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Our homes have history

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by Stephanie Ryan Where we live forms a rich context for our lives. The major events, celebrations and relationships often centre in our homes. We express ourselves in how we present them and use them to enhance our existence. Our memories and feelings are inextricably and powerfully tied to these places. A typical interwar porch and gable house: Sixth Avenue, Kedron, Frank Corley photo circa 1970See house styles: Your house has a history Our homes reflect not only ourselves but … Continue reading

Can you offer a clue about a Ryan mystery?

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By Brendan Ryan 45 years together on the Condamine: Stephen & Margaret RyanIn 2018, we held a family reunion for the 150th anniversary of the marriage of Stephen Ryan and Margaret Carmody in the Presbytery of the Catholic Church in Warwick in September 1868 – a convenient excuse for a gathering.   I collected numerous stories for the family celebration.At age 86, this will be my last book of family history, BUT it contained a mystery that perhaps you may be … Continue reading

It made my (Viking) blood boil

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by Bob McAllister So, I had agreed to take a Christmas break from my single-minded focus on family history. (Don’t you think that single-minded is a much nicer word than obsessive.) Apparently, most “normal” people devote time in mid-summer to watching television and browsing magazine articles, so that what was what I would do. Unfortunately, our friends at Ancestry DNA see seasonal holidays as an ideal time to advertise their wares on TV, so I could not fail to notice … Continue reading

A lasting legacy

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by Helen McKinnon History was one of my favourite subjects at school, and I love nothing better than wandering around castles, museums, churches and lately graveyards.  Family history or rather, genealogy has proved to be new found love.  When we start researching our family trees, questions about our families often go unanswered, our busy lives take over, family members come and go, and often we have no-one left to ask. Oh, how I wish my mother was still alive to … Continue reading

The lady in the painting

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by Robyn Dean As I looked at the face on the computer screen, I felt goosebumps rising.  It was if I was looking at a blend of my father’s two sisters, Jean and Betty.  I’d been idly typing names into good old Google late one night… Mary Steven, Mary Ainslie, James Ainslie, Mrs James Ainslie… and up she popped “Mary, Mrs James Ainslie”.  I was looking straight into the eyes of my 2x great grandmother, Mary Ainslie!  I couldn’t believe … Continue reading