15 August 2014

FindMyPast's world records discount offer

FindMyPast's logo
FindMyPast periodically offers discounts and 'free access' days, which in future I will list on the Discounts and Freebies page on my main Web site. You may also want to read why I use and recommend FindMyPast.

A one-month 'world' subscription to FindMyPast is just $5 (usually $19.95) for new subscribers who pay before midnight on 1 Sep 2014.

The world subscription gives you access to more than 1.5 billion family history records for Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Ireland, the USA and Canada.

If you do not want your subscription to automatically renew at the normal price after your initial period, un-tick the 'auto-renew my subscription' box in the My Account section of the site.

Check whether more recent offers are listed on the Discounts and Freebies page.

14 August 2014

National Family History Month 2014 Geneameme

This geneameme was created by Pauleen (Family History Across the Seas) to celebrate National Family History Month in Australia.
  1. What are you doing for NFHM?   I've created a Web page that lists some genealogy discounts and freebies - and (when I need a break from packing up and moving the contents of my house - sigh) I'll index more Queensland State Archives records.

  2. What do you hope to learn in NFHM?   Whatever I can. My favourite way to learn is to go to the Archives and delve into a record series that I've never used before.

  3. Do you research at a family or local history library?   Not as often as I used to, but I am still a member of the Queensland Family History Society and the Society of Australian Genealogists.

  4. Do you do all your research online?   NO!  Perish the thought!  Many of the best records are not (and never will be) online. (But until I can visit the UK again, I have to use online resources to continue my British research.)

  5. What's your favourite place to store your family tree?   With SecondSite and The Master Genealogist I can convert all of my data into HTML format so that I can store and view it as an interactive 'Website' on a CD, USB thumb drive or external hard drive. Irreplaceable or expensive documents are copied onto acid-free paper and stored off-site. I use Dropbox for electronic backups. Part of my family tree (minus living people) is on my own Web site and on Rootsweb's WorldConnect.

  6. If offline, which genealogy program do you use?   The Master Genealogist (incredibly powerful for keeping track of exactly where each tiny detail came from, and how much I trust the source).

  7. How do you preserve your family stories for future generations?   (1) I self-published a small book and gave 'legal deposit' copies to the National Library of Australia, State Library of Queensland and Queensland Parliamentary Library;  (2) My Web site (which includes a family tree) was selected for inclusion in PANDORA (Australia's Web archive);  (3) Some stories go into my genealogy blogs, which will presumably be available to the public as long as Google exists; (4) My will has instructions about donating some of my material to the Society of Australian Genealogist's primary records collection.

  8. Have you any special research projects on the go?   Lots of research jobs for clients, and an endless list of indexing projects (mental asylum patients, hospital records, illegitimate children, maintenance registers, prison records etc).

  9. What is your favourite family history research activity?   (1) Doing research in original records at Queensland State Archives;  (2) Exploring cemeteries.

  10. What is your favourite family history research place/library etc?   Queensland State Archives. Also the London Metropolitan Archives and North Yorkshire County Record Office.

  11. What is your favourite website for genealogy research?   FindMyPast, for reasons explained here.

  12. Are you part of a Facebook genealogy group? If so which one?   A private group for members of the Genealogists for Families team.

  13. Do you use webinars or podcasts for genealogy?   Yes - The National Archives (UK), the Society of Australian Genealogists, and some from Legacy Family Tree.

  14. Do you use social media?   Intermittently (Facebook).

  15. What genealogy topic/class have you learnt the most from this year at a webinar/conference/seminar?   I guess I can't count Kerry Farmer's excellent seminar, Immigration: Why, When and Where, because it was in late 2013. This year I actually learned the most from the research I did while preparing for my own seminar, 'Look Beyond the Border'.

  16. Do you have a favourite research strategy to knock down your brick walls?   Yes!  Research the subject's siblings and other relatives!

  17. Have you used DNA testing for your genealogy?   Yes.

  18. Have you made cousin connections through your DNA tests?   Yes.

  19. Do you have a wish list of topics for NFHM 2015?   Hmmm (still thinking...)

  20. What do you most love about your family history research?   Finding 'flesh on the bones' information, photographs, physical descriptions and documents written by my ancestors.

03 August 2014

Genealogy Activities


Here are my answers to questions in the survey of genealogy activities (the latest 'Saturday Night Genealogy Fun').

(a) Which genealogy computer software do you use?

The Master Genealogist, which I have used for more than 20 years (and will continue to use). Sometimes I also use Legacy Family Tree for reports and other features.

(b) Which online family trees have information submitted by you?

Apart from the tree on my own Website, I use (and recommend) WorldConnect. I only have a partial tree on FindMyPast. I agree with CeCe Moore who says that many researchers with well-documented family trees do not put them on Ancestry, but they do put them on WorldConnect.

(c) For which subscription genealogy record providers do you have a subscription?

For reasons explained here, I am very happy with my 'world' subscription at FindMyPast (which includes the British Newspaper Archive). At my local public library I can use Ancestry for free, but from time to time I sign up for a one-month subscription so I can use it at home.

(d) Which FREE genealogy record providers do you use regularly?

TroveFreeBMDRyerson IndexFamilySearchCuriousFox; and GENUKI. (GENUKI is not exactly a 'record provider', but some transcribed data there is not available elsewhere).

(e) How much time do you spend each week doing actual genealogy research online (not reading or social networking, but actual searching in a record provider)?

Averaged over a year, about 4 hours per week.

(f) How much time do you spend each week doing actual genealogy research in a repository (library, archive, courthouse, etc.)?

Until recently the average was about 10 hours per week (40 hours per month). Lately I have had to reduce my hours for family reasons.

(g) How much time do you spend each week adding information to your genealogy software programme?

The average would be only about 1 hour per week, but it can vary between zero and 20 hours.

(h) How much time do you spend each month at a genealogical society meeting, program or event (not a seminar or conference)?

Nowadays, not much; but there are a few specific seminars and conferences that I always try to attend.

(i) How much time do you spend each month on genealogy education (reading books and periodicals, attending seminars, conferences, workshops, webinars, etc)?

About 25 hours per month.

(j) How much time do you spend each week reading, writing and commenting on genealogy blogs, websites, and social media?

It varies a lot. The average would be about 6 hours per week.