gathering dust

Once again the lovely Jill over at GeniAus has given us a geneameme , this time challenging us to think about the positives of the past year. So here is my 2013 in review. An elusive ancestor I found was Thomas Henry Tozer , my maternal great-great grandfather. After having a hissy fit of frustration over his elusiveness I posted to a couple of rootsweb mailing lists asking if anyone had any suggestions or clues and TADA! A bunch of lovely people suggested I check out the record in the Victorian BDM indexes for a Thomas Toyer. Yep, transcription error. I paid the immediate gratification fee (I love the image download facility of the Victorian BDMs, I really do) and there it was a z like I write mine, easily mistaken for a y. So instead of feeling silly that I had passed over that record a million times I am instead glad that I reached out and people were willing to help. Genealogists are pretty generous people. A precious family photo I found was of the above mentioned Thomas Henry.

Sometimes you come across a character in your research who for one reason or another sparks your curiosity. One such person is John Phillip Gail, the second husband of my 3x Great Grandmother Christiana Sophia Boss (nee Rusch). I have mentioned him in brief twice before in relation to a newspaper report  and a gaol entrance record  but as he is on my mind of late I thought I'd expand a little, who knows maybe someone in the ether knows something of him. Born around 1810 in Germany and possibly died 1892 in Liverpool, NSW.  He married Christiana Boss on the 27th of July 1874 at the Presbyterian Minsters Residence in Scone, NSW. Like all documents related to my family it is pretty unhelpful and full of blanks. John Phillip is however listed as a Widower. Now, by their marriage in 1874 Christiana and John Phillip had three children; Eliza born in 1857, Louisa in 1859 and John William in 1862. Herein lies the first question. Why did John Phillip and Christiana not marry until 1

I have to admit, I am more than a little ambivalent about Ancestry.com public trees. *Puts on Curmudgeon Hat*  They are, I am afraid, possibly the most significant source of the proliferation of lazy research in the genealogy world not to mention all the circular reasoning and just plain wrongness that is spread by the mindless copying that occurs. *Takes off Curmudgeon Hat* That said, I have found relatives by following those shaky leaves to other people's public trees. This has made me feel a little guilty about not having a public tree of my own. You see to date, the trees I have kept on Ancestry are ones that I call 'Kitchen Sinks,' those working trees where I put all the people that may or may not be related or I've ever come across in my research to see what shakes loose. I do this to make use of the automated searching capabilities programmed into the website. It is not what I would consider as good genealogy. It is a research tool only. My 'proper'

Yesterday was Remembrance day or Armistice day, commemorating the end of the First World War. I have a quite a few soldiers in my tree one of whom is Reginald Faithful Muffett, the youngest brother of my Great Grandfather James. Rex was a member of the 6th Light Horse and his service included time at Gallipoli. He was also a conscientious correspondent writing often to his brothers and sisters. One such letter was extracted in the  Goulburn Evening Penny Post. "LETTERS FROM THE FRONT."  Goulburn Evening Penny Post  (NSW : 1881 - 1940) 21 Aug 1915: 2 Edition: EVENING. Web. 12 Nov 2013 < http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98846448 > You can find all the #TroveTuesday posts over at  Branches, Leaves & Pollen  or search the hashtag on twitter

Lest We Forget

The search for the elusive John Green  continues. Following from Anne Young 's guidance and advice, I've been chasing convict John Green's. There are a just a few listed in the State Records Convict index. [Do I get an award for understatement?]  Given that Thomas, a likely son of John was born in 1825 in England any John Green's transported between 1824-33 when the family made their way out became a likely suspect. 11 suitable candidates were identified. After dismissing those who were way to young, married to other people or Irish, 3 were left. The John Green born in 1786, tried in Gloucester and sent out in 1826 on the  England  seemed a good match. But turns out he was a bit of a gaol bird over here as well and as such was pretty traceable in his exploits around the Hunter Valley. On to the maybe but not likely list he goes.   2 left. Introducing Candidate #1 : John Green #1 was born in Bedfordshire c. 1791. Married with 2 Girls and 2 boys and wor

I'm sure you've all heard the axiom "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Setting aside the utter ridiculousness of that statement in general, in genealogy you often do the same thing over and over and get different results. I, for example, have a series of names I run through various search engines every couple of months and today one has borne fruit. Ancestry.com spat out a Gaol Entrance record for John Phillip Gail, for this incident  that I have mentioned before . I now have a country of birth, Germany and an arrival year, 1829 and a ship, the Medway. If only he was actually named on the passenger list .

Last night I was fortunate enough to be a participant in the first GeniAus Hangout on Air , it was a lot of fun and will be a great collaboration and learning resource. One of the questions I got to throw out into the ether was what do you do when you come across an absolute bog standard name, in my case John Green. So what do I know about John Green. John Green is   the father of Louisa Green (b. 21 Jul 1821 - d. 27 Jun 1897) Before he passed away, I was fortunate enough to be in contact with Ken Muffett  who had devoted a lifetime to researching the descendants of Louisa and her husband Charles Robert Muffett in Australia. He had passed along some images of a Family Bible. Muffet Family Bible, from the collection of the late Ken Muffet Someone, and it appears to be a similar hand to that of the Family Register, has kindly written on the death information page. Starting then with the information given about Louisa, there is a Louisa Green christened in Oakley, Bedfords

Having worked in the same department as specialists on military history and being, in general, interested in history that makes the news; I was peripherally aware of the Fromelles Project  and the attempts to identify the remains of the soldiers from this WWI battlefield. Today however, it became rather visible to me. An elderly lady I visit received a phone call yesterday asking for her help (via DNA sample) in the possible identification of her Uncle as one of the unknown soldiers. She is rather pleased that he will (if identified) finally have a proper resting place and cannot wait to share this news with the rest of her family. I do hope for her sake that they manage to make a match.  

As a codicil to the post  Burial in the Bush , I offer the poem written by M.L.M in remembrance of the departed Eliza. "Advertising." Goulburn Herald (NSW : 1881 - 1907) 11 Dec 1886: 5. Web. 14 Oct 2013 < http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article99908550 > In Loving Remembrance OF ELIZA MUFFET, Who departed this Life on November 9th 1886; Aged 27 years and 11 months, A life of suffering she bore From infancy till death, But now she is set free from all - A home in heaven she hath, Through all those many years of pain Her loving parents o'er kept A watchful eye, when she awoke And also when she slept. It would be very wrong to grieve, To wish to have her here again, For now we know she's safe above, Where sorrow is unknown. And when our life on earth is done,  We hope to meet her there, And with the angels praises sing - In that bright land no partings are. November 17th.                                          

Was the topic of last nights "I can't get to sleep and my brain insists on being ridiculously chatty even though I am really tired" ramble. So I was pleased that when I googled it this morning bunches of articles came up. XML Data Migration Case Study: GEDCOM GRAMPS XML for Genealogists Since I'm studying for my Masters in Archives & Records, XML is something I've come to be pretty fond of and honestly GEDCOM has always seemed unnecessarily complicated and inflexible. Is it enough however to convince me to change genie software?  At the moment I switch between TMG and Family Historian , TMG for my 'serious' research stuff and Family Historian for when I am showing non-technical, non-historians my research. Cause it's prettier. TMG is for me, by far the better program. But I haven't tried GRAMPS and the open source nature of it does appeal being in general easier to migrate and preserve over a longer period of time than proprietary

I did have a different item prepared for today - an article containing a lovely sketch of one of my forebears - however, during one of my general surname searches I came across this essay. ESSAYS, SKETCHES, &c. (1886, November 20).  Goulburn Herald  (NSW : 1881 - 1907), p. 6. Retrieved September 30, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article99903863 Mr & Mrs Robert Muffet are my 3x great-grandparents, their eldest son Charles and his wife Mary Matilda (nee Reader), referred to in the article as Mrs Charles Muffet are my 2x great-grandparents. The funeral is that of their daughter Eliza. There is a published tree of the descendants of [Charles] Robert Muffett & Louisa Muffett [nee Green], a copy of which originally helped to feed my love of family history (I'm on page 72). No mention of Eliza's disability is mentioned. I wonder if it was not known or just conveniently forgot?

Although I haven't been posting my responses online, I have been playing along with Julie Goucher's  Book of Me, Written by You  this week's prompt  asked us to describe our physical self and this got me thinking about family resemblances. It's something that I have thought about before - especially when using the face recognition tools in Picasa  as it struggles to work out who is who - so I thought I'd post some family photos to see what you all think. Are the resemblances that family and friends comment on noticeable to virtual strangers? I look like my Mum who looks like her Dad. Me at 26 Mum at 16 So can you pick my Grandfather out of this photo from the National Archives? Grandpa & Mum on her Wedding Day Grandpa's genes are pretty dominant Two of My Cousins at the elder's graduation My nose may also be the fault of my father's genes, specifically his paternal grandmother My Great Grandma Rebecca Sinclair Nose

In amongst the certificates and photographs documenting the family is two pages of hand-lined yellowing paper, covered in a careful script. My Nana gave it to my Father and I when I was 15 and first asked about my Grandfather (Walter Thomas Muffett, 9/4/1916-13/3/1958) and family history. She'd kept it for how much it represented his sense of humour, a trait that is certainly evident amongst his children and grandchildren. It is Old, but Still Good On the assumption that "a laugh will always win,"I am indebted to Albert Falk for the following. If anyone can read it without a laugh, I'll go quietly I had twelve bottles of whiskey in my cellar, and my wife told me to empty the contents of each and every bottle down the sink or else -- So I said I would, and proceeded with the unpleasant task, I with withdrew the cork from the first bottle and poured the contents down the sink, with the exception of one glass, which I drank. I extracted the cork from the second

The lovely Jill over at Geniaus has posted a meme/questionaire for  National Family History Month and I though I'd play along, so here goes: What are the titles and URLs of your genealogy blog/s?  My blog is titled 'gathering dust'  which I thought that was rather appropriate given my tendency to have a burst of activity over a short period of time and then letting things languish as I get distracted by more pressing matters. That, and if you have ever met any of my family you will note the genetic propensity for ignoring the housework (especially dusting). The URL is  www.missmuffett.blogspot.com  chosen out of fondness for my last name, I wasn't always enamored of it given the amount of spider jokes I withstood as a child but it is one of those ones that grows on you as you get older. Do you have a wonderful "Cousin Bait" blog story? A link to a previous blog post might answer this question.   You know I probably do but haven't blogged it. I

is not something I am very good at, and given my own atrocious handwriting you think I would be. Yesterday I turned to twitter to help me make out a place name on a board's immigrant list for the Commodore Perry  1855 - it was Heblos for those interested - today I am wondering if anyone can help me decipher the following "complaints" by Johan Winter and John Boss from the same voyage. Source: Commodore Perry, Persons on Bounty ships to Sydney, Newcastle Moreton Bay, 1848-66, NSW Archives Kit, CGS 5317, microfilm 2469, 4/4946 I'm flummoxed.

My Great (x4) grandfather, Walter Le Pelley (c.1840-?), the youngest child of Ernest Le Pelley (1801-1849) the 16th Seigneur of Sark , migrated to South Australia presumably due to the reversal of fortune encountered by the family. He married Elizabeth Gunther, the daughter of John & Mary Ann Rendall in 1863, and the couple had two children: Louisa Elizabeth (1864-1941) and Frances (Fanny) Amelia (1866-1885). In April 1869, Walter makes his first appearance as 'missing.' Going missing of course, is a curious thing. I doubt Walter himself considered himself missing, that is, if he wasn't dead. But he was un-contactable and people rather wanted to contact him. Missing Friends. (1869, April 21). The South Australian Police Gazette (Adelaide, SA.), p. 55 Elizabeth died in childbirth later that year,  and it is rather ambiguous as to whether he had returned by then or not. In any case two years later, a warrant was issued for his desertion of his children. Deser

Being on uni break and suffering from brain fog inducing sinusitis, I've spent the past couple of days meandering through my family tree research and following whatever tangents caught my interest. A pleasant morning was had searching for and reading about early German immigration to the Hunter Valley and it is that subject that lead me to this little drama. "Maitland Quarter Sessions."  Evening News  (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931) 11 Jun 1884: 4. Web. 18 Jun 2013 < http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107266484 > John Phillip Gail (shooting with intent) John Phillip Gail was the second husband of my 3x Great Grandmother Christiana Sophia Boss (nee Rusch) - one of the aforementioned German immigrants - and the couple is already a little bit scandalous having had at least one child out of wedlock 2 years after Christiana was widowed, and unconfirmed family gossip indicating that John may have been married at the time, so 'shooting with intent' was somethi

I have been rather remiss of late when it comes to Trove Tuesday and blog posting in general as my own research has been sidelined in favour of uni assignments and research tasks for others, but today's task has reminded me once again of the many ways in which I utilise Trove for things outside family history. Today I am creating content and resources for a website that forms an assessable component of CSG4112 . As part of a group I have been working on creating an e-learning website on the study Western Australian History (the website could have been on any e-learning type activity, our group just ended up being a bunch of history nerds and as the only non-Sandgroper I was outvoted when it came to the specific focus) so not only have I been learning a lot about Western Australian history, I have been researching and writing articles on available resources, and Trove cannot be overlooked. I think when I am done with the article on Western Australian Newspapers available via Tro

The common ancestor is an idea with a long history, and if you have been around the internet or genealogy circles anytime since the late 1990s, the concept that westerners are all descended from Charlemagne is probably something you have come across. This concept originates in Darwinian Evolutionary theory and is pretty well supported by mathematical models, genetics (well mitrochrondial DNA), computer modelling and all kinds of other neat science-y stuff. ( Mark Humphrys  gives the most complete overview, it's pretty fascinating) As a scientific concept I totally get it. Go back far enough and everyone on the planet right now has a common ancestor - Every one (in theory) has 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 ggrandparents and so on until you have more potential ancestors than existed on the planet at that time. I was still pretty skeptical when my grandmother showed me her family tree which included Robert the Bruce. Skeptical to the point where I found copies of Robert the Bruce&#

I was rather amused to come across this series of correspondence within the Chronicle  and   The Advertiser    and even more amused to find two of my maternal grandmothers branches claiming ownership of this title, one on her mother's side and one on her father's. A nice little anecdote to share with the cousins. THE FIRST BORN, SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MALE. (1901, June 12).  The Advertiser  (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), p. 6. Retrieved February 12, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4842932 THE FIRSTBORN SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MALE. (1901, June 15).  The Advertiser  (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), p. 11. Retrieved February 12, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4843307  The second letter appeared also in in the June 22nd edition of the Chronicle. You can find all the #TroveTuesday posts over at  Branches, Leaves & Pollen  or search the hashtag on twitter  

I mentioned yesterday my desire to map out my family history in some way and to this end, Trove has been a fabulous resource. I've previously used a family notice found in Trove to begin a search of electoral roles and confirm some names , and again the family notices of Trove'd newspapers have turned up some wonderful gems. "Family Notices."  The Advertiser  (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931) 25 Oct 1902: 6. Web. 5 Feb 2013 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4891551> According to this, at the turn of the century, my great (x3) grandparents, Charlotte and Edward Black were living on Pulsford Road in Prospect, South Australia. According to Google Street View, there are still some delightful houses with period features along Pulsford Road. I wonder which one was the Black's! You can find all the #TroveTuesday posts over at  Branches, Leaves & Pollen  or search the hashtag on twitter.

I have a bit of a weakness for maps, and lately I have been contemplating how to plot some of the never ending list of place names that appear in the course of digging around in genealogy and family stories. I know there is software out there intended to do this but I'm thinking more of a DIY approach using Google Maps in a similar way to  HistoryPin  (If you haven't checked out HistoryPin  before you really should). The problem now is, where to start!

I headed to my parents for the Australia day long weekend, as not only was it Australia Day but brother #2 turned 40 on the 25th and an appropriate bash had been organised to celebrate. I'll admit it, he is and always had been my favourite brother. Sorry brother's #1 & #3, it's not like you didn't know this anyway. Brothers, #1, #2 with me on shoulders, and #3 In any case, 40 is a big birthday and sharing the love of history and family history that both Dad & I have, we (that should really be I, as I pretty much steam-rolled over Mum & Dad to get my way) I decided that it would be a nice thing to give my brother copies of the family photos. That is, all the family photos we could find. Dad and I spent the 25th pulling the house apart and spent the better part of the evening scanning as many as possible. The portraits of our grandfather and two of our great-uncles were printed and framed as the main present and an CD included of all the rest. Dad had w