Thursday, January 24, 2013

Maitland Mercury 170th anniversary special edition

The Maitland MercuryMaitland Mercury has publsihed an anniversary edition for their 170th year.
The online version is available here, as at 23 January 2013.

Do you know this bridge?

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Do you know this bridge?
Mr Vile has spent decades researching and photographing 300 of Hunter’s ­original wooden bridges – a passion that started with a devastating flood in 1941 which wiped out five of the original structures around his Hillsborough property.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury,

AWM Centenary of the First World War update

Australian War Memorial :
December saw the redevelopment plans of our First World War galleries unveiled to the media. Initial works include the conservation of our much-loved dioramas.

The Pozi̬res and Somme Winter dioramas are now back on display, after receiving attention from our conservation team. Be sure to visit the First World War galleries to catch a glimpse of the Bullecourt and Ypres dioramas before they are hoarded off on 29 January until April 2013 Рat which time the entire Western Front gallery will be closing for an extended period of time.

Royal Australian Historical Society History magazine

RAHS History Magazine, December 2012:
history dec
  • RAHS State History Conference
  • 2012 Heritage & Cultural Grants
  • Lesley Muir address: Cleaning up in Sydney
  • The contest to become our federal capital
  • Convict lists returned
  • Browsing the NSW State Archives collection
  • Glimpses of Cumberland Street
  • More names on stone - some lesser known monuments to the 1813 crossing
  • Drawing new lines in the snad - the cost of improving Sydney's beaches in the interwar period

Thursday, January 17, 2013

National Archives of Australia

National Archives of Australia
Help us make records more searchable!
We need your help to transcribe records in our collection to make them more findable.
The sheer volume means we can't list all our records online.
Join the HIVE community and help make our national records easier to find for everyone.

We're starting small with easy transcription of typed lists of records. But we're looking at exciting future projects including transcribing handwritten material.

The aim of the project is to enhance access to records which are not fully searchable in the National Archives' RecordSearch database.

130 years of community service acknowledged

From the Maitland Mercury report:
When a small group of nuns arrived in Morpeth on January 13, 1883, they were embraced by the fledgling Catholic parish.
A special liturgy was held at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Morpeth, followed by lunch, with 23 nuns from the order joining parishioners in the celebrations.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 14, 2013.

A river of knowledge

From the Maitland Mercury report:
What Peter Bogan doesn’t know about the Maitland element of the iconic Hunter River is ­possibly not worth knowing.
This is something ABC journalist Scott Bevan understands.
Bevan interviewed Mr Bogan as part of his documentary (and book) titled The Hunter and tonight the pair will share screen presence when the documentary debuts on ABC News 24.
For his documentary, Bevan explored the Hunter River from the headwaters high in the Barrington Tops to the sea at Newcastle, mostly in his kayak the Pulbah Raider.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 14, 2013.

RAHS Pot Luck With History

Saturday 26 January

AUSTRALIA DAY 2013 RAHS - Pot Luck with History hh aust day sm10am – 4pm
On Australia Day drop in and visit our Victorian-era townhouse, History House at 133 Macquarie St, Sydney, the home of the Royal Australian Historical Society for a real experience of history There will be Pot Luck with History talks of ten-minute duration every half hour between noon and 3.00pm. Grab a chance to hear one of our historians speak about events, people and places that contributed to Australia’s history.
Entry to History House and lectures are free but you might spend some money at our book sale.
Macquarie Street will also host one of the largest vehicle displays in the southern hemisphere - Australia Day CARnivale proudly sponsored by Supercar d’Elegance with over 600 vehicles on display throughout the day. There will also be veteran and vintage cars in abundance on display.
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Location: Macquarie Street to the corner of Park and College Streets

Sunday, January 13, 2013

National Archives U.K.

2013 is an especially exciting year for us as we will be returning to Who Do You Think You Are? Live, a show which brings together the best resources available for family historians everywhere.

This year we will host a new theatre, open for two sessions each day. A team of our experts will be on hand to give advice on how to use our enormous collection of records.

Inside History Magazine

Inside History Magazine -- Issue 14: Jan-Feb 2013

Outlaws and legends: the January-February edition (issue 14), the crime special
  • Ned Kelly’s secret love? A descendant of the iconic bushranger’s alleged flame puts forward his case
  • Discover your family history to trace lawbreaking ancestors with Shauna Hicks’s guide to criminal records
  • Delve into 1930s murder mysteries with award-winning crime authors Stephen Orr and Sulari Gentill
  • We introduce the early Australian convict indents that have been digitised in colour for the first time
  • Was your ancestor a Remittance Man? Helen Leggatt shows you how to find out
  • Inside History readers share tips for deciphering tricky handwriting on historical documents
  • Plus there’s much more, including opportunities to network with other genealogists, giveaways, and book and app reviews

GenealogyInTime Magazine list top 100 genealogy websites for 2013

GenealogyInTime Magazine list of the top 100 genealogy websites for 2013.

GenealogyInTime Magazine provides an objective and comprehensive list of the most popular genealogy websites from around the world.
The top 100 list serves as a useful guide for both beginning and advanced genealogy users. It is always helpful to know what websites other people find useful and relevant. The top 100 list also provides some interesting insight into how the field of genealogy has evolved over the past year.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Historic cottage back in use

From the Maitland Mercury report:
A part of Tocal Homestead’s architectural history has been relocated to its original location.
“The cottage was moved from the homestead to its current location in the 1950s, apparently to allow for more privacy for Myrtle and Marguerita Curtis who were then living in Tocal Homestead,” Tocal Agricultural College principal Dr Cameron Archer said.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 3, 2013.

It’s a top crop for a broom boom

From the Maitland Mercury report:
John Wright set about harvesting his bumper millet crop by hand – the same method five generations of Wrights had used before him.

No ifs and butts, the statues have to go at Morpeth

From the Maitland Mercury report:
It’ll be butts out for Campbell’s iconic ashtray statuettes when anti-smoking laws come into effect on Monday.
Mr Richards had the statues specially made 26 years ago to encourage smokers to butt out before entering the 144-year-old business.

Full article availabe at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 2, 2013.

Society of Australian Genealogists

January - February activities

Event Date Price Capacity Registered
 

 
       
County Spotlight: Hertfordshire, Shropshire & Cheshire - resources at the SAG & online
Location: Richmond Villa
DT_VIEW_DETAILRegister
Saturday, 19 Jan 2013
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
30.00 AUD 40 10
Preservation of Family History Documents & Treasures - Practical Tips and Techniques
Location: Richmond Villa
DT_VIEW_DETAILRegister
Saturday, 02 Feb 2013
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
30.00 AUD 40 15
Birth, Marriage & Death in Colonial India - with Sylvia Murphy
Location: Richmond Villa
DT_VIEW_DETAILRegister
Saturday, 02 Feb 2013
01:30 PM - 03:30 PM
30.00 AUD 40 10
Sentenced beyond the Seas - Australia's Early Convict records - Janette Pelosi
Location: Richmond Villa
DT_VIEW_DETAILRegister
Saturday, 16 Feb 2013
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
30.00 AUD 40 11
Australia's First Industrial Strike - the 1819 sawyers' strike - with Ralph Hawkins
Location: Richmond Villa
DT_VIEW_DETAILRegister
Saturday, 16 Feb 2013
01:30 PM - 03:30 PM
30

Public History Review

Public History Review investigates the nature and forms of public history: how and to whom is the past communicated and how does the past operate in the present?

Volume 19, 2012 includes:
Visions of a Colony: History on (dis)play at the Museum of SydneyPDF
Armanda Scorrano 1-20
Bonegilla Heritage Park: Contesting and Co-ordinating a Public History SitePDF
Alexandra Dellios 21-42
The Contested White Lady: A Critique of New Zealand Cultural Heritage PoliticsPDF
Lindsay Neill, Eveline Duerr, Alexander Trapeznik 43-62
Colonial Figures: Memories of Street Traders in the Colonial and Early Post-colonial PeriodsPDF
Sheri Lynn Gibbings, Fridus Steijlen

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Celebrating 170 years of local news - 5 days to go

From the Maitland Mercury report:
Thanks for the memories ... a large crowd gathers outside the old Mercury building to wait for Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
The Maitland Mercury celebrates its 170th anniversary on Monday, January 7, 2013, making it one of the oldest newspapers in Australia.
To commemorate this historic occasion, the Mercury has produced a special ­52-page magazine, full of the stories and photographs that have not only recorded the long and proud history of this ­newspaper but also the city of Maitland.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Jan. 2, 2013.

Molly Morgan

From the Maitland Mercury article:
Molly, rat catcher's daughter
Only one woman left her mark on the first 30 years of Hunter Valley history: she was Molly Morgan.
Born in England in 1762, the daughter of David Jones, a professional rat catcher, Molly became a dressmaker and then married William Morgan, the village blacksmith.

Molly the convict - was rewarded for good conduct with a small leasehold farm at Wallis Plains, as the site of West Maitland was then known. This was the beginning of a new phase in Molly’s life for her leasehold was confirmed by Governor Brisbane in 1823 and she eventually owned 64.5 hectares (159 acres) of some of the most valuable real estate in the colony.
In the last decade of her life, she died in 1835, Molly became one of the town’s most reputable citizens and during the 1820s the land around High Street was often known as Molly Morgan’s.
During this period she owned one of the town’s first hotels, the Angel Inn.

Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Dec. 28, 2012.

Theatre gets a facelift after all these years

From the Maitland Mercury report:
An architectural icon of Australian theatre has undergone a large scale restoration of its facade to celebrate its centenary of film.

Inside History Magazine’s Best of 2012

Favourite stories from 2012 are now available in the the first ever digital annual edition of Inside History Magazine.
You can download Inside History Magazine’s Best of 2012 in their special Annual.
Inside History’s editor Cassie writes:
It’s been a big year at Inside History: 2012 was our first full year of publishing both print and digital issues, and saw many exciting new features, exclusives and collaborations. “To celebrate, we decided to share the Inside History team’s favourite features from the past year’s issues in our first ever annual edition”.
 

Blue Mountains Crossing Bicentenary 2013

History Council of New South Wales
The year 2013 marks the bicentenary of the first acknowledged crossing of the Blue Mountains by European settlers. The crossing was made by Gregory Blaxland; William Lawson; William Charles Wentworth; a local guide; three convict servants; four pack horses and five dogs in May 1813. After three weeks of trekking through the scrub the party reached Mount Blaxland seeing a vast expanse of potential farming land below. The crossing is considered significant as it led to the opening up of the western plains of NSW to settlement.
The HCNSW is delighted to announce it will be running a year long marketing and publicity campaign to encourage and promote community engagement in the bicentenary through locally arranged events. We will create a dedicated page on our website. The following benefits will be offered to participants:
  • An easy to use registration system.
  • Each event has a dedicated page with space for an image.
  • Events are published on our home page.
  • The HCNSW stamp of approval.
  • Inclusion in an overarching professional publicity campaign.
  • Promote your work to new audiences. The ongoing vitality of the history sector depends on an engaged and appreciative community.
The HCNSW will also host a one day seminar to be held in May 2013.