This post is in response to Jill Ball’s invitation to take part in this activity. As it is one of my goals for 2020 to report on my family history on a more regular basis, I decided to take part.
As instructed by Jill, I have completed only as many statements as I wish or those that apply for 2019. More importantly, I have skipped some statements in an effort to get my post completed before it’s time for the 2020 version!
For 2019 I want to accentuate the positive as follows:
- A geneajourney I took was – in 2019 I was lucky enough to take two trips to Scotland (my maternal grandfather’s descendants came from Loch Torridon in Rosshsire and Perthshire). The first trip was a research trip on my own where I visited the Highland Archive Centre in Inverness and the Scotlandspeople Center in Edinburgh. The second trip was a special trip with family (no research on this trip) where I finally got to visit Loch Torridon (here are some stunning pictures of the area) and spent a few days in Aberfeldy, Perthshire and Edinburgh.
- A newly found family member shared – I was contacted by a McKenzie cousin from Canada who had found her gggrandmother in my online tree on my website (we are 5th cousins). She was happy to pass on the information she had received from two cousins on her branch of the tree. When I was in Scotland I met one of these cousins in person.
- My 2019 social media post that I was particularly proud of was – I don’t think I actually posted anything in 2019, but I am determined to post as many “stories” as possible in 2020.
- A new piece of technology or skill I mastered was Google Maps – I found out how easy it is to create any number of maps, add layers and pins (with text and even images) then display these maps interactively on my website.
- I joined – I am a member of several genealogical societies in Australia and the UK (I visited the Scottish Genealogical Society in Edinburgh in 2019) and have renewed all my memberships for 2020. I think it is important to support these organisations.
- A genealogy education session or event from which I learnt something new was – instead of attending Rootstech 2019 I decided to purchase a virtual pass (giving me access to recorded versions of quite a few sessions). I particularly enjoyed Chromosome Mapping for Absolute Beginners with Jonny Peril (March 15 2019). I was introduced to DNA Painter and found out how easy it is to use.
- A blog post that taught me something new was Google and Maps for Genealogists: Tracking Where You’ve Been – a gem from the Rootstech blog that helped me untilise Google Maps and learn a new piece of technology (see 9 above).
- A DNA discovery I made was – there were no major DNA discoveries in 2019, just adding to some important, interesting and new genimate’s discovered in 2018.
- A great site I visited was – late in 2018 I discovered through DNA that my paternal grandmother’s father was not the man named on her birth certificate. I have over 30 DNA matches that indicate he was one of the three sons of a specific couple. The family and ancestors of this new couple are well documented at this site.
- A new genealogy/history book I enjoyed was – when visiting Aberfeldy on my second trip to Scotland, the local bookstore (that just happens to have the best coffee shop in the area) had some good books about the history of the local area. I purchased Aberfeldy – The history of a Highland Community by Ruary Mackenzie Dodds and Old Aberfeldy by Fiona Grant.
- It was exciting to finally meet
- I am excited for 2020 because I am still enticed by the thrill of chasing down those elusive details about my ancestors. I know I am learning more skills, more history and more about my family and myself every day.
- Another positive I would like to share is how lucky I feel to have the time and means to continue on this journey.