Journal 15th September
aka trying to be accountable
“Where does the time go?” I ask myself?
It was reassuring to attend the NSW & ACT Association of Family History Societies Inc. Annual conference via Zoom yesterday and hear Ruth Graham talk about feeling overwhelmed. As she said “We’ve never had it so good” in terms of availability of information. But how the heck do we manage it all?
I retired a couple of years ago….okay four years ago…and what do I have to show for it?
Wouldn’t you think I would have written my family history by now? Cough. Cough.
I am keeping a time log in an effort to track where the time does indeed go. It’s extraordinary really. You can spend an awful lot of time trying to keep your email inbox under control. You can spend an awful lot of time volunteering. You can spend a lot of time playing cards. You can spend a lot of time just travelling hithter and yon. You can spend a lot of time just sitting and thinking :)
I am hoping that AI will help me move along a bit faster with writing and sharing my family history. Andrew Redfern’s presentation on AI and family history was informative as always and I’ve been playing with Claude and Perplexity since yesterday. Have you used them? Do you have a preference?
Clive Smith’s talk on the Colonial Secretary's Records on Ancestry was fabulous as I knew it would be, having heard him speak before. His work as a family historian is prodigious and admirable. I wish I had his stamina and output. I can see hours whipping by me as I explore those resources more fully. Downloading his guide is a must, as is reading it. Note to self: read it Alex, you may save yourself some time!
Nick Reddan spoke about the Registry of Deeds Index Project Ireland. I know there have to be some jewels in that particular project and it is another example of family historians giving back to the community in a major way.
It’s been a long time since I attended any family history professional development. I’ve been too busy volunteering but I’m pulling back a bit from that now as I want to focus on producing a coffee table book for my father’s next significant birthday. Any suggestions on what tool I should use to publish that? Vanity publishers seem to be falling by the wayside of late - eg Momento.
Other family history “work” achieved this week was training a colleague in Eventbrite to manage our social activities at QFHS. And assisting another colleague deliver vital training for our Library Assistants in searching our library catalogue and QFHS Data Search effectively. Thank you Geoff Morgan! You are a hero.
Oh yes and I spoke to my sister-in-law Kath about whether or not she remembered her aunt Alice having a brooch handed down from Kath’s great-grandmother Alice Cecilia Duncan which was give to Alice senior by Kath’s great-great-grandmother Rose Duncan (nee Gorrian). Another descendant of the Gorrians emailed me about it on Ancestry this week. Unfortunately, while there was some jewellery found, it was not necessarily from that side of the family. The origin of the jewellery was not documented or recorded. We have only one photo of Rose and its not very clear. She seems to be wearing a brooch of some sort at her neck but who knows if it is that brooch. Just a reminder folks. If you pass down jewellery to descendants it might be a good idea to take a photo of it and record some history about the piece including provenance - that’s a big word for who owned it in the first place. If only I would follow my own advice ;) Isabel! That ring I gave you on Friday this week with the little band of diamonds was from my mother’s first cousin Joy Jeffrey (nee Wingfield). You can read all about it here on this post on my blog.
What did I do the rest of the week? Played bridge of course - and not too badly (for me). I played in a congress last Sunday with partner Anne and earned 0.21 of a red point and Janette and I earned 0.09 of a green point on Tuesday. I know - pathetic. But I am human and have my vices. What do you enjoy doing apart from family history?
Good to see you trying out this new tool. I'm wondering if it has a facility for voice typing!! That would be a game-changer for me.
I'm sticking with my current blogging platforms but want to explore how I can use Substack to grow and maintain my connections.
I haven't watched the NSW/ACT recordings yet, is there one in particular you think I should watch?
Hello there, Alex, it's wonderful to have you join us here in this budding genealogy community on Subtack. I've stepped into all of this with an attitude that you make progress one step at a time one story at a time.
I've also continuously found myself like Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet circling the tree going back to the same facts with different stories and more understanding each time. That's really the key.
Don't let it overwhelm you, just get started with little stories. Staying organized and archive properly to be sure you don't lose work (if you're going to keep circling back it's always good to not step on yourself. lol...)