Our homes have history

GSQ Blog Posted on by

by Stephanie Ryan Where we live forms a rich context for our lives. The major events, celebrations and relationships often centre in our homes. We express ourselves in how we present them and use them to enhance our existence. Our memories and feelings are inextricably and powerfully tied to these places. A typical interwar porch and gable house: Sixth Avenue, Kedron, Frank Corley photo circa 1970See house styles: Your house has a history Our homes reflect not only ourselves but … Continue reading

Can you offer a clue about a Ryan mystery?

GSQ Blog Posted on by

By Brendan Ryan 45 years together on the Condamine: Stephen & Margaret RyanIn 2018, we held a family reunion for the 150th anniversary of the marriage of Stephen Ryan and Margaret Carmody in the Presbytery of the Catholic Church in Warwick in September 1868 – a convenient excuse for a gathering.   I collected numerous stories for the family celebration.At age 86, this will be my last book of family history, BUT it contained a mystery that perhaps you may be … Continue reading

DNA Institutes in Salt Lake City

GSQ Blog Posted on by

There are many ways of gaining further education from watching webinars such as the GSQ webinar series or the LegacyFamily Tree webinar series to reading to attending formal classes whether at a society, university or institute. I am a strong advocate of continual education and for having an education plan. Part of my plan this year was to attend a DNA institute. An institute is a week long course on a topic. We don’t see these in Australia but a … Continue reading

My Webster ancestors: Part one

GSQ Blog Posted on by

Tales of a Pagan Den, stone carvings and an ancient Druid’s Well were told to me when I first visited the area that our Webster family from Fife, Scotland came from. My husband and I were staying in nearby Crail township and while chatting to the host, I told him about my purpose in visiting Dunino, the birthplace of my Webster ancestors. He relayed the local folklore, and as my visit was in 2008, it was many years prior to … Continue reading

It made my (Viking) blood boil

GSQ Blog Posted on by

by Bob McAllister So, I had agreed to take a Christmas break from my single-minded focus on family history. (Don’t you think that single-minded is a much nicer word than obsessive.) Apparently, most “normal” people devote time in mid-summer to watching television and browsing magazine articles, so that what was what I would do. Unfortunately, our friends at Ancestry DNA see seasonal holidays as an ideal time to advertise their wares on TV, so I could not fail to notice … Continue reading