~ March 2009 ~  

MEETING DATES 2009

Meeting held 2nd Wednesday of the month at 10am in the Tebbutt Room, Windsor Library

INFORMATION

CLASSES IN THE LIBRARY

The library will be presenting the following in the next few months.:

• Family history & the internet ~Tues 31st March 2009 6pm-8pm
  Are you interested in finding out your family history & where you come from? There are many ways the internet can assist with family history research. Hands on experience & we will explore the internet sites that may help you. Cost $20 with notes provided. Bookings essential as places limited.
• Preserving your photographs & documents in the 21st C ~ Thur 30th April 2009 6pm-8pm
  Learn the techniques to digitally archive your old documents and photographs and store the originals appropriately.  Bring along a sample. Cost $20 with notes provided. Bookings essential.

STATE RECORDS WEBSITE

State Records have been making improvements to their website. Check out the new look at www.records.nsw.gov.au
Other improvements & additions are listed below:

• COMBINED ASSISTED IMMIGRANTS INDEX 1839-1896 State Records have combined several indexes to form one large comprehensive index covering Assisted Immigrants between 1839-1896. Search over 200,000 names in the passenger lists covering arrivals to Sydney, Newcastle, Moreton Bay & Port Phillip. See http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/indexes-online/indexes-to-immigration-and-shipping-records/indexes-to-assisted-immigrants
• BANKRUPTCY INDEX 1888-1928 Search the new Bankruptcy Index on the State Records website. Bankruptcy occurs when a person has insufficient credit and is unable to pay creditors and the files contain information about this process. The new index covers the years 1888-1928 and has almost 30,000 new entries! See the following for more information. http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/news/search-the-new-bankruptcy-index

JURD FAMILY REUNION ~ 19 APRIL 2009

Descendants of Daniel & Elizabeth Jurd & associated families [including Sternbeck, Walters, Swanson, Bailey, Waters, Thompson, Fernance & Walker families] are gathering on Sunday 19 April 2009 to honour the Memory of Daniel James & Susannah Frances Walters, nee Bailey & their children, by placing a plaque on their grave. Daniel & Ephraim Joseph & Vida Mildred Jurd, nee Bailey & their children, Hector & Olga plaque on their grave at JILLIBY CEMETERY at 10.30am THEN to YARRAMALONG GENERAL CEMETERY To honour the memory of William & Louisa Jurd & their children with a plaque on Ephraim Ebenezer & Ada's  grave as William is buried in an unmarked grave at St Barnabas, Yarramalong. Celebration will continue at YARRAMALONG HALL. BYO everything:  Tea & Coffee provided.  Bring any memorabilia to display etc. Wyong Family History Group, Central Coast Family History Group & Lwr Hawkesbury Hist Soc will have various items for sale at the hall. For further information contact Ian & Margaret Jurd ph 02 4735 3658 or E: mjurd@optusnet.com.au

GRONO FAMILY REUNION ~ 3 MAY 2009

All descendants of John GRONO & Elizabeth BRISTOW are invited to attend a family reunion to commemorate the 210th anniversary of their arrival in Australia on the "HMS Buffalo" in 1799. Related family surnames are BOOKS, MOBBS, HALL, McKENZIE, MITCHELL, SMALLWOOD. BYO lunch, rugs, chairs etc.
When: Sunday, 3 May 2009 from 10am   Where: Ebenezer Church, Coromandel Rd, Ebenezer, NSW
As part of our reunion festivities we are also holding a Hawkesbury River Cruise for GRONO family descendants on Saturday, 2 May 2009. For more information on either events please contact the Grono Family Association –
E: gronofamily@gmail.com or W: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gronofamily/index.htm  

MISSING HARTLEY REGISTER

Joan Cosgrove is searching for the whereabouts of the Register of Deaths 1856-1884 from Hartley NSW.
It was located at Lithgow court house for many years, but is now missing. It contains information needed for research of the old Maryvale cemetery at Porters Retreat NSW, particularly of miners who were not recorded in church records or family records. It would be greatly appreciated if anyone who can assist in the current location to please contact  Joan Cosgrove aandhcosgrove@optusnet.com.au

HERITAGE FESTIVAL

Come along and listen to talk about John Tebbutt 1834-1916 the well-known astronomer by Ragbir BHATHAL for the Heritage Festival. The talk will be held in the Tebbutt Room on Thursday 16th April at 7pm. Talk is FREE - to book phone 4560-4460. 

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

A new 250 page book on the history of Currency Creek and Glossodia will be published shortly. The book deals with the history of the area from establishment of the Copeland Village Labour Settlement on the Wilberforce Common in 1893 until the subdivisions of the late 20th century.   The work will include information on the local school, post office and fire brigade as well as over 40 local families and features about 300 photographs from the collection of Arthur Cooper.   Arthur Cooper and Cathy McHardy are calling for expressions of interest from those who maybe interested in purchasing copies. The approximate cost will be between $30-$40. Please contact Cathy McHardy by email - cathy@nisch.org or send your name & address to: Cathy McHardy PO Box 258 Kurrajong NSW 2758. Do not send any money at this stage.

PROJECT GUTENBERG OF AUSTRALIA

Project Gutenberg of Australia - a treasure-trove of literature
treasure-trove n. treasure found hidden with no evidence of ownership
The ultimate free ebook site at http://gutenberg.net.au/  Thousands of free ebooks, many titles impossible to find in libraries. Hundreds of modern authors including: George Orwell, D H Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, F Scott Fitzgerald, Miles Franklin, Henry Handel Richardson. Australiana titles – ebooks about Australia or by Australian authors. Australian History & Exploration resources including the published journals of many Australian explorers. If you would like to help make ebooks from out of copyright books, Contact details on the web site http://gutenberg.net.au/

CAVALCADE OF FASHION

Friends of Linnwood will present “An elegant Affair – House Party” on Sunday 19th April 2009. Cost is $10 (includes afternoon tea) Linnwood House is situated at 25 Byron Road, Guildford 2161 Tel 02 9632 9203 or email linwood@optusnet.com.au  for bookings and confirm time.

Surfing the internet……. Sites for family historians

Members with internet access should check out the following interesting sites. The Library has free access to the internet, contact 4560 4460 for bookings at Windsor & 4578 2002 for Richmond bookings.

Preserving old documents ~ http://www.culturalconservation.unimelb.edu.au/publications/bushfires.html

Accessing Wills & Probate Records in Victoria ~  http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/access/probate.asp

Australian – historical towns ~ http://www.heritageaustralia.com.au/search.php

Workhouses in England ~   http://www.workhouses.org.uk/ 

National Archives (UK) podcast series ~ http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheNationalArchivesPodcastSeries

OZships (Index to passengers and shipping in Australia) ~ http://www.ozships.net/

Yesterday’s journeys (items from UK focus Derbyshire) ~ http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~spire/Yesterday/index.htm

~ Let us know of sites, that you have tried with (or without) success ~