Ten years of stories

Image generated by AI in Canva by providing the title text

Little did I know when I first started this Family History and Clippings blog ten years ago, that I would still have more to add ten years later. I set out to research and record family stories for myself and my siblings and their descendants. I hope that future generations will be interested in preserving our family stories.

Along the way I have learnt so much about my family's and my husband's ancestors.  I've had a lot of help from family, cousins and unrelated genealogy researchers sharing their expertise and knowledge.

The wonderful resource that is Trove, provided by the National Library of Australia has provided me with a wide range of stories. Some stories contained conflicting information sending me elsewhere to verify details. Some papers of the past were just as interested in salacious details as some of the present media outlets. Obituaries have helped me piece together many family relationships. They have been particularly useful for determining the married name of females. 

 

The research I have recorded on the blog has provided background material for my O'Dea stories booklet recently shared with close relatives. By recording one story at a time, the task of compiling a family history booklet and adding relevant photos was simplified.

During the coming year I will revisit the paternal Horgan stories contained within and publish a similar booklet to share with close families.

The advent of DNA testing has advanced my research and keeps me willing to write about and pursue further research. The ongoing digitisation of records has provided a boon for me with wills I would not otherwise be able to access, providing details about land holdings and executors of those estates. 

The increasing use of AI on so many platforms can both help and hinder accurate research but I look forward to seeing where it will take genealogy researchers. Trove has announced success with its Handwritten Text Recognition software. Other platforms have photo dating prediction software, AI tools for writing biographies and more.

While I have written very little in the past year, my research continues.

Thanks to all who have continued to read my blog and to all those who have shared their knowledge and expertise.

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin