My birth father was Sydney Herbert Alley, son of Frederick Ernest Alley and Rose York. I had prepared and laminated a spreadsheet showing all the little villages we wanted to visit and what happened there to whom and when and how they were related to me. With that, we planned our itinerary to allow us to see as much as possible in our week. I will just share with you the highlights of our trip. To see the location … Continue reading
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
As White was my paternal grandmother’s maiden name, it was a family that I researched very early in my ‘addiction’. This was in the 1990s, so genealogy records were not online and research was usually done using printed records, maps, lists and books. My husband and I began by frequenting the State Library of Queensland (SLQ) and going through their holdings and taking advice from the librarians there. One of the handy books at SLQ was the Genealogical Research Directory … Continue reading
Often when travelling, I’ll visit the local museum to gain an insight into a town’s history, be it a gold mining area, a farming community, the hometown of a person of note or perhaps where a remarkable discovery has been made. Last year I visited Surat, a sheep grazing region of the Maranoa District of South West Queensland. The picturesque township played a significant role in the Cobb & Co era of the late 19th century when passenger and mail … Continue reading
