Monthly Archives: May 2025

Where are you going, my pretty maid?  Why go to conferences?

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“Ooh, look is that the American guest speaker over there?  She was fabulous the last time I saw her! Must NOT miss her sessions or a chance to chat with her.”  Conferences are such good fun. They are great places for learning; wonderful for meeting and catching up with friends and making new ones, too.  Not only that, but we can also observe and absorb how other people tackle the same family history problems we all have.  Importantly we can … Continue reading

The Cambus Wallace: tragedy and souvenirs from the sea.

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  On 3 September 1894 the ship Cambus Wallace, buffeted by strong winds, was wrecked at Jumpin Pin on the ocean side of an isthmus connecting North and South Stradbroke Island, about 24 kilometres north of Southport. Thomas Welsby, who arrived on the scene soon after, described the result, ‘In less than twenty-four hours the Cambus Wallace had become broken, torn, and smashed beyond all recovery, nought remaining to be seen but heavy breakers spuming over a sand embedded vessel … Continue reading

Researching a female convict of Van Diemen’s land: Ann Simmons, a convict mother.

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I wrote a blog for GSQ in 2023 titled The Gift of Resilience about Ann Simmons, my three times great-grandmother, who was transported to Van Diemen’s Land in early 1823. Researching Ann was a slow process and at times more difficult than I expected because hardly anything had been written about her. Ann is mentioned in Peter Tardiff’s Notorious Strumpets and Dangerous Girls on page 600, but the information was minimal: the date and nature of her conviction, the ship … Continue reading

Metaphors We Live By: Phrases That Capture the Genealogical Journey.

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Family history isn’t just about names carefully plotted on a chart—it’s a lived experience, rich with mystery, challenge, and moments of delight. It’s the thrill of uncovering a long-forgotten story, the frustration of chasing a record that seems to vanish into thin air, the quiet satisfaction of piecing a life together from scattered fragments. Along the way, family historians—whether seasoned researchers or curious beginners—adopt a unique language. We find ourselves speaking in phrases steeped in metaphor and meaning, a kind … Continue reading