News - September 2023
Tuesday 19 September - 7:30pm General Meeting
VENUE: Old Sunday School, St Johns Park Precinct
GUEST SPEAKER: John Counsell
TOPIC: Touring the Hobart Rivulet: Stories of history and heritage
Former tour guide John Counsell will present an illustrated talk on the Hobart Rivulet. Using old and more recent photographs and maps John will take us on a journey along the Hobart Rivulet covering history, civil engineering, floods, and environmental issues plus a few stories.
John has recently retired after spending nearly twenty years as a tour guide in Hobart. As well as a guide for the Hobart Rivulet he has also worked for a number of companies including Hobart Historic Tours and the Cascade Brewery.
Note
More for Your Diary
Thu 21 Sep - 10.00am Branch Committee Meeting
VENUE: Branch Library, Bellerive
Thu 21 Sep - 1.30pm DNA Group Meeting
VENUE: St Marks Church Hall, Scott Street, Bellerive
Thu 28 Sep - 2pm Library Committee
VENUE: Branch Library, Bellerive
Tue 17 Oct - 7:30pm General Meeting
VENUE: Old Sunday School, St Johns Park Precinct
SPEAKER: Caroline Homer
TOPIC: Gems from the Tasmanian Archives
From your Branch President
Later in this newsletter, we mention ScotlandsPeople where you can find a lot of information by searching the indexes for free. They also have the Kirk Records online, which are not indexed but well worth scrolling through a parish of interest for a relevant time period if you are looking for e.g., an illegitimate birth where the father is inevitably named - and shamed.
We also mention the GRO BMD Index below. I use that all the time to find e.g., the maiden surname of a spouse I have found in a census, as mother's maiden name is given with all the birth records. I also find extra children by searching the census in 5-year periods, male and female.
If you have given up on your Irish ancestry, think again. At the wonderful Irish Genealogy site at https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ you can search both church records and civil records - and see the image for free!!! I have solved several mysteries here by finding Irish marriages and baptisms.
Ros Escott president@hobart.tasfhs.org
Computer Resources - Pioneer & Federation Indexes
One of our most popular and useful resources on the library computers is the Pioneer & Federation index for Tasmania. These list Births, Deaths & Marriages 1803-1899 (Pioneer Index) & Births 1900-1919 Deaths & Marriages 1900-1930 (Federation Index). There are a number of indexes for Victoria, South Australia and one for Queensland as well.
Unfortunately, with the upgrading of most of our computers the indexes will now only run on one of our older machines. There is a separate shortcut on the relevant computer desktop to take you to the indexes. Our library assistants will be happy to point you in the right direction.
Membership
Memberships for The Society were due 1 April for the current year, through to 31 Mar 2024. If you have forgotten to renew, please do so as soon as possible and we will arrange for the June Tasmanian Ancestry Journal to be mailed to you.
If you have misplaced your membership renewal form, contact us at membership@tasfhs.org and we will arrange to send a replacement.
Library Accessions August 2023
Books
* Arts Tasmania; NO MORE BREAD & MILK - Stories from St Johns Park [994.6 NOM]
* Binks, C. J.; EXPLORERS OF WESTERN TASMANIA[Q919.66 BIN]
* Blainey, Geoffrey; THE PEAKS OF LYELL (Third Edition)[622.099466 BLA]
* Bowden, Tim; THE WAY MY FATHER TELLS IT - The story of an Australian life [994.06 BOW]
* Broxam, Graeme; A STEAMSHIP FOR HOBART - S.S. Reemere 1909 [387.509946 BRO]
* Clayton, Mark; PORT ARTHUR - A PENAL HISTORY [994.64 CLA]
* Cooley, Thomas C. T.; A HISTORY OF TRAINS AND TRAMS IN TASMANIA [385.09946 COO]
* Curtis, Brian; THE SYDNEY - HOBART MY 21 YEARS [797.14 CUR]
Dunn, Cathy; SETTLERS AND LANDHOLDERS NORFOLK ISLAND 1793 [Q929.3944 DUN]
* Fenton, James; BUSHLIFE IN TASMANIA [994.65 FEN]
* Franklin Direct; MEMORIES OF TASMANIA - SNAPSHOTS OF OLD HOBART [994.61 MEM]
* Hipkins, Max; CORNWALL TO THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES - Pearce Family History [Q929.2 PEA]
* Julen, Hans; THE PENAL SETTLEMENT OF MACQUARIE HARBOUR 1822 - 1833 - An outline of its history [365.9946 JUL]
* Lord, Richard; THE ISLE OF THE DEAD, Port Arthur [929.5099946 LOR]
* O'May, Harry; HOBART RIVER CRAFT and SEALERS OF BASS STRAIT [387.509946 OMA]
* Ross, Michael and Alex Graeme-Evans; A SHORT HISTORY GUIDE TO PORT ARTHUR 1830-77 [994.64 ROS]
* Southerwood, W.T.; LAUNCESTON PARISH - A Sesqui-Centenary History (1838-1988) [282.9465 SOU]
* Toghill, Jeff; THE JAMES CRAIG - Her history, recovery, and restoration [387.2 TOG]
* Denotes complimentary or donated item
Marita Bardenhagen Memorial Award for Local History
The Marita Bardenhagen Memorial Award for Local History is a biennial prize acknowledging outstanding original research in the field of local history with significant Tasmanian content.
Entries open on 14 June 2023 and close 30 September 2023.
How to apply: Application forms are available from Dr Dianne Snowden AM at dsnowden@tassie.net.au
NAS Upgrade
The Branch library NAS (network attached storage device) is a small black box which forms part of our computer network and holds all our vital computer records. As we rely more and more on our unique digital records (Consolidated Undertakers, CSI etc) data security becomes more important. The loss of these records would be devastating.
For that reason, we are in the process of updating to a new, more powerful NAS which will also offer better data security and external backup. The change will probably be invisible to most library users.
Comprehensive Subject Index (CSI) Update
Work on the compilation of the Comprehensive Subject Index (CSI) continues. The ultimate aim of this long-term project is to consolidate the index information contained in the books in the Society's library into a single searchable database. We are also endeavouring to capture information not indexed in many volumes, for example, photographs. When deciding which books to add to the database, preference is given to works containing a substantial Tasmanian component. The Index now contains many thousands of names of people, properties, ships, and geographical features, as well as information relating to a multitude of other subjects. It can be accessed via the TFHS (Hobart Branch) website, with a more-regularly updated version available at the Society's library at Bellerive.
Swing-Rioters Under The Southern Cross
On Saturday afternoon, 21 October, our patron, Alison Alexander, will be launching the Branch's latest publication: "Swing-rioters Under the Southern Cross" by the late Geoffrey Sharman. Rather than a book, this work is being published as a website with the exciting opportunity for descendants of Swing-rioters to add their family's story. Keep the afternoon free and watch for full details in the October newsletter.
Maree's Mutterings
Maritime Museum of Tasmania, their collection can be searched at https://ehive.com/collections/3906/maritime-museum-tasmania
Many of the videos from Libraries Tasmania National Family History Month are now available on their website https://www.youtube.com/@LibrariesTasmania/videos
GRO Online View Digital Image Service
Ordering birth and death certificates from the UK has been a difficult process for some years. While ScotlandsPeople offered a pay per view online system, it was much more difficult and expensive to obtain GRO (General Records Office) certificates. For that reason, the Hobart Branch has offered an ordering system on behalf of members.
That has finally changed with launch of the GRO Online View digital image service which now makes birth entries from 1837 up to 100 years ago and death entries from 1837 to 1887 viewable online (and saveable) for a fee of £2.50.
It is necessary to first open an account, but the original register entries can then be viewed online. Full detail of how it works may be found here: https://www.rolotest.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/images/CGOVPublicBeta.pdf
Meanwhile Victora has increased the cost of their historic certificates from $20 to $22.
The Dick and Joan Green Family Award for
Tasmanian History Annual Public
Lecture
The College of Arts, Law, and Education, University of Tasmania invites you to attend this special event with Dr. Alison Alexanderpresenting her award-winning book, The Waking Dream of Art; Patricia Giles - Painter.
Date: 4 th October
Time: 6pm - 7.15pm
Face to face or online registration. Registration can be made via the link above.
FCRC SEMINAR: Sunday 5 May 2024 - Call For Papers
Topic: Freedom: Time Served, Moving On
This seminar will focus on the pathways to freedom for convict women and will explore the lives they led once emancipated.
Possible topics may include:
- Pathways to freedom
- Emancipation - prosperity or poverty? How the emancipated women lived out the rest of their lives. Individual stories
- Exploring subsets - return to their home country, moving to another colony or country; marriage; non-marriage; businesswomen; relying on the State to survive.
If you would like to present a 20-minute paper at the seminar, please forward an abstract for consideration to seminar@femaleconvicts.org.au by 20 October 2023. The abstract should outline your intended topic, the points you will highlight and the sources you will be using to inform your paper.
Dianne Snowden (President) Female Convicts Research Centre
Amanda Johnson (Seminar Organising Committee)
Do Your Research Justice in a Premium Photo Book - AFFHO
Momento is one of our sponsors for National Family HistoryMonth.
Everyone has a story to tell, and every child deserves to learn about the family who came before them. Give relatives, now and in the future, the joy of connecting with their heritage by presenting your research in a premium photo book keepsake.
Momento Photo Books free software makes it easy to lay out your historical photos, graphics and text in a professional-looking design, care of its automated templates and manual tools. They also promise to produce your publication with world class printing and binding, which will stand the test of time.
They are offering members of the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisation, and their members, an exclusive 25% off all photo books until 31 August 2024* and invite you to join their "How to create a Momento Family History photo book" session via zoom on 31 October from 7.00pm.
To register with Momento or the zoom session, to redeem the offer, and view excellent family history book designs, head to momento.com.au/partner/AFFHO.