QFHS Snippets - January 2011 Volume 11, No. 1

Dear [member]

Happy New Year!

Holidays are the perfect time to unwind and catch up on those neglected projects – including genealogy!

There’s a swag of activities and events coming up, including Government House Open Day, school reunions, and our special interest group meetings. Why not join one of them to further your family history research?

The QFHS library reopens on 10 January.

Happy researching!

Please send your Snippets pieces to us at: snippets@qfhs.org.au

Table of Contents

  1. About This Newsletter
  2. QFHS Gaythorne Centre
  3. QFHS Dates to Remember
  4. QFHS Trout Game
  5. Queensland State Library of Queensland - January Seminar
  6. Celebrate Australia Day at Government House
  7. Fortitude Valley State School 150th Anniversary Celebrations
  8. Cloyna State School Centenary
  9. German Headstones in Australian Cemeteries
  10. London's Largest Cemetery Now Documented Online
  11. 1911 U.K. Census Enumerator Summary Books Online
  12. UK Historical Directories Online
  13. Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Council Archives Online
  14. General Register Office for Scotland Announces Increased Fees
  15. Northern Ireland Wills Online
  16. Last Chance to Read
  17. Complete 1911 Census Available Now on Genes Reunited
  18. Canadian Families Online Database
  19. New Online Database - Upper Canada Land Board 1765-1804
  20. United States 2010 Census Data Results
  21. 2011 Family History Conference in South Carolina
  22. Archives.com Integrates New Records
  23. 1910 Norwegian Census is Now Online
  24. The Joy of Statistics - 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes
  25. Online Course: Introduction to One-Name Studies
  26. January's Joke
  27. 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 via: snippets@qfhs.org.au

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

Library reopens on: Monday, 10 January 2011, but will be closed for the Australia Day holiday on Wednesday, 26 January.

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, 16 February.

Mr Jeff Hilder from The Gap Pioneer & History Group Inc will discuss 'Finding a Family Grave on a Mountain Top'.
________________________________________

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.

The next meeting will be held on 7 February.

Contact Maureen Mutton on 3265 4378 if you would like to attend.
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Central European Group

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

The next meeting will be on 22 January at the QFHS library.

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

For further information contact Robert Browning on (07) 3359 9801 or email: robertbb2@bigpond.com
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Family History Writing Group

These meetings are held from 9am - 11am at QFHS Library on the third Saturday of odd-numbered months.

Next meeting: Saturday, 15 January.

For further information contact FHWriters@qfhs.org.au OR Robert Adamson on (07) 3266 8353 OR Sue Reid on (07) 3378 2278.
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Family Tree Maker User Group

These meetings run from 10am - 11:30am 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 meetings will be held on:
For further details, please contact Kerri Kleidon or Joe Greaves via e-mail on: familytree@qfhs.org.au
________________________________________

The Master Genealogist (or TMG) User Group

After being hosted for more than six years by QFHS member, Peter Collins, the Brisbane TMG User Group has become a welcome addition to the Society's special interest groups. The group caters to the needs of all users, from novice to advanced. The group meets in the QFHS Library on the third Saturday of each month (except December) at 1:30 pm.

Next meeting dates are:
For a limited period, new members to the group will have the opportunity to purchase The Master Genealogist v7 Gold Edition at a bargain price.

For further information, contact George Kearney on 0438 073 344 or Kevin Haley on (07) 3359 7491.
________________________________________

Irish Interest Group

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

Next meeting: 12 February.

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

Scottish Interest Group

Meetings are held from 10am - 12 Noon at QFHS Library on the second Saturday of odd-numbered months (except January). Donations to buy more Scottish resources are welcome.

Next meeting: Saturday, 12 March.

For further information: Email scottish@qfhs.org.au OR phone Sam on (07) 3266 9131
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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, 23 January.

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

4. QFHS Trout Game

Allow yourself the privilege of having a fun day in family history and play the Trout Game! The game simulates researching an English family (the Trout family) using eleven types of records. The aim is to see if you can get back to the 1500s. Use the game to see how good a researcher you are using basic research techniques not involving computers at all and find out why you may have brick-walls in your research.

The Trout Game will be played on Sunday, 15 May from 10 to 4pm at QFHS Library. Cost is $5.00 which includes morning and afternoon tea (BYO lunch).

To make your booking, contact Game Master Ann Swain via email at: a.swain@bigpond.com or telephone (07) 3352 5537. Numbers are limited and early bookings are essential.

5. Queensland State Library of Queensland - January Seminar

On Friday, 14 January staff from Queensland State Archives and the State Library of Queensland will introduce you to family history resources useful for those beginning research. Speakers from these two major Queensland repositories will also explain how to access these important family history resources.

The seminar will be held in the State Library Auditorium 2, Level 2 at South Bank Brisbane from 10 am to12:30pm. Tickets are $15.50 which includes morning tea. Bookings are essential.

To book your spot, telephone 136 246 or visit qtix online at: http://www.qtix.com.au/event/SLQ_Getting_Started_Jan11.aspx

6. Celebrate Australia Day at Government House

The Governor of Queensland, Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley, AO and Mr Stuart McCosker invite you to an Open Day to celebrate Australia Day on Wednesday, 26 January, 2011.  Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to visit stately Government House "Fernberg" at 168 Fernberg Road, Paddington, Brisbane from 10am to 3pm with free entry. The occasion will be cancelled in the event of wet weather.

For more information, visit: http://www.govhouse.qld.gov.au/government_house/visitorsprograms.aspx

7. Fortitude Valley State School 150th Anniversary Celebrations

Did you attend or teach at the Fortitude Valley State School? (Includes former Infants' Girls' Boys' Opportunity and Co-ed schools). Register before the end of January 2011 for a "by invitation only" to attend plaque unveiling, morning tea and a photo shoot on Friday, 4 March 2011. In addition, the sesquicentenary committee seeks the general community's help to locate two time capsules-one buried about 1950/51, the other in the 1970s. No record of their interment has been found to date. Can you help locate them?

You can register, either as a past pupil or teacher in attending the 150th anniversary celebrations at:  https://sites.google.com/site/fvss150/ 

For further information or to provide details relating to the time capsules, contact: fvss150@gmail.com or telephone Ray Thurlow on (07) 3353 5547.

8. Cloyna State School Centenary

Cloyna State School, north of Murgon, Queensland, celebrates its centenary in 2011. Celebrations are planned for Easter weekend.  A Centenary History of the school and community is being published.

Interested persons should contact Pam Cooper via email on: cloynahistory@y7mail.com

9. German Headstones in Australian Cemeteries

This website has been set up by Detlev Papsdorf and is based on a series of photographs that he took whilst in Australia in 2006 and 2007. A large number of cemeteries are listed; the ones shown in grey are still to have the information posted. Generally, only headstones with Germanic or Slavic sounding names were recorded. The database is searchable by given name, surname or place. On the open page, the cemeteries are arranged by state, with entries for South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

You'll find the site at: http://www.familienarchiv-papsdorf.de/ozcemeteries.htm

10. London's Largest Cemetery Now Documented Online

Burial and cremation records dating from 1854 for the boroughs of Islington and Camden in central north London are now on Deceased Online. Of the 800,000 burial records, approximately 70% of these are available immediately with the remainder to be uploaded within the next 3 to 4 months. Also available now are 46,500 records from Islington Crematorium which date back to 1937. The 8,500 most recent cremation records will be added in the next few months, together with the remaining cemetery records.

Over the next few months, maps of areas in the cemetery indicating grave locations will be uploaded together with photographs of many notable memorials and headstones. The Deceased Online database for London is now over 1.1 million including the Borough areas of Islington, Camden, Havering and Merton. Many more records for other areas in London will be added in the near future.

Deceased Online many be found at http://www.deceasedonline.com/
 

11. 1911 U.K. Census Enumerator Summary Books Online

Ancestry.co.uk, has launched online the Enumerator Summary Books - the first set of records from the 1911 England and Wales Census. The Enumerator Summary Books will help cross-track ancestors through other censuses, telephone books, military records and other records, during the early part of the 20th century.

The complete set of 1911 Census record images will launch online at Ancestry.co.uk in early 2011, followed by the indexes, which will be made available in sections throughout the remainder of 2011. See http://www.ancestry.co.uk/

12. UK Historical Directories Online

Historical Directories is a digital library of local and trade directories for England and Wales, from 1750 to 1919. It contains high quality reproductions of comparatively rare books, essential tools for research into local and genealogical history.

Check it out at:  http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/about.asp

13. Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Council Archives Online

Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire council archives have now been placed online.  There are 46 collections consisting of 23,300 entries including school records, poor relief and burial registers and militia records. The city of Aberdeen has the oldest and most complete sets of burgh records in Scotland, starting in 1398.

They can be viewed at http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/archivecataloge/

14. General Register Office for Scotland Announces Increased Fees


The Registrar General for Scotland has announced that, subject to the agreement of the Scottish Parliament, some statutory fees for registration services will be increase in 2012.

Details of the proposed charges can be viewed at: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files2/family-records/fees-schedule.pdf

15. Northern Ireland Wills Online

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) has indexed and digitised early wills from the three District Probate Registries of Armagh, Belfast and Londonderry between the years 1858 and 1900.

The images have been linked to an existing searchable index which allows researchers to view details such as name, dates and the abstracts taken from the original entries.

The wills are online at: http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_the_archives/will_calendars.htm

16. Last Chance to Read

Last Chance To Read is a new online service that provides a searchable collection of thousands of pages of scarce British and Irish newspapers and other publications, most of which were printed between the years 1710 and 1870. While many copies of each issue of a newspaper were printed, very few survive today. In some cases, the copy on this web site may be the last copy in existence. Therefore the title: "Last Chance to Read."

Access is via payment with PayPal. The web site is available at: http://www.lastchancetoread.com/

17. Complete 1911 Census Available Now on Genes Reunited

The complete 1911 census for England and Wales is now available at Genes Reunited. Access is via subscription which allows researchers to view the original householder schedules for the first time in full colour.

Check it out at: http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/

18. Canadian Families Online Database

Library and Archives Canada has announced the launch of a new online database, Canadian Families. Through this online database, researchers can access references to baptisms, marriages and burials inscribed in church records held at Library and Archives Canada. This database will expand slowly over the next few years as more references are added.

Enjoy searching at: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/families/index-e.html

19. New Online Database - Upper Canada Land Board 1765-1804

Through this online database, researchers can access more than 16,000 references to documents of the Upper Canada Land Board between 1765 and 1804. The Land Boards were created in 1789 to oversee land matters and facilitate settlement in the districts of Hesse, Luneburg, Mecklenburg and Nassau. This territory is now part of the province of Ontario.

You'll find the database at: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/uclandboard/index-e.html

20. United States 2010 Census Data Results

The 2010 Census results are now available. Names and other personal information collected won't be available for general access until 2082. The resident population of the United States on 1 April, 2010, was 308,745,538. The resident population represented an increase of 9.7 percent over the 2000 U.S. resident population of 281,421,906.

You can read more about the Census at: http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2010/12/2010-census-data-results.html#more and view an interactive Census Map showing the population changes of 1910 through 2010 at: http://www.eogn.com/2010-US-Census-Map.html

21. 2011 Family History Conference in South Carolina

One of the largest genealogy conferences in the United States is the National Genealogical Society's conference, which will be held from 11 to 14 May 2011, in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States. This year's conference theme is: Where the Past is Still Present.

Seminars and lectures are offered on a wide variety of topics, aimed at beginners, intermediate, and advanced genealogists alike. You can find a list of all the scheduled events at http://goo.gl/haOiU

Online registration for the NGS 2011 Family History Conference is now open, with discounts being offered for early registration. Registration details may be found at: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/attendee_registration with more information about the conference located at: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conference_info

22. Archives.com Integrates New Records

Archives.com, has enhanced its content offerings by integrating more than 40 million new digital records and 110 million scanned newspaper pages dating back to 1753. The major enhancement represents a 25% increase in United States vital records on the site.

There are more than 1.1 billion historical records available on this site. Access is via membership, with a free trial available at: http://www.archives.com/

23. 1910 Norwegian Census is Now Online

The 1910 Census for Norway is now online and is free to access. It includes archive material both from electronic sources and traditional paper sources, that are either digitised from an original or a microfilm.

The 1910 Norwegian census is available at in Norwegian at: http://www.digitalarkivet.no/ and English at: http://www.digitalarkivet.no/cgi-win/WebFront.exe?slag=vis&tekst=meldingar&spraak=e

24. The Joy of Statistics - 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes

Statistics come to life when Swedish academic Hans Rosling graphically illustrates global development for 200 countries shown over the last 200 years. He shows comparisons of the lives of our ancestors versus what we enjoy today.

You can watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo

25. Online Course: Introduction to One-Name Studies

The Guild of One-Name Studies and Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd have announced the continuation of a five week introductory course on One-Name Studies, starting 20 January 2011. The online course is a guide and introduction to One-Name Studies, run by online genealogy specialists Pharos Tutors assisted by the considerable experience of the Guild of One-Name Studies, probably the most dedicated group of genealogists in the world.

The course covers surnames and their history; core records needed for one-name studies; the analyses of one-name data and all the practical aspects of running a one-name study.     Prospective students can pay and enrol via the Pharos website: http://www.pharostutors.com/ at a price of £43.99.

The Guild of One-Name Studies will also be offering free membership to the Guild for the remainder of the financial year for all non-Guild members who sign up for this course.

26. January's Joke

Why waste your money looking up your family tree?
Just go into politics and your opponents will do it for you!
- Mark Twain

27. 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

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