Category Archives: passenger lists

Three different passenger lists, so who died on the Fiery Star journey of 1865?

GSQ Blog Posted on by

By Stephanie Ryan. In April 1865 a dramatic, unforgettable sea tragedy occurred which haunted many for years. The Fiery Star, formerly the Comet, which brought immigrants to Queensland in 1863 and 1864, was making a return journey to England when disaster struck. Its wool cargo spontaneously combusted; the fire was devouring the ship as it approached the Chatham Islands near New Zealand. The highly respected Captain W H Yule decided to abandon ship taking seventy-two people: the cabin passengers and … Continue reading

A life on the ocean wave!

GSQ Blog Posted on by

Two things prompted me to write about life on the ocean wave – in my family’s case the merchant marine and the Royal Navy. The first was a book I bought at the Lifeline Bookfest and, serendipitously it seems, an article in the latest issue of Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine.  The book is called Passage to America by Terry Coleman (1972, Pimlico Books, London). It tells the story of the, mainly Irish, emigrants ‘shovelled out’ from Britain … Continue reading

Immigrant ship names: Laurie Schell, Laura Schell, Lalashelley, La Rochelle

GSQ Blog Posted on by

Laurie Schell, Laura Schell, Lalashelley, La Rochelle – How many different ships were there with these similar names? These were the names for one and the same ship as handed down through families and recorded in bibles, obituaries and other newspaper and magazine articles. The ship was named the La Rochelle, commemorating a seaport in western France. The names took on an added veracity because of the purported origin from the immigrants themselves and frequent repetition. Copyright free, State Library of … Continue reading