Yearly Archives: 2020

Using Masonic records to help track men across Queensland and beyond

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William Page Shakespeare was a well-known publican moving west as Queensland’s central western railway line was constructed. His memory is retained through the iconic Shakespeare Hotel in Barcaldine. Masonic records available online have helped to trace his journey from England to Queensland and Africa. As George Page Shakespear, we find him installed in the Lodge of Industry (361) of Cheshire on 7 August 1873, a railway servant aged of 27 residing at Ryde, Cheshire, England.[1]   Next, we find him … Continue reading

Learning by extending your research and attending conferences

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I have often commented that I don’t have any Australian family as I migrated from England in the 1970s. For a long time, I restricted my research endeavours to those countries where I had known ancestors – there was more than enough to keep me going. Along the way, however, I’ve discovered that I am not the only member of my extended family to have made that long journey from England to Australia. For instance, one of my paternal grandfather’s … Continue reading

The Voyage of the Saldanha

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THE VOYAGE OF THE SALDANHA The Saldanha of 1562 tons register, sailed on the 8th for the new colony of Queensland with 367 passengers on board… Considerably more than half the passengers have had their passages paid for them by the colonial Government. These consist of female domestic servants, farm labourers, and a few mechanics. The passengers …comprise among them 100 married couples, about 70 single women, many of them domestic servants and 100 single men, principally persons intending to … Continue reading

How do you pass on family stories to your grandchildren?

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My first grandchild was born last year and I spent six weeks with him a month after he was born.  He lives in Chicago so while I was there I spent some time thinking about how I could pass on some stories of his Australian family without just giving him a list of relatives with names and dates. One day during my visit, I was in the American Writers Centre on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, which had just opened, reading … Continue reading

How does being a family historian change you?

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By Bob McAllister Many years ago (when I filled most of the time now devoted to family history with a full-time job), I read The Gatton Mystery by James and Desmond Gibney¹. It explored the issues surrounding a still-unsolved horrific triple murder that took place near Gatton on the evening of Boxing Day 1898². One of the authors was a judge and his brother a senior public servant. I recall their book laid out in some detail the events as … Continue reading