News - February 2026
Tuesday 17 February - 7:30 pm General Meeting
VENUE: Old Sunday School, St Johns Park Precinct
GUEST SPEAKER: Christine Woods
TOPIC: Orphans of Northern Van Diemens Land / Tasmania
The majority of children who were admitted to the Kings/Queens Orphan Schools at New Town were from the southern part of the state but others, some very young, were sent from Launceston and surrounds plus the North West Coast to New Town.
Chris, a sixth generation Tasmanian, has been an active researcher and member of various local history groups for many years:
- A member of the Tasmanian Family History Society since the 1980s
- Vice President of the Friends of the Orphan School Committee
- Secretary of the Hobart Town (1804) First Settlers Association
- Convenor of the Glenorchy Municipality History Group
More for Your Diary
Thu 19 Feb - 10am Hobart Committee
VENUE: Branch Library, Bellerive
Thu 19 Feb - 1:30pm DNA Group
VENUE: St Marks Church Hall, Scott Street, Bellerive
Thu 26 Feb - 2pm Library Committee
VENUE: Branch Library, Bellerive
Tue 17 Mar - 7:30pm General Meeting
VENUE: Old Sunday School, St Johns Park Precinct
SPEAKER: Rex Cox
TOPIC: The Port of Hobart in Time of War
From Your Branch President
I hope you all had a lovely break over the holiday period, whether or not you spent some of this down time on your family history research. Or were you inundated with family who kept you from doing anything quiet and peaceful? Perhaps, like me, the garden or other outdoor excuses took you away from your desk.
I know I say this frequently but do consider a visit to the branch library. Every visitor we have is blown away by the resources we have there, many of them unique. If you think that these days you can do all your family history research online, you are missing some rich resources. And if you like what you see in our branch library and want to hang out there more frequently, talk to one of us about becoming a library assistant. It's a once-a-month commitment, with on-the-job training and you get to hang out in the library with other like-minded volunteers. When things are quiet, you can get to do your own research.
Or come along to a DNA Interest Group meeting on the third Thursday of the month, 1.30‑3.00pm at St Mark's Church Hall, Bellerive. You don't need to have had your DNA tested - you can simply come to find out what it's all about. We are a friendly group.
Brain teaser: Why someone might have a different surname from their biological father.
You have probably all found situations like this creating brick walls in your family history research, especially if you add DNA into the picture, because DNA never lies.
A colleague, June Willing, drew up the following list of scenarios in response to the suggestion that this is generally the result of an out-of-wedlock birth to a single female. She says she has come across most, if not all of these, in the course of over 40 years of research.
A. Unmarried female Trott gives birth to a son, father unknown, who takes his mother's surname Trott. Mother may or may not later marry, but the son does not take his stepfather's surname. Son has the surname Trott and will have Trott ancestry/DNA from his mother.
B. Widow of man named Trott gives birth to a son out of wedlock, who takes the surname Trott because that's his widowed mother's surname. Mother later remarries, but the son does not take his stepfather's surname. Son has the surname Trott but will not have Trott ancestry/DNA.
C. Married couple, neither or whom is a Trott, have a son, and husband subsequently dies. Widow remarries a man named Trott and stepfather adopts or otherwise gives his surname to her son. Son has the surname Trott but will not have Trott ancestry/DNA.
D. Unmarried woman, not a Trott, gives birth to a son, father unknown. She subsequently dies or is unable to support the son. He is adopted by a married couple named Trott who may or may not have been related to the mother. Son has the surname Trott, but will not have Trott ancestry/DNA, unless his unknown father was a Trott.
E. Widow with unknown maiden name gives birth to a son out of wedlock, father unknown. She subsequently dies or is unable to support the son. He is adopted by a married couple named Trott who may or may not have been related to the mother. Son has the surname Trott but may or may not have Trott ancestry/DNA.
F. Married couple, surnames unknown, have a son. Both of them subsequently die, and the son is adopted by a married couple named Trott who may or may not have been related to the parents. Son has the surname Trott but may or may nothave Trott ancestry/DNA.
Adoption here includes children who were not legally adopted. Note that only A definitely has Trott ancestry, although D, E and F may have Trott ancestry.
Reprinted with permission, with some modifications. First published in the Newsletter of the Trott One-Name Research Group, vol 28 no 3, July 2017
Ros Escott escottros@esco.au
Thank You Brenda
Brenda Richardson has now made the decision to retire from her volunteer work in the branch and of course we will miss her presence.
Brenda has been a stalwart in her role in administration including time as a member of the committee. She was keen to learn new skills and has become adept with various computer programs in particular printing and binding the various books published by the Society ready for sale and maintaining until recently what is now the Appleyard Index of house and property names. Brenda also undertook the massive task of typing up headstone transcriptions which have been made available on the computer network. Not only was she well organised and has kept things going smoothly behind the scenes but her smile and sense of humour made it a pleasure to be in her company. Brenda has worked in the office for fifteen years and during some of that time as a Library Assistant. She has a huge knowledge of English records supported by her travels back to England using her genealogy skills in search of her family roots and has therefore helped many members and visitors with her expertise in that area.
We wish you well, Brenda, and hope to see you from time to time when you can get away from line dancing and other pursuits.
Help with SFC
An ex-member from Perth WA has asked for our help with a photo believed to have been taken around 1900-1910 or so, probably in Hobart, but certainly in Tasmania.
He is trying to identify the individuals and is intrigued by the embossed "SFC" on the front of their boaters.
Can anyone suggest what the "SFC" might stand for? They do not look like footballers! All suggestions to the secretary please: secretary@hobart.tasfhs.org.
Answer, if we solve it, in the next newsletter.
Books For Sale
The Branch has a small number of rare, new or mint condition books which have been donated from the estate of a deceased member, and which are already in our collection. These are currently being offered to members at half the current or list price(shown below) and include:
| Author |
Title |
FULL Price |
| A. Alexander |
Corruption and Skullduggery |
$55.00 |
| A. Alexander |
The O'Connors of Connorville |
$30.00 |
| A. Alexander |
Glenorchy 1803-1961 |
$35.00 |
| C. Baxter (ed) |
Musters and census lists - 1805-6, 1811,1814, 1823-5 |
$30.00 - $45.00 |
| A. Blythe-Cooper |
Leading Amateurs |
$70.00 |
| I. Brand |
The convict probation system - Van Diemen's Land 1839-1854 |
$70.00 |
| D. Coad |
Port Cygnet 1914-1919 |
$50.00 |
| M. Flynn |
The Second Fleet (2 copies) |
$170.00 |
| M. Gillen |
Founders of Australia |
$180.00 |
| D. Hawkins |
Bound for Australia |
$39.95 |
| M. Holmes |
Vanishing Towns - Tasmania's ghost towns and settlements |
$55.00 |
| D. Howatson |
The story of New Town street by street |
$19.95 |
| J. Hyland |
Maids, Masters, and Magistrates |
$30.00 |
| J. Kavanagh & D. Snowden |
Van Diemen's Women |
$44.00 |
| M. Lowe |
Days gone by in the Channel, Vol.2 |
$30.00 |
|
M. Lowe |
Days gone by - Kaoota, Longley, Lower Longley, Allen's Rivulet, Pelverata |
$40.00 |
|
T. McKay |
The "Princess Royal" girls |
$35.00 |
|
L. Newitt |
Convicts and Carriageways |
$80.00 |
|
J. Prevost |
From the Epping Banks to the Esk |
$50.00 |
|
D & M. Row |
Fifty years of painting in Tasmania - 1925-1975 |
$65.00 |
If you are interested, then pop into the Branch Library or contact our Office Manager Tanya at library.hobart.tasfhs.org .
Maree's Mutterings
Unlocking Hidden Family Stories with Family Search Full Text Search - https://allaboutancestors.com/unlocking-hidden-family-stories-with-family-search-full-text-search/ ?
Branxholm Cemetery. The original pdf file has been updated, and we have created a permanent tinyurl link which will always now point to the latest version of the file. The link is https://tinyurl.com/BranxholmCemetery .
Family Search Family Tree
The world's largest online family tree grew by more than 163 million people in 2025, totalling 1.8 billion searchable people. Contributors also added 467 million sources to their ancestors in the tree, which helps increase accuracy and collaboration. In addition, 3 new features were added to the FamilySearch Family Tree :
- Improved Merge Experience . This improved experience helps address the challenge of incorrect user merges. The new interface is simpler and provides better guidance, yielding greater confidence that a merge is being made correctly.
- Updated Family Tree Mobile App for Android . Enhancements make the mobile app even more enjoyable to use, including screen reader support and adjustable text sizes, an improved pedigree view, and the capability to reach out to living relatives shown in the relationship viewer.
- New Mobile App Search . Searching in the mobile app now delivers a fast, unified experience that enables users to search FamilySearch Family Tree profiles, historical records, and memories all at once, all within the app. Additionally, the improved filter options and results layout are simple and powerful. Other upgrades help users make more connections and discoveries as they add information to Family Tree through the app.
- Data Quality Score . This score, now available on some ancestor profiles in Family Tree, provides a quick way to evaluate the information present for that ancestor, making it easier to identify details that may need attention. User suggestions in the FamilySearch Community helped prioritize enhancements to this feature. The tool looks at data conflicts and checks if sources are attached and tagged. Ultimately, it increases contributor confidence by protecting high-quality information from incorrect changes.
Library Accessions 2025- 2026
Books
* Aheimer, R & Maguire, P.
Our family history - William Maguire & Sarah Crosscombe Q
929.2 MAG
* Andel, L. From privilege to poverty Q 9292. EMM
* Bacon, C. Letters from "Pituncarty" Q 929.2 BUI
* Chung, H. Gin Chung Henry & Willi Chung Sing, Chinese Tasmanian founders and descendants, 1885-2024 Q 929.2 HEN
* Cooper, A & Ross. I.
Caithness memorial Inscriptions pre-1858. 4 Vols
929.3209411 COO
* Dyson, L Louisa, her story - From Suffolk to V.D. Land Q 929.2 DYS
* Figg, S. Who gives a Figg - Henry Robert Figg Q 929.2 FIG
* Figg, S. Parattah - a 150-year pictorial history 994.62 FIG
* Rieusset, B. Rachel Hoddy-Williams Q 929.2 HOD
* Ryan, L. Edward Innes - a Tasmanian public servant Q 929.2 INN
* Denotes complimentary or donated item