NZSG newletter - RootsWeb - Ancestry.com

NZ society of genealogists
South Canterbury Branch
Newsletter
September/october 2014 - Volume 18 No. 5
From the editor
Carol Bell
It’s a busy month in October with the NZSG computer roadshow on 4th and the public
launch of SCRoll on 16th. November has a couple of events as well - a public library
information day and a cemetery walk both taking place on 11 November. I hope you all find
time to support at least a few of these. The roadshow is over now but if you haven’t
volunteered for the SCRoll project yet please do, and try to find some time on 11 November for
the other events. I’m looking forward to the cemetery walk. In true genealogist’s fashion I like
cemeteries and a wander along the rows of headstones on a pleasant day always brings
comfort and pleasant memories. Contradictory I suppose, but there it is. And again, it’s all
about supporting your club and taking advantage of the varied pursuits arranged on your
behalf. See you there!
Convenor’s report
from Liz Shea
http://www.genealogy.org.nz/
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nzlscant/resources.htm
Last weekend was busy for the branch committee with the presentation of a Genealogy
Roadshow with the GCG group. On the Friday we had entertained our four presenters at dinner
preceeded by a huge snow and sleet downpour. Luckily we were all inside and the weather
soon cleared.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny but cold with hail still on the ground around the school
where the presentation was to be held. We got off to a late start due to wifi issues but a good
audience of about 50 people were keen and ready to learn. The presenters covered such topics
as census searching online, how to set up Gedcoms and use them to best advantage, Ancestry
and how to set up a family tree and setting up family trees off line. The presenters kept us
entertained with interesting snippets of information from their own family trees along with other
handy hints.
Thanks again to David Bryant, Mark McKinney, Christine Clement and Neville Thomas for
taking the time to come to Timaru. We have had lots of positive feedback and gained a couple
of new members as well. Also thanks to the committee for making this roadshow come together.
The branch has also decided to advertise our services and meetings a lot more to generate
interest in genealogy. Currently the branch run an advice service at the South Canterbury
Museum archives every Sunday afternoon. Sometimes it is busy and other times not so busy
but there are some interesting family trees that turn up on the day.
The branch has also been involved in the Scroll project led by the SC Museum. Many
volunteers have spent the last year researching the soldiers whose names are inscribed on the
Memorial Wall in Queen Street, Timaru. Many of the names are also on other local memorials. It
has been an interesting exercise with many fascinating tales being discovered. The volunteers
have also found a number of errors, several names have been omitted and some names have
no apparent connection with South Canterbury.
All this information is to be released on 16th October on a website sponsored by the SC
Museum. The 16th was chosen as this is the date the first fleet of ships left New Zealand for the
First World War. Hard to believe that 100 years ago, these young men sailed off to a great
adventure that many would not return from. Sadly the world is still at war and if you look at the
last 100 years, there has been precious little peace so you do wonder if the loss of life was
really worth it !
Happy researching
Our 35th birthday party
Roadshow with the Genealogical
Computing Group of the NZSG
About 45 people attended the genealogical road show held by members of the NZSG
computing group in Timaru on 4 October. As is usual with these occasions participants got a
huge amount from the event and almost as much from chatting to one another during tea and
lunch breaks. It's amazing how much we can learn from each other. There were several very
interesting sessions - these are my notes from the day.
Mark McKinney was the first to talk about creating your own spreadsheets to display work
and the use of URLs and hyperlinks within displayed work. Fortunately, detailed instructions on
how to create a hyperlink were included in his handout. This group is very big on spreadsheets
and their examples made it easy to see why - clear, concise trees easily understood by the
uninitiated family we all try to keep informed, and all they have to do is click on a hyperlink to
get further detail. Everybody but me seemed to already know that ctrl ; puts today's date into a
spreadsheet field ...
Mark also, later in the day,
discussed the presentation of
data and talked about different
programs that can help with this ScionPC and the Family History
Jefferson Project were two he
mentioned. The online blurb says
ScionPC is free, fully-featured,
genealogy software with a
modern, easy-to-use interface,
ideal for both the novice and the
experienced genealogist.
Databases from other family tree
programs can be imported into
ScionPC using its Gedcom
import facility. Just export your
data from your old program as a Gedcom file and then import that file into ScionPC - it's that
easy. ScionPC uses a fully-documented, "open" XML database file format. The program has
been written in a totally secular manner, has no checking on sex (to allow for "unconventional"
relationships), and has no naming constraints (to allow for adopted children). The partners of a
family group (or marriage/union) are referred to as "Prime" and "Partner" rather than "Husband
& Wife" or "Father & Mother". Either partner can be the Prime. Free-form notes and sources can
be created and viewed, and any files may be attached to any person or family. The Jefferson
Project provides the average Windows computer user the tools to document their computer
Gedcom files and publish them in a professional format for CD-ROM/DVD-ROM or slide show
movies playable in a DVD player. So a lot can be done with the information we collect conventional family history programs are just the beginning!
Mark also took the hyperlinked spreadsheet to another level with the inclusion of photos and
maps.
Neville Thomas talked further about Gedcom files. He explained the structure of a Gedcom
file and said that .ged files can be opened by any text file. He talked about GENViewer Lite, a
Windows based application that is used to view and analyse Gedcom and PAF 3, 4, 5, Legacy
3, 4, 5 and 6, TMG 4.x, 5.x, 6.x, RootsMagic 2 and 3 and now Family Tree Maker 2006 and
previous versions genealogy files. Gedcoms are often used these days to share information or
upload to websites like Genes Reunited or Ancestry. They are also useful for backups. He did
issue a warning, though, about importing gedcoms into your main database. This could
compromise your base data, so always put incoming Gedcoms into a new file and evaluate,
then add what information you need to the main database.
Neville also talked about census records - he had a useful handout on free census sites and
also discussed subscription sites like
Ancestry and Findmypast.
Christine Clement talked about the
Ancestry website. She says that currently
Ancestry has 10 billion records, far
surpassing Family Search which has two
billion. She outlined how useful NZ
electoral rolls can be in the absence of
census information and suggested the
use of an electoral atlas to keep track of
boundary changes, and a look at Maori
and Canterbury Provincial rolls. She
pointed out that there is no "Australian"
information before federation in 1901. The
Federation of Australia was the process
by which the six separate British selfgoverning colonies of Queensland, New
South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia formed one nation, so
before 1901 records were held and created by these separate states. South Australia is now the
only state with no unique records in Ancestry - SA records are held by the state government on
their own website. Christine also made repeated mention of the ability on Ancestry to add notes
to all entries.
She shared her list of the 10 most common research mistakes.
1.
Forgetting to record information
2.
Ignoring ancestor's siblings and looking for
ancestors/ancestors through the eldest children.
Remember that the youngest children in the
family were often the recipients of mother's
memories.
3.
Using married names instead of maiden names
in trees and databases
4.
Assuming you are related to a famous person
with the same name.
5.
Skipping a generation
6.
Assuming a family name is only spelled one
way.
7.
Jumping to conclusions.
8.
Researching the wrong family.
9.
Relaying on data from an online family tree
10.
Failing to document your source.
David Bryant, chairman of the computing group, showed us how to create a partial Gedcom
for export or for display and explained how to be very specific with requirements. He also talked
about getting the best out of Family Search - still the world's largest free genealogy
organisation. Progressive upgrades have caused search confusion among many and David
helped to explain research techniques. He also finished the day by hosting a discussion forum.
This was a great opportunity to touch base with members of the computing group. There
can't be many of us now whose research and data collection is completely computer free so it's
invaluable to know about latest trends and anything that can make our research lives easier.
The group's website is at http://www.gencom.org.nz/ and membership is only $15. They have a
magazine three times a year, allegedly offering an enviable list of genealogical websites. I'm
tempted, so I'll keep you posted.
BNZ historian Paul Hickford has been visiting the Northern Hemisphere over the last few months. He
sends these photos: The Tower of London (left) with their display of ceramic poppies representing each
British soldier who fell in the First World War; and (centre) the memorial wall for the Canterbury Infantry
Regiment at Tyne Cot, 9km north-east of Ypres in Belgium, with a poppy against the name of F.E. Letford,
a Hickford family friend; and (right) a second plaque at Tyne Cot.
Canterbury branch meetings
The Canterbury branch has a new meeting venue (it also includes their Library)
Parkview Community Lounge - Hall
75 Queenspark Drive
Parklands
Christchurch
To find them check the branch website http:/ canterburygenealogy.wordpress.com/ for directions
maps, bus routes etc
Upcoming events in Timaru
11 November - Cemetery walk with branch member and local historian
Alan McKenzie. Meet 7pm at the main Domain Avenue gate of the
cemetery. Please note earlier time. Bring warm clothing just in case!
Also 11 November - Timaru Public Library information day 10am - 4pm.
December - Christmas lunch
Dave Jack’s Scottish websites
From a talk given to the Timaru group in September
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
From Scottish census records, Scottish wills, birth certificates and death certificates, we have a comprehensive
choice of Scottish records to bring your Scotland ancestry to life. Build the complete picture of your Scottish
ancestry with ScotlandsPeople. - Pay for credits
http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk
Historical Tax Rolls
When the Crown collected taxes, it collected information about its subjects. Most taxation was levied from
landowners until the late 18th century when government sought to broaden the tax base by taxing other forms of
property. A by-product of this is a useful series of records for historians, listing different types of people in each of
Scotland's parishes and burghs.
Carriage Tax, 1785-1798, (20 volumes)
Cart Tax, 1785-1798, (14 volumes)
Clock and Watch Tax, 1797-1798, (2 volumes)
Consolidated Schedules of Assessed Taxes, 1798-1799 (32 volumes, COMING SOON)
Dog Tax, 1797-1798, (2 volumes)
Farm Horse Tax, 1797-1798, (13 volumes)
Female Servant Tax, 1785-1792, (28 volumes)
Hearth Tax, 1691-1695, (43 volumes)
Horse Tax, 1785-1798, (33 volumes)
Inhabited House Tax, 1778-1798 (64 volumes)
Land Tax, 1645-1831, (129 volumes)
Male Servant Tax, 1777-1798, (27 volumes)
Shop Tax, 1785-1789, (8 volumes)
Window Tax, 1748-1798, (218 volumes)
http://www.scottish-monumental-inscriptions.com
Are you trying to find the burial ground of your ancestors or looking for the information recorded on the
headstone? Then Scottish Monumental Inscriptions might be able to help you.
http://www.deceasedonline.com
The central database for UK burials and cremations
http://www.scottishgraveyards.org.uk/index.shtml
Supporting the recording and conservation of Scotland's historic graveyards
http://www.scottishchurches.org.uk
A national record for educational use by local communities, schools, congregations, local societies, family
historians and researchers,in fact anyone with an interest in Scotland.
http://www.heraldry-scotland.co.uk
http://www.spns.org.uk
The Heraldry Society of Scotland
Scottish Place-Name Society
http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk
http://www.scotfot.com
Scotland's Census website
A series of image galleries of Scottish graveyards.
http://www.dsl.ac.uk
Comprises electronic editions of the two major historical dictionaries of the Scots language: the Dictionary of the
Older Scottish Tongue (DOST) Older Scots - 12th century - 1700 and The Scottish National Dictionary (SND)
Modern Scots - 1700 - 2005
http://scan.org.uk
Scottish Archive Network
SCAN has digitised and indexed all testaments registered in Scotland between 1500 and 1925.
http://www.scottishhandwriting.com
This website offers online tuition in palaeography for historians, genealogists and other researchers who have
problems reading manuscript historical records written in Scotland in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
http://www.jacobboerema.nl/en/Freeware.htm
Download Transcript 2.4 for Windows: makes transcribing easier (freeware)
http://t-pen.org/TPEN
T-PEN is a web-based tool for working with images of manuscripts. Users attach transcription data (new or
uploaded) to the actual lines of the original manuscript in a simple, flexible interface.
http://www.nls.uk
National Library of Scotland - use this link to search http://main-cat.nls.uk/vwebv/searchBasic?sk=nls_en
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk
As from 1 April 2011, the General Register Office for Scotland merged with the National Archives of Scotland to
become the National Records of Scotland (NRS). This website will remain active until it is replaced in due course
by a new website for NRS.
http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk
They perform the registration and statistical functions of the Registrar General for Scotland, including
responsibility for demographic statistics and census, and the archival functions of the Keeper including maintaining
the archives as one of Scotland’s five National Collections, and providing a leadership role for Scottish archive and
record professionals. We are also responsible for the service for family history provided under the highly successful
ScotlandsPeople brand. ScotlandsPeople is available online, in our offices in Edinburgh and, increasingly in Local
Family History Centres.
http://www.nas.gov.uk/onlineregister
This database contains the fully searchable details of all items in the catalogue of the National Register of
Archives Scotland.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/advanced-search
Search the UK National Archives
http://histpop.org/ohpr/servlet
The Online Historical Population Reports (OHPR) collection provides online access to the complete British
population reports for Britain and Ireland from 1801 to 1937. A great place to look at documents related to Census
http://munksroll.rcplondon.ac.uk/Biography/Search
If you are researching family history and your relative was a fellow, FRCP or physician, we are likely to have
published a biographical entry for them. If your relative was an apothecary, GP, LMSSA, LRCP(since 1825),
MRCP, MRCS or surgeon, we are unlikely to have an entry on them. (For more information on abbreviations, see
the common abbreviation glossary below) But we may hold other resources, such as papers or correspondence in
the archive collections.
Members’ Interests
from Carole Cowan
BUCK
ENGLAND
Cornwall
Churchbridge/Duloe 1860-1873
BUCK
IRELAND
Cork
Coolkelure
1830-1860
BUCK
NEW ZEALAND
Sth Canterbury
Rangitata
1874+
BUCK
NEW ZEALAND
Sth Canterbury
Temuka/Timaru
BURNS
IRELAND
Down
Banbridge
1840-1870
BURNS
NEW ZEALAND
Canterbury
Kaiapoi
1870+
BURNS
NEW ZEALAND
Sth Canterbury
Timaru/Temuka
DAWE
ENGLAND
Cornwall
Alternun
1830
DAWE
NEW ZEALAND
Sth Canterbury
Washdyke
1870+
TAYLOR
ENGLAND
Gloucestershire
Barnsley
pre1874
TAYLOR
NEW ZEALAND
Sth Canterbury
Winchester/Temuka 1874+
WRIGHT
ENGLAND
Cornwall
Churchbridge/Duloe 1860-1873
WRIGHT
IRELAND
Cork
1830-1860
WRIGHT
NEW ZEALAND
Sth Canterbury
Rangitata
WRIGHT
NEW ZEALAND
Sth Canterbury
Temuka/Timaru 1874+
Coolkelure
1874+
1870+
1874+
Contact: Irene Burns, 14A Donegal Street, Belfast, Christchurch, 8051, -phone 03 323 6147
Email: sally.irene.kelly@gmail.com.
BLEASE
NEW ZEALAND
Otago
Dunedin
1887+
CUTHBERTSON NEW ZEALAND
Otago
Dunedin
1863+
CUTHBERTON
Otago
Hilderthorpe, Oamaru 1863+
CUTHBERTSON ENGLAND
Yorkshire
Topcliffe
All
GREIG
Otago
Dunedin
1886+
JOHNSON ENGLAND
Yorkshire
Pocklington
All
RAINTON NEW ZEALAND
Otago
Dunedin
1890+
WATTS
Otago
Dunedin
1886+
NEW ZEALAND
NEW ZEALAND
NEW ZEALAND
Contact: Janette Clarke, 214 Otipua Road, Timaru 7910 - phone 684 5327
Email: rejanz@xnet.co.nz
Any member wishing to have their surname interests published in this newsletter, which is
distributed to branches of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists all over New Zealand, or
who wishes to add or delete names from their present list, please contact Carole Cowan, phone
03 684-5491.
Library report
from Teresa Scott
South Canterbury branch library - recent accessions include:
*
Branch newsletters 2014:
Ashburton – August-September
Cambridge GG – September
Feilding – August
Hibiscus Coast – September
Kapiti – August, September
New Plymouth – August, September
Papakura – August
Riccarton – September
Wairarapa – September
Wellington – August, September
Dunedin FHG – September
Blenheim – August, September
Canterbury – August
Gore – August, September
Hutt Valley – August, September
Kilbirnie – August, October
Oamaru – August
Papamoa – August, September
Southland – August
Wanganui – August
FamNet – July, August
*
Family Tree Magazine – September 2014, October 2014
Please note February 2010, Autumn 2010, April 2012, September 2013, October
2013, November 2013, Christmas 2013, January 2014, February 2014, March 2014,
April 2014, May 2014, June 2014, July 2014, August 2014, September 2014, October
2014 Family Tree magazines have gone out on the 'round-robin' and will not be on
the library shelves for some time. As each new issue is received it will be dispatched
to readers.
* The Timaru Herald: The 150th Anniversary
[DH128] [donated]
* NZSG Conference Proceedings, 2014 (USB – in
CD cabinet) [CP24] (conditions apply. Discuss with
librarian)
* 1939-1945 The War Dead of the British Commonwealth and Empire: Italy 12 – Sangro River War
Cemetery, Part I [MR39] [donated]
*
Sussex Family Historian – June 2013 (Vol. 20 No 6)
Sussex Family Historian – September 2013 (Vol. 20, No 7)
Sussex Family Historian – December 2013 (Vol. 20, No 8) [ENG:J280a, b, c] [all 3
donated]
* CDs, microfiche & hardcopy records – many assorted – still to be sorted & catalogued [donated]
Museum Sunday roster
South Canterbury Museum research room
Sunday roster 1.30pm - 4.30pm
NOTE: If you are unable to do your duty please arrange for another on the roster
to do it for you and advise your partner who your replacement is.
Any queries please ring Janette Clarke 684-5327 - email : rejanz@xnet.co.nz
Maree Bowen
12 October
686 0584
Janette Clarke
684 5327
19 October
Lois White
684 4173
Robyn King
688 4522
26 October
Teresa Scott
688-9034
Liz Shea
684-7790
2 November
Dave Jack
021 770000
Janette Clarke
684-5327
9 November
Lois Shears
688-1655
Maree Bowen
686-0584
16 November
Lois White
684-4173
Robyn King
688-4522
23 November
Carole Cowan
684-5491
Jeanette Cooke
684-6827
30 November
Teresa Scott
688-9034
Liz Shea
684-7790
7 December
Dave Jack
021 770000
Janette Clarke
684-5327
Local contacts
SC Branch NZ Society of Genealogy - Officer Bearers
Convenor:
Liz Shea
sheafamily@farmside.co.nz
03 684 7790 Branch Contact
Minute secretary: Lesley Tennent
03 612 6759
Committee:
Teresa Scott
03 688 9034 Library
Lois Shears
03 688 1655 School Rolls
Ann Munro
03 684 8585 Research
Maree Bowen
03 686 0584
Carol Bell
03 684 7733 Newsletter Editor
Off Committee: Carole Cowan
Treasurer: Carolyn Johnston 684-5709
03 684 5491 Members Interests
Branch email: SouthCanterbury@genealogy.org.nz
carolbel@es.co.nz