We have hit 290 members - wouldn't it be nice to have 300 by the New Year!

Hi all

Have not noticed the subject of DNA come uo in relation to genealogy, especially when a brick wall is concerned.

I have been involved for a while trying to suplement the lack of documentation with DNA ti find guides for new places to look.

This is a big thing in the US and growing bigger in the UK and Europe. I notice that ISSOG (http://www.isogg.org/) (www.isogg.or ) (International Society of Genetic Genealogists.

I just found this on reddit.com.  I haven't read the fine print, so not sure if it applies equally in Australia and the US... but I thought it was an awesome idea and very altruistic, so just thought I'd share:

http://honoringourancestors.com/grants.html

My Geniaus blog is on list of nominees for 40 Best Genealogy Blogs - I think I may be the only Australian blog on the list.

Please vote and put Australian blogging on the map. Cast your votes here :

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ft40-2011voting

I too hope that everyone has a magic new year I know I will as I have been given a book of my mother's side of the family dating back to 1575.

This is very rewarding for me as I donot know half of them but now a chapter has been researched and given to me and was spurred by me helping others and my family and am sure that the new year will bring even more rewarding finds.

Researching Meynell, Mennell (and a variety of spellings from early times:),  Dewart, Haugh, Gibbons/Gibbins, Vaux, Dowey - all resided Bishopwearmouth between 1783 (my earliest discovery) and 1926 which is when my paternal grandparents came to South Australia.  Quinns from Enniscorthy Wexford Ireland, Pipers from Long Melford Suffolk. 

Early best wishes for 2011 - may your trees all bear fruit and fill your hearts with excitement.

Hi Shauna Happy New Year to You and all the other users of this site.

I am in total agreement with you on your statement and YES there should only be 1 group for all discussions otherwise one is either jumping from one group to another or as you said does not look to see if that particular subject that one is looking for has started.

But with that said it will be hard to monitor as others who are new to these discussions have no idea that a discussion may have been started for what they are looking for.

Probably the best solution would be to do is ask and am pretty sure they would be put in the right direction to pursue the particular topic that one is looking for.

Wayne

Good to hear some discussion on the list and some frustrations aired. As a former librarian I like things in order and organised into topics.

As administrator of the group I have not been able to organise the discussions as much as I'd like. I will trial having only two general ones on display with the rest hidden, previously the last six accessed were displayed and perhaps members thought these were the only ones.

I have added this to the intro blurb "use View All to browse through the whole list and find those of interest to you." Hopefully that will encourage users to look  through every topic for something to which they can contribute. 

I am a bit of a techhead and continually have to remind myself that other group members come from different backgrounds and have different strengths. I commend all those who are not so familiar with technology but who 'have a go' at contributing to group discussions.

Thanks Shauna for discussing our membership - it would be wonderful to reach 300. I regularly send a personal invitation to Aussies who sign up to GenealogyWise to join our group. There are around 1,000 Australians on GenealogyWise and most have received a personal note from me.

How about telling your genea friends about our group and encouraging them to join?

Please get behind the Parramatta Female Factory.

The Female Factory Precinct Action Group is a community group with the aim to have the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct returned to the people of Australia. This Precinct includes the Parramatta Female Factory, Catholic Orphan School and Girls Industrial School.

This important historic building is under threat - please go to this link to voicr your protest:

http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/savethefemalefactory

Mine is there common everyone lets show them that we do not sit idle

Well done Geniaus for placing this notice under this banner

Wayne

Welcome, Sheree.

Please ask questions of the group members - they are a quiet but amazingly helpful group.

Hi Jan - the McDonalds I am researching come from John and Margery (?) who arrived in Australia with son Angus (aged10) in 1852 on the Marco Polo - any relation to your Andrew John?

Hi Janelle - the Taylors of interest to me arrived in Australia through Robert Edward who was born in New Zealand but how they got to NZ I am not sure?

Thanks for the welcome Geniaus!

The biggest question I have at the moment is how do I organise all this information I have gathered!!! I have paper everywhere and 3 different electronic versions of my trees - any suggestions on where to get information on how to organise my stuff??

Hi Janelle this group seems to be on a roll at the moment

a Question were any of your Taylor's, Convicts,if so I have 4/5 in this book I have on the first fleet if you need info.

Wayne

Hi, Like Sheree I'm looking at the challenge of how best to record the genelogy information I have built up over the past year.  I have paper everywhere, electronic material from the State Library and ScotlandsPeople, to mention two.  Some suggestions on the best way forward would be welcome.  An option that provides an avenue to eventual publication on the web is what I'm looking for.

Thanks in anticipation.  Cheers  Bob . . .

I have been entering my research on to Ancestry.com. You have the oportunity to add documents, newspaper cuttings, records etc. You can also mark this as private so only people you want to see your tree can look at it or have it public. There is also a way to print your tree and make it into a book.

No harm in checking it out, I have been researching my tree for over 30 years and have found so much in the last two years including a number of cousins also researching the famiy

I use two products The Master Genealogist to keep my data on my PC. See some reviews here: http://is.gd/faGvOk

And TNG to publish my tree on the web. See some reviews here: http://is.gd/Lm6zQ0

Also my blog post on TNG http://geniaus.blogspot.com/2009/11/geniaus-website-reflections.html I still agree with what I said over 12 months ago.

Hi Geniaus,

Thanks for your comments, something to look at. 

Shelley at Twigs of Yore is running an Australia Day blogging activity. How about joining her?

http://twigsofyore.blogspot.com/2011/01/reminder-australia-day-post...

Unfortunately (or fortunately) I'd already prepared my Australia Day/Invasion Day/ Survival Day post before Shelley announced her challenge... but posting, I will be - just like every other day this year. 

I'll post the link to Shelley's aggregation of posts so all can enjoy.

I've just prepared my post and have scheduled it to appear on Tues evening.

For some great genealogy reading on Australia Day please take a look at the posts for the Australia Day Challenge.

Today I received a Press Release form the National Institute of Genealogical Studies announcing that the Institute had acquired GenealogyWise. You can read the press release on my blog at http://geniaus.blogspot.com/2011/02/national-institute-for-genealogical.html

This is an exciting union and I anticipate some great opportunities for members of our group as a result.

Hi Geniaus

have a safe trip to Salt Lake City and am sure you will be astounded in what you will here and see. My wife's side of the family had settled in that area and am still finding more and more. You may even find more contact to place on here!!

Wayne

Hello,

I'm new to the group and genealogy! I'm very lucky as my parents have been working on our tree for decades. I've been tracing my husband's tree and was fortunate to have one part of it on SBS's WDYTYA program. I've also found a couple of convicts. Love those records!!! Currently I'm working on the Pearson branch.

Thanks to Shauna Hicks who recently blogged about this group here http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/genealogywise-update/

I think her post may have been the catalyst for our new members joing up.

How about a few of longstanding members contributing something to the discourse here for the newbies to digest?

I'll Make the break, Fiona welcome to this site.

There are many who would be very keen to help you through your investigations of your family.

To do this just post your questions in the appropriate listings and there will be someone who will answer it for you.

Most ask in the "If you need help" above

Geniaus have you been and returned from Salt Lake already?

Wayne

Here's a left fielder found when doing random google searching and sifting through the results - you never know when these sorts of sites will be useful in finding out stories on your ancestors.  I found out that a great great uncle of mine was the owner of a shipyard company from this site and this sort of information helps to pull together the cultural stories:) 

The Site Administrator won't do research on people but is happy to do research on vessels and in fact has done some for me which was greatly appreciated  (and very promptly too). 

If anyone else comes across anything to do with the Richard Vaux Meynell and company Northfleet Kent I'd be delighted to receive the link.

http://www.thamestugs.co.uk