Helen Nov 2015 120Helen Smith (Queensland) helenvsmithresearch.blogspot.com.au

Helen has been researching her family since 1986 when her mother lamented the fact she had never known her grandfather, George Howard Busby. Helen found some information and a newspaper photo of him, was hooked and has been addicted ever since with research in Australia, England and Ireland.

She is researching the surname Quested anywhere, anytime and has registered the name with the Guild of One-Name Studies.

She is the author of Death Certificates and Archaic Medical Terms and has written for ‘Inside History’, ‘Australian Family Tree Connections’ and other family history journals as well as scientific publications. She is the author of a number of blogs which can be accessed via http://helenvsmithresearch.blogspot.com.au and you can follow her on Twitter @HVSresearch

She has spoken to a wide variety of audiences including Genealogical Society of Queensland Day Conferences, Library Technician Conference, Unlock the Past March and November 2011 Cruises, Unlock the Past Expos and Roadshow and numerous family history society meetings.

Professionally, she is a Molecular Epidemiologist specialising in Public Health Microbiology and has a strong interest in infectious diseases and Public Health through the ages.

She has a Graduate Diploma in Public Health, Bachelor Applied Science: Medical Laboratory Science and Associate Diploma in Clinical Laboratory Techniques. She is currently studying the National Institute of Genealogical Studies: English Certificate.

Unlock the Past cruises – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th & 17th cruises

Topics

Australia:

  • Emigration to Australia
  • Friendly Societies and Family History
  • Honouring Our ANZACS
  • They Went to Australia and now can’t be Found
  • Researching Australian Military Personnel

Research:

  • Bringing Your Ancestors to Life
  • Death Certificates & Archaic Medical Terms
  • Document Analysis: Getting the Most from your Research Documents
  • Gaining a Genealogical Education
  • Help I am Stuck! Demolishing Brick Walls
  • How to Start Researching Your Family History
  • It’s Not All Online: Where Else Can I Look?
  • Mapping Your Ancestors
  • Newspapers: Bringing Your Family History to Life
  • One Name Studies: What are they? How do you do them? How can they help me?
  • One Place Studies: What are They? What can you get from them to help in your Research?
  • Paying it Forward: Volunteer Opportunities from Home
  • The Ryerson Index
  • “Oversexed, Overpaid and Over Here” Movement to and from Australia and the USA
  • Understanding the Context: Why Social History is Important in Genealogical Research
  • Timelines as a Research Tool
  • Wringing the Most out of your Document

DNA:

  • How DNA can be used to solve genealogical puzzles
  • DNA: what use is It? Which test, Why and from whom?
  • DNA: I have my results. Now what do I do?
  • Developing a DNA research plan
  • Getting the most out of your Ancestry DNA results
  • Getting the most out of your FTDNA Results
  • Getting the most out of Your MyHeritage Results
  • GedMatch the genealogist’s friend
  • Advanced tools at GedMatch
  • DNAPainter
  • One name studies and DNA

Queensland:

  • Distressed Cotton Operatives Migration Scheme into Queensland 1863
  • Housing for All
  • Tracing Your Ancestors in Queensland
  • William Busby: Stone Mason of Toowong

English research:

  • English Apprenticeship Records
  • English Parish Records: Hatch, Match and Dispatch
  • English Parish Records: More Than Just Hatch, Match and Dispatch
  • In the Workhouse
  • Nobblers, Cracksmen, Coiners and more: Researching Criminals in England
  • Researching in UK Archives from Abroad
  • Researching in Kent, England
  • Researching in Oxfordshire, England
  • The Poor are always with us: English Poor Laws
  • They are Dead but Where are They Buried?

Online Genealogical Resources:

  • Ancestry
  • British Newspaper Archive
  • Findmypast
  • MyHeritage for Online Trees
  • MyHeritage: Record Matching
  • Trove

Internet and Technology

  • Digitising and Organising Your Family History
  • Fishing for Cousins using Blogs as Bait
  • Google Your Genealogy Friend: More Than Just a Search Engine
  • Searching the Internet Effectively
  • There is an App for That
  • Using Free and Pay Resources on the Net

Health History:

  • Black Death: When the Plague came to Queensland
  • Death Certificates & Archaic Medical Terms
  • Just What Did Cause Their Death?
  • Pandemic: The 1918 Influenza Epidemic in Queensland
  • Researching a Health History
  • TB: Killer of the ages or Great-Uncle Charlie had TB