good reads
general
We're back
Posted 15 Mar 08 by Scott Andrew Bird. Filed in general.
We got back from the Queensland trip this afternoon - relaxed, tanned and overflowing with information. In particular, our visits to the State Library of Queensland (in Brisbane) and the Heritage Centre (Maryborough) proved fruitful. A number of this site’s articles will be updated over the coming days.
Also of note is the overall family tree (the Bird site, at least) over on Geni. I’ve already updated the basics; a more thorough update will take place in a couple of days or so.
2 weeks in Queensland
Posted 28 Feb 08 by Scott Andrew Bird. Filed in general.
On Friday we drive north to the perfect weather (well OK, they’ve had some rain recently) and white sandy beaches of Queensland. Why? To delve a little deeper into the history of several Bird family members.
Although this trip will only be two weeks or so, I hope to uncover the following :
- When was Joseph BIRD born? Where? (possibly British Columbia)
- When was Thomas BIRD Jr born? Where? (possibly British Columbia)
- When was Mary Elizabeth BIRD born? Where? (possibly British Columbia)
- Any other BIRDs married in Wesleyan Church, Maryborough or Wesleyan Church Toowong?
- When and where did Lily BRADFIELD pass away?
- When and where did Clive Burnett BIRD pass away?
- Did Alfred Edward BIRD own a car?
- What did Ephraim BIRD farm? Were there any bank loans?
- Which house in Union St, West Bromwich was the family home? Who owned it?
- Who owned Ephraim BIRD’s farm at the time of his death (1919)?
If you can help to answer any of the above, or you’re familiar with any of these people; please leave a comment below. I’d love to find out more.
Goals for 2008
Posted 01 Jan 08 by Scott Andrew Bird. Filed in general.
Whilst I’m not one to make New Years Resolutions, I do have a few things I plan to identify (within the family tree) in 2008. These include :
Focus on 7 generations : I plan to focus my attention on the seven generations of the Bird family (including my own) leading back to Michael and Kate Bird (nee Fogharty). By limiting my research to this group - which includes several hundred individuals - I’ve already made much more progress in a few months than in several years previously.
Who were the wives? : there are some fascinating stories in the group I’ve elected to look at, and many of these are attributed to those who married in to the family. Unfortunately I only have information on a handful of them; in 2008 I plan to uncover the remainder of the Bird wives.
Make use of local resources : there are several excellent Family Tree libraries within reach of here; the majority of which I’ve never visited. Time to change that.
Travel to relevant locations : in February I’ll be visiting a few of the places in Maryborough, Queensland, which relate to the family’s history in one way or another. Former residences, places of work, churches and cemeteries.
Later in the year I’d also like to visit (and photograph) Townsville, Ayr and Mackay.
Obtain photographs / sketches / paintings of everyone in the tree : this one is quite challenging, but extremely rewarding. Just what did everyone look like? Are there physical features in common, and how have fashions changed over the years? Looking forward to it.
How about you - what are your own genealogical goals for 2008?
New year, new computer
Posted 16 Feb 07 by Scott Andrew Bird. Filed in general.
Last week a couple of old computers found a new home; no longer used here following two disastrous hard drive crashes last year. The upshot is that I’ve switched over to using a Mac (and I’m wondering why I didn’t make the change sooner), and I’m sorting through a couple of old backup CDs which contain various snippets from the old site.
To top it all off, I’ve renamed the site, switched to a new host and tweaked a few things here and there.
Currently I’m looking through the various genealogy programs and utilities available for OS X, and I’ll put a version of the tree up as soon as I find something reasonable. Suggestions are always welcome.
In the meantime, take a look through some of the photos uncovered here a while back. I’m sure most of them feature relatives, but there are a few mysteries in there. I’d love to find out who they are.
Saints and their descendants
Posted 16 Apr 06 by Scott Andrew Bird. Filed in general.
Brian Starr has just released a book on the ancestry of those saints who left descendants. With over 110 saints discussed, this is essential reading for anyone researching a possible saintly connection.
UK census information
Posted 14 Feb 06 by Scott Andrew Bird. Filed in general.
There's a brief piece on UK Census Info (including a few links to online sources) over on the Family History Uk site.
Searching early US Land Act tracts
Posted 13 Feb 06 by Scott Andrew Bird. Filed in general.
The Columbian has an interesting piece on searching records for land granted under early US Land Acts. It's a great - if often overlooked - resource.
Oh, the site mentioned in the article - the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - is actually at http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/.
A virtual forest
Posted 22 Jan 06 by Scott Andrew Bird. Filed in general.
I'm currently testing a few of the many GEDCOM -> HTML and GEDCOM -> PHP apps currently available. For any of these that have been linked on the site, rest assured that the data is identical throughout and the only differences between them are in appearance and usability.
Surnames in the UK
Posted 17 Jan 06 by Scott Andrew Bird. Filed in general.
Spatial Literacy has just put their surname profiler on show. The site shows the main historical locations for over 25,000 surnames, and gives a good idea of where the family might have originated.
December freebies
Posted 28 Dec 05 by Scott Andrew Bird. Filed in general.
OK, it's a little late in the month, but Family Tree Legends (FTL) are offering free database searches until the end of December.
HSP
Posted 20 Aug 05 by Scott Andrew Bird. Filed in general.
For the past couple of years I've been trying to identify a neurological disorder that - at least so far - has been causing my legs to misbehave somewhat. On my last visit to a specialist he stated that his 'best guess' (always reassuring) is that I have some form of HSP (Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia), and I'm currently trying to establish some of the family's medical history.
Challenging indeed - particularly when the same ailments are known by different names according to time and location. Accordingly, I'm interesting in hearing about any reference to a leg-related condition that may have turned up during your research.
Military resources
Posted 05 Feb 04 by Scott Andrew Bird. Filed in general.
Looking for ancestors who've spent time in the military?
Regiments.org
Royal Australian Navy - The Gun Plot
Australian Recipients Of The Victoria Cross
THE Anzacs
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Welcome to the Family Tree of noted Australian writer and photographer Scott Andrew Bird. Here you'll find a number of fascinating aspects to this ever-growing database, including :
- the tree itself (currently produced using Reunion and The Next Generation)
- Scott Andrew Bird's Ahnentafel (the first 20 generations, anyway)
- links to various genealogy articles by this site's authors
- an index of surnames found in the abovementioned tree, and their origins
- overviews of the key locations lived in by the families in this tree
- overviews of the key occupations held by people in this tree
- photographs of many family members
Additionally, there are a great many certificates, grave photos and other source material which is freely available to other people researching the same family lines. Send me an email or leave a comment on this site.
Scott Bird's Family Tree copyright ©2004-2008 Scott Bird | contact
