Author Archives: Guest Blogger

What if we told the truth about how we work?

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By Bob McAllister. The way in which you justify your conclusions concerning a branch of your family tree has much in common with a formalmathematical proof. Each one depends upon assembling demonstrated (and defensible) facts and then proceeding from them via a path of inexorable logic to an inevitable conclusion. But they share far more than that. Both a genealogical argument and a mathematical proof are deliberately structured to obscure the false starts, blind alleys and mistaken identifications that make … Continue reading

The value of a letter

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By Joan Riek. Many years ago I was given a copy of a letter my great-great-grandmother had written to my great-grandmother in December,1886. Such a wealth of information was found in that letter. My great-great-grandmother Mary Ann Sawtell lived in Kangaloon, New South Wales, while my great-grandmother Elizabeth Perrett lived in Laidley, Queensland.In the letter Mary Ann talks about many of the residents living in and around Kangaloon. In fact forty two people are mentioned in the letter. Could we … Continue reading

The Tale of a Bridge

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By Joan Riek Driving into Gympie along Brisbane Road, you cross over Pengelly’s Bridge. This bridge with its predecessors makes for a fascinating tale. When I was nine my family moved to a property of four acres, bordered on two sides by Deep Creek, and then fronted the main road which went over Pengelly’s bridge as it is now. However, on the north-eastern corner of the property bordered by Deep Creek were the remains of previous bridges. This was always … Continue reading

The two births of John Cameron

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By Bob McAllister. It can be extremely frustrating to know something about an ancestor but not have the evidence to back it up. When it comes to serious genealogical discussion a statement like “Oh everyone knew they came from Tasmania” just will not do. So when you do locate a record that apparently justifies the claim, there are grounds for rejoicing. But it takes the edge off your excitement to find a second record (from the same source) that apparently … Continue reading

Wills – adding value to your research

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By Joan Riek. Have you ever thought about obtaining the will of your ancestor? It can be very useful. It also gives you an insight on family relations, which sometimes cause controversy. Recently I was doing some researching, or could you say re-researching of a relative John Trew. In an earlier post I stated how I thought I had finished researching him. In John’s will[1] he leaves everything to his first daughter, Nellie, whom he states is living at Hiram … Continue reading