News - September 2024
Tuesday 16 September – 7:30 pm General Meeting
VENUE: Old Sunday School, St Johns Park Precinct
GUEST SPEAKER: Andrea Gerrard
TOPIC: The Story of Mary: her travails being a ‘refuser’ of 1789 and the voyage of the Surprize
The Old Bailey records of Andrea’s four times great grandmother describe Mary simply ‘as the wife of William Burgess’. Andrea has been researching her family history for nearly 50 years and there have always been some surprises along the way and not from the most likely sources.
It would seem that Mary was determined to buck the system having cheated death in the courts, escaped from the Lady Juliana and been retaken. Having failed at gaining her freedom, her worst nightmares were about to come to fruition when she boarded the Surprize bound for New South Wales. With more and more newspapers and other records coming online Andrea was able to uncover much more of Mary’s story than had been previously possible.
Her interest in family history goes back 50 years when she started working on her family tree. Since then, she has completed a Master of Arts – her thesis being about the Tasmanian Aborigines who served in WW1 and went on to receive the Order of Australia for her work on First World War veterans. Currently Andrea is the curator of the 12/40th Royal Tasmanian Regiment Collection and Chair of The Headstone Project among many other volunteering projects connected to the navy, military, and air force in Tasmania.
More for Your Diary
Thu 18 Sep – 10am Hobart Committee
VENUE: Branch Library, Bellerive
Thu 18 Sep – 1:30pm DNA Group
VENUE: St Marks Church Hall, Scott Street, Bellerive
Thu 25 Sep - 2pm Library Committee
VENUE: Branch Library, Bellerive
Tue 21 Oct – General Meeting
VENUE: Old Sunday School, St Johns Park Precinct
SPEAKER: Mike Severs
TOPIC: On the Trail of the Tin Dragon
From Your Branch President
The Branch’s DNA Interest Group first met nearly 11 years ago in October 2015, with Andrew Cocker and myself as convenors. This followed a talk on DNA and family history that I had given at a general meeting a few months earlier. I’d had my own DNA tested early in 2013 and even then, with few analysis tools available, I could see its potential for supporting genealogy and breaking down brick walls. We thought then as now, that DNA was the future of family history research and TFHS was best placed to be there because DNA and family trees go hand-in-hand.
At that first meeting in October, very few attendees had already had their DNA tested, but Andrew Cocker, Mary Conway and I were able to describe our experiences and what we had found. A surge of interest followed. As well as meeting monthly at the branch library, we had an introductory afternoon which was advertised to the public and very well attended.
Over the years we have had focuses surge and fade, after a lot of initial spirited discussion on which company was best to test with. Triangulation was big for a while, as was clustering, Gedmatch, the shared cM chart, ‘painting’ chromosomes, ‘doing the dots’ and my favourite tool WATO (What Are The Odds). All these still have their useful place.
After eleven years the Interest Group is still going strong, with a loyal following as well as new people joining all the time. We outgrew the branch library and moved to St Mark’s Hall in Bellerive some years ago. Members have found closure by identifying a previously unknown father, grandparents and in one case even great-grandparents – which solved the mystery of a baby left outside a hotel in Launceston in 1892. (Curious? Go to the members-only resources page and hear me tell this story.) For most of us, DNA has broken down less dramatic brick walls – for me it confirmed that all the family history research I had done over many years was in fact correct. I really was descended from those ancestors, and I connected with previously unknown fellow descendants.
The DNA Interest Group meets on the third Thursday of the month, 1:30-3:00pm, at St Marks Church Hall in Bellerive. All welcome.
Ros Escott president@hobart.tasfhs.org
Library Notice
A drawer in a filing cabinet in the computer room contains unwanted BDM certificates, many of which have been there a long time. The drawer is labelled, and there is an index in the catalogue near the front desk. It is probably time they were removed, and this will be done by the end of the year. If any are of use, feel free to help yourself.
Federation of Family History Federation (UK)
The Federation of Family History Federation (UK) has a “Really Useful Bulletin”. The link in blue below gets you to their current bulletin and all their past ones as well. A quick look reveals some interesting stories.
www.exploreyourgenealogy.co.uk/bulletins
Can You Help?
Dr Malcolm who lives in England would like to communicate with anyone who is in any way connected to Dr Colin Arrott Browning who was a Ship’s Surgeon on voyages to Australia from England. Dr Malcolm is hoping to write an extensive biography of Dr Browning with help from relatives. He has in his possession images of original letters going back to 1825, a photograph of his wife in 1860, and much more information.
Anyone who is interested please contact the Secretary: secretary@hobart.tasfhs.org
Are you a Bellett or Garth Descendant?
Edward Garth and Susannah Gough married on Norfolk Island after their transportation on the First Fleet. They were the first to step foot on Norfolk Island when Philip Gidley King established a settlement there on 6 March 1788. Jacob Bellett was also a First Fleet convict. He arrived on Norfolk Island in 1791 and married Ann Harper, who was transported on the Second Fleet. The two families were removed to Hobart by 1808 and three of the children from each family married creating a unique family bond between the two couples.
Many thousands of Southern Tasmanians are descended from these families or have connections in their family trees.
This year, in October descendants will gather as a family in Hobart to celebrate the strength and resilience of their ancestors and to share stories of their descendants. An entire week of activities has been planned.
If you are related and would like more information about the reunion, see https://garthbellett.wordpress.com/the-event/
Seniors Week – Wednesday 15 October 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
This “Back to Basics” presentation will explain how DNA can be used to enhance your family history research. We will talk about the importance of having a family tree attached to your DNA, your ethnicity results, shared matches, common ancestry and how to “do the dots”. A handout will be provided. Suitable for people who are thinking about having their DNA tested and those who have had it tested and don’t know how to interpret it. Places strictly limited.
Old Post Office, 19 Cambridge Rd, Bellerive
Bookings: president@hobart.tasfhs.org 6245 9351 (closing 10th October).
Maree’s Mutterings
Intentions to Marry Project index, New Zealand.
You can search for an Intention to Marry notice, browse by year. If found there is a link to the actual marriage record. The information available:
A typical Intention to Marry notice records:
- the bride and groom's full names
- occupation of the groom (and sometimes the bride)
- their ages
- district where the marriage would take place
- how long they had resided in the district
- Where the marriage would take place (e.g., a specific church)
- Who would officiate the marriage (e.g., a minister)
- The date of the notice and a date when the certificate was issued. Marriages had to take place within 3 months and usually occurred within a week or so of the certificate date.
- If one of the parties was under 21, a parent who consented to their marriage was usually specified
The 1854 Marriage Act required Pakeha settlers (and later Maori) to register their intention to marry from 1855. The resulting "Notices of Intention to Marry" were sent by the district registrars to the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages and bound into large volumes, each containing a year of notices. These registers were eventually deposited with the Archives of New Zealand. https://itm.howison.co.nz/
Exhibition of 10 Museums
Bruny Island is involved in an Exhibition of 10 Museums in 10 rooms, 10 History Groups in one day being held in the Kingborough Community Hub, 7 Goshawk Way, Kingston; 7 - 12 October, 10 - 4 pm. Entry gold coin, children free.
There is a conference on Saturday 11 October with a variety of speakers, which is also open to all.
Library Accessions 2025
The following items were accessioned during August 2025
Books
* T. Binns Margaret Lucas – my, view, my freedom Q 929.2 LUC
* D. Tulip Convicts in the Channel – older than Port Arthur 365.99462 TUL
* C. Whitham Rambles in Western Tasmania 919.466 WHI
* L. Whitham Railways, Mines, Pubs and People 994.6 WHI
* Denotes complimentary or donated item