04 Aug, 2025
Names that do not match
Short note on the habit of recording every spelling of a name rather than collapsing variants into a clean modern form. Written for a regional family-history bulletin.
Working Notes and Extras
Short notes, working papers and talk transcripts collected over time. Most are written for regional family history bulletins or for small groups of other researchers, rather than for general publication.
27 May, 2025
Slow records, slow work
A short piece on working at the pace of the underlying records rather than at the pace of a project plan. Originally a talk given to the Hocken family-history group.
12 Feb, 2025
Reading damaged slip books
Practical note on raking light, paper damage and the habit of marking illegible entries as illegible rather than as guessed. For other researchers handling damaged plantation accounts.
08 Nov, 2024
Compensation and absence
Note on the silences in the 1837 awards. Written as a working paper rather than a finished essay.