My friend GeniAus has encouraged her geneabloggers followers to create a blogpost, to consider what they have (or have not) achieved in 2024. I always have good intentions to participate but this year, I found some time to write a post. She will collate a general response, early in the New Year.
1. Google provided an answer to many of my family and local history queries during 2024, however I really enjoy drilling down to the references and checking what is available online. For example many university collections have digitised thesis documents and other material such as this article from the RAHS journal on early Hawkesbury floods.
2. I was the recipient of genearosity from Bruce Fairhall who reminded me to attend the recent meeting about HRE, designed for genealogists who currently use the discontinued The Master Genealogist software. It reminded me to continue updating my database and in 2025 update my Second Site online. The site was last updated in 2012 and I have done a lot more work since then!!!
3. This headstone gave me some extra information. Not so much additional information but reminded me to look at the female branch of one of my families. A quick visit to the cemetery in Hawarden in Flintshire in Wales this year shows that the Ellis family were still in the district in the 20th century. William Leach was born in 1789 in Hawarden and married in 1815 Ann Ellis.
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| Ellis headstones from Hawarden in Wales. Photo: M. Nichols, 2024. |
4. Useful record I discovered was the Trove Digital Library - Digitised Journals which I found very useful. I continue to use the digitised newspapers on Trove nearly every day and it still remains my all-time favourite.
5. & 6. A newly found family member and my biggest geneasurprises was when a 2nd cousin contacted me with a dilemma. He had been contacted by someone to say their DNA matched my cousin’s. Weirdly I went to school with the mystery person and we never knew of this connection.
7. My 2024 post that I was particularly proud of was the only one I posted in 2024. It was about the Australian astronomer John Tebbutt 1834-1916, who is indirectly connected to my family tree. He occasionally employed assistants known as computers to assist with his calculations. The two assistants were Margie Arnold, a young school teacher from Windsor and Lesley Parker employed at the local Commercial Bank. Although technically local history research, I employed the relevant family history strategies to undertake the research. If anyone is interested you can read Astronomer Tebbutt's computers about it here on my Hawkesbury Heritage blog.
8. DNA helped me to realise that there are many connections out there and I should follow them up, if only I had time.
9. No upgrades I can think of… but I continue to make use of Libby through my local library for free and access the Family Tree UK and Family tree magazines for free. Check if your local public library subscribes on their website or check here
10. Although Face to Face events have returned Zoom has allowed me to attend many online meetings. I was even able to attend the talk ‘Walking in the footsteps of your ancestor’ with Gow descendants Barbara and Stephen that was held in Windsor NSW in November 2024 while I was travelling overseas in the UK.
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| Screenshot of meeting - Walking in the footsteps of your ancestor |
11. I dipped my toes into the water at Porthleven Harbour in Cornwall in in November and it was really cold but haven’t really done much else!
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| Porthleven Harbour in Cornwall. Photo: M. Nichols, 2024. |
12. I connected with author and lawyer, Larissa Behrendt who spoke at our Hawkesbury Family History Group meeting about 'Storytelling traditions in Literature' in October 2024. Her talk was mesmerising and I found it exceedingly interesting. She spoke from the heart about growing up, a member of the Eualeyai/Kamilaroi nations in northern NSW. There was a lot of discussion in her home growing up about "land rights and the impact of colonization" however "aboriginal history and the removal policy were never discussed in school." Larissa was the first aborigine to attend Harvard Law School in 1993. one of the She was one of the first generation of aborigines to be able to go from high school to
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| Larissa Behrendt. Photo: M. Nichols, 2024. |
13. By dipping my toes into AI I was able to conduct some interesting searches online. Still have much to learn and look forward to Andrew Redfern visiting the Hawkesbury Family History Group as a speaker in 2025.
14. I was honoured to lead the Remote Cemeteries Tour on behalf of the National Trust NSW – Hawkesbury Branch with my husband, Jonathan Auld in September 2024. This walking/driving tour involved taking about 30 attendees to various remote cemeteries in the Hawkesbury including St Albans, Wisemans Ferry and Sackville.
15. I found the Wider local studies seminar on 11-13 June, a very useful presentation. There were some interesting sessions on oral history. I also have a several talks to catch up on through the Virtual Genealogical Association.
16. A great repository/archive/library I visited was the State Library of NSW. I have been visiting here since 1978 and never fails to disappoint. I am hoping to make more visits in 2025.
17. I got the most value, just not from one book, but from many. I work everyday surrounded books. I cannot single just one special one in 2024.
18. It was exciting to finally meet some of the new leaves on our family tree this year. Got to personally catch up with my great-nephew Reuben and great-niece Rose both born in the UK since I last visited in 2018.
19. A geneadventure I enjoyed was a quick visit to Hawarden in Flintshire in Wales in November whilst travelling through the UK. Although we were limited with time, we stopped for quick walk through the church and cemetery. My mother’s ancestors the Leach and Ellis families resided here in the late 18th and early 19th century.
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| Visit to Hawarden in Wales. Photo: M. Nichols, 2024. |
20. Another positive I would like to reiterate is that even though I have not done a great deal of research this past year, I continue to be passionate about discovering more about my family’s past. I find much inspiration from the geneabloggers group.
