Accentuate the positive 2024

AI generated and edited image in canva.com

A review of my family history activities in 2024, prompted by Jill at Geniaus. She provides 20 prompts for writing a blog post, I have used only a few of these.

1. Google provided a lead for a distant relative of my husband when he found one of my blog posts referring to his ggt-grandfather.

2. I was the recipient of genearosity from a distant relative in South Australia who continues to investigate our Byrne family connections.

3. This was a headstone I had not previously not seen. My husband's paternal grandmother.

4. A useful record I discovered was the will and probate record for Timothy Hogan by using fulltext search in FamilySearch Labs.

5. A newly found family member shared details of his Bennett grandparents, their children and some of their descendants.

6. A geneasurprise I received was another contact who was following my husband's great grandparents. His mother then forwarded some photos not previously seen.

7. My 2024 post that I was particularly proud of was Easter offerings 1895 where I enumerated the attendees at a small country church that Sunday morning with some brief details about each one.

8. DNA helped me to consolidated one branch of the Horgan family tree by confirming several 3rd cousins and 2nd cousins one removed in that line.

9. I was pleased I upgraded to the pro tools on Ancestry which provided further clues on some DNA connections. I also upgraded my laptop after failing to find a solution to maximise efficiency on my 9 yr old device. It was so slow. Another upgrade arrived via Santa, a new Android phone.

10. Although Face to Face events have returned Zoom has enabled me to participate in many sessions that would otherwise be unavailable in my home location.

11. I dipped my toes into suno.com where I provided some basic details about my brother's life and had a song generated for his 80th birthday celebration.

12. I connected with a Bennett descendant in the USA via two DNA matches.

13.By dipping into a range of AI tools I was able to refine and edit some text for my family history book published this year. Transkribus.ai enabled quick transcription and correction of 43 letters written home during World War II.

14. I was honoured to be asked to present a session for QFHS in February 2025

15. It was exciting to meet face to face with a previously unknown second cousin found through his daughter's DNA results.

16. A geneadventure I enjoyed this year was and is a virtual one. I am using WeAre.xyz where I am storing and sharing our family stories and photos.

17. Another positive I would like to mention was that I refined my A-Z posts from 2017 about my childhood into a printed booklet which I then gave to my son on Christmas Day. He expressed his delight at the personal gift. Two of his three boys expressed interest, there is hope for the future of our family history.

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

Accentuate the Positive 2023

Geneameme 2023 - front image on book generated using Microsoft co-pilot,
book image and text added in Photofunia

Each year Jill, GeniAus puts out an invitation to bloggers to Accentuate the Positive in the form of a geneameme that provides a range of prompts to reflect on our year in genealogy, and celebrate our successes. 

Below is my response to some of the prompts followed by ChatGPTs modification of my words.

1. On re-reading my mother's memoir I discovered some forgotten details.

2. In 2023 I reconnected with a living cousin when he emailed me to thank me for the research done on my mother's paternal line.

3. I'm pleased I replaced Twitter for genealogical discussion with Mastodon the social tool that is open source, has no advertising and a growing body of family history and genealogy users.

4. I was pleased that I finally purchased and read Your DNA guide by Diahan Southard

5. I enjoyed my journey to South Australia to visit five of my siblings in March 2023 not only for the opportunity to catch up with them but also to record some of the events in their lives for future generations.

6. I am pleased that I have been a member of Queensland Family History Society, receiving their newsletters and updates as well as having access to their online programs and data. This has helped me get an overview of ideas for our local group.

7. I made several DNA discoveries thanks to two siblings who tested and gave me control of their test results. These tests revealed connections with higher matches than showed in my matches list and thus enabled me to determine the correct lineages from sets of 2x gt-grandparents solving a couple of longstanding genealogical mysteries.

8. An informative Facebook group I have joined is We Are [enjoying our family histories] and while I have not yet committed to spending more on genealogy it is very interesting to see the development of this software with the ability to integrate blog posts with dynamic family trees, media and much more.

9.. Trove has helped me follow many marriages and deaths of descendants of my 2x gt-grandparents overcoming challenges such as missing records and gaps in historical data.

10. AI was new to me but I learnt so much from reading, experimenting and from presentations given by Andrew Redfern and Carole McCulloch.

11. The best value I got for my genealogy dollars was my membership of Genealogy South Australia.

12. It felt good to contribute to our local group by providing some classes and some technical expertise. I was pleased to be recognised outside the group by being asked to present sessions on a couple of topics for three different genealogical societies this year.

13. It was wonderful to catch up with genimates Pauleen and Fran for a recent lunch.

14. I wouldn't be without my Canon flatbed scanner as I continue to digitise documents and photos relevant to our lives and those of our ancestors.

15. I rewrote and updated some stories about our O'Dea ancestors who arrived in South Australia in 1854. This was distributed via email as a pdf attachment for close relatives.

16. I got a thrill from opening someone's eyes to the potential of using a variety of technology tools for genealogical purposes.

17. Another positive I would like to share is the continuing satisfaction I get from pursuing our families shared histories.

I asked ChatGPT to use the above text with the prompt acting as a professional genealogy blogger summarise my year. 

Here's the response: 

Genealogy Blogger Year in Review: A Journey of Rediscovery and Connection

As the year draws to a close, reflecting upon my genealogical journey in 2023 brings a wave of satisfaction and meaningful connections. Here's a summary of the highlights and discoveries that defined my year:

1. Rediscovering Family Narratives:
Revisiting my mother's memoir proved to be a treasure trove, unearthing forgotten details and enriching my understanding of our family history.

2. Reconnection through Research:
An unexpected email from a living cousin expressing gratitude for my research on my mother's paternal line led to a heartwarming reconnection, highlighting the power of shared family narratives.

3. Embracing Mastodon for Genealogical Discourse:
Replacing Twitter with Mastodon for genealogical discussions brought a sense of community. The open-source platform, free of advertisements, facilitated engaging conversations with a growing community of family history enthusiasts.

4. Empowering DNA Research:
Reading "Your DNA Guide" by Diahan Southard proved to be a pivotal moment, empowering me with insights that enhanced my DNA research capabilities.

5. Journey to South Australia:
March 2023 marked a memorable journey to South Australia, not only for the joy of reuniting with five siblings but also for recording significant events in their lives for future generations.

6. Queensland Family History Society Membership:
Being a member of the Queensland Family History Society provided valuable insights, newsletters, and access to online programs, shaping ideas for our local genealogical group.

7. DNA Discoveries:
Taking control of my siblings' DNA test results led to several breakthroughs, unravelling mysteries and connecting with distant relatives, enriching our family tree.

8. Exploring Innovative Genealogy Software:
Participation in the Facebook group "We Are [enjoying our family histories]" introduced me to innovative genealogy software, sparking interest in the evolving landscape of tools that integrate blog posts, dynamic family trees, and media.

9. Trove Triumphs:
Trove played a crucial role in overcoming challenges, helping trace marriages and deaths of descendants by bridging gaps in historical data.

10. AI Exploration:
Venturing into the realm of AI for genealogical purposes, learning from experts like Andrew Redfern and Carole McCulloch, opened new dimensions of understanding and application.

11. Value in Genealogical Memberships:
The most rewarding investment proved to be my membership with Genealogy South Australia, offering unparalleled value for my genealogy endeavours.

12. Contributing to the Local Genealogical Community:
Sharing expertise through classes and technical contributions to the local group not only felt fulfilling but also led to invitations to present sessions for three different genealogical societies.

13. Memorable Gatherings:
Lunch meetings with genimates Pauleen and Fran added a personal touch to the genealogical journey, creating lasting memories.

14. Essential Tools:
The Canon flatbed scanner remained an indispensable tool, facilitating the digitization of documents and photos vital to preserving our family's history.

15. Sharing Ancestral Stories:
Rewriting and updating stories about our O'Dea ancestors, distributed via email with PDF attachments for close relatives, ensured the preservation and dissemination of our shared history.

16. Inspiring Others:
The joy of opening someone's eyes to the potential of technology tools for genealogical purposes was a gratifying experience, fostering a sense of community and shared exploration.

17. Continuing Satisfaction:
Above all, the continuing satisfaction derived from delving into our family's shared histories remains the driving force, reaffirming the profound importance of preserving and celebrating our roots.


Back to my own words: ChatGPT is quite wordy and suggests more than one lunch with genimates, but can be used to improve some of my blog posts, or make suggestions for individual sentences. I would definitely take out some of its excessive use of adjectives. The headings certainly make for easier reading. 

How have your experiences been with ChatGPT or other AI tools?

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

Accentuate the positive 2016

Christmas offerings 1894 - Sts John and Paul Church, Tarlee, SA
scanned by CRGalvin from original 6 Sept 2016

The year has passed and postings here have been infrequent, however prompted by Jill to Accentuate the Positive I look back at 2016 and find I have much to be positive about in my genealogy endeavours throughout the year.

An elusive ancestor I found was my husband’s unknown grandmother Louisa May Lawson via Trove Government Gazettes where she was granted Letters of Administration in the estate of his grandfather. This led me to acquiring those records through NSW Archives.

A precious family photo was given to me by my brother  - a photo of Smyth household at Alma Plains showing gt-grandmother Hanora Horgan and my father as a small boy. Post to come in 2017.

Ancestor's graves  - I had the opportunity to photograph several in Pinkerton Plains and Navan cemeteries in South Australia.

An important vital record I found was – probate files for my husband’s grandfather which included copies of birth certificates for his children.

A newly found genimate shared – records of Walmsleys and Tonsons some of my husband's ancestors. Thank you Jenny Scammell.

A geneasurprise I received was being able to view some early church records with details of contributions made by members of a parish on various occasions.

Some new pieces of software I mastered were – Open Live Writer for blog posts. and Google Photoscan for digitisation of photos.

A social media tool I enjoyed using for genealogy was – Facebook in particular South Australia Genealogy and the Australian History Bloggers group.

I am pleased with the presentation - I gave at Noosaville library on Internet resources for family historians during Family History month in August.

I taught some friends -  how to use Google Keep for extracting text from images.

A genealogy book that taught me something new - Organize your Genealogy by Drew Smith.

A great archive I visited  - I made my first visit to State Records of South Australia, Cavan where I found school enrolment records for my father at Alma South School.. Helpful staff with a clean well –equipped quiet research area. I must also mention the Riverton History Centre where helpful volunteers directed me to some fascinating finds.

A new genealogy based story  I enjoyed was Kindred by Steve Robinson. Read to find out whether or not he discovers the identity of his father.

It was exciting to finally meet up again with siblings and a wide range of nieces and nephews and their children at a family wedding in September.

Another positive I would like to share is the feedback and encouragement I have received from my siblings re my explorations of our common ancestors.

Thanks Jill for the prompt to look back at achievements through the past year.