Monthly Archives: October 2024

Port Isaac: A charming village but I’m not sure I’d like to live there.

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Today everyone recognises Port Isaac in photographs because of its starring role as Port Wenn in the very popular television show, Doc Martin but to me it is much more than that, as my ancestor Elizabeth Couch married Isaac Hawker in Port Isaac on 3 May 1862. They migrated to Australia on the Accrington arriving in Melbourne on 24 August 1862. This couple were my great great grandparents. As a result, I have visited Port Isaac twice and delved into … Continue reading

My connection to ‘The Valley’ from the late 1850s.

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I’ve become very interested in the early settlement of Fortitude Valley since discovering I have ancestors who lived there before and after Queensland separated from New South Wales in September 1859. Denis James Guerin, with his wife Margaret, and eight children, moved to Moreton Bay between 1856 and 1857 to take up a job as a weigher with HM Customs. This was quite a change for the Guerins as before leaving Sydney, Denis was the licensee of the Corporation Arms … Continue reading

Broaden your horizons.

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One of the topics I’ve presented to a few societies is “The marriage of family and local history”. By broadening our research focus to our family’s geographic context to the place(s) where they lived, we can learn so much more about their engagement with their local community and the successes and trials of that community. I don’t know about you, but when I drive through a small country town, I wonder how it came to be – what brought it … Continue reading

A reformed ancestor – maybe. Will the real Joseph stand up

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I was recently challenged with reviewing my family tree to identify any ‘naughty’ ancestors – what they did and the consequences of their actions. I knew that at least one of my Stirland ancestors had fallen foul of the law, so decided to focus on that line and searched for newspaper reports of any criminal cases. I found two likely offenders, Herbert Stirland and Joseph Stirland. Even though the surname is not all that common, it is often problematic to … Continue reading