How do you feel about Christmas? For some people, Christmas beings great joy and anticipation. They can’t wait to decorate the tree, string the lights and hit play on the Christmas music. For others, it stirs up painful memories, perhaps of family conflict, or loss and grief. And for some, Christmas is just not part […]
Are you researching your family history? If so, do you keep a research log? I do now, but only after learning the value of them the hard way—by not having one. I had been researching my ancestors for about fifteen years, having a grand old time uncovering all sorts of details about generations past—discovering not […]
Have you ever thought about the legacy you might leave for others, or the legacies passed down to you by previous generations? Whether or not we have direct descendants, or know our ancestors, our lives and stories have the power to connect with and impact others in numerous ways. Last week, I had the opportunity […]
Over the years, I’ve read a lot of books about researching and/or writing family history. Some of my favourites have been published here in Australia including these three: Family History for Beginners & Beyond, 16th Edition, edited by Danny O’Neill Whether you’re just starting out on researching your family history, or you’ve been on […]
I was recently chatting to a teacher from Mt Isa in Queensland, whose class is studying Black Snake: The daring of Ned Kelly by Carole Wilkinson. One of the students’ tasks is to write a recount of an event in the book from the perspective of an individual character. Hearing about the class researching Ned […]
What are your memoir or family history goals for 2021? Is it actually making a start on researching or writing your family history? Perhaps it’s interviewing an elderly relative before it’s too late? Or finding a way through the dead ends and brick walls of your research so far? Maybe it’s finally starting to turn […]