Category Archives: The Queensland State Archives

“Grab & Go” or “Go Slow”

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In true 21st century style, we are all tempted to do a “grab & go” run on our favourite paid genealogy site. Each site regularly brings new records online and more and more people join the sites. Then there’s all those trees to trawl for common relatives or ancestors. Certainly, this strategy can quickly add branches and information to our trees. However, do we stop and reflect on what we’re seeing and whether it’s substantiated by solid records? This tree-snob … Continue reading

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Family History Research.

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Irving Stone wrote The Agony and the Ecstasy: the biographical novel of Michelangelo in 1961. I loved the book and even more so the movie with Charlton Heston as Michelangelo which came out in 1965. Not that I am comparing myself to Michelangelo, but there is very much a love hate relationship with family history in my opinion. For someone who has been doing their family history for 46 years I would have to say the ecstasy outweighs the agony. … Continue reading

‘A Ship of Contentment and Cheerfulness’: Further Researching on Nineteenth Century Queensland Immigrant Vessels

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The voyage to Queensland ports undertaken by so many of our ancestors represented a transition between one way of life into a totally unknown change in circumstances but was a challenge undertaken with optimism and a spirit of adventure.  After December 1848 most were hoping for an improved standard of living for their families and for themselves especially after Australia’s newest colony was opened to migration. To assist genealogists locate details, many lectures and journal articles have indicated advantages in … Continue reading

There is Always Somewhere New to Look

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 I am still a relative newcomer to genealogy and family history. I have been tracing my family history in earnest for only 3 years and I have been surprised and often very excited at how much I have discovered in this seemingly short time.   When I first started my research I thought it would merely be a matter of obtaining all the Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates that were available. From these I would discover the names of my … Continue reading

Those elusive ancestors – were they convicts?

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I had never considered the possibility of having convicts in my ancestral heritage. I don’t know why it had not occurred to me, considering that the convict story is so much a part of Australia’s early colonial history. I think I naively assumed that if there had been convicts amongst my early ancestors I somehow would have known about them. I would have heard rumours or detected a hint of mystery or noticed veiled silences around certain family stories. However, … Continue reading