Author Archives: Shauna Hicks

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Family History Research.

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Irving Stone wrote The Agony and the Ecstasy: the biographical novel of Michelangelo in 1961. I loved the book and even more so the movie with Charlton Heston as Michelangelo which came out in 1965. Not that I am comparing myself to Michelangelo, but there is very much a love hate relationship with family history in my opinion. For someone who has been doing their family history for 46 years I would have to say the ecstasy outweighs the agony. … Continue reading

Does researching our family history change us? How do we want to be remembered?

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Yes, folks it is my turn again as guest blogger. As usual I am sitting here clueless. What do people want to know, learn or simply read. In May I was one of the guest speakers on the Life Matters program hosted by Hilary Harper on Radio ABC. Also being interviewed was Jenny Brockie, one of the latest celebrities on the new Australian season of Who Do You Think You Are on the SBS on Tuesday nights. The phone lines … Continue reading

Ancestral epidemics.

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As we move into our third year of the Covid 19 pandemic, I have been thinking a lot about my English Midland ancestors who lived through many epidemics of cholera and smallpox. In fact, it is extremely lucky that I am even here writing this guest blog post. In August 1832 my 4G grandparents both died in Wednesbury, Staffordshire in the cholera epidemic that swept the Midlands that year. Edward Brookes aged 42 years and his son Elijah aged 14 … Continue reading

What Discovery means to me.

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Amazing how fast these guest blog posts for GSQ come around. Each time I am left thinking ‘what will I write about this time’. This month’s choice is the word Discovery. When I talk about how fantastic Discovery is to my U3A genealogy students, they immediately think that I am talking about the Discovery television channel. Was that your first thought? Be honest. For me, Discovery is the amazing online catalogue of The National Archives (UK). It has so many … Continue reading

Twitter for Family History – Let’s Look at #ANZAncestryTime.

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First a confession – I have been on Twitter since 2009 so yes I am a fan. Why? There are numerous reasons. By following key genealogists, I can get the latest news on Australian, English, Scottish or Irish research, DNA updates or even what is happening at local record offices and archives. I can chat to geneamates, or find out about upcoming webinars or what books to put on my reading list. Time spent varies depending on what else is … Continue reading