Yearly Archives: 2025

Missionary Encounters at Moreton Bay.

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This is an amended extract of my story previously published in the Genealogical Society of Victoria’s magazine, ‘Ancestor’ in June 2022 and recently in the June 2025 edition of the Genealogical Society of Queensland’s ‘Generation’ magazine. Part one of the larger story also appeared in my blog in June 2025. The Brisbane penal settlement on Turrbal land, which began in 1825 as a place for the most hardened and second time offenders, was closing down in 1838. Fewer than 300 … Continue reading

Looking for connections.

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A recent trip to Tasmania led me to discover a new chapter in the life of William Wall, an 18-year-old groomsman, who was transported to Van Diemen’s Land in 1835. After gaining his freedom in 1840, marrying Mary Long in 1841, William tried tenant farming for the Van Diemen’s Land Company in Emu Bay at a place called Pigeon Hill. Six years later, the Walls left the colony, heading to Port Philip in what was still New South Wales. William … Continue reading

Knowing your grandparents.

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Randy Seaver is an American genealogist and prolific writer on his blog, Genea-Musings. Each week he poses a “Saturday Night Genealogy Fun” question. A while back I was inspired by his question which sent me down some rabbit holes. His question: Did your grandparents know their maternal and paternal grandparents? This is my response to the question as posed. My paternal grandparents were Denis Kunkel and Catherine Kunkel nee McCorkindale, while my maternal grandparents were James McSherry and Laura McSherry … Continue reading

My childhood homes.

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I was born Dianne Fay Alley to Sydney Alley and Jean Wiltshire in 1948 in Brisbane but when I went home with my Mum, I was Dianne Fay Richardson and my parents were Bert and Fay Richardson.  Yes, I was adopted, however I wasn’t told that until Bert (Dad) and Fay (Mum) had both died in 2001.  I presume that for the first ten days of my life, until the adoption was finalised, I lay alone in a hospital cot. … Continue reading

The Musings of a Family Historian.

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How difficult it is sometimes to write in great detail about my ancestors! I wrote my paternal family history with relative ease, so why am I struggling with my maternal family history? I have researched them reasonably thoroughly and there’s plenty of data to work with. There may be many explanations for this apparent literary lassitude. My ancestors were average people and very few of them had extraordinary lives. I am older, elderly in fact and the creative juices appear … Continue reading