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Pop and his shadow
“Just sit there and do not move.” The fiery forge fascinated me. I was Pop’s shadow, exploring his shed, loving the garden and curious about all things Scottish. Living near our grandparents, John (Jock) and Edith Muirhead, we saw them frequently. After retiring from the Post Master Generals Department, Pop filled his days gardening. I…
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Edward Goldsmith, a well-travelled pioneer of South Australia
Edward Goldsmith (Francis Edward Goldsmith, 1825-1875) was the youngest brother of my 2x great grandmother. He and his seven siblings were orphaned when their father John died in 1825 (Edward was born two months after his death) and their mother passed away just four years later.[1] John had been a chemist whose father owned land…
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How do you build a successful history research group?
Notes from the creation of the St Helena Island Community Setting up a new organisation is a daunting prospect. We start with lofty ambitions and unending passion for the subject matter we have as our focus. But the journey is often fraught as we try to find like-minded people, resources, funds and an audience to…
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Girls, Curls, Pearls and Fleurs
“Watch out for that cyclist, Richard”, bellows Hyacinth Bouquet (Bucket) in several episodes of Keeping up Appearances. Richard’s driving prowess was always equal to any threatening situation but one of the most fascinating facets of this family was the flower names of Hyacinth and her sisters, man-adoring Rose, patient Daisy who had scored Onslow as…
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Wayback machine to the rescue: Preserving a place in our family history
Family history isn’t only about names and dates. Places and institutions can also play an important role in our family stories. Back in 2010, on my personal GeniAus blog, I wrote about an institution that has been very important in our family history — St Mary the Virgin Anglican Church at Waverley in Sydney’s eastern…
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The Land Nobody Remembered: Elenor McGuinn’s 44-Year Probate
Sometimes the most revealing genealogical records are not the ones created at the time of an event, but the ones that were forced into existence decades after the fact. That is the case with Elenor McGuinn, whose probate was granted some 44 years after her death, bringing her long-forgotten Dubbo land back into view. A…