BRANCH LINES Newsletter of the Southland Branch New Zealand Society of Genealogists Issue No. 63 April 2017 About Branch Lines Branch Lines is a periodic magazine, issued for the members of the Southland Branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists.. Branch Meeting Topics and Special events Wed 17 th May Sat 14 th June Sat 17 th June Our branch AGM. Committee members and office bearers will be elected. Following this Mary Stuart will give a talk on updated Irish Research records. There will also be another ratification of Society rule changes. NZSG Conference and AGM in Auckland. Our first SATURDAY meeting at 1:30pm. Bring your certificates to be copied and sent to Family Research Centre in Auckland can be birth, death, marriage, qualifications, baptism or any other certificate. 7-11 August There will be a repeat of our joint lunchtime lectures along with the Invercargill Library staff. Topics are to be confirmed. Sat 19 th August Heather Bray will be speaking on Otago/Southland Timeline. Always an interesting and passionate speaker. The views expressed are those of the contributors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Branch of the Society. It is intended to be produced bi monthly to keep you up to date with events. Wendy Shaw is currently filling the position of Editor. Index Meetings.... 1/2 NZ News.... 2 Hooked on Genealogy 3 Wanaka Irish W/shop 3 Gen Comp Gp... 4 Overseas News... 4 Certificates evening. 5 Organising research. 6 Battle Names... 5 Gen-guides.... 7 JT s Diary.... 8 Branch information. 9 1
New Zealand News NZSG AGM and Conference 2017 Queens Birthday Weekend book your airfares and accommodation! An exciting range of workshops and presentations, to be held at Alexander Park Function Centre, in Greenlane in Auckland. Friday 2nd June through to Monday 5 th June. The Society s Annual General Meeting is to be held on Sunday morning, 4 June 2017. The Conference will feature a number of presentations from both local and overseas keynote speakers. The overseas speakers include Dick Eastman (USA), Ian Waller (UK), Fintan Mullen (Ireland), Judy Russell (The Legal Genealogist from the USA), Gillian Hunt (Ireland) and Diahan Southard (DNA specialist from the USA). Details can be found on the NZSG website under the 2017 Conference tab. Papers Past: NEW RELEASE IMMINENT! Southern Cross Newspaper 1893 1908 is due to be released by the end of April. Price rise for NZ BDM certificates After consideration of the feedback received, Cabinet has approved new fees for BDMCU products and services to be introduced. New fees will come into effect on 22 May 2017. Copy of any document - $25.00. Electronic printout of any document : From 1848 on - $25.00. 2
2017 marks 25 years of Hooked on Genealogy Tours (HOG Tours) with Jan Gow We leave 9 June 2017 so there is time to get you organised so that you can fully benefit from three weeks in Salt Lake City at the World's largest Family History Library! Option to then go to London for 10 days and then to Ireland for 10 days (5 days Dublin, 5 days Belfast). Jan went to SLC in February for the RootsTech Conference and so she should be up-to-date with the changes in the Family History Library. Why go to SLC and the FHL?? The main reason - in just one word - TIME!!! We are there for 21 days and we do have the precious time - the Library opens at 8am and closes at 9pm except for Monday and Sat nights when it closes at 5pm. We live (nestle in) in the Plaza Hotel next door to the Library and we have free wi-fi there so we can continue researching!! No telephones ringing for us; no meals to cook; no housework to do!! Just research. TIME to research. The next one word???? IMMEDIACY!! Yes, find something new?? You can immediately follow through - book to check; microfiche to search; film to read; expert to ask - all there at the FHL just waiting for you! Third word? EVERYWHERE!!!! Yes, Everywhere, Everytime, Everyplace - just have to ask. Put your fingers on the computer keys (you can bring your own) and the world is your oyster. For more information Email Jan@genealogy.net.nz or phone 09 521 1518. Just a few places left so do phone or email soon. HEAD TO WANAKA IN MAY! Exploring Your Irish and Scots-Irish Ancestors - a definite date for your diary 23 May 2017 A very exciting seminar to be given by Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt from the Ulster Historical Foundation on 23 May 2017, in Wanaka. Pass on to anyone you think may be interested. Venue: Wanaka Presbyterian Community Church, 91 Tenby St, Wanaka Time: 1-5pm Cost: $20 per person Host: Wanaka Genealogy Group Bookings are essential - email Wanaka@genealogy.org.nz Click the following link to go to our website where you will find details plus a link to the Booking Form http://wanakagenealogy.weebly.com/seminar-23-may-2017---exploring-your-irish--scotsirish-ancestors---ulster-historical-foundation.html 3
Venue: SeniorNet rooms, WEA building, Esk St., opposite the Invercargill City Council offices. Time: 7pm on 4 th Thursday of the months February-November. All are welcomed to the group - there is no subscription, but members pay $2 per person to cover room hire and supper. Contacts are GCG Secretary Wendy Shaw (027 431 5714) or Convenor Wendy Smith (03 217 3595 a/h). Meetings: 27 April: WW1 Records in NZ CDs, websites and books 25 May: AGM followed by Soup/bread rolls and thinking about personal genealogy goals 22 June: Scanning, PDFs and attachments unlocking the mystery 22 July: Newspaper databases 24 August: Backing up your data using the cloud, USB sticks and hard drives. Overseas News Ancestry: New additions or updates include- NSW Index to Deceased Estate Files 1859-1958 Victoria Wills and Probate Records 1841 2009 Australian Births and Baptisms 1792 1981 Victoria Police Gazettes 1855, 1864 1924 NSW Criminal Court Records 1830 1945 NSW - Sydney Cemetery Headstone Transcriptions 1837 2003 Tasmania Passenger and Crew Lists 1834 1837, 1841-1887 Find My Past: All Australian and New Zealand records are FREE to access from 21-25 April 2017. FamilySearch: Australia, NSW Deceased Estate Files 1880-1923 England Births and Christenings 1538-1975 England, Derbyshire, Church of England Parish Records 1537-1918 and more. 4
Certificates Collection Afternoon 17 June The Branch is negotiating with the Invercargill Library to hold a Certificates collection session at its June meeting - the first to be held on a Saturday afternoon; starting at 1.30pm. The idea behind this is that members will have a number of certificates of various types, and copying them and forwarding them to the Society s Certificates collection will add to the collection for the benefit of members. What is the Certificates Collection? The Certificates Collection is a New Zealand Society of Genealogists members-only service. This is a collection of birth, death and marriage certificates contributed for the sole purpose of sharing information amongst Society members. The majority of records are from New Zealand sources, but there are also many from the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries. This collection, previously known as the Unrelated Certificates Collection, was initially set up as a repository for birth, death and marriage certificates that members had obtained but found to be unrelated to their research. It was first indexed in 1989, and has gradually expanded to include miscellaneous certificates and documents from many official sources which could be of help for genealogical research. The collection continues to grow steadily, thanks to the generosity of Society members and others. By mid-2016 there were over 112,000 records, with over 960,000 entries cross indexed from these records, and the index continues to grow each month. As previously stated, the sole purpose of the collection is to share certificate information amongst Society members. The types of documents deposited in the collection include Birth certificates (including RGO printouts or sightings), Marriage certificates (including RGO printouts or sightings), Death certificates (including RGO printouts or sightings), Parish records (marriages, banns, baptisms, churchyard burials), Intention to Marry notices, Wills, probates, Coroners' reports, Citizen memorials (naturalisation records), War records, Convict records, and Miscellaneous certificates, i.e., educational qualifications, apprentice certificates, funeral directors records, family Bible inscriptions (only if sufficient useful details are shown). Up-to-date information about the collection can be found as a Gen-guide on the Society's website. Log in as a member, then head to: http://www.genealogy.org.nz/nzsg_certificates_collection_238.aspx For the afternoon of Saturday 17 June, members are encouraged to bring certificates to the meeting, where they can be copied (at no cost), then the copies will be despatched to the Society s 5
Timely Genealogy Organization Tips By Vanessa Wieland (Family Tree Magazine) There's a simple key to organizing your genealogy research without losing your mind or feeling overwhelmed. When it comes to organizing your genealogy research, the piles of paper can add up quickly, even if you prefer to work digitally. So how to manage those stacks of vital records, census schedules, old photos, and various notes and research over the years? The answer: one step at a time. The key to organization is to remember that you control it, it doesn't control you. The best way to do that is to set a goal for each step, one that has a limit. Time limits are easiest, so grab a stopwatch or set the timer on your phone, and work a little at a time. Try this: take a 10-minute break after every 30 minutes. Figure out what you want to accomplish in that 30 minutes, and that way, once you've completed it, you'll enjoy a sense of accomplishment. Even if you don't, you can walk away after 30 minutes without guilt, because you're making progress. 6
An interesting article on Battle Babies found on Scotland s People The Battle of the Somme is the best-known World War One battle, fought between the British and French armies against the German army, July to November 1916 around the River Somme in France. More than one million soldiers were wounded or killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history. Twenty Scottish babies were given the middle name Somme between 1916 and 1919. John McCreadie named his son Martin Somme McCreadie, following his birth in late 1916. As McCreadie served in the 9th Battalion, Cameronians, which was involved in bitter fighting on the Somme, the name was perhaps conferred to mark his own survival or commemorate his comrades. Parents also named their children after the Belgian town Ypres, which was the focus of heavy fighting during the war and was almost totally obliterated. In 1917, the third Battle of Ypres occurred, otherwise known as the Battle of Passchendaele. This resulted in nearly half a million casualties across all sides. In Scotland, between 1914 and 1919, 30 babies were given the name Ypres; 5 of those were forenames. (Go to Scotland s People website for more fascinating articles) NZSG Gen-guides Question : What are Gen-guides, and how many could you name? Answer : Gen-guides (Genealogical guides) are a series of booklets written to give detailed information to Society members on a range of services offered to members. There are currently 14 of them, all in PDF format, and they can be downloaded from the Society s website. Log in as a member, then look under the Research tab for Gen Guides. They are: Records Collections - Member Services - Miscellaneous Guides - Certificates Collection First Families Griffis Illegitimacies Collection Pre-1856 Marriages Certificate Purchasing Service Cheque Purchasing Service Guide to Members Services GRO Index & Purchasing Service Land Research Service UK Probates Index & Purchasing Service Cemetery Transcription Guidelines Electoral Rolls Guide to Indexing. 7
WW1 Timeline with a difference JT s Diary (D Coy Infantry Battalion, 17 th Reinforcements (Otago). JT had only written the location each day in his diary, places names as he wrote them with correct name added. The rest of the information was obtained from his Military files located on Archway website Dates Place and Event 1 Jun 1916 Enlisted and posted to 17 th D Coy 18 Nov 1916 1 st Otago Coy 17 th Reinforcements into Sling Camp 8 Dec 1916 posted overseas 1 5 Jan 1917 Etaples 6 Jan Steenwerk 7 13 Jan Levantie (sic) Laventie (posted to 4 th Coy) 13 Jan wounded (shot in back in barracks by another soldier cleaning his gun bullet accidentally left in chamber with a court of enquiry following) 14 Jan Hospital at Bac St Maur 15 27 Jan Laventie String Points (18 Jan Rouen) 28-29 Jan Sailly (sic) (Saily-sur-la-Lys) 30 Jan 28 Feb Bois Grenier 1 18 Mar De Seul (sic) (Seul) 20 27 Mar Messines 28 Mar 13 Apr De Seul 16 30 Apr St Omer 1 22 May De Seul 23 31 May Messines Look up on a map the places he was sent to. More from the diary in the next newsletter. 8
Current Branch Projects Obituaries from the Southland Times of local people (and many national figures) are being collected. These are then indexed before placing the books in the Resource Room. There is an index on the Resource Room laptop. Lone Graves in Southland area - Mary Stuart and Yvonne Service continue collecting data on these graves found in isolated places e.g. on farms, in isolated bush, disused dwellings, abandoned mining camps throughout Lower South Island. Research Enquiry: All committee members will have access to the enquirers contact details. Directory Southland Branch, NZ Society of Genealogists Inc. Postal address: P.O. Box 1329, Invercargill 9840. E-mail: Southland@genealogy.org.nz Meetings Third Wednesday of each month Meeting Room, Invercargill City Library at 7 p.m. [Research facilities from 6 p.m.] Meetings June September will be held on the third Saturday of the month starting at 1:30pm. The Resource Room will be open before and after the meeting. Branch website ~ http://www.nzsgsouthland.com/ NZSG website ~ http://www.genealogy.org.nz/ Genealogical Computing Group website ~ http://www.gencom.org.nz/ 9