GSV Ancestor Recent Issues

As an editorial team Margaret Rowe-Keys and myself have been
working on Ancestor for nine years. We have thoroughly enjoyed
(most of the time) producing Ancestor and working together.
However, all good things must come to an end and the end of
this volume, December 2009, we will both be retiring. If you
have an interest in donating time and effort to continue the
tradition set by many former editorial teams in producing an
award winning journal please contact myself or society
president, Tony Arthur.

All our usual articles are included in this issue. From Trade
Journals to Legacy Family Tree program there is a choice of
items to entertain and educate.

My thanks to Alan Fincher for his article on English Taxes.
Perhaps this an area you have not yet researched but the
guidance and background provided will give a start and taste of
the records available.

My thanks to those who have submitted articles. We do try to
use them all wherever possible, this depends on space and
themes of issues. Please continue to submit articles of varying
sizes so we always present a good range of reading material.
Just a reminder that the special for GSV members and
FindMyPast ends on 31 December, see page eleven for details.

Lesle Berry, Editor

September 2008

So often in family history we hear of chance happenings, often referred to as `serendipity'. The article by Marie Dallman on page ten is an example of what we hear about. We have used the photo of her grandmother, Bridget on the cover.

A couple of recent instances at the GSV premises brought to my mind the need to be prepared for emergencies. The article on page nine will outline some ideas for a disaster plan for your genealogical collection.

We always attempt to include an article for you to make better use of the library resources and the article on the Hussey-Walsh manuscripts on page four outlines one such resource. Any record set that can assist with Irish research is always a great help.

All our regular articles are included as well as some articles submitted by members, including, I am happy to say, the article I accidently deleted from my email.

Thank you to all those who submit articles for consideration for publication. We try to use as many as we can but please keep in mind that in some cases it is several issues before we can do so.

Enjoy your reading.
Lesle Berry, Editor

June 2008

As I have prepared this issue I felt like we were on a journey of
exploration and the image on the cover just suited my mood. We
have articles on Scots/Irish ancestors and research tips to
assist in your research.

Irish deeds can hold a wealth of information in a country where many researchers feel records are scarce. Kaye Cole takes us through these records, how to use them and what you might find.

Scottish research and successes are also covered in the article by Ken McNaughten in his family research, see page eight.

The short story by Sue Reid on page seven shows another aspect of early immigrants to Australia.

In Research Corner, on page twenty-two, Eleanor Pugsley (our Research Manager) gives some tips on London wills.

All our usual contributions are included and bring us up-todate with Public Record Office Victoria, State Library of Victoria and the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Thanks to those who send articles for consideration for publication. We always welcome such contributions and use all we can, occasionally because of content and space it may take us a little while to use your article but please keep sending us your contributions. I do however need to make a sincere apology to a member who recently emailed me an article, I think on an early Melbourne fire-fighter. I hit the delete key at the wrong time and completely, and permanently, deleted all the emails in my Inbox. If you have emailed an article in March please contact
me.

Lesle Berry, Editor

March 2008

One of the best benefits of editing Ancestor is that I get to read so many interesting things. This issue has articles on many things to help you with your research and entertain you.

We all dream of finding more on our Irish ancestors and we have a story on page six that is just that. Narelle Donegan shares with us her experience.

From the State Library's Redmond Barry Collection, there is another interesting set of records outlined on page twenty.

From people missing in early New South Wales musters to grave headstones in Scotland and then Melbourne University and the first to matriculate, there are articles to offer new ideas to help improve and extend your research.

Perhaps the best news in this issue is the new eResearch service available to members - see President's Pen and Society News. However, podcasts of some of the Thursday talks is also great news. Just listening to the two talks available made me wish I had more opportunity to attend this great regular event at the GSV.

As always none of this could be included without the dedicated members who take the time to write and submit articles for consideration of inclusion in Ancestor. We try to use as many as we can, although sometimes it takes a little while to fit them all in. Please send your articles, we love to read them.

Lesle Berry, Editor

December 2007

It feels a little ironic to me that I start this editorial with an apology. Ironic because in our last issue we had an article on the importance of footnotes and references (Getting it Write – citations, references and notes) and also an article on ‘Spelling Surnames’. So it seems I tempted fate and two of the endnotes in the article ‘Three Kimmage Lassies’ were incorrect. Liz Rushen’s surname was spelt incorrectly, my apologies to Liz. We should have also noted that Liz’s book, Single and Free: female migration to Australia 1833–1837 can be purchased from the society’s bookshop. Further details on Liz’s research can be found on her website: www.rushen.com.au.

This issue has all the usual treats for a good holiday read. Scottish Old Parochial Registers will assist researchers in the library with this resource now available.

There are stories of research trials and successes from several members – perhaps they might give you ideas to followup, or at least give hope that you might achieve success.

For those with medical ancestors be sure to read the article on the Australian Medical Pioneers Index on page eighteen.

Remember the society is only closed Victorian public holidays so take advantage of your leisure time and come and make use of our library and its resources.

From the Ancestor team we extend our compliments of the season and trust you enjoy this issue.

Lesle Berry, Editor

September 2007

This issue has been a challenge in many ways, but I hope you will find it a good read and informative.

We have an article on Death Duty Registers that shows what a benefit these can be to the family historian. The society now holds a substantial selection of these records so have a look to see how they can help you.

Difficulties we face as researchers include deciphering hand-writing and the use of surname variations. We have articles on both these matters in this issue that will delight, entertain and inform you on these subjects.

In recent times I have had to sort through my mother’s belongings following her death. I reflected many times on what ‘treasures’ we hold in our homes. They may not be valuable, they may not even be pretty, but they are a treasure to us and our family. The State Library of Victoria has a new website where you can share your ‘treasures’. Read the article on page seventeen for more details.
All the usual articles are included that keep us abreast of current events in the family history world.

Thank you to those who have submitted articles for consideration for publication. It is often difficult to decide which articles to use in any given issue and sometimes it takes several issues before your article might appear. Please be patient. I use as many as I possibly can. We always welcome submissions so please continue to send them.

Lesle Berry, Editor

June 2007

With the explosion on the Internet of information and documents it is sometimes daunting to know where to start. How do you get the best out of the various searches? Linley Hooper has taken some of the most popular family history sites and has compiled a list of tips to get the best results with your search. Happy hunting!

Last year on our trip to Darwin for the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations we took the time to do some sightseeing. Of course one of the things high on our list was crocodiles, so I was excited to receive the article starting on page ten about Robert Johnstone, titled the ‘original crocodile hunter’. The amazing outline of his life and exploits reminds us yet again of early life in Australia.

Of course all our usual articles are included and the final in the series from Anne Burrows on researching Australian pubs and hotels is on page twenty-two.

Do you have Huguenots in your family? Read the article on page nineteen about a project to find Huguenot Families in Australia.

Thank you to all those who take the time to submit articles for us to consider publishing. Without these we would not be able to produce what we believe to be a great asset to our members. Deciding what to include in any given issue of Ancestor is always a challenge. We are not always able to include the articles in the next issue as choice depends on many factors including any theme of the issue and space requirements. Please continue to send articles and help us to retain the high standard of this publication.

Lesle Berry, Editor