Author Archives: Marg Doherty

Explaining a missing couple in my research

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Since 1877, Ann Muir, my two times great aunt and sister to my great grandmother, Flora Muir, has been “missing”. Ann Muir was born in the village of Kenknock, Inverness, Scotland, on 23 May 1835, one of seven children born to Thomas Muir and his second wife, Christiana Grant. [1] In 1854, Thomas, Christiana, six of their children, and Thomas’ twin sons by his first wife sailed to Moreton Bay aboard William Miles.[2] By 1857, the Muir family was living … Continue reading

The Wreck of the Quetta and the family of Thomas McGladdery.

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  ‘We have lived fourteen years together now and we will die together’. Thomas McGladdery is said to have made this statement on board the wreck of the RMS Quetta, a ship from the British India line.  The speaker was referring to a woman and three children standing near him on the doomed ship.[1] The Quetta sank at 9.14 pm on 28 February 1890 as it sailed in Torres Strait at the top of Queensland for London. The ship sank … Continue reading

Ann Ferguson Laird – Does the Photo tell the Story?

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By Margaret Doherty. After researching my family history for about twenty years, I was given a photo of my great great grandmother, Ann Ferguson Laird. Seeing her image made me feel closer to the person, who, along with her first husband, James Porter, took the giant step to move their family to the colony of New South Wales in 1849. Ann’s photo shows a stern woman with thin lips. She is wearing a black bonnet with the image softened by … Continue reading

Queensland Nurse – Agnes Katharina Isambert

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  I enjoy researching women, but I get frustrated when I see only birth information for women and no more. This is one reason why I research WW1 nurses from Queensland. When I was asked to write this blog, I thought I would write about a nurse whom I had not fully researched. For this reason, I selected Agnes Katharina Isambert and I have found a fascinating story. Agnes was born in Queensland and had a difficult childhood, but she … Continue reading

The Porter family in Toowoomba: A short interlude: Charles Edward Porter (1885-1962), Flora Mabel Trott (1885-1956) and Edward Porter (1916-1916)

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I am the guest blogger this week at GSQ giving the other bloggers a rest over the holiday.  I have been doing family history for about forty years and I thought I start to write some stories about my research.  My topic for the blog is my father’s aunt, uncle and cousin who lived for a couple of generations in nearby Toowoomba. Charles and Flora Porter were children of Darling Downs pioneers. Charles was the youngest son of James Porter … Continue reading