ConGenieal : An adjective that describes the comfortable, friendly atmosphere that is created when a group of Genies gather in a social situation.

I thought of this word when writing a blog post about an Aussie pre Rootstech gathering  in Salt Lake City tonight.


A Congenieal Group, Salt Lake City  5/2/2017


Australian Royalty

In Australia it’s seen as a badge of honour to have in one’s family tree a convict who was transported from the British  Isles during the late 18th and early 19th centuries to the new colonies. Oftentimes genies lament the lack of such a person in their ancestry, when one can prove a link to a convict it is time for a genealogy happy dance. .

Australian Royalty: Convicts and their ancestors in Australia are given a pseudo Royal status and commonly known as Australian Royalty.




I have been known to lament about the Swimmers in my family, not those who take daily to the pool to do a few laps but Swimmers of the ancestor variety.

My mate Pauleen obviously has Swimmers in her family as she also suggested in a recent tweet that I include Swimmers in the Geneadictionary.

Swimmers: probably a southern hemisphere term for those whose arrival ship is unknown, and possibly likely to remain so.

Crossing the Ditch

The Tasman Sea is informally referred to in both Australian and New Zealand English as The Ditch; for example, crossing the ditch means travelling to Australia from New Zealand, or vice versa. The diminutive term “The Ditch” used for the Tasman Sea is comparable to referring to the North Atlantic Ocean as “The Pond”. (

Genealogists from Australia and New Zealand use the term when referring to ancestors or family members who moved across the Tasman.