Friday 31 January 2014

A Genealogy Indexing Addict in Australia

Hello. My name is Judy Webster, I live in south-east Queensland (Australia), and I am an indexing addict!

I grew up on a sheep and cattle grazing property in outback Queensland, and I have been doing family history since the 1970s. My mother's grandparents came to Queensland from Germany and Prussia, but at the moment I am concentrating on my father's ancestors and their siblings in England and Scotland, plus a recently discovered Irish ancestor.

Headstone of Mary Agar, 1794, Gillamoor, Yorkshire
Agar headstone, 1794, Yorkshire
Most of my Scottish ancestors were in Argyllshire, and I suspect that siblings may have gone from Tiree to Canada. My English research mainly involves Yorkshire and the Greater London area (Surrey/Middlesex), but a few families were in Somerset, Durham, Lancashire, Kent and elsewhere. Others emigrated to Australia and settled in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. One of my ancestors may have been a Lancashire convict who was sent to Tasmania, but as yet that is only a theory.

I have started using DNA testing for genealogy, and I have already contacted one 'new' relative whose relationship we can confirm by traditional research. I hope my success rate will increase as more British family historians are tested.

After graduating from university in Brisbane, I worked for thirty-four years as a medical scientist in a hospital's Haematology and Transfusion Medicine departments. In the 1980s I switched from full-time to part-time work, did a Graduate Diploma in Local and Applied History by external study (University of New England, Armidale NSW), and established my own part-time business as a professional genealogical researcher and indexer.
Brisbane Prison Hospital register
Prison hospital register
I love working with unusual sources that overcome dead ends in family history. My Web site, www.judywebster.com.au, has about 130 pages with advice on sources and techniques for family history, and more than 53,000 names from my indexes to local, interstate and overseas folk mentioned in archival records. I also allowed FindMyPast to publish three of those indexes. As I said, I am an indexing addict!

Apart from my main Web site, I also write about my family and share research tips in... (links open in a new window)
I am the founder and coordinator of the Genealogists for Families Project, which is a magnificent example of international teamwork. In 2011 we received an award for 'Best New Community Project'. After only two years we have more than 270 members in 13 countries (Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Germany, Netherlands, NZ, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Spain, USA and Wales). Many contributors to this blog are already part of the team, and I hope more of you will join us. Please take a moment to read about 'Genealogists for Families'. Together we can make a difference!

In my next post here I will talk about ways in which (perhaps unexpectedly) Australian records can help family historians in other countries. In the meantime you will find many research tips in my genealogy blogs.

I look forward to learning from you all as the year unfolds. It will be interesting to see what thirty-one people can accomplish by contributing to an international collaborative blog.
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25 comments:


  1. hi Judy, wow, you are a busy lady! I would be interested to hear about the Graduate Diploma in Local and Applied History by external study (University of New England, Armidale NSW). I have been thinking of doing some formal study in the area of genealogy and family history, would you recommend it?

    Looking forward to your posts

    Di

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  2. Yes Di, I very strongly recommend the course through the Uni of New England. I did it in the early 1990s, but I know family historians who are doing it now and they like it too. The course is now called Local, Family and Applied History, available as an undergraduate or postgraduate Diploma.

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  3. Thanks, will have to look into it.

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  4. What impressive blogging activity! I have enough of a challenge keeping up with my personal blog. geneabloggers and this wonderful new worldwide genealogy site. Like you indexing was one of my favourite tasks when working as a librarian - no use having a marvelous collection if no-one can find the information they are looking for. I must look into your advice in tracing lost Australian relatives and I look forward to to your future postings here.

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    1. Sue, I have often had cause to be grateful for indexes in libraries. Many local studies librarians have done a magnificent job of indexing their collections. With the wisdom of hindsight (always a wonderful thing) I am not sure whether I was wise to create separate blogs for different geographical areas - but for all of them, my motto is 'Quality matters more than quantity'.

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  5. What a beaut post to rou d off the month, Judy. Hopefully your post might encourage more people to support "Genealogists for Families" which is a most rewarding activity

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    1. Thanks Jill. I'm hoping that more people may join when they realise that the minimum loan is only $5 if they use Kiva Zip.

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  6. Judy, Great to have you as part of the WWG team and echoing Jill's comment. A great way to round off our first month.

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    1. Julie, thanks for starting this collaborative blog. I hope to learn a lot from the other authors.

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  7. I'm doing my own research and have similar ancestors except for I have Cuban of Canaries heritage. Would like to give study a go as i've retired with Parkinsons and see this as something i can do from home and indulge in history of my forebearers

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    1. 'Cuban of Canaries' sounds very challenging! If you have found any unusual sources for *Yorkshire* research, I'd love to hear about them. Your Blogger profile is blank - where do you live?

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  8. Judy, thanks for sharing - like you I have separated out my different family lines into separate blog sites - http://kerrieannechristian.tumblr.com/myfamilywebsites. Quite a few cousins from the different lines have discovered the respective blogs and sent photos, stories etc - blogs definitely work !

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    1. It's encouraging to know that your blogs have been successful as 'cousin bait'. I see that you use WikiTree. Do you have any advice for those who are wondering whether to use it?

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  9. Always knew you were busy but that should be super busy! Great work.

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    1. Thanks Shauna. I'm behind schedule with my posts in your '52 Weeks of Genealogical Records' series, but weeks 3 and 4 are coming soon, I promise!

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  10. Judy, you already know I think you are a legend in the Queensland geneasphere for all your fabulous hints and indexes. But your generosity shone through with founding GFF...something to be ver proud of...and I'm sure your dad smiles down to see what a great collaboration it's become? thank you from me, and I'm quite sure, all those others you've inspired.

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    1. (Blush!) Thank you so much for your kind words, Pauleen. Yes, my Dad would be delighted that we have helped so many families. By repeatedly re-lending our $5 or $25 as it is repaid, we have now passed the $88,000 mark.

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  11. Praise be to the indexing addict! And, thank you!

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    1. Thanks Carol. I have more indexes in progress, so I hope they will provide clues to lots of 'missing ancestors'.

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  12. I have been very tempted to volunteer for indexing projects. How familiar do you have to be with various handwriting "styles" of past times? I'd love to learn more.

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    1. Schalene, some of the sources I have indexed are handwritten and some are typescript. Most are relatively recent (1860 onwards). Ask your local genealogical group whether they have any projects that might suit you, or choose a source that interests you at FamilySearch Indexing.

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  13. Hi Judy, I am way behind in reading posts, so glad you just posted this link on FB, it reminded me to wander over... As I've already told you, I've been following your work for years and am still in awe of all you do. I have also been indexing and transcribing for such a long time and heartily recommend it to all. You don't have to have a lot of time, just chip away...there are so many ongoing projects where your few hours a week or even month, will be gratefully received.Try HIVE for instance..
    As for multiple blogs, well, I have a few also... it's addictive and rewarding. KIVA is also part of our lives, we plod away there, helping whenever we can...
    Hopefully, if things ease with home, I will be able to be part of this worldwide project at a later date...
    Thank you to all involved, especially Julie, for her inspiration and coordination.

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    1. Chris, thanks for your ongoing support for my blogs, Kiva and the 'Genealogists for Families' project. I hope more people will get involved if we spread the word that the minimum loan is only $5 (not $25) now that Kiva Zip is an option.

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  14. Judy, It is wonderful to see "all" the work that you do. I am truly inspired by you and the energy you have. We are thousands of miles apart...however, I am watching you and how you do things. I hope to find my true niche and inspire others. I look forward to your next post.

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    1. Thanks Yvette. I like your comment about 'finding your true niche'. That is so important. Figure out what aspect of genealogy you enjoy most, then work hard to be good at that. Anyone who tries to know everything about everything is setting themselves up for a fall - and I can think of several professional genealogists who made that mistake in the 1990s.

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