Family Tree Frog

This week's Sepia Saturday prompt gives us plenty of room to manoeuvre but I'll just stick with the temperature theme, given my current condition. Young ladies checking the oven of the combustion stove to see if their cake is cooked. They are participating in the Domestic Science class at Stanthorpe State School. The girls are wearing caps and aprons. Negative number: 194280 Copied and digitised from an image appearing in The Queenslander, 9 March 1933. Picture courtesy of John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Out of copyright. I write this post to you from the oven that is Brisbane.  Many of your in more northern climes would be huddling up next to the oven to defrost your tootsies or your mitts.  It is after midnight here in BrisVegas and it is a balmy (barmy) 24 degrees Celsius. Perspiration pours from my brow and I have done nothing more exerting this evening than running my fingers over the keyboard and mouse, after preparing dinner.   ...

From acwozhere on Flickr - you can see the licence here I've been fishing this week, just like this Banksy piece of artwork which I think has since been painted over :(   ....looking for more details on the Forfars of London.  Today, I received Lucy Forfar's will via email from the lovely people at the Probate Search office. This is my transcription of the will: On the 24th day of October 1866 the Will with Codicil thereto of Lucy Forfar formerly of but late of No. 9 Westbourne Terrace Road Harrow Road in the County of Middlesex Widow deceased, who died on the 3rd day of October 1866 at Spring Grove aforesaid Isleworth in the said County was proved in the Principal Registry of Her Majesty’s Court of Probate, by the Oath of William Wise of Spring Grove Isleworth in the said County Gentleman the sole Executor the sole    one of the Execut   named in the said Will he having been first sworn duty to administer, power being reserved of grantin...

Transforming Tindale in the box What's in the box you may very well ask?   Transforming Tindale - that's what. So I haven't got much time to chat this morning.  I've to get to work and mount an exhibition, that's what. Transforming Tindale i s a thought provoking journey into the Tindale collection, what it means to Aboriginal people and its place in Queensland’s history. Transforming Tindale is on display at Arana Hills Library from 29 January ( today  tomorrow- eek!) to 20 February.  For more information click here. There are lots of other great events coming up this week including one featuring fellow bloggers Helen Smith and  Pauleen Cass  and experienced English researcher Pauline Williams at GSQ called Putting Your Ancestors in context. Enjoy! 

Houses of Parliament by Alex Loach found on Flickr here - some rights reserved.  Here's a link to the licence Those of you who have been reading my blog of late will know that I have been researching the Forfars in Scotland - Bannockburn to be precise, which is near Stirling. I've been slowly building up a picture of their life using many different resources.  I've been going through old correspondence from fellow family history researchers (pre-internet days), I've been Googling, I've been going to the QFHS library and looking at Directories for Stirling (Duncan & Jamiesons and the Threepenny Guide to name a few), Monumental Inscriptions for East Stirling, Stirling Parish Burials,  Stirling Burgess Lists, Scotland's People , Ancestry , Family Search - you name it, I've scoured it.  I've downloaded wills.  I've ordered wills.  I've emailed Archives.  I've ordered inter-library loans.   In short, I am possibly possessed (se...

Hanwell Lunatic Asylum 1848 from  Illustrated London News , January 15, 1848, p. 27 That got your attention didn’t it?  Nothing like a cheeky headline to make you read my blog. So, this weekend I have been delving into the Forfar line again.   FindmyPast were having a free-for-all this weekend, so I thought I would take advantage of it and look as much as I could into the Forfars in Bannockburn and the Forfars in London. I am particularly interested in fleshing out the story of Robert and Lucy Forfar and their son, George, who was my great-great-grandfather.  He was the father of Walter William Forfar who I have blogged about a bit here  and here and here.    This weekend produced a lot of data, so it’s a bit difficult to know where to begin. First of all and most importantly, it has finally sunk into my thick skull that Lucy’s maiden name is SWAIT and not SMART as I had originally thought. This realisation comes about from actual...

Things are still a bit sleepy this month event-wise. Oh and don't forget that it's a Public Holiday next Tuesday 26th January being Australia Day. Perhaps you could use the spare time to plan your diary for upcoming events like those listed in the Moreton Bay Region Library's Your History Our History program as listed here.

Yesterday afternoon I was on duty at the QFHS Library together with Ken and Judith.  The lovely Lyn was there too, beavering away checking duplicate microfiche.  It was very quiet - just a couple (allright, three) other members doing their research. The library looks really great now.  There's been a bit of a re-shuffle and things look much more open. The front desk has been moved around to face you as you walk in the door giving library assistants much more room to sit together and more of a profile so you know who is on duty.   There are new lockers for members to use for their bags et al.  They look a bit scary at first but a friendly library assistant will show you how to use them.  Just choose a four digit code and away you go. As part of the cleanup, there is a display of enticing journals that are being given away for FREE in the kitchen! And of course all the recent additions to the library are on display so you can see wha...

Things are slowly getting back up to speed now that people are returning to work from the summer holiday break.  There is a tsunami of books being returned to the library where I work, so families are getting ready for the return to school and tidying up their homes.  It's lovely to see so many people enjoying the benefits of a free library and all it has to offer. Perhaps you have been mulling over whether or not to write up all your research.  Go on!  Make 2016 your year of writing the family history book.  Join a writing group for support and to keep you honest about your progress.  QFHS' Family History Writing Group meets this Saturday morning for the first time this year.  For more information about the group and what it has to offer click here . Were you a bit shaken by the Family Tree Maker software news?  Perhaps you want to see what other family history software is like.  There are lots of software support groups and the Q...

Alex's desk Hi everyone.  Just a quick post today to let you know that I am proceeding well with the challenge from Dear Myrtle to get organised.  Caspar helped me build the new red bookcase you see behind my desk. I didn't realise just quite how much stuff I had sitting behind the desk until I was forced to really look at it.   So now at least it is all boxed up and I look forward to organising it all. How are you going with your New Year's Resolutions?  I went for a walk this morning and started the Greengrocers Diet which involved drinking a really disgusting looking smoothie and eating absolutely delicious home made muesli. I'm back to work this morning after a long break.  Hope I'll be able to keep up the family history still. Enjoy your day!