History & Genealogy Expo Adelaide - Program

The following program is generally settled, but subject to final adjustment

• The program will be varied and fairly fast moving with two streams of talks on the half hour.
• The topics in bold are given on both days.
• Talks are open to all who have registered, without further charge. There will be adequate seats for most presentations, but a few are expected to be booked out. Those pre-booked will be give precedence.

LATE PROGRAM ADDITIONS - scroll down the page (below the program table) to see further details and talk outlines

• Who Do You Think You Are? (Aust) and Family Tree Time—Megan Gibson (in mini-theatre)
• Customised Heritage Tours: a Case Study - Liz Doyle
• Outback legends: Tom Kruse & Reg Sprigg—Kristin Weidenbach, Fri 11.00am
• Place Names SA: four decades of research—Geoffrey Manning, Fri 3.00pm
• Settlement Square: a place for you or your emigrant forbears—Hon Julian Stefani, Sat 2.00pm

MINI THEATRE - in exhibition area
This will run a range of product demonstrations and some historic video. A schedule will be displayed on the day, but we note some of the planned presentations here.

• Family Photo Book demo (shifted from a programmed talk)
• Genealogy software demos, including Legacy, Family Tree Maker, The Master Genealogist and Family Historian
• Online databases, including Findmypast.com.au, ScotlandsPeople
• The March 2011 Conference Cruise
• Who Do You Think You Are? (Aust) - Megan Gibson
• Family Tree Time - Megan Gibson
• Customised Heritage Tours: a Case Study - Liz Doyle
• Google Your Family Tree Video (interviews with the author)
• Historic football video dating from the 1920s
• more yet to be announced.

EXPERT CONSULTATIONS - in exhibition area
A time will be set aside for 15 minute consultations with an expert. A list of times and expertise offered will be posted on the day. Bookings will be taken on the day for a FREE 15 minute consultation with an expert of your choice. Expert advisers include

• Shauna Hicks (general research or the subject of any of her talks)
• Kerry Farmer (Australian, NZ,  English, Welsh and Scottish genealogy, The Master Genealogist, DNA, software guidance generally)
• Ros Paterson (Cornish interest)
• Andrew Peake (General Research, South Australian resources) - Saturday only
• Eric Kopittke (German & Danish research) - Saturday only

TREASURE HUNT & PRIZE DRAWINGS - in exhibition area

On entry you will receive a form with a list of basic questions, the answers to which can be found at the various trade stalls. Forms with all questions answered will be eligible for a prize from one of four drawings at 1.45pm and 4.15 pm each day.

PROGRAM FRIDAY 30 JULY 2010

PROGRAM SATURDAY 31 JULY 2010

TALK SUMMARIES

Talks listed alphabetically by title

Ancestry.com.au—Brad Argent, Sat 9.30am

Providing an overview of how we do what we do – taking a look at some of the behind the scenes technology and challenges of making family history records “internet friendly”.

Australia's ANZAC heritage—Neil Smith, Sat 2.30pm

Colonel Smith will provide a brief overview of all the conflicts in which Australians have been involved from the 1860 New Zealand Wars to the present day with moving and personal examples of the sacrifices made. Neil's emphasis throughout will be on the family historian's need to better understand those who served; what sort of people they were and the part they have played in developing the Australian character.

Beginning your family history—Richard Sullivan, Fri 10.30am & Sat 10.00am

Caring for your family history archives—Shauna Hicks, Fri 9.30am

This talk addresses three areas - organising your family records and memorabilia, storing and preserving your family archives and finally, sharing the results of your research with others and the long term future of your research and records. 

A case study on “Uncovering your past in Ireland”—Liz Doyle

This will be in the mini-theatre in the exhibition area - time to be advised at the Expo

Have you been doing family tree research for some time? Have you found your ancestors in Ireland? Would you like to get your hands on previous records, and have access to Irish heritage experts? Would you like to see the places your ancestors lived and worked in? Would you like to understand more about the Ireland of your forebears? Not just another trip to Ireland!

Cornish influence in South Australia—Roslyn Paterson, Fri 2.30pm

The Cornish were in South Australia from 1836. As agricultural labourers, miners, timbermen, stonemasons, builders and engineers. Their wives and children came with them enduring the hardships of a new land. Far from the ruggedly beautiful peninsula that was Cornwall. Where did they go in the new colony, how did they travel, did they find wealth in Australia? They brought with them their Methodism, their love of brass bands, choral singing, their pasties and their skills as the best hard rock miners in the world. Their cousins spread to Chile, Mexico, Wisconsin, California, South Africa, Cuba and Brazil. A special people who became premiers, prime ministers, leaders of business and tireless charity workers. These were the Cornish who came to South Australia.

DNA for genealogists—Kerry Farmer, Sat 9.30am

Learn how the genetic markers in DNA can help you find your ancestors, when genealogy is combined with genetics. How do you decide which DNA tests and which DNA testing companies best suit what you want to know? Links for further reading about the subject as well as for the DNA testing companies and DNA databases can be found at familyhistoryresearch.com.au/courses/DNA

Family history on the cheap—Shauna Hicks

Fri 3.30pm & Sat 2.30pm
This talk highlights a wide variety of tips and tricks that researchers can use to save themselves time and money when researching their family history. Areas covered include family sources, archives and libraries, online resources, technology, travel tips and so on. 

Family Photo Book—Rosemary Kopittke

This will be in the mini-theatre in the exhibition area - time to be advised at the Expo

Why just leave your photos on your computer. Come and see how easy it is to create albums and calendars to capture those precious moments.

FamilySearch: Ancestors at your fingertips—Paul Parton, Fri 11.00am

FamilySearch is developing exciting, free, on-line tools to assist family historians and has released a beta version of ‘England Jurisdictions 1851’. A map of England is displayed, underneath which is a database of the jurisdictions of England as they existed in 1851. Knowing a jurisdiction is a vital clue to finding records for family history research. By clicking on a location on the map of England, a link will take you to the Family History Library Catalog where a list of filmed records for that location will be found. These records could be census, church, poor law, family history, tax, land, school records and many more categories.

FamilySearch: more records to more people faster—Paul Parton, Sat 11.00am

An aim of FamilySearch is to bring ‘more records to more people, faster’. A major initiative in achieving this is FamilySearch Indexing. This is an on-line community based transcription project consisting entirely of volunteer indexers. With 300,000 volunteers currently registered we are the world’s largest community-based transcription service. A major project, using our own equipment and services, is digitising and indexing 2.4 million rolls of microfilm held in the FamilySearch vaults. Take a peek in the vaults and see how this project works and the benefits it provides.

Family Tree Time—Megan Gibson

This will be in the mini-theatre in the exhibition area - time to be advised at the expo

As a freelance Researcher, Writer and family tree Coach for Family Tree Time, Megan will share her tips for the time poor, from her forthcoming book How To Get More Family Tree Time. Her motto is ...before it's too late!

Findmypast.com.au—Rosemary Kopittke, Fri 2.30pm

Findmypast has come to Australasia! Learn what a great range of unique records are available for researching your families on this new site and learn the best way to do your searching.

German sources on the internet—Eric Kopittke, Sat 3.30pm

An increasing amount of material is available about people and places on the internet. This talk explores a range of resources available for those researching people from places in the former German Empire.

Germanic and Danish research—Eric Kopittke, Sat 10.30am

A brief overview of some resources for research in Germany and Denmark – emigration, census, gazetteers and other records.

Government & police gazettes for local & family history—Andrew Peake, Sat 2.00pm

The Government Gazette has been published continuously since the proclamation of the Province of South Australia in 1836.  It is the official publication of government and as a result all actions and decisions of government appear within its pages.  The Police Gazette commenced publication in 1861 and is a record of all police activities, reports and information.  Together these two publications are a gold-mine of information relating to South Australians, now made accessible with computer technology.

History/heritage touring—Ron Austin, Liz Doyle, Jacqui Haraldstad & Alan Phillips, Fri 3.30pm

A brief introduction to:

• Battlefield tours
• Custom Tours to the British Isles
• Unlock The Past History & Genealogy Conference-Cruise 2011

How to interview a family member—Annie Payne, Fri 10.30am

Many people realise that they need to start gathering their family stories from older relatives but don’t know where to start, especially interviewing.  Providing a free checklist, Annie Payne will outline the main points needed to achieve a useful interview, and explain how Memory Cards™ can simplify the process.

Introduction to World War 1—Ron Austin, Fri.3.00pm

An Introduction to World War 1 provides a brief overview of the events leading up to the European conflict including Australia's reaction to the British declaration of war.

Introduction to World War 2—Ron Austin, Sat 3.30pm

Introduction to World War 2 covers the rise of Germany and Japan and Australia's response to such events.

Life Events that create records—Andrew Peake, Fri 2.00pm

Birth, marriage and death records are the building blocks of family history.  However, there are many other records that are created during an individual's journey through life that will potentially flesh out the bare facts of birth, marriage and death.  This presentation will give an overview of where to find these records.

Lutheran Archives and Germanic family history research—Lyall Kupke, Fri 9.30am

The Lutheran Archives is the official repository for the records of the Lutheran Church of Australia (LOCA) and earlier Lutheran churches in Australia. The early Lutherans were German migrants and the church continued to use the German language into the 20th century. By 1900 over 100,000 Australians were German-born or of German descent. Most were Lutherans. Lutheran Archives holds many church registers from all over Australia and these contain baptism, confirmation, marriage and burial records.

The making of a compelling Australian TV Series—Diana Pepper, Fri 12.00 noon

What goes on behind the scenes in the making of this hit television series.

The making of the Ron Barassi episode—Diana Pepper, Sat 12.00 noon

Insight into how the research was conducted into Ron’s family history and the discovery of a particularly gruesome ancestor.

The National Archives of Australia—Shauna Hicks, Fri 2.00pm

This talk looks at the major family history resources held by the National Archives of Australia including passenger lists and military records for both the Boer War and WWI. In addition it will look briefly at how to use the website and online catalogue.

Outback legends: Tom Kruse & Reg Sprigg—Kristin Weidenbach, Fri 11.00am

From The Back of Beyond to The Birdwood Motor Museum, and from the middle of the Simpson Desert to giant canyons beneath the sea, Kristin presents a brief history of the lives of two of South Australia’s true outback pioneers.

Place names SA: four decades of research—Geoffrey Manning, Fri 3.00pm

What is the relationship between Jonathan Swift’s Island of Lilliputian and an island near modern-day Ceduna? What sea port on Eyre Peninsula was christened because of  its association with the origin of  the “Ashes” contest between Australian and English cricket teams? Geoff Manning, who has been researching and writing upon the origin of South Australian place names over the past four decades, answers these two questions and, at the same time, will discuss the placement of European names on our landscape from 1627 to 1836.

Rebels, highwaymen and bride thieves: the stories behind our early Irish convicts—Cassie Mercer, Sat 11.00am

The 1790s saw 912 Irish men and women sentenced to transportation to New South Wales. A time of political and social upheaval in Ireland, the authorities were convinced these unwanted citizens would be better off out of sight, out of mind. Irish Wattle's co-founder, Barbara Hall, has spent 20 years researching their stories, from their convictions in Ireland, to the lives they carved out in the colony. Barbara’s editor, Cassie Mercer, will speak about some of the terrific stories they have uncovered along the way and the contributions these convicts made to early Sydney society.

The Royal Geographical Society of South Australia—Rod Shearing, Fri 11.30am

This talk and PowerPoint presentation on the Society will cover the resources that users and visitors can expect as they explore for themselves the eclectic collection, 125 years old, of the history and the geography of South Australia and adjacent territories. The collection is open to any member of the public during proclaimed opening hours. www.rgssa.org.au

ScotlandsPeople—Rosemary Kopittke, Sat 10.00am

An overview of ScotlandsPeople – the official online source of parish register, civil registration, census, wills and testaments records for Scotland. Containing almost 80 million records, the ScotlandsPeople database is the primary source of information for those researching Scottish families.

Settlement Square: a place for you or your emigrant forbears—Julian Stefani, Sat 2.00pm

The Migration Museum is a stimulating, dynamic place, full of challenging ideas presented through a continuous programme of changing exhibitions, education programmes and events.  Members of staff, work closely with individuals and community groups representing many places, histories, faiths and hundreds of different cultural identities.  Community involvement and participation is the Museum's lifeblood.  And crucially, the staff share a passion for history, which is the other ingredient of the Museum's success.

A sweet taste of history: 127 years of confectionery in Adelaide—Dan Crinion - cancelled

TROVE: One search...A wealth of information—Shauna Hicks, Sat 11.30am

This talk explains the various features of TROVE and how to maximise searches and the speaker will use examples from her own family history to highlight the amazing detail that can be found within TROVE.

Were the South Australian Lutherans National Socialists?—Aimée Engler, Sat 11.30am

The question has long been asked as to whether the Lutheran Church, with its German heritage, was infested with National Socialists during the 1930s. This topic explores the history of the Lutheran Church, its connections with Germany by the 1930s, the response of the Lutherans to National Socialism, and the impact the Nazis had on the Church before and during the war.

What was the voyage really like?—Shauna Hicks, Sat 10.30am

This talk illustrates how researchers can find out details of an ancestor’s trip to Australia. There are a range of resources covered including passenger lists, on board reports such as medical officer’s reports, ship’s diaries and logs, newspapers, photographs and government reports - from these it is possible to learn what our ancestors may have experienced during their voyage to Australia.

Which genealogy program?—Kerry Farmer, Fri 10.00am & Sat 3.00pm

People delving into their family history often ask, ‘Which genealogy program is best?’ There is no simple answer. Everyone has their own research practices and aims, as well as varying technology skills – all of these, and even individual personality, may influence the best software ‘fit’. This was the subject of a recently written publication, “Which Genealogy Program?”, written by Kerry Farmer and Rosemary Kopittke and published by Unlock the Past. This presentation introduces the major genealogical programs available and highlights some aspects of each, encouraging users to determine for themselves the program most likely to suit their needs.

Wills: a fascinating and valuable source—Suzanne Maiden, Fri 11.30am & Sat 3.00pm

Who Do You Think You Are? (Aust)—Megan Gibson

This will be in the mini-theatre in the exhibition area - time to be advised at the Expo

'Who Do You Think You Are?' Researcher, Megan Gibson, will let you in on some of the behind-the-scenes stories about researching for the hit tv show.