Orwell’s Scottish Ancestry
“… sufficient evidence remains to be able to assert with confidence that Orwell was in male line descent from Alexander de Blair who flourished in the first half of the 13th century.” […]
The Life & Times of Simon Moore
There was a story my aunt told about our third great-grandfather, an Irish Roman Catholic, who had been transported to the Colony of NSW for horse stealing. She believed Simon Moore (1800-1857), after he was pardoned, became a jockey, ironically (and legally) riding horses for the English. On closer inspection, the tale has a somewhat […]
Digging even deeper
The following article was originally published in the May 2017 edition of Family Tree Magazine. Henry Carroll (1812-74) was largely a mystery when I wrote the original Digging Deeper article exploring his wife’s life published by this venerable magazine in September 2015. I knew Henry was married to Jane Guillod (1804-79) but did not have a marriage or birth certificate […]
The Solitary Traveller II: Isle of Man
I have read many times, in brochures, books and websites that the Isle of Man is a microcosm of Britain. Mostly, this is said in reference to the natural environment but it applies to history, architecture and many other features of life on the island. My trip to Mannin, voyaging aboard the BEN-MY-CHREE, was about walking […]
Digging Deeper
My research journey from Bloomsbury to Ballarat was sparked by a rough sea voyage. I wrote this article, while battling seasickness, on a large ferry bound for Denmark from Iceland. Of course, there are pills to ameliorate the worst effects and the ship was very stable but it had me thinking about the life of my ancestor, […]
DNA & My Ancestral Tree
I was adopted as a baby. My adoptive parents made no secret of that fact but never had any information they could share about my ancestry. I often wondered what my ancestors had experienced and where they originated. It made me sad that I would likely never know. It was not something I talked about […]
Personalising learning, Big History and the Genographic Project
I am hoping to teach Big History as a NSW Board of Studies Endorsed Course to Year 10 and Year 11 in 2015 at our school. My plans, at this stage, are to find ways of funding the use of Geno 2.0 kits for students and ensuring parents are on board for a genuinely personalised learning […]
Who Am I? (The Genographic Project)
“The greatest history book ever written is the one hidden in our DNA.” Dr. Spencer Wells The analysis of my DNA, as a participant in National Geographic’s Genographic Project, was published today and, as you would imagine, makes for fascinating reading – well, it does for me. […]