Guest Post at A-Z Challenge Blog

Having recently complete the A- Z Challenge I was invited to write a guest post, which has been posted at the A-Z Challenge blog today

Click to read the post - Preparation is 9/10th of the Work!

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - Reflections

It's time for the reflections of the A-Z Blog Challenge!

This is the second year I have taken part and for me it was a better challenge.

I debated on what to run with as my theme. Last year I was random in what I wrote about, but the common link was each of the items meant something to me. This year I was specific, yet at the same time a little random on the post content.

I wrote all my posts in advance, which helped me to focus on other things and visit other participants. Even at the point of writing this I am still visiting & reading!

My theme was Australia. I focused on my ancestors who migrated to Australia, both as free settlers and as convicts. I focused on localities that have links with my family and on places that I have visited. I spent time writing about the contribution Australia made in the First World War and linking that post into my Genealogical ANZAC Day post. Some of the letters were a bit of a challenge; Q featured Quilts and made mention of the Quilt that was made by the convict women that sailed upon The Rajah in 1841, X featured a Stamp about the Flying Doctors and was a little outside the box - you can have a peek HERE.

I also linked other regular meme posts to the theme - Postcard Friendly Friday, Sunday Stamps, Sepia Saturday. I loved every minute of it!

So, having written all my posts in advance, I spent the month visiting other participants. Some gave up early on in the challenge. I found commenting easy on other blogs; and only came across a few that had word verification enabled. What I did find was there was a core of bloggers that commented on each of my posts and I did likewise, and that was a nice extra bond, as if being cheered on from the side lines.

There were a couple of participants who shared a daily post of those blogs that they had come across and that helped the interaction with bloggers, whom perhaps I might not have come across.

At the end of March I was awarded the ABC Award for this blog and part of that was sharing 26 things about myself. I decided to save the response and feature an A-Z of other blogs that I had come across during the challenge.

I love the creativeness that the A-Z Challenge provides. The planning and thought process. The challenge is made easier by writing in advance and by having a theme. I already have a few ideas for the next challenge......

You can read the 2012 Challenge posts.

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - Reflections

A-Z Challenge

• How was the journey through the alphabet?
• Challenge highlights
• Time Management Issues
• Theme or free posts
• Commenting Issues
• Plans for next year!
• Suggestions for the co-ordinators

Reflection post coming up!

ABC Award

Back in March, I received a lovely surprise; Kate of Believe Anyway had nominated Anglers Rest for The ABC (Awesome Blog Content) Award. Thank you. I am always amazed at the positivity of others in response to my rambling & obsessive blog posts! 

**List 26 things about me in alphabetical order

**Pass the award along

I have saved responding to the award until today, because I thought it was a nice way to conclude this years A-Z Blogging Challenge, although the official reflective post will be made next week. 

Instead of 26 things about me, I am sharing 26 sites that I came across during the A-Z Challenge. Selecting 26 out of the thousands of sites out there in the ether is hard work because there are so many wonderful, informative and creative sites.

• A - A String of Pearls
• B - Bob's Home For Writing
• C - Carol's Notebook
• D - Dina Thanki
• E - Empty Nest Insider
• F - Family History Across the Seas & Fresh from my Desk
• G - GenWestUK
• H - Holly Michael's Writing & HeartString Quilts
• I -  I Heart Red Shoes 
• J - Jollett Etc
• K - Debbie & Harry's Kitchen
• L - LAussie Writing Blog & Leaving Cairo, the UK & back to Greece
• M - Melissa Ann Goodwin - Writer on the Road & Maine Words
• N - Notes Along the Way & Nonnas Recipe Box
• O - Occupational Therapy: Journal of a Travel Award
• P - Paradoxology
• Q - Quiet Corner
• R - Rockin' Chair Reflections & Random Ramblings of a 40-something
• S - Sharon the Librarian
• T - Tales of a Knitter & Tea Leaves
• U - An Unconventional Librarian
• V - View Outside
• W - Wrote by Rote
• X -  Marcie's Postbox
• Y - Yellow Days
• Z -  Razz Chronicles
• 1970KikiProject

I am going to loan another $25 to the Kiva Project that I have mentioned several times on this blog. I am a member of the Genealogists for Families Team.

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - Z is for ....

Z is for...... Zealous and Zestful
The letter Z was tricky to cover. I sat and brainstormed all the words that I feel sums up the Australian way of life,its history, diversity, cultural and enthusiasm and many more, then I came up with were Zealous and Zestful which fitted the Z bill nicely.
Whether initially migration to Australia happened as a result of being a convict or through choosing to live in a new colony, the output was the same. A new life and beginning, not just in terms of the individual concerned, but also of the Colony. As the Colony filled with migrants from across the globe, each bring with them their own cultures, ways of life and passions those early immigrants have passed onto future generations of Australians that same love and enthusiasm for acceptance.
Australia is not a perfect Country, but what one is? What it has is, a zealousness for life, a passion of living, which is possibly a legacy of those early convicts, or those who came to a new Country to avoid famine, persecution and to gain freedom.
That concludes the A-Z for 2012. I have loved every minute of it. There is a little extra post coming up and a reflections of A-Z 2012 next week.

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - Y is for .....

Y is for...... Yothu Yindi
I first heard Yothu Yindi at a concert in Sydney back in 1991. A remarkable mix of modern music and the continual embracing of indigenous music. One of their most popular songs is Treaty.

When I returned to the UK in 1992, I was on a tube heading across London and saw an advertisement for Yothu Yindi who were on a tour of the US and Western Europe driven by the success of the album that Treaty was on, called Tribal Voice. As luck would have it, I managed to get tickets and saw them again.

Since those early days I have replaced my tape collection, although I still have them with CDs of their music and now have them on my iPhone for continual enjoyment! You can read about the band's success HERE

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - X is for .....

X is for...... 
Now, X is always troublesome and I pondered for several weeks before I made this discovery in my stamp collection. The very moment I saw it, I knew that I could use this, thinking outside the box!

The stamp was released in 1957 and is to commemorate the work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. The organisation literally flies aXcross the Country providing a wonderful service.

The link for the A-Z Challenge 2011 post is HERE

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - W is for .....

W is for...... Worship
In 2005 I registered the surname of Worship with the Guild of One Name Studies. The name was the that of my husband's late Grandmother. The surname is an interesting one and searching using any search facility produces, understandably many, many results relating to religion and churches.
My husband's Worship ancestors came from Huntingdonshire before moving to Yorkshire. Within the confines of the study I seek to record all representations of the surname across the Globe. I have located a few in Australia, and in view of the fact that yesterday was ANZAC Day it seems fitting to talk about the military record I found for Harry Worship.
Harry, as far as I know, does not fit into my husband's ancestry. So the details that I have pursued are limited and purely for the benefit of the one name study.

This first page of Harry's enlistment papers has his place of birth listed as 7 Oaks, which is actually Sevenoaks in Kent. There is a familiar feel to it, perhaps the person who completed the form knew of the area or simply had written it before. 
Harry is 43 years old and is single. He names his next of kin as Clara Worship who is his sister. Having joined up in September 1914 he served three years before being discharged to due Rheumatics and being overage. His service record reveals that he was often reprimanded, for insulting behaviour, drunkenness and being absent without leave and I think that this reflects the hardships that the troops were ill prepared for.

The link for the A-Z Challenge 2011 post is HERE

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - V is for .....

V is for...... Victory
Today is ANZAC Day. The day when Australians and New Zealanders come together in a day of National Remembrance for those Australians and New Zealanders who died during armed conflict. I took part in an ANZAC Day challenge in 2011 and you can read that post HERE and view the 2012 post HERE.
Advertising posters, appealing to the Australian population to become involved in the War effort.

Of course, having joined up nothing prepared the men for the horrors of the trenches. There was no preparation of coping with flashbacks and re-occurrences of shell shock and other medical complaints once they returned home; if indeed they did. Many, many men paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Victory comes, but at a heavy price.

Further posts written for the ANZAC Challenge can be found:

Review of TransTasman ANZAC Blog Challenge 2011 - A great collection of posts and links to explore.

ANZAC Day Blog Challenge 2012 - A great collection of posts for this year and more links.

Post written by Pauline, my A-Z & Geneablogger buddy - HERE

Lest We Forget.

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - T is for .....

T is for...... Turpin
Josiah Turpin migrated to Geelong in 1855 with his sister Sarah and her husband, John Ellis and their children. You can read their post HERE. Josiah travelled with his young nephew, Josiah Ellis on a separate ship to the rest of the family for reasons that we can only speculate - perhaps illness or lack of funds or not enough room on the vessel.  I get a sense that the two Josiah's had quite a bond and I was very sad to learn that young Josiah died aged just 5 years. 

Image from the London Illustrated News 1842

Josiah Turpin, had been like his sister born in London and was baptised at St Paul's Covent Garden on 20 November 1825 the son of Henry and Wilhelmina Turpin. Henry is recorded as working as a lace weaver and living in Hart Street. Josiah at the time of his baptism was just over a month old as his birth date is recorded as 22 October 1825.
Having arrived in Australia, Josiah, like his sister and brother in law settled in Geelong, Victoria. Of his life, not a huge amount is known, as I have not pursued this line of research. I have though managed to locate his will and that provides the answers to some immediate questions.

From the documents obtained from the Public Records Office of Victoria, Josiah died intestate and left his estate to be dealt with by his sister, Sarah Ellis. We can see from the final document that he owned land, 2 horses and an account with the Geelong Savings Bank. 
This does not seem much to show for a new life, but perhaps it is, I feel sure it is more than he would have left behind had he remained in England. Josiah is described on the probate records as being a farmer and it would be interesting to see if I can establish where the farm was. It looks as though Josiah rented the land on which he farmed as the property appears to be land and his house.
Sources:Public Records Office of VictoriaGeelong & District History SocietyGeelong & District; and Bellarine Peninsular
The link for the A-Z Challenge 2011 post is HERE

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - S is for .....

S is for...... .Ships
For me, as I research the folk who left the various shores of my ancestry to start a new life in the colony, their journey began the moment in which they boarded the vessel. Here I am going to attempt to gather a few glimpses of those ships.
James Baines

Courtesy of  State of Victoria Library

Josiah Turpin and his young Nephew, Josiah Ellis sailed on board the clipper, James Baines, which arrived into Melbourne in 1855. If you did not read the earlier post, you can read it HERE
The Hohnberg's, Hartwigs and Noacks arrived from Prussia to South Australia during the timespan of 1841 - 1859.  There were several ships that these families arrived on.
Cesar & Helene (1859)

Courtesy of State Library of Queensland

The Skyjold (1841)

Courtesy of the State Library of South Australia

The Hohnberg's arrived on the Skyjold in 1841. 

There are more ships that I could have added to this post, but I shall leave it here for now. In some cases no picture or painting has survived. When looking at these vessels, it is so hard to imagine that with a few hundred passengers, crew, enough supplies for the 3 month journey plus luggage, just how they managed to survive the journey; but the did.....

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - R is for .....

R is for...... Religion
Continuing the family of my late Cousin's wife. You can read earlier posts that connect to this family HERE, HERE & HERE. The Noack's Hartwig's & Hohnberg's were all of the Lutheran faith, which is the oldest Protestant religion dating back to the Reformation and Martin Luther.
Martin Luther was a Catholic Monk who on 31st October 1517 shared his series of theses as a challenge to the doctrine and practises of the Roman Catholic Church. Those that accepted the teachings of Martin Luther became known as Lutheran's. The origins of the faith are based in Germany.
Having left their homeland, these three family groups remained practising the Lutheran faith. Their new homeland was accepting of the customs, beliefs and practises of it's new immigrants. 
In Australia there exists a series of Lutheran schools, which are either set up or affiliated to the Lutheran Church of Australia.
Two books which I have recently come across are:

• The Patriarchs: A History of Australian Lutheran Schooling 1839-1919 by Richard J. Hauser
• The Pathfinders: A History of Australian Lutheran Schooling 1919-1999 by Richard J. Hauser

The link for the A-Z Challenge 2011 post is HERE

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - Q is for .....

Q is for...... .Quilts
When I started working on the posts for this years A-Z Challenge I wondered what I could use from my own experiences or research to cover the letter Q. 
I sat and pondered back to a day when I visited Parliament House in Canberra and to the experience of viewing The Great Hall Tapestry. 

The tapestry is incredible and took the weavers two and a half years to create it. Halley's Comet was added to the tapestry in order to date it, as the comet was passing through during the time the tapestry was created. 
The thoughts and reminiscence of the tapestry lead to me my think of the Rajah Quilt which was sewn by a group of convict women as they sailed to the Colony.
From the brief research I have done and email communication with a descendant of someone who sailed on board the vessel, I have gleaned that the quilt was returned to England after it had been completed by the women. It was obtained by the National Gallery of Australia in 1989. It is now in a very delicate condition and is shown just once a year in order to protect it for future generations.
In 2010 The Victoria and Albert (V & A) Museum in London hosted an exhibition Quilts 1700 - 2010. As part of the exhibition the Rajah Quilt made a rare appearance. A application of the event including photos has been produced and is available from iTunes. Having purchased the application it runs quite happily on both my iPhone and iPad.

Image courtesy of the National Gallery of Australia

There is a rather nice video of some close up shots of the quite via the National Gallery of Australia's website - HERE
The link for the A-Z Challenge 2011 post is HERE

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - P is for .....

P is for...... Prussia
Continuing the family of my late Cousin's wife. You can read earlier posts that connect to this family HERE, HERE & HERE.
The Hartwig's, Hohnberg's, and Noack's migrated from Prussia. This was apart of Europe that I actually knew little about and the first things I did were to locate a map of the region.

Courtesy of the Wendish Heritage Society of Australia

I also tried to undertake some general reading, both off and online about the locality in Europe and why such a large migration happened from this region.

One of the best texts on the subject is "A History of German's in Australia 1839 - 1945" by Charles Meyer. This book determines that migration happened as a result of the following four facts, although it would be probably the result of at least two of them.

1. Religion - Government Policy stopped the population from being able to follow their chosen Religious Worship in their own way. There had been migration because of this issue from the 17th Century and the destinations of choice at that time was the UK, USA and Russia. The Old Lutherans from the Prussian provinces of Silesia, Bradenberg and Posen who migrated to South Australia in the 1830s. They opposed King Friedrich Wilhelm  III enforced union with the Calvinist Church and disagreed with the new prayer book.
2. Economics - Following the end of the Napoleonic War there was an increased workforce as soldiers returned home and their became a shortage of land and work. Gradually prices started to increase, yet the wages did not.
3. Political - There was compulsory military service which is was ultimately disagreed with by the masses. In 1848 there was a failed Revolution. The masses wanted to create a United German nation with an Emperor. The masses also wanted a democracy and to have an elected Government that would be responsible for Parliament. 
4. Social - Changes to social standing within a community was instrumental. Changes occurred due to a selection of reasons, farmers because of the economic climate becoming labourers, sons of wealthy farmers inheriting a proportion of the estate as it was shared amongst family members. Whilst individuals could do OK, there were curious whether they could do better in another land. Many Germans migrated in the Gold Rush period.

Understanding the background of where our ancestors came from is just as important as where they travelled to. It gives a wider understanding to their lives and enables us to really understand why they made the choices they did.

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - O is for .....

O is for...... .Orlando
In 2002 I registered the surname of Orlando with the Guild of One Name Studies. A name which has great presence in Italy as one would expect. The most occurrences of the name outside Italy is in the United States, some occurrences in the United Kingdom, and then across the globe. Australia is no exception.
At the start of the study it was important to have a general understanding of the geography of Europe and where European borders changed. An example of this is the population of Italy in the area that lies adjacent to Switzerland in fact became Swiss. This behaviour is not uncommon and the same happened in parts of Germany and Poland. 
Furthermore, Italians have been known to walk across Italy into neighbouring countries. Some remained in those neighbouring countries such as France, others travelled onwards to board boats to England, others boarded boats in Italy and sailed to the United Kingdom or to the United States. Some travelled as far as their legs and money would take them. Then they made a choice of whether to work to save for their initial plans or remain where they were. Post the Second World War, there was a real influx of migration from parts of Europe; especially Germany, Poland and Italy. 
One of the things that really stands out, as I research an Italian name is how the nationality is recorded. An example of this is from the National Archives of Australia. It reveals an individual who sought refuge in Australia with the surname Orlando. His nationality is recorded as Swedish. 
The links that Australia has had with the United Kingdom, meant that as the United Kingdom entered into War with Germany and her allies in the Second World War, there would be repercussions of how immigrants were viewed. Therefore we had people who had left Italy, Germany and alike prior to the war, being interned. The same happened in the United Kingdom and of course the same happened in Germany. Some choose to amend their name, so a Giuseppe Orlando, might become Joseph or Jo Orlando. Tweaks to surnames happened too and therefore Giuseppe Orlando becomes an Joseph or Jo Orland. 
For those reasons it is important to have an understanding of the history and geography of Europe as this might explain the sudden disappears of an individual and the emergence of someone apparently new.
The link for the A-Z Challenge 2011 post is HERE

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - N is for .....

N is for...... .Noack
Continuing the family of my late Cousin's wife. You can read earlier posts that connect to this family HERE & HERE.
Like the Hartwig's and Hohnberg's, the Noack's migrated from Prussia. This part of my research is in the very early stages.
Johann Carl Frederick Noack was born circa 1815. He was 42 years old when he left Crossen in Bradenberg Prussia on board the August, and arrived in Adelaide on 17th August 1856. There is some discrepancy about his occupation, at one point recorded as a shoemaker and another a sailor. He made his life in Eden Valley with his wife, and little is known of her,except that her surname was Cavanagh.
The link for the A-Z Challenge 2011 post is HERE

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - M is for .....

M is for...... .Maps
One of the things that is vital to researching is a map of the area. Way back in the early 1990s I spent about $8 on a large map of Australia, one that really shows a good level of detail. I came across it in the filing cabinet a few weeks ago when I started my Australian research quest in readiness for my trip later this year. Said map is currently secured to the wall in my study (easily removed with no damage!)

Not a brilliant photo. I was standing slightly precariously to take this! but it gives a sense of the detail on the map. 

Compared to this postcard which I discovered as part of a large batch that I bought from a bookshop in Hay on Wye. All the post cards had been discovered in books by the seller!

Whilst it does seem to be a bit off in terms of accuracy, I love the busyness of the card. I love the extra detail given to Tasmania, almost as though it was added as an after thought and the map of Great Britain at the top left. The card was published in 1916 and the map of Great Britain is reflective of this, as it shows Ireland as one Country rather than one divided!

The link for the A-Z Challenge 2011 post is HERE

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - L is for .....

L is for...... .Localities
As I research the various lines of my ancestry that have migrated to Australia it is important to me that I understand a little about those places in both a general and genealogical sense. As I have said previously. Australia is a huge Country therefore it is important to understand the general geography of the Country and the States and then the individual places of interest.
As I was planning this post, I remembered back to my first visit. When my Cousin's daughter, now a Mum herself came home from school. She had gone to school and told everyone she had a cousin from England staying. So, she excitedly came up to me with the atlas the teacher had given her and presented it to me, open at the Australia page and asked me to show her where I lived. I turned the pages to the page of England and made a small pencil mark for the teacher and then I turned the page to the map that effectively shows world over two pages. I then marked England on the map and showed the distance to Australia. Then very simply, once she was over the shock of how far, she remarked, that England is tiny it would surely fit into New South Wales many times.
Thinking back to my posts about Henry Goucher HERE and HERE, it is remarked that he boarded a ship from Sydney to Newcastle and then again from Newcastle to Derwent in Tasmania. Did naughty Henry have any concept that actually the distance he travelled was hundreds of miles, yet in the same Country? We shall never know what he did think, but it is an interesting thought nonetheless.
So, where did my ancestors live - 

• Ellis & Turpin Families - migrated to Geelong in Victoria 1854-1855
• Robert Turpin - Transported to New South Wales in 1833
• John Hunt Butcher - migrated to Richmond in Tasmania in 1821with later branches of the family to Carnamah district Western Australia
• Henry Goucher - Transported to New South Wales in 1812 spending time in Newcastle & Derwent Tasmania
• Noack's, Hartwig's and Hohnberg's migrated to South Australia and then spread into Victoria and New South Wales from Prussia. 

The link for the A-Z Challenge 2011 post is HERE

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - K is for .....

K is for...... .Kiva
Kiva is a non profit organisation, based in the United States that allows people to make a loan to those folks who need financial assistance and to whom the doors of the regular financial institutions are closed. The deal is a loan is made to an individual that the lender chooses of $25 - the lender can choose more if they would like. The loan is then repaid over a series of months. 
So, how does this link to Australia I hear you ask?
Kiva can be utilised by individuals and by teams. One such team is the Genealogists for Families team which is  captained by a lady in Australia. See, there is a tentative link to Australia. Do not though, underestimate the power of the team or the work the team does. 
The team is currently 162 members strong, (made up of genealogists and their friends and family), making a total of 444 loans to various individuals. That is a huge achievement and to recognise that achievement the team, Captained by Judy Webster was awarded the 2011 GeneaBlog Award for best new Community Project. You can read Judy's inspirational post HERE.
If you are interested you can join the team HERE and take advantage of one of the free loans that Kiva are offering. You could perhaps, do as I do, link this worth while project to honour a family event or in memory of a family member.


Genealogists for Families, We Care about Families, Past, Present & Future
The link for the A-Z Challenge 2011 post is HERE

Blogging A-Z - April Challenge - J is for .....

J is for...... .Journals
When I left for my trip, which eventually saw me arrive at Sydney I had purchased a hardback journal. In that  journal I recorded notes from the plane trips, experiences at the airports, people - strangers that I spoke to, meals, arrivals and accommodations. Names and addresses of those people I met along the way and places that I explored. 

Slotted inside were napkins form restaurants that held venue specific data, tickets and postcards with the date of visit on the back. There are a few things that could not be added to the journal such as a flattened tin can from a drink at the Ettamogah Pub in Albury.

Flattened tin can from a drink at the 
Ettamogah Pub 1991

Whatever the journal, whether it is written in more recent times, or from the times of the early settlers, each journal is the written capturing history of moments potentially forgotten, preserving for the future.
The link for the A-Z Challenge 2011 post is HERE