GSV News

Our lockdown year reminded me how lucky we are to have Trove and digitised newspapers online. For those of us who fiddled with microfilm readers and squinted at black screens over the years, more searchable Trove can't come soon enough.

There are more than 10,000 years worth of out-of-copyright microfilmed Victorian newspapers at State Library Victoria yet to be digitised to Trove. These almost extinct local newspapers regularly reported domestic details that provide gems which enliven our family stories and which may prove to be our only link to past lives. 

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In 2017 a campaign was mounted to digitise to Trove 35 years of five microfilmed, out-of-copyright newspapers of the Knox and Dandenong Ranges area. Through the efforts of the Dandenong Ranges Historical Council, an umbrella group of four historical societies, a heritage trust and a local action group, all five local newspapers were successfully digitised on Trove. 

Following this success, a campaign headed 'More Trove for Vic' (see WEBSITE) has been launched to encourage the Victorian Government to provide more funding so that more Victorian newspapers can be digitised and made searchable on Trove. 'More Trove for Vic' has put up an e-petition on the Victorian Parliament website and is encouraging historically-minded people to support it.

Based on the State Library Victoria's summary of holdings of microfilmed newspapers there are more than 10,000 years worth of out-of-copyright microfilmed newspapers from 71 Victorian municipalities yet to be digitised to Trove - 26 of these municipalities have more than 85% of their microfilmed newspapers yet to be digitised to Trove.

'More Trove for Vic' calculates that at the rate achieved in 2018-19 it would take nearly 180 years to digitise just the microfilmed newspapers of the more than 870 newspapers published in 216 towns and communities in 71 municipalities across Victoria.  But if the Victorian Government commits to funding a dedicated mass-digitisation of Victoria's historical newspapers then this could be completed in 3 years. The microfilmed newspapers could be digitised for as little as 80c per Victorian per year for three years and this would benefit 71 municipalities. 


You can view and sign the petition here: follow the prompts at https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/council/petitions/electronic-petitions/view-e-petitions/details/12/299

You must be a resident of Victoria to sign. You can read more information about how petitions to Parliament work on the Parliament's website.

The CLOSING DATE for this petition is 30 May 2021. After that it may be tabled by a Member of the Legislative Council and will then be referred to the relevant Minister.

Obviously the more signatures the better!

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Campaign logo designed by Laura Renfrew, 2020.

Did the circumstances of 2020 focus you on your family history research?

Or maybe, instead you turned to cooking and walking just to get out. 

Certainly this pandemic and the recent storming of the US Capitol building makes this family historian think more about the pandemics of the past and the volatile political uprisings that our family members may have lived through in their day. The 1918-20 Spanish flu killed about 20-50 M of the then 1.8 billion world population. So far COVID is approaching about 2 m deaths of 7.8 billion world population. 

Whether learning about the past will be enough to save us from a repetition (Churchill, Santayana, etc.) remains to be seen. But 'knowing more' about such past events helps us cope better - and hopefully helps our survival. [Ed.]

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Why do we study family history? This question was asked on this blog on 3 Sept 2018: 'What makes a family historian tick?' A new book sets out some answers.

Many GSV members responded to this question by participating in a survey of the motives and characteristics of family historians that was conducted by social researchers at the University of Melbourne and Swinburne University. 

The outcomes of that study have been incorporated in a new book, now available: The Psychology of Family History: Exploring our Genealogyby Susan Moore, Doreen Rosenthal and Rebecca Robinson (Routledge, 2020).

The book presents their findings regarding:

• Family history: Passion and popularity 
• Spiritual and religious underpinnings of genealogy 
• Identity: Who do I think I am? 
• Biological realities: Who am I genetically? 
• Beyond the self: Altruistic and intergenerational motives 
• Family history as therapy   
• The genealogical detective: Cognitive motives for family history research 
• Health: What are my inherited health risks? 
• Ethical dilemmas:  What should I do now? 

It concludes with consideration of the future challenges for family historians.

You can find out more about the book at: https://www.routledge.com/The-Psychology-of-Family-History-Exploring-Our-Genealogy/Moore-Rosenthal-Robinson/p/book/9781003011576

Maybe we can bring you a review in a future post. 

Best Wishes to all of us for this New Year of 2021

- and check out our GSV Events in January-March (see the last post and the website).

A TALE OF PAST EVENTS

The arrival of "La Grippe" - the 1889 'Russian influenza' of Europe and America - was reported in Australia and New Zealand in 1890 (Australian Town & Country Journal, 5 Apr 1890, p10.) In Europe it 'began to kill off a great number of old people, and a 'number of Civil Servants [were] reported suffering from the epidemic...In Victoria it is chiefly Civil servants who have been attacked. Randwick races are coming on, and it is to be hoped that our own poor overworked Government clerks will not suffer from the malady', the Journal opined. Dr Thompson, the NSW Chief Medical Inspector advised that 'quarantine against influenza would be profitless against the disease and would certainly cause very serious monetary loss'. By April 1890 it was raging in Melbourne. The first notice of its arrival in Sydney was on April 2 when HMS Rapid returned from Hobart with Alexander Stevens, my great grandfather in its crew and 21 cases under treatment. Another RN ship brought 35 active cases from Melbourne. The harbour master did not quarantine the vessels but kept afflicted crew on board. At least the captain and officers were able to attend the Sydney Lord Mayors' Ball a few days later, so that was good.

All sounds very familiar 130 years later. In fact the 'Russian' flu may have been caused by the COVID 19-like 'common cold' coronavirus, which split or jumped from a cattle virus about then. The events of this year have given us a firsthand lesson in the part played by disease throughout our family histories.

But that's enough reflection on 2020. 

Australia's 'luckiness of distance' - and good management - means that we can plan events for 2021. [Ed.]

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GSV 2021 EVENTS

Thanks to all at the GSV, the 2021 Events program has lots to offer.

Our existing program of Classes, Discussion Circles and Talks will continue in the new year by Zoom. And there are new events and talks coming up.

15 January - The Good Oil will recommence when Cheryl Griffin will lead a discussion on various techniques and tips for undertaking good family history research.

20 January - The GSV Writers are planning the first of a series of ‘Shut Up And Write’ sessions. This was successfully introduced to their program this year, to focus members on starting and completing a piece of writing. Without this, all that research doesn't become history. Numbers at this event are limited so book early for this exciting event. The group's full program for the year will be on the website soon. All GSV members are welcome.

Writing course - 1, 8 and 15 February

For help in the skills needed to write your history, Margaret Vines will conduct her Writing Course by Zoomon consecutive Mondays 1, 8 and 15 February 2021, starting at 10.30 am. The course fee will be $75 and like her past courses will include the writing process - getting started, drafting and editing, basic writing skills and documenting your writing. Participants would be expected to write in class and between classes. The course is limited to 10 participants.

2021 SUMMER / AUTUMN TALKS

Book now to attend the following:

21 January– Ann Copeland from the State Library of Victoria will discuss the records available to assist you to research a house or property

4 February– Carl Villis from the National Gallery of Victoria will talk about dating paintings

11 February– A talk entitled ‘Researching NSW records prior to 1850’ will be presented by Louise Wilson 

18 February– Stephen Haby from the Prahran Mechanics Institute will talk about the development of the Melbourne railway system and its impact on the lives of your ancestors

4 March– Jillian Hiscock, the Collections Manager at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, will speak about their extensive resources including their manuscript and image collections.

18 March– Liz Rushen will present her talk about ‘Immigration to Victoria prior to the Goldrush’. This talk had to be cancelled in December. There are spaces still available for this event.

Register early for these events so that you do not miss out

The GSV Education Team wishes all members a happy and safe holiday period and looks forward to seeing you at events in 2021.

DNA testing and the re-framing of histories and identities in contemporary society.

A research project at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

A research team at the University of Newcastle in Australia (Drs Shaw, Donnelly, Burke and Parkes from the School of Education) are conducting research into family history and DNA testing and its impacts on people’s understanding of themselves and their place in history. They are conducting an online survey, which is expected to take about 20 - 30 minutes and would welcome your participation if you have utilised DNA-testing in your research.

The Research Team is hoping that GSV members and others will take up this invitation, using the link below to take part in this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2DDTC2L

The purpose of the research is to investigate the use, role and impact of DNA testing in exploring and understanding individual national and global histories and identities. This study is an Australian-first and will provide an exciting opportunity to be involved in a new worldwide project about exploring the past.

Dr Debra Donnelly, Senior Lecturer at the University's School of Education, and principal, researcher for this study said that 'My colleagues and I have become interested in DNA testing and its impact on ideas of history and family heritage. The project is just beginning and we plan to collect data survey data for a few months. We will then analyse the data and likely there will be phase two interviews and case studies.'  

Participants will be asked to reflect on their experience with DNA testing and to provide some general demographic information. The survey will be online for 4-6 months. Links to a plain English report of the findings will be emailed to participating family history societies, so we hope to provide some feedback possibly in this blog.

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The latest edition of our quarterly journal 'Ancestor' has now been published.

Members who have elected to receive a print edition should have received their copy in the mail and be perusing its many interesting articles, including 'Tom were the naughty lad' by Brian Reid - this year's winner of the GSV Writing Prize

But this edition is also available to members to read as a PDF file and as a flipbook that can be accessed in the Members Area of the GSV website.

This move to give you digital-media options for reading our journal is part of developing more ways to provide services to our members. Our COVID year has certainly prompted us in this. Our Zoom meetings and webinars are proving very popular especially as our centre has restricted access and as people only cautiously return to public transport.

Have a look at our digital editions - and you may even elect to access future editions in this way - thus saving postage and printing costs for the GSV, improving our environmental footprint and helping you downsize your home shelf space! You can access back copies as a Member via our website and search past articles via our catalogue.

You can change your delivery preferences under your Membership Details on the website.

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It has been great to see people back in the city this past week, all being cautious and wearing masks, as we emerge from a time when we showed that we have a strong community. And we have developed new ways to connect to our far-flung members online, welcoming many from regional Victoria and  interstate to our Zoom sessions. Well done Melburnians!

And the GOOD NEWS is that we will open the GSV Library from Tuesday 17 November to a limited number of members for a limited number of hours.

Of course our new online options for you will continue as well, while we work our way forward in a different world.

Days open:  Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday

Open times:  approx. 11am – 2pm

Access: GSV’s library collection including item listed as “Digital @ GSV” & some databases. 

Booking essential as it’s limited to 2 -3 members per day.

Email to Book:research@gsv.org.au  and please specify which day and time and what records you would like to research, e.g. browse FamilySearch“affiliate library” documents.

Once at the GSV please follow instructions so that we can ensure that our staff and members are safe.

Thank you for all your support during this second Covid closure.

Where has the year gone?

Footy done! And not going to the Races this year! But luckily summer is coming.

In Melbourne we have had to find the old picnic gear and resurrect such outdoor pastimes to see our friends and family. But the GSV keeps cooking up online events to compete with the picnics and obligatory walking. (Have the dogs ever been walked so much!)

For the closing months of the year, you can book online for these four interesting presentations. We have increased the numbers who can attend, so you should be able get in if you check your busy calendars and book NOW.

Go to our website to book https://www.gsv.org.au

5 November at 11 am

The Diary of Isabelle Quin of Nenagh, Tipperary, Ireland

Carmel McEvey will present details of a diary, written by an Irishwoman during the 1860s, which provides an insight into the role of women during this period.

Her diary offers a significant insight into the role of women during the mid-Victorian era and it illustrates the importance and context of place for family historians when undertaking research. The diary offers a snapshot of society of the era and its connections to landed gentry, the military and those of standing in the community.

Carmel McEvey is a GSV member who has recently completed a Master of Arts (History of Family) (Hons), and a Certificate of History of Family and Genealogical Methods (Hons) at the University of Limerick in Ireland.

19 November at 1 pm

Grave Concerns of the Queen Victoria Market

The Old Melbourne Cemetery, which opened in 1837, was doomed as it was surrounded by the growing settlement of Melbourne. Dr Celestina Sagazio will discuss this cemetery, which now lies beneath The Queen Victoria Market.

This illustrated presentation will provide fascinating information about the Old Melbourne Cemetery, which opened in 1837, as well as revealing details about the development of the market itself. This was Melbourne’s first official cemetery but over time it became surrounded by settlement and over government authorities and businesspeople planned to replace it with the Queen Victoria Market. It is estimated that the remains of 7000 people are still buried beneath the market. This very interesting and much-loved historic site is steeped in history and will reveal many astonishing stories.

Dr Sagazio is a recognised authority on the history and conservation of cemeteries in Victoria and Melbourne’s heritage. In addition to her publications, Dr Sagazio shares her passion and enjoyment of heritage, by bringing history to life in an engaging and informative way through story-telling, presentations and specialty tours. Dr Sagazio is the organiser/tour guide of the very popular and professionally-choreographed Halloween cemetery tours and other well-received night and day tours of Melbourne General Cemetery which raise funds for the restoration of significant cemetery monuments.

24 November at 10.30 am

Frontier Encounters between Europeans and Aboriginals

Dr Richard Broome will discuss the impact of Europeans on the networks of kinship, trade and culture that various Aboriginal peoples of Victoria had developed over millennia.

From first settlement to the present, he shows how Aboriginal families have coped with ongoing disruption and displacement, and how individuals and groups have challenged the system. With painful stories of personal loss as well as many successes, Dr Broome outlines how Aboriginal Victorians survived near decimation to become a vibrant community today.

 

RICHARD BROOME is a Professor of History and Associate at La Trobe University. One of Australia's most respected scholars of Aboriginal history, he has written many articles and books including Aboriginal Australians and Sideshow Alley.

3 December at 10.30 am

John Marshall: Immigration to Victoria before the Goldrush

John Marshall, shipowner and Lloyd’s agent, was influential in the bounty emigration schemes introduced in the Port Phillip District in 1839. Dr Liz Rushen will discuss Marshall’s lifeand the schemes. 

When the Port Phillip District was opened up to bounty emigration in 1839, a flood of emigrants poured into the new colony, most encouraged by John Marshall. He had immigrants on three of the first five bounty ships and when the trade was at its peak, he sent a ship to Australia every month. In this talk, Liz Rushen will discuss the work and influence of John Marshall.

 

Dr Liz Rushen is a Melbourne-based historian who has written extensively on nineteenth Century migration to Australia. She is an adjunct research associate in the School of Historical Studies at Monash University.

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Register for the events by logging into the Member’s section of the GSV website.

Further talks are being planned for 2021

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If you want to comment on any of our posts you can do so in the COMMENTS section at the bottom or add your comments to the post republished on the GSV facebook page. [Ed.]

I was very pleased to announce the Winner and Runner-up of this year's GSV Writing Prize at a Zoom ceremony on Saturday 3 October.

The Winning Entry was 'Tom were the naughty lad' by Brian Reid. The Runner-up prize was awarded to Susan Wight for her piece 'Webster Soda Water'.

Ancestry provided the prize for the winner of a 12-month subscription to Ancestry Worldwide plus an Ancestry DNA Kit, as well as a 6-month subscription for the Runner-up. The GSV thanks Ancestry.com for their continued support. 

Things were a bit different this year, as our award announcement could not be made at the AGM, which has been postponed. Instead 22 members assembled at a Zoom event to hear the announcement and congratulate the winners.

On behalf of the judging panel Margaret Vines observed that all 12 entries were of a good standard and that they covered a wide range of subjects and some unusual themes, which the judges had found interesting. Our guest judge, Dr Gary Presland, archeologist, historian and award-winning writer, commented that he had enjoyed reading writing which took him to places he had not been before.We thank Gary very much for his time as our guest judge this year.

Last year the Prize was opened to any members of GSV Member Societies and we are pleased that our runner-up heard of the Prize through her local group, the Queenscliffe Historical Museum. We hope to publicise this Prize more widely amongst our regional societies in future.

The wining entry 'Tom were the naughty lad' will be published in the coming December issue of Ancestor. The Judge's Report will also be published then and on the GSV's website.

On behalf of Council I extend our thanks to the judges, Gary Presland, Joy Roy, Margaret Vines, Tina Hocking and Bill Barlow; to Leonie Elliss, the coordinator of the competition process, and to the AncestorEditorial Team for its custodianship of this important event in our year.

One of our objectives is to encourage family history writing and these entrants demonstrated how important it is that we all tackle the writing as well as the researching of our family stories.

Our Zoom screens did not have a button to raise virtual glasses in a toast to this year's winner and runner-up, but there was distant clapping at separate computer terminals across the land. 

Congratulations to Brian and Susan and all the entrants.

Jenny Redman

President GSV

The June 2021 edition of the GSV's award-winning quarterly journal Ancestor is now out.

Digital editions in flipbook and a PDF are now on our website for Members.

Members will receive it in hard copy by mail soon, unless they have opted for digital-only, thus saving paper and running costs for the GSV.

The Ancestor Editors describe what this issue brings. Happy reading!

and what else would you be doing this week in Victoria) Stay safe.

[Ed.]

'Winter means more time indoors, so more time for writing up your family history, an excellent opportunity to complete your article for the GSV Writing Prize. Entries are due by the end of August – see the back inside cover for details. It’s also a great time for curling up in a chair and reading, so you will enjoy the great variety of articles in this issue.

Alex de Fircks has delved into German military records to describe her father’s time as a reluctant recruit in the German army in the Second World War.

Judy Woodlock follows the life and career of J.C. Williamson’s protégé, dancer Tilly Woodlock, in Australia, New Zealand, England and back to Australia.

Andreas Vlassopoulos and his brothers came from Ithaca, Greece, early in the twentieth century. His daughter, Rosa McCall, weaves memories of her father around stories of life on the island of Ithaca, those left behind, and the family’s fruit stall at the Queen Victoria Market.

Two authors have used family documents as the starting point for research into their forebears. Natalie Lonsdale draws on letters sent to family back home, and her own extensive research, to trace the journey of a young convict from his native Bedfordshire to Tasmania, and later to the Victorian goldfields. Jim Coghlan has used a document written by his great grandfather outlining the main events of his life, backed up with his own research, to tell of the Coghlan family who travelled from Ireland in 1838 expecting to settle in Sydney, but found themselves instead in Port Fairy.

Our series on female publicans continues with Gayle Nicholas’s article about Henrietta, who was briefly the licensee of The Park Hotel near Ballarat. Her time as such was short lived as marital discord saw her leave both the hotel and Ballarat.

We regret that we have not been able to include our usual ‘How to’ guide to researching a particular area in this issue, but this feature will definitely be back in the next issue.

Kristy Love has written a clear and concise article on tracing her grandfather’s half-brothers using a combination of DNA techniques and traditional methods of tracing her ancestors. This contribution will be very useful to anyone starting to use DNA analysis to assist their family history research.

Meg Bate’s Research Corner is an informative guide to education records in Victoria.'

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Don't forget to get your entry in for the Writing Prize!

Do you ever want to ask a quick question arising from your family history research and see if someone knows the answer? 

The GSV launched its membershelpmembers forum for just that purpose.

Our members are a great source of knowledge and helpful suggestions.

In the last few days three members have jumped online with suggestions to help another locate goldfield place names, Double-O Creek and Banshees Creek. And there have been over 750 posts on nearly a hundred topics so far.

It is only for members - but this is yet another good reason to join GSV if you are not a member.

This coming Thursday Tom O'Dea will give an overview of the Forum. His presentation will include a demonstration and he will answer your questions.

Thursday 3 June at 10.30 - 11.30 am. 

Members can log in to register for this Zoom session.

Register on our website HERE

So join in the Forum. Ask questions and help others. Share your experience. 

What better way to spend part of your present lockdown? (Just joking!)