Yearly Archives: 2022

Grandfather: William Leonard Tunny (Len) 1884-1942. Part 1.

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When I started my family history search into my father’s family, all I had was mum’s recollections and a handwritten copy of my grandparent’s marriage certificate.[1] My grandfather, Leonard Tunny (Len) said he was a farmer from Beerburrum, born in Cunnamulla and 29 years old when he married the 19-year-old Elizabeth Leitch Robertson (Lizzie) at the ‘residence of the bride’s parents’ on 20 September 1920 in Beerburrum, Queensland. I knew where Beerburrum was, it is a small town nestled under … Continue reading

My ancestors who sailed the seas

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I recently developed a presentation called Ancestors who sailed the seas for the GSQ Wednesday morning Zoom help meeting. The aim of the presentation was to highlight a range of resources for finding information about sailors, the ships they served on, and the shipping companies that employed them. I used examples from my own family to illustrate what I found and where I found it. Who were the sailors in my family? Unsurprisingly to me, they were on my maternal … Continue reading

Family History places are precious.

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I’m sure that as family historians you will appreciate the wonderful experience of discovering special family history places.  It’s such a thrill to discover places where significant events took place and to be able to think, “I’m here! This is where it happened!” I have enjoyed this experience on numerous occasions. During a visit to the UK in 2014, I had the good fortune to stay in the home where my paternal grandmother, Florence Wright had lived. In fact, she … Continue reading

The wretched peasantry in Ireland: The 1822 famine disaster

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By Jennifer Harrison. ‘The poor Inhabitants of Clare is actily starving, living on one meal in the day and that same a bad meal, we are in hopes ye will doe something for us out of hand, we will actily Die with hunger if ye don’t luck to us out of hand as them that has a little family must Rob before They die with hunger before their face, As they are half dead before.’  This powerfully pathetic plea reported … Continue reading

Married on the strength.

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In 1862, when my 2nd great grandmother Emma Ponder, aged 16, married her dashing soldier Private Daniel Bailey, aged 28, his scarlet uniform had already seen over ten years of service. With the 2nd Queen’s Royal Regiment (2nd Regiment of Foot), British Army, he had fought in the Eighth Kaffir War in South Africa, and in the Third Battle of the Taku Forts and the taking of Peking (Beijing) in the Second Opium War in China. Emma, a domestic servant … Continue reading