Are you interested in joining the Australia Project? [closed]

+25 votes
2.4k views

The Australia Project is an overarching project which encompasses a number of sub projects listed below.  Would you like to join us?  If you would, add an answer below with how you might contribute. We will add the Australia Project Badge to your profile.

  • Anzacs
  • Bushrangers
  • Cemeteries
  • Convicts and First Settlers
  • Data Doctors - who fix known errors
  • Earl Grey's Irish Famine Orphans
  • Eureka Stockade
  • Explorers
  • Indigenous Australians
  • Notable Australians - adding and improving profiles
  • and much more!

You can read more about the Australia Project here:  https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:Australia

Ask questions and keep updated in the G2G Forum by adding the tag ‘Australia’ to your followed tags, and see us on Facebook at WikiTree in Australia.

Veronica, Co-Leader Australia Project 

in Requests for Project Volunteers by Veronica Williams G2G6 Pilot (213k points)
closed by Veronica Williams
I have a convict and many early settlers to South Australia including the Chittleboroughs who arrived on the Buffalo. I haven't been on wikitree for a bit but I started the Wallaroo Cemetery and have added a few early settlers to it.
Thanks for your work on the Wallaroo Cemetery Shelley. I've got a special interest in Cornish miners named Blight in South Australia. I seem to be related to most of them. I think some are buried at Wallaroo.
Hi "cousin" Shelley. I also had ancestors in Wallaroo. It looks like I am your dad's 4th-cousin (through Andrew and Ann Bruce as our common ancestors).

Thank you for the work on the Wallaroo cemetery

Hi Scott, we 'meet' again. We met for the first time just after we had both started on wikitree. At that stage, I was working on Thomas Robert Heath and his wife Sarah Ann (Bruce) Heath. We both did some work on Sarah Ann together. 
I initially got confused between Andrew Bruce the father and Andrew Bruce the son and realised it was the son that did work with Thomas Robert Heath on various buildings including St Bartholomew's in Norwood

Hi Ann,
Funnily enough, even though I have a lot of ancestors in Wallaroo and surrounds none that I have traced so far are from Cornwall. I do not have any Blights in my tree that I have traced.
Andrew the father died in Norwood just over three months after his arrival in SA, which was later than his daughter Sarah and Thomas Heath migrated. His eldest son Andrew was 22 at the time.

My great-great grandmother was the 11-year-old Eliza when the family came to SA. I am still trying to work out how her stepdaughter (daughter from her husband's first wife, [[Deer-227|Lily Deer]]) got from being born in Wallaroo to growing up in Wales. One possibility is that Eliza took her there, then came back and married her father, but I have not yet managed to prove or disprove that.

Thomas Heath seems much easier to track as a famous builder.
Hi,

I have just signed up for wiki tree today, after a week of procrastination, and continuing to store odd bits of information about people randomly in various places. So please be patient as I think I have already made mistakes, however are busy trying to correct them.

I have numerous convict and early settlers in my own family heritage. My husband and I have both been working hard over the last few months building a history for our children before we go travelling, and hopefully visit some places of family and historical interest. My extended family links have many more interesting characters, as well as indigenous links. I have done lots of bits and pieces of research on many of them, however have never collated it.

I am very excited to find and use wiki tree to not only build the story of my family, but also contribute to the story of our nation.

A. Larcombe, welcome to WikiTree! I hope you find it as rewarding an experience as I have.

I remember clearly my first efforts on WikiTree when I struggled to make anything work, but I see you've discovered this forum early, which is a good thing because everyone is so helpful. Also you can use the search box at the top to find answers to similar questions.

There are quite a few Australian Larcombe profiles on WikiTree already. I wonder if you are related to any of them? Larcombe Genealogy on WikiTree

Some sub-Projects that might interest you are: Indigenous Australians Project and Convicts and Early Settlers Project

Happy tree-ing!

When I got my Australia project badge, I said I wasn't really sure how much I would be able to contribute; but as time has gone on, I've added, or adopted, many more collateral family members and, unlike my direct line, some of them have convicts on their upper (Australian) branches.

I've found those I would term "heroes" (Great War ANZACs and one WWI ANZAC (I'm not counting my Mum and Dad)); people I have grown rather attached to as I find out more about them as people and not just a name on an index card from 20 or 30 years or so ago.  I found that my first cousin twice removed was a WWII POW who escaped and made his way to Switzerland, via Italy.  I had known he was in the military, but nobody told me the details, so I only really knew of his 20-yr-old brother who died in the Great War a few weeks before Armistice.

I've listed a couple of notables; again, collateral to my direct line, but they're still my rellies! 

I look at al these people and wonder at what they managed to achieve.  Just as I've always looked at my gr-gr-grands and above who came from foreign lands to start a new life. 

I found more details on my one lot (my Mum and I had obtained their ship details from the Queensland State Library, back in 1992), but to read of the conditions of their ship (it was compared to the Black Hole of Calcutta) and to read that most of the passengers thought it not so bad .. but only because of what they'd left behind.   You have to wonder; and weep; when you know what the Black Hole was like and compare that to a 3-plus month voyage at sea and think of just how bad things were in England that the ship was a better place.  I am awed, at times, to know that their blood runs in my veins. 

So, overall, I've "contributed" more than I thought I would .. and have had so much fun along the way.  :) 

.

(I also made a sticker thing to show my Mum was a WAAAF, not WRAAF and not RAAF.  She was before all those and there was nothing for her, so I made it.) 

I've just added indigenous Australian musician Allan Moarywaalla Barker to WikiTree He also deserves a "notable Australian" tag, being the co-founder of Greenpeace Australia.

I have a photo of him as he was a good friend, but in deference to Aboriginal traditions I will refrain from posting it.

Black Allan Barker

That's excellent, Rob. Thank you so much for adding his profile. Are you on our list for the Indigenous Australians Project, or would you like to be? Let me know if you'd like to be added. We have a Google group where we discuss what we're doing and toss around ideas and you'd be very welcome to join us.

We try and add an Indigenous person's language or cultural group as a category, if known. Are you able to help us with this? If not, his place of origin, Port Hedland, will be fine. I'll add a cultural alert (deceased person),  the Indigenous Australians Category and Australian Notables Category to his profile. Thanks again, Anne. Co-ordinaator, Indigenous Australians Project.
Hi Veronica

I've been on Wikitree a long time and would now like to join the Australia project. I can help with most of your subprojects. I come up in Wikitree as Danielle anonymous, but you know who I am (saw you this morning!).

Danielle
As per email sent me, my Wikitree ID is Cann-244.  One of the team was having problems finding it?
Happy to volunteer. I am a first fleet descendant and have other convict ancestors as does my husband. First time volunteering so may require guidance.
Hi Lori. Thanks for wanting to join. I’ll get you all set up.

Gillian
I have family that were early settlers in Tasmania and were an integral part of the Tasmanian timber industry.  I'd love to be involved in this project.
I would really like to be part of the Australia Project. My ancestors came for a England, Ireland, Germany and Denmark mainly and all were unassisted passengers it seems. Not one convict among them, that I can find. It appears all their crimes were committed in Australia :)

I just can't help myself and go off on a multitude of tangents. Whenever I find a link, anywhere, I would rather investigate than ignore and perhaps lose that source forever.

I just can't help myself and go off on a multitude of tangents. Whenever I find a link, anywhere, I would rather investigate than ignore and perhaps lose that source forever.

.

.

.

Look .. over there ------>

SHINY!  cheeky

I am not very WikiTree savvy at the moment, but hoping I can contribute to this project and learn new things along the way.
I commented just a minute ago but think it may have been in the wrong place.. I descend from three convicts and hope I can contribute with this project.. Still getting to know my way around..
Hi Raewyn, thanks for wanting to join the Australia Project. I'll follow up with you by private message.
Thank you Gillian
Hi  Weeding-93 here.

 I’d like to help. I have convicts cousin love and prominent Tasmanian’s from toffee English stock that settled in the midlands and have a tree that is huge. I also have gold miners of Bendigo.

I am finessing my source adding methods lol

It would be great to help ☺️
I've ten direct convict ancestors, some of whom are already on Wikitree. Would like to be in on this project.
Regards, Jill
Thanks Jill and great effort on the Wikitree challenge today!!  I'd add you to the project.

Veronica

This question is now closed - if you are interested in joining the Australia Project please refer to the new question post - https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/886732/would-you-like-to-join-the-australia-project

I am an Australian living in France and I take occasional trips to the Somme region and other WWI significant areas. Perhaps I can;

Translate, if needed French documents  

Visit graveyards or conduct other research.

(Novice level family historian but learning by the day!)
Thanks Luke - sounds like a great offer!  Looking forward to working with you!
I am very interested in joining the Australian Project - German Australians Team Project. My fathers relatives are located mostly in Gympie Queensland (Drescher) and were from Pimpama Island, including Schwenke, Kropp and Burow.

50 Answers

+11 votes
 
Best answer
Yes, I would like to join the project. Am a direct descendant of 5 convicts.  Also interested in Anzacs and cemeteries.  I haven’t joined a project on wiki-tree before, so will have my L plates on, but very willing to chip in.
by Kerri McCarron G2G6 Mach 3 (38.1k points)
selected by Kenneth Evans
Thanks Kerri.  you can be active in all these areas through the project as we have several sub projects focussing on those issues!
I love the L-plate comment.  Some of us don't seem to get beyond them.
+12 votes
Yes, not very active, but will follow.
by Michael Dufty G2G1 (1.4k points)
Thats great Michael!
+11 votes
I will happily assist. Currently in my spare time I am creating profiles for women who joined the convent here in Australia..
by Rionne Brooks G2G6 Mach 7 (71.1k points)
Thanks Rionne thats great.  Are you using categories for them?  You might like to have them all grouped if thereis a common theme?
Yes Veronica, I am categorising them.  One of the first nuns I did was  of a jewess who changed to Catholicism, her story was so interesting I did a great number of her relatives.  It would make a good movie, if I was smarter I would write a book on this family.  Her story can be found at Zahel-19   https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Nuns   As I go off on tangents , and am a bit of a 'Dorrie Evans'  it will take me a month of Sundays to  get through the nuns , this is the pdf http://web.stbedes.catholic.edu.au/Other/nuns/down/AllNuns.pdf
All sounds good.  I was wondering because I have a few of my own - I've attached them here https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Sisters_of_the_Good_Samaritan  I will link this one up to your broader Nuns category
Very worthwhile project.  Being without descendants I'm sure many of them get missed in family histories.  

It looks as if the categorisation project is doing a bit of work on religious.  You might want to collaborate with them.  I've added all the Catholic Sisters I could find to the nun category so they don't get lost.
Not having descendents was my  original thought! I got a little excited when I saw you had Daley relatives  but alas not my line.

I found your two Cassidy nuns and they have O'Halloran  for Bridget's Surname (mother) and were born at Riverstone, which would mean they were registered at Parramatta.

According to the nuns list, Catherine entered the convent on the 4 March 1859  she was born 1 Jan 1841. ( I always like to check the vitals, as typos can occur- but you know that). Catherine died 20 May 1915.
Thanks I've updated her profile!
I have a few graves of nuns from Field of Mars Catholic to upload when I get a chance.
I recently found one of my missing relies on that list of nuns

@ Amanda .. that is so cool!  surprise

I have a few nuns in my families. I’ll add the category to each.
That is great.
+11 votes
I will happily help.  I may even have a story to contribute.
by
Thats great Catherine!
Catherine, I tried to award you the badge but I don't seem to be able to access your Wiki-ID.  Can you tell me what it is, thanks!
Hello!

I believe it is Anderson-36473 (hope I'm right!).

Best wishes,

Kate
Thanks - done I think!
+10 votes
I am descended from at least one convict. While currently working on other lines, I am surprised how many people I assumed went to NZ direct from England/Scotland actually took time in Australia, some a few months, some a few generations!! I think making the family links between the countries is very important and relevant to today.
by Lynlee OKeeffe G2G6 Mach 1 (18.6k points)
Exactly - look forward to working with you to improve Australian profiles!
+9 votes

I have a couple convict ancestors, so I might be able to add more people to the tree and this project, so I guess I'll join. :)

by Logan Gavin G2G6 Mach 2 (21.8k points)
Thanks Logan!
+9 votes
Yes I am interested in being a volunteer in this project. I may be able to help someone and get help in return
by anonymous G2G Crew (470 points)
Thanks Susan, collaboration is the key here at Wikitree!
+9 votes
I haven’t volunteered before, so will require guidance. Have convicts, Anzacs in my family tree. I live in Ballarat the home of the Eureka Stockade rebellion, of which I also have an association. Love Australian history. So if I can assist in any way am happy to do so.
by Denise Lay G2G Crew (950 points)
Thanks Denise - check out the project page for some ideas.  I will be in touch as well soon.
+9 votes
I have several convict ancestors,  I will observe and add comment if it is useful.  I am not able to spend time helping.  

Cheers

Bronwyn (6th generation Aussie)
by Bronwyn O'Brien G2G3 (3.3k points)
Thanks Bronwyn - any contribution you can make helps!
Sometimes a comment can be all the help you need!
+10 votes
I'd be happy to assist where possible. I have ANZAC ancestors and a convict connected to one branch. I've also used cemeteries for some of my research and have many ancestors dwelling in them.

Cheers,

Norm.
by Norm Gray G2G6 (7.4k points)
Thanks Norm!
+11 votes
I am a First Fleet descendant and have 3 convicts and 1 marine in my direct line and a few other convict connections.
by Kirsty Harris G2G Crew (530 points)
Thats great Kirsty - looking forward to working with you!
+10 votes
so, I'd like to join. Interested in Rockhampton area, and German immigration to Queensland my wife is part of the Scafferius clan who emigrated to the Wide Bay district)
by Peter Kane G2G6 Mach 1 (10.4k points)
Great to have you with us Paul!
+10 votes
Im not sure what i can do as im still learning but i have a couple of cronvicts in my tree  i can add, i also have my grandfather who was in the Anzacs.
by Judy Still G2G1 (1.4k points)
+11 votes
I have two known convict ancestors and possibly a couple more. I would like to join your project.
by Heather Eyers G2G Crew (890 points)
+10 votes
I have eight known convicts in my ancestry and also have interesting information on some in the http://www.austlii.edu.au legal database.
by Stuart Bayliss G2G Crew (840 points)
Thanks Stuart, looking forward to seeing your convicts added to Wikitree!
+10 votes
My wife is descended from the early settlers in Sydney, including Ferdinand Meurant and relatives of "Surgeon" John Harris.  She has a relative who was a German immigrant to New Jersey, and another who lived in San Francisco during the 1906 quake, and survived!

My own ancestors are from England and Scotland, including one convict who was an "incorrigible" and sent to VDL.  Also Thomas Hebbert Boykett, who was active for the Nonconformists.  One family was traced back to the Wallaroo Mines.
by Doug Laidlaw G2G6 Mach 3 (38.7k points)
Sounds like some interesting stories Doug!
It just goes to show that everybody has interesting ancestors.  T.H. Boykett emigrated to Adelaide.  By then, he was a fairly ordinary solicitor.  Research in the 1970's got no further.  The Internet opened up his background, and explained a lot of details that didn't quite fit his image.
+11 votes
I have at least 9 direct convict ancestors, my husband similar. I am busy with Derbyshire England cemeteries (where the other side of my family are from) and will get back to Field of Mars cemetery when I get a chance and upload some photos.
by Julie Rourke G2G6 Mach 1 (12.4k points)
Wow, thats a lot of convicts.  Look forward to seeing your contributions soon!
Yes, I have added many already.
+11 votes
When I first started researching my family history in Australia I only knew of 2 relatives who had been in a war.  1 in WW1 and 1 in WW2.

After researching I have now found over 100 relatives, who were in WW1 alone.

It is amazing how much information you can find out.

I now feel that I have an obligation to ensure their stores are told and they are not forgotten, especially as a lot of them were young and single and have no descendants.

Boz
by S Boz G2G1 (1.4k points)
edited by S Boz
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you - I've awarded you the badge will be in touch soon!
+9 votes
Hi Veronica

It's time for me to get in touch with my Australian colonial side. May I join the Australia Convicts and First Settlers project, please?

See you Saturday, Sandy Gamble.
by Sandy Gamble G2G Crew (470 points)

Good to see you here Sandy! I've awarded you the badge will be in touch soon!

+9 votes
Not completely sure what I am getting into, but I would like to join this project. Like many others I am Australian with, Irish, Scottish and English ancestry.
by Craig Grant G2G1 (1.2k points)

Baby steps are Ok!  I've awarded you the badge will be in touch soon!

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+13 votes
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