While in Hobart I have been spending a lot of time in the ‘History Room’ at the State Library. This is where researchers can retrieve items from the state and national archives that are held in Hobart. In my book I want to include stories of soldiers from each state in Australia and also look at their pre-war experiences, hence my Tasmanian research. As usual I am encountering … [Read more...] about Searching Catalogues Effectively: National Archives of Australia
Genealogy
“Genealogists are becoming the new social historians” says professional historian
“Australian history has been transformed by the contributions of family historians”, says Dr Tanya Evans, historian at Sydney’s Macquarie University. Her new book Fractured Families: Life on the Margins in Colonial New South Wales, is the result of collaboration between Tanya Evans and some of the many family historians who have worked with the archives of Sydney’s oldest … [Read more...] about “Genealogists are becoming the new social historians” says professional historian
Ruminations on a Thing
It is a Thing. It just is. You might have a Thing at your place. You have grown up with it. It is always there, part of your everyday life. So seen, so used that is has become invisible to you. It is difficult to find a Thing if you don't know you have it. A few months ago I discovered that my family had a Thing. It revealed an interesting aspect of family history. I'll tell … [Read more...] about Ruminations on a Thing
Family History – the Kernel of All History
“The kernel of all history is family history.” I wrote that comment this morning in response to a thought-provoking post by Emeritus Professor David Carment about the importance of historians exploring and writing about their own family histories. The post picks up on a theme from a conference held in honour of highly regarded historian, Alan Atkinson. Every one of us is part … [Read more...] about Family History – the Kernel of All History
My Mother the Computer Programmer
My mother did the traditional thing when she married in 1963. She left work to raise children. She did housework and in her spare time enjoyed embroidering. She even exhibited her embroidery. But underneath this conventional exterior my mother did things differently. Mum decided to complete year twelve when I was a baby. Her mother-in-law approved of her studying. “She was … [Read more...] about My Mother the Computer Programmer
