Category Archives: England

Threads of memories

GSQ Blog Posted on by

‘Weaving threads of memories’ a phrase from the subtitle of my book on the Wall family, remains ever constant through my ongoing interest in family history. Those words manifested recently, demonstrating to me how memories and past events linger in archival records and family correspondence only to emerge in surprising ways as golden threads in the tapestry of our research or quest. The Internet can be the cause of a lot of problems, but it is also a source of … Continue reading

Joseph and the Tarporley Manor House.

GSQ Blog Posted on by

Did the Burgess Family live in the Tarporley Manor House in Cheshire for hundreds of years? I found an article headed “Our Dairies by Ephorus” on Page 6 of the Brighton Southern Cross dated Sat 3rd November 1917. It tells the story of my Great Grandfather, Joseph Burgess, and the dairies he owned in St Kilda in Melbourne at the time.[1] Joseph was born in Tarporley, Cheshire on 2 Jul 1864 to Joseph Burgess and Lydia Burgess, formerly Brooke as … Continue reading

Untangling the Dixons: how the new GRO beta can help

GSQ Blog Posted on by

By Mia Bennett. The DIXONs of Yate, Gloucestershire all descend from Charles Dixon and Jane Hale, my 5xgreat grandparents.  Charles appeared out of nowhere, married Jane and had five sons called Thomas, Charles, Henry, John and James.  That bit is straight forward but it then starts to get a little more complicated as we head down the generations. The key mystery relates to Joseph Dixon and how many were there.  There are two records for Joseph Dixons who are the … Continue reading

On the trail of my Alley ancestors in Wiltshire.

GSQ Blog Posted on by

By Di Edelman. Last September my niece, Georgina Alley from Geelong, and my cousin, Kay Prosser from Victoria, British Colombia, our husbands and I spent a week in Wiltshire visiting the places where our ancestors had lived. We stayed in an Airbnb in Freshford, just over the border in Somerset, hired a car, stocked up with food at the local farm shop and were ready to explore. My birth father was Sydney Herbert Alley, son of Frederick Ernest Alley and … Continue reading

Family lost and found

GSQ Blog Posted on by

In a box of family papers is a paper headed “ISSUE OF PULTENEY MEIN DALZELL”. There’s a note at the bottom: “The names of nephews and nieces who survived Miss H.L. Dalzell are shown in CAPITAL LETTERS.” Miss H.L. (Helen Lester) Dalzell is listed in the bottom-most line of children. Looking at other items in the box, it’s clear that Helen was ‘that person’, the one that kept in touch with all her relatives and passed on news of family … Continue reading