For some time now I’ve had a photo of a man in a military style uniform in my possession. It was passed to me by my mother when she moved house as she knew of my interest in our family’s history. The photo was originally found in my Nan’s wardrobe after she passed away in 2004. The simple frame was barely holding together, there were no markings or inscriptions on the photo itself to indicate who this gentleman was, or … Continue reading
Anzac Day is an opportunity to reflect on the violence and futility of wars, and the waste of human lives that result from war. We do not seem to learn from history. The following brief investigation into the impact that Gallipoli had on my family demonstrates our desire for peace. Gallipoli was a tragedy. It originated with a plan devised by Sir Winston Churchill. His objective was to seize Turkey, thus weakening the German Allied forces and securing the Suez Canal. The AIF … Continue reading
By Jill Ball. Recently at Rootstech I co-hosted a panel discussing ethics and genealogy. My purpose was to raise awareness and encourage community members to think about their actions when dealing with people, places, information and things in the genealogy world. During the session and after in many comments on Twitter, genies described times where they felt marginalised, ignored or hurt. These personal issues included ageism, acceptance, sexism, racism, dismissiveness, put-downs, bullying, elitism and more. Issues of sharing sensitive information, … Continue reading
This tale begins with the landing in Brisbane of the vessel Ariadne on 3 January 1864, that turbulent year for the city with two major fires in Queen Street.[1] One of the passengers on Ariadne was James Carothers, a young 19 yr old lad from Fermanagh.[2] The young lad worked hard and by 1870 he had established a farm at Bulimba Point; Bulimba had been serviced since 1850 by Samuel and Matthew Buckley operating a rowing boat. In 1864, John … Continue reading
By Marg Doherty. 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 … Continue reading
