Title: Delving into place: Local History enhances genealogy Synopsis: Researching family history is more than just finding the hatch, match and dispatch dates! None of our ancestors existed in isolation as they lived, worked and played within networks in their communities. Changes in the local community had a direct impact on the lives of those within the community. Researching the local/social history of your ancestral areas can answer the why of ancestral actions. Employment or lack thereof, new industries/changing occupations, coming of the railway, natural disasters etc all will have an impact on your ancestral networks and direct impacts on your genealogical research.

Title: The Thoughtful Ancestor: leaving a large footprint for future generations Synopsis: Researchers spend enormous amounts of time, effort and money on their projects but, if they have not made arrangements before they are dead, the fruits of their labour are likely to end up on a rubbish dump. The purpose of this presentation is to make attendees reflect on their practices and to guide them in making decisions to ensure that their work is preserved for future generations. In this presentation we will cover: Evaluating your collections Cleaning up your files Documenting your wishes Appointing a successor: person or institution Writing up a clear summary of your collection Leaving funds for curation

Title: Paper to Pixels: Digitising Your Genealogical Records Synopsis: This presentation will highlight practical strategies to help genealogists transition their genealogical records from physical to digital formats. Attendees will learn that digitising records brings numerous benefits, such as ‘anytime, anywhere’ access, new data mining capabilities as well as the ease of sharing files with family members and collaborators. In summary, this presentation is about working smarter not harder and learning how to future-proof genealogy research. The presentation will include, among other things, Preparing for Digitisation, Scanning and Digitising, Storing and Managing as well as making the Most of your Digital Archive.

Title: Artificial Intelligence in Family History: Friend or Foe? Synopsis: Where Are We At? Recent Developments in AI A summary of significant advancements and trends in AI over the past two years, specifically in the context of genealogy including a discussion on the impact of these developments on data analysis, record accuracy, and user accessibility. Role of AI in Family History and its Adoption Overview of the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in family history and its dual role as both a facilitator and a challenge. Including a introduction to AI as part of a continuum in technology adoption, reflecting varying comfort levels among researchers. AI as a Facilitator in Genealogy Exploration of how AI enhances data analysis, aiding in the decoding of complex historical records. Presentation of specific AI tools that assist in revealing and predicting familial connections. The Efficiency Gains from AI Exploration of the quantitative and qualitative benefits of AI in genealogy: speed, accuracy, and pattern recognition. Examples of time-saving tools and methodologies facilitated by AI.

Title: They were There: Situating your family history within its broader historical context Synopsis: My family history research has thus far taken me to places, events and connections to people well beyond my wildest expectations. These situational contexts are ones that you learn about or made aware of from childhood. They are ones that you may be exposed to through your formal learning journeys at school and university. This was so in my case, but never did I at that time ever imagine that I would have a personal connection to those events and places. It was only through my family history research that I came to realise that my ancestors not only lived through some major world and national events that have shaped our present day lives but they also were active participants in those events and in some cases helped to shape their outcomes. My family history inquiries have situated my research within the broader Australian historical context of the second half of the nineteenth century and the twentieth century. This personal research has also reached into a number of narrow windows of the more extensive Chinese history. My family history research has helped me to gain a deeper appreciation and another perspective of Australian history to that which I was taught during my early schooling, and which has remained largely unchanged today even for my grandchildren. In particular, it has given me a fuller understanding of the contribution that my ancestors have made to Australia’s development and their previous role in Chinese history. The historical context in which I can situate my various ancestors, and their stories varies across many themes and geographical scales. Regardless however, they all form part of a broader historical narrative which in most cases occurs over a number of geographical scales, from the local to the global. I will use a number of case studies drawn from my family history research to demonstrate my ancestors’ connections and contribution to the broader historical context.

Title: ‘Land for the people’: Researching Irish Agrarian Ancestors in 19th Century Ireland Synopsis: The 19th century was a transformative period in Irish history. From the Act of Union in 1801, the Famine in the middle part of the century and the growth of Home Rule as a political movement. However, alongside these pivotal events there was a growing movement to change the system of land ownership in Ireland. Most Irish at the time were tenant farmers with little protection against powerful landlords. This talk will look at how the issue of land was central to life in this period. The talk will also explore the contribution of the land issue to Irish immigration, sometimes as voluntary migrants seeking a better life abroad, and other times as convicts deported for their role in opposing what they saw as an unjust system. Some of the sources examined will include estate rental rolls, membership records, land valuations and tithe defaulter lists.