Family Tree Frog

Family Notices. (1934, November 10). The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), p. 1. Retrieved December 29, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32821946 Good morning everyone!  How are you this fine day in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia?  I have been off the radar for reasons which I won't discuss just now but I am happy to get back into the swing of things with a post on the meme of Trove Tuesday.   I have a friend staying from Scotland with me at the moment.  Joy of joys, she asked me to do a little family history research for her.  She wanted to find any trace of her uncle who came out to Australia in about 1925 as a young lad from Scotland. She gave me his name: Allan MacDougall, his approximate age (15 or 16) and the name of his mother: Bella Ann (after whom my friend was named) and his father: Alexander.  She thought he might have worked in the railways. We did a bit of digging and I thought I would share our lines of research...

Poppies for Remembrance Day Taken at Coriole Vineyard McLaren Vale South Australia Yesterday I received the latest issue of the journal of the Queensland Family Historian - the journal of the Queensland Family History Society Inc.  It is always jam packed with all sorts of information about additions to the library, members interests, seminars and news.  This particular issue features articles written in honour of Remembrance Day.  They cover all sorts of topics from Avenues of Honour and the Battle of the Somme to biographies of members' ancestors who fought in the Great War.   The journal is published quarterly and is just one of the many great reasons to join the Society.  If you were interested in submitting an article for consideration by the Editorial Committee, the following deadlines may be of interest: 15 March 15 June 15 September 15 December To join the Society or find out more about its activities, click here. If you are a newbie to f...

We're just a bit excited because we've just discovered that Family Tree Frog has been selected for preservation in the Pandora - Australia's Web Archives. A big thank you to State Library of Queensland for recognising us. You can check out other Family History blogs that have been preserved here.    This resonates even more strongly with me as I am studying Digital Preservation at the moment. GSQ have a busy month ahead of them as they are re-locating their premises to Wishart.  The library will be closed from 3pm tomorrow and will remain closed during November. All the best with the move folks. Here's the calendar for the rest of the week.  Enjoy!

Randy Seaver from Genea-Musings invites us to Go Back to the Future. Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!): 1) Since this was Back to the Future week, I have a related challenge:  Do you recall what you were doing in 1985?  Family, school, work, hobbies, technology, genealogy, vacations, etc? 2)  Tell us in a blog post of your own, in a comment on this blog, or in a Facebook or Google+ post. Thanks for this great meme Randy because I have been wondering what I was doing then.   So I wasn't married yet...although Robbie and I were living together by that time (sharp intake of breath - my apologies in advance to those who don't approve of that sort of relationship). We were living in Chelmer at the time in a rental property with a beautiful garden full of orchids.  The house was owned by Graham Nosworthy.  Robert and I were saving furiously for our first home and had $5656....

The beautiful Local History Centre at Coventry Library Stirling South Australia After my fabulous weekend last weekend in Adelaide, this weekend I will be a busy bee: catching up with friends, going to a couple of concerts as well as getting on with some important professional development - an online course through Sydney TAFE about maintaining digital repositories. Sometimes it's a relief to go back to work on Monday!   What about you?  It's all happening at our local libraries and societies.  You could explore your convict ancestry, find out how to use directories and almanacs more effectively, find out about nursing during WW2 or the early business history of Manly.  Brush up your skills in oral history or learn how to read old documents and even a class for beginners. Mark these events in your diary now so you won't be disappointed. 

Coffee at Wild Canary, Brookfield Garden Centre Grab a coffee and your diary and plan the week ahead for all things local and family history wise in Brisbane and surrounding regions....

Helen Smith speaking at In Time and In Place last weekend I'm still coming down from the "high" that was experienced from attending In Time and Place last weekend.  But there's still plenty to enjoy in Brisbane and surrounds this week in terms of local and family history. Windsor State School is celebrating 150 years this year and there is a special Heritage Day this Saturday.   It's Brisbane Open House all this weekend - an opportunity to go on Cemetery Walking Tours, visit Museums and see some of Brisbane's history.   Next week State Library of Queensland is hosting a special symposium reflecting on how we remember Anzac stories.   Check out the calendar below.  

The Brisbane Art Deco book edited by Kimberley Wilson Somehow, I'm not quite sure how, but fortuitously...I came across this book - Brisbane Art Deco .  I think it was on Facebook .  The book was launched in June this year at Avid Reader.  Anyway, the Facebook page intrigued me enough to borrow a copy of the book from my local library.  At the time I was really trying to control my spending on books.  There was a bit of a wait list for it at the library and when I finally got it, I didn't really have time to read it.  It was only recently that I borrowed it again and finally delved into it. It is such a joy to read.  Lots of beautiful photos and great text. What I love about it, is that it is introducing me to a city that I never knew as a child but only arrived at as a twenty-year old.  It makes me look at the architecture of the place. That's why I love Brisbane's Open House weekend too which is coming up this weekend and that's...

Jacaranda tree at entrance to Botanical Gardens in Brisbane City Here in Brisbane (sometimes colloquially referred to as Brisvegas), the jacarandas are blooming.  Jacarandas blooming make Uni students nervous because it means exams are just around the corner.  Many heads will be sore today from the excitement of a long weekend filled with sporting finals. There was the AFL on Saturday night and the Rugby Union yesterday morning when the Wallabies defeated England.  Last night was the Grand Final of the NRL when the North Queensland Cowboys triumphantly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and the Brisbane Broncos are feeling no doubt very sore and sorry for themselves.  I tell you all this to give you CONTEXT dear reader.  Draw from it what you will. Perhaps you could draw from it that you would have a clear head if you weren't a football fanatic and an easy conscience if you weren't a student.  If you were a family history nut like me, you would...

Some of the new additions to the QFHS Library Hallelujah!  For once, something is happening on my side of town ;)  Of course I just want to say that the only thing happening this week is In Time and Place .   You may have heard recently about the Annual Awards for Genealogy Rock Stars....   This is something fun run by John D Reid and our own dear Jill Ball of GeniAus fame won the Australia/New Zealand section.  Well, the winner of the Canada section was Dave Obee and he is one of the keynote speakers at In Time and Place - so I am very excited. How about that? Other speakers include but are not limited to: Shauna Hicks  Janis Wilton Helen Smith Saturday and Sunday morning will be a great mix of family and local history.  I just want to split myself in two so I can attend all the sessions.   Registration i s only $140 - great value for such a feast of speakers.  Go on - spoil yourself.  Monday's a Public Holiday...

Photo by photosteve101 on Flickr Here's what's on for the coming week Family and Local History wise in Brisbane and surrounds.

My great-grandmother, Eleanor Eliza Cook, was born  141 years ago tomorrow on 21 September 1874. I have written about her before but it bears repeating.   I have found some new information this evening which I need to record as well. Eleanor's birth certificate shows that her father James was a Gunner on the ship the Monarch and that her mother was Caroline (nee Jefferies).  They lived at 25 Orange Street Portsea. Eleanor was the eldest of many children.  According to the 1891 Census they were living in 120 Queens Road and the children were listed as follows: Eleanor E aged 16 Emma M aged 14 Beatrice L aged 10 Mabel aged 9 James T.R aged 8 Walter D aged 7 Albert H. aged 3 Frederick W. 2 Winifred I. 1 Caroline, Eleanor's mother was 39 years old at the time of the Census. According to the 1901 Census there were two more children: Grace L aged 9 and John F aged 7 A big family indeed. At the age of 17 Eleanor married Edwin Conner o...