Monthly Archives: June 2020

The Spanish Influenza: a family’s story.

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How many times over the last few months have we heard the words ‘Spanish flu’? We have heard them from historians reappraising its effect on the world; health professionals who have been making comparisons with its treatment and that of COVID-19; and statisticians comparing the grim rates of death. But what was the impact on individual families and the stories that have been told within these families about this time? My husband’s grandmother, Alida Sleewijk Visser (née Kuster), died of … Continue reading

Tragedy at Fortitude Valley store.

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With bells clanging, the fire brigade raced down James Street in Fortitude Valley from their Brisbane Headquarters carrying the new Ajax ladder as a call had come through that premises on the corner of James and Arthur Street were on fire. By the time they arrived the building was well and truly ablaze but thankfully there was good water pressure and with the aid of the new ladder, the firemen brought the fire under control fairly quickly. This was the … Continue reading

Alexander Fairweather : Pioneer Builder.

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My great grandfather, Alexander Fairweather, was a well-regarded builder and contractor in the Grafton district of Northern New South Wales. Born at Kinnaird farm, Lintrathen, Forfarshire, Scotland on the 22nd August 1840 to Alexander Fairweather and his wife Jean Anderson, he was the youngest of six children. Kinnaird and the surrounding farms occupied land owned by the Earl of Airlie and by all accounts his father had worked there from prior to 1835.[i] Following the death of Alexander Snr in … Continue reading

Life and times of John Beale.

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John Beale (or Beal as he was sometimes known), had an interesting life in the early years of the Colony of New South Wales. In many ways, he was no different from any other person in early Australia, but he certainly had an active life. John Beale, the son of Joseph Beale and Rebecca Heppy, was born in Essex in 1783 and baptised at All Saints’ with St Peter, Maldon, Essex on 23 March the same year.[1]  John was the … Continue reading

Genealogy in COVID 19 Times Was Amazing and Never Boring.

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  Since 16 March I have been mostly at home except for food shopping and medical appointments. There has been some reading, cleaning, and gardening but mostly I have had the luxury of spending more time on my own family history. I have tidied up paper files, sorted and tried to identify family photographs, cleaned up computer files and directories, worked through DNA matches, undertaken some new research on various sites and completed some serious writing of stories on two … Continue reading