Trove does it again – Bridget Widdup and the Florentia

Our good friend Trove has done it again! I mentioned in my East Clare post last week that I was waiting on a new release news story which looked tantalisingly optimistic. It’s now been released and has exceeded my hopes. Regular readers will recall my excitement back in late December when I found a clue … More Trove does it again – Bridget Widdup and the Florentia

B is for Ballykelly, Broadford and Backrow, Bothkennar

I am participating in the A to Z 2012 blog challenge throughout April. My theme is a genealogical travelogue or a travel genealogue (I’m not sure which). B is for Ballykelly in Broadford (Co Clare) in the parish of Kilseily Ballykellytownland is the home of my great-great grandmother, Mary O’Brien from Co Clare. Unfortunately I … More B is for Ballykelly, Broadford and Backrow, Bothkennar

52 weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 7 – Historical documents

Amy Coffin of the We Tree blog, in conjunction with Geneabloggers, has a new series of weekly blogging prompts for 2012 and the theme is 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy.  Week 7 – Historical Documents: Which historical document in your possession are you happy to have? How did you acquire this item? What does it reveal about your … More 52 weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 7 – Historical documents

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 5 Life experiences: Finding Mary O’Brien

Amy Coffin of the We Tree blog, in conjunction with Geneabloggers, has a new series of weekly blogging prompts for 2012 and the theme is 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy.  Week 5’s topic is Life Experiences: Sometimes the challenges in life provide the best learning experiences. Can you find an example of this in your own family tree? … More 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 5 Life experiences: Finding Mary O’Brien

Beyond the Internet Week 1: Church interiors

On his Graceland album, Paul Simon sings of “angels in the architecture”, a phrase that has always resonated with me. But have you considered that perhaps church architecture and interiors are also a source of references to your ancestral angels. Where possible most of us try to locate and photograph the churches of significance to our … More Beyond the Internet Week 1: Church interiors

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (on Monday): Thanksgiving for family history blessings

Randy Seaver at Genea-musings set this week’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun exercise: a special Thanksgiving Edition. In Australia we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but that’s no reason why we shouldn’t give thanks for the wonderful people and information we encounter in our family history searching. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to: 1)  … More Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (on Monday): Thanksgiving for family history blessings

Remembrance Day: honouring the Australian-born Diggers with German ancestry

A couple of my family’s fallen Diggers, James Augustus Gavin and William Rudolph (Robert) Kunkel, were remembered in earlier posts. Today I want to focus on the service of the Australian Diggers in World War I who were descendants of the mid-19thcentury Dorfprozelten immigrants, five of whom gave their lives and another 17 served in … More Remembrance Day: honouring the Australian-born Diggers with German ancestry