Mundia

I have recently been working with an elderly library patron who wants to reseach part of his family tree but has minimal computer skills. As an experiment I added the information that he had into a family tree in mundia.com/au which is a free basic family tree site associated with Ancestry.com.

This currently is a beta project so some of the functions, no doubt, will change but at present it is possible to create and view a family tree with records viewed as a family tree or pedigree format. Basic information can be added for each person and stories and images can be attached to records. The green leaf appears as a hint if there are records for the person in other family trees on Mundia, however any searching for additional information needs to be done in Ancestry.com or other resources.

Mundia is relatively easy to use and could be a useful tool for recording family tree information. The files can be saved as GEDCOM files. GEDCOM files can also be imported. The site states that the basic services such as creating a family tree will remain free though there may be charges in the future for additional features.

Additional Note: Changes were made to Mundia in 2014 - see the following post in the blog, Genea-Musings, for an update.

Remembrance Day

Armistice Day. With the centenary of World War I fast approaching major collecting institutions are announcing special projects to mark the centenary. 

National Archives of Australia have a new site - Discovering Anzacs.

'Discovering Anzacs' is a website being jointly developed by the National Archives of Australia and Archives new Zealand. It will have a unique profile of every Anzac who enlisted in World War One, linked to their service record. You can help tell the story of Australia and New Zealand during the War by building on profiles and adding your own family stories, photos or details of their service. 

The National Archives (K) has launched a new portal - First World War 

National Archives (UK) hold the official UK government records of the First World War, including a vast collection of letters, diaries, maps and photographs. Discover the online collections, research guides and educational resources to learn about the history behind the war.

The Archive will be marking the centenary of the war with an extensive programme, spanning a five-year period from 2014 – 2019. With a rolling series of digitised record releases, online and on-site events and education resources being added to this portal as we move through the centenary period, this will open up the unique collection of First World War records as never before.

Papua

During the past month or so I have been investigating family members who lived for a time in Papua, now part of Papua New Guinea. From 1906 the territory of Papua was administered by Australia. A number of Australians went to Papua to manage rubber plantations which it was hoped would prove to be find a successful export market. During World War I Australia took over the administration of New Guinea from the Germans. An expatriate community of Australians lived in the territories, particularly in and around Port Moresby. In 1942 when it was obvious that the Japanese were heading south to Papua New Guinea the Australian women were sent home. The men joined the Australian army to fight the Japanese.

Trove has been a great source for locating information about individuals and also the life style of the expatriates as north Queensland newspapers, particularly in Cairns but also Townsville, had regularly columns containing news from Papua New Guinea.

The worth of checking the latest issues of genealogy magazines such as Ancestor was proved this week when I found an article by Judy Rochow in the June issue of Ancestor about researching family in New Guinea. In the article she mention a cd-rom at the State Library - Index to Australians and other expatriates in Papua New Guinea. This resource may help me fill in some gaps - worth a try.