Lilian's Tree

  Every year Jill Ball prompts us to.  Accentuate the Positive   I read the prompts, this year and didn't think I had much to contribute but reading other bloggers posts reminded me of things I had done. I've left some blank but that could change. 1. I got the most joy from, not having to rush anywhere. Still had meetings but without the stress of driving to them or going on public transport and from having time to spread out the paperwork and not have to tidy it up until I was done with it.   2. The Covid situation gave me an opportunity to, tidy up my genealogical book shelves. I now have all the books, referring to countries, together, not spread over three shelves. All the books on writing, together and the research books, also together. So much easier to find them.   3. I managed to attend a face to face event at, I did, in February, get to the New South Wales Archives, exciting to get there. Also in May, the Botany Bay Family History Society had ...

Rootstech 2022  Back on 2016 I attended my first Rootstech conference and was blown away by the sheer size of it. The immense number of talks, presentations , key note speakers and the vendor hall. I LOVED IT! I made new friends, saw old ones, learnt heaps and then spent the next 10m days exploring parts of Nevada and  California. 2017 saw me back in Salt Lake City and my second Rootstech, this time I paced myself and didn't try and cram everything in. 2018 and 2019 had me getting up very early for the online sessions as I didn't get to attend, in person, those two years, but I still had fun and learnt heaps. 2020 and even though Covid-19  was around, I ventured across the Pacific Ocean, to attend in person. It was wonderful to be hugged by friends, catch-up for a meal and a chat, venture out to Antelope Island and the Spiral Jetty and to walk around Salt Lake City, looking at the beautiful murals. I was even fortunate to be given four DNA kits from four companies as a 't...

 I have been watching Inside Central Station,    on SBS, for the past 10 weeks and found it very interesting. Last Sunday, 14 November was the last show and they went into the unused train tunnels, under Sydney's Hyde Park. They were looking for World War 2 graffiti and found one that had the person's name, unit and service number, sooooooo guess what I did?  Yes I researched him. The photo is of the image on the TV, so it's not the best but it's enough to show that information.  I went to the Australian War Memorial website, but didn't find anything but they had links to the National Archives of Australia - Personal service records and the Department of Veterans' Affairs Nominal Rolls. I discovered that Robert Harry Dunkley   was born in 1924 in Adelaide, South Australia. Next of Kin was Nelly Dunkley. He enlisted 13 May 1934 and was discharged 15 July 1946. His posting at discharge was 14 Aust Work Coy. His rank was Private. As his Army Records aren'...

 Before house were given numbers, they often  had names and this makes me ask, "Did your house have a name?" My husband, Paul,  grew up in the same house that his mother, Edna Sigrist,  did and it had the name "Bodalla."   The reason behind this name was that Christopher Fredrick SIGRIST (1858-1919)   had worked in the small country town, on the far south coast of New South Wales, to pay of his bankruptcy. Christopher was Edna's grandfather and Paul's great-grandfather. Fairmount Street, Lakemba. I grew-up in Arncliffe, in a very tiny street, with only six houses, four on the odd side and two on the even side. In researching on Trove I have found that the house was named "Aberdeen," but I don't remember seeing any mention of it. The veranda tiles at Arncliffe. In 2014 Paul and I started renovations on our home, with the view that they would be finished before Paul retired in 2015. They were and it was then that we thought of giving the house a ...

 15 weeks ago Sydney was slapped with a Covid-19 lockdown. We had restrictions placed on us, movement between Local Government Areas (LGA) curtailed or restricted, a 9.00pm curfew, 5km radius limits in several  LGA's cut families of from each other, masks became a fashion accessory and shops shut. Today we have had the restrictions eased, slightly but not for all. If you are fully vaccinated then you can enjoy these freedoms. BUT it's not a war but a deadly pandemic and we haven't won. Just as people found loopholes in the restrictions, they will find them now, and we will gain nothing. For me today meant that hubby and I can now go and visit our grandchildren, go for a walk, without wearing a mask and make appointments with specialists, we should have made weeks ago. Will we go to a pub or club for a meal?  No. Will we get a coffee from our local café? Probably.  The difference, I can trust one to enforce the requirements of social distancing, vaccination certificat...

 Well for someone, who had been in lockdown since 25 June, I have been busy. July saw me do a click 'n' collect on our new car. It's lovely to drive but we can't go anywhere. I've taken up the jigsaw craze, and have done 13, so far.  I finished the rug, I was making and it's snuggly. I'm knitting myself a jumper, should be done by next winter. Cooking has been fun with my first attempt at making sourdough bread. It takes ages, as bread making does and Paul and I enjoyed it. I made two dozen cupcakes and two dozen scones and did a neighbourhood scone run. Sourdough Miss 5 was having a birthday, so I made and iced (pink) cupcakes and we had a Zoom party, with her. Other things I cooked were a weetbix slice, fruit cake, chocolate mousse and a meat pie. Counting this post, I've done 12. I took part in the Family History Month, Genalife in Lockdown Challenge, were we were challenged to write about some part of out family. I worked on the Galbraith side of the...

 Back at the start of August, when I started searching for George Galbraith, I didn't know the journey it would take me on and what I would find. Since Family History Month is over, I've continued my research and now can tie things up neatly. Firstly:  Andrew Galbraith, Samuel and Margaret's fifth son. You can read about him here;  Andrew Galbraith    Now what I have found is that Andrew did go to Australia, arriving in Adelaide on 20 September 1878 on board the Largo Bay, with 363 other Scottish Immigrants. From newspaper articles in the Kapunda Herald, South Australia Register and the South Australian Advertiser, they were 'eagerly-expected' and they all found work, very quickly. I haven't found much more on Andrew, so I don't know what he did BUT on Monday 14 August 1893, page 4 of the Evening Journal had a notice asking if anyone knew where  Andrew was as a solicitor in Ayr, Scotland was looking for him. It also mentioned that he was employed by the Mou...

                                                  FOUND HIM!   Way back at the start of this month, I mentioned that on my 2x great-grandfather's Monumental Inscription was the line also his g-son GEORGE GALBRAITH.  This has lead me on a very interesting voyage of discovery, with this branch of my tree. One I have enjoyed and plan to continue. SO WHO WAS GEORGE GALBRAITH and WHERE DID HE FIT? The only child I haven't told you about has been Samuel and Margaret's second son John b 1840 -d 1919. Searching on  Scotland's People gave me a marriage, in 1872 of John Galbraith and Helen McCulloch. He was 31 and she was 22. I then searched for any children and found five. Samuel b 1873. Helen Muirhead b 1874 Robert McCulloch b 1877. John McCulloch (Register  of Corrected Entries changed to Muirhead.) b 1881. Margaret ...

I hadn't paid much attention to the siblings of my great-grandfather, Arthur Galbraith (1852-1894) but the Genealife in Lockdown Challenge has seen me rectify that.  I'm getting close to unveiling exactly where George Galbraith fits into the Galbraith Tree and it has been fun getting there. William Galbraith, born 1845 is the lead in this post, the third living son of Samuel and Margaret. William is going to have me doing more research on him  as I found that he became a Doctor. I find William on the 1851 and 1861 Scottish Censes' with his parents and siblings, then I find him married at age 23 to Frances Mary McKenzie, widow of Kenneth Alexander McKenzie, (and that opens up a whole new line of research). Her parents are given as John Baldwin and Emma Baldwin, nee Bacon. They marry in 1868, in Edinburgh with his profession  given as Assisted Surgeon. Frances is aged 30. William and Frances have three daughters, Frances Agnes Baldwin Galbraith, born 1868, in Scotland, Marg...

                                     TIDYING UP LOOSE ENDS. Been digging in the Galbraith Family Garden, for anything related to the first born son John, (b1837-d1837-40) other than his mention on Samuel's monumental inscription. Nothing, maybe he was premature and didn't live long enough to be registered or his records are missing, all of the other children are registered.  Andrew is another with little to no information to be found, other than his birth and two census records. I have two theories on this.  1) He disappeared sometime before the 1871 census when he would have been 22. Could he have emigrated to Canada, US or Australia? This is an avenue I will need to search. 2) Maybe his middle name was Alfred and is the Alfred mentioned on Samuel's monumental inscription. I have NO evidence of a middle name for Andrew, so this is a vague theory. Arthur b 1850 and on ...

 Since I've been doing some cooking, I thought I'd share two recipes with you, so everyone can gain some Covid calories. The first one was from my mother and doesn't have eggs, butter or milk in it. COLD TEA CAKE. 1 cup cold tea 3/4 cup sugar 1 cup currants (here I use what ever is on hand, sultanas, mixed fruit, etc.) combine. When the mixture is cold, add 2 cups Self raising flour. Mix well. Grease a loaf tin and add mixture. Heat oven to 170 Centigrade. Bake for 1 hour. Or until a skewer comes out clean. Enjoy! WEETBIX CHOCOLATE SLICE. 6 Weetbix - crushed but not very fine. 1/2 cup brown sugar. 1/2 cup chocolate drinking powder. 1 cup coconut. 1 cup self raising flour. 250g Copha - melted. Combine all ingredients. If a bit moist add another Weetbix.  Grease or line, with baking paper a lamington tin. Add mixture to tin. Bake for 20 minutes at 170 Centigrade. Ice if required.  I slice half, while still hot but leave it in the tin to cool and then ice the other half once...

            The Elusive George Galbraith I'm having fun trying to find George, he has me searching through Ancestry, FindMyPast, FamilySearch and Scotland's People looking for any hint as to who he belongs to. Last Sunday I mentioned Agnes Galbraith and looking into her cause of death, well I found her death. Agnes died of Consumption on 17 November 1867 at the age of 25 years. Okay, she is now ruled out, fully. I have also contacted Find A Grave asked if someone is able to check the inscription, in regards to George. I hope I get a reply. I've found more information and records relating to Janet Galbraith. She is on the 1881 Scottish Census, at her mother's residence, with Thomas Gray and George Galbraith.   Had I found him? Nope, Janet and Robert named their son George Galbraith Gray. (big sigh as I thought I'd found him.)  In all Janet and Robert Gray had eight children, not just the two I thought, last week. They are; Robert b 1863 S...

 I'm trying to spread my 'to do' list out but being tightly locked down, there isn't anything else to do. So, Tuesday I planted two large punnets of Pansies, in with my bulbs, cooked a Weetbix slice and finished a jigsaw. Haven't been for a walk since Saturday, lazy and my knitting is getting lonely. Last night I was on a panel, discussing further genealogical education., with the Society of Australian Genealogists. We looked at a variety of courses available, from a wide range of places.  I remember when I first started this crazy genealogical journey there weren't many places or courses available. SAG was my first place I looked, then the State Library of NSW and my local library, followed by the Royal Australian Historical Society. Tonight I'm attending a Q & A for a DNA course I'm doing, with Michelle Patient and Fiona Brooker. I haven't looked for George, for a couple of days but more about that on Sunday. So until Sunday, stay safe, have fu...

 Last Sunday I mentioned that I had found the Monumental Inscription for Samuel Galbraith, my 2x great-grandfather. Below is a transcript of part of that;   "In memory of AGNES McNISH GALBRAITH b8 Nov 1812 d 17 Nov 1867 Yst day of SAMUEL GALBRAITH Merchant, Ayr The above SAMUEL GALBRAITH d 24 Jul 1877 aged 62yr. Also his wife MARGARET NICOL d 2 May 1893 aged 79. (left side) - Also JOHN and ALFRED GALBRAITH d inf  also his g- son GEORGE GALBRAITH"*   (My emphasis) George is the mystery and I have spent time this week looking for him and he is proving to be as elusive as some other ancestors.  Now you might ask, Why look for him, he isn't a direct ancestor?  Well, he is a mystery and I love a good mystery. So here is what I've done, so far.   Samuel Galbraith b 1815, d 1877 married 1836,  Margaret Nicol b ? d 1893. Their children; 1)      John b 6 March 1837 – 1837/1840. 2)      Janet b 7 Oct...

Well, since our lockdown didn't end at 12.00 midnight on 30 July and we are now in Family History Month, what have I done? I've given into the craze of jigsaw puzzles and started a 500 piece one called Crazy Cat Alphabet. I probably will be crazy by the time I finish.                                           I did it and it wasn't as hard as I thought. It's a very quirky puzzle to do. I planted my bulbs in the raised garden bed and spent time weeding it. It's a mixed lot of bulbs, daffodils, freesias and hyacinths. They are coming up, so I'm happy about that. Three Zoom meetings on Monday and one more tonight. This one is for the family history group I belong to, (Botany Bay Family History Society), our monthly meetings have been on Zoom for over 12 months. Played with FindMyPast's new Scottish records and found the Monumental Inscription for my 2x great-grandfather.  Not only ...

Alex Daw  has challenged us to blog about Genealife in Lockdown. So what does this mean to a genealogist? Endless days of sitting at the computer, searching for that elusive ancestor? Sorting the filing cabinet, recycling mountains of paper?  Going through old photos, trying to make sense of who they are? Endless hours watching Zoom presentations?  No, I don't really think so. Back in April 2020, when Covid-19 snapped us into isolation and archive offices slammed their doors, to us, I thought ' I can finally work on the second family history book.'   Well... So here we are, especially in Greater Sydney,  New South Wales, in August 2021, with a four week extension of our lockdown. Family History Month events cancelled.  Will I find an elusive ancestor? Will I do any work on the book?  For the answers to these and other interesting questions, you will have to stay tuned. Bye, Lilian.

 On a recent trip to Bowral, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, I spotted what I thought was a statue of Mary Poppins and as I was driving I couldn't get a good look, ( it does help to keep your eyes on the traffic). The next day Paul and I went for a walk, to see if we could find the it. Set in  Glebe Park, near Bowral Hospital, it commemorates the time that the author of Mary Poppins, P. L. Travers lived in Bowral. Pamela Lyndon Travers was born Helen Lyndon Goff on the 9th August 1889, in Maryborough, Queensland.  After her father died in 1907, the family moved to Bowral, for a short time. These two links, below have information on the statue, in the park and P. L. Travers, herself. Statue P. L. Travers. So next time you are out and about (and as I write this Sydney is in lockdown) keep your eyes open for interesting things you might spot. Bye, Lilian.

 Well my blogging hasn't happened since I did the April A-Z Challenge, seems my mojo went.  April was a busy month, with two trips away. We took Miss 5 to Canberra as her treat for starting school. This was something we started with the eldest grandchild back in 2006. Four days away with Grandma and Grandad, exploring Canberra, with trips to the Zoo, Cockington Green, Questacon and anything else we find. Covid restrictions meant that things had to be booked before you got there but we still had fun. Our second trip was to Victoria to see our family. It was wonderful to hug them and we had two fantastic weeks there. Stopped at Yass, to do some research on the way home. May saw us escape to Bowral for four days, with our first use of Air B&B. The place we stayed  was lovely and very close to the main shopping area of Bowral. We also took a trip to Fitzroy Falls, which were thundering over the escarpment and it was blowing a gale. June and we haven't ventured far, due to...

 This is my third  A - Z Blogging Challenge and the one I felt the most relaxed doing. I had all my posts done before April 1 and I let it look after itself, because I knew that I would most likely be away for most of April. My theme was Names Hanging on my Tree and I found it fun/frustrating to find their meanings or 'famous' people with that name. I enjoyed reading the comments and appreciated them but because I was away, I couldn't make comments on others. Those, who I know and posted on Facebook, I was able to read and comment on, others I read only. I had problems with getting onto the Master List. Did it once and then when I went to check, found I wasn't on it, tried to do it again and kept getting notices that it was a 'bad' site. I did a Facebook post to the A -Z Blogging page and no one replied, so I still don't know if I made the Master List. I loved the badges and give a big 'thank you' to the person who designs them and does the html. Muc...

Zara This name could represent a rarish variant of Sarah or of  Arabic origin, zahr , 'flower'. Zara Tindal, the daughter of the Princess Royal, is one person who comes to mind with this name. The other is Dame Zara Bate, who is said to have been an Australian fashion designer but I know her as Zara Holt, wife of a former Australia Prime Minister, Harold Holt.  

Yvonne. No names with Y appear on the family tree but I do have a friend with the name Yvonne. The name is an independently adopted diminutive of the French male name Yves. It was very popular in the 1950's and 1960's. While it comes from Yves, I can't find a meaning for it. Sometimes E is used instead of Y at the start of the name, as with the Australian tennis player, Evonne Cawley. We also have, Yvonne Elliman, a US singer. Yvonne Craig, US actress.  

Xanthia A cousin's daughter has this lovely name but it isn't listed in my book. The only name given is Xavier. I've had to go to the internet and see what I could find. The website    www.thebump.com     gives this explanation, Xanthia  as a girl's  name  is a variant of Xanthe (Greek), and the  meaning  of  Xanthia  is "yellow, blonde".    

William. My William, hanging on my tree was a bit of a rogue, leaving his wife, to live with another woman, changing his name, all things that make tracing family history fun. This name was introduced into England by the Normans in the person of  William the Conqueror, himself. Its origins come from the Old German name formed from willo,   'will,' 'desire' and helm, ' helmet,' protection, thus meaning one who desires to protect. In England it had been a royal name, with four kings being called William from the 11th to 19th centuries. This name had plenty to pick from, as being famous, William Shakespeare, English playwright. William Blake, English poet. William Wordsworth, English poet. William Butler Yeats, Irish poet. William Dobell, Australian painter. William Shatner, Canadian actor, yes Captain Kirk was born in Canada.   

Vera My grandmother bestowed the name Vera on her third daughter, so yes, she is on my tree. I love the explanation of this name. ' This is properly a name of Russian origin, meaning 'faith', but it happens to coincide with the Latin word vera, the feminine form of verus, 'true'" It goes on to say that the Russian equivalents of the three virtues, Faith, Hope and Charity are, Vera, Nadeshda and Lyubov. Now there are several well known ladies with this name, Dame Vera Lynn, UK singer, known as the Forces Sweetheart during WW11. Vera Brittain, UK writer and feminist. Vera Miles, US actress.    

Ursula Another letter where I have no-one having a name start with it. On checking my book I found only seven names listed as starting with U. These being Ulysses, Una, Unity, Urban, Uriah, Uriel and Ursula and there weren't many people listed as having those names. I'm starting to feel sorry for the letter U. The name is an adoption of the Latin name, itself a diminutive of ursa meaning she-bear. In the 4th century there was a St Ursula. Shakespeare, in two of his plays, Two Gentlemen of Verona (1592-3) and Much Ado About Nothing (1598), give the name to attendants of main characters. Ursula Andress, a Swiss-born US actress is the only one in the list that I think we would know. A search on the internet came up with about 20, 17 of which are strange, so poor U.  

Toens Don't you love the sound of this name? To me it sounds strong.  So who is/was Toens and does he hang on my tree?  Toens was my great, great-grandfather, so yes he hangs on my tree. As for the meaning, origin etc. I can find no information, with Google turning it into Towns! I can assume that it is German, given that he was born, married and died in Germany but that is all I know. Such an interesting name, but...  

Sinead. This is the Irish form of the English name Janet, being pronounced 'Shi nade '.  Two famous Irish ladies with this name are, Sinead Cusack,  actress and sister on Niamh Cusack. Sinead O'Connor, pop singer. Now this name doesn't hang on my tree but I didn't feel like doing Samuel, Suzanne, Stephen or Shirley.  

Ralph.                                                                  Chosen in honour of my cousin Ralph. The name is the English form of the Scandinavian name Rathulfur, meaning wise and strong. The spelling with ph came through classical Greek associations. Shakespeare used the name Ralph in the play Henry IV in 1597.   Famous Ralph's include, Ralph Waldo Emerson, US poet and essayist. Sir Ralph Richardson, UK actor. Ralph Waite, US actor, (the dad in the Waltons TV show). Ralph Fiennes, UK actor.