By Vicki MacGregor So, out there in this big world, who are we related to? Pretty much everyone. Could be someone we pass on the street, sit next to in a restaurant… anyone… anywhere. We’re all connected somehow. Anyone famous? Years ago, I met a young woman from the UK who’s second or third great grandfather was a former one term Republican President of the United States, William Howard Taft. I thought that was pretty cool. So, I did a … Continue reading
By Victoria MacGregor An old, yellowed, typewritten letter resurfaces and creates a context to wrap around a family tree and some photographs I’m always surprised, pleasantly of course, by who responds to the private family album invitations I send. There’s certainly no formula to it, no pattern, no particular demographic, but there’s always been an enthusiastic, almost giddy interaction by those who come back to me, those who leave comments and share stories, just seem to get it. A few … Continue reading
By Victoria MacGregor. Since the late 1980s, when my mother gave me a detailed family tree document, I’ve lingered around the perimeter of getting into family tree research. It recorded the names, birth and death dates of her father’s side of the family. Mostly his distant cousins. I pulled that old, faded Xerox chart out the day after I finished my fourth 1500-piece jigsaw puzzle about three weeks into Covid19 lock down in 2020 and was struck by the fact … Continue reading
Cathie Sherwood Can a life be affected if begun in war? Perhaps for William Thomas Phillips, born in Portugal on 6 December 1813, during the Peninsular War, this isn’t a question which needs to be asked. He was only four years old when his parents, James and Lydia Phillips, and older siblings, Henry and Jane, finally returned to peacetime in England in 1817 following the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo. Aged nine when the family arrived in New South … Continue reading
By Bob McAllister. The relationship between family history researchers and those who transcribe and/or index records is a complex one. When a previously unknown document is revealed, the selfless toilers who facilitated the discovery are lauded. On the other hand, when a cryptic squiggle has been misinterpreted, digits transposed, or entries from two records tangled; the oafs responsible are roundly condemned as being if not actually well meaning then barely competent for the task.[1] Yet, deep down we recognise that … Continue reading
