Sunday Snippets

9 February 2025 Edition

One of my highlights this week was to attend a talk by Dr. Perry McIntyre AM, Fellow of the Society of Australian Genealogists. The talk was titled “In Good Health & Fit to Undergo the Voyage.” The topic was about the young girls who came to Australia between 1848 and 1850, as part of the Earl Grey Scheme. Perry is well known as an expert on the subject. I am no expert, but I have an interest, as my great great grandmother, Ellen Boyle was an Earl Grey Girl, which I have written about many times.

Perry’s mission is to collect the story of each Earl Grey Girl, for a planned future publication, so this week I will be sending her Ellen Boyle’s story.

One Place Studies: Part 1 of 2 Getting Up and Running Presented by Janet Barrie.

I was specially interested in this session, as I have a One Place Study of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales. My study is only about 18 months old, so I feel that I’m still getting started. I have been researching and pulling bits of information together, and need now to get it organised before it gets out of control. I picked up many helpful hints and tips from janet, so now have another growing to-do list.

The image below will take you to the recording.

Genstack

Another great Genstack became available yesterday. I’ve had quite a busy week, and have missed so many stories, that I’m keen to catch up on. Genstack is where I’ll be going, later today to do my catch up.

Letters to Bedfordshire Series

My great great grandfather, Thomas Waters, who arrived in Australia from England in 1852, regularly wrote letters home to his family in Dunton, Bedfordshire. Many years ago, I was given copies of the transcripts of these letters, that show the difficulties of starting a new life in a new country in the mid 19th century. I have begun posting these letters here, and they will continue over the next few weeks. Below are the first two posted. The links will take you to the letter.

Discussion Groups

This week, I joined two new discussion groups with the Genealogical Society of Victoria, my state society. The first was the Writers Discussion Group. I don’t consider myself a writer at all. The writer in my family is my daughter. I am just a person, who pulls data together into some kind of family story, as a record for future descendants. I thought it might be fun to learn a little about the craft, and spend time with like minded people.

The Welsh Discussion Group is the other that I joined. I have Welsh ancestry and my One Place Study in Wales, so am up for any learning I can get on researching in Wales.

*There will be no Sunday Snippets next week as I will be away hiking and cycling for the week.