Blog

What is this blog about?

Welcome to my home, my family history and genealogy blog. Here, you’ll discover practical guidance for researching your family tree and connecting with both living relatives and historical ancestors.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or revisiting an existing family tree, this blog will help you:

  • Navigate the exciting journey of genealogical discovery
  • Build comprehensive family connections
  • Verify existing research and uncover new branches

Family history research is surprisingly straightforward once you begin. It often starts with a simple spark of curiosity—that lightbulb moment when you realise you want to understand your  family heritage and discover where you came from.

My own genealogical journey began with this same curiosity, and through sharing my experiences and research methods, I hope to inspire and guide you on your own path of discovery.

Every family has stories waiting to be uncovered. Your ancestors’ lives, struggles, and triumphs are part of your heritage, and this blog will show you how to piece together those fascinating family narratives.

Beyond simply collecting names and dates, I’ll guide you through the art of storytelling—bringing your ancestors to life by adding historical context to their stories. This approach transforms dry genealogical data into vivid family histories that truly honour your heritage.

Ready to begin? Let’s embark on this rewarding journey of family discovery together.

  • The Arrivals – 1883 (1).

    Oban Bay. In 1883, two of my ancestors arrived. The first was my maternal Scottish great-grandfather. He was onboard the “Oban Bay” which departed Glasgow. The second voyage in 1883 will be in the next instalment of “The Arrivals.” Golden Find. My lucky find – A diary of a fellow passenger named William Smart.  The Read more

  • The Arrivals – 1877.

    Fritz Reuter. The earliest arrival of my ancestors was in 1877. The ship “Fritz Reuter” set sail from Hamburg, Germany. It arrived off-shore from Rockhampton before passengers disembarked and were taken up the Fitzroy River into the town. Of these passengers, was my second maternal great-grandmother who arrived with her husband and their son. The Read more

  • The Arrivals.

    Within this series, I will explore each of the journeys taken by my ancestors. All of them arrived in Queensland, so it made my research a little easier. There would have been a variety of reasons why they would have decided to head off to Australia. Then, all my ancestors ended up living in the Read more

  • Memories Are Forever.

    Within the previous four posts under “Somebody I Use To Know”, I shared my memories of my grandparents. As mentioned, I was lucky to have known all of them and had shared or observed various experiences. Triggers. In this writing, I will share more of my own memories, mainly due to the different triggers in Read more

  • Somebody I Use To Know… Part four.

    Disclaimer. In my writings here, I will be honest and very blunt about my impressions, in each part of “Somebody I Use To Know”. Now finally, my maternal grandfather. He was born in 1900, in a small town just a few miles west of where I lived/brought up in my early years. He was the Read more

  • Somebody I Use To Know… Part three.

    Disclaimer. In my writings here, I will be honest and very blunt about my impressions, in each part of “Somebody I Use To Know”. My parental grandfather was born in 1911, in a very small village in Norfolk, England. It is located just across the county border with Suffolk. I have had the fortune to Read more