Victorian Man and Lady

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 10: Strong Woman

Probably the strongest woman I have ever known was my grandmother.  However, due to people still alive who may be impacted if I told her full story I have opted to find another woman in my tree. Someone I never knew and who just from the records I have looks like they did it tough….

Swan River Colony, Western Australia 1831

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 9: Where There’s a Will

Coming up with something for the Week 9 – Where There’s a Will, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge was hard.  Do I do a will left by the deceased, someone with will and determination, or someone named Will?  I finally decided on the latter, although he certainly had will and determination as well. Week…

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 8 Heirloom - Beautiful Bowl

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 8: Heirloom

Finding something to write about for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks in Week 8 – Heirloom has been incredibly hard.  My maternal grandmother died on 23 May 2016 and we were left with all her belongings.  Some of them had names on the back to be given to a specific person.  There were so many…

Stokes Surname England Distribution courtesy of Forebears

Family Surname History – Stokes

Today I am writing about family surname history for Stokes.  I am doing more in-depth research of all the surnames in my tree so have decided to share this as I work my way back through my tree.  There are many great websites on the internet about family surname history and origins so join me…

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 7 Valentine Rose

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 7: Valentine

Moving right along to catch up on the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge.  The week 7 challenge is Valentine.  I really struggled to come up with a topic for this challenge.  Do I find the longest marriage?  Do I find the tragic early death of a spouse?  I couldn’t find any “love” letters in…

Unofficial Guide to Ancestry.com: How to Find Your Family History on the No.1 Genealogy Website

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 6: Favourite Name

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge in week 6 is favourite name.  I have some interesting names in my tree – both first and last names.  Interesting first names that you certainly don’t hear today are Dorcas, Fanny, and Hilton.  The surnames that fascinate me the most and I want to find out their origins…

Convicts, Prison

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 5: In the Census

Moving right along in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, I am moving on to the Week 5 Challenge – In the Census.  Censuses are a great genealogy tool for the family historian.  They provide a snapshot in time of your ancestors – ages, place of birth, occupation, address, relationships between residents at an…

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 4 Invite to Dinner

52 Ancestors in 52 weeks – Week 4: Invite to Dinner

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks fourth challenge is “Invite to Dinner.”  choosing who to write about for this one was easy.  For years I searched for my great-great grandmother Henney – this is her story. Week 4 – Invite to Dinner Many years ago I found my great-great-grandfather, Jonah Walker, in the Census.  In…

National Archives of Australia image Courtesy of NAA

National Archives of Australia

Sometimes finding information about your ancestors in Australia can be difficult.  As I’ve mentioned in previous posts not all records can be found on the subscription genealogy websites.  Sometimes to find your elusive ancestor you need to find another way to source records.  It is a case of knowing where to look.  One of the…

19430605 Marjorey June Brand on her Wedding Day

52 Ancestors in 52 weeks – Week 3: Longevity

As I still have several weeks to catch up on in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, I am moving straight onto week 3.  I hope you enjoy reading about my grandma. Week 3 – Longevity This has proven to be a harder task than I thought it would be.  I am sure there…