Start 2018 by accentuating the positive

Jill Ball has suggested we again review our genealogy progress and Remember to Accentuate the Positive

1.  An elusive ancestor I found was

• Using DNA I found more about my husband’s great great grandmother Ann Dawson nee Gibbons (1801-1842) and her parents John Gibbons (1780-1840) and Frances Atkins (1772-1856) : DNA analysis: taking the tree back two generations

2.  A great newspaper article I found was

• a transcription of the diary of my 3rd great grandfather : A Quiet Life: Gordon Mainwaring (1817-1872)

3.  A geneajourney I took was

• I visited a couple of cemeteries and continue to enjoy the experience of a sense of place when I visit in person as opposed to by the internet : W is for Williamstown: funeral of Augustus Dana

4.  An important record I found was

• various wills, including the will of my 8th great aunt : The will of Mary Feillet née Champion

5.  A newly found family member shared

• various family members have shared photographs

6.  A geneasurprise I received was

• I had a genealogical connection to the Eureka uprising: My cousin at Eureka

7.   My 2017 blog post that I was particularly proud of was

• too hard … I enjoyed researching and writing up all entries in my online research journal

8.   I made a new genimate who

• I was pleased to meet two fellow bloggers at the August Unlock the Past presentation: Susie Zada and Jennifer Jones

9.  A new piece of technology I mastered was

• DNA Painter – a new tool

10. I joined

• I belong to various organisations including the Avoca and District Historical Society, Ballarat & District Genealogical Society, Genealogical Society of Victoria, Pioneers Association of South Australian, C J La Trobe Society, Australasian Association of Genealogists and Record Agents, Association of Professional Genealogists

11. A genealogy event from which I learnt something new was

• The presentation by Dirk Weissleder organised by Unlock the Past In August: Learning more about German genealogical research

12. A blog post that taught me something new was

13. A DNA discovery I made was

• I found a 5th cousin DNA connection using WikiTree : Discovering a DNA cousin through Wikitree and confirming with GedMatch

14. I taught a genimate how to

• I try not to be too didactic but sometimes write how I researched. My most popular how to post looked back at my progress with DNA research:  DNA testing results one year on

15. A brick wall I demolished was

• progress is slow and steady. My tree, both my and my husband’s forebears and relatives, continues to expand. As of today it has 7,660 individuals, 1595 photos, 193 stories and 9,581 records attached on ancestry.com. Looking at a backup I made in February 2017, I then had 7104 people and 8204 records. On the direct lines, I made some small progress on my husband’s tree : DNA analysis: taking the tree back two generations

16. A great site I visited was

• there are many excellent websites. I subscribe to ancestry.com FindMyPast, MyHeritage, TheGenealogist – they all have a lot to offer. I find Trove, the digital repository maintained by the National Library of Australia terrific. I appreciate the many digitised books available through such websites as archive.org.

17. A new genealogy/history book I enjoyed was

• my father’s latest publication on the early history of our family – a lot of work and builds on the research of others : Champions from Normandy

18. It was exciting to finally meet

• some of our cousins thoughout the year

19. I am excited for 2018 because

• I will participate in the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge organised by Amy Johnson Crow
• I look forward to again participating in the A to Z challenge in April – it is definitely hard work to do 26 posts in the month but I have found the last few years very rewarding: 2017 A to Z blogging challenge

20. Another positive I would like to share is …

• I am very grateful to my husband who reviews my posts and edits them for clarity. I am also pleased that my children, parents and brother take an interest in my family history.

Past reviews:

• Accentuate the Positive 2016 Geneameme
• Accentuate the Positive 2013 Geneameme