It’s funny how when writing about ancestors in the past, it seems easy to be objective and base stories on discovered facts. When writing about more recent people and events, the concern is a lack of objectivity. Having said that, I’ll continue with the story of Dad’s working life which will inevitably be from my … More A numbertaker? Say what?!
One hundred years ago today my grandfather, Denis Joseph Kunkel, was at sea en route to England thence to the war in France. He had volunteered with his younger brother, James Edward, on 22 October 1917[1] probably as part of a push at the time to recruit qualified railway workers to work on the lines … More Grandad goes to war: Remembrance Day 2017
On Friday 31 July 2015, Queensland celebrated the 150th anniversary of the opening of its first train line from Ipswich to Bigge’s Camp on that date in 1865. For a colony that had separated from New South Wales less than six years earlier, this engineering feat was quite an achievement and more was ahead with … More Lives on the line with Qld Rail
This week’s Sepia Saturday image celebrates the 50th anniversary of Dollinger Steel of Beaumont, Texas. We all know 50th events are important ones, whether they’re wedding or business anniversaries, or just birthdays. It has to be said that 60th anniversaries are even rarer, especially of weddings as it takes a youthful marriage and two to … More Sepia Saturday: Mr & Mrs McSherry – Diamond Jubilee 1941
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
Shauna Hicks has initiated a new 52 week series of prompts, Genealogy Records. We’re only into Week 3 but there have already been some interesting topics: Military Medals, Internal Migration and Probate. Over the past few years I’ve done several 52 week series: Personal Genealogy and History (2011), Abundant Genealogy (2012) and my own Beyond the … More 52 weeks of Genealogy Records: Internal Migration
This week’s topic for Sepia Saturday 201 is houses and fits perfectly with a story I’ve been contemplating for some time. It will also link to my Book of Me stories about my childhood house. Back in July 2013 my mother sold the house my parents lived in virtually all of their married lives – … More Sepia Saturday 201: History Slips Away
Today’s Sepia Saturday image is “men in braces”, or perhaps working clothes, or newspapers. In a way my post combines all of these elements. Among my photo collection is a photo of my grandfather taken for a news story. James Joseph McSherry was an incredibly hard worker, having notched up a normal lifetime’s service with … More Sepia Saturday 192: A life in railway service
Another of my photo favourites! I’m a huge devotee of cats and kittens and have been since I was a little girl, thanks to my father’s equal addiction. All my life we’ve shared our homes with one or more cats. Each one has a special place in my memory. When I was a child, one … More Fab Feb Photo Collage: 2 Feb – Cats, Kittens, Maggie & Cyclones
This week I’m writing Week 47 in my Beyond the Internet series in which I explore the sources of information beyond our computer screens and this week’s topic is Police and Railway Staff records. Archives can be a rich source of occupational records, ranging from publicans to police, railways or business, mariners or teachers. As always which … More Beyond the Internet: Week 47 Police and Railway Staff records
Family history across the seas 