Family Tree Frog

  How are you going with your family history research in this new year?  An area which is often difficult to research is that of our female ancestors.  We are also reminded how quickly memories or information about our ancestors, even relatively close ones, is lost.  For example how much do you really know about your grandparents' lives?  Are they still alive?  Did you record any interviews with them?  What evidence do you have?  And your parents?  You think you are pretty familiar with their lives but are you really?   I am fortunate that my mother was a great letter-writer and gave me many of her letters before she died.  They are all in manilla folders and marked with the year.  They range from 1959 up to 1992.  My mother died in 1995.  Much of the correspondence is with her father, her cousin, an old flatmate, and friends.  My mother was an only child so friends were very important to her.  Some of ...

1955 March Barbara McLoughlin Now, I do hope that you're not quite sick of my mother yet! She is just 19 in this photo.  Younger than my daughter is now.  Younger than my son.  There is no other identifying information on the back of the photo apart from March 1955 written in pencil. She looks very business-like.  I found an application for employment with the NSW Public Service Board in her papers from 1971. It serves as a resume would today.    In her application she records that she completed her Intermediate at Petersham Junior Girls High in 1951 and then completed 4th Year at Fort Street High in1952.  Barbara then spent 10 months at Miss Hale's Business College in Margaret Street, Sydney - 1953.  She also worked for Prudential Assurance Company in Martin Place from May to November 1953 but resigned from 'almost total boredom' (her words).  She then studied Dress Design at East Sydney Tech for 18 mo...