Sometimes at night, I just trawl through Trove using a combination of surname and place. Often the results just turn up finds I’ve made previously, tagged and linked to the relevant lists I maintain. And then, out of the rabbit hole, pops a completely unexpected rabbit[i]. I have no idea why this was a surprise … More Another Trove discovery: Miss McSherry joins the convent
The Battle of Brisbane or “Celebrating” Thanksgiving Day 1942 Thanksgiving Day 1942 must have seemed so very strange for the American forces stationed in Brisbane. Not only were they away from their families on what is possibly the most important family date on the American calendar, but the world around them would have felt so … More Trove Tuesday: Thanksgiving Day in Brisbane 1942
Brisbane in the late 1930s was a sleepy town more reminiscent of a country town than the capital of the state of Queensland in the land Down Under. That would change in 1939 when Australia entered World War II and men and munitions were despatched forth for embarkation to the European front. Japan entered the … More Sepia Saturday: Wartime in Brisbane
In the past we’ve done the May Music Meme 2012 and the May Movie Meme 2016. It occurred to me that perhaps we should have a meme which captures our response to the hopefully-once-in-a-lifetime May that we’ve just navigated….it might be a way to preserve the tip of our experiences. Remember that many blogs are … More Crazy month of May 2020 meme: pandemic experiences
Serendipity (that magic conjunction of different thoughts and outcomes) has been a gift for which I’m very grateful. How else to explain my start in family history? I had been visiting a historical-themed event in William St, Brisbane with our youngest daughter when we came across a tent promoting the Genealogical Society of Queensland. On … More Serendipity, Skills and Talents
Reading for me is like food and water – an essential experience in life, and one I can’t imagine being without. I’m so grateful to my dad for sharing his love of reading with me. Not because we shared books but because I saw his example of reading being a pleasure even though, in retrospect, … More Of Reading and Religion
This week is the finale in Family Tree Frog’s NFHM blog challenge and the theme is “Power without Glory”. Sadly, my family branches are singularly lacking in powerful people – at least beyond their own kin. So let me tell you another story about last week’s ancestor, Stephen Gillespie Melvin, and the events that would … More No glory for the Melvin family
During my presentation at the Gold Coast Conference, Footsteps in Time, I used dot points to provide way finders for offline research. These are the points listed during the talk, by life heading. Please note this file is copyrighted to me and cannot be reproduced elsewhere. Beyond the internet checklist 2 of 2017 You can … More Beyond the Internet
On Australia Day 2017 we reflect on our pride in our country and also, for many of us, our status as descendants of immigrants. Some will have First Australians, others will have early convicts. Some will be part of the early settlers in the colony of New South Wales or Van Dieman’s Land. For me, … More Australia Day and My Immigrant Ancestors
This week’s Sepia Saturday 243 is one of those topics where a personal theme leaps to mind. Every family has its story traditions and family anecdotes, perhaps even about get-rich schemes and near misses. All my life Dad used to tell the story of “the one that got away” in our family. My grandfather who … More A near miss in Coolangatta: Sepia Saturday 243
Family history across the seas 