Web Wednesday – Collection Software

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Julie Goucher
Created by Julie Goucher using Wordle Jan 2015

Over the last couple of days I have talked about Understanding a Collection and Recognising a Collection.

Whilst using Excel or Google sheets is a really good option for recording the items that make up a collection I have come across two pieces of software that are available and free to download.

I have not currently tried either of them, so please exercise care and attention with downloading!

As I said I have not tried either and before doing so I will be clarifying the types of material I have in my collections. I shall share details of my collections later in the week and share how I am tracking my collections.
There is also one site that I do use and I know many fellow book readers and genealogists do too.
You can view my LibraryThing profile. I paid my $25 for lifetime access back in 2005. I use the site to track my books, reading and book wish lists by having a series of collections; you can read the details by visiting the profile. 
I still have two bookcases to do, one that houses my Italian collection of books and my thyroid collection of books. The second bookcase houses the majority of my husband’s angling and fishing books. I also have several boxes of books that belonged to my late Mum to process.
In addition to that I also record journals, papers, audio books and microfiche. I have a plan to log several podcasts that I have listened too and want to review. In the comments section I add the URL and/or the details where the podcast is located. I also have a notebook of around 20 years of book reviews that I may (or may not) add to LibraryThing as time and the urge allows!

Over the next few days I will be sharing some more information about my collections.

Tagged , | 3 Comments

Tuesday’s Tip – Recognise a Collection

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Julie Goucher
Created by Julie Goucher Jan 2015 using Wordle

Following on from yesterday when I talked about Understanding a Collection. I ended that post with the question of do you have a collection? I expect you do, and I suspect more than one.

Today’s tip is quite simple. Recognise you have a collection.

What sort of number makes a collection? two, four, six, ten or more? Does the number matter? or is the crucial thing whether you are actively adding to, or looking to add to what you already have.

Three black pens on your desk could be seen as a collection. The chances are that they are simply there. A gathering of pens collected from hotels, conferences and other people! If you are actively looking to add to the number does that make it collection? If they are not cheap disposables, but rather flashing Mont Blanc fountain pens does that make a difference?

In order to recognise you have a collection consider the following:

  • Set your parameters. 
  • Consider each collection separately.
  • Write your collection scope that I shared yesterday including any other comments
  • Is your collection fit for purpose?
    • References sourced (sound familiar!)
    • Will the parameters of the collection change in the future?
  • Is a collection the same as a set?

I will be sharing some of my collections over the coming week or so

Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Motivational Monday – Understanding a Collection

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Julie Goucher
Created by Julie Goucher  Jan 2015 using Wordle

There comes a point when you have collected enough of your chosen entity that you have a collection and at some point there are decisions to be made about it.

According to Christopher Bart in “Industrial firms and the power of mission” Industrial Marketing Management 26 (4) pp 371 – 383 there are three key elements.

  1. Key Market – Who is the chosen item aimed at?
  2. Contribution – What does the chose item provide to the wider audience?
  3. Distinction – What makes the chosen item unique over others?
These three elements do not exactly fit a collection, but they go some way to present a suitable structure of key indicators.
In my experience as a family and local historian a collection forms as a natural stage of research. I do not believe that any of us make a conscious decision to collect every postcard of X, every piece of pottery made by X or every occurrence of a name in a location or of every instance of every name in a location. A collection quite simply happens, a result of a catalyst.
In which case why did it happen and how are you going to deal with it in the future?
Create a mission / purpose statement with the following:
  • How did the collection come to be created and by whom?
  • Who is it created for? and has that changed?
  • How will it be maintained or grow?
  • How will it be accessed by others?
    • Does it need to be?
  • How will you advertise your collection?
  • How do you ensure the longevity of your collection?
  • How is the collection kept?
  • How will you ensure copyright and ownership issues are protected and addressed?
  • Do others have any investment in the collection? (investment does not necessarily mean financial)
  • Is the collection unique?
Do you have a collection (or perhaps two or three!)? I will be sharing some of my collections over the coming week or so
Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sunday Salon ~ 2015 Reading

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Julie Goucher

I have always loved reading, but in the last year seem to have read very little in comparison to previous years. What reading I have done has either been texts and research for a project or two or a book choice from my book group.

For 2015 I hope to change that. I have a rather large pile of books, both actual books and e-books that I want to get through. I have therefore selected fifteen that are going to be my MUST reads for the year. That will hopefully get the reading juices following again.

Here they are listed in no particular order – books marked with * are already started.

  • Vintage by Susan Goss
  • How to Knit a Tangled Mess by Rachel Cole
  • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
  • Return to Mandalay by Rosanna Ley
  • Sleeping the Churchyard Sleep by Rett MacPherson *
  • Between the Cracks by Carmela Cattuti *
  • Disraeli Avenue by Caroline Smailes
  • The Leaving of Things by Jay Amtahi
  • The Irresistable Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe by Mary Simses
  • 30 Days in Sydney by Peter Carey
  • 13th Gift by Joanne Smith
  • The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
  • The Dress shop of Dreams by Menna Van Praag
  • The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell
  • The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee
Here is a selection of the covers. Any take your fancy?
Vintage: A Novel by Susan GlossHow to Knit a Tangled Mess (DIY Dating)…The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas…The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by…The Bookshop Book by Jen CampbellSleeping the Churchyard Sleep by Rett…Return to Mandalay by Rosanna LeyThe Little Paris Bookshop: A Novel by Nina…The Leaving of Things by Jay Antani

The Sunday Salon is open to anyone who’d like to discuss books of a Sunday (or, frankly, any other day of the week). We’ve actually been around for some years — see http://dhamel.typepad.com/sundaysalon/ — but managing the group via that site became a problem because of its size and we had to limit membership to a little over 500 members.  The doors are open to anyone who’d like to participate via the Facebook Group

Tagged , | 5 Comments

SAW Football Club 1907-1908

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Julie Goucher

Photographer – E.W. Bradden, North St, Guildford

Posted in Archive - Imported from Blogger | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

52 Ancestors:# 2 ~ Mary King nee Budd (1744 – 1817)

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Julie Goucher
No Story Too Small

This post is for week 2 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge (2015) by Amy Crow from No Story Too Small.

You can read the list of my posts HERE
Mary King nee Budd was the sister to my several times Great Grandfather, Richard Budd. Mary was born in Puttenham Surrey in 1744 the youngest of 8 children born to Henry Budd and his wife Martha Otway.

Mary married John King in Puttenham in 1767 and together John and Mary raised a family 10 children (9 girls and 1 boy). Each of their offspring spent time in India and have over the years given me a huge amount of insight into the lives of women at this period of time.

John King died in 1803 and Mary died in 1817. From what I can establish at the moment, John did not leave a will.

Courtesy of Ancestry – Parish Records Puttenham Surrey Burials 1817

Recently Ancestry has published the Probate records and a quick search revealed that Mary left a will when she died.

Courtesy of Ancestry – Probate Record 1817

Courtesy of Ancestry – Probate Record 1817

Actions

  1. Transcribe the will of Mary
  2. Search for will of John King (again)
  3. Explore the residence at time of death – Tooting which is London
  4. The will indicates that Mary was living with her daughter Lucy who married Richard William Eastwick
  5. By the time Mary King died, her only son had predeceased her within a year of this will being made, yet Mary had not made a new will.
Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Shalford Church & Stocks circa 1902

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Julie Goucher

Posted in Archive - Imported from Blogger | Tagged | Leave a comment

Web Wednesday – Prudential Insurance

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Julie Goucher

A few weeks ago I was looking on the Prudential Insurance website for a contact address when I came across an interesting find.

created by Julie Goucher Jan 2015 using Wordle

The Prudential PLC, one of the leading Insurance providers here in the UK had a rather substantial business in Poland before World War Two through a subsidiary company called Przezornosc of which Prudential had a controlling interest which had been acquired in 1927.

Przezornosc continued to issue life insurance policies in Poland until the end of December 1936 and Prudential Assurance continued to do the same between January 1933 and December 1936. From January 1937 both companies ceased to accept new life business and the administration for both of those branches merged.

Under the Nazi regime, the assets of Prudiential were ceased and they did not operate during this time. At the time of the outbreak of the Second World War there were more than 4,500 policies in existence, of which around half were settled during the early 1950’s despite there being significant gaps in records due to destruction of documents under the Nazi regime.

Prudential has made some files available which might be of interest to genealogists and these can be access via the following links, all of which are on the Prudential website

The Prudential site which is specifically related to the Polish records can be accessed HERE with a link to contact the company if you have a potential claim (subject to documentation) or you were employed by the company.

Whilst none of my family surnames can be found on these lists, these are quite a unusual find for genealogists. The reality is that there could be policy holders, staff members or their descendants across the globe.

(Links accessed and checked January 2015)

Tagged , , | Leave a comment

In Deep with the Book of Me – January Prompt 2015 – Genealogical Plantation

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Julie Goucher

As I said in my prompt post this prompt was inspired by the Carnival of Genealogy (110). My original post is republished here with a few tweaks!

My ancestry is diverse, spanning across continents, from my marriage in Kenya in 1994 to my several times Great Uncle, John Hunt Butcher’s migration to Tasmania Australia in the early 1800’s.

To a cousin, Louisa Butcher migrating to Canada in 1903. To my Ellis ancestors migrating to Geelong Victoria Australia on board the James Baines in 1854. To my Elstone ancestors who established their papermaking business in Ontario, having migrated from Hampshire & Sussex borders in 1854.

To my King ancestors making the journey  to India in search of future husbands in the Honourable East India Company during  the 18th Century.

Three of the King sisters 

To the Bellasis & Bowring families, who both spent time in  India; and John Bowring who spent time in Hong Kong. To my Cousin who embarked upon a new life in Australia in 1946 and never made the journey home to see his parents.

William James West 1898 – 1918

To my relatives who served in various areas of the military. William West who served during the Zulu Wars and whom lost his first wife in Africa in 1896.

To William James West who died in the battlefields of France during the Great War, and my several times Great Grandfather, George Ellis who served for 20 years in the Army & who following receiving wounds was discharged and survived until he was in his 80s.

To my Grandfather who was stationed in Sierra Leone  during the Second World War, whose service record I still need to decipher.
George Butcher during World War II

There are many other ancestors & relatives whose time, both in & outside of the UK is still being researched. The adventures, some of which were quite a surprise when they were discovered, and those that are still to be discovered & researched.

Some were simply visits & adventures, such as Alfred Elstone to New York in 1894, to my own year long adventures to Australia in the early 1990’s. It is those visits, I am sure, that made those who travelled the people they & I became.

Furthermore, my Sicilian ancestry is a huge unknown chapter, which needs & deserves much more research and understanding.

So which tree reflects my ancestry? I don’t think a sole tree can reflect it. My ancestry, which I am immensely proud of is reflected in a fictional plantation of trees.

The Butcher family who were wealthy can be described as a solid oak tree whose roots were firmly established in Surrey initially for 300 years. My links to Africa, through my beloved grandfather & our wedding is reflected in the Baobab tree. My Australian lines, are reflected by the Eucalyptus tree, situated in a bed of wattle. My Sicilian heritage reflected in a gathering of olive trees.

The reality is, that these trees, because of the variations in climate and geography would never grow side by side. Yet, I find that this is further reflective of the different lines of my ancestry, across the Centuries & Continents, as these ancestors would never have physically met & walked side by side.

Many of the surnames in my ancestry appear more than once, many lines intermarry & intermingle and this can be perfectly reflected by a weeping willow.

A Christmas tree with sparkling twinkle lights reflects each one of my ancestors, their lives reflected in a beautiful iridescent light, twinkling reminding me of the contribution they each made to my ancestry.

I thank every one  of them.

Information on The Book of Me and In Deep with the Book of Me can be accessed via this link

Tagged , | 2 Comments

Monument located on Pewley Downs

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Julie Goucher
W S Taverner is named as mayor.

Posted in Archive - Imported from Blogger | Tagged , | Leave a comment