Author Archives: cassmob

About cassmob

I'm a Queenslander by birth and after nearly 20 years in the Northern Territory I've returned to my home state. I've been researching my Queensland ancestors for nearly 30 years and like most Aussies I'm a typical "mongrel" with English, Irish, Scottish and German ancestry.

Accentuate the Positive 2019

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GeniAus has once again challenged us to think positively about what we achieved in our family history during 2019.

Here are my responses to her questions (unnumbered since it was being temperamental)

Glasgow Evening News, March 26, 1888, page 3.

* An elusive ancestor I found was: a link to my David Callaghan’s parents, thanks to a DNA match and correspondence with the owner of the tree.

* A surprising newspaper article I found was my great-grandfather’s letter to the editor detailing his days in jail due to not vaccinating my grandmother, Catherine McCorkindale.

* A geneajourney I took was to visit Backrow farmhouse at Bothkennar, Scotland, home for many years to my Sim family. I’d seen it from the road several times and always wanted to “walk the property”…many thanks for the kindness of the current residents.

* I located an important record at the National Records Office of Scotland with the clues from cousins and help from genimates: the (non)vaccination record for my grandmother, Catherine McCorkindale and her younger siblings.

* Newly found family members were discovered and shared stories, photos, and documents (Kunkel, Melvin, McCorkindale, Callaghan).

Backrow farmhouse

* A geneasurprise I received was thanks to @HistoryLady2013 who found a reference to my great-grandfather’s imprisonment due to not vaccinating his children…it confirmed oral history and the date led me to the newspaper story! Thanks Sylvia!

* My 2019 social media posts that I was particularly proud of were the story of little Lizzie Brophy; the courage of my Callaghan ancestors at sea; and Finding the Fass in Bavarian Newspapers.

* I met new genimates at DNA Down Under (and had tons of laughs), and renewed some friendships-at-a-distance at RootsTech London. I also got to meet new cousins in Edinburgh.

* A new piece of technology or skill I mastered played with was DNA Painter.

* I joined (finally) the Irish Family History Society while at RootsTech London.

The stables courtyard at Backrow.

* Genealogy education sessions and events from which I learnt something new was Waves in Time 2019 on the Sunshine Coast, DNA Down Under, and RootsTech London.

* A blog post that taught me something new was this post on Kissing Cousins: Marital Dispensations, Consanguinity, Affinity.

* A DNA discovery I made was a connection to my Callaghan ancestors from Wexford.

* I helped a genimate (cousin) to navigate through the starting phases of their research and got them addicted to family history.

* A brick wall I demolished was …”wishin’ and hopin’”…..

* A great site I visited often was the Irish Genealogy page…it has been pure gold for Irish research.

* Three new genealogy/history books I enjoyed were “On Chapel Sands” recommended by my friend FamilyTreeFrog; “Downsizing with Family History in Mind” by Devon Noel Lee and Andrew Lee; and “The Exile Breed” by Charles Egan.

* It was exciting to finally meet the knowledgeable and delightful Blaine Bettinger in Queensland and Sydney, and Sylvia Valentine who helped me with my vaccination discoveries.

* I am excited for 2020 because there’s always something new to learn that will stretch (or boggle!) my mind…and who knows, maybe break down my Sherry/McSherry/McSharry brick wall.

* Another positive I would like to share is …my A to Z series 2019 which documented some of my early days as a young woman in Papua New Guinea. I hope it will be something my descendants might be pleased to discover on Pandora one day. I’m always pleased, too, when cousins tell me how much they still get from my Kunkel family history.

Thanks GeniAus for making us all reflect and perhaps realise we’ve achieved more than we thought.

A surprising New Year ‘s Eve

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This is a similar-ish lamp to the one in the story.

Once upon a time, several decades ago, a young woman was living with her husband in the small town of Alotau in Papua New Guinea. She was six months pregnant and for some reason thought it would be a good idea to celebrate their first New Year’s Eve together with friends.

At the time, the town only had eighteen hour power with the hours between midnight and 6am requiring alternative strategies. Waking up early to get started on the party preparations seemed like a good idea so she headed to the lounge room where she lit the rather lovely antique glass and brass lamp she’d given her husband for his 21st. She struck the match and started to turn to the kitchen. Kaboom!

The lamp had blown up and kerosene, green glass and flames spread across the lounge room floor….the ignition had travelled to the bottom of the wick and set off this mini-explosion. The young husband came rushing from the bedroom, startled by the noise, and perhaps a shriek. The flames were all he could see – no sight of his wife. She in turn was in the kitchen with her nylon nightie stripped off – it had partially caught fire and melted in the flames. She’d had a lucky escape being half-turned away when the fire took hold -no other injuries.

The young couple walked down the street to the bloke who served as a hospital assistant, and were reassured that all was well with their baby. In the small town the reactions to the explosion differed: “someone’s shot his wife”, “someone will call to tell me if I’m needed” and “why are they walking down the street at this hour in dressing gowns”. The party was cancelled after all the drama.

All’s well that ends well, but memories are long and another New Year’s Eve has never been planned by the couple.

I’d like to wish all my readers a very happy New Year with many wonderful things ahead in 2020.

Image by Samad Khakpour from Pixabay

 

 

10 Year Blogiversary

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Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of my first post on this blog. Little did I know at the time how much it would become part of my life, or how many friends I’d make through it.

Over the years I’ve followed various prompts and written up stories as I’ve made discoveries about individual members or branches of my families. From these 858 stories I’ve had contact from different people with interest in the people or the events. Sometimes the friendships I’ve made have led to other discoveries like this recent one.

Some years ago I wrote a series called Beyond the Internet which was very popular and while some sources and strategies will have found themselves online, much remains as a useful process to work through.

Each year I’ve written a post to commemorate Anzac Day and Remembrance Day, trying to ensure those who served are not forgotten.

Part of my own learning over the years has been through attending presentations, seminars and conferences. After each I’ve tried to write a post summarising what I learned. One of the things I’ve learned – and thoroughly enjoyed – is the delight that comes with meeting friends at these events.

While I’ve not written as much in recent years – a combination of retirement distrations and relocation – there have still been things to share as I’ve made discoveries. If you want to read some of the posts from the past, you can search by category in the box in the right or peruse the Archives by month, also on the right.

For those contemplating a blog, just do it: not only is it an easy way to write up your family history, but you will gain new friends and make new discoveries as you go along. Don’t worry about how to write – use your own “voice” and it will be a true reflection of you.

Thank you to all my readers and genimates who’ve kept me company along the way. It’s been fun sharing with you.

Lest We Forget 2019

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For the astounding loss of human life and potential around the world.

For those who served and gave their lives, ally or enemy

For their country’s cause, safety and honour.

For the ANZACs who travelled so far to fight in distant lands.

For the families and communities left behind to wait and mourn,

And the children who suffered a lifetime of loss.

For those who faced cousins and kin across no-man’s-land.

Bomana War Cemetery, Port Moresby, PNG

For the navy and merchant navy whose lives ended at sea.

For the young airmen whose courage and skill saved others.

For the Prisoners of War who suffered privation, fear and torture.

For the families who would never know the fate of their soldier.

For those who returned damaged in body, mind and spirit

Cobbers’ Memorial, Fromelles

And the families who suffered with them and supported them

Whose lives would never be the same again.

For the women who would never have a partner or loved one

Due to the loss of so many men.

For the animals who gave their lives for love and loyalty, not understanding why else they were there.

For all those who stepped up to the mark in their homeland

In restricted occupations: supporting the troops, feeding the population, and working in factories.

For the railwaymen in my family who ensured the troops got to the battlefields

A German cemetery on the Western Front.

Received their munitions, and were brought home afterwards.

We offer our thanks and prayers and we remember them.

LEST WE FORGET

Fromelles War Cemetery. “My boys, my poor boys, they have killed my poor boys”. WEH Cass

Over the years I’ve written posts for Anzac Day and Remembrance Day, as well as some about the Bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942. For those who are interested you can read them here.

One hundred years 2018

Grandad goes to war

Honouring the Australian born diggers with German ancestry.

William Rudolph (Robert) Kunkel (MIA Korea)

Battle of Fromelles: In Memoriam James Augustus Gavin 

V is for the Valiant of Villers-Brettoneux including James Paterson

A family Anzac: Pte Hugh Moran (POW)

V is for our Valiant Indigenous Anzacs.

Two brothers go to war and Postcards to the Front

Those who came home

A Turkish memorial near Gallipoli

War in Papua New Guinea

Erle Victor Weiss

Lest we forget: the Battle of Milne Bay

Flowers for the fallen

Lest we forget and the Bombing of Darwin

War Memorials

RootsTech London 2019 – my thoughts

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I’ve mentioned before that I consider the potential benefits of a conference from a combination of factors: learning opportunities + friends and networking + location (which includes travel and research options).

Ultimately I decided to  try out the London RootsTech as I’d been to two in Salt Lake (2015 an 2017) and it also meant that I could add on a week of Scottish research beforehand.

So how did RootsTech London stack up for me?

LEARNING BENEFITS

  • Ancestry Pro-Genealogist, Ursula Krause, helping us get started with German research.

    There was a good diversity of speakers on a range of topics. Many were very knowledgeable and professional in their delivery. As always there were always more than one that was of interest in almost every time slot. Mercifully the handouts counterbalanced the need to choose. In particular I enjoyed, and learned from, presentations by Myko Clelland, Fiona Fitzsimons, Maurice Gleeson, Celia Heritage, Michelle Leonard, Ursula Krause and Jonny Perl.

  • The focus on British and European research as well as tools and techniques was particularly helpful. I didn’t attend as many DNA talks as I have in Salt Lake having recently benefitted from the amazing intensive of DNA Down Under in Sydney.
  • The facilities were good and easily accessible offset by the unpredictability of room size for different talks – how were the rooms allocated I wonder?

  • Lots of “Ask Me” assistants in this picture.

    Keynotes were very interesting. Dan Snow’s media professionalism was evident but it was his need to reflect on one ancestor’s adverse actions that was relevant to anyone who discovers less than appealing attributes of their ancestors and their lives. Kadeena Cox was less polished but no less inspiring with her emphasis on how her family’s role-modelling had helped her when she suffered what many would consider impossible health challenges. Once again I missed Donny Osmond – judging on the crowds I seem to be in the minority in my indifference. I spent time with a study buddy instead.

  • Michelle Patient (NZ) and Janet Few (UK) met up at the Name & Place stand.

    There were lots of helpers to guide mystified attendees to the rooms or provide advice. “Ask Me Anything” said their T-shirts.

  • The Exhibition Hall provided plenty of diversity with a wide range of suppliers featured. I was particularly keen on learning more from the owners of “Name and Place” and am now even more keenly awaiting its release date. It seems to be an invaluable boon to those of us with an interest in One Place Studies. I’m also curious to follow up more on Reliving Ltd.

Just a partial view of the Exhibition Hall during presentation time when it was quieter.

NETWORKS and MATES

This was absolutely the highlight for me.

  • Sharn, Pauleen and Angela on a grey day at Kew Gardens.

    I was able to have a pre-conference outing to Kew Gardens with my friend Angela, an Irish blogger, and Sharn, a genimate (and spouse) from Sydney. We had an absolutely fabulous day exploring the gardens and seeing the wonderful Chihuly exhibition. And then the chance to go around again with other friends on the Saturday evening to see the glasswork lit up…spectacular.

  • The chance to re-connect with my study buddy, Kate from Essex Voices Past, with whom I studied the Advanced Diploma in Local History through Oxford University. It was great to have a chance to hang out and chat – even if we did get distracted by some weird and wonderful outfits from Comic Con.

  • Cheri from Carolina Girl Genealogy and Cassmob.

    Meeting up with overseas genimates from RootsTech conferences past was also a winner as well as Facebook friends who I’d only ever known by reputation or virtually. It was great to meet Cheri from Carolina Girl Genealogy from whom I’d won my pass to RootsTech.

  • Thanks to GeniAus, the 50+ Australians in attendance had a networking “edge”. We already had a Facebook group in which to share news, meet others and plan the usual “pre-conference” dinner meet-up. Even so, on the last day we were still discovering Aussies who were living overseas or who hadn’t joined the Facebook group. I made new Aussie friends who I know I’ll meet at other conferences around the country. We also generated quite a bit of curiosity as some of us had adopted the US practice of conference ribbons.

Just some of the Aussies at RootsTech London. Why have we got our mouths open? We’d been saying “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oy, oy, oy”.

I took the chance to visit St Paul’s Bloomsbury where my Partridge ancestors were married.

LOCATION

  • It was clear from all the Facebook posts, and photos, as well as conversations, that many people had taken the opportunity to visit ancestral sites before/after the conference, or to do research in relevant archives.
  • Given the expense of flying from Down Under, accommodation, and exchange rate considerations, the mix of benefits is critical.

“COULD DO BETTER”

A good portion of the problem areas came from the ExCel venue and the combination of RootsTech being held at the same time as the obviously popular Comic Con event.

My genimate @TravelGenee rocking her ribbons.

  • Closure of the Customs House DLR station on Friday and Saturday eliminated one travel option.
  • Access to the walkway through ExCel was blocked leaving anyone on the western side to walk 1.3kms outside in the weather – we were lucky it wasn’t pouring! This was of particular concern to those with mobility issues.
  • Along with access issues was the prohibition on RootsTech attendees being able to access all the food outlets throughout the complex. This particularly affected those with dietary/allergy issues. Luckily I found the E16 café offered decaf coffee so they became my go-to place.
  • Comic Con brought with it lots of crowds of all ages, some eye-popping outfits and K9 units.

My ribbon spread though I didn’t add all the DNA ones – it just got too long.

RootsTech however also let the attendees down in these regards:

  • Delayed communication relating to the conference – it seemed like RootsTech Salt Lake 2020 was being given information sooner than the London conference.
  • Late disclosure of the fact that RootsTech would be at the eastern end of ExCel meant many of us had booked months before – at the western end. Earlier notice might have avoided some of our angst. There seems to be a gap in understanding that for attendees travelling vast distances to get to the conference, flights and accommodation have to be booked months in advance.
  • After many speakers waging an education campaign to make attendees realise their slides were copyright and couldn’t be photographed, London RootsTech changed the rules and each speaker’s initial slide indicated photographs were allowed. Sigh.

SUMMARY

I thought my travel dollars were well spent and I was satisfied by the experience. It was less crowded than Salt Lake RootsTech, making it less confronting for the newbies. Would I recommend it to others or go again myself? Yes, provided research or holiday travel could be combined with the conference to maximise the benefit of the total outlay.

Serendipity meets Genea-generosity

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Do we under-estimate the significance of serendipity in our research: those felicitous timings of people, place or discoveries? Or do our ancestors really want us to know something and make sure we find it?

Many years ago, one of my relations told me that my great-grandparents, Duncan McCorkindale and Annie Sim, had lost twins as infants from diptheria after being vaccinated. I dutifully pursued Jessie and Hugh in the records to follow up this information. I found Jessie, born 2 July 1891, and who died on 5 February 1892 at Stirling Rd, Glasgow, aged 7 months, of disease of the bones of the ear and bronchitis[i]. To my non-medical mind this seemed unlikely to be related to vaccination.Despite searching 1891-92 I could not find the birth or death of a son Hugh to Duncan and Annie. Hence I assumed (!!!) that the story of the twins was incorrect.

 

 

Scroll forward to these past weeks when my cousin Laurie returned from a trip visiting relatives in north Queensland. We hadn’t talked about the twins previously, but these cousins told her a story that Duncan and Annie had twins who died as a result of vaccination. Interestingly, this was from the same branch of the McCorkindale line that I’d heard it from – descendants of Jane Sim (Jean) McCorkindale. However, this time it came with an addition. Our great-grandfather had refused to have other children vaccinated and went to jail! Well that was news, and initially one I felt inclined to discount. Serendipitously, one of my genimates from the United Kingdom is doing her PhD on vaccination so I messaged her and asked if prison would be the sentence if a fine wasn’t paid.

McCorkindale Hugh death 1885

Statutory Registers 644/9 712, District St Rollox, County of Lanark

Brainstorming via Facebook messenger she told me this was possible. So the search for Hugh continued by widening the timeframe. And there he was: Hugh died at 96 Abington St on 4 July 1885, aged 5 months from stricture of the intestine and had been sick for four days[ii]….poor wee mite. Once again, this cause of death seemed unlikely to be due to a vaccination. Reluctantly, we laid the family story aside as “just” another family legend.

Scroll forward a few days later and my geminate was working through copies taken for her PhD and what did she find? A reference to Duncan McCorkindale’s imprisonment in an Anti-Vaccination journal[iii] held at the Wellcome Library in London[iv]…not only that but the timings mentioned fitted exactly with what we knew of Hugh’s death and the child born after him….my grandmother Catherine (b May 1887). As you might imagine, there were happy dances in England and Queensland over this discovery as once again we messaged across the world. My family is totally indebted to Sylvia for this discovery – one I’d never have hoped to find myself. Serendipity meets genea-generosity indeed!

National Anti-Vaccination League Magazine
Volume 10, no 115, page 28

Next morning, I went into the British newspaper search option on FindMyPast[v]. Using “McCorkindale AND vaccination AND Glasgow” gave me a nil result so I deleted the surname and narrowed down the results to the timeframe mentioned in the journal above.

McCORKINDALE letter to editor 26 Mar 1888WOW! A letter to the editor from my great grandfather Duncan headed “Imprisonment for Vaccination in Glasgow”[vi]. Duncan wrote about being imprisoned as he could not afford to pay the 30 shilling fine. He would not have his child vaccinated because it went against his conscience having lost a child previously. He stated “the child was in perfect health when taken to be vaccinated. Four hours after vaccination was performed he took suddenly ill and went into convulsions, dying three days afterwards”. He went on to describe his imprisonment with felons, the sleeping and working conditions. It’s very clear that he felt diminished by being treated like this. The child he refused to have vaccinated? Based on timing, it was my own grandmother Catherine and yet I’d heard nothing of this, nor had my cousin Laurie whose grandmother was the eldest daughter of this couple. A sad story but a wonderful insight into my family’s lives. I wonder now, whether their next children, Jean, Jessie and Edith were vaccinated, or if he continued to object, and pay the fine. The children in the photo above with their mother are these three girls.

Of course at this stage my geminate, my cousin and myself were all happy dancing enough to merit a place on Dancing with the Stars!

Like I said – this discovery came about from the serendipity of cousins talking, knowing your network of friends, and their generosity in sharing their own discoveries. I think it can rightly be called a win-win as the family has now got proof of a family anecdote and my friend has a great example to use in her PhD presentations and research. There’ll be drinks to toast our success while at RootsTech in London[vii].

Duncan McC snrBW

Duncan McCorkindale, a proud Highlander

Letter to Editor (Transcription )

SIR – I beg leave to ask your kind indulgence to give the following lines publication in your esteemed paper, so that the public may know how our law affects civil prisoners. On Monday 12th inst. I was summoned to appear before Sheriff Balfour on a charge of violating the Vaccination Act. My reason for refusing to conform to the Act arose from the fact of having lost a child two-and-a-half years ago. The child was in perfect health when taken to be vaccinated, and four hours after vaccination was performed took suddenly ill and went into convulsions, dying three days afterwards, and its death in my belief arose through vaccination. In the present case therefore I would not allow my child to be vaccinated, as by doing so I would be acting against my conscience, and for this I was sentenced by the Sheriff to pay a fine of 10s and £1 expenses with the alternative of seven days’ imprisonment. One pound ten shillings may seem a small sum to many, but for a man in my position with a small pay and a family of eight to support, it was beyond my power to pay. Therefore, I had to go to prison to be treated like a felon – no distinction being made between a respectable citizen and thieves and housebreakers, all and sundry being dressed in prison clothes, put into a cold cell with a plank bed and scanty covering, also working in outside work with criminals, such as carrying coals, sweeping snow etc. Then I was ordered back to the cell to sit with wet feet on a stone floor picking spools. I was in this pitiful condition from Monday the 12th inst at twelve o’clock till Wednesday the 14th inst at three o’clock, when a party paid the fine and I was set free. I think this was a very severe sentence to be passed. Now, sir, it seems very strange that no report of my case (the first case of imprisonment in Glasgow under the Act, if I am correctly informed) appeared in any of the newspapers, and I hope in justice to myself and the public, you will find a corner for the above unvarnished statement, for I consider I have been most severely, unmercifully and unjustly dealt with. I am etc – D McCORKINDALE Glasgow, March 24, 1888

Since vaccination is hot-button topic, and our grandson was terribly ill as an infant due to someone else not being vaccinated, I think I should state that I belong in the pro-vaccination group.

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[i] Birth 644/06 1095 District St Rollox, County Lanark. Death 644/6 161 District St Rollox, County Lanark

[ii] Death 644/9 712 District Kelvin County Lanark

[iii] National Anti-Vaccination League Magazine, volume 10, no 115, page 28

[iv] https://wellcomelibrary.org/

[v] https://www.findmypast.com.au/

[vi] Glasgow Evening News, March 26, 1888, page 3.

[vii] https://www.rootstech.org/london

Trove Tuesday: the tragic tale of Lizzie Brophy

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On a cool autumn day, 31 May 1881, Elizabeth Brophy was in her home at Jeffcott St, Melbourne with her six year old daughter Sarah and her other daughter, Lizzie, aged four[i]. Lizzie was handicapped and could neither speak nor walk. Her usual place was tied in her chair near the fireplace where “she rocked herself about and cried continually”[ii], no doubt to her mother’s aggravation. That morning, William McKenna, Elizabeth’s father and the children’s grandfather, visited and later stated that all was well. He returned around midday and while Elizabeth may have had drink taken, all was well, so he reported. Later in the day it seems Elizabeth’s mother, Bridget McKenna, and some other women had been drinking in the house though subsequent news stories make no further reference to this[iii].

William returned around dusk by which stage Elizabeth was rather the worse for wear from the drink and was aggressive and vocal. At this stage, there are conflicting stories. Lizzie was crying and her mother shook the chair and the child fell to the floor with her head near the fire. Young Sarah would later report that William was sitting by a chair near the fire and arguing with Elizabeth. William suggested he would go and get some (wood) chips for the fire but Elizabeth said she’d burn her apron, which she did. Being both drunk and aggressive…and annoyed…she went to pick up the boiling kettle to throw it over her father. Unsurprisingly, he pushed it away and the water spilled over the child on the floor as well as on the fire. William was to state that he didn’t look at the child, whom he described as an “idiot”, nor did he see if any water had been spilled on her, though he acknowledged she was screaming. His daughter Elizabeth “was in such a temper that (he) was glad to leave the house at once”[iv].

Six-year-old Sarah, “was frightened and ran into the street”[v], heading next door to get the neighbour, Thomas Hill, who arrived at their home about 6pm – against Elizabeth’s vociferous objections. He could hear Lizzie crying and found her outside in the yard, brought her into the house and he gave evidence that “the child’s clothes were all quite wet and she appeared to be in great agony”[vi]. Hill gave Lizzie to her mother, who put her on the floor. Meanwhile Elizabeth had filled the fireplace with paper and said she was setting fire to the house… a literal fire this time for Mr Hill to extinguish. In the midst of the drama, John Brophy returned home to the domestic disaster to discover his youngest child was scalded severely. He was an engine driver with Victorian Railways so he held a responsible position and presumably had been on shift work during the day.

Around this time the local constable, Frederick Maitland, appeared, having been sent for by Hill. Once again there are conflicts, or just confusion, in the testimony. The constable said he found Elizabeth Brophy on the pavement about 100 yards from her house and arrested her because she was aggressive. Hill stated that Brophy had asked him to help tie Elizabeth’s hands in front of her because she was drunk and violent, which they did. Which came first is unclear. John Brophy took Lizzie to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in the late evening where the poor child died of her injuries a few hours later. The resident surgeon, Dr Robert Stewart testified that, based on his post mortem, she had died of shock from the scalds[vii]. Further news comment was that “her arms, legs, and part of the chest were severely burned”[viii], she was “badly nourished and unable to walk although four years old”[ix]. The doctor indicated that the results “had she been stronger the results would likely not have been fatal”[x]….or perhaps if she’d received medical care more promptly?

Elizabeth Brophy was taken into custody pending the outcome of a coronial enquiry by Dr Youl which commenced on 2nd June and was completed on Monday 6th June. Sub-Inspector Larner posed the question many of us would like to have asked “Why did you leave the house when you saw the child scalded? Was it not your duty as a grandfather to protect the child?” William replied “I left because the woman was in a temper”. The Coroner enquired: “And do you mean to say that you left this poor unfortunate decrepit child unprotected with a woman of whom you yourself were afraid”. William “I left”.

Sarah was asked for her testimony and the coroner assessed that had given an intelligent response. Her mother, however, objected saying that it “was not fair to cross examine the child like an old person. The child would answer in the affirmative to any questions put to her. She was only two years older than the deceased baby”[xi].

The jury on the coronial inquest concluded that Elizabeth Brophy was guilty of manslaughter. The coroner committed her for trial at the next Criminal sessions on 15th June 1881. Bail was then allowed.

The Criminal Trial was held and testimony taken from the same witnesses. His Honour Mr Justice Higinbotham concluded that “if the jury accepted the evidence of the daughter Sarah, the prisoner was guilty of manslaughter, but if they believed the testimony of McKenna, she ought to be acquitted”. This jury returned a verdict of “not guilty” and Elizabeth was discharged[xii].

Was their decision affected by the fact that Lizzie was handicapped? Would the outcome have been different if they’d known another daughter had died only four months earlier from diarrhoea after suffering for two weeks?[xiii]

One also can’t help wondering what reception Sarah received from her mother on her return home from prison and if she was punished for her involvement in the trials. I also wonder whether William’s four visits on this day were typical, and if so, why he went so often.

A truly heart-wrenching story of a family’s dysfunction.

When next visiting Melbourne it will be interesting to see the primary documents relating to this event.

On the positive side I can find no evidence of Elizabeth in later Trove news stories or in the Victorian Prison Records, so perhaps this caused her to mend her ways and swear off alcohol.

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[i] Elizabeth Brophy daughter of Elizabeth McKenna and John Silvester Brophy, born 1877 reference 23712 / 1877 and died 1881 reference 5262/1881. I have called her Lizzie throughout this story to avoid confusion with her mother, Elizabeth Brophy, nee McKenna.

[ii] INQUEST. (1881, June 7). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), p. 6. Retrieved September 29, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5977084

[iii] “THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 1881.” The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957) 2 June 1881: 5. Web. 29 Sep 2019 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5984419&gt;.

[iv] INQUEST. (1881, June 7). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), p. 6. Retrieved September 29, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5977084

[v] ibid

[vi] SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF A CHILD. (1881, June 4). Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 – 1918, 1935), p. 21. Retrieved September 29, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196566183

[vii] INQUEST. (1881, June 7). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), p. 6. Retrieved September 29, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5977084

[viii] A Doubtful Case. (1881, June 4). Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 – 1954), p. 21. Retrieved September 29, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219425980

[ix] SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF A CHILD. (1881, June 4). Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 – 1918, 1935), p. 21. Retrieved September 29, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196566183

[x] CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. (1881, June 18). The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 – 1946), p. 21. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article137815924

[xi] INQUEST. (1881, June 6). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 – 1954), p. 3. Retrieved September 29, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article241329167

[xii] CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. (1881, June 17). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), p. 3. Retrieved September 29, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5987754

[xiii] Baby Catherine, a one-year-old infant died on 15 February 1881. Victorian Death Certificate 454/1881

Hazards of the Sea

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Wexford Constitution 16 Feb 1861 p3

Few would be unaware of the hazards of the sea, especially in challenging storms, although most of us will have avoided ever being confronted by them.

Wexford Independent 16 Feb 1861 p2

Among the Irish newspapers on Find My Past I found some stories which attested to the toughness and determination of my ancestor, David Callaghan. In particular six fishermen were pivotal in rescuing five men (although only four survived) from the wreck of the Sir Allan McNab…in conditions which defeated a brave swimmer who attempted it and the Arklow Coast Guard. They were recognised locally for their bravery and interestingly the history of the event appears in the news over 130 years later…quite remarkable.

“After pulling three miles, and after a most severe and determined struggle, they succeeded in reaching the wreck and taking off the crew in a most exhausted state – one poor fellow died soon after he reached the land.” The men were “Davy Callaghan, Michael Kelly, Any Kelly, John Massey, John Hudson and Edward Nolan”. Can you imagine the sheer physical strength needed to do that in churning seas?

Wexford Independent 6 April 1861 p2

Wexford Independent 23 Feb 1861 p2

A subscription was raised to reward the men which I gather was not typical at the time.

Enniscorthy Guardian 11 June 1992, page 5

I was very proud to read this story of my ancestor and his colleagues. Thirty years later, David would lose his own boat in a storm and a year later his son would be lost in a shipping accident in Dublin. These men lived difficult lives – no wonder they got “done” for drunkenness occasionally – and their wives and daughters would have to have been emotionally strong as well. Perhaps this is why I’ve always loved fishing harbours, but had a cautious view of the ocean. This song, Home from the Sea, by Celtic Thunder could have been written for my Callaghan ancestors…it actually gives me goosebumps.

Wexford People 17 Feb 1892 p4

Evening Herald Dublin 19 Dec 1893 p3

 

 

Of Learning and Checklists

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The last six weeks or so have been full of family history learning for me.

August was Family History Month in Australia and a one-day seminar at the LDS Family History Centre at Forest Glen on 1 August was the start of lots of geneafun. For me, the stand-out speaker was Brenda Wheeler. As always the hospitality from the LDS community was excellent.

We had the second gathering of our McCorkindale cousins at Caloundra mid-August and once again all enjoyed themselves immensely. The icing on the cake was discovering new McCorkindale cousins in the UK and Australia…an tempting them to come to another gathering in 2020! As you might imagine this all kicked off a focus on our McCorkindale family who originated in Loch Awe in Argyll.

I was delighted to be able to attend the DNA Down Under session in Brisbane on 14 August and followed up with the three day intensive in Sydney from 29-31 August. Both sessions I attended were superb both in content and organisation so a huge thank you goes to Unlock the Past for this innovative program. Blaine Bettinger suggested we get a DNA Buddy to keep our feet on the ground and challenge our assumptions: straight away my genimate, TravelGenee, and I pointed at each other. I guess we’ve already been doing some of that with our coffee chat-fests. Don’t you just love it when virtual friends become real-life friends? I feel so grateful that I’ve made great friends from family history.

Since I’ve returned from Sydney I’ve been applying some of what I’ve learned, reviewing my notes and reading the 2nd edition of Blaine Bettinger’s “The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy” which sold like hot cakes at the venues. Not only is Blaine an excellent speaker on matters relating to genetic genealogy, he is truly an all-round nice person. Sometimes it’s hard not to gush and be a genealogy rockstar groupie.

Between the two DNA events I enjoyed another gathering of the Brisbane Blarney Group at a pub in Brisbane hosted by genimate Crissouli. The focus is on those with Irish heritage and it’s always fun and more so as you get to know each other.

While in Sydney I scheduled some research time at the NSW State Archives at Kingswood where I did some McCorkindale research and got great assistance from the archivists with some tricky problems. More on that another time.

The last ten days have been real-life family history, spending time with the living family in Darwin and getting in lots of grandchild cuddles.

Yesterday I was privileged to be on a panel with Janice Cooper, Bob McAllister and Doug Moss at the Fridays @ QFHS seminar. Our topic was “Researching, Organising and Filing your Family History”. This was the second session on this topic in 2019. The main advantage of having a panel format for this topic as the variety of responses and strategies hopefully strike a chord with the attendees….no one way will suit everyone and as I said “my way may not be your way”. I also recommended The Organised Genealogist Facebook group as a great opportunity to discover a wide variety of strategies. As always I learned something too, and picked up clues and tips of my own, especially from Janice’s One Place Study strategies.

PD60004885_000-RootsTech19-1200x1200_LondonThe seminar also provoked me to finally do something I’ve been planning for some time: a checklist of research for family history – yours or mine. No doubt I’ve forgotten or just omitted some sources/strategies so feel free to let me know what you think should be added. I’ve included the file on this blog here.

So what’s next for me? RootsTech London, along with some of my long-standing Genimates, and the chance to meet and make new ones….and of course the learning…the schedule is jam-packed with great speakers and presentations so choosing which to attend will be a challenge. I am slightly miffed that London is taking second place in the planning and preparation to the Salt Lake conference which is still months away as it would be helpful to have the RootsTech updated for London…however that’s a small matter. I’m so grateful to Carolina Girl Genealogy and RootsTech London for the free pass I won which reimbursed my early registration. I’m really looking forward to meeting Cheri in person! In the meantime I’ve got lots of homework to prepare for a week’s research time in Scotland before RootsTech. Focus will be the name of the game!

What was I thinking – I published without adding photos. My apologies!

 

 

DNA to the Max

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Yesterday the Castle Hill RSL had an electric atmosphere as 400 hyper-excited amateur genetic genealogists convened to hear a panel of experts teach them more about DNA, what it means for genealogy and how to maximise its benefits. Add to that the opportunity to catch up with genimates from all over the conference, make some new friends, meet some “old” friends, and meet some blogging genimates in person for the first time.

Once again the primary attraction was DNA guru Blaine Bettinger from the USA. It’s as well that Blaine is such a lovely human being as otherwise he would be full of himself from everyone’s awed enthusiasm for him. It was perhaps surprising how many had attended the DNA Down Under seminars in other cities and knew what a treat we were in for, as we also had our national DNA gurus to teach us as well.

First talk of the day and Blaine completely tipped my thoughts on ethnicity results from DNA onto their head. I won’t be quite so glib about dismissing it any more. I also learnt more about 23 and me’s offerings so again I need to look more into my results from that company. Interestingly that is where I have several of my Kunkel matches. It also encouraged me to look again at my Genetic Communities on Ancestry. He also emphasised that, currently at least, it’s most helpful to look at our ethnicity from a continental perspective rather than individual countries.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kerry Farmer’s talk on combining DNA with traditional genealogy. We all know that DNA isn’t a magic bullet that will drop our entire family history in our laps but it was very interesting to see Kerry’s practical application of using traditional genealogy and targeted DNA testing to determine formerly unknown ancestors. I also liked that she showed us it might still be a work in progress.

Both Kerry and Blaine emphasised the importance of looking at your tree completeness and that of your DNA matches.

Louise Coakley from North Queensland gave a great explanation of how the different types of DNA that can be tested are inherited.

Blaine’s presentation on the “Latest additions in third party tools” reminded me that I had opened an account at Genetic Affairs and perhaps it was time to revisit it…oops. In GEDmatch I’d noticed only last week there was an option to build a Superkit but didn’t get round to exploring it. Now I know what it does, and how it can be of benefit, it’s gone on my “To Do” list…my notes are scattered with asterisked “check this”, “do this” comments.

His talk on “Identifying your DNA matches” he says may seem a “bit creepy’ to some people but he gave us different strategies for focusing in on those good matches with strong centimorgan lengths. I’m sure it’s because of this that last night it finally dawned on me that one of my more recent match names was dimly familiar from email exchanges over 20 years ago. I’m going to have to wait until I get home to follow up on those but meanwhile I can send a brief message to her.

We rounded off the day with a dinner meeting of those attending RootsTech London in October. Thanks GeniAus for organising that.

So at the end of day 1 it was clear it was not only DNA to the Max, it was a DNA Intensive. Speaking for myself I know I was challenged more yesterday than I had been at the one day seminar in Brisbane, I suppose because it took the learning to another level.

Thanks to all the wonderful speakers and to Unlock the Past for giving us all this opportunity.

I was delighted to meet my genimate Fiona Tellesson in person!