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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

Criminal children

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by Annalies Nutley It would often be better if children had no parents at all So begins a favourite book of mine about criminal children in Victorian England, aptly called Fagin’s Children, by Jeannie Duckworth.  I remember reading this opening statement, made by Lord Shaftesbury in a speech he gave in the 1860’s, and thinking “that’s quite a statement to make, and I’m not so sure that I would agree”.  Well – after reading the first few chapters I too … Continue reading

Census substitute or historical snapshot?

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by Bob McAllister I thought that I had become quite adept at using the 1939 Register since it became available in November 2015 [1]. After all, it was just like a census released early with the bonus of full dates of birth offset by the absence of place of birth – valuable, but hardly exciting. However, in the last few days I have come to view this resource in quite a different light. It began at the GSQ Annual Seminar … Continue reading

Stay interested and persevere

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by Meg Carney It has been quite a while since I have written a blog for the Genealogical Society of Queensland (GSQ). During that time my family history research has had to be put on hold on many occasions to make way for work, family issues, holidays, time with friends and all the other things that make up life in this busy world we live in. Nevertheless, at various times my interest and passion for family research has made its … Continue reading