Join me on my Cemetery Searching expedition for the 2023 A to Z Blog Challenge. I’ll be re-visiting some cemeteries and preparing for a wish list of others. Some family members will be mentioned but I also have an interest in German family graves as well as those of people born in Co Clare Ireland.
Ipswich General Cemetery, Ipswich, Queensland
In the early days of the free settlement of Queensland, it was thought for a while that Ipswich may become the main city or capital of the new colony. That didn’t come to pass but Ipswich remained a pivotal places in those early days. Any immigrants taking up work on the sheep stations further west were brought up to Ipswich by river, then transferred to drays or similar to travel west. Many families whose immigrant ancestors arrived in the mid-19th century have links to the town. My Kunkel family was there for about ten years before moving west with the construction of the railway. My Melvin ancestor settled there as well before moving to Charters Towers. However, my Kent and Partridge families settled, lived and died there.
Unfortunately like many others of that first generation, money wasn’t always ready to hand and none of my first immigrant Kent or Partridge ancestors have gravestones. As with many others, the specific plots are also not known. There are also descendants and relatives buried there.
Buried in this cemetery with no gravestone and no identified plot are:
Richard Kent, my 3xgreat grandfather and his wife, Mary Camp.
William Partridge and his wife, Hannah nee Kent, my maternal 2xgreat grandparents.
The City of Ipswich has recently launched an online search facility for burials in cemeteries in the region including the Ipswich General Cemetery. You can find it here: https://ipswich.discovereverafter.com/
Meanwhile I’ll offer some images of graves I photographed many years ago, again with a focus on the Irish.
You can see how important it is to visit family cemeteries, with your fingers firmly crossed, hoping they tell you more about your ancestor.
Family history across the seas 
Hi Cassmob
The early history of Ipswich is fascinating. My father’s family (Phil Cullen of Cullen/Green-McGrath/Moroney combination) have early ties to Ipswich. The McGrath side are ex. Rossmore, Clogher par, Co. Tipp. Dad’s grandfather’s half-brother, James McGrath, married Mary O’Brien, a d/o Daniel & Winnifred O’Brien (headstone in the first image). His great-grandfather, Thomas Moroney (Bodyke, Co. Clare), bought James Portley’s Travellers Inn at Narda lagoon circa 1862 (the old Laidley township). The Moroney’s are buried in Laidley Cemetery. Dad compiled copious information on his family and Ipswich, which came to reside with me on his demise.
Regards
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So many sad stories inscribed on beautiful monuments and I found 7 Curry records to examine, thanks.
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These memorials are all really interesting and sad to read Pauleen.
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They are Jennifer. There may be some bias by the photographer as I also take ones that have a story.
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I love finding stones that list the married or other family relationship, such as your O’Brien stone here. So helpful with connecting family lines. Sad to see that memorial in pieces, though. I have found some tipped stones in my travels, but been relieved to find them righted on subsequent visits.
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It’s very much dependent on the family/descendants to repair the stones and it’s an expensive proposition plus family may not be around, or be interested.
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Very true. I once priced a repair for a collateral relative — very costly. Fortunately, next time I visited the cemetery, the town had taken care of it.
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So much information on these stones. The ones I find for my family have the name and “At rest”.
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That’s interesting Kristin. Is that typical of many stones do you think? What is inscribed here very much varies as you can see – probably depends on $.
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I agree.
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Beautiful headstones you photographed. Some so sad to read
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Indeed they are.
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My favourite from A to K. Totally jealous of the number of photos you have of gravestones.
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I guess I’ve had a mission to snap photos when I’m in a cemetery, even where they’re not family.
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