Getting it right and adding richness to your family story
FAMILY HISTORY DOWN UNDER | TRACK 4
We rarely ask ourselves, "Why am I doing this?", or, "Is there a better way?", or even, "Is there anything out there that can help me research more effectively?".
The reality is that there are a huge number of tools and resources available for you.
Not only do they make researching easier, save you time, help you to keep track of everything ... but some actually help you to bring your ancestor's story to life in a richer way.
The way you research and organise is called Methodology. The method, or approach, you use to search for answers and records.
And getting this right saves you a lot of time and resources. Now, and in the future.
Think of yourself like a detective, solving mysteries and leaving no stone unturned. You'll want to:
In this track, you will get a great foundational understanding of how to go about your research. To highlight just a few, we'll look at:
Add to this a range of other presentations to help you research more effectively, go deeper, and build a more complete picture of your relatives' stories
PLUS a handful of interesting talks like:
Sounds useful? We sure hope so.
You get an extensive day of talks on a range of General subjects and Methodology topics, be sure to look below at the program for a list.
Learn about the best tools and tips for researching your family history designed to arm you with an understanding of the tools you can use. They'll help you make progress faster.
You will get an insight to some of the best practices to use when hunting for your ancestors, as well as ways to get that breakthrough.
You will be able to interact with others on the private Facebook group, share the things you learnt from the presentations and, of course, ask questions. The presenters and others will be there to help. You will have the opportunity to find mutual connections!
Importantly you will also learn how to ask better questions, find more answers, and discover richer stories. Stories that can be passed onto the next generation.
After all, isn't that the whole point behind why we're researching?
Great question. To be specific:
Want to learn more? Keep scrolling.
Of course! Click here to see the full list of General subjects and methodology presenters.
Here's a link to view the General & Methodology program.
It's simple, just click the Book Now button below, and fill out the details requested.
We look forward to having you along for the ride!
Meet our Methodology & General Research Experts
Every family historian needs to understand about calendars and their history. Without this knowledge you can’t understand why someone who died on 27 December 1724 could be buried on 3 January 1724, why the 10th September 1752 didn’t exist and what “1 July 25 Henry VIII” means. This talk will cover the Julian Calendar, the Gregorian Calendar, Regnal dates, dating by Saints’ days and Quaker dates.
This presentation looks at how various apps and tools for phones and tablets can be used for genealogy. Commercial and free subscription sites to record and share family trees online, genealogy software, photo scanning, organising research notes, uploading cemetery information and more will be demonstrated. It is recommended that you trial free versions to see which apps and tools suit your research needs.
A common mistake in genealogy is to concentrate on direct ancestors and ignore their siblings. This excludes one of the most useful resources for family historians, the descendants of your ancestor's siblings, your cousins. This talk explains how they can enrich your family history and break down your brick walls.
A look at what is available at home and at Family History Centre/Affiliate Library. Millions of names and records to extend and verify your research – or take you further. From countries around the world digitized images and indexes are available. Help is available and easily accessible for most countries. Original records covering many topics that can be researched by name, place and time. Sponsored by Family History Connections.
In this presentation I am going to show you how you can use Google Earth and its amazing tools to create visual stories about the places where your ancestors lived and in particular the journeys they made. Google Earth has the tools that allow you to create a visual story that shows the places your ancestors visited. You can add to add to your story the research items you have in your collection such as photos, records, maps and information to make a Tour and then a Move - a visual story that will make you feel connected to an ancestor’s journey. We live in an exciting technological time where we have the wonderful tools that Google Earth has provided that we can make use of for family history purposes in order to better understand our ancestors’ lives.
How can we as family historians locate someone who seems to be almost ‘invisible’? The problem isn’t that there are few records available, but rather how thoroughly we investigate and analyse the sources we do find. This presentation outlines ways we can look “outside the box” when searching for the women in our families.
Doug Elms, VICGUM President, will review the types of records and information which can be obtained during family history research. He has also included an introduction to using a genealogy program – Family Tree Maker. As one of the main reasons for using a computer program is to generate family stories his presentation illustrates how to: commence a tree, add data to the tree and also to produce charts, reports and books. Sponsored by VicGUM.
MyHeritage is a genealogy platform established in 2003. With millions of records available to search and download, some unique to this site. The Library Edition allows access to search names, families and records of various events. With partnerships with many well-known sources of information and research this is definitely a valuable tool for researchers. Sponsored by Family History Connections.
Learn more about the key technologies that make finding family members on MyHeritage quick and simple. Take an in-depth look at Smart Matches™, Record Matches, DNA Matches, and Instant Discoveries™, and receive helpful tips to leverage these technologies in your genealogy research.
Following an introduction as to how he came to be writing genealogical crime mystery books, Nathan will explore the actual process of writing. Using books from his genealogical crime mystery series as a basis for case studies, Nathan will talk about the progression from development of the initial idea, explore the real genealogical research methodology involved, through to the writing of the novel. Nathan will also discuss the issues and problems of combining the use of such authentic genealogical methodology and research methods with fiction-writing.
Not all our ancestors were paragons of virtue. Some behaved in a manner that we now find unacceptable or abhorrent. Are we embarrassed by those family members? What aspects of the lives of our ancestors might make us feel uncomfortable? Does it matter when the ancestor lived; is there a point at which some actions become exciting or interesting, rather than alarming? Have genealogists’ reactions to certain conditions and behaviours changed over time? Are we tempted, like genealogists of the past, to remove them, or their mis-demeanours, from the record? This presentation is a thought-provoking and hard-hitting look at our reactions to ancestors who might have been a source for embarrassment. Some sources for discovering those ancestors will also be mentioned
This talk introduces the basics of photo restoration using the program Photoshop Elements. Learn how to repair scratches and tears, and how to bring out details in older photos, using some simple techniques. Managing your photo collection will also be discussed along with how to add metadata and watermarks to your photos for use on websites and social media.
Taking the wrong research path or running into brick walls sometimes results from not using enough evidence or sidestepping research with shortcuts. Allan will demonstrate some pitfalls when only relying on one document. He will illustrate the differences in document details and offer solutions to provide evidence with more than one source.
Dr Nick Barratt dusts down his crystal ball and casts his eye to the near future, using current trends that are shaping the way we research and write genealogy to predict some of the changes we might reasonably expect to take place. This talk will also look at some of the post-pandemic opportunities that are emerging in the UK where we might collaborate with other groups to help support and rebuild communities that have been disrupted – genealogy as a force for global good.
Are you just starting your research or perhaps you need a refresher or some new ideas? This talk looks at basic fundamentals and the different tools and technology we can use for researching our family history. From the basics of organisation and charts to technology, apps and DNA, I discuss what I keep in my toolbox along with other options for you to start building your personal toolbox for research.
Do you get sick of seeing family trees with incorrect assumptions? Tired of having to explain your reasoning over and over? Can’t remember where you found that piece of information? Too much conflicting information? You need use to the Standard. The Genealogical Proof Standard. GPS. Find your way.
Humans are visual beings, particularly those not interested in family history. Part of this talk will be on how to capture your family history to entice them. The other will be ways of visualising your data, your research thoughts and research problems to help you the researcher.
Imogen will be discussing the practicalities of land granting in the early years of an Australian colony. She will explain how people got land and the differences between grants made to convict and free settlers. This talk will share tips about finding and using historic maps, and equip you to interpret maps that add to your own research. Sponsored by the University of Tasmania.
A plethora of information and data is available for you at the Queensland Family History Society’s website. Step through and glimpse the world from it’s website!. Sponsored by Queensland Family History Society.
From the 300-page Addresses to Sir George Grey, to the Pioneer Women's Honour Roll, the Old Colonists Association Register to the C. Little & Sons Funeral Director cards, Auckland Libraries continues to digitise all manner of items for Aucklanders to enjoy. Join family history librarian Seonaid Lewis on a tour of these treasures and learn about the stories behind them, the information held in them, and how you can access them on Kura Heritage Collections Online. Sponsored by Auckland Libraries.
”Breaking down brick walls in your family history research” looks at how to resolve stumbling blocks in your family history research using new and unique search strategies to find those missing relatives. Techniques covered include searching for a family using just the individuals' forenames, keyword search tools (using criteria other than a name to search on) and other advanced search techniques. The talk also covers unique data sets such as Tithe records, Occupational Records, Non-Conformist records, Will images, Parish Records, Military Records, Directories, Newspapers and more. This talk is suitable for all levels, for those with an interest in online research Sponsored by TheGenealogist.
In this talk, go beyond the basics of DNA testing and which test does what. We’ll look at pre-testing questions such as the differences between testing companies, privacy concerns, and what happens to your sample once your test is complete. We’ll also look at post-testing questions such as why you may not match someone you think you should, why you don’t recognize the name of people you do match, and the truth about “ethnicity” estimates. Sponsored by Family Tree DNA.
This presentation will include where to find passenger lists - but what about those ancestors/relatives who do not appear on a passenger list; how do you find out when they arrived in New Zealand? We will discuss some of the records available which may help ascertain approximately when and where your ancestor/relative arrived so that you can at least estimate the arrival. Some of the methods used to find arrivals in New Zealand may also apply to other countries too. Sponsored by Auckland Libraries
Mark demonstrates the map record collections and tools that are available for researching your British roots. The talk features Tithes, The 1910 Land Survey, Surname Maps and an innovative tool to view these maps in relation to modern-day maps - MapExplorer.. Sponsored by TheGenealogist
This talk follows the history of the East India Company, the records they created, where these are found and how to access them using examples found during the speaker’s own research.
People from all around the world left their homes in search of a better life. Apart from those who came direct, many arrived In New Zealand having tried out Canada, the US, South Africa or Australia first. Let’s take a tour through New Zealand’s resources online available to help you find that lost Kiwi connection. Sponsored by Auckland Libraries.
Findmypast is one of the UK’s largest family history websites and has the fastest growing collection of Scottish records online. With many more on the way, join resident genealogist Myko Clelland as we explore some of the key collections and expert techniques to get you further, faster. Skill level - all levels Sponsored by Findmypast.
The Victorian era is one of huge change in British society. Mass migration, the creation of new record types, and new technologies, all transformed our ancestors lives. This presentation will explore the records created during this period and how to get the best out of these on our genealogy journey. Skill level - all levels. Sponsored by Findmypast.
An overview of the online Diploma of Family History at the University of Tasmania – covering the course structure, what you’ll learn, and how we teach online. Sponsored by the University of Tasmania.
Many people know that Y-DNA follows the paternal line, but that’s about as far as they get. This talk looks at Y-DNA from the entry level Y-37 test to the comprehensive Big Y test. We’ll look at what results you should expect and help you determine which level is best for you and your research needs. Sponsored by Family Tree DNA.
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