I am enjoying this series – Family Surname History. Today I am introducing the family surname Washbrook. Alice Elizabeth Washbrook was my paternal grandfather’s mother. Family Surname History – Washbrook Washbrook is of Olde English origin with the first recorded village of this name being in 1198 in Suffolk.1 It often thought to be of Lancashire…
Fletcher Alderwin Brand Today being ANZAC Day, I have decided to honour my great-grandfather, Fletcher Alderwin Brand, who served in World War I. Today Australia commemorates all the people who have served to allow our country to remain free. Early Years Fletcher was born on 16 December 1881 in Dongara, Western Australia, the seventh of ten children, to David…
Well I am finally caught up with the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. The week 17 challenge is Cemetery. This one was a no brainer for me – I had to write again about Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia. Week 17 – Cemetery If you have been following along with my posts over the past several months…
The week 16 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is Storms. I chose to write about Cyclone Tracy that hit Darwin in 1974. There is a small connection to my family from this storm. Week 16 – Storms Cyclone Tracy Australia is not unaccustomed to cyclones. Northern Australia – Queensland, Darwin, and Western Australia are well practiced in…
Well to say that this weeks 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge has been “taxing” would be an understatement. I struggled to come up with anything that could fit this. I have never looked for tax records – do they even exist for Australian or UK records? Must look into this. Then I had a vague memory of finding something…
I think it is wonderful that Week 14 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge is The Maiden Aunt. So often these women get forgotten in history as they have no ancestors to research them. It is lovely to ensure the memory of these women lives on. The maiden aunt I have chosen to write about today is my great-great-aunt…
The next surname I am writing about in my family surname history is Newman. I am going through the surnames in my tree by generation to find out the origins of the surnames. It is a really interesting topic – understanding family surname history – as it can assist you with where your ancestors originated from. . Family Surname History…
The Old Homestead is the Week 13 Challenge for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. I could only think of one place to talk about. By the time I was 13 I had lived in two countries and three states of Australia and a total of 13 homes. There was no real homestead in my life. I had often heard the…
The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge this week is Misfortune. There are many stories of tragedy in any family, however, the story that has always made me sad is the events that unfolded in my grandma’s family in 1944. . Week 12 – Misfortune . The year was 1944 and World War II had been raging for 5 years.…
For this week’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge, Lucky, I decided to take a bit of a different route. Instead of finding a lucky ancestor, I decided to talk about my luck in finding relatives. Week 11 – Lucky An Australian connection A number of years ago I received a phone call out of the blue from a…