#52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2021-Week 1

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2021

It is a couple of years since I last participated in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge although I still followed along with the weekly emails.

I haven’t as yet managed to complete a full year. But I use Amy Johnson Crowe's words as a sort of mantra to keep me writing……

“Anything you write is more than what you had before.[1] 

So with this in mind I will try to pen(type??) a few words for each prompt and see how far I can get this year, noting that in 2018 I made it to Week 24!

WEEK 1 - BEGINNINGS

I am going to start this challenge with an ancestor who I know well! Who, I hear you ask? Well me of course!

I was born on 10/08/1955 in Bulli, New South Wales, Australia.

My parents were Garvice Galvin Brandt and Ruby Florence Brandt ( nee Briggs). I was the fourth daughter that my parents welcomed into their family and I was given the name Marcia Ruby. My three older sisters were Janyce May (1942), Lorraine Jennifer (1946) and Kay Isabella (1948).

The beginning of my Family History journey happened well after my parents died and of course I had never asked the questions that I would love to ask them now. My parents were of the opinion that it wasn’t necessary to go over the past.

The beginning of my research took off, in the 1990s when I did a Family History course with the local library. I acquired lots of hand outs and a desire to pursue this research, but family life got in the way, as it does when you have four children, husband and work outside of the home.

The next beginnings of my Family History journey came when I signed up with Ancestry and started building my Tree. I found the process of researching on the internet a great bonus as I have mobility issues and find it hard to physically get to places and research in person. Although I am aware that not everything can be found on the internet!

Further down the track my adult children introduced me to Facebook and I enjoyed the interaction with friends and family. It never occurred to me that this platform was also going to be another beginning in my Family History journey.

One day in 2015 I saw an advertisement on Facebook for an Introduction to Family History course with the University of Tasmania. This sparked my interest once again and on looking into it further I found that it was:

1. online 
2. free, 
3. the start date was June, (which was right away) 
4. the course finished before my husband and I were due to go overseas in 3 months time. 

So what was a girl to do? Of course I signed up!

This was another beginnings! My first University study at the age of 60plus! Nether-the-less two and a half years later with the completion of eight Uni Units, saw me travelling to Tasmania to join fellow students for our Graduation in the Diploma of Family History!

So as you can see there are quite a few beginnings in my Family History journey and I am not going to add anymore at this time because I have learnt over the years that you don’t have to put everything you know about an ancestor in a story. 

You may just want to use something else down the line  and I am sure there will be further beginnings in my journey. After all I am an Ancestor in my own Family History story.

_____________________

1. Email, Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 1, Jan 5, 2021