Irene Winterburn

Irene first came to my notice when I was using Google to find out who had done presentations on Google for Genealogists. I found a presentation from Irene and was impressed so decided that I should find out more about this lady.

With a history that includes a person with 18 wives and a shark attack (plus Australian connections) Irene certainly has a great story to tell. Thank you for your compelling profile, Irene.

Date April 5, 2011
Name Irene Winterburn (JireneGen)
Hometown Yuma, Arizona (living in Phoenix, Arizona)

Are you a Hobbyist or Professional Genealogist? In-between; more of a Genealogy Detective

What, if any, formal or informal studies have you undertaken that are relevant to genealogical research? 

My Bachelor's degree is in Paralegal Studies, so I have always been a "dirt digger" by trade. My education and training has definitely helped advance my genealogy research. I'm also a big believer in education, so I really enjoy taking genealogy classes, attending seminars and conferences. Hopefully someday I'll work on getting that accreditation, but for now I'm happy being a "Genealogy Detective."

What is your day job? Trial Consultant, Paralegal Supervisor, as well as a Litigation Support Paralegal

How long have you been chasing ancestors? Since 1989I come from a genealogy-loving family, so I've been 'hooked" on genealogy since my youth.

How did you get hooked on genealogy? I loved hearing the stories of my ancestors, and it has been fun finding more facts about them. I am grateful for the work my Mom and her family did researching our family, and for instilling in me why family is important.

What are your areas of Expertise in Genealogy? Mostly England research, thanks to my British hubby. Most of my ancestors have been in America for many generations, so it has been fun researching his English heritage. I have also been verifying and sourcing my own family lines. We do have one line that comes through Australia (via Wales), so I love my Aussie ancesty!

Please outline your involvement in Genealogy Societies and Groups I've been volunteering as a Family History Consultant for over 6 years at the Phoenix Family History Library (fka Ashland Family History Library). Since July of 2010, I am the Editor of the "News Leaf," a monthly newsletter of the Phoenix Family History Library. And, just last month I was asked to be the Phoenix Stake Indexing Director, so my plate is full. Now, if only I can find more hours in the day.....

What are the lands of your ancestors? "Me and my peeps" hail from Arizona - in fact - 5 generations. I'm from good ol' pioneer stock via Utah, Georgia, Arkansas, Connecticut, Massachusetts and other various New England states. Across the pond: England, Ireland and Wales, as well as Denmark and Australia. A couple of our lines connect to royalty, which is also fun to discover.

What Family Names are you Researching?  Morris, Ellsworth, Butler, Adams, Hancock, Gordge, Lee, Blackhurst, McCleve, McFerren, Halladay, Dewitt, Thetford, Lind and Neilsen. My hubby's side: Winterburn, Gash, Few, Duffett, Etches, Eastgate, Oxley, Singleton, Hallam, Swinton, Miles, Miller, Clarke, Tyler, Bullen and Tharby. (There are others, but there is only so much room here!)

Who is your favourite ancestor? Why? The Gordges of Adelaide, Australia. Anne Gordge came to America with her Mom and brother, and at age 18 married 36 yr polygamist John D. Lee, becoming his 18th (and last) wife. She had three kids, but took youngest child and left Lee, leaving my great-grandmother and her brother to be raised by another wife. Her history after leaving Lee has always been a mystery, and one "biography" by a non-family member is highly suspect as it was written when she was in an insane asylum/rest home. Her father Samuel Gordge is also a mystery, but we have found some new facts discrediting the family story of his "drowning on Christmas day" story (he actually looted his ship and was later found dead on the shores of Australia with a fatal shark bite.)

What ancestral city or town would you like to visit?  Adelaide Australia, any parts of Wales and Ireland, and still yet-to-be discovered parts of England. Oh, and even my beloved United States. Too bad I have to work for a living, otherwise, I'd be traveling the earth following my ancestors' footsteps.

 What is your favourite resource for genealogy? Mostly the big sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry, and FindMyPast, etc. I also love the links at these sites: BPB Publications (great links to US public records), ProGenealogists and Price & Associates. Oh, and Google!

Do you keep your genealogy files on paper? Yes

Do you keep your genealogy files on a computer? Yes

What genealogy software do you use to record your family tree? Mostly RootsMagic, but I also like to keep online trees at GenesReunitedUK and Ancestry.com.

 Do you have your tree posted on the internet? Yes

If Yes What is the URL? My Jirene's Genealogy Treasures takes you to my trees: http://jirenetreasures.blogspot.com/

What Social Networking Sites do you use for genealogy?

Ancestry, Facebook, Genes Reunited, LinkedIn, Twitter

Do you have a blog? Yes

What are your blogs' URLs? Jirene's Genealogy Tips (http://www.jirenegen.com), and Jirene's Genealogy Treasures (http://jirenetreasures.blogspot.com/)

What are your Other Hobbies, Activities, Interests? Who has time, especially when your a genealogist?! I am a techno geek as well, but also dabble in watercolors. My activities usually involve the things that interest me most: genealogy, computing, law and art. I do love to travel with my hubby, though. (Now to find a way to make the work week 2 days, and the weekends 5 days!)

What is your favourite lesiure time activity apart from genealogy? Seeing the joy in my dogs when I (finally!) take them to the doggy park! Simple but fun.

 What is your favourite (non genealogy) book?  Lots of books, but my recent favorite is "The Help."

What is your personal philosophy in a few words ? I Yam What I Yam. (Don't take yourself too seriously.)

If you have anything else to share please add it below. I am loving all of the genealogy records being added to the internet. Bring it on!

John Patten

I am proud to present the profile of John Patten, an Australian who is very proud of his indigenous heritage.

John is one of my Virtual GeniMates that I have communicated with via email, blogs, Linkedin and Google Wave over the last couple of years. I hope one day to meet him in a face to face situation.

Date April 7, 2011
Name John Patten
Hometown Grafton, NSW, Australia

Are you a Hobbyist or Professional Genealogist? I'm not sure hobbyist is the word. Maybe unpaid obsessive?

What, if any, formal or informal studies have you undertaken that are relevant to genealogical research? No formal genealogical qualifications, however I am looking at options to eventually study for my Masters relating to History and/or Indigenous Studies.

What are your areas of Expertise in Genealogy? Aboriginal Australian genealogy and history.

What is your day job? ICT Technician in Primary (Elementary) SchoolsAbout

How long have you been chasing ancestors? 7 Years.

How did you get hooked on genealogy? When I was a child my Dad would make tape recordings of various family members telling Dreamtime stories, speaking in Bundjalung and talking of our tribal, social, cultural and political history. He swapped those stories with an African American friend living in the Bronx. A few years back I found those tapes, including recordings of my paternal grandmother who passed away in the early 80's. What she said sparked my interest and I've been hooked on digging for answers and further questions ever since.

The other major contributor to my interest was my mother's lack of knowledge about her family history, as she was raised in an orphanage with no idea of her history.

Please outline your involvement in Genealogy Societies and Groups I'm not a member of any group or society at present. I have previously been a member of the Genealogical Society of Victoria, and I am looking to other options.

What are the lands of your ancestors? My mother's ancestry is English, Irish and Swedish. Bundjalung (Far North Coast, New South Wales & South East, Queensland), Yorta Yorta (middle Murray River, New South Wales & Queensland), Gumbaingirr (North Coast, New South Wales), Dhudhuroa (upper Murray River, Victoria).

What Family Names are you Researching? Patten, Fisher, McNamara, Avery, Charles, Little, Smith, Mortimer, Marshall, Dempsey, Betty, Gaunt, Tatham, Middleton, Simms, Geary, Ashmore, Morgan, Hallett, Moore, Crofts, Bolton, Collits, Rope, Pulley, Wilson, Ryan, Jones, Page, Morris, Lees, Milner, Forrest, Hardwick, Turner, Stevens, Haslam, Mathums, Oscroft, Day, Firman, Richards, O'Brien

 Who is your favourite ancestor? Why? My grandfather, John Thomas PATTEN (1905-1957). He was a great man and a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement here in Australia. See his profile at http://www.pattenproject.com/jack

What ancestral city or town would you like to visit? Not a town as such, but I'd love to see the southern part of England in which my Somerset, Devon and Dorset ancestors came from.

What is your favourite resource for genealogy? The Tindale Genealogies. It's a hand-scrawled collection of genealogies written in the 30's - 40's by an anthropologist named Norman B. Tindale. It documented Aboriginal people living on government reserves around Australia.


Do you keep your genealogy files on paper? Yes

 Do you keep your genealogy files on a computer? Yes

What genealogy software do you use to record your family tree? Family Tree Maker 2006. I've tried every version to 2010 but prefer the older version.

 Do you have your tree posted on the internet? Yes

If Yes What is the URL? Various

What Social Networking Sites do you use for genealogy? Ancestry, Facebook, GenealogyWise, Genes Reunited, LinkedIn, Twitter, Other

Do you have a blog? Yes

What are your blogs' URLs? http://www.pattenproject.com/family

What are your Other Hobbies, Activities, Interests?  I probably have too many hobbies. I enjoy spending time with my family, brewing beer, writing, web design, cooking, sustainability and organic gardening. My latest project is to combine my interests in genealogy, history and web 2.0 multimedia by producing a web series 'Tales of My Ancestors', along the lines of WDYTYA, but concentrating on the research and not just the resultant stories.

What is your favourite lesiure time activity apart from genealogy? Reading

What is your favourite (non genealogy) book?  At the Mountains of Madness - H.P Lovecraft

What is your personal philosophy in a few words ?  If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

Randy Seaver

One of the disappointments of my recent genealogy jaunt to the US was that I didn't get to meet the host of  Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, Randy Seaver.

An established genealogy blogger Randy is well-known for this Saturday evening activity and for his weekly  "Best of the Genea-Blogs" in which he selects "posts that advance knowledge about genealogy and family history, address current genealogy issues, provide personal family history, are funny or are poignant."


I am honoured to publish a profile from Randy.



Date 7 April 2001
Name Randy Seaver
Hometown Chula Vista, California, USA

Are you a Hobbyist or Professional Genealogist? Hobbyist

What, if any, formal or informal studies have you undertaken that are relevant to genealogical research? No formal university or instutute courses.

I've attended several national and regional conferences, and many local genealogical society programs with speakers on fascinating subjects.

What is your day job? Retired from aerospace engineering (research, analysis, test, management)

How long have you been chasing ancestors? Since 1988.

How did you get hooked on genealogy? I did not watch the TV series Roots when it was first shown. I read Alex Haley's book Roots in the early 1980's, and saw the TV series in 1987. I was inspired by both the book and the TV series.

My father died in 1983, and by 1988 we had visited New England several times to visit the cousins, aunts and uncles. They had wonderful stories, and my oldest aunt had done a Seaver descendants report. I figured that I could do this...and have enjoyed the genealogy hunt and family history detective experiences ever since.

Please outline your involvement in Genealogy Societies and Groups I belong to the National Genealogical Society (NGS, USA), New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS, USA), San Diego (California) Genealogical Society (SDGS), Computer Genealogy Society of San Diego (CGSSD), and Chula Vista (California) Genealogical Society (CVGS).

I have been Research Chair, Treasurer, Vice-President-Programs, President and currently Newsletter Editor for CVGS and Genealogy 101 class teacher.

I speak at several Southern California genealogical societies each year on my topics of interest, and teach a senior adult education class on Beginning Computer Genealogy (8 hours) three times each year.

What are your areas of Expertise in Genealogy?  New England USA research.
Town records, land records and probate records.
Research in online free and commercial historical record collections.

What are the lands of your ancestors? England before 1650, plus Wiltshire and Somerset before 1850. No known Scottish or Irish ancestors! (into New England and New York)

German states before 1760 (into New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania)

Netherlands before 1650 (into New York)

English American Colonial ancestors came from 1620 onward into Massachusetts and New York. Several families to Ontario in Canada after American Revolution. Migration westward from the northeast USA to the US Midwest and to California in 1887.

What Family Names are you Researching? Great-great-grandparents surnames are: Seaver, Smith, Hildreth, Newton, Richman, Rich, White, Oatley, Carringer, Spangler, Lamphier/Smith, Vaux, Auble, Knapp, Kemp, Sovereen.

Who is your favourite ancestor? Why? Devier James Lamphier Smith (1839-1894). He was born in New York, adopted by the Smith family before the family moved to Wisconsin in 1843, married there in 1861, moved to Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, worked as a livery man, speculator, farmer, snake oil salesman and rancher, and had the foresight to write in a family Bible and extensive family letters. He had five children, but two died young. He is my favorite because he overcame hardships in his life and is the most interesting ancestor I have!

What ancestral city or town would you like to visit? Why? Dodge County, Wisconsin so that I can search for information about the ancestry of Devier James Lamphier Smith in historical records there. The house that he grew up in, built by his adoptive father, still stands in Old World Wisconsin, a historical house collection.

What is your favourite resource for genealogy? LDS Family History Library microfilms that contain original records from states, counties and towns.

My favorite online resource is Ancestry.com, but FamilySearch.org is a close second! Nothing else comes close.

Do you keep your genealogy files on paper? Yes

Do you keep your genealogy files on a computer? Yes

Do you have your tree posted on the internet? Yes

If Yes What is the URL? www.genealogy.com/users/s/e/a/Randy-Seaver/

What genealogy software do you use to record your family tree? Currently it's RootsMagic 4. I also have and use Family Tree Maker 16, Family Tree Maker 2011, Legacy Family Tree 7, Family Tree Builder 5, and several other programs collected over the years.

What Social Networking Sites do you use for genealogy?  Ancestry, Facebook, Geni, MyHeritage , Twitter, WeRelate, Other

Do you have a blog? Several

What are your blogs' URLs? http://www.geneamusings.com/; http://www.geneaholic.com/; SSDCGraveyardRabiit.blogspot.com; CVGenCafe.blogspot.com

What are your Other Hobbies, Activities, Interests?  Family History, Genealogy, Genealogy, Family History, Genealogy, in that order.

Grandchildren - Linda and I have two daughters, one has two boys 7 and 5, the other two girls 6 and 3. We have great fun telling stories, playing indoor and outdoor games, and being with them.

Spectator sports - I'm a big San Diego Padres (baseball) fan - we go to about 20 games a year. I'm also a big San Diego Chargers fan (American football) but we don't go to the games.

Travel and Vacations now revolve around genealogy research and conferences. We'll go to Illinois in September for the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference, and take two weeks to visit ancestral homes in four states. We like cruises and land tours too - we visited Sydney, Cairns, Christchurch, Queenstown, Auckland and Fiji in 2010.

I read historical novels and mystery novels for pleasure, often while watching TV. I don't watch much TV besides baseball games, news, genealogy shows like WDYTYA? and the occasional PBS show.

What is your favourite lesiure time activity apart from genealogy? Watching baseball games and reading

What is your favourite (non genealogy) book? Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd

What is your personal philosophy in a few words ?

Life is short, eat dessert first!

Progress requires change, but not all change is progress.

Pobody's Nerfect.

Genealogy is Fun!

Michelle Patient

The GeniMates blog is creating opportunities for me to approach people who might write or do something that tickles my fancy and invite them to submit a profile to GeniMates. With Michelle it was an inquisitivness with her Twitter name @patientgenie

Thanks, Michelle, for responding to my request and sharing your story with others on GeniMates. I am stoked to have found a GeniMate who has done volunteer work for one of my favourite Australian resources, The Ryerson Index.

I hope others enjoy reading Michelle's responses as much as I have.

Date 4th April 2011
Name  Michelle Patient
Hometown Sydney, Aus & Whitianga, NZ

Are you a Hobbyist or Professional Genealogist? Seriously addicted hobbyist

How long have you been chasing ancestors? Since 1994

What is your day job? IT, Marketing and Project Management

What, if any, formal or informal studies have you undertaken that are relevant to genealogical research? All informal at this stage, I have attended presentations at SAG, Archives and at various Family History Fairs and online tutorials. Read widely and collected a lot of books for my personal library.

What are your areas of Expertise in Genealogy?  
NSW (in particular Sydney, Illawara and Hawkesbury areas),
NZ,
Starting out with Family History and
Using computers and the internet

Please outline your involvement in Genealogy Societies and Groups I have volunteered in a number of areas over the years, including being a Ryerson Index "looker-upper".

Currently I am on New Zealand's Family History Fair committee, our next Fair is this coming August, so not a lot of time for personal research at the moment.http://www.nzfamilyhistoryfair.org.nz/

How did you get hooked on genealogy?
I have always had an interest in family stories, I remember sitting on my eldery grandmother's knee looking at photos as a small child. She died when I was 7. Dabbled a bit in research during the early 1990's when my mother's original birth cerificate became available.

The clincher was one Christmas when my mother gave me about a dozen old photos which were my maternal grandmother's. Mum was unable to identify any of them and she doubted I would never be able to find out. The photos were taken between 1863 to 1894. Today 12 years later, only one individual remains unidentified and I was hooked.

What are the lands of your ancestors? New South Wales, New Zealand, England, Ireland,

What Family Names are you Researching?
NSW
Charles, Cross, Davidson, Douglass, Eslin/Heslin, Flood, Hobbs, Hurley, Iredale, Johnson, Jones, King, Marks, McWilliams, Morris, Reid, Robinson, Rose, Simpson, Spear, Uther, Watts

NZ
Burns, Carroll, Cook, George, Hamblyn, McCabe, O'Dowd, Peat, Polack, Ruddell, Wackrow, Williams

UK
Andrews, Bell, Charlestrom, Daughtrey, Day, Gibbons, Hall, Halstead, Hatfull, Jenkins, Lamb, Lee, Mathews, Micklam, Miller, Morrison, O'Brien, Page, Patient, Payfoot, Phillips, Pownton, Read, Russell, Saveall, Soundy, Stringer, Strong, Tate, Thorington, Tuff, Wilson, Wood, Young

What ancestral city or town would you like to visit? Why? Too many to list here, lots of places in England, Ireland and Scotland.

Why? To get a feel for where they lived. Just to stand on the same steps, walk through the same doors, see the fonts where they were baptised,etc.

Who is your favourite ancestor? Why? I keep getting drawn back to Reuben UTHER b 1791 d 1880. He was my maternal grandmother's grandfather. He arrived in the colony in 1807 "free" as an apprentice to Simeon LORD.

He was one of 3 people who founded the colony's first Hat Manufactory in 3 July 1811. My mother has 3 of his journals from his voyages back to England in 1851, 1855 and 1864 and the travel desk they were written upon.

Through researching his life, I have met so many wonderful relatives and learnt an amazing amount about the development of the colony and of the social history in Australia, New Zealand and as well as back in England.

What is your favourite resource for genealogy? That's too hard!

The Manchester and Lancaster Family History Society Toolbar http://www.mlfhs.org.uk/toolbar/toolbar.phpI can reach all my favourite online resources from there.

The other is any original document - nothing like holding the same piece of paper your ancestor wrote on or a photo that brings their personality to life....

Do you keep your genealogy files on paper? Yes

Do you keep your genealogy files on a computer? Yes

Have you published your tree on the internet? YesIf Yes What is the URL? http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patientgenie

What Social Networking Sites do you use for genealogy? Ancestry, Facebook, Genes Reunited, Twitter, Other

Do you have a blog? No

What genealogy software do you use to record your family tree? Generations for Windows, I know hopelessly out of date, but it is on my netbook.

Reunion for Mac - took the plunge in 2010 to get the uptodate version of Generations, so voila a Mac. Reunion is installed on my PC.

What are your Other Hobbies, Activities, Interests?  In no particular order: Embroidery, Politics, Technology, Geology.

What is your favourite lesiure time activity apart from genealogy? Embroidery

What is your favourite (non genealogy) book? The Bayeux Tapestry by David M Wilson
What is your personal philosophy in a few  words ?
1) Think laterally when you reach a brickwall.

2) Timing is everything, patience is essential.

3) Don't reinvent the wheel, see if others have researched before you but remember to verify any info you find.

4) Share your past for your future relatives and researchers.

If you have anything else to share please add it below 

A Genie Journey:
=============

Start with yourself and go backwards, be prepared for information overload and brickwalls. Talk to all the older relatives you know. Make notes, a separate page about the stories of each person, date when you wrote the notes and the source of the info. You'll thank yourself for this later.

Essential ingredient - you need to enjoy a good puzzle, genie research is detective work, like a jigsaw puzzle of unlimited size but with no picture on the box lid! 

GeniMates - Two months down the track

It's time for reflection now as GeniMates is two monts old today. Although  it's only a short time I want to think about what I am doing.

In my first post on February 7 I said " I thought that I would prepare a pro forma with a list of questions that I could ask some of the people I meet to complete and that I could post these profiles on the web. I then thought about all the wonderful genealogists I have met in Australia and who do not have a presence on Facebook, Twitter or a Blog, I'd really like to profile some of these GeniMates who do fabulous work in local societies, as volunteer indexers or in their day to day jobs. There are a number of directories of genealogists around but these tend to be serious in nature and concentrate on professional genealogists."

I'll use a PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) structure to share my reflections. I would welcome reflections and suggestions from anyone who reads this post.

PLUS
* The focus of the blog seems to be unique.
* Fellow Genealogists have made a number of positive and encouraging comments on the blog, Facebook and Twitter..
* GeniMates have had an opportunity to share some interesting stories.
* I have established relationships with some interesting and generous people who have submitted profiles.
* The blog already has a number of followers as does the GeniMates Facebook page.
* Blog visitors come from a broad range of countries

MINUS
* Readers do not generally comment on the posts so the collaborative function of the blog is not exploited.
* Readers from Non English speaking countires have not responded to my pleas to contact me so the profiles do not have the "all over the place" focus that I hope for.
* Some invitees have not responded either positively or negatively to my invitations for profiles. I am not offended if people do not wish to take but I'd love to know.
* The online submission form has created difficulties for some profilees.
* It is difficult trying to balance the sending out of invittions and a schedule for posting profiles.

INTERESTING
* Some of the data collected will give information about  popular resources and common practices of the group profiled and therefore fodder for more blog posts.
* I wonder if readers would like different questions asked of profilees.
* Those who respond to invitations generally are users of some social media.
* There is a large representation of  librarians in the group profiled so far.
* Profilees are generally modest about their accomplishments and abilities.

Although I get stressed when I do not have a profile or two up my sleeve I am enjoying this project immensely and look forward in the coming months to publishing more GeniMates profiles.

Sharn White

Although I have been following Sharn on social networking sites for a while. I do not know her well and I thought that I'd like to know more about this lady so I extended a GeniMates invitation to her.

Thank you Sharn for your gracious response.

 

Date 5 April 2011
Name Sharn White
Hometown Brisbane Queensland

Are you a Hobbyist or Professional Genealogist?  I am currently working towards becoming a Professional Genealogist

What, if any, formal or informal studies have you undertaken that are relevant to genealogical research?  My current studies are an Advanced Diploma in Applied, Local and Family History through the University of New England.
My background in teaching and other university studies in Ancient History and English have been very relevant to my genealogical research as they are areas which require analysis and critical thinking. The study of the German language as part of a BA has been especially helpful as I have German ancestry on my mother's side of the family.

What is your day job? My husband is a heritage architect and I work in his practice.

How long have you been chasing ancestors? I have been on the trail of ancestors seriously since the mid 1990's but I was interviewing family members and scribbling down family trees from the early 1980's onward.

How did you get hooked on genealogy? I grew up with my paternal grandmother telling me fascinating stories of her childhood in County Tyrone Northern Ireland and can recall being interested in my family history from my teenage years. I became much more involved in researching my family tree after a great aunt told me just before she died, that I had German ancestry. That was in the mid 1990's and I had never known that. Her comment sparked a thirst for more information and that was that. I was hooked!

What are your areas of Expertise in Genealogy?  I really enjoy all aspects of Genealogy. I thrive on examining evidence and finding clues and solving genealogical puzzles. I enjoy the way that history come alive through finding about the lives of ancestors. I have done quite a lot of research about convict Australians, as well as British, German, Norwegian and New Zealand family history, but I really enjoy everything that comes my way. I would quite like to write and speak about genealogy.

Please outline your involvement in Genealogy Societies and Groups I am a current member of the Society of Australian Genealogists, The New Zealand Society of Genealogist and the Maryborough District family History Society and a past member some others including the Kent Family History Society and the Darling Downs Family History Society.

What are the lands of your ancestors? England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Prussia, France, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia.

What Family Names are you Researching?
In England - MORLEY, HOYES, TAIT, GAIR, BERRY, BERRIFF, DUNSTER, FRYER, BEARD, LLOYD, DIXON, MALLOWS
In Scotland - MCDADE, GIBSON, CAMPBELL, FEARNS, CUPPLES, BULLOCK, SHAW, ARTHUR, MCFARLANE, MCDERMID, MCDAIRMID, MORRISON, RENNIE, MACDONALD, MCPHERSON, MCALISTER
In Ireland - WHITE, THOMPSON, SHAW, CLARKE, CUPPLES, SHAW, CRAIL
In Germany- NERGER, SIEGLER, SIGLER
In Switzerland- HABERLING, RYSER, BOSSHARDT, GERBER, HEINIGER, HILTBRUNNER, GRUETTER, RICKLI, RAMESEYER, HELD, GEISSBUEHLER, WIDMER, BUETTIKER
In New Zealand - HOYES, MORLEY, THOMPSON, WHITE, CRAIL

Who is your favourite ancestor? Why? I have become attached to quite a few people on my family tree, but I do have a definite favourite. I tend to get most involved with the scoundrels in my ancestry, probably because they are the most interesting to research. My great uncle Rex Morley Hoyes is an all time favourite because I have had so much fun finding out about his colourful life. He was charged with espionage and bribery in England during World war 2 but acquitted. I have extensive files from MI5 about him, detailing their suspicions. He owned a home which once belonged to King Henry the Eighth, flew illegal guns into Hyderabad with Sidney Cotton when he was Air Advisor to the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1947-48, built a secret airstrip on his property, Marwell Hall where Seafires were converted to Spitfires and owned a large steam yacht 'Warrior 11' which was originally built for American Millionaire Frederick Vanderbilt. He also changed his name to the fabulous creation of Vicomte Fessenden Charles Rex de Borenden! I would really have loved to have met Uncle Rex, but do suspect that he was rather a scoundrel.

What ancestral city or town would you like to visit? Why? I have never been to Zurich or Bern where my Swiss great great grandparents came from so that would be my first choice and then Winchester in England to visit Uncle Rex's Marwell Hall which is now part of a Zoological Park.

What is your favourite resource for genealogy? I love visiting Archives and Libraries to find original documents, especially those which have an ancestor's handwriting on them. There are so many wonderful resources on the internet as well and so I spend a great deal of time on my computer.

Do you keep your genealogy files on paper? Yes

Do you keep your genealogy files on a computer? Yes

What genealogy software do you use to record your family tree? Family treemaker
I am looking at The Master Genealogist.
Ancestry.com

Do you have your tree posted on the internet? Yes

If Yes What is the URL? Ancestry.com

What Social Networking Sites do you use for genealogy?  Ancestry, Facebook, GenealogyWise, Genes Reunited, Twitter

Do you have a blog? Several

What are your blogs' URLs? http://SharnsgenealogyHints.blogspot.com http://www.sharn-genealogyjottings.blogspot.com

What are your Other Hobbies, Activities, Interests?  In my 'spare' time I enjoy reading, playing the guitar and flute, collecting antiques and visiting art galleries and secondhand book stores.

What is your favourite lesiure time activity apart from genealogy? Reading

What is your favourite (non genealogy) book? I have many favoutite books but right now I am revisiting an old favourite - Wuthering Heights. I also enjoy anything written by Alexander McCall Smith

What is your personal philosophy in a few  words ? Always do your best and be generous in heart.

If you have anything else to share please add it below I am quite humbled by the invitation to share my profile. Thankyou for this opportunity, regards Sharn

Amy Coffin

When I announced on my blog and Twitter that I was going to the Rootstech Conference in Salt Lake City a number of kind North Americans offered me advice and friendship. Amongst these was Amy Coffin, a genealogist from Houston, Texas.



After getting myself  lost I arrived late and flustered to the pre-conference media dinner  in Salt Lake City; I was pleased to see Amy's familiar face across the room so I made a beeline for her. At the dinner I had a fabulous evening with Amy and Joan Miller who took me under their wings and from that time I did not feel at all lonely or lost at the huge conference.


I am honoured that Amy has taken the time to submit her profile to GeniMates.


Date 30 March 2011
Name Amy Coffin
Hometown Houston, Texas

Are you a Hobbyist or Professional Genealogist? Professional

What, if any, formal or informal studies have you undertaken that are relevant to genealogical research? I have a Master of Library and Information Science degree. I took as many classes as I could about research (especially online searching), databases, archives and records management.

I also completed Pro Gen 3, the third class of the ProGen study group (http://progenstudy.org). This process provided many lessons on maintaining a research business.

What is your day job? Genealogist

How did you get hooked on genealogy? I have ancestors who were original enrollees in the Chickasaw Nation. It was my grandparents' wish our family also apply to become Citizens in the present day. While looking at the paperwork, I noticed that my great-grandfather was born in Arkansas. I never knew we had any roots in Arkansas. That was enough to get me looking, and I haven't stopped since that day!

What are your areas of Expertise in Genealogy? U.S.-based genealogical research. I have direct access to and experience with most of the repositories in SE Texas and SW Louisiana.

The skills I learned in library school transfer well into genealogy. I can gather and evaluate information quickly and also determine what's missing from the picture. I enjoy using different search strategies and search engines to find information, even that which isn't online.

I also love to write about family history and do so extensively for clients and my own family.

Please outline your involvement in Genealogy Societies and Groups
Acadia Parish Genealogical and Historical Society (Louisiana)
Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP)
Association of Professional Genealogists
California Genealogical Society
Southern California Genealogical Society
Texas State Genealogical Society

What are the lands of your ancestors? United States (AR, CA, LA, MN, NC, OK, TN, TX, WI), France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg

What Family Names are you Researching? LENERTZ (this name is also present in Australia. Though I haven't found a connection, I would love to talk with Aussies who have Lenertz in their tree). MENOU, BOURGAUX, COLBERT (Chickasaw), BAERECKE, BOURLAND, WILLIAMSON (AR, TN), JOST (Austria).

Who is your favourite ancestor? Why? I can't pick just one! I love them all for different reasons. However, the ancestor who was shot for stealing the neighbor's wife AND horse makes the best story.

What ancestral city or town would you like to visit? Why? I would like to visit my great-grandmother's hometown of Inzenhof, Austria. I've been told the JOST name is still there.

What is your favourite resource for genealogy? Everyone seems to say "the Internet" but I am going to say other people are my favorite resource. I just use the Internet to get to them! Really though, there is nothing better than talking face-to-face with other genealogists, learning from them, meeting new cousins and sharing photos and facts. People are the best resource in my book.

Do you keep your genealogy files on paper? Yes

Do you keep your genealogy files on a computer? Yes

What genealogy software do you use to record your family tree?  Roots Magic

Do you have your tree posted on the internet? No

What Social Networking Sites do you use for genealogy? Ancestry, Facebook, Geni, LinkedIn, Twitter

Do you have a blog? Yes

What are your blogs' URLs? http://wetree.blogspot.com

What are your Other Hobbies, Activities, Interests? Family, travel, bar trivia, writing, attending sporting events and occasionally stopping to smell the roses.

What is your favourite lesiure time activity apart from genealogy? People do stuff other than genealogy?

What is your personal philosophy in a few  words ? If family history is boring, then you're doing it wrong.

If you have anything else to share please add it below You've got a genealogy friend in Texas!