time covered much of modern-day Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northern Ontario, northern Quebec, Labrador, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut).

The database is available at: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1891/index-e.html

17. 1914 United States County Maps by State

This amazing book was found, rescued and scanned. If you want to see where your ancestors lived on a map this might be the site for you.

The dates of the individual maps vary from 1910 to 1914. You can see the maps at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~shastaca/maps_index.html Top of page

18. Helpful Hints for Visiting a Cemetery

Most of us have spent time looking for ancestors and ancestors in cemeteries. Read some useful tips to make your day easier at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-2242-Dallas-History-Examiner~y2009m2d23-Helpful-hints-for-visiting-a-cemetery

19. Murphy Was a Genealogist :-)

That ancient photograph of four relatives, one of whom is your progenitor, carries the names of the other three.
Copies of old newspapers have holes which occur only on maiden and surnames.
No one in your family tree ever did anything noteworthy, always rented property, was never sued, and was never named in wills.
Yours is the ONLY last name not found among the billions in the LDS archives in Salt Lake City.
Anything that could have burned, did.
The census taker with the clear handwriting and good ink never enumerated your ancestors.
If you find a well-documented, illustrious ancestor, you've probably made a mistake.
Your folks hated government and never filled out forms.
The book you need is never indexed, or, if indexed, doesn't include people.
Your families never had attics, much less Bibles or boxes full of photos.
All real library "finds" are made five minutes before closing, when the copier is broken.
The person sitting next to you at the research centre is finding ancestors every five minutes...and telling you.
Your microfilm reader is the one that squeaks, has to be turned backwards, and doesn't quite focus.
Your mother neglects to mention that, "Oh, yes, we knew they changed their name.
The critical link in your family tree is named "Smith."
The document containing evidence of the missing link in your research invariably will be lost due to fire, flood or war.
You finally find your ancestor's obituary in an old newspaper and all it says is "Died last week."
You finally get a day off from work to travel to the archives - and when you get there it's closed for emergency plumbing repairs

Top of page

20. Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all those who have taken time out to send items of interest to our "Snippets" mailbox at: snippets@qfhs.org.au

The more we receive, the more frequently we can produce a Newsletter. If your submission does not appear in this issue, we will try to include it in a future edition. Please note that reference to any product does not imply endorsement. Members are cautioned to evaluate products prior to purchase.

Pauline Macfarlane

Disclaimer: This newsletter is produced in good faith, and information received is deemed to be accurate, but the editor takes no responsibility for incorrect information supplied. [Editor's note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editor or of QFHS]

Permission to reprint articles from QFHS 'SNIPPETS' NEWSLETTER is granted unless specifically stated otherwise, provided: (1) the reprint is used for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the following notice appears at the end of the article: "Previously published in QFHS 'SNIPPETS' NEWSLETTER" with the appropriate date and volume number (eg QFHS 'SNIPPETS' NEWSLETTER January 2009 Vol 9 No. 1). The last six months issues of Snippets are available from: http://www.qfhs.org.au/snippets.htm

Top of page QFHS Home page