Author Archives: Jennifer Harrison

What’s in a name?

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Family history clues. Most family historians with Scottish heritage quickly become aware of traditional naming blueprints.  The one applied in most districts in both English and Gaelic linguistic traditions throughout the country, suggests that the eldest legitimate son be named for the father’s father, the second for the mother’s male parent and the third for the father, making allowances for possible duplications.  The same scheme is used for female children with the first named for the mother’s mother, the second … Continue reading

‘An Evergreen Tree of Diabolical Knowledge’. Researching Irish in the State Library of Queensland Pt. 2.

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Madam, a circulating library in a town is as an evergreen tree of diabolical knowledge!  It blossoms through the year! Richard Brinsley Sheridan. LOCALLY AVAILABLE IRISH GENERATED SOURCES Other sources, once only available in Dublin, such as the Tithe Applotment Books, together with the ancillary Tithe Defaulters listings, Griffith’s General Valuation of Rateable Property in Ireland 1848-1864, and the Index to the Prerogative Wills of Ireland 1536-1810, are available online or held in microform and CD versions. Two other resources … Continue reading

‘An Evergreen Tree of Diabolical Knowledge’. Researching Irish in the State Library of Queensland Pt. 1.

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Madam, a circulating library in a town is as an evergreen tree of diabolical knowledge!  It blossoms through the year! Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Although the State Library of Queensland is a reference rather than a circulating library as recommended by Sheridan, the produce of this evergreen tree for those researching Irish people is a profusion of flowers and fruits. As part of a far-reaching forest, the available opportunities ensure that a full harvest will take many seasons as this collection … Continue reading

‘A Ship of Contentment and Cheerfulness’: Further Researching on Nineteenth Century Queensland Immigrant Vessels

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The voyage to Queensland ports undertaken by so many of our ancestors represented a transition between one way of life into a totally unknown change in circumstances but was a challenge undertaken with optimism and a spirit of adventure.  After December 1848 most were hoping for an improved standard of living for their families and for themselves especially after Australia’s newest colony was opened to migration. To assist genealogists locate details, many lectures and journal articles have indicated advantages in … Continue reading

A long way to Queensland: The wreck of the Dacca 18 May 1890

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The Illustrated London News published on 31 May 1890, on page 675, included a sketch of the Lighthouse at the Daedalus Reef in the Red Sea at the mouth of the Gulf of Suez, offshore from Marsa Alam, adjacent to the Two Brothers rocks. These dangers named for the vessel which originally surveyed the Red Sea lay on the direct route of ship traffic along the Suez Canal.  The Reef had undergone a name change by sailors who, well aware … Continue reading