Category Archives: Queensland

‘An Evergreen Tree of Diabolical Knowledge’. Researching Irish in the State Library of Queensland Pt. 1.

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Madam, a circulating library in a town is as an evergreen tree of diabolical knowledge!  It blossoms through the year! Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Although the State Library of Queensland is a reference rather than a circulating library as recommended by Sheridan, the produce of this evergreen tree for those researching Irish people is a profusion of flowers and fruits. As part of a far-reaching forest, the available opportunities ensure that a full harvest will take many seasons as this collection … Continue reading

Arrival of the Artemisia: an “important event in the annals of Moreton Bay – an epoch to be often reverted to”

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The Moreton Bay Courier 16 December 1848 p2 enthusiastically welcomed the Artemisia, the ‘first immigrant vessel direct from England’ to Brisbane. Instead of placing the notice in the shipping intelligence column, the paper provided extensive news about it in ‘a place of honour’. Why was this vessel’s arrival so significant? What was the preparation and passage like? What were the passengers coming to? The importance of the Artemisia At the time of the 1846 census the population of the County … Continue reading

My grandmother Eileen Evans and the photo in a locket.

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  I knew nothing about Eileen Evans my paternal grandmother, or her early life until I started doing family history in the 1990’s, many years after her death in 1969. Stored in the bottom of a wardrobe was a shoe box of photos, inherited by my father from a maternal aunt and his mother’s cousin, Evelyn Walls. There were a lot of photos of people I didn’t know, and my first reaction was to want to throw them away. I … Continue reading

Threads of memories

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‘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

Once a soldier.

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ONCE A SOLDIER Amidst speculation that Britain may soon be immersed in war, The Suffolk with its cargo of hopeful families made its escape from London on 1 July 1914. The leaving was no doubt one of mixed and shifting emotions, with many wondering and worrying about Britain’s options and whether their country would soon be at involved in the conflict. Others would have been more concerned with what they would encounter in the new country to which they headed. … Continue reading