Tracing Family Branches

Honorah Quirk (nee Costello) is my 4th Great Grandmother and is the subject of today's Obituary posting.  Born in Tipperary, Ireland the daughter of Michael Costello and Ann Hogan she came to Australia in 1841 on board the ship Gilbert Henderson with her husband Michael Quirk. Michael died on the 26th of October 1886 and Honorah on the 3rd of January 1897, both are buried at Wagragobilly cemetery. Source: DEATH OF MRS. MICHAEL QUIRK. (1897, January 22). The Burrowa News (NSW : 1874 - 1951), p. 1. Retrieved July 28, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104853019 Transcript: DEATH OF MRS. MICHAEL QUIRK. IT is with regret we (Gundagai Times) record the death of Mrs. Michael Quirk, at the advanced age of 87 years.  She had been a victim to paralysis for some months and succumbed to a change for the worse at noon on Sunday last, surrounded by her dearest friends and relatives.  The funeral, which took place on Monday, was one of the largest and mos...

The I rish Famine Memorial website is well worth a look, it is easy to navigate and very informative.  The Great Irish Famine (1845-1848) is commemorated in Australia with a monument located at the Hyde Park Barracks, on Macquarie Street, Sydney, Australia.  The Famine Orphan Girls that were brought from Ireland to Australia during this time period were the inspiration for the monument and the website contains a searchable database of the Orphan girls. ' This website introduces you to the monument itself, to this particular emigration scheme which operated between 1848 & 1850, to the women themselves and the ships on which they travelled. It is designed to be an motivating and rewarding experience for anyone interested in Irish history and genealogy or in broader issues related to famine, displacement and immigration no matter where in the Irish 'diaspora' you may reside. ' Source: Irish Famine Memorial Sydney homepage.   http://www.irishfaminememorial.org...

Doing genealogical research you come across a lot of different 'causes of death' from natural causes and disease through to accidents, murders and suicides.  Today's Trove  article covers a case of suicide, committed by my 3rd Great Grandfather Henry O'Brien in 1863.  It is the first official one I have come across in my personal research so far and was a bit of a surprise as it was not mentioned by other family researchers I have had contact with.  Unlike some others I do not sanitise my family tree, the facts are the facts and while they can be uncomfortable for some descendants they are a part of the family history and I believe should be recorded as accurately as possible. Source: MUDGEE. (1863, July 11). The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), p. 3. Retrieved July 23, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18708458 Transcript: Henry O'Brien, the owner of the property in Perry-street, was found dea...

Today's obituary is for my 4th Great Grand Aunt Jane Smith (nee Rhall).  Born in Preston, Lancashire, England the daughter of Christopher Rhall and his wife Mary (nee Cassidy), she arrived in Australia in 1828 on board the ship Hooghly .  In 1847 she married John Thomas Smith at Newcastle, New South Wales. Jane died in June 1902 at Newcastle, New South Wales and was buried at Sandgate Cemetery. Source: Mrs. Jane Smith, Newcastle. (1902, July 19). The Catholic Press (NSW : 1895 - 1942), p. 6. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104417917 Transcript: Mrs. Jane Smith, Newcastle. We regret to record the death of Mrs. Jane Smith, who died at her residence, King-street, Newcastle, recently.  Newcastle loses one of its oldest residents.  Mrs. Smith was a daughter of Colour-Sergeant Rhall, of the Fusiliers, who arrived in New South Wales about 1826, Mrs. Smith then being an infant.  After doing duty in various settlements, Colour-Serge...

I came across the Australian Medical Pioneers Index when searching for information about my Pierse family connections.  Rumour has it that Dr. William Joseph Pierse was the brother of Winifred Carrigg nee Pierse and my Great Great Great Grandfather John Pierse.  They were from Listowel area of Kerry, Ireland and all three ended up in Australia.  Winifred who was one of the Irish Famine Orphan Girls arrived in Australia on board the ship Thomas Arbuthnot in 1850 and died in Gundagai, New South Wales in 1899,  William arrived on the ship Isabella Watson in 1852 and died at Peel River, New South Wales in 1861, while John arrived prior to 1862 and died at Darbalara, New South Wales in 1921.  Unfortunately I have not yet been able to verify the family connection but I did find multiple listings for William Pierse on this website.  This website is very easy to navigate and quite interesting! Screen shot of website home page Source: Australian Medic...

This weeks Trove Tuesday article really appealed to me, as this type of article can provide you with real little gems of information about the lives and circumstances of family members; the community and times they lived in.  I particularly like the expression  " There is a great nest of Irishmen out here, ". Immigrant settlers forming ethnic pockets within the population is no new phenomenon and one wonders when you hear people complain about more recent immigrants doing so, if they realise many of their ancestors probably did the same thing! Source: THE TRAVELLER. (1896, October 10). Freeman's Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1932), p. 22. Retrieved July 16, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article111104258 My Great Great Grandfather James Donnelly is mentioned in the article and it helps to provide me with an insight into his life at this time.  ' Mr. O'Halloran has a son a teacher, as has also Mr. Donnelly (who comes from ...

Another website I have used with success over the years is FreeBMD . It provides those on a limited budget with an alternative to the commercial websites with regards to Indexes to Birth, Death and Marriage registrations for England and Wales from 1837 to present.  While is is not yet completely transcribed it is a work in progress and is being constantly added to. 'FreeBMD is an ongoing project, the aim of which is to transcribe the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, and to provide free Internet access to the transcribed records.' Source: FreeBMD. Retrieved from   http://www.freebmd.org.uk / Source: FreeBMD. Retrieved from  http://www.freebmd.org.uk/