E-MAILS FROM THE GRAVE

The report below may not be exactly genealogy,

but maybe future genealogists should take note.

London - Britons who feel the need to communicate with loved ones from beyond the grave will be able to use a new e-mail service that allows up to 100 messages to be released after their death, it was reported Tuesday.

The Last Messages Club e-mail service, launched on Tuesday, allows personal notes written prior to people's death to be sent to loved ones in the future.

The messages can range from a final love letter, guidance for someone left behind, a list of instructions, details on life insurance and other financial information.

Important documents such as wills and insurance details can also be accessed through the service, and photos, videos and documents may be attached.

Organisers of The Last Messages Club insist their idea is in no way ghoulish but, on the contrary, eases the stress and trauma associated with the death.

A member can write up to 100 e-mails that can be released once they die at times of their choosing, such as when a relative or loved one marries or has a child.

The Last Messages Club works by giving each paying member a secure and private vault. They are then able to create messages to be sent specifically to their chosen recipient.

Geoff Reiss, founder of The Last Messages Club, said: "No one likes to think about their impending 'demise', but it is much better to be fully-prepared, so that there is less stress on your loved ones after you pass away."

Simon Gilligan, 63, from Cambridgeshire, is among the first people to have signed up to the scheme and has written messages to be sent to his wife, children and friends after his death, the Press Association reported.

"It's strange really as it makes you confront your own mortality in a sense," he said. But it also makes you think about smaller details like making sure you remind someone to cancel your bus pass," he said. -- NEWS24.

IN SEARCH OF FAMILY GRAVES

Branch treasurer Kriek Fourie (left) made a presentation to our monthly meeting in July 2009 about his search for family graves in the Eastern Cape.

Kriek’s wife’s family live in Joubertina which is 43 km from Kareedouw and 57 km from Uniondale. Each year they visit this family and Kriek decided that he would like to photograph graves in the vicinity of the nearby Kouga Mountains.

This he did and the valuable photographic records of the graves in this mountainous terrain, were presented to our branch.

To give the members an idea of the steep mountain slopes, Kriek used Google Earth which clearly showed the mountains and winding dirt roads he travelled. He first went to Kransfontein, a farm which had been owned by the Kritzingers. Here he took photos of their graves.

From there he travelled to Morea, a mere 15 km away. It took an hour and a half to travel as the road was in a very poor condition. They drove over areas of the road which had been washed away, rock falls blocked the road, and through sandy river beds where the bakkie became stuck in the sand. The last farmer living there had died eight years ago, so the area was unoccupied. The graves of the Vosloos were here. Of the thirty graves, only two had headstones.

From there they descended via a very steep dirt road, this time driving through water, as it was the only way to cross the river. In the winter the farms in this area only receive three hours of sunlight daily and summers are hot and humid. The settlement of Krakiel , comprising thirty houses only has two lamp posts. Matthys Strydom and decedents lie buried there.

Louterwater was where the Meyers and Nortiers lived. -- Penny Evans, branch member.

OUR MEMBERS: MARGARET HUMPHRIES AND JOHAN LOURENS

Margaret Humphries (left), who has been a member of the West Gauteng branch of the GSSA for many years, started her family history research in 1996. She is busy researching the following surnames:

On her father's side: Freshwater, Haddrel and Harcombe;
On her mother's side: Bennett, Currin, Quirk, Freemantle and Pacston and
On her husband's side: Humphries, van der Nest, Marais and Maré.

Johan Lourens (right) , also a member of our West Gauteng group has been involved with family history research since 1998. Most of his work has been on his Lourens and Scholtz family, and to a lesser extent the Engelbrecht and Turner family. -- Penny Evans, branch member.

NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

BY BOB SAUNDERS, VICE-CHAIRMAN

A bit of a tongue in cheek greeting based on what I have distilled from talking to those who attend the meetings and other functions.

There are those of us who ardently seek our roots (the searchers) and then there are those of us who do it all over again - for others (the researchers) - because they enjoy it so much!

Whichever category you fall into, take the time to drop me (or any committee member) a line to let us know what it is you want to learn/hear about, in the pursuit of your search. Ask the questions -- anonomously if you must and we will try our best to assist. This will assist us greatly in preparing next year's programme. Our telephone numebers appear on the left or just click below any coommittee member's name and send an e-mail.

Taking the time to drop a line to offer any constructive criticism would be equally appreciated.

VERLEDE MAAND SE KOMITEEVERGADERING

• Die komitee goedgekeur dat John Stephens ons begraafplaaskoördineerder sal wees. Sy eerste taak sal wees om te reël dat ons tak op 17 Oktober 2009 die familiebegrafplasies in sy omgewing sal opneem.
  

• Voorsitter Lucas Rinken het sy antwoord aan Isabel Groesbeek gestuur ná 'n versoek om kommentaar oor die jaar se Erfinisfees by die Voortrekkermonumentfeesterrein. Die geleentheid was 'n groot sukses en lede word gevra om volgende jaar se fees (in hul eie belang) te ondersteun. Daar is gemeld dat boeke ten bedrae van R 885 by die fees gekoop is vir ons takbiblioteek uit winste met die verkoop van e-SAGI.

• Dankie aan Lucas en sy span wat getrou e-SAGI uitbrei tot voordeel van ons tak se finansies.

• Dit was aangekondig dat 'n opleidingskursus op 15 Augustus sal plaasvind mits die Kerkperseel. Die kursusfooi beloop R100. Dit sal deur Lucas Rinken, Dennis Pretorius en Richard Ford aangebied word.

• 'n Versoek van blogredakteur Japie Bosch vir kort belangwekkende stories vir die blog is genoteer en lede word weer eens gevra om ook hul bydraes te oorweegvir plasing. Al dink jy dalk dat jou berig nie geskik is nie, stuur dit nietemin asseblief.
  

LAST MONTH'S BRANCH MEETING

The June meeting was addressed primarily by Bob Saunders on his recent trip to the UK which was a combined family duty/personal research trip.

The gist of the address was that it really is not necessary to go to London to the National Archives to do your research. Their systems are very sophisticated and accessible via the net at www.freebmd.org.uk (for instance) for births, marriages and deaths between the years 1837 to 1929.

You will also find other links there to pursue including www.gro.gov.uk which is the link to be able to place orders for documents as these are NOT available from the National Archives.

The other point he wanted to stress was that should you spoil yourself by taking such an excursion (and Bob still recommends it), be very certain about what it is you want to research, and focus on only that. There is so much one can access at the archives that you end up like a kid at a sweet factory trying absolutely everything in an absolute frenzy of time-robbing exploration, running around in circles instead of plodding steadfastly towards your goal.

DON'T WASTE YOUR PRECIOUS TIME whilst you are there. Oh, and don't forget to visit the 1911 Census. Bob found his maternal grandmothers family there. One of those liberating moments in his search.

Bob has prepared a whole series of powerpoint modules should anyone be remotely interested in his trip which he will gladly forward for your perusal. Just be warned that the files are rather large in some cases. But he will gladly share these if you drop him a line.

The meeting was augmented by a short presentation by Gerard Marloth on work he has been doing to assist Lucas with the filtering of data received for inclusion in e-SAGI. Lucas is over the moon as what Gerard has done, has dramatically reduced Lucas' workload. The programme is still under development and debugging and refinemet.

By way of an example, a file containing 20 000 names was scanned (live) before our eyes in no more tha 3 seconds flat, with very impressive results. No wonder Lucas is so impressed.

Congratulations and thank you Gerard.

JULIE-TAKVERGADERING

Ons volgende takvergadering sal op Saterdag 18 Julie 2009 by die NG Kerk Ontdekkerskruin, Phillipslaan, Discovery, Roodepoort, plaasvind om 14h00. Ons gasspreker is Kriek FourieHy sal praat oor van sy ondervindige in die Lankloof toe hy na grafte gaan soek het.
Kommiteelede word herriner dat die maandelikse komiteevergadering om 12uur dieselfde dag plaasvind.

Onthou asseblief ook om jou R5 vir verversingssaam te bring. Nêrens sal u 'n groter verskeidenheid verversings vir diémgeld in hierdie land kry nie. Margaret en haar span word hartelik bedank vir hul bydrae tot die smuletes, koek, tee, koffie en vrugtesap wat gereeld aangebied word. Die kuier na die vergadering om hulp te vra en te gesels met ander lede is baie aangenaam en bevredigend.

AUGUSTUS-TAKVERGADERING

Neem asseblief nou reeds kennis dat die Augustus-vergadering verskuif is na Saterdag 22 Augustus 2009 weens 'n NUK-vergadering waartydens ons tak as gasheer optree. die spreker sal die GGSA se President, Hendrik Louw, wees. Hy sal ons nlig oor sy siening van die toekoms van die Genootskap.

REQUESTS

e-SAGI has broken the half million barrier -- yes, in excess of 500 000 names! Lucas has done a sterling job with his handful of trusty helpers, to filter through all the data that has been collected prior to merging this into the database. However, there are still many duplicates that need to be weeded out.

The request therefore is for members to come forward and offer some time to assist Lucas to make this database the most comprehensive and reliable source of electronic data for all researchers. Since there is NEVER a free lunch ... the pay-off for your valuable time would be a free copy of e-SAGI. Yes, your own personal copy, free and for gratis, if you will undertake to, say, go through your entire family name extracting any names you identify as duplicates and forward these to Lucas for processing. It really is that simple.

The catch of course is that you filter through the entire family name (not just your little family). Whilst this may be quite a task for a surname like Smith or Jones (in the UK), it is not nearly that onerous in the local context so PLEASE do consider taking part in this exercise.

Just remember that none of the data you are able to access on the net (or elsewhere) just appeared there one day, someone had to do the work so that your task was made easier, and this database is no different. Be part of the action and give back a little time (as an investment in the future).

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

This is a new slot where you get the opportunity to tell us of a special find or coincidence in your search for a missing link. This month I (Bob Saunders) relate (yes, pun intended) to you an anecdote from my talk last month.

I had gone to the National Archives, to search for my maternal line as I knew nothing more than my grandmother's name and approximate death as well as my paternal line as all I had was my great grandfathers name and supposed birthdate.

In searching for my mom's line I was getting nowhere fast, but there was one clue out of a bunch of similar names, but the birth was registered in an unfamiliar (and supposedly) unlikely place called Wantage. So I threw in the towel and pursued the paternal line with equally spectacular results after a very circuituous search.

On returning to South Africa, I was surfing the net and came across the 1911 census and decided to take a gander. It wasn't long before I found my grandmother in the right part of London - aged one and a half years complete with parents and grandparents, uncle and aunts, and yes birth registered in Wantage. So I had had the right Queenie all along.

My great grandfather turns out to be an American of British parentage (according to the enumerators notes), so I now have another investigation to follow ... my American connection.

I wish I could say that excites me half as much as my British connections - but who knows?

TAKBIBLIOTEEK

Ons het 'n groeiende takbiblioteek onder die toesig van Graham Southey. Maak asseblief gebruik van hierdie fasiliteit wat gratis is aan ons lede. Dit bestaan uit allerei boeke, tydskrifte en joernale van verskeie genealogiese vereenigings, familiegeskiednisgenootskappe, asook die SAG-bundels.

Soos vroeër genoem, het die biblioteek 'n paar boeke ryker geword tydens die tak se besoek by die Erfenisfees op 30 Mei 2009 by die feesterrein by die Voortrekkermonument. Die boeke wat aangeskaf is, handel grootliks oor die famieliegeskiedenis van die familiesAucamp, Van der Walt, Neethling, Raubenheimer, Orlandini, Kotzee en Louw.

Ons spreek ons dank uit aan Graham wat ook 'n boek oor die Retif-familie aan die biblioteek geskenk het.

OTHER BRANCH & SOCIETY NEWS

• The Northern Transvaal branch has a Symposium in September titled "The Synergy Between Genealogy, History and Cultural History" which may interest some members. I will make contact with either Ferdi or Rentia to establish whether we could also attend and what the cost might be. Should anyone be interested, please let a committee member know.
  

• Please also take note that the Archive Tour 2009 that was being undertaken by the Northern Transvaal Branch has had to be cancelled due to to few subscriptions. Should they reconsider such a tour in 2010, perhaps a few of our members would be interested in joing them. We will keep you informed.

That about takes care of all the business for this month (prior to the committee and branch meetings). Your committee looks forward to welcoming you and any visitors to our meetings.

Your participation in these monthly meets is key to the sustainability of the branch and hopefully also your continued interest in your own research. Please remember to ask the questions to expand your own and your fellow investigators knowledge. If the person you have asked is unsure of the answer you seek it will be referred to our more experienced branch members and further if needs be.

Please also remember to share your successes with us and contribute to the newsletter as well as our blog.

NOT JUST BURIAL OR CREMATION

How will genealogist record "burials" in a few decades?

How about:
Freezed in Roodepoort or
Exposed to the Elements in the Kruger Game Reserve or
Orbiting Earth or
Converted into a Diamond.

These are just a few possibilities mentioned in an article published on 8 July 2009 on Health24

A shortened version of the article follows below.

"When pondering the fate of our mortal remains, most of us weigh up the pros and cons of the two standard methods: burial or cremation. But if either of these strike you as too dull and uncreative a way to bow out, maybe you’d like to mull over some of the more exotic choices available to the modern human corpse.

Should any of the following strike your fancy, you might need to also make arrangements to have your remains exported, because most of these procedures aren’t yet available in South Africa.

• The deep freeze

Promessa explains that the process involves freezing the corpse and then submerging it in liquid nitrogen, making it very brittle. Ultrasound converts the body into an organic powder which is dried in a vacuum chamber. The “hygienic and odourless” final product, when placed in a coffin made of corn starch and buried in a shallow grave to speed the process, converts to compost after about 6-12 months. A favourite tree can be planted over the site, literally and symbolically continuing the ecological cycle.

• The big chill

Cryonics is the preservation of human bodies at low temperatures for possible eventual resuscitation (perhaps 100 years from now), when a cure has been found for the original cause of death.

Once your deceased body reaches the cryonics facility, circulation and breathing are artificially restored, the body is cooled, and then the blood is replaced with preserving solutions. Oxygen is continuously circulated to (ostensibly) prevent brain damage. In an attempt to retain memory, the brain is infused with chemicals that prevent ice crystal formation during the cooling process (at -196 °C)

• Plastination: strike a pose

Plastination is the use of plastic polymers to infiltrate and preserve tissue for educational, research or diagnostic purposes. Recently, it has also been used – with great success and not a little controversy – as a form of ‘educational entertainment’ in exhibitions.

The process involves draining all liquids from dissected parts of the body, and replacing the fluid with polymer. Unique gases and heat are then applied to the parts, hardening and ‘fixing’ the tissue.

Plastination’s proponents point out that the final product is clean, odourless and permanent. It's an excellent way to educate students, because the tissues possess interactive visibility. Many universities are opting for plastination over formaldehyde-preserved cadavers.

• Feed the birds
  

Followers of the Zoroastrian faith in India and Buddhists in Tibet choose to have their remains dispatched by birds of prey. Zoroastrians' bodies are exposed to the elements – and the vultures – by being placed in a circular stone tower open to the sky. Similarly, Tibetan Buddhists observe ‘sky burials’, in which the body is first chopped up, and then left to the birds – and sometimes also wild dogs.

Environmentally, this is a clean, efficient method – or was until the vulture population in India started to decline in recent years, forcing authorities to seek additional ways to dispose of remains.

• Go boldly
  

Space Services, a Houston-based aerospace company, offers ‘memorial spaceflights’, in which a portion of your cremated remains is loaded into a sealed container, attached to a satellite, and then shot into space.

On launch day “families gather at the liftoff site to share the experience of seeing the loved one's dream of space flight realized. With a roar and a fiery streak across the sky, the rocket lifts its precious load higher and higher into the peaceful solitude of space.”

This will cost you anything from a paltry $995 to have one gram of your remains sent into the earth’s orbit, to $12 500 to get as far as the moon or deep space.

• Sleep with the fishes
  

Eternal Reefs, a US-based company, will mix your cremated remains into the concrete of a ‘reef unit’, or ‘reef ball’, an artificial structure designed to mimic part of a real coral reef, to which it is then added.

The idea is that marine creatures, under pressure from the destruction of coral reefs, can then use you as a new home. This concept does in fact have scientific legitimacy: similar structures are being used in an attempt to rehabilitate reefs in different parts of the world.

• Shine on
  

LifeGem, yet another US-based company, converts the carbon in cremated ashes to create a “certified, high-quality diamond created … as a memorial to their unique life”, which then can be worn by a friend or family member, or kept safe in a jewellery box.

This will set you back anything from US$2 699 to US$19 999 for a loose stone. Setting is extra. The service is also available for dearly departed pets.

• Get plastered

A few countries have built memorial parks that contain a "niche wall". This is a solid granite structure with numerous small holes or spaces, where your cremation ashes can be deposited and then sealed into the wall. A plaque marks the spot where the ashes are poured, providing identification for the deceased. Neat, space-saving and cosily communal."

(Olivia Rose-Innes, EnviroHealth Expert, and Matthew Louw, Health24, updated June 2009) Source material: Eternal Reefs: official website Gunther von Hagens Bodyworlds: official website LifeGem: official website Lonely Planet Tibet (2005); Lonely Planet Publications; 6th edition Promessa Organic AB: official website Space Services: official website

SOURCES, SOURCES, SOURCES

You've been researching your family for a while and have managed to correctly assemble many pieces of the puzzle. You've entered the names and dates found in census records, land records, military records, etc. But can you tell me exactly where you found great, great-grandma's birth date? Was it on her tombstone? In a book at the library? In the 1860 census on Ancestry.com?

When researching your family it is very important that you keep track of every piece of information. This is important both as a means of verifying or "proving" your data and also as a way for you or other researchers to go back to that source when future research leads to information which conflicts with your original assumption. In genealogy research, any statement of fact, whether it is a birth date or an ancestor's surname, must carry its own individual source.

Kimberly Powell of About.com discusses this topic. Find the rest of her report HERE.

DIE NUWE e-SAGI MET 'N HALF MILJOEN PERSONE SE DATA IS HIER

DIS HIER:
Die nuwe e-SAGI (weergawe 5) met 'n half miljoen persone se besonderhede en koppelings.

DIE PRYS:

• R150 plus R10 posgeld (in Suid-Afrika) = R160.
• Persone wat 'n vorige weergawe gekoop het, betaal slegs R120 plus R10 posgeld (in Suid-Afrika) = R130.

SLEGS OP DVD

Dis slegs op ‘n DVD verkrygbaar, omdat die databasis so groot is. Dit kan nie in twee of meer CD’s “opgebreek” word nie.

WAT IS e-SAGI?

e-SAGI staan vir “elektroniese Suid-Afrikaanse Genealogiese Indeks”. Dit is 'n projek van die Wes-Gautengtak van die SA Genealogiese Genootskap. Lucas Rinken is die man wat die projek begin het. Hy het letterlik duisende ure reeds hieraan bestee. Dit bevat genealogiese besonderhede van 500 000 mense, maar dit het ook koppelings na hulle voorouers en families. Teen bogenoemde prys is hierdie inligting vir 'n genealoog 'n winskoop duisend en 'n hulpmiddel soos min. Die opbrengs uit verkope gaan na die tak.

GOEIE RAAD

Vir diegene wat nie ‘n DVD-speler in hul rekenaar het nie, het Dennis Pretorius die volgende raad:

• Koop die DVD;
• Vra iemand wat ‘n DVD-speler het om dat na ‘n geheue-stokkie (memory stick) te kopieer;
• Kopieer die databasis van die geheue-stokkie na jou hardeskyf.

Geheue-stokkies is by enige rekenaarwinkel verkrygbaar. Die pryse sal uiteraard wissel. Dit sal in die omgewing van R120 vir 'n 2 GB- of R180 vir 4 GB-stokkie wees. Eersgenoemde is meer as genoeg. Andersins leen een by 'n vriend.

BESTEL SÓ

Bestellings kan by Dennis geplaas word. Sy epos-adres is krugersdorp@pixie.co.za. KLIK HIER en stuur nóú 'n epos aan Dennis.

VORIGE BERIGTE

Inigting oor die aard en omvang van e-SAGI is te sien deur HIER TE KLIK. Gaan af na die opskrif: "400 000 Persone se Data". (Let wel: Die syfers wat in hierdie berig word, is verouderd. Soos hierbo berig, het die aantal persone intussen na 500 000 gestyg.) Lees ook HIER.

MONTHLY MEETING, 20 JUNE 2009

Date: Saturday, 20 June 2009;

Time: 14:00 to 16:00;

Place: Dutch Reformed Church (NG Kerk), Ontdekkerskruin, Phillips Avenue, Discovery, Roodepoort (Map below);

Subject: A Genealogical Visit to England;

Presenter: Bob Saunders, Architectural Technician and Vice-Chairman of the West Gauteng Branch of the GSSA.

Entrance Fee: R5,00 for refreshments.

CLICK ON THE MAP TO ENLARGE
(SOURCE: Mail and Guardian Online)

THE SOUTHEY FAMILY HISTORY IN BRIEF

Graham Southey (left) gave an interesting and amusing talk at the April 2009 meeting of the West Gauteng branch of the GSSA.

Southey is a very old surname. This name has been spelt in various ways -- South Hey, Southhey and Sowthey. From 1698 it was spelt as we know it.

Graham gave a broad outline of the early Southey history in England. He visited Wellington, an area in which the early Southey families had settled. The early settlers took a great interest in parish affairs.

At the local parish church he found the names of no less than nine Southeys who had been church wardens in the 1600s.

Thomas Southey (1545-1601) was known as the great clothier of Wellington. He married Joan Budd, a daughter of William Budd, a serge maker of Wellington. They had six sons and three daughters. The eldest son was Robert from whom several famous Southeys were descended.

Robert also lived in Wellington and his son Robert was a poet who became the Poet Laureate to King George III of England. They wanted to honour him with a title but he declined and said he would prefer a pension. There is a bust of Robert in Westminster Abbey.

Henry Herbert (1783-1865) was the King’s physician.

John (1666-1728) was a famous lawyer from Thornton in Somersetshire. He married an heiress, Mary Canon. Their granddaughter married the Honourable Hugh Somerville. She died giving birth to her only son, John Southey Somerville who became the 15th Lord Somerville.

Thomas became the founder of the London Wool Exchange in the 1800s.

George was the eldest son of another John Southey. He married Joan Baker. The 1820s was a bad era in England. At the age of 43 George Southey and his family decided to leave England for SA.

They were allocated land in the Grahamstown area. They were simply dropped off on their allocation. Fortunately they had brought two tents with them!

Graham knows little about the lives of George and Joan Southey.

Their eldest daughter was Sophia (1804-1880). She married Joseph Stark who was a founder member of the village of Pedi in the Eastern Cape.

Their eldest son William had to endure difficult times during the war of 1834/1835. He was an incredible farmer who eventually controlled farms in the Graaff-Reinet and Bloemfontein areas. Misfortune struck when he became ill and he lost these farms along with the finest stud stock.
Richard Southey, the third born, having assisted Sir Harry Smith, developed a lasting friendship with him. He held various positions of responsibility in the Cape Government and later became Sir Richard Southey.

Sir Richard Southey married twice and had 7 sons and 2 daughters.

Two of his sons became farmers. Charles and William began farming together on “Klipgat” in the Middelburg area. They divided the farm and Charles farmed with ostriches during the boom period, later developing his farm as a race horse stud farm.

William, Graham’s great grandfather became known as the “Father of Irrigation’ in SA. He had seen great potential for irrigation in times of flood. He started building weirs across the great Brak Rivier to irrigate his lands. He had 3000 morgen under cultivation.

Frederick William Southey, a son of William became a very successful sheep farmer. He exhibited sheep and took first prize for the grand champ merino ram for 17 consecutive years. In the 18th year Graham’s father took the championship from him. They did not speak to each other for 3 months.

Fred had 24 grandchildren. They held a gathering on the farm in 1995 in order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fred Southey moving to that farm.

Fred owned 12 farms in that area, one in Alliwal North and another in Cradock. Each child inherited two farms and his bookkeeper of 40 years got the 13th farm in Cradock.

500 000 IS OM DIE DRAAI

Net 9 000 om te gaan. Dan’s hy by 500 000.

Dis Lucas Rinken (links) se e-SAGI (elektroniese Suid-Afrikaanse Genealogiese Indeks) – ‘n projek van die Wes-Gauteng-tak van die Genealogiese Genootskap van Suid-Afrika.

Lucas is al jare lank besig met dié databasis. Menige genealoog het al sy soektog na voorouers met behulp hiervan beëindig.

Met inligting wat hy van oral in die wêreld kry, het Lucas veral in die afgelope klompie maande die databasis vinnig laat groei. In September 2008 het dit die data van 400 000 bevat. Binne agt maande het dit met 100 000 gegroei.

Hy het dit reggekry met ‘n aantal helpers wat hom getrou bygestaan het.

Een van sy groot uitdagings is om duplikate deur te werk. In die jongste paar weke was daar nie minder as 5 176 sodaniges wat hy moes bekyk.

“Ek was dikwels naby aan tou opgooi. Dis sieldodende werk om paar na paar deur te werk, te besluit wat behou moet word en waarvan vergeet kan word en dan weer die volgende paar te pak, paar na paar na paar.

“Hulp en ondersteunende e-posse het my die moed gegee om deur te druk ek uiteindelik vorentoe te kan kyk. Sover ek weet, is die lêer nou skoon van moontlike duplikate. Dit los my met 491,336 name en gee my die geleentheid om die aanslag op 500,000 in alle erns aan te pak.

e-SAGI is voorwaar 'n hulpmiddel wat vir die ernstige genealoog onontbeerlik is. Die databasis word met die genealogiese program LEGACY gelees. Die standaard-weergawe van dié program kan HIER afgelaai word. Dié program is ook by e-SAGI ingesluit.

• Inligting oor die aard en omvang van e-SAGI is te sien deur HIER TE KLIK.

Die huidige databasis (met die data van 400 000 persone) is op DVD teen R120 plus R15 posgeld beskikbaar. Daar word besef dat baie mense nie oor DVD-lesers beskik nie. Daarom is die databasis ook op twee CD's beskikbaar teen R140 plus R15 posgeld.

Hierdie pryse is vir versending in Suid-Afrika. Versending na die buiteland sal groter posgeld meebring. Pryse moet met Dennis Pretorius bevestig moet word. Bestellings kan ook by Dennis geplaas word. Sy epos-adres is krugersdorp@pixie.co.za. KLIK HIER en stuur nóú 'n epos aan Dennis.

Die beskikbaarheid van die jongste databasis (met 500 000 persone se data) sal aangekondig word sodra dit gereed is.

Beendere uit grafte dalk vir moetie gesteel

Nelspruit. – Grafskenders het ’n tweede keer in ses weke op die Kaapsche Hoop-begraafplaas, suid van Nelspruit, toegeslaan.

In die jongste voorval is drie grafte oopgegrawe en die beendere is volgens die polisie vermoedelik verwyder.

Die grafskenders het die grafstene erg beskadig.

Dit kom nadat grafskenders ses grafte net voor die Paasnaweek omgedolwe en weer gedeeltelik toegegooi het.

Niemand is nog in verband daarmee aangekeer nie.

Die Universiteit van Pretoria (UP), wat opgrawings gedoen het, het bevind dat al die beendere uit die ses grafte waarmee gepeuter is, verwyder is.

Die Ngodwana-polisie ondersoek klagte van grafskending.

Die UP gaan môre weer opgrawings in die begraafplaas doen om te bevestig dat beendere in die jongste voorval ook verwyder is, het konst. Ngwako Kgofelo, woordvoerder van die Ngodwana-polisie, die naweek gesê.

Hy het gesê die polisie vermoed die beendere word gesteel vir moetie.

Die beendere word onder meer fyngemaal en misdadigers strooi byvoorbeeld voor ’n rooftog die fyngemaalde beendere oor hul lywe omdat hulle glo dit gaan hulle beskerm teen arrestasie of ander probleme.

Volgens Kgofelo is die polisie al raadop met die probleme by die Kaapsche Hoop-begraafplaas.

“Ons dink daaraan om die naburige Nelspruit-munisipaliteit te nader en te vra om dit te oorweeg om ’n draad om die begraafplaas op te rig,” het Kgofelo gesê.

“Die gemeenskap van Kaapsche Hoop kan ook dalk help met die beveiliging.” -- BEELD, 17 Mei 2009.

MONTHLY MEETING: 16 MAY 2009

Date: Saturday, 16 May 2009;

Time: 14:00 to 16:00;

Place: Dutch Reformed Church (NG Kerk), Ontdekkerskruin, Phillips Avenue, Discovery, Roodepoort (Map below);

Subject: The Van Wyks of Tarkastad;

Presenter: Ferdie van Wyk, member of the Northern Transvaal Branch of the GSSA;

Kort CV: Ferdie is gebore in 1942 in Les Marais, Pretoria. Hy is die enigste seun van Tom en Dawie van Wyk (Sy moeder was gedoop Izak Dawid Catharina van der Walt).

Hy matrikuleer in 1960 aan Hoërseunskool Helpmekaar waar hy hoofseun was. In 1962 het hy by die Staande Mag aangesluit. Hy het aan die Militêre Akademie, of te wel die Fakulteit Krygskunde van die Universiteit Stellenbosch gestudeer. Aan Unisa het hy 'n Honneursgraad in Strategiese Studies behaal. Dit het gelei tot ‘n oorplasing na Militêre Inligting. Sy laaste pos in die SA Leër was met die rang van Brigadier verbonde aan die staf van Lt. Genl. Georg Meiring die Hoof van Die Leer.

Op 22 Desember 1992 verneem hy op TV dat hy, twee generaals en nog drie brigadiers deur oud-president FW de Klerk afgedank is.

Daarna het hy hom in die rekenaarbedryf begewe.

Ferdie is getroud met Ina du Plessis. Hulle het drie kinders.

Entrance Fee: R5,00 for refreshments.

CLICK ON THE MAP TO ENLARGE
(SOURCE: Mail and Guardian Online)

10 STEPS TO WRITING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY

Eventually most of us want our research recorded in book form -- a big task. How is it done?

"Yes, the research is the fun part. Writing a family history book just seems too daunting to be fun. But when the relatives start nagging, try these 10 easy steps for making your family history book a reality."

Kimberley Powell tells more on ABOUT.COM: GENEALOGY.

Her proposed ten steps include:

1) Choose a Format for Your Family History

2) Define the Scope of Your Family History

3) Set Deadlines You Can Live With

4) Choose a Plot & Themes

5) Do Your Background Research

6) Organize Your Research

7) Choose a Starting Point

8) Don't be Afraid to Use Records and Documents

9) Make it Personal

10) Include an Index and Source Citations.

Kimberley also has the following tip to tackle your book:

“Tackling a full-blown family history is a huge project, one which many people find too overwhelming to even begin. Just finding the time to sit down and put your own stories on paper can be a near impossible feat. Just ask my grandmother who must be tired of hearing from me about those family stories she's been promising me for years.

“The trick to any large project is to break it down into manageable chunks. In the case of recording your family history, why not begin with a letter? Sit down once per month with a few pieces of paper or your computer and begin writing - to your children, grandchildren, or anyone who might be interested. Begin by selecting a topic for that month's letter - a particular ancestor, a certain time period, a special event... Then just let the words come. Make the letter an informal one, but be sure to record as much of your memories as possible, including names, dates, facts and feelings. Write just as if you were telling your children or grandchildren a bedtime story, because in a way you are. That monthly letter will soon be something that your descendants eagerly anticipate. Plus, before you know it, you will have finally written that family history - one letter at a time.”

LET'S TAKE NOTE

The recent tragic news from Germany and Italy points out just how fragile our world is. Documents, works of art, architecture, and more from throughout the centuries can be wiped out within seconds by earthquakes, fires, building collapses, wars, and other calamities. The loss to scholars, historians, genealogists, and others is incalculable. Luckily, we now have the technology and the ability to preserve multiple copies of all these priceless objects for future generations.

I would suggest that we digitize everything and make multiple copies of each copy, to be stored in widely dispersed locations.

The above are the introductory paragraphs of a report published on EASTMAN'S ONLINE GENEALOGY NEWSLETTER. It is worth reading.

• Voorgaande is veral van belang in die lig van die digitalisering van sterftekennisse in Suid-Afrika ... en natuurlik alle ander genealogiese werk, insluitend jou eie waaraan jy soveel tyd en energie bestee het.

• Dit laat 'n mens ook terugdink aan wat van jou genealogiese werk word ná jou afsterwe. KLIK HIER en KLIK HIER
  

GENEALOGY IN PRISON

UTAH STATE PRISON — In a cramped room here in the Wasatch medium-security unit, inmates sit hunched over computers, trying to decipher the aged writings of people long dead.

Some scroll through reels of microfilm, searching for a name that can help unlock the secrets of the past.

They are among hundreds of inmates doing genealogical work in family-history centers run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints inside the prison.

"The genealogical program here is a haven to get away from the environment within the prison itself," inmate Dan Maroney said. "It's a place for fellowship."

Read the full story on DESERT NEWS.

HOBBY-X

The Branch participated in Hobby-X, an exhibition of hobbies, held at the Northgate Dome, Johannesburg from 5 to 8 March 2009.

Above: Lucas Rinken in the "studyroom" exhibit at Hobby-X.

The stand drew much attention. As many as 130 people signed the visitors’ book. Seven new members were enrolled and seven copies of e-SAGI (electronic South African Genealogical Index) were sold. Chairman Lucas Rinken had his computer set up so that the visitors could search e-SAGI for information about family history. Lukas was even able to add 100 new people to the database.

Many of the visitors came from areas outside of Johannesburg and we were able to refer some people to the branch in Pretoria.

Lucas manned the stall each day but was ably assisted by other members of the branch, namely Gerard Marloth, Barbara Bouwer, Ruth and Alister Jobson, John and Iris Stephens, Louise Dick, Margaret Humphreys, Kriek Fourie and Penny Evans.

Bob Saunders designed the stall and was the main person setting it up.

Hobby-X is a wonderful opportunity to expose the public to geneology and to encourage people to join a group in order to get assistence and encouragement in this very rewarding hobby. It remains to be seen if those who joined will attend the monthly meetings and whether others who took information leaflets will follow up and make contact.

GEDIGTE OP SAGEN

Martina Louw skryf op SAGENEALOGIE:

Vir dié van julle wat 'n bietjie digkuns geniet, het ek 'n nuwe leêr op die '”files”-area van ons gespreksgroep opgelaai. Dis getiteld "Genealogie Gedigte". Daar is hele paar gedigte waarvan een in Afrikaans. Hopelik het van julle ouens 'n klompie meer, veral Afrikaanse genealogie gedigte, om by te las.

Een van die gedigte is:

If You Could Meet Your Ancestors …

By James Roche

If you could see your ancestors
all standing in a row
Would you be proud of them or not
or don't you really know?

Some strange discoveries are made
in climbing family trees
And some of them, you know,
do not particularly please.

If you could see your ancestors
all standing in a row
There might be some of them perhaps
you would not care to know.

But here's another question which
requires a different view;
If you could meet your ancestors
would they be proud of you?

GEDCOM IS LIKE FANAGALO

Suppose three individuals had just met and could not understand each other. The first individual could only understand English, the second French, and the third German. In order for our three friends to understand each other, they have three options.

• The first option is for two of the individuals to learn the language of the third.

• The second option is for each individual to learn the languages of both of the other two individuals.

• The third option is for all three to learn and communicate using a new secondary language developed specifically to allow translation of any word or phrase to and from any of the three languages. In this situation, the three could meet an additional friend who only speaks Italian. The Italian would only need to learn the new language to communicate with the other three as well.

An example of this took place in
the gold mines of South Africa.

Over the past twenty to thirty years, a language called Fanagalo was developed at the mines to allow all of the workers from many language backgrounds to communicate. The workers represented English, Afrikaans, various other European languages, and many Black tribal languages (Zulu, Xhosa, etc.). As a new worker came to the mines to work, he or she only had to learn Fanagalo to speak with the many people. It was much better than learning several different languages.

GEDCOM is like the third communication option.

HOW POPULAR IS GENEALOGY?

BY DICK EASTMAN in his Eastman's Genealogy Newsletter,
19 February 2009.

WARNING: This article contains personal opinions.

A newsletter reader this week sent an e-mail asking a simple question:

I have heard about surveys showing genealogy to be the 2nd most popular hobby in America. Now I need a citation on this statistic and can't find one on the Internet. Can you help?

In short, the answer is "No." In fact, I question the "fact." I don't believe that genealogy is as popular as often claimed. Let's look at the facts.

I have heard two slightly different claims:

1. Genealogy is the most popular (or second or third or fourth most popular) topic on the World Wide Web.
2. Genealogy is the most popular (or second or third or fourth most popular) hobby/personal interest in the United States.

I have no doubt that genealogy is very popular. For proof, I can point out that more than 40,000 people read this newsletter every week. FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com are some of the more popular sites on the Web with hundreds of thousands of users. Local genealogy libraries and Family History Centers serve thousands of patrons every day. The study of one's family tree obviously is a popular activity among Americans, but is it really the second most popular interest? Or tenth most popular? Or fiftieth?

The only reputable survey that I know of was published in American Demographics magazine in 1995. The survey reported that some 113 million adults in the US, or four out of ten of us, were at least somewhat interested in family history. This survey appears to prove that genealogy is one of America's most popular hobbies.

I do believe this article's accuracy, but I suggest you closely examine the question asked: "at least somewhat interested." If you approached 100 strangers on the street and asked each of them if they were "at least somewhat interested" in their family tree, how many would answer in the affirmative?

Now, what happens if you ask 100 strangers if they are VERY interested in their family tree or if they have ever done anything at all to discover more about their ancestry? I don't know the answer to that, but I suspect it would be much less than four out of ten.

While many people may claim to be "somewhat interested," I dare say that most of them have never been to a genealogy library or to a courthouse. Most have never cranked a single roll of microfilm in their lives. How many people in your neighborhood do that? Some may have looked at one or two free online genealogy databases to find people of the same last name, but does that count as being interested in genealogy? I don't think they are very interested if they have never gone beyond the simplest of searches.

The American Demographics magazine survey was conducted in 1995, when the World Wide Web was in its infancy. In that year, probably 90% of all Americans had never seen the Web. In fact, some had yet to hear of it. What a difference we have seen the the past fourteen years! Today we do know that genealogy is a very popular topic on the web. I suspect there are more genealogists today than in 1995.

In short, while the 1995 survey in American Demographics magazine may be interesting, I believe it is no longer valid. The genealogy world has changed greatly since 1995. I would not trust a survey that is fourteen years old to provide meaningful answers about anything that is popular on today's World Wide Web.

The other surveys that I am aware of were conducted by Maritz Research. These surveys asked similar vague questions:

1. Are you at least “somewhat interested” in tracing your family history?
2. Are you at least “somewhat involved” with genealogy?

Sixty percent of the respondents said they were at least “somewhat interested,” and 45% claimed to be at least “somewhat involved” with genealogy. That sounds promising. However, again, let's examine the questions.

What is the definition of "at least somewhat?" Does "at least somewhat interested" mean, "I remember grandmother talking about that?" Or does it mean, "I have a database on my computer or a notebook on the shelf containing the results of my own search?"

The other thing that bothers me about the Maritz Research is the fact that it was commissioned and paid for by Broderbund, the former producers of Family Tree Maker software. One has to wonder how accurate a survey is when the company paying the researchers has a very biased interest in the results.

The reports of the Maritz Research surveys always reported glowing results and then casually mentioned that Family Tree Maker was the best-selling genealogy program in the world. The same reports usually did not mention that the company that produced Family Tree Maker commissioned and paid for the entire survey.

I wonder what the percentages would be in response to this question:

Have you personally done any research on your ancestry in the past year?

To be sure, genealogy is very popular on the World Wide Web. A search for the word "genealogy" on Google returns more than 97 million occurrences of the word. Time Magazine even named genealogy as one of the four most popular topics on the Internet in its 19 April 1999 cover article. (Sex, finance, and sports were the other three.)

My question is this: Does this high number of web sites reflect the true popularity of genealogy, or is it merely a reflection of the fact that today's genealogy programs can create thousands of web pages from one person's database? I suspect the answer is a blend of both.

The fact that 97 million web pages contain the word "genealogy" does not equate to 97 million people posting their own ancestry. In fact, it might be only tens of thousands of people using their genealogy programs to create thousands of web pages each.

If genealogy is truly one of the four most popular personal interests of Americans, we should be able to prove that by other means, right? We should be able to measure the dollars being spent, the popularity of local and national conferences, the number of magazines that serve this personal interest, and more. These are all tried and true measurements used by tens of thousands of marketing firms and others.

Let's start with magazines. If genealogy were truly as popular as our nation's interest in sports, at least one genealogy magazine would have a circulation similar to that of Sports Illustrated. Sadly, I do not know of such a genealogy publication. I could make the same argument about Newsweek, Oprah Magazine, Boating Magazine, Field & Stream, This Old House, Travel & Leisure Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Popular Mechanics, various movie fan magazines, and many more. There is no genealogy magazine in a list of the 100 most popular magazines of today. The magazine stand at your local drug store or grocery store probably contains no genealogy magazines at all. Larger bookstores typically do have genealogy magazines available, but not nearly as many as for other topics, such as sports, automobiles, needlework, camping, or pets. If I stop at the local magazine rack, I get the impression that more people are interested in poodles than in their ancestry.

How about national conventions?

The national Star Wars convention draws 40,000 to 50,000 attendees per year. The National Rifle Association's conventions attract 60,000+ attendees. The national convention of ham radio operators draws 25,000 to 30,000 attendees every year to Dayton, Ohio. A local health and fitness expo in Phoenix draws 70,000 attendees, and I suspect most of them live within 100 miles of the conference location. Local golfing, hunting, or fishing conferences near me regularly draw 10,000 people and, again, I suspect that most attendees live within 100 miles of the convention center.

Then there are hundreds of local and regional antique fairs, hot rod shows, boating shows, sportsmen's shows, and more. Many of these attract tens of thousands of people; some attract hundreds of thousands.

So, how big are the national genealogical conferences? In recent years, the two largest conferences attracted only 800 to 1,600 attendees each. Is this an indication that genealogy is one of the five most popular personal interests among Americans?

Side note: Other countries with smaller populations seem to attract more people to genealogy conferences. The annual Who Do You Think You Are? show in London typically attracts 12,000 to 15,000 attendees. However, not all of the attendees are genealogists; some are history buffs, others are military re-enactors, etc. The Biennale de Généalogie held in Paris in December 2006 attracted more than 16,000 attendees. The smaller Congrés de la Fédération Française de Généalogie is hosted annually in different cities in France and always attracts several thousand French men and women.

Finally, let's examine the businesses that serve this personal interest. I do not have sales figures available, but obviously the golfing industry serves a multi-billion dollar marketplace. So do firms that sell to hunting, fishing, gardening, health & fitness, pets, firearms, stamp collecting enthusiasts, and other companies that serve personal interests.

What is the total dollar amount spent on genealogy per year? While I am sure it is a significant sum, it must be a pittance when compared to the other personal interests just mentioned. Let's compare the money spent against that of other personal interests: golf, hunting, fishing, etc.

In summation, I will suggest that genealogy is indeed a very popular activity among Americans. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps a million, people are actively looking for their family heritage. However, that number pales in comparison to some other personal interests that I have mentioned.

Do you believe there are more genealogists than that? Is genealogy one of the top five personal interests in America? I have one challenge for you: find some believable statistics to prove it!

Source: Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, 2009

Please take note that the Annual General Meeting of our branch will be held at 14:00 on Saturday, 21 March, 2009 at o the Church of the NGK, Congregation: Ontdekkerskruin, Phillips Avenue, Discovery, Roodepoort.

Agenda

1. Welcome

2. Apologies

3. Minutes of the previous AGM

4. Matters arising

5. Reports

5.1 Chairman's Report

5.2 Membership Secretaries' Report

5.3 Treasurer's Report

5.4 Report on the National AGM held at Bloemfontein on 7 th March, 2009

6. Election of new Management Committee

7. Closure

8. Refreshments

Please note that Derek Rubidge has other commitments this year and is consequently not available for re-election. The situation of our Vice-Chairman, Bob Saunders is still unclear. He is planning a stint overseas in the not too distant future. While he is still here, we should make the most use of his excellent services. We trust that he will again accept nomination as Vice-Chairman. All other committee members are available and eligible for re-election.

Gerard Marloth has agreed to join the committee as Membership Secretary as has Penny Evans who was invited to be spokesperson for new/beginner members. They were consequently co-opted in December and have already made their presence felt.

This does NOT mean that no other nominations for existing positions can be submitted. Any member may be nominated for any position. Please let us have such nominations as soon as possible. We have no specific nomination form. Nominations must just show clearly who is nominated for which position and give the names of the persons nominating and seconding the nomination and the assurance that the nominee is available and willing to be elected.

The minutes of the previous AGM are attached as are the financial statements for the year 2008 will be available at the meeting.

We look forward to seeing you at the AGM. Your voice and vote is IMPORTANT!

Friendly greetings,

L.G. Rinken

Chairman, West-Gauteng Branch, GSSA.

NS. Ons vertrou dat ons Afrikaanse lede sal verstaan dat hierdie skrywe slegs in Engels uitgestuur word.
___________________________________________________

NOTULE VAN DIE ALGEMENE JAARVERGADERING VAN DIE TAK, GEHOU OM 14.00 OP 15 Maart 2008, in die Ned. Geref. Kerk Ontdekkerskruin, Philipslaan, Discovery, Roodepoort.

TEENWOORDIG:

Lucas Rinken (Voorsitter); Barbara Bouwer; Celia Bayliss; Milford Juniper; Louw du Plessis; Kriek Fourie; Margaret Humphries; Bob Saunders; Richard Ford; Dennis en Minnie Pretorius; Derek Rubidge; Graham Southey; Danie Jacobs; Ds. Hennie le Roux; Frans en Donna Viljoen; John en Iris Stephens

VERSKONINGS: Louise Dick; Valda Napier; André Heydenrych

1. OPENING EN VERWELKOMING:

Die voorsitter heet almal hartlik welkom.

2. AFKONDIGINGS:

2.1 Verjaardae: Hy wens die volgende lede hartlik geluk met hul verjaardae wat voorlê: 17 Maart: Milford Juniper; 2 April Bob Saunders; 11 April Barbara Bouwer; 12 April Don McArthur (vorige spreker)

2.2 Komiteevergadering: Sal nie volgende Saterdag gehou kan word nie, maar die nuwe komitee sal die volgende datum aankondig.

3. NOTULE VAN DIE VORIGE ALGEMENE JAARVERGADERING:

Op voorstel van Danie Jacobs, gesekondeer deur Richard Ford, word die notule as gelese beskou en GOEDGEKEUR.

4. VOORSITTERSVERSLAG: Die voorsitter lê sy verslag aan die vergadering voor. Dit word GOEDGEKEUR.

5. VERSLAG OOR DIE LEDE EN SEKRETARIËLE SAKE: GOEDGEKEUR.

6. FINANSIËLE VERSLAG: Aangesien die verslag nie vandag beskikbaar is nie, sal dit aan lede gesirkuleer word.

7. VERSLAG OOR DIE ALGEMENE JAARVERGADERING VAN DIE GGSA: Die verslag oor die AJV van die GGSA te Potchefstroom op 1 Maart 2008, word deur die sekretaris aan die vergadering voorgehou. Dit word GOEDGEKEUR.

8. VERKIESING VAN TAKBESTUURSKOMITEE: Die voorsitterstoel word deur Dennis Pretorius ingeneem. Nominasies word gevra vir 'n

VOORSITTER. Lucas Rinken word deur Richard Ford voorgestel, gesekondeer deur Danie Jacobs. Lucas word gelukgewens en neem weer die voorsitterstoel in.

ONDERVOORSITTER: Bob Saunders word deur Richard Ford voorgestel en deur Kriek Fourie gesekondeer. Hy word ook eenparig verkies. Hy word gelukgewens.

TESOURIER: Kriek Fourie word deur Lucas Rinken voorgestel, gesekondeer deur Danie Jacobs. Hy word eenparig verkies. Hy word gelukgewens.

SEKRETARIS (Notulerend): John Stephens word deur Danie Jacobs voorgestel, gesekondeer deur Bob Saunders. Hy word herkies en gelukgewens.

SEKRETARIS (Sosiaal en fumksies): Margaret Humphries word deur Lucas Rinken voorgestel, gesekondeer deur Barbara Bouwer en word eenparig verkies en gelukgewens.

BIBLIOTEKARIS: Aangesien Louise Dick gevra het om nie weer verkies te word nie, word Graham Southey versoek om die werk te doen. Hy willig in. Dit word GOEDGEKEUR. Hy word gelukgewens.

ADDISIONELE LID: Derek Rubidge willig in om die pos te vul. GOEDGEKEUR. Hy word gelukgewens.

9. VERSLAG OOR HOBBY-X: Die voorsitter noem dat dit nie vanjaar so voorspoedig gegaan het nie. Daar is 17 nuwe lede gewerf, waarvan ongeveer 13 vir ons tak is. Hy bedank almal wat daar gehelp het en in die besonder vir Bob Saunders en Richard Ford met hulle insette vir die stalletjie.

10. UITSTALLING VAN CELIA BAYLISS SE WERK: Een van ons lede, Celia Bayliss, vertrek op 1 Mei 2008 na die Kaap. Die voorsitter het haar versoek om haar skitterende genealogiese werk te kom uitstal en ons daaroor toe te spreek. Sy doen dit kortliks. Daarna verdaag ons om haar hoogstaande uitstalling te beskou en daaroor vrae aan haar te stel. Haar werk word deur almal absoluut bewonder.

11. VERVERSINGS: Die vergadering verdaag om verversings te geniet. Die dames word hartlik bedank vir die heerlike verversings.

NOTULE AS GELEES BESKOU EN GOEDGEKEUR OP...................................... 2009.

VOORSITTER SEKRETARIS

NEWSLETTER, FEBRUARY 2009

By Bob Saunders, vice-chairman

Greetings fellow genealogists

This newsletter is a first in a slightly different format, which we hope you will find more informative than previously, and to which we hope you will respond by being more interactive with the branch and committee.

The upcoming meeting:

The February meeting is one which the committee would really wish to see EACH and EVERY member of the society present -- even more so than the AGM (if needs be), as we are faced with a serious dilemma, in as much as we are not attracting our members regularly to our meetings, and we can only imagine that the talks we have planned and presented to date have not:

a) inspired you to want to attend, or
b) the subject matter does not interest you or
c) the topics presented are not addressing your needs (as members old and young, experienced or novice or somewhere in between these parameters).

So the question that has to be asked is this:

a) What do YOU want from your society?
b) How can YOUR committee best serve your interests and needs from your branch.
c) What can WE do to inspire you to participate more regularly or
d) What can WE change to suit the needs of those among you who have not ever attended a meeting or
e) WHAT aspects, if you did attend one, left you disillusioned about what you experienced?

To make the workshop a success, it is essential that each participant provides an input on as many of these aspects as possible. So please put on your thinking caps and help us to steer the programme in a direction that you believe will be beneficial to you specifically and the branch as a whole.

Should you not be in a position to attend the meeting, please do not simply ignore the letter. Your opinion still counts and we are relying on you to give us feedback by means of a return e-mail if you know you will be unable to attend so that these ideas can also be presented to the committee and others. Where there is a common theme, the answer is simple, and we will attempt to address these immediately. Where there are less common or unique requests/suggestions, we may have to debate the merits and take a vote on the relevance to the branch as a whole. Please do not remain silent on any issue of contention, or any suggestion. Every contribution will be considered.

Next month's meeting:

The March meeting is our Annual General Meeting and will take place on 21 March 2009. Please note that we need to have your nominations for the committee if you believe you have a likely and willing candidate. We will welcome all nominations to which the nominee has consented, as we would like to see some new faces on the committee. If you wish to volunteer services, we will find a nomination for you. Many hands make light work and we could use some fresh ideas too.

Please note that all paid up members are eligible to vote and we would really appreciate a great turnout for this event. AGM's are notoriously shunned by the majority of people for the wrong reasons. We will make ours as light as possible despite the need to make the various reports and execute the necessary formalities. Please show your support by attending and making your voice heard by casting your vote on the motions, and the election of the committee.

Those of you who have not as yet renewed your membership, January was when your subs fell due, so please bring your membership up to date by paying your subs and completing the renewal form as soon as possible - preferrably at the February meeting. We will have the necessary forms at hand and a willing treasurer (or substitute) to receive the funds. Remember this can also be done electronically if this suits you better.

Future Meetings:

Your committee is in the process of planning for the year, but a lot depends on the suggestions which will arise from Saturdays workshop, in determining the direction we follow for the year. We still have the Ben Leach talk in hand, which we are sure Ben will gladly deliver in due course once he has fully recovered. Sterkte Ben, ons sien uit na jou toespraak in die nabye toekoms.

Interessanthede:

Ek will graag die Noord-Transvaaltak komplimenteer deur om n idee uit hulle nuusbrief te "steel" en by ons eie nuusbrief in te sluit. Hulle het n spesiale deel wat hulle "hoenderveloomblik" noem, waar lede se stories oor 'n hoendeveloomblik beskryf is. Ons het almal 'n storie of tien oor ons eie navorsing en natuurlik daai een deurbraak oomblik of ongelooflike gelukkige vonds of wat ookal om met ons medelede te deel, om 'n waarskuwing te gee, 'n bietjie moed in te praat of selfs 'n bietjie raad te bied. Ons vra julle om ook hieroor te dink en bydraes te bied vir publikasie. Laat weet asseblief van julle stories wat ons dan onder "interessanthede" sal plaas. Die stories kan net uit 'n paar paragrafies bestaan of 'n langer. Onthou, dit gaan oor ervarings te deel.

Library:

We have a small library which is being constantly augmented with books via donation and of course purchase. We are anxiously awaiting to receive a substantial donation from a collection, but more about that in the next newsletter. Graham Southey is our librarian. Between him and Lucas Rinken, our chairman,, they are busy catalogueing our current collection. Please make use of this underutilised resource. There are many magazines for light reading, a fair number of historical type books for more intense reading, and then there are the very serious tomes such as the SAG's for study and research purposes. All of these are at your disposal. Should you find any books in your own collection that you no longer need or want, and these are of some merit and historical significance, please also consider donating these to our library. You will duly be acknowledged for your contribution.

Don't forget that we are still looking for those parts of your research that are complete to be added to our collection either in an omnibus that will be compiled from time to time depending on volume or your very own publication whether it be hard copy or in electronic format. You never know who may benefit from that material in the future - and you will have had a hand in it.

Laastens:

Dit is die nuwe voorgestelde formaat van ons maandelikse nuusbrief,. Ek vra asseblief vir kommentaar en kritiek asook bydraes vir die toekomstige uitgawes, waarin ons byvoorbeeld verjaarsdae sal kan aankondig, nuwe lede verwelkom, huldeblyke publiseer en meer. U voorstelle en nuusbrokkies sal ook verwelkom word. Soos nuwe idees hulle verskyning maak, sal ons die brief uitbou.

Greetings from your committee with the reminder of this months meeting on Saturday the 21st February a 2pm (14h00) at the NG Church Ontdekkerskruin, Phillips Avenue, Discovery, Roodepoort.

Remember your R5 contribution for refreshments, for which we thank Margaret Humphries heartily for co-ordinating and arranging every month. Much is discussed and shared over those cups of tea and plates of eats. So be sure to get your share of the action.

MONTHLY MEETING: 17 JANUARY 2009

Date: Saturday, 17 January 2009;

Time: 14:00 to 16:00;

Place: Dutch Reformed Church (NG Kerk), Ontdekkerskruin, Phillips Avenue, Discovery, Roodepoort (Map below);

Subject: A Workshop on Legacy, a genealogy computer programme;

Presenter: Lucas Rinken, chairman of the Branch.

Background of Lucas' Legacy expertise:

• Compiler of e-SAGI, die biggest genealogy database in South Africa (close to 400 000 names);
• One of the official translators of Legacy into Afrikaans).
  

Request: Attendees are requested to identify questions beforehand;

Entrance Fee: R5,00 for refreshments.

CLICK ON THE MAP TO ENLARGE
(SOURCE: Mail and Guardian Online)

DIS LONEND OM TE ADVERTEER

’n Broer en suster, albei in hul 60’s, is Kersfees met mekaar herenig nadat hulle sowat 40 jaar gelede kontak verloor het.

Boonop het hulle uitgevind hulle woon al jare lank in dieselfde woonbuurt, het die Daily Mail gister berig.

Mnr. Ken Whitty (64) het gesê hy het sy suster, Yvonne, soms by haar potplante in haar voortuin gesien, maar het nooit vermoed dit is sy suster nie.

“Ons het so baie verander dat ons mekaar net nie sou herken nie.”

Die broer en suster het saam in Salford grootgeword. Hul ouers is in hul vroeë tienerjare dood.

’n Familievriend het hulle grootgemaak, maar hulle het uitmekaar gedryf nadat hulle albei uit die huis is.

In 1970 het Whitty na die huis gegaan waar sy suster vroeër gewoon het, maar dit was gesloop.

Oor die jare het Whitty probeer vasstel wat van sy suster geword het, maar kon nie eens vasstel of sy nog leef nie.

“Ek het gedink ek sal haar uiteindelik vind, maar tyd het verbygegaan en dit het nooit gebeur nie,” het hy gesê.

“Ek het gedink: Dis Kersfees; ek is volgende jaar 65 en ek moet iets doen.”
Hy het ’n boodskap in ’n plaaslike koerant geplaas waarin hy hulp vra om haar op te spoor.

Kort daarna het hy ’n foonoproep van ’n skoolvriend gekry.

’n Paar minute later het die telefoon weer gelui.

“Hallo, dit is Yvonne,” het sy suster gesê.

“Ek kon dit nie glo nie. Ek het haar gevra waar sy bly en sy het gesê in Reddish.

“Ek het gevra waar omtrent en sy het gesê in Noord-Reddish. Ek het gesê: ‘Ek ook.’”

Hy het onmiddellik na haar huis gegaan om haar te sien.

Bron: BEELD, 4 Januarie 2008

FAMILY MEDICAL TREES CAN LEAD TO HEALTHY FUTURE

By Linda Shrieves, Orlando Sentinel

When Elaine Powell's husband started having heart problems, she remembered his father died of a heart attack. That left her wondering if her husband had inherited a heart condition.

As a genealogist, Powell knew where to find the answers. Using death certificates and obituaries, she built a medical family tree for her husband. It turned out his family didn't have a long trail of heart disease.

But that search inaugurated another quest: Powell began researching her family's medical tree and discovered that her paternal grandfather died of colon cancer in his 40s. "I told my doctor, and she told me that it was very important because they'll screen me early," says Powell, 61, of Orlando.

Genealogy has long been used to trace family histories, but now some are using it to learn whether they're at risk for certain diseases.

"In some ways, family history is the cheapest, most widely available and most proven type of genetic test we have," said Dr. Alan Guttmacher, acting director of the National Human Genome Research Institute.

By considering family history, doctors can look for inherited diseases and practice preventive medicine. The notion is so popular that the U.S. Surgeon General's Office has set up a Web site — familyhistory.hhs.gov — that helps people create a medical family tree.

"Sometimes people think genealogy is not very important, that it's just a hobby," says Drew Smith, a Florida genealogist who lectures about medical family trees. "And yet, we always read about people who have illnesses and diseases that run in families. The truth is, for some people, this is a matter of life and death."

Start by asking all your living relatives how their parents and grandparents died.

After that, it's time to start searching for records. The best records, says Powell, are death certificates, which usually list cause of death. You'd need as much of the following information as you can find: the relative's full name, state where he or she died, and city or county.

Your family's medical history does not need to be traced that far back. For doctors and geneticists, it's most important to include three generations: yours; your parents; and your grandparents.

Source: sunsentinal.com