2018 is the 6th consecutive year that Jill Ball has set a challenge on GeniAus.

After reading on Facebook two great blogs by Pauleen Cass and Shauna Hicks I decided to take up this challenge myself.

1. An elusive ancestor I found was:
No new direct ancestors unfortunately, but I did find another sister to my maternal great-grandmother. As she married prior to the majority of the family emigrating, I had missed her. On checking her and her little family in the shipping register, I realised that the young family had accompanied their brother Friedrich Wilhelm Stephan on the Herschel into Brisbane on 16 July 1874. ^[1]

2. A great newspaper article I found was:
Actually a photograph on a Facebook site of the maternity hospital where my father was born. I knew from family stories the street at Stones Corner where the hospital was and from his birth certificate, I knew the name of Nurse Shroder who delivered him.^[2]

3. A geneajourney I took was:
The Unlock the Past (UTP) cruise to Papua New Guinea in July/August. I thoroughly enjoyed the seminars I was able to attend and the camaraderie of our group.

4. An important record I found was:
Actually a memorial I visited and photographed. This was for one of my fellow GSQ members. A friend had read a post on my Facebook about the PNG cruise that I was on, and remarked that if I visited the Rabaul War Cemetery (see point 16) to look out for a memorial. The member’s grandfather was a Prisoner of War (POW) onboard the Montevideo Maru when it was bombed by an American submarine, who were unaware that the ship contained many POWs being transported north to the Chinese island of Hainan. ^{[3] [4]} By going through the index at the cemetery, I was easily able to locate Sgt. Kelly’s plate and photograph it for a very appreciative genie-mate.

5. A newly found family member shared:
Pictures of two sisters who were first cousins of my great-grandfather. This came about because of a shared DNA match with one of the kits I manage and without this match it would have been difficult to find them with their common surname. Both sisters had emigrated to Canada with one marrying in their home parish of Kilskeery, Co. Tyrone and the other marrying the widower when her sister passed away in Canada following childbirth. ^{[5] [6]}

6. A geneasurprise I received was:
The unexpected arrival of a Scottish Death Certificate that a genie-mate discovered and purchased for me. This was quite unexpected and a wonderful gesture by my friend. ^[7]

7. My 2017 blog post that I was particularly proud of was:
My only blog post for the year was as a Guest Blogger for GSQ on 23 October 2017 with my subject being ‘Researching in Northern Ireland’. ^[8] Having made the decision to extend my abilities this ‘dabble’ into the task was very satisfying.

8. I made a new genimate who:
Shares a common interest in a yDNA Surname Project we both joined as managers for our brothers’ kits. The Irwin Clan Surname DNA Project aims to create a Haplotree of all members who hold the unique L555 SNP. My brother’s DNA puts our family as a descendant of Christopher of Bonshaw c1508. This is indeed exciting news for me as the furthest back I can trace my family in traditional research is Francis Irvine born c1775 in Killyleagh Parish, Co Down. ^[9]

9. A new piece of technology I mastered was:
Installing in our new residence my provider’s modem and wireless modem and linking to our wireless printer and computers. This was particularly important for all the researching that both hubby and I do.

10. I joined:
The Facebook DNA Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques Group set up by Blaine T. Bettinger. I find the posts I follow always teach me something new and particularly like Blaine’s relationship chart and use it constantly.

11. A genealogy event from which I learnt something new was:
One of the seminars I attended on the cruise by Shauna Hicks titled ‘Online newspapers and eResources: are you making the most of them?’ With more than a dab of humour, Shauna guided us through some unusual ways she has found various bits and pieces to add to her ancestral tree. Of particular interest to me was how she tagged names within the articles to further her chances of ‘cousin hunting’. ^[10]

12. A blog post that taught me something new was:
A blog by Roberta Estes. To be precise, it was many blogs by Roberta – all to do with DNA. Trying to increase my knowledge of this subject is a never-ending but very enlightening mission. ^[11]

13. A DNA discovery I made was:
Discovering that two more siblings of my County Fife Webster family also immigrated to Australia. I had previously known of my own g-great grandfather James and his brother John Webster emigrating, but through DNA matches I found the additional two, an extra uncle and a couple of second cousins also emigrated to this country.

14. I taught a genimate how to:
Research his Irish ancestors. Prior to joining the gentleman has visited GSQ as a day visitor and had returned when he was told I would be on duty. It was a pleasure to take our new member, step by step, through the various methods of researching family in this sometimes difficult to research country.

15. A brick wall I demolished was:
To confirm an illusive ancestors’ sibling with a DNA match. My 3 times G-Grandfather had five siblings and one of the brother’s descendants has a strong DNA match with four of the kits I manage for my siblings and cousins. This is particularly important, as there are no baptisms for any of the six children so I have had to rely on circumstantial evidence from lots of various sources to document this family. ^[12]

16. A great site I visited was:
Actually not a web site, but a physical site. When on the UTP cruise day tour in Rabaul we visited the beautiful Bita Paka War Cemetery there. Like all the other War Cemeteries we have visited around the world, this one was in immaculate condition with very pretty gardens and surrounded by wonderfully kept green lawns and countryside.

17. A new genealogy/history book I enjoyed was:
The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy: How to Harness the Power of DNA to Advance Your Family Tree Research by Blaine T. Bettinger. This book is well laid out with the different types of tests explained in depth in different chapters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the sections and would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the various types of tests and DNA in general.

18. It was exciting to finally meet:
Other genie-mates that were on the 2017 Unlock the Past Cruise to Papua New Guinea. Some folk I had linked with through Facebook, and being able to finally meet these genie-mates was great.

19. I am excited for 2018 because:
I am booked on the UTP 2018 Alaska cruise and there are many excellent speakers amongst the presenters. I have done this cruise before, but I feel it is an excellent chance to meet up with many of my genie-mates again and of course attend multiple presentations. It has just been announced that a full day seminar featuring guest speakers Blaine T. Bettinger & Chris Paton is scheduled for the day prior to the cruise and Blaine is someone I aspire to hear live. Chris will be on the cruise and I always enjoy his presentations having attended many on a previous cruise.

20. Another positive I would like to share is:
That despite 2017 bringing our family many challenges, I strongly believe that my interest in genealogy and the friendship of genie-mates I have made and frequently correspond with, through this hobby, have all helped me cope.

Sources

^[1] Queensland State Archives; Registers of Immigrant Ships’ Arrivals; Series: Series ID 13086; Roll: M1697.  Source Information  Ancestry.com. Queensland, Australia, Passenger Lists, 1848-1912 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Queensland State Archives, Series ID 13086, Registers of Immigrant Ships’ Arrivals, Rolls M471, M473, M1075, M1696–1710.

^[2] Qld BMD Ref B039207/1915

^[3] Sergeant Russell Livingstone Kelly of B. Coy 2/22 Infantry Battalion Lark Force

^[4] Submarine Sturgeon

^[5] Died 2 August 1883 EVERTON, Elizabeth. Female. Age 28 yrs. Born: Ireland (abt 1855). Died of Diarrhoea at Wentworth, Ontario, Canada.   Buried 4 Aug 1883 at Episcopal Church, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Citing this Record   “Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6ZH-F6F : 25 June 2015), Elizabeth Everton, 02 Aug 1883; citing Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, yr 1883 cn 19023, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,853,241.

^[6] 20 Mar 1884  Nathaniel Everton son of Thomas & Elizabeth Everton born in Ireland. Age 28 yrs. Widower. Lives in Hamilton, Canada. Labourer. Married Sophia Wilson age 23 yrs Single of Hamilton, born in Ireland.  Daughter of Guy & Jane Wilson. Witness: Thomas Richards, Hamilton at the Reformed Episcopalian by licence. Citation Information Detail. Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Series: MS932; Reel: 48.  Source Information.  Title. Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928, 1933-1934.  Author   Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada)

^[7] Scotland Old Parish Registers. 1849 Deaths Ref:438/30/250. For William REDPATH. aged 57 yrs Lime Burner. Innergellie. Died 1 Dec 1840 from injuries received at the lime works. Larcency (?). Labourer of Kilrenny. Killed age 58 yrs.

^[8] Researching Northern Ireland – https://gsq-blog.gsq.org.au/researching-northern-ireland/#comment-443

^[9] FTDNA – y67 DNA, R1b L555 SNP Pack test

^[10] http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Shauna-Hicks-Newspapers-eResources-UTP-cruise-Jul-2017.pdf

^[11] DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy by Roberta Estes. https://dna-explained.com/2017/11/17/why-the-big-y-test/

^[12] Descendant of William Powell born Loughborough, Leics in 1790. Founder of Powell Valves a large world-wide company based in Cincinnati, Ohio to this day.