This month I received a largish article on the holdings of the NZDF Personnel Archives which explains what they have and where you can find what they don’t have. I think that this is an important article and needs to be the highlight of a newsletter.

Therefore I have instigated a new section in the newsletter, Special Contributor, which will appear early on in this magnificent genealogy “magazine”. I hope other research repositories will submit a similar article and that we can have one a month so that we can learn as much as we can about what information is stored where.

Both Robert and I have approached a number of repositories and we get the standard reply – Yes, maybe sometime. Here is your chance. You can get some advertising for your research facility for the grand cost of zero dollars. I appreciate the local museums, libraries, genealogy groups, historical societies etc These organisations live on the “smell of an oily rag” and have next to nothing to spend on advertising. Here is a free advertising venue.

Anyway, I have had a wonderful time assembling this issue. Thanks to our contributors – without you we are nothing. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Regards

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

Peter Nash

Back to the Top

Special Contributor

NZDF Personnel Archives and Medals (PAM)

Introduction

NZDF Personnel Archives and Medals (PAM) contributes to the development of New Zealand’s military heritage by providing advice on and interpretation of New Zealand military information we hold. We safeguard the personnel files of over 1 million ex-serving military, and provide information from these files to them, their families and other interested parties in accordance with New Zealand Government legislation. The files held at PAM at Trentham Military Camp are an invaluable resource for documenting the social and military history of New Zealand. They provide a unique record of the military service of the men and women who served our country at home and overseas.

We research and establish entitlement to medals of serving and ex-serving military personnel; and issue campaign and service medals awarded on behalf of New Zealand to entitled recipients. We protect the integrity of medallic entitlement in accordance with the intent of Royal Warrants and Regulations approved by the Governor General and Parliament as applicable. Our business activities support our veterans and their families in line with NZDF’s business outcome “Veterans’ Service is Honoured”.

NZDF PAM holds files for those who served in New Zealand’s military forces from January 1921 to the present day. There is no complete list of all those who have served in the Armed Forces and as the files have been relocated several times, we cannot guarantee that we hold files for all who served. In addition, in 1949 a large number of files were purged and the information taken off those files was destroyed. Further projects to reduce space have resulted in files being microfilmed and microfiched with the original files then destroyed. Sadly, the imaged quality at times is very poor quality and not readable. This collection of files continues to grow on a daily basis as recently discharged persons files are transferred in. For many WW2 Army files we only hold a history sheet and if the person you are researching became an officer there will also be a second personnel file as well as the history sheet.

What records we do not hold

Māori in the NZ Wars

These can be found at Archives New Zealand

British Imperial Regiments (1840-1870); Early Militia Records (1845-1872); Colonial Defence Force (1863-1867); Armed Constabulary (1867-1886); Royal NZ Fencibles (1847-1852):

These files can be found at Archives New Zealand and/or Alexander Turnbull Library.

South African War (1899-1902), First World War (1914-1918) and some Second World War (1939-1945)

These files are now held by Archives New Zealand. For those who continued to serve after 1920 (the close off date for the transfer), these files too have now been transferred to Archives New Zealand. A search can be done on their AIMS search tool. If the person you are researching is not there it would pay to contact NZDF PAM just to confirm that there is no file available.

Merchant Navy

Those that served on Merchant ships in conflict were registered with the ship’s owners and can be found at:

· Archives New Zealand for:

War Medal index cards

New Zealand Shipping Co

NZ Marine Department Archives

· Wellington City Council Archives for:

Wellington Harbour Board

Union Steam Ship Co of NZ

· National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, UK for:

P & O Shipping

Shaw Savill Shipping

· Voyager New Zealand Maritime Museum

Land Girls

As they were not members of the military no files are held.

Photographs

NZDF PAM do not hold photographs for any service personnel, groups or units.

Photographic collections can be found at:

Air Force Museum of New Zealand, Christchurch
Archives New Zealand
Alexander Turnbull Library “Matapihi”
Auckland War Museum
Cenotaph Database
Local Libraries
Local Museums
National Army Museum, Waiouru
National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy, Torpedo Bay, Auckland

Unit Histories

Can be found at:

Archives New Zealand
National Army Museum
Nation Museum of the RNZN
Air Force Museum of New Zealand
The actual unit – if still in existence

Official War Histories

Official War Histories from WW1 and WW2 can be found at:

Libraries and museums throughout New Zealand.
National Army Museum
New Zealand Electronic Text Collection

Courts Martial and Courts of Enquiry

Older Courts Martial are held at Archives New Zealand. The more recent ones are held by Headquarters NZDF who can confirm if a record is held and if access may be given.

Conscientious Objectors

Lists can be found at Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment (MBIE).

War Dairies

Can be found at:

· Archives New Zealand

· Alexander Turnbull Library

· National Army Museum

· National Museum of the RNZN

· Air Force Museum of New Zealand

War Graves

Refer to the Commonwealth War Graves website.

War Memorabilia:

Can be found at:

Archives New Zealand
National Museum of the RNZN
National Army Museum
Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Local museums

NZDF Civilian Staff

NZDF PAM does not hold files for those who may have served as Civilian Staff.

Foreign Forces

NZDF PAM only hold files for those who have served with the New Zealand Armed Forces.

What we hold a little of:

Home Guard (1940-1943)

After WW2 it was decided to retain only the personnel records for those who served on a full-time mobilized basis therefore, we only hold a small portion of those records.

Compulsory Military Training (CMT) (1950-1959)

Under the Military Service Act 1949 those aged 18 had to register. Files for those from the South Island were stored at the King Edwards Barracks in Christchurch which was destroyed by fire in 1962 and the majority of their files were destroyed.

National Service Training (NST) (1962-1972)

Under the National Military Service Act 1961 men had to register with the Department of Labour on their 20^th birthday. Those selected by birthday ballot were required to undertake three-month’s full-time training. These files too were destroyed in the 1962 fire.

28^th (Maori) Battalion

NZDF PAM hold files for those who served with the 28^th (Māori) Battalion but because of War Pension related reasons some were transferred to Archives New Zealand. Check with NZDF PAM first.

Cadet Forces

NZDF PAM hold some files but only for some Cadet Force Officers.

What era we do hold records for:

Post 1920 to the present including:

· World War II (1939-1945)

· Occupation of Japan (1946-1949)

· Korean War (1950-1957)

· Conflict in Malaya (1955-1967)

· Indonesian Confrontation (1962-1966)

· Vietnam War (1965-1971)

· Peacekeeping/Making (1954 to date)

How to apply for files or medals

· In Writing

Application form available from our website

https://www.nzdf.mil.nz/nzdf/medal-and-service-records/

Or try a straight Google search “NZDF Archives”

· Email: NZDF.PAM@nzdf.mil.nz

· Telephone – (04) 527 5280

Information required when applying for a file

In order to ensure we identify the correct file we need enough information to narrow down the search. E.g. there are many John Smith’s and it may be the second name which will indicate the correct one. Or, you can have a father and son with the same name and both have served in the military so the birth date will be a key identifier. Give as much of this as you can:

Full Name of person you are enquiring about
Date of birth of the person you are enquiring about
Arm of the service if known
Service number if known
Rank if known
Period of service and anything else you can provide.

We also need to know if a person is living or deceased as this is required for us to comply with the Privacy Act 1993.

Living person

While a person is still alive, we cannot issue any information without their consent. The application form or letter must be signed by the person whose file is being requested.

If the person is unable to sign the letter due to poor health and someone within the family has Power of Attorney (care and wellbeing), that person can sign the application and provide a copy of the power of attorney. Then we can issue the file.

Deceased person

A file becomes a public record once a person is deceased but we need proof of death so that we can issue the file. Not all our files have any evidence of death attached and this is why we ask for proof of death.

· Examples of proof of death

Photocopy of death certificate
Copy of newspaper obituary notice
Funeral Service Sheet
Photograph of headstone
Cemetery online printout

What forms holding key information can be found in a file?

The contents of the file depend on the individual, their rank, the era in which they served and the service they served in. Examples are:

History Sheet
Attestation Form
Casualty Sheet (Army)
War Gratuity Assessment
Medical information
Correspondence
Pay records
Course reports
Posting Cards (Navy & Air Force)

Files after 1950 hold more information as they missed the big purge in 1949

History Sheet

History sheets were used from the 1930’s to 1953 (Army); Navy and Air Force until 1997. Although they differ between each Service, they may include:

Front page:

Name
Service number
Unit(s)
Rank history
Date of enlistment
Date attested (this is the formal date of enlistment)
Next of kin
Overseas service dates
Casualties if the person was wounded, captured or killed in action
Action after returning to New Zealand

Medal entitlement

If there is a blue line through the medal name that person is not entitled to it.

A red tick confirms a medal has been awarded and the date awarded is shown.

Back page:

· Personal details

§ Date of birth

Religion
Occupation at time of enlistment
Colour of eyes (sometimes)
Height
Weight
Medals and decorations
Record of promotions, reductions, transfers etc. in date order
Service record in date order
Conduct
Particulars of will and where it was held

Attestation Form

Contains a lot of personnel information which has been filled out by that person applying to join the forces and this information begins the creation of the file.

War Services Gratuity assessment

Records the final pay for the service person as well as the start and finish date and the number of assessable days in New Zealand and overseas.

For a person who has been killed in action or discharged due to being wounded the form will be yellow. For a person who has left the services, the form will be white

Casualty Sheet (Army)

This Army record contains general postings, units served in, locations and if wounded.

Information on a file can be distressing

A medical file can have records about the serviceperson contracting some form of social disease.
A person may have attempted or committed suicide
Medical reports from WW2 can talk about ‘shell shock’ and their state of mind (now known as PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
The information on the file does not reflect what that person has told the family e.g. the person may have told family of some heroic action they did – which actually never took place.
Details on misbehaviour, punishment and imprisonment.

Abbreviations

There is a comprehensive list of abbreviations on our website.

Charges

If you request a copy of a single military service within a 12-month period the copy will be provided free of charge. If you request copies of more than one military service file within a 12-month period the first file will be provide free but the second and subsequent files will be charged at the rate of $28 per file. Payment by Electronic Banking. NB. Currently on hold.

Research

A reading room facility is available for which bookings must be made five days in advance and the criteria of access to files for living and deceased applies.

For large research projects an application in writing must be made to the NZDF PAM Manager stating the purpose of the research and cover the ability to meet statutory requirements in regard to living or deceased people.

Rick Howland

Back to the Top

Regular Contributors

From the Developer

Sorry again

I’m missing in action this month. Work (Jazz, my major software project) has just got very busy, which is good, but it’s leaving me little time for anything else.

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.

4. Saving Scrapbook Items

5. Sharing your Story: Managing your Family Group

6. On Line Editing: More Facts, Family, GDB Links

7. Comparing and Synchronising Records

8. Producing and Using Charts

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

17. Indexes: beyond Excel.

18. Linking trees

19. Uploading a GEDCOM file

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?

28. Our Shared Database Grows

Robert Barnes

Back to the Top

The Nash Rambler

A Research Step Too Far

You must remember my brilliant article last month. You don’t!!!!! Let me remind you of it. It was about Louisa CUTHBERT and the point of the article was to explain that a lot could happen in the ten year gap between English census records. Now you will remember!!!!

To illustrate this point I postulated that Louisa CUTHBERT had appeared in the 1871 English census, then travelled to New Zealand in 1874. She married in 1876 and had two children to Ralph Willett LUCAS. She then deserted in about May 1879. The theory then suggested she reappeared in England and married, in 1879, had a few children and “lived happily ever after”. She then subsequently appeared in every English census until after 1911. The whole theory depended on the English marriage certificate.

Well, the English marriage certificate duly arrived and “bang there goes the theory”. The date of that marriage was late March 1879.

We did too much research into Auckland newspapers. We found one court case involving the attempted suicide of her NZ husband, Ralph Willett LUCAS which gave details about the timing of her disappearance. We should have rubbed our hands in glee and closed that website down and walked away – a bit like “Look lichen is still dying I walk away” as in that advertisement. Unfortunately we found another court case in which she was a witness in a theft case in mid-April 1879.

You will recall an article I wrote previously about a quote from Donald Rumsfeldt. Continuing that American theme, I could adopt a Trumpian approach – it’s fake news! It’s a conspiracy by the press! That court case didn’t happen. Or I could postulate that aircraft were invented fifty years earlier than reported and the press ignored it!!! Maybe the certificate is wrong!!!!

Botheration!!!! Allan and I have to admit that we have the wrong Louisa CUTHBERT – there goes 40 years of research done by Allan. We have found another Louise CUTHBERT and Allan is deeply into researching her history – he tells me there’s a convict in there. This is a classic case of adopting the wrong Louisa and assuming that because her birthplace, and her birthplaces recorded in the birth certificates of her two children and the census places of birth, were all in an area of about five miles in radius and because we could not find any other option in the GRO birth indexes, we were correct. Everything fitted, we thought, with a little massaging and assuming a little movement within our five miles radius. BUT we have, in the last week, found another option. The trouble is that this CUTHBERT family did not register the birth in the GRO system and therefore we had no way of finding her in the old research methods of the IGI and film reels in darkened rooms.

Allan is now very busy and I’m keeping away because it’s his research and I mustn’t interfere – this is the ethical side of genealogy. I cannot spoil an old man’s pleasure. The word “CUTHBERT” is forbidden in my computer room.

Oh how itchy is my index computer finger? Hurry up Allan!!!!!

Ancestry Trees are rubbish!

Another piece of research I have been doing for a friend is trying to find the details of a lady, Mary CULPAN nee BREARLEY (and other versions) who came to Auckland in 1842 on the “Jane Gifford” with her husband, children and other members of the wider family. She then disappears from all records. Her family are or were strongly religious so it is unlikely that “sinful” actions took place which resulted in her “adopting “ another surname.

After searching the obvious websites such as BDMs, PapersPast, The Wilson Collection etc I decided to look at Ancestry Family trees. I found that there were 150 family trees involving her. I rubbed my hand in glee and proceeded to examine them all. I found that 17 had no date and place of death. One had a death in Halifax (their former hometown) in 1847 and 4 had a death in 1842 but with no place of death. A massive 128 out of 150 had a death in Auckland, in 1848, and a burial, with a surviving massive family headstone, in the Symonds St cemetery. Hooray I have solved the problem!!!!! BUT on examining the death certificate for that date I discovered that that Mary CULPAN was aged one month old!!!!! So almost all of those 150 family trees on Ancestry.com have a massive error. They are hopelessly wrong. Does this suggest blind copying on this website? I wonder!!!!!!

This does illustrate how ancestry.com has caused severe downgrading in their value. When you get examples of such stupidity as this it makes a researcher undervalue all the good work the website has done in making data available. They must have some quality control systems. The old saying “rubbish in, rubbish out” implies that much research is needed to verify anything you find on that website.

Ancestry.com has dropped in my estimation of value as a resource.

PS If anybody knows where and when Mary Culpan died please tell me and I can then make a lovely elderly (she’ll kill me for that description) lady who has spent forty plus years researching this.

Peter Nash

Back to the Top

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 23andMe to FamilyTreeDNA – Part 2 of 3.

A picture containing text, clipart

Description automatically generated If you have been reading my articles on DNA for a while, you will know there are three types of DNA.

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).

YDNA which only men inherit from their father.

Mitochondrial DNA which only mothers can pass to their children. Men receive it but cannot pass it on.

Last month, I wrote about transferring your results from Ancestry. This month, I am writing about transferring your Autosomal results from 23AndMe.

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.

Log into your 23andMe account

From the homepage, hover over the tools button on the top of the page.

Click on the ‘Browse Raw Data’

Click on the ‘Download’ tab at the top of the page:

Scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says ‘Request your Raw Data Download’ and click on the ‘Submit Request’ button

Your email box will be sent an email – open that email and click on the ‘Download Raw Data’ link.

Now you can upload that 23andMe 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.

Graphical user interface, text, application

Description automatically generated

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.

Graphical user interface, text, application

Description automatically generated

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 tested at MyHeritage?

If so, watch for next month’s article.

Gail Riddell

Back to the Top

Digging Into Historical Records

A stack of books

Description automatically generated with medium confidence Dawn is in the process of writing a centennial history book with a required publishing date of September this year. Therefore she is deep into the writing process and won’t be writing her interesting column for a few months.

Pandora Research

www.nzpictures.co.nz

Dawn Chambers

Back to the Top

Chinese Corner

New Zealand's Chinese Anzacs - A buried history

It has taken almost 100 years but the contribution of the 55 New Zealand-born Chinese who enlisted with the NZ Expeditionary Force 1914 to 1919 is now being acknowledged.

Their stories have finally been recognized in by London-based author Alistair Kennedy's (MBE) Chinese ANZACS publication with assistance from the Auckland War Memorial Museum and Dunedin-based Historian Dr James Ng.

In 2016 the official public launch of the book, with Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae and Gisborne Mayor Meng Foon, took place at the Dominion Museum, Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington and followed by book launches at 14 of the NZ Chinese Association’s branches across the country.

There were several Chinese families across New Zealand who had members serving with the Anzacs; including the Mongs, Lo Keong and Alloo’s, the Sew Hoys from Dunedin and Appo Hocton’s family from Nelson.

James George Paterson, who was of Chinese descent, served in the NZ Expeditionary Forces (NZEF) enlisted at the very start of the war in 1914, and joined the Auckland Infantry Battalion.

He sailed for Europe on 16 October 1914 and was one of the first NZEF men to land on Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. He was also one of the first New Zealanders to die there and his name appears on the Lone Pine Memorial in the Lone Pine Cemetery.

Eng King How Chow of Gisborne was a New Zealand-born Chinese in the NZ Expeditionary Forces. Decorated for bravery he enlisted in January 1917 with the 4th Battalion, 3rd NZ Rifle Brigade and was mentioned for distinguished and gallant services and devotion to duty from 1918 to 1919.

Alastair said the 2nd edition of Chinese ANZACS , honouring the contribution of the NZ Chinese men serving in the Great War, came about with support and collaborative research with the NZ Chinese Association , New Zealand's Chinese community, historians such as Dr James Ng, academics like Dr Manying Ip and the National Archives.

Chinese ANZACS is available at all libraries and major booksellers across the country and online.

From Voices 25 April 2016 – By Lynda Chanwai -Earle

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/voices/audio/201797925/new-zealand's-chinese-anzacs-a-buried-history

Helen Wong

Back to the Top

Anne Sherman

Memories are important

A person with long hair

Description automatically generated with medium confidence My mother-in-law has just died and with her almost 100 years of memories and history. As I write this I am thinking about the obituary we will be writing for her old school magazine. We were lucky in that, several years ago, I had the foresight to encourage her to record her memories onto a cassette tape. It was easy for her to use and gave her something to do when she was alone. We now have a series of voice recordings copied on my computer full of her school, family and war memories – in her voice. Priceless! It is so much more personal and poignant than the written word can be.

It is a timely reminder that unless we record our memories and history, at some point, it will all be lost in the midst of time. Many historians (family and social) concentrate on researching people, places and events of times gone by. Our own lives in the here and now hold little importance to us, but they are as important to our descendants as our ancestors lives are to us. Surely the future researchers are entitled to facts and first-hand accounts of our lives after we have gone. Assuming our children or grandchildren don’t throw them away.

I have said this before and will say it again, record the memories of your nearest and dearest, and your own whilst you still have the time and wits to do it. You will never know when it will be too late, until it is.

Anne Sherman

Back to the Top

More Famous New Zealanders You have Probably Never Heard Of

Dean Jack Eyre (1914-2007)

A picture containing text, person, person, wall

Description automatically generated Dean Jack EYRE was born on the 8 May 1914 at Westport, the son of Richard Booth Dudley and Mabel EYRE nee TATTON. Richard worked for the Customs Department and the family often moved. After attending Hamilton Boys’ High School, Dean attended Auckland University College to study law.

However, he did not complete this and became a commercial traveller, later founding a company, AIRCO which imported American designed refrigerators and washing machines. Dean was friends with Maurice Paykel and Lou and Woolf Fisher who later went into business in the same industry together.

On 15 November 1937 at Auckland, Dean married Patricia Naomi (Pat) ARNOLDSON, the youngest daughter of Louis and Isabella ARNOLDSON nee LUDSKI. Louis, and his business partners Max LICHENSTEIN and Max and Albert PAYKEL ^[1] had a business in Auckland originally marketing kauri gum.

In 1939 Dean and Pat moved to Honolulu and managed the Hawaiian sales territory for the whiteware company. On the 7 December 1941, Dean, and his wife “…were about to go for a drive from Waikiki when I saw ack-ack over Pearl Harbour.” We returned home and watched the attack from a hill but saw little besides smoke until a solitary Japanese plane flew at 300 feet over the house and dropped a bomb which hit a Japanese drug store in the suburbs.”^[2]

Soon after the attack the family were evacuated to San Francisco alongside hundreds of other families. Dean, who had been a member of the Auckland branch of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, then joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and served on destroyers in England and the Atlantic. He later served in the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve holding the rank of lieutenant. Upon demobilisation the family returned to New Zealand and Dean relaunched AIRCO, and amongst other things, imported Vespa scooters.

As a young man, Dean had always been interested in politics and was a member of the junior league of the Reform Party and had joined the National Party before leaving New Zealand. He contested the Labour held North Shore in 1949 and won the seat. He became a cabinet minister under Sidney Holland and later Keith Holyoake. In 1968 he was appointed High Commissioner to Canada and eventually retired there. Later there was much controversy as even though he had not lived in New Zealand for thirty years, he was still entitled to the annual travel allowance for former New Zealand MPs.^[3]

Dean died in Ottawa on 19 May 2007. His wife of 69 years, Patricia, had died in Ottawa in 2006.

In 1937 Patricia’s mother Isabella Arnoldson had left Auckland to visit two of her daughters then living in the United States. Her second daughter Violet Charlotte had married Cuthbertson Macferson ENTRICAN in 1928. He died in 1930 and in 1931 Violet married Hurrell Walton (Eric) MYATT. They moved to Honolulu shortly after their marriage and also appear to have been in Hawaii in 1941. Mrs Arnoldson reported that she was in San Francisco when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour, possibly with her third daughter Dulcie May MACKEY (Mrs P MACKEY). Isabella stayed in America for the duration of the war and in October 1951 returned to Auckland in a Pan American clipper landing at Whenuapai. Her two New Zealand daughters, Patricia and Esther KALMAN (Mrs Jack Kalman) where there to meet her.

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27823, 23 Nov 1955, p16

[1] The probate of Louis ARNOLDSON 1933 notes Albert Paykel as his brother and Max Lichenstein as his cousin.

[2] Northern Advocate, 29 May 1942, p2

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Eyre

Christine Clement

Back to the Top

Diane Wilson

What is in a name?

How often have these words been written?

The thought came back to me recently when I offered to give Peter Nash the list I have used for many years of the given names for females translated from Māori to English. These lists have been a huge help to me particularly when I was transcribing early Catholic records where the priests not only used the Church Latin forms of names but also their phonetic spelling of Māori names. I was sure they would be useful for someone and intended to share them in this forum. Of course, these in themselves could give possibilities for even more discussion, but Wikitoria for Victoria and Mere for Mary surely could not be too controversial.

I knew they were in a red box in the wardrobe. The search for them meant clearing out several boxes of old papers which I am in the process of doing so that I don’t leave a huge throw out task for my family to tidy. My daughter Deb and I attacked this task with great gusto last week and I found the precious three pieces of paper. Now I cannot find them. I fear they have got in the wrong pile and are now in the tip. My good intentions were all for nothing.

(Robert: Diane later found the list and sent it to me in time to include in this newsletter)

But it did take me on another chain of thought. “THE WILSON COLLECTION” was the name I decided would be a good description for the transcribing work which has been done over the last 40 years, really as a tribute to my late husband Murray who for years generously supported my work. Not such a good choice as I now find that many folks think it is only a collection of WILSON names and don’t bother to look as they are Smiths or Jones. Fascinating is it not? And even more interesting is the queries I get asking for help with Wilson family research for Wilsons I have never ever heard of. Maybe I should have called it the Chocolate Fish Collection. Goodness knows what that would have brought.

This also is an interesting name as it started when we were transcribing the Auckland Sacramental Registers for the Catholic Church and we had no money. As a reward I would jokingly say in my weekly newsletter to participants, award yourself a chocolate fish. Hence the name grew and stuck for all the indexing work I have done. I personally am proud to have been the leader of the independent chocolate fish team. Some of those members are still beavering away on the current marriage place project.

So what is in a name? For me PRIDE

Diane Wilson

www.wilsoncollection.co.nz

Back to the Top

From the editor: I was a chocolate fish lover in this team. I also received a letter from another member of that exclusive team:

From: Anne & Ian (surname and contact details deleted)

Subject: Re: FamNet April_2022 newsletter

Hi there

Thanks for the latest newsletter and also the reminder of the work of Diane Wilson and her chocolate fish team. I too was part of that for quite a few years and the family knew all too well when I sat for hours doing yet another load of transcribing of data that it wasn’t worth trying to distract me until I was finished and could spend some time with them :)

Look forward to reading more

Cheers

Anne

Guest Contributors

Ken Morris

Publish Your Family History

A picture containing text, indoor

Description automatically generated a Step-by-Step Guide to Writing the Stories of Your Ancestors by Dina C Carson ISBN 9781879579637 367 Pages Published 2015 $AU49.77

Part of a series of 9 books by this author on related components of family history writing & publishing

I have a number of projects “to publish” covering family, work, and sporting club histories. They also range from predominately photos with names, some text & anecdotes to a full family & related history of mainly text and some photos. The audience & ‘market’ is also varied from very limited and give away product to a possible published market. There is a myriad of books on writing family histories and often hard to make a choice to suit one’s primary objective.

This book provided information/guidance on my specific objectives and much more, albeit it has a US bias, and some of the data on the software & sources will be out of date, the book having been published ~ 7 years ago. The book is set out in five sections:

Section 1: Getting Started

Section 2: Planning

Section 3: Writing

Section 4: Production

Section 5: Marketing

Bibliography – extensive bibliography for each of the sections.

Each of the Sections have 4-6 Chapters with all the details. I made a first pass read thru the whole book and made many tags of items of specific interest and which to return to and use.

I have a love-hate relation with ‘Word’, there are detailed sections on the various options of software to assist with data recording, page layouts, typesetting, fonts, front matter, the body, back matter, the cover, and final files for an easier experience. I wished I’d read the book before I completed a recent project. I would have understood and used a better font and made a better job of the layout, which was in part dictated by the book’s Printer’s capability as to book size & number of pages and in part by me not understanding what constitutes a good readable layout.

Albeit the US bias there is extensive information on the actual printing, publication, and marketing of your manuscript, including ‘print on demand’ which with its big population is very viable in the US. Various production formats to suit a wide range of ones ‘need to publish’ options covering the format of printed publishing formats to electronic: in PDF(including distribution formats and how to set up to get paid for access), EPUB, for Kindle & other eReaders.

The author makes a big emphasis on what you want to achieve and the planning all phases of your publication and the need to have deadlines and revisit these plans as the project develops to ensure you achieve your goal. The four stages: PLAN, WRITE, PRODUCTION, MARKETING are set out in detail, and they apply in varying degrees no matter how big or small your project.

Editing also gets a lot of attention to ensure there is a consistent style and that content, grammar, facts, and graphic elements work together. There is refence to professional editing services, which for me would be a step too far, but certainly a fresh set of eyes will be used. A comprehensive Index is a must.

I found the style of presentation perhaps a little pressured, but always with a positive drive to get on and ‘do it’. So it’s my commitment not to buy any more books on the subject, but to draw up a plan and start writing.

Ken Morris

Back to the Top

George Warcup

Carruthers history

Ma looked after me until I was seven. Nearly everyone called my grandmother Ma, only Pop called her Maude. We all lived together in the WARCUP family home at 54 Ellesmere Avenue Miramar. There was Ma and Pop WARCUP, my Mum Dad and Me, George WARCUP.

Ma’s full name before she married Pop was Annie Maud Louise CARRUTHERS and was one of the daughters of Thomas Johnson CARRUTHERS, a baker from Takapau Hawke’s Bay. Ma’s grandfather Edwin Montague CARRUTHERS, however, was a gentleman, the son of a colonel, we were told because it said so, on his gravestone, in Wellington’s Mount Street Cemetery.

Edwin only lived for five years after his arrival in New Zealand in 1852 before, in 1857; he was crushed by a tree in Ngauranga Gorge and died in Hospital a few days later to be buried in the Mount Street Cemetery. Over time other members of the Carruthers family died, and were buried with Edwin, and some thirty years later a headstone was erected over their graves. Little remains of this stone today. However, a photograph taken in the 1930s confirms the original inscription.

The inscription reads:

Sacred to the Memory of

Edwin Montague

Son of Colonel Carruthers

Accidentally killed by the falling of a tree

7 June 1857.

Jane Carruthers

Wife of the above

died 30 September 1877.

Jane

Wife of T Carruthers

Died Nov 10 1872 Aged 28

Nina Ethel Veronica Daniel

Died May 4^th 1883 Aged 6 years

Adelaide Eva Cannon Daniel

Died March 21 1890 Aged 11 Years

Buried here besides Edwin, are his wife Jane, their daughter in law Jane CARRUTHERS (nee MEMBRAY, the first wife of Thomas my great- grandfather), as well as two little girls, Edwin’s and Jane’s grand-daughters and the children of their youngest daughter Amelia (Emily).

My Grandmother died in 1946, and when my grandfather died in 1969 it fell to me, his next of kin, to administer his affairs including two suitcases containing Warcup and Carruthers memorabilia. I resolved then to do something with these diaries, photographs, and newspaper clippings.

Word went out that we were willing to share this information, and we received visits from relatives some I barely knew existed. One of our visitors was Helen NANKERVIS, a thorough and experienced genealogist, who like me is a descendant of Edwin Carruthers.

To encourage my interest in genealogy Helen kindly gave me copies of her research including family group sheets. Some of Helen’s documentary evidence, copies of a parcel of family papers found in the care of Paul Daniel, another distant cousin of ours then living in Newcastle N.S.W. These documents appear to have been passed between generations of Edwin’s descendants before coming to rest in Australia. Helen’s group sheets, supported by these and other documents, revealed that Edwin’s farther was an officer in the army, Lieutenant Johnson Butler CARRUTHERS, who for most of his military career languished on half pay after being wounded while on active service during an ill- fated expedition to Holland.

My interest was initially drawn to two of these documents; the first was an indenture, dated the 5th of August 1774. Written in archaic legal English this document gives the surveyed location of the boundaries and records the transfer of fifty-three acres of land in the Mohawk Valley located in the Tryon County of the then British Colony of New York. The parties involved were Colonel John BUTLER and his wife Catlyna, who in consideration of a sum of five shillings in the currency of New York and at an annual peppercorn rental, gave possession of a part of their property called Butlers Bury to Thomas Crothers, a merchant, from Tripe’s Hill.

Here is a transcription of the Indenture.

This Indenture made this fifth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy four Between Colonel John Butler and Catherine his wife of Butlers Bury in the County of Tryon and Province of New York of the first part and Thomas Crothers of Tribes Hill in said County and Province aforesaid, Merchant of the Second part. (Witoreybeth) that the said John Butler and Catherine his wife for and in consideration of the sum of five shillings current money of New York to them in hand by him the said Thomas Crothers at on before the en-sealing and delivery of these presents the receipt when

of they do hereby acknowledge have granted bargained and sold and by these presents do grant bargain and sell unto him the said Thomas Crothers all that certain tract or piece of land situated lying and being in Butler Bury in said County beginning at the most north-easterly corner of a certain tract of land granted to Captain Walter Butler by his Majesty Royal letters patent bearing the date the thirty first day of December in the tear of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and thirty five situated then in the County of Albany but now in the County of Tryon of which the said promises thereby intended to be granted are parcel and running from thence West twenty chains (66 foot 6inches each chain so 20 would be about ¼ of a mile)along the North Bounds of said track thence South two degrees west twenty six chains and fifty links (26 x 66.5ft + 50 links (which is ½ a chain) over ¼ mile) thence east twenty chains (1/4 mile) to the east bounds of said tract thence North two degrees east along the said east bounds of said tract twenty six chains and fifty links to the place of beginning containing fifty tree acres of land together withal and singular woods and woods trees timber feeding pastures meadows marshes swamps waters riverlets brooks creeks runs and streams of water edifices buildings improvements hindements and appertainments whatsoever unto the said piece or parcel of land and premises belonging or in anywise appertaining therewith used occupied or enjoyed and the reversions and the reversions and remainder or remainders thereof to have and to hold all and singular the said tract of land hereby granted bargained and sold or meant mentioned or intended to be granted bargained and sold with the appurtenances unto the said Thomas Crothers his executors Administrators or Assigns from the Day next before the day of the date of these present for and during and until the full term of the whole year from next ensuing and fully to be complete and ended yearly and paying therefore one pepper coin in and upon the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel if demanded To the Intent that by virtue of these presents and by force of the statue for transferring of uses unto possession to them Thomas Crothers may in the actual possession of all and singular the said promises with the appurtenances and be thereby to accept and take a grant and release of the reversion and inheritance thereof to him and his heirs to the only proper use benefit and behalf of him the said Thomas Crothers his heirs and assigns forever. In Witness whereof the parties to these presents have herewith unchangeably set their hands and seals the day and year above written.

Sealed and Delivered Signed John Butler and Callyna Bulter in their own hands

In the Presence of us

John Stuart

Alexander Cameron

Edwin’s father and many of his descendants have been named Butler indicating to me a possible connection. And so I began searching for Thomas CROTHERS and John BUTLER while again noting the frequent use of the forename Thomas within the family.

A search of the internet revealed that on the 16th of June 1776 a Lieutenant Thomas Crothers enlisted in the King’s Royal Regiment of New York under the command of Lieut. Colonel Sir John Johnson, Knight and Baronet.

The King's Royal Regiment of New York was raised in Canada by the exiled Loyalist leader Sir John Johnson from American refugees fleeing rebel persecution in the British colony of New York during the American Revolutionary War.

It was apparent now that Edwin’s father Johnson Butler Carruthers was named after Sir John Johnson and John Butler, all of which could explain why many of Edwin’s descendants also carried the first names Johnson, Butler, and Thomas

Sir John Johnson and John Butler were both Loyalist leaders during the Revolutionary War. Both of these men were controversial well documented historical figures who by their deeds inspired great loyalty from their followers, while at the same time incurred the enduring hatred of the Americans. Paradoxically, in Canada where statues have been erected in their honour both Sir John Johnson and John Butler are revered as fathers of the nation.

The second of Helen’s documents to catch my eye was found during her visit to Salt Lake City and is a computer printout headed “Ontario Archives Land Record Index”. This index I found refers to files now held in the Provincial Archives of Ontario Toronto, which lists two entries under Edwin M. Carruthers (apparently my great-great grandfather) dated 2nd of July 1833. These files, while copied to microfilm and viewable through the Canadian Library inter-loan service, have not been digitised. Short of a trip to Canada my research was beginning to stall, and so I passed the problem back to Helen.

Fortunately, Helen was also in contact with Frances Hall another descendent of Edwin Carruthers living in Whitehorse, Yukon, who was delighted to help us explore our possible Canadian connection and ordered the necessary micro films for viewing at her local library.

Frances photographed and transcribed these files which confirmed that, we were as we suspected, descended from Thomas Crothers a merchant from Tripes Hill (now called Tribes Hill) in the Colony of New York. We discovered that Thomas, our American ancestor, died while engaged in the Loyalist cause during the American Revolution, and that we possessed a story worth telling.

George Warcup

Back to the Top

Nancy Vada Gibb

Searching for Mary’s Family - a cautionary tale with distractions

My JOHNSTON family has eight Charles, eight Georges, nine Marys and five Alexanders, covering several generations in Glasgow. What fun! Some have been easy to identify, others much less so.

The particular Mary JOHNSTON I was seeking was born “about 1848”. And so was another cousin, also named - what else? - Mary. Thankfully the latter has been correctly identified through her family and the Censuses.

My errant Mary was born to Charles JOHNSTON and Isabella McFARLANE. The latter’s parentage I have been unable to identify. The 1871 Scottish Census lists a Mary JOHNSTON, of the correct age, living as a domestic servant with two unmarried McFARLANE brothers, James McFARLANE aged 53 and William McFARLANE aged 33, all in Glasgow. Maybe they were Mary’s mother’s brothers?

I managed to locate the brothers in an earlier Census and learnt that their father was named Parlane and mother Jane, and (after a search on ScotlandsPeople) that their parents were married in1805 in Arrochar, Argyll & Bute.

A temporary distraction - the entry above that for Parlane and Jane was for another McFARLANE, and recorded a clandestine marriage in endearing detail:

Back to my search. No problem re the Arrochar address - people did move to Glasgow for work. I had an earlier record that there was quite a large family listed in the 1841 Census, parents Parlane and Jane(t), and my Mary’s mother Isabella would have fitted in very well as the eldest, born about 1819 and married 1837.

But then a problem - I could not find that earlier Census record for 1841 in Glasgow for a Parlane with wife Jane. But I did find a totally different family in Glasgow also with father Parlane - but no William, no James. Why oh why did I not download that earlier document instead of just noting the details.

And while searching for it I had another look at the 1870 Census which showed Mary with the two brothers, and for the first time noticed that while the brothers were born in Glasgow, their domestic servant Mary JOHNSTON was born in … Islay! Not my Mary at all. So the whole exercise had been pointless.

Oh well, it was still an interesting exercise! - thank goodness the ScotlandsPeople fees are very reasonable!!

Nancy Vada GIBB

Back to the Top

Robina Trenbath

Walking with Soldiers

(Applause for Hoarders of a Family’s Histories)

Biscuit tins (once emptied of their sweet treats) are darned useful repositories for storing all sorts of paraphernalia important to the fleshing out of writing a family’s history. Another biscuit tin (in my series of tinned ‘goodies’) holds 150 WW11 letters and ephemera.

Ephemera: collectable items that were originally expected to have only short-term usefulness. (Ref. Oxford dictionary.)

The letters were written by my father (John Robert Henry TRENBATH) to his future wife (Dorothea CRAMPTON-SMITH), my mother. They began on 7 April 1941 when H.M. Troopship No. 25 (S.S. Mauretania) sailed out of Wellington Harbour and finished (13/03/1943) when he copped a blast of ‘Jerry shrapnel’ while riding on his Norton back to Camp Maadi, Egypt.

The ephemera includes the Cunard/ White Star Menu for Anzac Day (Friday 25 April 1941) and a very mardi-gras one emblazoned Today’s Programme, dated 11 May 1941 (on the back thirty signatures with attendant service numbers. His war medals are there (shiny as the day they were issued), a dance card from H.M.A.S. Australia, post cards with war drawings by Peter McIntyre and several ‘blue’ cartoon cards (a reflection of army life) reminding the ship’s company “It’s wonderful what leaks out – Keep your mouth shut!” The most treasured of what was kept was the Magazine of H.M. Transport No. 25 - Ake Ake Kia Kaha.

It is a record of the voyage of 5^th Reinforcements, Second N.Z.E.F. from Embarkation at Wellington Harbour N.Z. (07/04/1941) to Disembarking (13/05/1941) in Egypt. The 5^th Reinforcements comprised 222 officers and 6,066 other ranks. The convoy was made up as follows: HMT Mauretania (4,500 persons of the N.Z. contingent including the 28^th Māori Battalion), HMT Nieuw Amsterdam ( 1,200 Australian troops) who boarded at Sydney then transferred on 28 April to HMT Aquitania together with escorts and other troopships which included HMS Archilles, HMAS Australia, HMAS Hobart, and giant liners Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary and Ile de France. (Ref. Waters, S.D. The Royal New Zealand Navy, Historical Publications Branch, 1956, Wellington, P. 153.)

Eighty-one years have passed and I know that every single one of those souls who were part of the 5^th Reinforcements would have had a story to tell, if not – then at least a ripper yarn or two. Of course, some never returned. Also, some experienced a war too painful to ever talk about. But, for those who have recorded their individual encounters with this war, any war and all wars…their stories are a vital legacy about how a free world upholds the ideals of peace and liberty.

Now, because my historical curiosity often finds me in odd places or retrieving information from obscure sources, I began to trawl down the lists of those 4,500 N.Z. soldiers en route to the Middle East and so far, I discovered 10 men (including my father) of that company who have significant links to our family register. Researching their backgrounds and tracking their wartime efforts should keep me going well into next year.

However, there are two who really stood out; not because of events in which they were caught up in, saw them become P.O.W’s, but more about how the knowledge of their incarceration was eventually revealed.

The Geneva Convention of 1929 established the rules for the treatment of prisoners of war that were used in World War 11. Over 100,000 soldiers of the British Armed Forces were captured during this war and placed in prisoner of war camps. There were two types of POW camps run by the Germans that soldiers were assigned to. These were: ‘Oflag’ – camp for officers and ‘Stalag’ – camp for enlisted personnel. (Ref. About UK, Prisoners of War, 1939-1945/ Card Catalogue ancestry.com.au)

1.FLEMING Thomas Keith (1921-1965): His mother was my great aunt Essie, to whom I was very close. I never met my 2^nd cousin, Tom and she never talked about him. He was duly entered on the family tree where he sat without much information about his person. Well, it happens, doesn’t it? That thing which takes shape on a subscription site gets filled up with names and dates but there’s never much about the poor sods who sit there waiting to have flesh put on their bones. I was reading some of my father’s letters and noticed these two items:

A. Excerpt from letter (J.R.H.T. 13/12.1941) “Have met some chaps who were with Tommy, Essie’s son, in England, Greece and Crete…” and

B. Transcript: “….I already know Tom Fleming is safe and I’m getting a parcel ready for him but will send mine right away as they are only allowed one every six weeks and he’ll get mine first as it hasn’t far to go from here and Essie’s will get to him later. Haven’t seen your brother Victor since I first saw him…..” (J.R.H.T. 01/01/1942).

That was when I suspected Tom might be a P.O.W. and searched ancestry.com.au. But, if Tom was P.O.W. were there any other family members who were?

Name: T.K. FLEMING Rank: Gunner Army No. 22944 POW No. 7926 Camp Type: Stalag Camp No. 8B Camp Location: Teschen, Czech Republic. Section: 2nd NZEF: Officers & other ranks.

(Ref. UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 ancestry.com.au)

2. WOODS Norman James (1915-2007): Norman was the husband of my paternal 1^st cousin. And yes, up came his name as follows:

Name: N.J.WOODS Rank: Pte Army No. 17033 POW No: 32659 Camp Type: Stalag Camp No. 8B Camp Location: Teschen, Czech Republic Section: 2^nd NZEF: Officers & Other ranks.

HOLY GUACAMOLE! Here are two members of the same family who were on the same Troopship No. 25, as my father, ending up in the same POW Camp.

My journey of discovery took me to POW Camp 8B/ Teschen, Czech Republic. Stalag V111-B was a German Army prisoner-of-war camp during WW11, later re-numbered Stalag -344, located near the village of Lamsdorf, in Silesia.

In January 1945, as the Soviet armies resumed their offensive and advanced into Germany, many of the prisoners were marched westward in groups of 200 to 300 in the so-called ‘Death March.’ Some died from bitter cold and exhaustion. The lucky ones got far enough to the west to be liberated by the American Army. (Ref. Stalag V111-B/ Wikipedia.)

Because no-one spoke about Tom Fleming he remains a bit of an enigma. But Norman Woods sat down with his son and they recorded many hours of his experiences. These are the small ‘gems’ which you will never find on a website:

(i.) Norman went M.I.A. on 13 Dec. 1941 in North Africa.

(ii.) A letter to his mother on 28/04/1944 confirmed he was P.O.W. 32659 in Stalag V111-B.

(iii.) Both Tom Fleming and Norman Woods were on the ‘Death March’ in July 1944 from Stalag 344 at Lamsdorf to Stalag V111-A Gorlitz, ending at Stalag 111-A at Luckenwalde, 30 Km. south of Berlin.

(iv.) Norman Woods broke his leg on the march and was treated “very kindly” by the German soldiers. He was put onto a medical vehicle and continued the remainder of the march in that way.

(Ref. nzhistory.govt.nz/second-world-war/prisoners-of-war/repatriation-and-home “1^st Draft of 500 P.O.W.’s left for N.Z. end of May and by end of August ’45 more than 4,000 were home.”)

(Ref. The On-Line Museum of Prisoners of War – Allied Prisoners of War 1939-1945/ maintained by Barbara Anne Langridge.)

Robina Trenbath

Back to the Top

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. 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

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

For queries contact Research Central ph 09 890 2412.

MAY

The 1867 gold rush to Thames, Coromandel with Kae Lewis

Wednesday 11 May 12pm - 1pm

In 1867, men from all over the world rushed to The Thames to try their luck in the new goldfield. They spread out all over the steep bush-covered ranges and gullies and soon came to realise that the gold at Thames was tied up in the quartz rock they saw jutting out from the ground. This talk will be about where they found the gold, how they found it, along with outlining all the difficulties they encountered when trying to turn the quartz rock into a gold bar that they could cash in at the bank.

Roy Lippincott in New Zealand with Marguerite Hill

Wednesday 25 May 12pm - 1pm

In 1920, Roy Alstan Lippincott and Edward F Billson won the competition to design Auckland University College’s new Arts Building. Now known as the Old Arts Block, it has become a landmark building for central Auckland. Lippincott worked in New Zealand during the 1920s and 1930s and designed the Farmers Tea Rooms, a six-storey extension to Smith and Caughey department store, and private residences. He was inspired by the country he lived in, incorporating ponga fronds, flax seedpods, kaka and kea, and Māori motifs into the Old Arts Block, and delightful, sculpted kauri snails in the Old Biology Building. This illustrated talk will look at some of his work in Auckland and further afield.

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 Heron 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.

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

Back to the Top

Group News

Waikanae Family History Group

A picture containing text, clipart

Description automatically generated Contacts: Email: wfhg2012@gmail.com

Venue: Meets every 4^th Thursday morning at the Waikanae Chartered Club, 8 Elizabeth Street Waikanae, just over the Railway Crossing from 9.30am to 12 -12.30pm, every month from January to November.

Research days: at the Waikanae Public Library, 10am to 12 noon on second Wednesday of each month.

Back to the Top

News and Views

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:

Family Tree offer genealogists a free issue of the popular magazine
· Members of the public can now claim a free issue of Family Tree magazine
· The full, digital version of the magazine is available when you sign up to the FT newsletter
· Family Tree’s popular newsletter features genealogy tips, news, articles, offers and more
· The April 2022 issue of the magazine, being offered for free, is usually priced £5.50

The Family Tree team are giving everyone the chance to sample the hugely popular magazine for free as part of a new drive to promote the hobby and get more people researching their family history.
Simply sign up to the email at: www.family-tree.co.uk/account/register
Members of the public with an interest in family history are being encouraged to sign up to the free Family Tree newsletter, which is emailed to thousands of enthusiasts every week. Once they sign up they will immediately receive access to the full April 2022 issue, as a digital ‘page-turner’ edition.
Editor Helen Tovey said: “We want everyone to sample our wonderful magazine and this seemed like a great way to get people involved and for them to find out more about family history. We’re so proud of our monthly mag, it’s been going since 1984 and is packed with information and inspiration, and we also love putting together our weekly newsletter. Family history is all about sharing and so we’d thought we’d give something back!”
Highlights of the April issue include:
· Determining the origin of surnames
· How your ancestors' birth dates can hold the key to the past
· How to use kirk session records
· The lives and working conditions of tailors, dressmakers & seamstresses
Family Tree is published every month by Warners Group Publications. Find out more at www.family-tree.co.uk

This is from Chris Paton’s blog “Scottish Genes”

How to find passenger lists for ships

https://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/tutorials/passenger-lists/

In conclusion

Book Reviews

Help wanted

Letters to the Editor

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.

A Bit of Light Relief

To Unsubscribe, Change your Email Address, or Manage your Personal Information

If you have problems with this page you can email us directly, but the page should be self-explanatory.

Copyright (Waiver)

Feel free to redistribute this newsletter. If you publish a newsletter yourself you may include material from this newsletter in yours provided that you acknowledge its source and include the FamNet URL. https://www.famnet.org.nz/

Back to the Top