Sunday, December 30, 2012

Welcoming in the New Year and Sharing Memories Project

New Years Eve - Sydney
It is New Years Eve and I am enjoying a quiet moment checking out Geneabloggers before we head into the centre of Sydney with some friends to see the Fireworks!!  Today there is a post advising that
Each Sunday, Olive Tree Genealogy offers a new blogging prompt under the heading Sharing Memories – Genealogy Journal Writing.  As this blog points out we spend ages researching, collecting bits and pieces and writing down stories of our great great grandparents, forgetting that we have stories of our own to share as well. 

When researching my family tree, I often sigh and wish my ancestors had recorded more of their life, kept a diary and or kept letters and newspaper cuttings.  As the Olive Tree Genealogy Blog points out, we should think of coming generations and how exciting it will be to find a record of our memories and experiences that will give them a better understanding of the time we lived in.

This project reminded me of a book that our family put together for my mother at Christmas time about ten years ago.  I wrote to all family members, sisters, grandchildren etc. a couple of months before Christmas and asked everyone to write down a couple of short stories that they could remember about our mother/grandmother.  It took a little bit of nagging and quite a few reminders but finally I was able to put together a book with everyone's stories and photos.  My mother loved the book and still reads in when she has a quiet moment.  Also, it was interesting, that on that Christmas day everyone in the family took turns for a quiet moment to read the stories that everyone had contributed.

With this in mind, my New Years resolution is to start writing down some of my memories.  What better way to start than to join in Olive Tree Genealogy's  Sharing Memories – Genealogy Journal Writing project. 


Thursday, December 27, 2012

Friday's Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge" - B is for Blogs

It is almost two week since I posted my first blog in the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge,  "A is for Apps" I have made the commitment to post a new blog each week as part of this challenge, and guess what already I have to apologise for being tardy with my second post.  I shall blame this tardiness on the fact that I have been on holidays and our Internet access was very dodgy.  Excuses over, it is time to move on to my "B for" blog.

As I lazed around the pool on Daydream Island, North Queensland, reading and sipping on icy cocktails I pondered on the letter "B". What shall I write about, Birth Certificates, Baptism, Birth notices, Banns?  I am sure these have all been done, so finally decided to dedicate my "B" post to "Blogs".

As I mentioned earlier, I have just been on three weeks annual leave. What a luxury, time to actually, read some of the many Genealogy Blogs that I have tagged, saved in Evernote with a note, for reading!!! Hence I thought it would be an opportunity to share with you some of the blogs that I have found amusing, informative and pretty!!!

Here is the list of Blogs that I have enjoyed reading over the past couple of weeks in no particular order.

1. Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog, http://janasgenealogyandfamilyhistory.blogspot.com.au/.
2. Lonetester HQ,  http://www.lonetester.com/ 
3. Geniaus, http://geniaus.blogspot.com.au/ 
4. Ancestry.com/Blog, http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/
5. Australian Genealogy Journeys, http://ausgenjourneys.blogspot.com.au/
6. Lost Family Treasures, http://lostmementos.blogspot.com.au/
7. A Rebel Hand: Nicholas Delaney of 1798, http://rebelhand.wordpress.com/
8. Dance Skeletons,Tracing our family history to Australia, one skeleton at a time, http://danceskeletons.blogspot.com.au/

9. Backtracking, http://boobookbacktracks.blogspot.com.au/
10. Geneabloggers, http://geneabloggers.com/
11. Diary of an Australian Genealogist, http://diaryofanaustraliangenealogist.blogspot.com.au/
12. Jax Trax, http://jackievanbergen.blogspot.com.au/
13. Ku-ring-gai Historical Society, http://kuringgaihs.blogspot.com.au/
14. Sepia Saturday, http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com.au/
15.  A Family Tapestry. http://afamilytapestry.blogspot.com.au/

This is a short summary of some of the blogs I have enjoyed reading over the past couple of weeks.  I hope I am able to keep up with these great blogs this year and not have to wait until my holidays to catch up with them all.  

Friday, December 14, 2012

Friday's Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge" - A is for Apps

A is  for Apps

It is the start of the festive season and my husband I are lucky enough to be taking some annual leave prior to Christmas. Due to weight limits on our flight, I made the decision to not pack my lap top and only bring my IPad. So today, I am writing my blog from my IPad for the first time.

My week of musing for my first post in the alphabet challenge is over! A is for?  Then the obvious hit me! Of course!

There are a plethora of family tree apps for genealogy and family research! And more and more are appearing each day! I thought I would write about a couple that I have found interesting.  I would also like to invite others to tell us about the Apps they have found useful. 



1. Wolfram Genealogy & History Research Tool.

If you are interested in finding out more about the times of your ancestors, this App is well worth the small cost of $4.99. This tool helps you explore the world that your ancestors lived in.

Not only does it assist you to map family relationships but also can give you information on what the towns were like at the time your ancestors were alive. You can look up what the weather was like on the day your great grand parents were married!

Another fascinating feature of this app is its ability to tell you about the historical events relative to the important events in your family's life. e.g. What was happening in the world when your mother was born or when your great aunt was married. The list goes on and on. I have found this tool to be really useful in putting together an overall picture of the times of my past family members.

2.  Ancestry App.

Keeping with my "A is for" theme the other app I would have to mention is the Ancestry App. This app lets me take my family tree where ever I go. (Now, my family think this is a bit tragic!), however it has come in very handy at many family gatherings when someone asks "when did Uncle Tom get married?" Or  "where did grandma live when she was a child?".  These questions are generally fired in my direction as the family has unofficially appointed me the "family tree geek".

For me however, the Ancestry app allows me to have more time for research. Like most of us work and family commitments prevent us from having the time we would like to have to "play" with our family tree.  Now, using the Ancestry App I am able to use the time I travel to and from work on the train for researching and connecting with Ancestry resources and other family trees.

Also, when on long trips I can entertain my self with family tree "play" while my husband is driving.

There are many new apps available for Family Tree research which I am yet to familiarise myself with. I would love to hear any recommendations from other family tree researchers.


Sunday, December 9, 2012

Family Christmas Past and Present

I have just finished reading, Judy's blog Our family Christmas Now and Then,  which gives an Australian perspective on Christmas Traditions Down Under.  This blog has come about as a response to Pauleen's invitation,  'Family History Across the Seas', to take part in the 2012 Christmas GeneaMeme by describing how we celebrate Christmas in our part of the world.  What a great way to share the customs of Christmas.  I recently posted  on "Family Recipe Friday - Family Christmas Cake", one of my favorite Christmas Customs.  At the time I thought it would be good to share some other family christmas traditions, so this gives me a great opportunity to share some of our other traditions. 

I think our traditions change over time, some old ones get forgotten but often new ones come along.


THE 2012 CHRISTMAS GENEAMEME

Do you have any special Xmas traditions in your family?
 We have a "new tradition" that started about 5 years ago.  Following a family trip to the Zoo with my son, his wife, her parents and my nephew and his family I made up a Christmas Calendar for everyone for Christmas.  This has now become a annual family event in late November, which we plan about 6 months ahead, picking a fun venue, who ever is available comes along for a family day together. I get to take lots of photos (which I love doing) and I put them in to our annual Calendar to be given as gifts on Christmas Day. (sorts part of my Christmas shopping as well).  This year we went to Luna Park on Sydney Harbour, great day was had by all, big kids and little kids.

Is church attendance an important part of your Christmas celebrations and do you go the evening before or on Xmas Day?
 Church was a big part of our christmas celebrations when I was a child, however it does not play such an important part nowdays.

Did/do you or your children/grandchildren believe in Santa?
 Of course!!!  Isn't he real??

Do you go carolling in your neighbourhood?
 It is not general that groups go carolling in Australia however, in the town that my son lives in the local Fire Engine truck drives around with Christmas Carols over the loud speaker and they throw lollies to the children as they drive by. 

What’s your favourite Christmas music?
 I like all Christmas music, love the music from "Love Actually".

What’s your favourite Christmas carol?
 I have a few but "Away in a Manger" does bring back memories of going to church on Christmas Eve with my Nanna.

Do you have a special Xmas movie/book you like to watch/read?
 Love Actually!!

Does your family do individual gifts, gifts for littlies only, Secret Santa (aka Kris Kringle)?
 We generally do individual gifts. Sometimes we will all put in to buy something special for my Mum.


Our Christmas Table a couple of years ago
 Is your main Christmas meal indoors or outdoors, at home or away?
This depends on where we are for Christmas.  When we lived in Port MacQuarie (on the coast) we did have a couple of Christmas Lunches at the beach.  This year we having indoors.

What do you eat as your main course for the Christmas meal?
 Usually the main meal is a late lunch that carries through until the evening :)

Do you have a special recipe you use for Xmas?
Yes, the Christmas cake.

Does Christmas pudding feature on the Xmas menu? Is it your recipe or one you inherited?
 What is Christmas without a pudding!!! Often when it is time to have the pudding we are all to full and it is put aside to have later in the evening. 

Do you have any other special Christmas foods? What are they?
 Seafood is an important part of our meal, with the usual Ham, Turkey or Chicken.

Do you give home-made food/craft for gifts at Christmas?
 Yes, I used to make biscuits  as gifts, however these days I don't seem to have time. 

Do you return to your family for Xmas or vice versa?
We try to find a venue that suits the majority of the family.

Is your Christmas celebrated differently from your childhood ones? If yes, how does it differ?  
Not a lot of difference, though I think today there are more presents.

How do you celebrate Xmas with your friends? Lunch? Pre-Xmas outings? Drop-ins? 
There are generally a number of pre-christmas parties, barbeque's etc.

Do you decorate your house with lights? A little or a lot?
We have  a single strand of solar powered lights on our balcony (which has actually stayed there for the whole year).  Nothing like being prepared.

Is your neighbourhood a “Xmas lights” tour venue?
 Not in our area, but there are some suburbs in Sydney that go "all out" with the lights.

Does your family attend Carols by Candlelight singalongs/concerts? Where?
 When I was little we used to have singalongs around my Nanna's piano, but this doesn't happen now.

Christmas Tree- when camping
Have any of your Christmases been spent camping (unlikely for our northern-hemisphere friends)? We have spent a couple of Christmas's in Caravan Parks, fun now and then but not my favorite venue.

Is Christmas spent at your home, with family or at a holiday venue?
Usually at our home or a family member's home.

Do you have snow for Christmas where you live?
Not likely to happen in Australia.

Do you have a Christmas tree every year?  Yes.

Is your Christmas tree a live tree (potted/harvested) or an imitation?  Imitation.

Do you have special Xmas tree decorations? Yes I do have some special ones that have been given to me, and some others that represent special Christmas in the past.  I also started a tradition when my first grand child was born.  Each year around the first weekend in December I send my two grandchildren a Christmas tree decoration for their tree.

Which is more important to your family, Christmas or Thanksgiving? We do not celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Taking on the ‘Family History Through the Alphabet’ Challenge!!

Over the past couple of months as I have been flicking from one genealogy blog to another, reading the wonderful stories and viewing the beautiful old pictures than the many genealogy bloggers share with us I have noticed the number of bloggers who were taking the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge.

Now from the abundance of bloggers who have already taken on this challenge I am guessing that I am a little behind the "8 Ball" but not to worry better late than never.  I haven't given this a lot of thought as yet but think I will make Friday my Alphabet Challenge Day.  So stay tuned for my Friday's Family History Through the Alphabet stories!!!   ouch that is a mouthful!

A is for???? what will I write about?   Asylums, Ancestry, Archives, Adoption??  As I google "A"  I have found a number of great blogs which include:  A is for Assembly: "The Angels were singing", A is for Archives, and Ancestry.  Well I have a week to come up with something interesting.  Stay tuned. 

Family Recipe Friday - Family Christmas Cake

December is upon us, and it is time to start preparing for the festive season.  I don’t know about you but the traditions and family culture that surrounds Christmas fascinates me.  Every family has their own set of traditions that evolve over time, within the traditions and culture of their country, religion and ethnic backgrounds.    An important part of this evolution is the food and drink that is cooked, shared and given as gifts to family and friends.  
 
One of the traditions that has been passed down in our family has been the baking of the Christmas cake and Christmas pudding. 

I have fond memories of sharing in these baking activities.  The mixing, baking and hanging of the Christmas pudding was one of the highlights of Christmas with my paternal grandmother Christina Carriage (Shepherd, nee Lee)  and I have written about this in my blog on the women in my family tree

However, the family tradition that comes to mind today is closer to home and was passed on to me by my mother.  That is the baking of the traditional Christmas cake.  I am not sure of customs in other countries, but in Australia around Christmas time, when I was a child,  when someone dropped  in for a cup of tea, you would always have to have a plate piled high with slices of rich moist Christmas cake to go with it.   There are so many versions of this recipe, but here is the one that my mother used as the base for her cakes. 

She would often deviate from the recipe, adding what ever was in the pantry, for example some marmalade jam, extra nuts, glace cherries, ginger pieces etc.  As you can see from the picture taken from her recipe book, the page is well worn, with a collection of food stains, which I am sure if you analysed would be made up of spices, sugar, flour, butter and brandy or sherry. I now carry on this tradition and continue to bake this cake around the beginning of December each year. I do hope this family tradition will pass on to the next generation.

Rich Boiled Fruit Cake
 8 cups (2 ½ lb) mixed fruit
2 tablespoons golden syrup
3 tablespoons rum, sherry or brandy
¾ cups water
8 oz butter
1 ½ cups (8 oz) brown sugar
5 eggs
2 ½ cups (10 oz) plain flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons mixed spice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 oz split blanched almonds

Place the mixed fruit, golden syrup, rum, sherry or brandy and the water in a saucepan.  Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally and simmer for 2 minutes.  Pour into a bowl, cover and allow to stand overnight.  Set oven temperature at slow.  Cream butter and brown sugar together well.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Sift dry ingredients together, then sift half over the boiled fruit mixture.  Mix lightly and stir into the creamed mixture.  Add remainder of sieved dry ingredients and fold into mixture.  Place in a 9-inch round cake tin, previously lined with greaseproof paper and three thicknesses of brown paper and greased.  Arrange the split blanched almonds in a pattern on the top.  Bake in a slow oven for 3 ½ -4 hours.  Remove cake from tin, leaving paper on and leave on wire cooling tray until cool.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Those Places Thursday - Burra Model School, South Australia




Burra State School

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4741004
Who would think such an impressive building would have been build in a small mining community in the colonial outpost of South Australia.

This school was completed in 1877 which,  coincidentally was the year that the Burra Copper Mine was closed down.  The land on which the school was build was donated by the South Australian Mining Association.  When the School opened in 1878,  300 students were enrolled.  Among these students were my grandfather Roy Herbert (1909-1959) along with his brothers and sisters (Alice, William, Annie, Essel , Jack and Lillian). 

 It was his half-sister Annie Whitehorn (nee Herbert) who gave me the attached picture of the School about twenty five years ago.  She remembered her school days with fondness and recalled that this building was something that the whole Burra community took great pride in. She did tell me that my grandfather was not so fond of school life and  liked to skip school.  She would be sent out to find him and inevitably he would be found swimming in the local swimming spot.

The school was built to accommodate 800-1000 students and it wasn’t until 1913 when the High School was opened in the western wing that its class rooms were filled.  It certainly was an impressive building for a small colonial town in the late 1870’s. 

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/printArticlePdf/36145695/3?print=n

Burra, was a mining town in South Australia about 160 km north of Adelaide. The town was founded in 1845 and was one of the world’s largest copper mines.  The income from this mine was one of the major contributors in the economic survival of the young colony of South Australia. 

The mine was closed in 1877 and the town continued to thrive as growing rural community and served as a transport centre for the north east of South Australia and through to Western New South Wales and Queensland.  Today, Burra is still an important rural centre for farming wheat and breeding sheep.

Due to its rich and colourful history it has become a popular destination for tourists who are visiting South Australia.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Wisdom Wednesday - My discovery for this week - Pinterest

Well I am not sure if this fits under Wisdom Wednesday, but I do think it has the potential to fit in this category.  Lately, I had noticed a lot of references to Pinterest and this sparked my interest, however, as usual time limitations had meant I hadn't checked it out.  However, yesterday I was reading through the blog list on Geabloggers and saw a blog by Jana, "Tuesday's Tip - Three Awesome Websites for Genealogy ... Found on Pinterest!   The light bulb started flashing!!! Time to check this out!.

Hitting Google search I googled (so to speak) and found what a was looking for, Amazing!! and sooo pretty :)  I quickly set up an account and started to play.  Oh I could really get hooked on this!!

What is Pinterest?  Basically it is a tool that anyone can use to collect and share things that you find on the web.  You pin these items to your sit or board and there is the option to create a board for any particular topic that you are interested in, for example you can use it to plan a party or wedding, or collecting recipes or travel information. 

The most exciting thing is that you can browse pinboards created by others, making it a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from others who share similar interest.  Also I must point out, that if you are working on a project that you do not want to share you can make your "board" private or just share with a selection of friends.  (great for team work).

I can see great potential for family tree and genealogy research.  You could have separate boards for different branches or surnames in your family tree, boards to collect information about the area they lived in, maps, photos etc.  I am sure there are many researchers who are already using this resource, but I must admit I am quite excited about setting up some "boards" to support my research and share it with others.

I believe the Pinterest Mission says it all

Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Sympathy Saturday - Ronald Alfred Smith

Ronald Alfred Smith

Today I would like to share a sad story from our family tree.  Ronald Alfred Smith was my husbands uncle and he was born 25 November 1921, the first son of Alfred Smith and Jessie Taylor.  His father was a returned soldier who had fought at Gallipoli and the family lived in a modest home in the Marrickville and Tempe areas of Sydney. 



Sadly at the young age of 13 Ronnie as he was called met with a devastating accident.  He was in his first year of high school attending Tempe Junior Technical School and was playing football in his lunch break when he was hit in the head by a stone thrown from somewhere in the playground.  He finished the afternoon at school and when he returned home that afternoon fell ill, and was rushed to Marrickville Hospital.

 The doctors realising that he was suffering from a depressed fracture of the scull raced him to the Children's Hospital for surgery, but unfortunately he did not survive.

His family were devastated and his mother Jessie did not get over his sudden death.  He was always in her thoughts and she spoke of him all the time.  I remember chatting to her in her later years and she always went back to the story of the son she had lost.

His story has lived on through three generations of the family and has been used to reinforce the dangers of throwing stones to each generation of children. 


Thursday, November 8, 2012

Follow Friday - An accumulation of my weekly research - 6

Friday is here again! What a week.  I really got a start yesterday when someone informed me that it is only 6 weeks to Christmas.  This week I would like to share some sites that are a little off the track from the normal family tree research but fit in with my interest in knowing more about the times and customs that our ancestors lived in. 

This research was triggered by an old recipe book, Cassell's New Universal Cookery Book  that was given to me by an  Aunt when I was a teenager.  I shared a short story on this book in one of my earlier blogs "Family Recipe Friday - Recipes from the Past".   The book contains a fascinating collection of old recipies and details about the running of a home at the end of the 19th Century and sparked my interest to find out what other online resources there are about the food, recipies and kitchen customs of our ancestors.  Here is a brief summary of some of the sites I have found.  If you know of others please share them as I would like to delve into this more.

Blogs

Old Recipe Blog: http://oldrecipeblog.com/

The Old Foodie: http://www.theoldfoodie.com/

18thC Cuisine: http://18thccuisine.blogspot.com.au/

The History Chef: http://lincolnslunch.blogspot.com.au/

The Shiksa Blog: Exploring the Fascinating History of Food : http://theshiksa.com/

My Grandmas' Recipies: http://mygrandmasrecipes.wordpress.com/

Cookit, Victorian Food Facts and History: http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbook/23-116-victorians-Food-facts.html

Food History Jottings:  http://foodhistorjottings.blogspot.com.au/

Getting Started in Food History: http://www.rachellaudan.com/culinary-history/getting-started-in-food-history

Food Tracks: http://foodtracks.net/tag/food-history-2/


Other Sites of Interest

The Food Time Line: http://www.foodtimeline.org/

Online Culinary History Network: http://culinaryhistory.org/

English Cuisine History and information about English Cooking, Food and Recipies:  http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/Cooking%20by%20Country/England%20Recipes%20Culinary%20History%20and%20Information.htm

FoodWise: Australian Food History: http://foodwise.com.au/did-you-know/australian-food-history.aspx

Baking History: the Joy of baking:  http://www.joyofbaking.com/printpages/Historyprint.html

German Cooking through the Hands of my Ancestors: http://salinehistory.org/index.php?section=history&content=german_cooking

 The Dictionery of Victorian London: http://www.victorianlondon.org/lee/website.htm

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Wordless Wednesday - William Taylor

I have just finished writing the second part of my story about Elizabeth Taylor (nee Rushworth)  on my blog "The other half of my Family Tree - stories of my female ancestors".  Elizabeth was married to William Taylor (1833-1928) on the 17 July 1858. 

So taking advantage of Wordless Wednesday I would like to share with you a picture of William. Underneath the photo you can see he has written his name in a beautiful script.  I know that this is his writing as we have a number of letters that William wrote to his son Richard Taylor who came to Australia in the 1880's.  It is quite possible that this photo was included with one of these letters.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Follow Friday - An accumulation of my weekly research - 5

Well,  I think I am going to have to change my heading from "accumulation of my weekly research" to "monthly research".  What a month it has been, a combination of no Internet at home (Disaster!!!!) and a very busy few weeks at work, my family tree research has been put on the back burner.

However this week I was pleased that I was able to finish a piece that I had started on Jacob Golding (my great great grandfather).  So this week I would like to share with you some of sites I have found useful in researching his history.




 Victorian Sites

 Victorian Birth, Deaths and Marriages
 http://online.justice.vic.gov.au/CA2574F700805DE7/page/Family+history?OpenDocument&1=60-Family+history~&2=~&3=~

Carols Headstone Photographs: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ausvsac/Index.htm 

Australian Cemeteries - Victoria: http://www.australiancemeteries.com/vic/index.htm

Kaniva: http://www.kaniva.info/history.html 

Kaniva, Victoria Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaniva,_Victoria 

South Australian Sites

 Genealogy South Australia: http://www.genealogysa.org.au/

Family History South Australia: http://www.familyhistorysa.info/

State Records of South Australia: http://www.archives.sa.gov.au/

Flinders Randers Researd - Strathalbyn:
http://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/strathalbyn.htm

South Australian Cemeteries: http://www.familyhistorysa.info/births-marriages-deaths/cemeteries/

South Australian Cemeteries: http://www.jaunay.com/cemeteries.php
  

Golding Family History 

Golding Family Genealogy Forum: http://genforum.genealogy.com/golding/

 The Golding Family History http://www.your-family-history.com/g/golding-family-history.php

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Tombstone Tuesday - Jacob and Rebecca Anne Golding

Tombstone Tuesday, falls in nicely with yesterday's blog on Jacob Golding.  Recently I was searching blogs and came across a blog "Carol's Headstone Photographs" a wonderful blog where Carol posts lists of photos that she has taken of tombstones from Victorian cemeteries. 

Imagine my delight when I saw Jacob and Rebecca Golding on her list for the Kaniva cemetry.  I sent her a quick email asking if it was possible to get a copy of the photo and within half an hour I had received a responding email with the photo attached.  The wonders of modern communication!!!  I checked with her if she minded if I used the photo and her response was "they are your relatives!! do with it what you want".

So today for my Tombstone Tuesday post I am sharing this picture of Jacob and Rebecca Golding's tombstone .

Monday, October 22, 2012

Jacob Golding - 1839- 1907

I was surprised when a rather thick white A4 envelope arrived on my desk this morning.  Yes! it was one of those Family History Surprises.    A couple of weeks ago I had sent an email to the Historical Society in Kaniva, (a small country town in northern Victoria, Australia), asking if they could give me the contact of anyone in the town who did family tree research.  I was looking for some more information on my Great Great Grandfather Jacob Golding.

A wonderful lady from the Kaniva District Historical Society had found quite a few bits and pieces including death notice and an application for land. This extra information has inspired me to write the little I know about Jacob Golding.

He was born in 1940 in Oakington, Cambridge, England, the seventh child of Edward Golding (1806-1873) and Maria Gee (1801-1892).  In 1852 the family along with some of Jacob's Aunts, Uncles and cousins made the decision to immigrate to Adelaide, South Australia.  Twenty members of the family left from Plymouth on the 30th April 1852 on the Epamidonas arriving in Adelaide on the 2 August 1852.  The family settled in the Strathalbyn district of South Australia.

At the age of 17 He married Rebecca Anne Taylor, who had immigrated from Ireland in the late 1850's.  They lived and farmed in the Strathalbyn and Narracoorte Districts for a number of years. Time were difficult, and the farming life was hard.  In one year all his crops were destroyed by fire and then two years later ruined by floods.*


Jacob Golding Land Application

Jacob and Rebecca were blessed with a number of children, however their first two children Jacob (1858-1860) and Eliza (1860-1861) died in early infancy. Looking to improve living conditions for their family Jacob and Rebecca moved to Victoria with their family of eight surviving children (William, b. 1863, Margaret (1865-1949), Priscilla Ann (1870-1905), Eliza (my great grandmother) (1872-1953), Jacob (b. 1874), David (1877-1956), Jemima (1879-1945) and Henry Edward (1881-1946).  The family first moved to Tattiara and then four years later took up a selection of 320 acres in the parish of Kaniva.  Jacob then rented an additional 320 acres and as outlined in (Victoria and its Metropolis, Past and Present, vol 11, 1888, p. 128) he cropped 360 acres annually. 
Wheat farming in Kaniva District
In 1886 he was elected as a member of the local Lowan Shire, he was re-elected as valuer and later elected to the position of Shire Secretary. He held this appointment until the day of his death.  His obituary describes him as a

"self-educated man with a natural shrewdness which enabled him to fulfil his difficult clerical position with rare ability, and the auditors invariably recorded highly favorable minutes concerning his admirable book-keeping methods". 

 Jacob was a very busy man fulfilling roles of valuer, overseer of works, thistle inspector of the shire, shire secretary and secretary to the Lawloit Waterworks Trust. 

Jacob and Rebecca Golding with their daughter Pricilla

Family stories relate that he was a very strict family man who adhered to the ways of the Methodist church. The family story, of when my great grandmother Eliza Golding had a child out of wedlock, was that she was forced to give the child up for adoption and her father (Jacob) arranged for her to travel with her brother David to Western Australia where he had arranged her marriage to Charles Palin. His obituary reports that he was,
 "a prominent member and highly useful worker of the Methodist denomination, and frequently occupied the pulpit as an acceptable local lay preacher."

On the 7th of July 1907, a Sunday evening, Jacob died unexpectedly of heart failure.  It was a great shock to the family and community.  Just prior to his death, he had been in his study, and had written a number of letter to local businessmen, one of which was arranging a meeting with the local Shire Secretary.  As the South Australian Advertiser reported his grand-daughter had the misfortune to discover him. 

"Mr Jacob Golding secretary of the Lawloit Shire Council at Kaniva ate a hearty tea and retired for a smoke.  His granddaughter went into the room and saw that his head was leaning on his shoulder, and his eyes closed.  The pipe was still between his teeth.  The girl first thought her grandfather was pretending to be asleep but as he did not move she became alarmed and called her uncle, who thought he was dead.  Dr Drew was immediately called in, and announced it to be a case of heart failure." **
 
Jacob Golding - death Certificate

It cannot be denied that Jacob lived a full life rising from very humble beginnings, traveling to  a new country with his family as a young boy. 

 He spent many years struggling to make a living to support his family and with  his hard endeavour he managed to leave his mark on the local community of Kaniva and the surrounding area.

Those who are researching the Golding family in Australia know that they had a great influence on colonial South Australia and Victoria, and I think Jacob's story definitely holds its place amongst the pioneers of early Australia.



_________________________

** South Australian Advertiser, 17 July 1907

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Wordless Wednesday - Elizabeth Taylor (nee Rushworth) Honorary Serving Sister of the Order of St John of Jerusalem

Staff and Patients at the Colne Military Hospital near the end of WWI.  Elizabeth Taylor in the Centre on LHS of the Mayor
Today I am taking advantage of Wordless Wednesday to share with you the origin of the picture that features behind the heading of this Blog. 

I love how we can see all the creases and signs of wear that have accumulated as this picture has been passed down through the family. 

The "star" of this picture is Elizabeth Taylor (nee Rushworth) 1841-1927.  She is my husbands great great grandmother.  If you follow my blog "The Other Half of My Family Tree - stories of my female ancestors", you will see that I have recently started to write a brief history of her fascinating life. 

I believe this photo was taken when Elizabeth received a medal for the Venerable Order of St. John of Jerusalem and England (Ambulance Department). She was the Lady Superintendent of the St Johns Ambulance Service in Colne from  1898-1921.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sunday's Obituary- George William Lee Obituary (1859-1936)


To stay in keeping with the title of my blog, Family Stories: Photographs and Memories, I thougt it is time to start telling some of these family stories.  What better way than to start with the obituary of my great grandfather George Lee.  George was born in the small community of Nelligen, NSW the first surviving son of two of the early settlers of this district, Thomas George Lee and Emma Jane Weston.  George married Catherine McGregor in 1888 and are the parents of my Grandmother, Chistina Sterand Lee.  They and their family lived on the Nelligen River at "Acacia Farm".  The old farm house that features in one of my earlier blogs, "Acacia Farm".

Death of Mr George Lee

"This passing was not sudden or unexpected.  Slowly but surely age and illness, untied the knot of life and in the solemn hush of last Sabbath, breaking dawn, his spirit broke the earthy bars and drifted out into the calm of the eternal land..

The late Mr Lee came to Nelligen when a child with his fathers large family of virile workers, and became well and truly anchored as “Farmer George” on the Clyde river ever since.  In early life he married “Miss Kate McGregor” of Braidwood district, who proved a right worthy help made and splendid mother of four sons and five daughters. Three of the stalwart sons, Clyde, James and Norman are well and favourably know in the Police Department of this state, where the outstanding physique and reliable efficiency soon attracted attention.  James made many friends in Moruya, where he was stationed for two years.

The five daughters, all married and settled in the district, Mrs Saunders, Mrs Rixon, Mrs M. Shepherd, Mrs E. Rixon and Mrs Sheppard.  Mr Lee’s long and uneventful life, centered on home and family and he had but little time for aught else.  Of static temperament, calm and deliberte in judgment, slow in speech and action through storm or shine, he kept the even finer of his way and throughout his honorable life ever proved a good husband, a fond father, a true friend and a humble Christian who practiced more in common life than man preached in high places.

Headstone: George Lee - Nelligen
Our sympathy goes to the widow and bereaved family. A large funeral followed the remains to Nelligen Cemetery on Monday evening.  The funeral was conducted by P. Brogan of Moruya.  His impressive rendition of the simple, yet sublime service was compellingly arresting, and the quivering breaks in singing “abide with me” were tremulous with tingling pathos. 

 At conclusion of ritual Mr Trelfell gave a stirring straight from the shoulder, heart to heart sympathetic address that went straight to the mark and seemed to gather fresher force when told beneath the dark blue dome of gods great Cathedral and the closing benediction brought a sense of ineffable calm to the many mourners, Mr Trefell has only recently been appointed to Milton Circuit, but soon came to the front ‘with” the harness of enterprise specially qualify him for sacred mission, and he is doing splendid work in the district."

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Follow Friday - An accumulation of my weekly research - 4

Time is what we want most, but... what we use worst.

William Penn

Yes, this is me to a "T".  Grand plans but they always seem to fall to the wayside.  It is a couple of weeks since I shared my weekly research finds.  One area that I have spent considerable time on has been setting up my Evernote  account and as I have out lined in my blog on Evernote I must report it has been rewarding.

As for my other research, I have been sidetracked a little by an email from a lady who is researching the Rushworth Family from Yorkshire and Lancashire.  This is a branch of my husbands family tree and goes back to George Rushworth (1801-1884) and his wife Martha Halstead (1805-1845). My husbands great great grandmother was their daughter Elizabeth Rushworth (1841-1947). The Rushworths lived in the towns of Colne, Barnoldswick, Spotsland, Burnley and Stacksteads, Lancashire. It is so exciting when someone contacts you and you find a whole new source of information and photos connected to your tree. 

To assist her with her research I sent a list of research sites that I had found useful and interesting for family tree research in these areas.  On the off chance they may be of interest to other researchers here is some of the sites that I have found useful.

Lancashire Family History and Heraldary Society, http://www.lfhhs.org.uk/index.htm

UKBDM (UK Birth, Deaths and Marriages), http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/

Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society, http://mlfhs.org.uk/index.php

GENUKI Lancashire Site, http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LAN/

Lancashire Family History Societies, http://www.ancestor-search.info/FHS-Lancashire.htm

Lancashire Archives, http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/web/?siteid=4528&pageid=30539&e=e

Lancashire's Criminal Past, http://lancashirehistory.wordpress.com/

A Vision of Britian Through Time, http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/index.jsp

The Barnoldswick Historical Societyhttp://www.barnoldswickhistorysociety.co.uk/welcome.html

Burnley a Town among the Lanchashire Pennine Hills, http://www.jacknadin2.50megs.com/index.html

The Lancashire Lantern (great source for photos), http://lanternimages.lancashire.gov.uk/

Colne, http://www.pendle.net/colne/

The History of Colne, http://www.colne.towntalk.co.uk/about/history

These links are only the tip of the iceberg.  This is an area that I am very interested in and if anyone has any other resources they would like to share with me that have information on Lancashire especially between 1800-early 1900's I would greatly appreciated it.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Tuesday’s Tip - Evernote and Family Tree Research

This week I made a concerted effort to familiarise myself with some of the features of the App Evernote.
As most of my family will agree, I am not good at taking my time to read instructions and generally just jump straight in, often missing some of the basic and vital tips.  So this time I, started carefully, by first watching the short introductory video on how to get started http://evernote.com/video/

Then I went to their How to Get Started page  and made my way through each step, testing each application. These steps provided information on installation, creating an account, creating your first entry, adding an images, synchronising with your phone, laptop etc, saving web content.  All pretty basic you might say, however, after a week of playing around with Evernote, I think you need to have it set up properly and understand its applications to really reap the benefits.

I was really impressed with the fact that I could sync with my phone, work and home computer, Ipad, and laptop (yes!! gadget tragic). This means that if I find a interesting article/photo when reading paper on the train, I can take a photo of it with my phone and send to Evernote, or if I am  reading article on Ipad I can send the link with the appropriate "filing tag" for later reference.  Likewise, if I am researching in a library, I can take a photo of article/photo from book or magazine and link to my Evernote account.

My gadgets really came to the fore over the weekend.  I was visiting an Aunt and she had some old family photos and was very loathed to part with them for even a second so that I could scan them. However,  I was able to take a photo of them with my phone and immediately send the pictures to my Evernote account, tagged with the appropriate family names, and a short note of who were in the picture and the approximate date that the picture was taken.

To gain the full benefit I have taken the time to set up NoteBooks (folders) to correspond with the four main branches of my family tree.  Then as I save items, I am tagging them with the Surname within each branch, and description of the item eg "photo", "newspaper article",  "link" , "certificate" etc. 

I have to confirm that my so far my Evernote experience is very positive and I am sure as I become more familiar with it's different applications it will prove to be among my most valuable research tools.