We recently went to Burra, South Australia. It is about 2 hours from my home in Adelaide, South Australia. Burra is renowned for its copper deposits and the Cornish people who came to South Australia to mine it. https://www.clarevalley.com.au/directory/burra-mine-site My Cornish Scadden ancestors did things a bit differently from others who came to South Australia. … [Read more…]
On a recent trip to Bendigo we visited the Central Deborah Mine and Museum to show my grandchildren a little bit about what mining was like there. We were unable to go underground but explored the above ground exhibits and parts of the old mine buildings above ground thoroughly. My Wigley ancestors went from Nottinghamshire, … [Read more…]
I found this post in my drafts which I didn’t finish last year. At the time I didn’t have the words to say what Lorna meant to me growing up and I really wanted to do her justice but reflecting on someone’s life and their passing a year later gives a lot more perspective. I … [Read more…]
Warning – historical content 1940 to 1980, racist dog name and cruelty to animals – greyhound coursing with live animals. Nine years ago I adopted a retired racing greyhound named Squizzy. Her racing name is Tears and Rain. She’s thirteen years old now and finished racing when she was four. She loves her retirement, sleeping … [Read more…]
*Update Finding when your ancestors migrated to South Australia can be a hit and miss affair. This is relating to those who came to South Australia from around the world or from elsewhere in Australia. There are many websites with passenger lists for ships arriving in South Australia. You may know several of them but … [Read more…]
The story of Isaac Mepstead comes from a tree I’m researching for a customer. Isaac lived in Hythe, Kent, England and was a fish hawker. At the age of 19 he stole some lead and iron and was convicted and sentenced on 13 Apr 1846 at the St Augustine’s Quarter Sessions. There isn’t any more … [Read more…]