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Genealogy blues
Posted by: Ralph on the 26 September 2009 | Permalink
I was recently given a friendly reminder that my blog hadn’t been updated since June.
I haven’t progressed any further with the DNA analysis and basically been spending my time doing other things and not genealogy. I was thinking about what to write when I realised that the odd days I had spent on the family tree had in fact produced substantial results and other researchers had kindly provided various data and material.
Firstly an avid Holloway researcher provided a substantial amount of information, the bulk of which I still have to analyse and publish. This piece of work will take many weeks so it should be completed by the end of the year.
Next my cousin found some information on the Taylor side and that has led us back to the early 1700’s. I was also provided with a genealogy toolbar that led me to the NZ BDM online facility that I never knew existed. Bottom line is that tool provided evidence that I thought I would physically have to research and locate in Wellington NZ. I’m still waiting for the certificates I ordered to arrive by post. That saved heaps of work and has opened up so many more trails.
The tool also enabled me to probe for the other NZ family members and has turned up dates that clash with known information, especially on the Jenkins side. Anyway it’s another piece of investigative work to refine data based on formal records so this will continue for many months.
Last but not least, I was recently informed that certain parish records became available online and amongst them was a marriage certificate dated 1818 for my Dowie source, together with some other certificates for his offspring. Thanks to another researcher the pile of evidence is slowly growing.
I have hit many genealogy brick walls in the past few years and the Dowie wall is the hardest to knock down. Expanding the tree laterally with all the offspring can be over whelming and at times I sometimes wonder if it would be more prudent to provide as many links to all the telephone books in the world and proudly say – “see – here is my tree!”
Anyway the search continues albeit sporadic for the time being. Another New Zealand trip looms soon and after that it’s a downhill slide to Christmas and some serious catch-up before the New Year.
I hope to announce prior to 2010 that my site is back to being as up to date as it could possibly be . . . . stay tuned.