Genealife in Lockdown Blogging Challenge - Australian National Family History Month

Genealife in Lockdown Challenge - Australian National Family History Month

                                                                   Life during my isolation period on return from the US in April 2020

NOTE: This blog is written in memory of my dearest cousin Betsy Martin who passed away nine months after my last visit. I miss her and "The Genealogy Kitchen" very much. 

Alex Daw of the Family Tree Frog Blog has challenged bloggers Downunder to publish a blog post each Sunday during National Family History Month in August 2021. You can read about Alex's blogging challenge here.  My first blog post is a few days late but Alex has assured me I will still qualify for one of her fabulous badges! 

                                                                                       RootsTech 2020, Image Sharn White

My genealife in Lockdown began in the USA in March of 2020 while visiting a cousin in Chicago after attending the tenth anniversary Rootstech 2020 conference in Salt Lake City. There was little discussion about Covid at the Rootstech conference and I spent  a total of eight days in Salt Lake City almost oblivious to what was happening around the world. During this time I took wonderful day trips with Kirsty Gray, Fran Kitto, Lilian Magill, Jennifer Condor Strike, Cathie Sherwood and other genea-friends to Antelope Island and Park City ( apologies to those I left out). Naturally high on my list of priorities was lots of research in the wonderful Family History Library in SLC. Life seemed not to be affected by Covid while I was enjoying a fun time in Salt Lake City in March 2020.

                                             Antelope Island, Utah, Image property of Sharn White 

Things changed dramatically soon after I arrived at my cousin's home in Lombard, Chicago when Illinois was plunged into Covid lockdown. Australia at that time was also becoming more affected by Covid and I was hearing announcements by the  Australian Government of  International Border closures. My plan had been to stay in Chicago for a little over three weeks and I was concerned that I should book an earlier flight home. The advice however, I received from Qantas, was to keep the flights that I had booked from Chicago to LA and LA to Sydney because airlines would be cancelling all later bookings before earlier ones as they emptied return flights to Australia. This proved to be the reason I was able to get home while others were left stranded overseas. 

                                                 Watching news of Covid at Betsy's home in Lombard. 

I had travelled to Chicago for a twofold purpose. I had been undergoing medical treatment there for Lyme Disease for a couple of years and so I had a week of treatment booked (this was cancelled after my arrival due to Covid 19). I was also visiting my third cousin Betsy Martin in Chicago as I did each year after Rootstech. My great grandfather, John McDade, who immigrated to Brisbane Qld, Australia in 1923 was the older brother of Betsy's great grandmother, Agnes Leonard nee McDade, who with her family had emigrated to Southern Illinois. The families had lost touch until Betsy found me through my online Ancestry tree.

I first visited Betsy in 2015 following that year's RootsTech Conference which I attended as an Ambassador and each visit we researched the family together at her kitchen bench. Often there was more laughter than research happening as we sat with our laptops back to back, in what we referred to as "The Genealogy Kitchen". Every night after we went to bed, Betsy in her green room and I in the Blue Room, we continued chatting and solving family history mysteries on Facebook messenger. Betsy always finished each night with "Goodnight Blue Room". 

  Trying out the mask I purchased while in Chicago in March 2020 for my flight home. In "The Genealogy Kitchen".

Cousin Betsy and I cancelled all plans to visit family and friends and we only left the house to collect shopping which was placed in the boot (trunk) of her SUV. On each outing we stopped at a drive through Starbucks on the way home for our favourite treat, a Coconut Chai latte. 

On hearing news in the US of the stripping of supermarket shelves in Australia of toilet paper I convinced my cousin to stock up, despite her insistence that Americans would never rush out to do this. Luckily this Aussie insisted as the local supermarkets sold completely out of toilet paper and tissues shortly afterwards. 

                                                                       Stocking up in Chicago

While I was in Chicago in 2020, I gave a presentation for an online conference held by The Surname Society. My talk was delivered using zoom  - my first experience of Zoom - and was entitled "Finding Ancestors who Changed their Names." Little did I know that this was to be the first of many online conferences to come and that RootsTech 2020 would be the last in person conference I would attend for some time. 

On this visit another special cousin Therese had travelled up from Southern Illinois to stay at Betsy's home and each day the three of us sat together researching and laughing in Betsy's Genealogy Kitchen. We had no idea that it would be the last time we would be together and that dear Betsy would very sadly pass away nine months later while still isolating in her home. 

                We drove an hour south to Kankakee so Therese could catch her train back to Southern Illinois

I finally left Chicago, both Betsy and I in tears and I wearing my Cambridge mask. I had a box of surgical gloves in my carry on luggage which were kindly provided by Nurse Barb, the lovely wife of Betsy's brother who lived next door to Betsy. It was early April and only a few days before the Australian federal Government instigated mandatory hotel quarantine. 

 

                                                      Leaving Chicago, O'Hare Airport

I arrived back in Sydney to a limousine which my middle daughter had kindly booked to take me to the Southern Highlands. I had to go into mandatory fourteen days of home isolation and so my family were not able to come near me. My fourteen days eventually turned into seventeen when I was informed that the baggage handlers on my flight to Sydney were infected with Covid. Luckily I had not touched my suitcases without wearing Nurse Barb's handy gloves and I stayed safe and well!

                                                              The gloves I brought back from Chicago

Next week's blog: Family History Downunder. More of my Genealife back in Australia during Lockdown.

Using Wills to Find Family. George Cooke, Yeoman of Shepshed.

 Finding Family in Wills

Will of George Cooke, proved 1716, Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland, Leicestershire Wills and Probate Records 1500-1938, Findmypast. 

George Cooke and his wife Millicent were my eight times great grandparents. The couple had eight sons who were born between 1683 and 1698 [1] in Shepshed Leicestershire. 

Shepshed, in Leicestershire, was originally know as Sheepshed prior to 1888 and gained its name from its origins in the wool industry. At the time Millicent Cooke and her family lived in Shepshed, it would have been mostly pasture for sheep and small farms.[2] 

I discovered my Leicestershire roots while researching my Dawson ancestors In Nottinghamshire. My six times great grandfather, John Dawson married Millicent Cooke on the 5th of January 1756, [3] in Willoughby on the Wolds, Nottinghamshire. Millicent was from a town called Shepshed in the nearby county of Leicestershire. Shepshed was just under 13 miles from where she was married in Nottinghamshire. I have written a blog about marriages between families in neighbouring counties which you can read here. 

                         St Botolph Church, Shepshed, © Copyright Tim Heaton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Millicent Cooke was baptized on the 22 April 1732 [4] to parents Joseph Cooke (b 1698 Shepshed [5]) and Ann Coley ( b 1704 Shepshed, Leicestershire. [6]) Joseph and Ann had married in Shepshed in 1728. [7]

Baptism of Millicent Cooke [ Milicent], Leicestershire Baptisms, Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland, DE610/5, Findmypast.

Joseph Cooke was the youngest of eight sons born in Shepshed to George Cooke and Millicent Cooke. The order of birth of the Cooke sons, 1. John (1683) 2. William (1685) 3. Thomas (1686) 4. George (1690) 5. Henry (1693) 6. Richard (1695) 7. James (1697) and 8. Joseph (1697) [8] became a key piece of evidence in finding information about my eighth great grandfather George Cooke when I found this family in the Findmypast collection of English Wills.

                                    St Botolph, Shepshed, © Copyright Tim Heaton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

I estimated the date of birth of my eight times great grandparents, George and Millicent Cooke to be around 1660, working backwards from the birth their first son, however, I was unable to find any records relating to them apart from the birth and baptisms of their children and burial records for them. George Cooke Senior was buried at St Botolph's Church in Shepshed on 13 February 1729 [9] and a burial record showed that Millicent Cooke was buried there on 14 May 1710 [10] and that she was the 'wife of George'. 

               Burial Record for George Cooke, 13 February 1729, Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicestershire & Rutland, FindmyPast, 

Records can be harder to find when your family history research goes back to the 17th century and beyond. In the absence of other records, Wills can be a wonderful source of information about family and the property they owned.

The burial record for George Cooke, dated the 13th of February 1729 [11] stated that he was a Husbandman. With this occupation George would have been a small landholder or tenant farmer. The significance of this was that more than often the transmission of land occurs by means of a Last Will and Testament, excepting when a person dies intestate. Owning land makes it much more likely that our ancestors wrote a Will.

On the Findmypast website I discovered the Last Will and Testament of George Cooke Senior, Millicent's husband. It was written in 1728, the year he passed away, and it was proved in 1729. [12] 

Will of George Cooke, proved 1729, Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland, Leicestershire Wills and Probate Records 1500-1938, Findmypast

Below is part of my transcription of the Will. 

I give and bequeath unto William Cooke, Thomas Cooke, Henry Cooke and George Cooke, my four lawful sons the sum of Five Pounds of lawful money of Great Britain, to be Equally - divided amongst them...I give and bequeath unto Every one of my Grand-Children...

All of my Goods and Chattels [ ] and property...I give and bequeath unto Joseph Cooke (my Youngest Lawful son) ... and I do Nominate him, Make and Ordain him Sole Executor of this Last Will and Testament... [13]

This Will informs me that George Cooke was Yeoman which means he was a small  landowner. It provides the names of five of my eighth great grandfather George Cooke's sons and it confirms that Joseph, who was my seven times great grandfather was his youngest lawful son. The fact that four of the eight sons John, William, Richard and James, were not mentioned in their father's last Will indicated that I should look for deaths for them prior to 1729 or explore other reasons why they might have been left out of their father's Will. 

  Farmland near Shepshed, Leicestershire, The copyright on this image is owned by Andy Jamieson and is licensed for reuse under the Creative       Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

I found burial records for two infant sons of George and Millicent Cooke. Richard Cooke (1695-1695) [14] and James Cooke (1697-1697). [15]  Both babies only lived a few months. 

There were four deaths in Shepshed for males named John Cooke prior to George Cooke writing his Last Will and Testament in 1728. John Cooke who died in 1697 [16] was described  as a Bachelor so he would have  older than the fourteen years my John Cooke would have been at that time. John Cooke who died in 1699 [17] was a Householder and so again not the correct person. John Cooke who died in Shepshed in June of 1726 [18] was the son of Thomas and Mary, eliminating him from being George Cooke's son.

Transcriptions do not always contain all the vital details which are included in original records and this signifies the importance of checking originals where possible to avoid errors. I found John Cooke, the son of George Cooke being buried in  Shepshed in 1711 [19]. Four of the five sons not mentioned in George Cooke senior's Will had pre-deceased their father. This was why they were not mentioned in the 1729 Will. 

A second Last Will and Testament, this one written by another George Cooke in 1708 [20] which was proved in 1716, offered a possible explanation as to why my ancestor's second son William Cooke was omitted from his father's Will in 1729.

Will of George Cooke, proved 1716, Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland, Leicestershire Wills and Probate Records 1500-1938, Findmypast. 

"Whereas William Cooke second son of George Cooke (my nephew) is in the second place [  ] copy-hold Cottage, situated and and being in Shepshed aforesaid, and George Cooke the fourth son of the said George Cooke of the last place the copy-hold cottage. My wishes and Will is that the said William Cooke shall take the said George Cooke (his brother) out of the said last place of the copy-hold cottage by a surrender out of Court according to Custom immediately after my death and [  ] and the said William Cooke to hold the same cottage ... I give unto Thomas Cooke the third son of said George Cooke my nephew... I give and bequeath to John Cooke and Thomas Cooke my nephews the sons of Henry Cooke my youngest brother..." [21]

The order of  sons, William Cooke being the second son and George the fourth son of George Cooke, (nephew) revealed that this Last Will and Testament was written by an uncle of my eight times great grandfather George Cooke. This earlier 1709 Will offered a plausible explanation as to why William Cooke, the second son of my eight times great grandfather was left out of his father's 1728 Will. 

William Cooke had inherited the bulk of his great uncle's property earlier in 1709 and was seemingly well taken care of financially when his father wrote his own Will nineteen years later. Not only had William inherited most his uncle's property but he was instructed to remove his younger brother George from it by a surrender out of court.  This term indicates that the property inherited was copyhold and possibly sub-leased to young George and was to be surrendered or transferred to William on their uncle's death. Wills are an excellent source of information about property as well as family members.

Will of George Cooke, proved 1716, Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland, Leicestershire Wills and Probate Records 1500-1938, Findmypast. 

Very importantly, this 1709 Will named the youngest brother of George Cooke (uncle of my eight times great grandfather) as Henry and Henry's sons as being John Cooke and Thomas Cooke. 

This is valuable information about my Cooke family that I would likely not have found anywhere else. From the details provided in the Will, I knew that George Cooke's father, my ninth great grandfather, had two brothers named George and Henry. With no birth or marriage record in Shepshed for my ancestor George Cooke and with Cooke being a common name, the family names mentioned in the Will were vital information for my search for finding George's birth, who his parents were and where he had come from.

 

                           Field Street, Shepshed, © Copyright Oliver Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. 

Wills can be a rich source of information about family and property and are an excellent substitute for parish or civil records. Finding out more about George Cooke and his wife Millicent, my eight times great grandparents, is an ongoing search. With the details provided in the Wills written by my eighth great grandfather George Cooke and his uncle, also named George Cooke, who both died in Shepshed, Leicestershire in 1729 and 1708, I now have clues that hopefully will take my research further. 

FOOTNOTES

1. Baptism of sons between 1683 and 1698, Shepshed Anglican, Leicestershire Baptisms, Findmypast.

2. Shepshed, Genuki, https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LEI/Shepshed

3. Marriage of Millicent Cooke and John Dawson, 5 January 1756, Willoughby on the Wolds, Nottinghamshire, England & Wales Marriages, 1538-1940, Ancestry.com

4. Baptism of Millicent Cooke [ Milicent], Leicestershire Baptisms, Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland, DE610/5, Findmypast.4.

5. Baptism of Joseph Cooke, 18 December 1698, Shepshed, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Baptisms, Findmypast

6. Baptism of Ann Coley, 2 December 1705, Shepshed, Leicestershire, England Select Births and Christenings, Ancestry.com

7. Marriage of Joseph Cooke and Ann Coley, 20 August 1728, Shepshed, Leicestershire, England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973, Ancestry.com

8. Baptism of Joseph Cooke, 18 December 1698, Shepshed, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Baptisms, Findmypast

9. Burial of George Cooke, 13 February 1729, Shepshed, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Burials, Findmypast

10.Burial of Millicent Cooke, 14 May 1710, Shepshed, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Burials, Findmypast

11. Burial of George Cooke, 13 February 1729, Shepshed, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Burials, Findmypast

12. Will of George Cooke Senior, 1728-1729, Administration and Wills, Record Office of Leicestershire, Leicestershire & Rutland, Findmypast

13. Ibid.

14. Burial of Richard Cooke, 10 February 1695, Shepshed, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Burials, Findmypast

15. Burial of James Cooke, 11 October 1697, Shepshed, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Burials, Findmypast

16. Burial of John Cooke, 1697, Shepshed, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Burials, Findmypast

17. Burial of John Cooke, 1699, Shepshed, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Burials, Findmypast

18. Burial of John Cooke, 1724, Shepshed, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Burials, Findmypast

19. Burial of John Cooke, 19 September 1711, Shepshed, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Burials, Findmypast

20. Will of George Cooke, 1708-1709, Administration and Wills, Record Office of Leicestershire, Leicestershire & Rutland, Findmypast

21. Ibid.

RootsTech Connect 2021 - Tips for Preparing

 ROOTSTECH CONNECT 25-27 February 2021  - How to Prepare

Note: I am an official RootsTech Ambassador #RootsTechConnect

Every year genealogy enthusiasts from countries around the world, with all levels of experience and from all walks of life, gather in Salt Lake City, USA, for the world's largest and without a doubt, the most exciting genealogy conference. 

With multiple streams of classes, an enormous expo hall and numerous activities, RootsTech offers the most amazing learning opportunity for anyone interested in family history. This conference also provides an amazing opportunity for meeting like minded people and making new and often forever friends. 

The RootsTech Conference each year is truly a genealogist's dream come true, which is why since I first attended RootsTech all the way from Sydney, Australia, in 2015, I have been back every year! I also attended the first ever London RootsTech Conference. 

This year due to Covid, RootsTech has gone VIRTUAL which is very exciting. Although I am always astounded at the large number of people that RootsTech attracts in person, I am more than thrilled that over 300,000 people from around the world have registered to attend this incredible event provided FREE by FamilySearch. 

To date I know that there are over 6000 people from Australia registered, which goes to show just how far reaching a virtual genealogy conference can be. This is a huge task for FamilySearch and much gratitude must go to the organiZers of this event.

If you want to REGISTER for RootsTech Connect 2021 you can find a link to registration here.

                                                                            Some of the many friends I have made at RootsTech

To help you to prepare for RootsTech Connect I am posting links below with information about people and events. I am so thrilled with the number of people that this free event is reaching, many of whom would never have experienced this incredible conference otherwise, that I can't even be disappointed that I'm not catching up with the many great friends I have made at RootsTech over the years! Well maybe a little....

Having attended RootsTech previously and proudly being an Ambassador for the conference eight times I am going to suggest a few TIPS to help you prepare for RootsTech. 

Being organized will make your conference experience be much more fun.

Don't forget to sign up for a FamilySearch account (it's free) and download the RootsTech App on your phone or tablet. You can Find Relatives at RootsTech! We might be related.

Make sure you have the dates 25-27 February in your diary! 

Check out the full Keynote Speaker Schedule. 

                                                                                 Day one of the Keynote Speaker Schedule

Study the schedule of classes beforehand and decide which you want to attend. Don't leave it until the day to choose, as it can be overwhelming with so many interesting classes on offer. 

This year, being a virtual conference, the schedule for the classes offered is 18 pages long! If you want to be really organized, you could make your own schedule of classes and times once you have decided.

                                                                                   Page one of 18 pages of the Class Schedule

Wherever you are in the world make sure you get the time right! RootsTech have provided this handy time converter to make sure you make it to RootsTech on time!

Have your notebooks or tablet handy for taking notes if like me you are a note taker. 

RootsTech has offered you an INVITATION TO PREVIEW THE EXPO HALL

                                                                                           The Expo Hall at a previous RootsTech

I have added links below to press releases from RootsTech so you can read all about the conference before you attend in comfort from your own home. 

            I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL ROOTSTECH CONNECT EXPERIENCE!  

NOTE Don't forget to use the official hashtag #RootsTechConnect on social media during the conference so everyone can follow the conversation.

LINKS

The Road to RootsTech Episode 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O582UXd3Kg

The Road to RootsTech Episode 6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3enV2uudsbE&t=1s

Blog: 10 February 2021, Find Your Relatives at RootsTech Connect 2021, https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/relatives-at-rootstech-connect-2021/

Press Release: 1 February 2021, RootsTech Keynotes Include Grammy Winner, Pro Athletes and More, https://media.familysearch.org/rootstech-keynotes-include-grammy-winner-pro-athletes-and-more/

Blog: 1 February 2021, RootsTech 2021 Presents Nick Barratt, https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/nick-barratt-rootstech-connect/

Blog: 1 February 2021, UVU President Astrid Tuminez a Featured Keynote at RootsTech Connect 2021, https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/astrid-tuminez-rootstech-connect/

Blog: 1 February 2021, Ladysmith Black Mambazo at RootsTech Connect 2021, https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/ladysmith-black-mambazo-rootstech-connect/

Blog: 1 February 2021, Ladysmith Black Mambazo at RootsTech Connect 2021, https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/ladysmith-black-mambazo-rootstech-connect/

Blog: 1 February 2021, World Famous Soccer Player Tita to Share His Story at RootsTech Connect, https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/tita-rootstech/

Blog: 1 February 2021, Will Hopoate: RootsTech Connect 2021 Keynote Speaker, https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/will-hopoate-rootstech-connect/

Blog: 1 February 2021: RootsTech Connect Presents bless4 as Keynote Speakers and Performers, https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/bless4-rootstech/

Blog: 1 February 2021: RootsTech Connect 2021 Presents Bruna Benites, https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/bruna-benites-rootstech-connect/

CLIMBING YOUR FAMILY'S GUM TREE AGAIN

 Australia Day Blogging Challenge - Climbing Your Family's Gum Tree

Hugh and Sarah White at Seventeen Mile Rocks

In 2014, my genea-friend Pauleen Cass created a 26th of January, Australia Day blogging challenge entitled "Climbing Your Family's Gum Tree". Today, five years later, on the 26th of January. 2021, I am revisiting this challenge along with other blogger friends. Here are my 2021 responses to this blogging challenge. Although I have not answered all 26 of the questions, I hope you enjoy my responses. 

My first family member to arrive in Australia was my third great uncle, convict Laurence Frayne. (Among the many convict records I have found relating to him, his name is also spelled as Lawrence.) He was convicted in Dublin, Ireland, of the theft of a piece of rope on the 25th of October 1825 and sentenced to seven years transportation to NSW. He arrived in Sydney on the ship Regalia on the 5th of August, 1826. His brother Michael, my three times great grandfather, also convicted of theft arrived in Australia in 1837 on board the ship St Vincent.

Researching Laurence Frayne's story took me to Norfolk Island to appear on Series 2, Episode 6 of Coast Australia.

I have Australian Royalty. In addition to Michael Frayne (my three times great grandfather) and his brother Laurence Frayne their brother John arrived as a convict in 1835. My third great grandfather Michael Frayne married Mary Williams, daughter of Joseph Williams or Williamson and Mary Kelly from Limerick. Mary was convicted of stealing a cloak in Limerick City and arrived in Sydney on the Sir Charles Forbes in 1837. 

I have written about my Australian Royalty on my blog Family Convictions - A Convict Ancestor https://familyconvictions.blogspot.com/

My Ancestors came to Australia from:

Ireland 

Scotland

England

Switzerland

Germany

Did any of your ancestors arrive under their own steam? 

While obviously my convict ancestors arrived in Australia somewhat reluctantly, others came as assisted immigrants and some paid their own way to make a new life in Australia. 

My paternal grandmother arrived in Queensland in 1913 aged 11 years on board the ship Ayrshire with her parents and four siblings. The family were well to do flax farmers in Brookend, County Tyrone, but health problems dictated that my great grandfather Hugh Eston WHITE must to move away from his native country to a warmer climate. The family was  nominated by Sarah's brother Andrew Shaw THOMPSON who, via New Zealand, had also migrated and finally settled on the Darling Downs near Dalby. The family paid the full cost of the voyage for themselves and their loyal servant Lizzie who refused to be parted with them.

My paternal grandfather Colin Hamilton MCDADE arrived in Brisbane, Queensland in 1923 from Glasgow, Scotland, aged 19 years, along with his parents John McDade and Elizabeth GIBSON. All but one of his 9 siblings, a sister, Maggie, who had migrated to Illinois, USA were on the ship. According to passenger records the family paid for their voyage to Australia. 

My maternal great grandfather, Ian Cuthbert HOYES travelled by ship from Auckland, New Zealand in 1905. He changed his name and left behind a wife and child. On arrival after paying for his voyage, he became an opera singer claiming to be "the famous American tenor Leo REECE"

My maternal two times great grandfather John MORRISON was born in Aberdeen but married in Newcastle on Tyne, Northumberland and worked there as a carpenter and joiner. He and his wife Elizabeth MORLEY left England with their three eldest daughters. The family can be found on the Victorian Unassisted Passenger Lists arriving in Victoria in 1878. They lived for a year in Mortlake, adding a daughter to the family. In 1879 the family moved to Strathfield in Sydney, NSW, where they had a further seven children and John became a well known builder as well as a tram and rail carriage maker. His rail carriage workshop was located at Strathfield. 

One of John Morrison's C Class tram Carriages, 1890, Tram Museum, Loftus

The following of my ancestors arrived in Australia as assisted immigrants under immigration schemes.

Jacob and Anna HABERLING arrived Maryborough, Qld, 1871, on the ship Reichstag from Hamburg with five children. 

MY g g grandmother Barbara Lena NARGAR nee Haberling with her children. She arrived aged 4 years in 1871.

My three times maternal great grandfather, Gottlieb NERGER arrived on the ship Caesar Godeffroy December 1852. He became a shepherd on the Darling Downs and later purchased a farm.

My three times maternal great grandmother, Christiana SIEGLER 20, arrived in Queensland in August 1862, from Beutelsbach in the south of Germany with her brother Gotlob17, as an assisted passenger on board the ship La Rochelle.

Mary WESTON nee TURNER was my g g grandmother. She left Suffolk, England after being widowed, and travelled to Maryborough, Qld on the ship Flying Cloud August 30, 1870 with her son Edward Joseph, aged 16 years. They were assisted immigrants.

My g g grandfather Edward Joseph Weston, born Suffolk, England, in Qld, in later life.

How many came as couples?

Great Grandparents  

• Two couples  Hugh and Sarah (Thompson) White arrived in Queensland with five children from Northern Ireland in 1913  
• John and Elizabeth (Gibson) McDade arrived with eight of their nine children from Glasgow, Scotland in 1923.

Great great Grandparents

 John and Hannah (Gair) Morrison  arived in Victoria with three daughters from Newcastle on Tyne, Northumberland, England in 1878. 

Great great great Grandparents 

Jacob and Anna (Ryser) Haberling from Zurich and Bern, Switzerland, arrived together with their five daughters in 1870 to Maryborough, Qld. 

How many came as family groups?  Answered above.

Did anyone make a two-step emigration via another place?

I have ancestors who first migrated to New Zealand from Lincolnshire with the Albertlanders. The head of this family was a miller whose son, my great grandfather, later migrated to Queensland. Other family from Northern Ireland migrated to to the Dunedin area where they became sheep farmers and breeders. One branch of this family later moved to the Darling Downs in Queensland. 

Which state(s)/colony did your ancestors arrive?

Most of my ancestors arrived in Queensland and settled in Brisbane or Maryborough. Some settled on the Darling Downs. One family arrived in Victoria and moved first to Sydney and then to Queensland where the family lived in Ipswich and later Cooroy. One German three times great grandfather arrived in Sydney, but he was on route to the Darling Downs to work as a shepherd. 

What occupations or industries did your earliest ancestors work in?

• My earliest English ancestors whose occupations I have researched, can be traced back as Land owners in Bix, Oxfordshire (1600's) 
• Millers in Marston Lincolnshire (1600's) 
• Bailiffs in Morpeth, Northumberland (1500's) 
• Weavers in Nottinghamshire (1600's)
• Farmers in Polstead, Suffolk and Dedham, Essex (1500's) 
• Most of my other English ancestors from Berkshire, Leicestershire, Hampshire and other counties were farmers or Ag Labs.

My German ancestors were employed in the wine industry in the south of Germany as far back as the 1400's. A few were musicians.

My Swiss ancestors were shoemakers going back to the 1700's. Going further back I have traced the tree, but not discovered occupations as yet.

My earliest Scottish ancestors were Campbells who were land owners. My McDade ancestors were Irish Immigrants escaping the potato famine and when they arrived in Scotland circa 1840, the men worked as coal miners and the women in the cotton industry. 

I have discovered that my Northern Irish ancestors were gentlemen flax farmers back to the 1700's. 

Does anyone in the family still follow that occupation?

No one in my family has continued working in the occupation they had generations ago. 

Did any of your ancestors leave Australia and go “home”?

I suspect that a convict who disappeared may have managed to make his way back to Ireland but I am still working on this theory.

NOW IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU

What’s your State of Origin?

I was born in and grew up in Brisbane, Queensland.

Do you still live there?

I was married in Queensland but a year later we moved to Sydney, NSW for my husband's work as an architect. I still think of Queensland as home and spend as much time as possible there.

Where was your favourite Aussie holiday place as a child?

My maternal grandmother lived at Maroochydore, very close to the beach so most of my childhood holidays were spent there. I had other holidays with my paternal grandparents at Caloundra and Southport. The Sunshine Coast was definitely my favourite place to holiday as it was like a second home to me.

Any special place you like to holiday now?

The Sunshine Coast has remained a special place for me - a place filled with wonderful memories. I have taken my own family on an annual holiday to Mooloolaba each year although this year we decided not to travel due to Covid. 

My other favourite place to holiday is Norfolk Island. 

Share your favourite spot in Oz:

Norfolk Island is probably my favourite place in Australia with its breathtaking scenery, crystal clear water, convict and other history, friendly people, wonderful food and chckens and cows roaming freely!

Any great Aussie adventure you’ve had?

My father was part owner of a resort on Fraser Island and my parents went to live there when I was a teenager. They lived at Orchid beach while my sister and I boarded, so every school holiday and on some weekends, a small  four seater plane collected us and our pilot (nicknamed Fearless Fred ( I never did find out why)  flew us from Brisbane to orchid Beach. We explored every inch of the island and swam in most of the lakes. My youngest sister was schooled on the island by a governess. For a young teenager this was quite an adventure  I was lucky enough to travel the island for a week with scientists who were examining the flora and fauna of the island. Flying back and forth to Fraser Island where the brumbies had to be shoed off the grass air strip so planes could land, definitely motivated me to learn to fly aged twenty and also to accept a two year teaching post on another island following my teacher training. 

What’s on your Australian holiday bucket list?

I would love to drive the Great Ocean Road. It is something I have had on my bucket list for some time.

How do you celebrate Australia Day?

When my children were young each Australia Day we went boating on Sydney Harbour. We decorated the boat and participated in the Australia day parade of boats after anchoring in a cove somewhere for lunch and a swim (and braving the sharks). 

One year we decorated the boat as The Barbie Boat, with Barbie dolls and pink balloons all over the boat. We played Aqua's then popular song, I'm a Barbie Girl, very loudly as the children (and adults) danced a well choreographed but possibly not as well performed dance on the boat to the music. That night, when anchored alongside other boats in Darling Harbour, although we didn't win best dressed boat with our American themed decorations we did get a very special mention and the entire harbour erupted in a cheer and we were requested to perform it again! 

The very pink Barbie Boat on a past Australia Day

Today, I regard Australia Day very differently to the way I once viewed it. I am pleased that there is a much needed conversation beginning to take place which addresses the suitability of celebrating what was really a takeover of an already occupied nation. Whilst as an historian, I appreciate this country's history and the roll that my ancestors played in it, I do believe a day of celebration for Australia as a nation today, needs to be more inclusive of indigenous history. If we are to celebrate Australia, we should perhaps celebrate the day that we became a nation, which was January 1, 1901, when the federation of Australia came into being.