Category Archives: family history

The Next Genealogy Journey – Discovering an Adventurer.

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For years I had been darting from one family member or ancestor to another belonging to my late wife, Helen, gathering the usual dates and places of birth, marriage and death. But that strategy had to change if I was to find how these people lived. Following the advice of seasoned genealogists at talks and conferences, often with their own website, blog or Facebook page, I needed to focus on one ancestor at a time. Who might be a likely … Continue reading

The Sinking of the Sovereign: a family tragedy

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‘Mary, there is no hope for us now; we shall go to heaven together.’ These were the last words Robert Gore spoke to his wife, Mary, before they and their two young children drowned when the Sovereign, the steamer on which they were travelling to Sydney, sank off Stradbroke Island in March 1847.  Robert Gore was my great, great uncle and he and his wife, Mary, and two brothers and his widowed mother arrived in Sydney from Ireland on the … Continue reading

An Irish Lass: Catherine Hawe/Howe (1802- 1862).

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This woman’s story started my passion for writing about my family history. I don’t know what her character was like before she was sent out to Australia, but I think she was or became a strong resourceful woman who cared about her family and community. In a strange twist, DNA testing to enhance my family history information, found out that I was not biologically related to her. Nevertheless, I think her story is indicative of many pioneer women whose struggle … Continue reading

Death of a blacksmith.

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The body of a 69-year-old man was found by a fisherman on the western breakwater of Townsville’s waterfront. It was Thursday 15 June 1916, when Don Ingham, deep in thought about hooks and bait, nearly fell over a dark shape sprawled across the stony path on the way to his favourite fishing spot. As evening light fell on the becalmed water, this was when Don loved to fish, an incoming tide, a quiet reprieve after the day’s work: but not … Continue reading

Researching the Whites of Bletchingley and Godstone in Surrey.

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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