Treasures in the Trove – December 2015

By Lyndall Maag.

It was my first visit to GSQ’s new premises in the Brisbane suburb of Wishart and I wondered what I would find. Would I find the resources I needed to progress my own research or the family tree charts that have been the basis for my monthly posts for the last 18 months? Would the charts have made the transition from the old to the new home in one piece? Would the larger scrolls in the repository some of us call ‘Elsewhere’ (http://gsqld.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/treasures-in-trove-july-2015.html) have been placed in proximity to the smaller charts so that researchers knew they belonged together and could access them easily for their research?

What an absolute delight to drive into the off street parking area now available to GSQ’s members and guests and know I could spend as much of my Saturday afternoon deeply engrossed in the world of family history research as I chose; timing and location of parking no longer a concern. A bright, cheery, airy interior met my gaze and the layout is logical, making access to resources extremely easy. What a pleasant environment, conducive to genealogical research, informal family history chatter and making new ‘genie’ friends.

Our VicePresident Carol immediately welcomed me and showed me around the complex. My reaction was one of genuine delight. One of our new and very enthusiastic volunteers offered to help me find what I was looking for, so together we consulted WIIFY? (GSQ’s Library Catalogue) http://www.gsq.org.au/index.php/mygsq/search-library-catalogue.html. The receptacles containing the smaller charts were found with very little effort, sitting neatly between the area holding our American resources and the Queensland Immigration Finding Aids (QLD/850/xxx). I’m thrilled to announce that ‘Elsewhere’ was located safe and sound, its scrolls containing names and dates and wills and signatures and photographs of ancestors and ships and … They are waiting patiently to be accessed by those who may have connections with these fascinating families.

Immediately I pulled the A5 sized booklet that constitutes the index for our charts, explaining to our new library assistant where to find them, as well as hoping for some inspiration for this post. I’m glad I checked the hardcopy index because there have been some additions to our holdings since the family tree charts index was made available in searchable format on MyGSQ. New names and numbers for the charts are as follows:

MacKenzie Clan #122

Kable (located ‘Elsewhere’) #123

Watson #124

Behrendorff & Stumer #125.

As I flipped through the index two basic genealogical premise came to mind: 1. Build into your research plan time to revisit some of those key resources you have already consulted, you never know what you might find. Archives, libraries and societies are constantly adding to their holdings and making more available online. 2. When you find an entry on an index, make sure to follow through and check the original record. An index is, after all, simply a pointer along the way, not the end of the road.

Because this will be my last regular post for Tapping Your Roots some thank yous are in order. Thank you so much to Immediate Past President Marg Doherty for encouraging me to be part of the blogging team from its inception and for her foresight, to know that the Society’s family tree charts were suitable for sharing on GSQ’s social media platform. Thanks also to the rest of the blogging team for their support and willingness to share their knowledge and for the time each of them has invested in Tapping Your Roots. The past 18 months have been challenging, fun, educational, frustrating and immensely rewarding. Searching for that one word that suits your purpose, overcoming writer’s block, nose down/tail up research to meet deadlines have all contributed to a most wonderful learning opportunity. My research and writing skills have improved as a result of taking on this task and I have learned a lot from my achievements and my mistakes.

Remember that the Library will close for End of Year Holidays from 3pm on Wednesday 23 December 2015 and reopen at 10am on Tuesday 5 January 2016. Unlike other years, we won’t be opening for informal research during this period. Our volunteers will be enjoying a very well earned break after putting so much effort into the move. To all our readers, enjoy your vacation time. I trust there will be time for you to undertake some of those family history projects you’ve desperately been wanting to tackle in 2015 and to plan your research for the New Year. All at GSQ extend their very best wishes for a safe, relaxing and fun filled festive season and look forward to sharing all things genealogy with you in 2016.

Lyndall Maag

GSQ Blog

Treasures in the Trove – December 2015

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