Category Archives: Vessels

A lonely burial.

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A tiny group gathered at the burial ground in Sydney on 14 November 1792. Jane Izzy/Ezzy, and her two-year old son James were there on that summer day to bury ten-month old Louisa, Jane’s daughter. Perhaps Louisa’s father William could join them as some convicts off the Royal Admiral disembarked in Sydney before the remainder were sent to Parramatta. Newly married fellow convict and Londoner Benjamin Carver may have been able to join them as William Izzy/Ezzy had witnessed his … Continue reading

The Wreck of the Quetta and the family of Thomas McGladdery.

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By Marg Doherty. ‘We have lived fourteen years together now and we will die together’. Thomas McGladdery is said to have made this statement on board the wreck of the RMS Quetta, a ship from the British India line.  The speaker was referring to a woman and three children standing near him on the doomed ship.[1] The Quetta sank at 9.14 pm on 28 February 1890 as it sailed in Torres Strait at the top of Queensland for London. The … Continue reading

“OURS WERE THE HEARTS TO DARE”[1]

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I never cease to be amazed at the fortitude and endurance of the pioneer women of our country. Often their story is unsung, as they just went about their daily lives unaware of their spectacular contribution to the future of this nation, but simply doing their best, dealing with the strangeness of this new land and confronting head on the harsh realities of life. They coped with deaths of children, droughts and disasters, and sometimes the destruction of all they … Continue reading

Ann Ferguson LAIRD – Does the Photo tell the Story?

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By Margaret Doherty. After researching my family history for about twenty years, I was given a photo of my great great grandmother, Ann Ferguson Laird. Seeing her image made me feel closer to the person, who, along with her first husband, James Porter, took the giant step to move their family to the colony of New South Wales in 1849. Ann’s photo shows a stern woman with thin lips. She is wearing a black bonnet with the image softened by … 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