In praise of reading ‘Guides’

GSQ Blog Posted on by

Example: U.K. Census Records After being side-tracked for far too long I finally got around to researching my Phillips/Dunning English line. I had all the birth, deaths and marriage material that I needed to begin, so looked to see what the U.K. Census records had to offer in fleshing out these ancestors. I decided to read the ‘Guide’, you know the adage ‘read the instructions’, this is found on the U.K. National Archives website, https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/census-records/ What a treasure of information. … Continue reading

A Question for Great Grandfather James Dickson

GSQ Blog Posted on by

By Lyndall Maag It started with a note, a small, white piece of what looked like scrap paper, with handwriting that seemed slightly familiar but we couldn’t quite place.  The note was a short recollection of my great grandfather’s life, telling us of family interaction in Scotland and the people he met on the voyage out to Australia.  Most tellingly, this short, seemingly innocuous document, called into question his maternity. I had heard stories of my great grandfather James’ parentage … Continue reading

The Irvines – from whence they came.

GSQ Blog Posted on by

  My Irvine ancestors set out from Killyleagh, a beautiful village in County Down, situated on the shores of Strangford Lough. This story aims to tell you a little about the history of the area and the senior members of the family. Although the village was settled in the 12th century, it was in 1602 that the Scots-Irish influence began. At this time the Gaelic chieftain Con O’Neill of Clandeboye owned much of North Down, including Killyleagh. O’Neill had sent … Continue reading

The Pacific Island Monthly.

GSQ Blog Posted on by

By Sharyn Merkley Many of us use Trove every day. The newspapers reveal genealogical, society and personal details found nowhere else. However, don’t forget that Trove is more than just newspapers, and often a full site search returns interesting and previously unvisited resources. I have been looking into the life of Ernest Henry Craig, born in Cooktown in 1911. He eventually settled on a plantation on Samarai Island, a former administrative capital in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. The … Continue reading

As Time Goes By

GSQ Blog Posted on by

It is 2020 and already half-way through January. The change of year brings many wonderful things, not just Christmas and family gatherings and way too much food. Did you talk to your family about their stories? Maybe get a family member to take a DNA test? But the present giving is not over yet, as the change of year also brings new index releases. Queensland now has birth indexes to the end of 1920, marriages to the end of 1945 … Continue reading