Part of the worldwide genealogy/family history community
ISSN 2253-4040
Quote: “Just be
good and kind to your children. Not only are they the future of the world,
they’re the ones who can sign you into a home.” —Dennis Miller
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A Family Relic Sparks Some Discoveries
Are Modern research methods better?
DNA Testing for
Family History
Transfer your Autosomal DNA from MyHeritage to FamilyTreeDNA
– Part 3 of 3.
Hints and Tips to using the General Register Office (GRO)
Civil Registration Indexes
More Famous New
Zealanders You have Probably Never Heard Of
Claude Charles
Capell (1882-1975)
The Recipe Book - Old Family Information
From our Libraries and Museums
Various Articles Worth Reading
What UK census
records are available?
Lament of a Papers Past tragic
To Unsubscribe, Change your Email Address, or Manage your
Personal Information
Editorial
Hello fellow hermits.
Greetings and welcome to another issue of the FamNet newsletter.
We received a lot of feedback from our readers after last month’s issue. Ancestry.com was defended by many and I received good advice about the research problems I wrote about. Please keep the comments coming. Those questioning my ancestry will be filed in the bin but I will read them.
This month’s issue is an interesting collection of articles. We try to educate our readers, give research hints, and generally keep us all up to date with recent developments. We also try to encourage researchers to write their research up so that future generations will understand their ancestry. We are not pedantic about format and style. If it’s readable that’s good enough for us. Thus we are pleased to accept articles of a genealogical/historical nature.
I hope this month’s issue occupies some of your time and you find something valuable. If you want to discuss anything with a contributor, clicking their name should start an email to them.
Peter Nash
Do you want to receive this
newsletter every month?
This newsletter is free. There are not many free newsletters of this length in New Zealand. I am biased but it should be an interesting read.
To subscribe is easy too. Go on - don't misspell it as I have, twice already. https://www.famnet.org.nz/
The front page is lovely, but click on [Newsletters]. A page opens showing you a list of all the past newsletters, you can click the link to read one that you’re interested in.
Like the front page, the newsletters page has a place where you can log on or register. It’s in the top right-hand corner. Put your email here and click [Continue]. If you aren’t already on our mailing list, there will be a message “Email not in database” and a button [New User] appears. Click this and follow the dialog to register. It’s free and easy. You should receive a copy every month until you unsubscribe.
Robert has assured me that he will not send begging letters to your email - apparently, he has enough money at the moment. You will not have to put in your credit card number. You will not be charged a subscription.
Tell other genealogists so they can enjoy the newsletters too.
Regards
Regular Contributors
From the Developer
A Family Relic Sparks Some
Discoveries
Mary and I are lucky to have a daughter who is interested in family history, and will be our family historian for the next generation. As she takes more and more of our family relics, fresh eyes see them anew: in the latest case sparking some fresh discoveries.
From Mary’s father we had inherited a box containing a scroll from the college of arms, issued we believed to Mary’s great grandfather. Mary’s grandmother was HARRISON, Emma Bertha(1860-1956), her father was a QC, so we’d made the lazy assumption that this scroll and the arms were issued to him.
On being handed this box Hannah immediately spotted a
problem. The scroll had been issued in 1825, in the reign of George IV
whose arms are on this box. We knew little about O.B.C. HARRISON, but it
was a stretch to think that somebody having a 
daughter
born in 1860 would have been applying to the college of arms in 1825.
Hannah discovered a letter with the scroll, making it clear that the coat of arms
was issued to his father, William Basset HARRISON, and also naming his
grandfather, John Orton HARRISON.
So, thanks to Hannah’s interest we now know that O.B.C. stands for Octavian Baxter Cameron, the names of the previous two generations, and that they all lived in Westminster. Hannah is keen to learn more, and will be researching this further when she has finished her current project.
Family history is so much more fun when other family members are interested!
Telling your story: Index
1. Writing your story as notes, or with Word.
2. Embedding pictures in Word documents.
3. Saving Documents for Web Publication.
5. Sharing your Story: Managing your Family Group
6. On Line Editing: More Facts, Family, GDB Links
7. Comparing and Synchronising Records
9. Merging Trees. Part 1: Why Bother?
10. Merging Trees. Part 2: Adding Records On-Line
11. Merging Trees. Part3. Combining Existing Trees
12. Finding Your Way Around FamNet (Getting Help)
13. FamNet – a Resource for your Grandchildren
14. FamNet’s General Resource Databases
15. Updating
General Resource Databases
16. Privacy
18. Linking trees
20. Uploading Objects to your Database
21. Bulk-uploading Objects. FamNet resource: Useful Databases
22. Publishing Living Family on Family
Web Sites
23. Have YOU written your family story yet?
24. Editing and Re-arranging your Family Tree On-line.
25. It’s the Stories that Matter
26. Using QR Codes for your Family History
27. What happens to our Family History when we’re gone?
The Nash Rambler
Are Modern research methods
better?
The process of researching
I have written many times before about how good and thorough the old research methods were. Remember microfiche, LDS films, NZSG branches etc. As I said, “they were the good old days”. We used to have to talk to people who could point us in the right direction and correct any false moves we had made. I remember Anne Bromell who was the expert I consulted in the early 1990s. I would ask her a straight question and never got a straight answer. She would say, “Have you looked at ……….. (fill in the resource name)” She would grin at me and then say that the price for that advice was a speech at the next monthly meeting. Consequently, I spoke all over Auckland on such topics as: court records, Police Gazettes, old newspapers (before PapersPast), and many other subjects that my old brain has forgotten. Well things have certainly changed!!!!! Now I can sit at my computer and carry out a very quick successful search and make outstanding progress without any travel.
Let me give you an example. My U3A Genealogy Group has been resurrected. We had our first meeting for two years last week. We had a new member. I left him alone at the start in order to relax. I then started to explain to him how we do the research and showed certificates and printouts so that he had the first steps in research. Then I asked him what he wanted to achieve this year in his research. He said he wanted to find out about his grandfather, Asher LOVE, who was an Irish soldier in the Boer War. We found a few things for him on NZ BDMs website and PapersPast. He went away very happy and was excited to do his work before the next meeting.
A few years ago we would have spat out the word “Irish”, thrown our hands in the air, told him he had trouble and wished him well. It was so hard to find anything.
Next morning, I was very busy at my computer doing nothing. I thought about Asher and decided to have a quick look in the great “interweb” to see how hard the research would be. The first thing I looked at was Paperpast, and other NZ websites to find that he was born in Kilcrean, Antrim. I then went to IrishGenealogy.ie . What a surprise. I found his birth and that of his eight siblings. I found his parents’ marriage, births and deaths. His father had married three times and I found these marriage, birth and death dates and the details of another three half siblings. All this in twenty minutes. I also found his father and various families on the 1901 and 1911 census records. All this cost me nothing. I did not look at Ancestry family trees.
I then explored Ancestry.com and FindMyPast and found his military records for the Royal Regiment of Artillery and his Chelsea Pensioner records. I found some interesting articles in old Irish newspapers. I also found his passenger details for his voyage to New Zealand and, using Electoral Rolls, tracked him around New Zealand and found a newspaper report of his second marriage.
It took only one hour to find all that!!!!! Now I have another problem – I can’t tell him about all this because it is HIS research and HIS hobby. BOTHERATION!!!!!
The process of getting tips
I used to go to genealogy gatherings in order to get tips that would help my research. A good conversation at an LDS centre, over a coffee at a conference, a gossip at a branch meeting etc and my research techniques and thus my success improved. Nowadays I am a “fly on the wall” for a few Facebook pages. My favoured ones are “Genealogy NZ and beyond” and “Genealogy – New Zealand Super Sleuths” but there are others that I sit quietly and observe. These two, in particular, do great work in solving somebody’s problem with many clever, experienced and very helpful members of the group contributing. I learn much by (for me an almost impossible thing) shutting up and reading. I have even stolen a joke or two off them. Thank you to those groups for letting me be there.
Last week I learned something that, to me, is a wonderful tool. I copy it to here for your education,
. 
PS it works for deaths too.
Well that research trick has solved a few mysteries for me so thanks for that. BUT I should say that it shocked me by showing that my great grandmother, in strongly Catholic Puhoi, had a child to or with the man who became or was her brother in law. Catholics didn’t do that did they??
The whole point of boasting first section and the grateful second section showed me how things have changed. Things have improved and I had better stop moaning about the good old days. It also showed me that the need for genealogy societies has decreased dramatically. I can see a time in the near future when they cease to exist. I will miss them because they were valuable in the past.
Modern Photos
I have had a discussion with a few people lately after a short note from Anne Sherman about the developments in the world of photography. Nowadays everything is digital and, probably, valuable and irreplaceable family collections and special occasion photos are kept on mobile phones. The occasion, the locality, or the participants in the photo, are not usually named. Things are getting very informal with no consideration of the future value of the photograph. Also lose the phone, lose the photograph collection.
This led to discussions on the ramifications of this method of photo storage to copyright. After an exchange of photos with several people all track of the original copyright holder is lost. Of course, who owns the photo is an interesting concept with Facebook etc involved.
Also, photos are less formal. Portraits with funny faces being pulled will cause future researchers severe problems. Too many funny photos may lead to hilarious conclusions being made by the descendants.
DNA Testing for Family History
From the editor: Gail has written quite a series on DNA Testing. You will see them all on the FAMNET website and they are a must-read, particularly if you are considering or have had a test done. They are easy to read and not too technical. Click Index so far to see these articles
Transfer
your Autosomal DNA from MyHeritage to FamilyTreeDNA
– Part 3 of 3.
If you have been reading my articles on
DNA for a while, you will know there are three types of DNA.
1. Autosomal DNA which you inherit from both your parents. All the main companies offer this test. (NB Autosomal DNA includes the X chromosome but not all companies test for this).
2. YDNA which only men inherit from their father.
3. Mitochondrial DNA which only mothers can pass to their children. Men receive it but cannot pass it on.
Let’s say you have your Autosomal DNA results from MyHeritage. But you are wondering what else you can do with them.
Have you considered transferring your results to another company? Note that I refer to transferring your results as opposed to transferring your sample.
To do this, you have to first download those results from the testing company to your own computer in order to be able to upload to another company.
Here are the steps to follow.
1. Log into your MyHeritage account
2. Hover your cursor over the DNA tab and go to ‘Manage DNA kits’.
3. When you have located the kit you wish to download, look over to the right hand side and click on the three vertical dots and select ‘Download’.
4. You will see a box which gives you further information – once you have read it, click on ‘Continue’.
5. A further window will appear. Please check the ‘I confirm…’ box and click on ‘Continue’.
6. Your email box will be sent an email – open that email and click on the ‘Click here to continue with the download’’ link.
7. You will be returned to the MyHeritage site so enter your password and click the ‘Download’ button.
8. The file will be downloaded to your ‘Downloads’ folder if that is where they usually stored.
Now you can upload that MyHeritage DNA file to whichever of the following companies you want. Note that you should not upload autosomal DNA to a company which already has your autosomal results.
These are
· FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA)
· Gedmatch
· Living DNA
· MyHeritage DNA
If you are Not Already an FTDNA customer but you are transferring to FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA), go to https://www.familytreedna.com
[If you are already an FTDNA customer log into your FTDNA Account, see below…]
Look in the top toolbar and hover your cursor over ‘Upload DNA Data’ and click on ‘Autosomal DNA’.
You will be directed to a new page where you need to complete the fields by entering the first and last name, email address, and gender of the person whose data you are transferring. (If you are transferring someone else’s data, make sure to enter their name and gender, NOT yours.). Then click on Join Today which will take you to a new page. It will look something like this.
Locate your downloaded file and drag it to the large grey box.
Once uploaded, the name of the file you uploaded will be displayed in the boxed area. If it is the correct file, then click on the Submit in the red box. The graphic below will then appear.
It is important to keep this kit number for your records. You will need this number to sign in to your kit in the future. Also, an email will be sent to the email you entered on the transfer page. This email will contain the password for your kit sign in.
Did you notice the ‘Sign the release form electronically’? If you do not action this, you will not be able to see your matches and nor will others be able to see you or your results.
Current FTDNA Customers need to follow a slightly different path.
1. Sign in to your myFTDNA account.
2. Near the upper-right corner of the page, on the navigation bar, click ADD ONS & UPGRADES. You are directed to the Upgrades page.
3. On the Upgrades page, scroll down until you see the Autosomal Transfers section, and click the Try it Free button.
You are directed to the autosomal DNA transfer page.
At this point the directions are the same as those printed for the new customers above…
But perhaps you want to transfer one of your downloaded DNA files to GEDmatch??
If so – see next month’s article.
Chinese Corner
Dragon
Boat Festival
In addition to China, many other Asian countries also celebrate this festival. In Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan, it is known as Bak Chang Festival (‘Dumpling Festival'). In 2022, Dragon Boat Festival falls on June 3 (Friday). China will have 3 days of public holiday from Friday (June 3) to Sunday (June 5).
Why Do People Celebrate Dragon Boat Festival? The Death of Qu Yuan There are many legends about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. The most popular one is in commemoration of Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan (340–278 BC) was a patriotic poet and exiled official during the Warring States Period of ancient China. He drowned himself in the Miluo River on the 5th day of the 5th Chinese lunar month when his beloved Chu State fell to the State of Qin. Local people desperately tried to save Qu Yuan or recover his body, to no avail. In order to commemorate Qu Yuan, every fifth day of the fifth lunar month people beat drums and paddle out in boats on the river as they once did to keep fish and evil spirits away from his body. Dragon boat racing is the most important activity of the Dragon Boat Festival. It is said to originate from the legend of people paddling out on boats to seek the body of patriotic poet Qu Yuan (343–278 BC), who drowned himself in a River. https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/dragon-boat-festival.htm
Bamboo Leaves Savoury Sticky Rice/Glutinous Rice Dumpling aka Zongzi or Joong is made of sticky rice/glutinous rice and is very popular nowadays and is eaten all over the world, especially in Asia. They are wrapped in bamboo leaves with savoury fillings such as mung beans, shiitake mushroom, salted egg yolk, chestnut, scallops, dried shrimps and many more. People celebrate and make/eat ZongZi during the Dragon Boat Festival.
|
Anne Sherman
Hints
and Tips to using the General Register Office (GRO) Civil Registration Indexes
Do you want to get the most out of your
GRO indexes search? Rather than using one source to search for
birth, marriage and death registrations in England and Wales, a variety of
sources will give you different information or search tactics.
The GRO Index. https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/Login.asp
The General Register Office (GRO) has their own online index for births and deaths. There currently is no online index for marriages on their site.
The civil online indexes for England and Wales records birth records from 1837 up to 100 years ago, and 1984 up to the current year; and death records from 1837 to 1957, and 1984 up to the current year. (Information correct at the time of print)
Unlike most Civil Register indexes this gives the mother’s maiden name on all births from 1837 to 1921, and age at death or year of birth on all death indexes. If no mother’s maiden name is the listed it is likely that the child was illegitimate.
Searching this index is limited to within 2 years of a specific date and you can only search for males or females separately. A surname MUST be included although there are options to look for similar sounding names.
The GRO records are only copies from the local records so whenever possible order certificates from the local office as they will have less errors. It has been known that in some cases the local records were not copied to the GRO so will not appear on their indexes.
Read more about using the GRO's own index here: The GRO Searchable Database
FreeBMD https://www.freebmd.org.uk/search
Currently the FreeBMD index site only includes the mother’s maiden names from the Sept qtr 1911. However you can search for any event, time period, location and both genders at the same time. Unlike the GRO’s own index, surnames are not a required field so you can search for forenames only if you need to. Try to narrow down the other search parameters if this is the case. You can use this site to do a wider search and then look for mother’s maiden names on the GRO index.
UKBMD https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/local_bmd
The UKBMD links to all the county websites that offer online transcribed indexes to the original records held by the local register offices. Remember the GRO indexes are just copies of the locally held records.
Not all counties have indexed their records and several have different formats and several are not complete. Those that are transcribed under by the Local BMD Project will show the Church or Register office of marriage or the sub district for the birth or death which can help you narrow down where they lived compared to the registration districts on the GRO indexes.
Once you have located a marriage don’t forget to look for online parish records that may show the image of the marriage rather than buying a marriage certificate. If you need to purchase the certificate you can often do this via the local BMD site.
If the area you need does not have an online search facility, email them and ask them if they can do a search for you. They are unlikely to do a general search so you will need to give them specific details wherever possible.
Final Tips
Remember indexes are only as good as the person transcribing them and the clerk writing the original records.
This record for the marriage of Thomas Arnell and Mary Catherine Ullan (actually Hulland) is listed in both local and GRO indexes under the names of Arnold and Allen.
It is always worth checking all of these sites if you can’t find your ancestor on the GRO's own indexes as some records are known to have been missed off. Even if you do find the entry you are looking the other sites may give you different information.
More Famous New Zealanders You have Probably Never Heard Of
Claude Charles Capell
(1882-1975)
Claude Charles CAPELL [also spelt CAPEL] was born in Waitara,
Taranaki on the 22 September 1882, the son of Henry, a draper and Minnie Long Capell nee COLSON.
Claude was educated in New Plymouth and attended Wanganui Technical College where he did book-keeping and engineering courses. In 1901 he enlisted for service with the 3rd New South Wales Imperial Bushmen for service in the South African Anglo-Boer War. He later served with the 2nd Battalion of the Scottish Horse. Claude worked as a dairy factory hand in Taranaki before moving to Otago where he became head butter maker and later manager for the Taieri and Peninsular Milk Supply Company Ltd, Balclutha. In 1909 he married Ethel Elizabeth JOHNSTONE and they had two surviving children.
In 1925, the family moved to the virtually uninhabited Lake Hawea in Otago, 18 kilometres northeast of Wānaka. Here they purchased 60 acres (24ha) on the south-western shore of the lake. This was farmed and a tourist business established. Claude was a well-known swimmer, deer stalker, fisherman, and had been a professional runner in his early days and represented Wanganui at rugby. He soon had a boat, the ‘Bellbird’ built. It was railed from Dunedin to the Cromwell railhead and then trucked to the lake. It carried 36 passengers and was used for sightseeing, and for deer stalking and fishing trips from their accommodation house, known as the Lake House.
Lake House, Lake Hawea 1925
In 1927 Claude hosted the Prince Albert, Duke of York (later George VI) on a duck shooting and trout fishing trip. The Duke wrote to Claude –
March 21, 1927.
Dear Capell,
l am sending you a little memento in memory of our day yesterday.
Although the weather was none too good, I enjoyed yesterday very much.
We had no luck after you left us.
Yours truly, Albert.
The memento was a silver matchbox and case with the crown and E. A. on it.
In 1946 Claude was selected as the Labour Party candidate for Central Otago. At the time he was noted as a member of the Hawea Domain Board, the Wanaka Returned Services' Association and a member of the Upper Clutha Returned Services' Rehabilitation Committee which was working on irrigation schemes for the settlement of ex-servicemen on the land.
In the early 1950s work began on the damming of Lake Hawea as part of a hydro-electric scheme and the Ministry of Works soon moved in. A liquor license was granted for the hotel in 1954 and with new rooms added, became known as Hotel Capell. With the dam, the lake level would rise 75 feet (23 metres). A proposed tourist town was soon planned on the higher land at the end of the lake with 254 sections of the Capell land all facing north with a view of the lake. The town was to be named Lake Hawea. Claude donated land for the Peter Fraser Domain, named for his friend, the late Prime Minister. Skinner Crescent, Parry Crescent and Bodkin Street were named after political figures, Noema (known as Tim) and Myra Streets for his children, Elizabeth Street for his wife who had died in 1932, and Flora Dora Parade for his later housekeeper and companion. The main road through the township is called Capell Avenue. Timsfield (Tim’s Field) is now a residential subdivision.
In August 1957 the first car driven through the Haast Pass was welcomed at Hotel Capell. The completion of the road to the West Coast was seen as being a boon for the growth of the town. It had been a traditional route for Māori in the search for pounamu. Construction of the road had begun in the 1920s and 30s with unemployed labour but was not completed until the early 1960s. It was sealed by 1995 and is a popular loop road for tourists to and from Canterbury or Nelson to Queenstown-Lakes.
Claude Charles Capell died in the Cromwell Hospital on the 8 January 1975 aged 92. He is buried in the Hawea Cemetery. Former Dunedin mayor Sir Clifford Skeggs bought the original hotel. Rebuilt, it opened as the Lake Hawea Hotel in 1987. A statue of Claude Capell holding a fishing rod, stands in front of the building overlooking the lake. Not a bad memorial.
Sources:
A Pretty Good Place to Live - Lake Hawea & Hawea Flat by Barbara Chinn
Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, 23 October 1946, Page 3
Otago Daily Times, Issue 27095, 1 June 1949, Page 4
Diane Wilson
Marriage
Notices
Firstly, a
very big apology. I cannot believe it BUT we have had two bugs in
the Wilson collection search engine. Firstly, the search for a name with
an apostrophe will not provide a result, and then to my horror I discovered
that any name with a hyphen also does not produce a result.
Bother Bother Bother
I said. The developers are, as I write, looking into this problem so I am sure
all will be well by the time you read this. Just goes to show how the
simplest things can prove a problem. In one way it is good to be kept on
your toes by things like this, as it does not do to become too complacent.
In one way
I guess it is not too bad as if you search by the name with an
apostrophe a result will not return, but if you omit the apostrophe, it will
return a result. I mean one can still find the Osullivans
but not the O’Sullivans etc etc.
I have been so delighted to see the numbers using the collection. Mostly from New Zealand as expected but a lot from Australia and the USA. Again, as one would expect. I did think Canada would be more there, but this is not so. Marketing aids are a huge help in seeing just where folk are working. Must help folk who do their databases to make a profit or to keep their organizations alive.
It has been a busy month what with a lot of data entry and also a visit to Dunedin to see my first greatgrandchild.
No time to go to Hocken Library where I do need to look up one entry. Maybe next time. I have asked on a Facebook group for some help but so far, no takers.
We owe such a debt to Papers past for helping to add flesh to the bones. However sometimes the reporters must have had very poor phoneline reception back to the office, as names are often very mangled in the notices. Recently, I could not find a marriage for P Grant and Miss Singen as reported in the Southland Times of 31 Jan 1885. I asked the very helpful group on Genealogy New Zealand and Beyond for assistance. What a team! They discovered that there was another report in the Western Star that named the groom as Peter Grant. One clue down, and then clever Fiona Booker, from Memories in Time, said “Well St John is often pronounced as Singen” and then we were away. The names are Peter GRANT and Geo Viola St John KEARNEY. Who would have thought!!!!
In genealogy we really do have to think laterally. This sort of problem does slow up the data entry as it takes sometimes many hours which even with my one finger typing means I could get more names into the set. Still, it is a trade-off of trying to have names correct or names at all. I do try to have them as correct as the Registrar’s Index. That in itself is often a problem. I am sure the office in Wellington is tired of me writing asking them to check names as I feel they are mis transcribed. Sadly more times than not I am correct, and the alteration is made. I just feel that this will help genealogist in the future if we can get the index correct now. Maybe my emails are greeted with “Damn there is that woman again” but it is done to help.
So as Winter approaches I look forward to adding more marriage places to the set and hopefully not too many queries. I must also acknowledge the many who have sent copies of marriage certificates to fill in gaps. This is so much appreciated and your generosity to all is just fabulous. As we would have said over the years Chocolate fish all round. I do wish I could afford to have the database updated every month, but it is expensive to do so I have decided to do it every year in March as a birthday present to myself. Better than the champagne we used to offer to fellow transcribers. All virtual sadly
Guest Contributors
Robina Trenbath
HMS
Dunedin
I write during the day (after an early morning latte, at ‘the local’ – fuel for thought). The night hours, set aside for research. That’s when the northern hemisphere is up and at ‘em. Over 20 years I have encountered some amazing people. Let me tell you about two individuals… others may have their turn, down the track.
New Zealand’s Naval Origins
From settlement years to 1913 various forms of marine craft had maintained a naval presence up and down the coastline of N.Z. The Naval Defence Act of 1913 formally established the N.Z. Naval Forces. HMS Philomel became the first vessel to be commissioned into it. Initially she served as a depot ship in Wellington and in 1921 became a training ship at Devonport Naval Base, Auckland. Concerns about uncontrolled naval activities in the region gave rise to an order-in-council to create a naval board. From March 1921 to 1st October 1941 the force was known as The New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy. Philomel (first draft of recruits was May 1921) was joined by HMS Chatham (1921) along with two escort vessels – HMS Veronica (1920) and HMS Laburnum (1922).
HMS Philomel
1922 - 29 June: My father, John Robert Henry TRENBATH was 15 when he jumped a goods train which ran behind the family’s farm on the Tallaburn, Beaumont and “ran away from the boot of the old man…” to enlist in the ‘New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy’. (Ref. Active Service – Form of Engagement Under the Naval Defence Act, 1913.)
HMS Chatham
1923 – 30 August: Jack transferred to HMS Chatham to complete his sea-going training, drills, gunnery, torpedo courses and exercises at ports in the Dominion.
HMS Dunedin
HMS Dunedin was launched in 1918 (Newcastle-on-Tyne). A Danae-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Dunedin (after the capital of Scotland/ Anglicised Edinburgh.)
1924 – 1937: between the wars HMS Dunedin became part of the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, replacing HMS Chatham on 10 May 1924. Dunedin was docked and refitted at Auckland after her long voyage from England. There was much frenetic activity with the transfer of ratings and stores between the two ships (one rating in particular was most anxious to be aboard). By 27 May Chatham sailed out of the harbour en-route to Colombo to become the flagship of the East Indies Squadron. On 16 June Dunedin proceeded on a tour of the South Pacific and Australia where various exercises were carried out with HMA vessels. Then, home for Christmas.
I plotted the course of these events from many sources including Jack’s official records, autobiographical writings by my Aunt Hilda GRAY and Uncle Jack SMITH, talks with my cousins (Maggie GOUGH ex wren, Conrad NGAPO ex R.N.Z.N. and Michael COX N.Z.R.N.)
Research – 12 October 2012
Having Jack’s documents and photos was one thing but what did he do during the four years he served on HMS Dunedin? GOOGLE was a good place to begin and I found THE HMS DUNEDIN SOCIETY. I sent off an email and the next evening received a reply from someone named Stuart GILL. His father had joined Dunedin in 1941 as a Royal Marine. We emailed back and forth and what emerged was the ‘story’ of HMS Dunedin, as it was told to him first-hand from his father, William GILL R.N., in the latter years of his life.
HMS Dunedin WW11
“HMS Dunedin assisted during the Napier earthquake of 1931. She returned to England in 1937 where she served at Portsmouth as a Training Ship. When the Fleet mobilised for war (August 1939) ‘Dunedin’ was allocated to the 12th Cruiser Squadron based on Kirkwall for service on the Northern Patrol.
After intercepting merchant vessels using the northern route to or from Germany, she patrolled the Caribbean intercepting German blockade runners and French Vichy ships. Through to April 1941 there was action and adventure. This included (24 May) being involved in a joint operation with ‘HMS Eagle’ to search for enemy supply ship ‘Lothringen’. ‘Eagle’s Swordfish aircraft spotted the tanker on 15th June but it was ‘Dunedin’ which made all speed to the scene and waited for support to take ‘Lothringen’ back to Bermuda.
Now, why was all this important? ‘Well, as it turns out…Enigma material was found where it had fallen behind a filing cabinet in the wireless room! ‘Dunedin’ was not finished with Enigma…she would also be involved in a decrypt-operation.
1941 – 24 November/ St. Paul’s Rock, 900 miles west of Freetown. German U-boat U-124 sighted ‘Dunedin’ and lay in wait for her. When U-124 surfaced the command was: “Drei torpodos abfeuern!” (“Fire three torpedoes!”) ‘Dunedin’ turned on her beam end and sank. As the U-boat dived the defiant survivors sang: “There will always be an England”.
Of ‘Dunedin’s 500 complement, 250 got themselves onto anything which would float. Over seventy-two hours in equatorial heat battling sharks and vicious fish only seventy-two remained. On the afternoon of 27 November the US merchant ship ‘Nishmaha’ picked up the survivors. Five more would die, leaving only sixty-seven – one of whom was William GILL.”
November 2012 I received a book: Blood in The Sea HMS Dunedin and the Enigma Code by Stuart GILL. Then I got this email:
“Hello Rob: if you do not mind, could I copy all you have sent to Chris BROADWAY (Lt. Commander R.N. Retired). He lost his father when ‘Dunedin’ was sunk. He’s my navy expert and would be better placed to work with you on your project. I would be very happy to create a page for your father on the website. I will also add him to the ship’s company page. I’ve got a very busy schedule, at present but if I can help in any way, please don’t hesitate to keep in touch.
Best regards, Stuart Gill”.
Stuart Gill OBE: is a British Diplomat. 2008-2012: Consul-General, Melbourne, Australia 2012-2016: British Ambassador to Iceland. 2016-2020: British High Commissioner to Malta.
Chris Broadway (Lt-Commander R.N. Retired.)
His father was Lt. Commander Harold Broadway. In 1940 he left his general practice and enlisted (temporary acting surgeon). 18 May 1940 he was posted to Bermuda and took his family with him. He was given a ‘Pier head jump’ to HMS Dunedin on 29th August 1941: “We never saw him again – I was 4 at the time”.
Chris and I emailed, swapped photos, wrote letters and talked on the phone over many months and kept in touch for years after. He had all the logbooks and history for Dunedin. While I slept he would search out relevant pieces from the repository and I’d wake to find the information which led me to build up significant insights into my father’s 4 years on Dunedin.
1927 – 24 January: Dunedin returned to England for a refit and recommissioning. During that time my father gained his ‘wings of mercury’ to become a trained operator/ wireless and telegraph. On 11 September 1928 ‘Jack’ TRENBATH was released via ‘purchase’ of his remaining time in the Royal Navy.
Chris would always sign off on a cliff -hanger from Dunedin’s log and say…”…way past your bedtime – more tomorrow”.
In Memoriam: Lt-Cdr Chris Broadway
Chris passed away (aged eighty-five) early on the morning of 28th June 2021.
My favourite quote from Chris was how his father described HMS Dunedin:
“In a storm she rolled like a pig in a barrel.”
On 1 October 1941 the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) was established.
Peter
Tucker
The
Recipe Book - Old Family Information
Recently my wife’s older sister produced what she said was a recipe book written by their grandmother to be given to her daughter (their mother) eventually. Not only did it contain recipes but also some ‘Useful Remedies’ and some pages with family full names, birth dates and places etc. Not quite family bible listings, but most probably fairly accurate.
My wife’s grandmother was born Lucy Maria SHORT in Dublin, Ireland on 22 October 1876. Her family were from Bristol, Gloucestershire but there was about seven weeks before the family were due to sail for New Zealand, the family went to visit Lucy Maria’s mother’s family (Richard WALTON, b.1811 and Mary Anne WALTON-nee .CRAYNE b.1812) in County Cork, Ireland. However unexpectedly on the way Lucy Maria was born prematurely in Dublin, Ireland. Seven weeks later the SHORT family set sail for New Zealand leaving on the ‘Northampton’ from Gravesend, Kent, on the river Thames. On 16 December 1876, they arrived at Nelson 4 April 1877 then on to Wellington, berthing on 12 April 1877. All the family of 4 girls and 3 boys survived that trip, even, of course, this very young baby. Initially with the information I gathered I believed Dublin was incorrect when all the rest of the previous siblings were born in Bristol. This seemingly odd birthplace gave me considerable doubt for a long time.
In 1903 Lucy Maria married James Thomas KIBBLEWHITE in Petone. Tom as he was known as, had previously been married, there being four children to that marriage to Amelia ADAMS, but one twin died a few weeks after birth. His new wife Lucy Maria SHORT bore him seven more children, five boys then lastly two girls of which my wife’s mother, Margaret Lucy KIBBLEWHITE was the sixth born and the first girl, being born 29 June 1912. There was one further daughter, all the older boys were born in Petone and the last daughter was born in Lower Hutt. It seemed logical Margaret Lucy was also born in either Petone or Lower Hutt, however I had always had her down as born in Auckland but had a ? after that and had never followed it up feeling perhaps that may have just been an error and she was also probably born in the Hutt Valley.
However the recipe book, like a bible, had all the KIBBLEWHITE siblings birth details and places and, lo and behold, Margaret Lucy was born at 77 Summer Street, Ponsonby, Auckland in 1912. (The house is still there). Why the family of 9 children and both parents, by then, were in Auckland we do not know but could have been in Auckland for nearly four years judging by the birth dates of the last boy born before Margaret Lucy and the only other girl born after her. Margaret Lucy died in 1984 and at that stage I did not have a great interest in genealogy to have learnt this from her.
I suppose what can be learnt from both these instances is that if something does not seem to ‘add up’ don’t dismiss it as perhaps an error without further investigation because even if it seems odd it could well be correct.
The recipe book is effectively in three sections, Baking (cakes, biscuits and sweets), Useful Remedies, and Family Details. My wife’s mother Margaret Lucy KIBBLEWHITE was born in 1912 and by 1918 the family were living in Napier, that of course being the year of the Flu Epidemic. We have a photo labelled “Mother’s last day out” which was Armistice Day, 11 November 1918. On 28 May 1918 she died leaving a combination of two families of ten children, the oldest three being from James Thomas’s first marriage. The oldest at that time being twenty two and the youngest four. My wife’s mother for whom the recipe book was being prepared, for was just six. The oldest child, born 1896, was a girl so became the de facto mother raising all her siblings. James Thomas KIBBLEWHITE did not further remarry - would any woman want to have an already made family consisting of ten children!
And the ‘Useful Remedies’? Here is a sample:
Inflammation of the Bladder.- Let as much Boracic as you can on a sixpence and dissolve in half a pint of boiling water. Take the half pint within four hours for three days if necessary. Not more as the acid may upset the digestive system. Drink plenty of water while the attack is on. (Boracic is used as an insecticide for cockroaches, termites, fleas etc.!!!)
For Scolds and Burns.- Carroi Oil which is made from equal parts of Olive Oil and Lime Water applied quickly to the parts on a soft clean white rag.
Gregory Powder for Correcting Children.- Indigestion and Irregular Bowels.- This has been my most reliable corrective for my children, for although nasty to take I find it corrects without griping. One teaspoon in milk for over one year. (Don’t know what was in that!)
Winter Chest rub for Children.- Melt 4oz jar of petroleum jelly and while still fluid (not too hot) add, 1 teaspoon eucalyptus, ½ teaspoon cloves, ½ teaspoon turpentine and a small cake of crushed camphor.
Household Embrocation.- 1 oz turpentine, 1 oz eucalyptus, 1 oz glacial acetic acid, 1 oz synthetic oil of wintergreen. (buy the last 2 already made up), 8 oz liquid paraffin. This is a great all-purpose liniment for sprains, chilblains, rheumatism, lumbago etc.
There are a few more but I wonder about some of the ingredients. Perhaps it was kill or cure!
The book also contained many recipes for sweets and baking suggestions. It is very dilapidated so must have been used a lot. There has been recipes added to it later as shown by the different writing but my wife, as a child, does not remember the book.
George
Warcup
A
Wellington Story
My mother’s father George HAZLEWOOD’s father’s name was William. William HAZLEWOOD did not die from old age or one of the numerous aliments that shortened the lives of many of our ancestors, but drowned aged fifty two as result of a tragic accident in Wellington’s harbour. Worse for all concerned, William did not drown alone but with two young girls, the children of his friends, entrusted to his care
Often passed unnoticed, and not far from where we now live in Waikanae, is a remnant of Wellington’s early industrial history. Carefully preserved, standing over three metres tall, and mounted between the footpath and an engineering workshop in Rimu Road Paraparaumu is a large, toothed gear wheel. The gear toothed wheel is well over one hundred years old, and was originally part of the machinery used to draw ships onto dry land for painting and repairs. This enterprise was situated in Wellington’s Evans Bay just south of Greta Point where NIWA the Government Oceanographic Institute is now located, and was known as the Patent Slip. It was in this small bay close to this slipway on New Year’s Day 1897 events unfolded that would set the course of their lives and those of their children
On that day in company of a large number of friends William and some of his family attended a picnic in Evans Bay not far from Greta Point near the Patent Slip. During the day William gave rides to the picnickers in his nineteen-foot sailing boat. The demand for places in the boat was high and William made several trips around the bay rowing out to Greta Point and then catching the northerly wind and sailing back to the beach. A wharf ran out from the bay reaching nearly to the point and other objects called dolphins were set in the bay to assist in when slipping ships.
All went well until shortly before four p.m. when, with a friend John Wilson and eight women and children, he set off for another trip. The boat was rowed out to the end of the wharf and the lug sail set but apparently did not catch the breeze. Drifting towards one of the mooring dolphins set in the bay the boat came close up to the wind and jibed. The sail passed rapidly from one side of the boat to the other catching the dolphin and overturning the boat. The occupants in full view of their horrified families ashore were left struggling in the water. Another rowboat was on the beach but had no oars. Some small children ran to tell their father, the foreman of the Patent Slip, while the upturned boat steadily drifted further away from shore. A boat was launched and by the time it reached William’s boat only John Wilson and six other exhausted passengers were left clinging to the hull. Of William HAZLEWOOD and the others there was no trace.
The body of William HAZLEWOOD and that of a young woman were recovered from the water next day. The third body a child was recovered a day later.
Great-grandfather William HAZLEWOOD was born in Magdalen Laver Essex on the 8th March 1845 the eldest of the eight children of William and Elizabeth HAZLEWOOD (nee CHURCH). William’s parents were farmers; they employed household servants, and farmed 150 acres with the aid of some nine labourers. They lived near the village of Matching not far from Epping. Epping is now an outer suburb of greater London but in those times was a small market town some twelve miles northeast of the city. The HAZLEWOOD’s were a pious church going family, and young William was a trained musician with a fine singing voice but for some reason he was not attracted to farming. At an early age William went to sea, making as many as two trips to New Zealand before deciding to settle here. No records have been found of William’s permanent arrival in this country.
It appears that William was what we would now call an illegal emigrant when he deserted the barque Adelaide Baker around 1863, then making his way to Wanganui to work for a farmer before later reverting to his trade of seaman on coastal shipping around New Zealand.
On the 8th February 1871, aged twenty-six, William married Emily PICKERING in Wellington. Family lore has it that the young couple first lived in a mud hut situated on Wellingtons Town Belt where some of their children were born and later settled in Owen St, Newtown. Within one year of their marriage their first child Emily was born. She was followed by another nine children including my grandfather George HAZLEWOOD. William continued to make his living from the sea, he was at times both a lighter man ferrying cargo to and from ships anchored in the harbour and a sail maker, at first in a partnership called Hazlewood and Knight then later again in another partnership known as Hazlewood and Williams.
Highly thought of by his friends, William a non-drinker was a member of both the Rechabites, and Oddfellows Lodges and an active member of the church where he was choir master and played the organ.
As sail gave way to steam, the sail making business was wound up and by 1897 at the time of his untimely death William was employed in the carpet department of Kirkcaldie and Stains.
Starting with the death of their father 1897 was a very bad year for our Hazlewood family. The two Emilys, mother and eldest daughter, were in poor health, both suffering from the debilitating effects of consumption (tuberculosis). In that same year as their father’s death their eldest sister Emily, aged twenty six, died. The following year it was the turn their mother Emily to die, again probably suffering from the same dreaded disease. Her death certificate notes the cause of death as exhaustion, she was aged forty six. Two years later their youngest sister Elizabeth seventeen died, another victim of tuberculosis.
In those times of rudimentary health care there was no social security system but throughout their ordeal the remaining members of the family were supported by their close neighbours and friends, the family of Samuel and Elizabeth FREE. The Free family numbered thirteen children, and the Hazlewood family ten. As a consequence of this close association many of the Hazlewood boys married the Free family girls and Hazlewood girls married the Free boys.
An
Invitation to Contribute:
I have a number of people that contribute occasional articles. These appear irregularly if and when the authors send them to me. I use them to bulk up each month's newsletter. The more we have the more "rests" I can give my much-appreciated regular columnists.
This is a way that a person can get some of their writing published. Of course, we are all writing up our research results, aren't we? I have always said that every genealogist is an expert in some small piece of history, resources or research methods.
We circulate this newsletter to about 7,000 subscribers worldwide but is read by many more as it is passed on to other readers and LDS research centres. Every month I get feedback on my poor attempts at writing and I have now made many "new friends", albeit digital ones, I have even had some very helpful assistance in my research.
Why don't you contribute an article?
My basic requirements:
1) The column must be in English
2) The column should be no longer than about 1,200 words
3) The article should be emailed to me in a Word document format
4) The subject should be genealogical or historical in nature
Do not be afraid about your "perceived" bad English. The article will be edited, in a friendly manner, by me and then Robert. Then all columnists and a few valuable proof-readers get to read the newsletter before it is emailed out. You’ll be paid $0 for your article, which is on the same scale that Robert and I pay ourselves for editing and publishing the newsletter.
From
our Libraries and Museums
We are offering a forum to our libraries and museums to publicise their events, and to contribute articles to this newsletter that may be of interest to our readers. Auckland Libraries makes good use of this free service, let’s see if other libraries and museums take up this offer.
For readers of this newsletter: please bring this to the attention of your local libraries etc, and encourage them to participate.
Auckland Libraries
February — June 2022
Are you interested in family, local and social history, the stories of Aotearoa New Zealand, the Pacific, and beyond?
Then why not come along to one of our fortnightly HeritageTalks | Waha pū-taonga and hear more about both our personal and our shared heritage?
These talks are given by experts in their field and can provide valuable insight into our histories and our cultures.
When: Wednesdays, February to November, 12noon - 1pm. Click here to see the program.
Where: Auckland
Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Gallery,
Cnr of Kitchener & Wellesley Streets . Also online via
Zoom
Cost: Free
Bookings: https://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/Pages/family-and-local-history-events.aspx
JUNE
Steam engines with Dr A. Evan Lewis
Wednesday 8 June 12pm - 1pm
When Evan Lewis inherited and restored a steam engine his grandfather had built, based on a design by Hero of Alexandria 2000 years ago, it sparked an interest in steam engines. In this presentation, Evan discusses developments in steam engines by Savery, Newcomen, Trevithick, Watt and Stevenson and illustrates them using animations and videos. He will also show the results of a steam indicator, also inherited from his grandfather, that measured the horsepower of a steam engine and was used at Crum’s Brickworks in New Lynn.
Bookings: https://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/Pages/family-and-local-history-events.aspx
For queries contact Research Central ph 09 890 2412.
AUGUST preview
Auckland
Family History Expo
Tāmaki Huinga Tātai Kōrero
12 to 14 August 2022
Come and
see us for a weekend of family history and whakapapa at the Fickling
Convention Centre.
546 Mount Albert Road, Three Kings, Auckland.
For queries contact Research Central ph 09 890 2412.
Nga mihi | Kind regards
SEONAID
Seonaid (Shona) Lewis RLIANZA | Family History Librarian
Central Auckland Research Centre, Central City Library
Heritage and Research
Auckland Libraries - Nga Whare Matauranga o Tamaki Makarau
Ph 09 890 2411| Extn (46) 2411 | Fax 09 307 7741
Auckland Libraries, Level 2, Central City Library, 44 - 46 Lorne Street, Auckland
Visit our website: www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz
@Kintalk on Twitter / Auckland Research Centre on Facebook
News and Views
|
|
|
Various Articles
Worth Reading
From the Editor: Because of space restrictions and copyright issues I cannot put the complete articles in this newsletter so here are some URLs that are worth looking at:
What UK census records are available?
https://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/getting-started/tracing-your-ancestors-using-the-census/
Lament of a Papers Past tragic
https://www.stuff.co.nz/.../lament-of-a-papers-past...
In conclusion
Book Reviews
Help wanted
Letters to the Editor
Ancestry Family Trees
Hello Peter
First of all - Love your newsletter. It’s always both interesting and informative.
In defense of Ancestry, I think it’s important to note that with any website that offers information from public trees, it’s always a question of ‘rubbish in-rubbish out’. ALL these websites suffer from the same problem and I have not yet found an exception.
The responsibility for accurate research lies with the researcher themselves and my advice to any family history researcher is to NEVER copy information from someone else’s tree without first verifying their veracity and the strength of the research used. Other people’s trees can be really interesting but that doesn’t mean they’re correct!
At least with Ancestry you do have the opportunity to mark each person’s profile page with tags such as “Unverified” or “Hypothesis” to alert yourself for future reference or others who have access to your tree that you cannot verify the information provided. I use those tags extensively in my research and find them very useful. I haven’t found another website that provides this useful assistance for all. You just have to look at Family Search trees to understand what a mess can ensue when multiple people can add their version of the ‘truth’ to your ancestor’s information.
Kind regards - and thank you for all your wonderful work.
Janice
I read this section with interest and reflected on your judgement. I thought it a bit too severe.
I’ve had an Ancestry subscription for many years and have gradually been learning to use the program effectively.
I’ve discovered that the hints offered are merely a ‘jumping-off’ opportunities for further exploration: one has to assess whether there is an actual link with your person.
I explore other people’s trees and examine the sources that have been used to develop an individual’s life story within their tree. If something is unclear, I don’t hesitate to send a message to the trees owner and enquire about information.
Too often, people ‘grab’ dates from other people’s trees without checking if there is any supporting documentation that ties in with accurate verifiable information you might already have. The significance of birth / marriage / death dates, verified by records, is critical.
Articles from local newspapers can also be useful, especially for obituaries and wedding descriptions, many of which contain interesting relationship information.
So too is the principle of working from known, trusted family sources. Often short oral histories can be added as stories in the Gallery section.
It’s important to see the Ancestry site merely as a tool to assist you to explore further. Some people use it very effectively and are good at recording where their information came from. Others just ‘grab bits and pieces’ and end up with something that looks like a patchwork quilt.
Over the years I’ve had fun developing trees for grandchildren so that they gain an insight into the ‘other’ side of their families (not my line). I’ve done the same for cousins and friends.
When you know how to explore carefully, you learn how to attach photographs, etc.
Ancestry can be very useful, but, as with all tools, you have to learn how to use it properly.
Best wishes
Paddy
Hobart, Tasmania
Old Postcards
I have been given thousands of postcards from my 2nd cousin. They date way back in London. In the 1890s when they seem to write, one a day. They stopped after arriving in NZ. Some included are from my grandmother and her parents. Many are from other family.
Any ideas on what to do?
Enjoy Famnet so much.
Kind regards
Advertising
with FamNet
Every now and then we get requests to put an advertisement in the newsletter. I have therefore created a new section which will appear from time to time. Advertisements will be included only at the Editor's discretion and will be of a genealogical nature.
If your organisation is not a group subscriber then there will be a charge for advertising events and services, which must be paid for before publication. Charges start at $NZ25 for a basic flier, and increase for more elaborate presentations. Like everyone else we need funds to help keep FamNet going. Fees are very minimal. If your organisation paid a yearly subscription you can have all the advertising you want all year round in the Group News section. Your group could be anywhere in the world, not just in New Zealand. The editor will continue to exercise discretion for free events.
A Bit of Light Relief
This particular Sunday sermon...'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with
arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face.
'Without you, we are but dust....' He would have continued but at that
moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and
asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year-old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'
TAMMY, (age 4), was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather
wrinkled woman her Mom knew. Tammy looked at her for a while and then
asked, 'Why doesn't your skin fit your face?'
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