Category Archives: ship

The Cambus Wallace: tragedy and souvenirs from the sea.

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  On 3 September 1894 the ship Cambus Wallace, buffeted by strong winds, was wrecked at Jumpin Pin on the ocean side of an isthmus connecting North and South Stradbroke Island, about 24 kilometres north of Southport. Thomas Welsby, who arrived on the scene soon after, described the result, ‘In less than twenty-four hours the Cambus Wallace had become broken, torn, and smashed beyond all recovery, nought remaining to be seen but heavy breakers spuming over a sand embedded vessel … Continue reading

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

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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 others who could … Continue reading

Researching a Merchant Seaman.

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Finding a “mariner” in your family tree, might sometimes lead you to discover that he was in fact a merchant seaman.  Other terms you might see are merchant mariner, officer in the merchant navy, merchant navy seaman, master mariner, etc.  These are more often than not, some of the hardest ancestors to research, due to the fact that very few records exist.  In fact, after 1858 you will not find anything until the First World War began in 1914, because … Continue reading

The Kate and her companions who brought immigrants into Brisbane.

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Stephanie Ryan State Library of Queensland A researcher was intrigued to learn that her ancestors, who arrived by the Susanne Godeffroy and Melmerby in 1865, Wansfell in 1866 and Royal Dane in 1869, all made the trip from Moreton Bay to Brisbane in the Kate. What was the Kate? What was the journey from the bay to Brisbane like? The Kate, a 150-ton iron, paddle-wheel steamer especially designed for Brisbane’s bay and river trade, was built in 1864 at Newcastle-on-Tyne … Continue reading

Treasures in the Trove – September 2015

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By Lyndall Maag.   Assume – as genealogists, we are told not to, but to prove all our assertions by rigorous application of solid genealogical methodology.  Assumptions – we are told not to make them, but to back up our claims and cite our sources.  What, however, could possibly happen if we did, in fact, challenge some of our most basic genealogical assumptions?    For instance, what actually constitutes a family tree chart?  What content, layout, format should be included, … Continue reading