Letter B challenge

 

Book Launch

Books and book launches

Ever since I was a young child, I have enjoyed reading and even wanted to be a librarian until I found out I would have to dissect books to look for themes and nuances etc. Well that was not for me! Instead I began buying books related to the teaching profession and the Tasmanian Curriculum as it was then. I always preferred to have my own copy of the book rather than a photocopy – must have known about copyright early in my teaching days.

But I was also interested in history, particularly Australian and Tasmanian history. I inherited this from my father who was and still is, a collector of Tasmaniana. But now he is getting older, he is starting to sort out his office shelves so I am getting many of his books about Tasmanian people and places.

He is a member of the Bellerive Historical Society and we both attended a book launch last week in the Rosny Barn. This book about the City of Clarence and its history was written by John Sargeant, the president of the society. I am a member of the Sorell Historical Society and received an invite to a book launch today at Orford. It was held at Malunnah, a beautiful cottage owned by descendants of the Meredith family, and it was the launch of Louisa Anne Meredith’s books My Bush Friends in Tasmania which she first published in 1860. The event was hosted by the Glamorgan/ Spring Bay Historical Society.

I rarely buy books now as I already have so many, but what do I look for in a history book?

  • an index giving names and places
  • appendix or bibliography of other books used
  • sources or references I can check if I find something relating to my family history

Ways to find books that might relate to your family history is to join historical societies for towns or counties where your relatives lived. Look for books that might mention the social scene of the time your relatives were living there; this might give you clues for more research through newspapers where your relatives might be mentioned by name.

Readers: Please leave a comment about something beginning with B that relates to your family history or your research.

letter B

29 thoughts on “Letter B challenge

    • Hi Liz

      Brick Walls and Writer’s Block!

      This Blog is helping to re focus one’s thoughts.

      Bountiful regards
      Ann

  1. B is for Boats – Boat Builders- and Wooden Boats.
    Bigger boats are called ships. ‘you can carry a boat on a ship but you can’t carry a ship on a boat”.
    Barques, Barquentines, Brigs, Brigantines all sailed the Seven Seas.
    “I’m tracing the 3rd voyage of the Beagle,( not the 2nd voyage with Darwin on board, which returned to England in 1836,) because my Great Great Grandfather Lieut. Henry Eden was on board

    The 3rd voyage of the HMS Beagle set sail from Woolwich in June 1837 to survey large areas of the uncharted Australian Coastline,including North and North Western Australia, the Bass Strait and Tasmania.

    In July 1838 the HMS Beagle was again in Hobart Town with John Clements Wickham, Commander and Surveyor and two Lieutenants James B Emery and Henry Eden.
    After 12 days in Hobart Town the Beagle set sail up the East Coast to Sydney.

    Cape Wickham on King Island was named after Commander Wickham … was Eden on the south coast of N.S.W. named after Lieut. Henry Eden?

    The 3rd Voyage of the Beagle took 6 years.
    In 1841 Commander Wickham became ill and returned to England with Lieutenants Emery and Eden.
    John Lort Stokes. Lieutenant and Assistant Surveyor became Captain of the Beagle and continued the Survey.”

    Hope this fits in for your Letter B……boats…….. Beagle….. board

  2. Batchelor – My gr gr grandfather William Henry BATCHELOR arrived with his new bride, Elizabeth Franks MILLER into South Australia, in 1854.
    Sadly their first 3 babies died before the age of one year; my gr grandmother being the first to survive babyhood. Elizabeth and William moved from place to place, with their children, following work in the mines of South Australia and into Broken Hill NSW.

  3. My Great Great Grandfather, James BALLARD was transported to Tasmania for committing highway robbery and assault. Arriving on the Bangalore in 1848 from Bermuda, he was fortunate to be given a Ticket of Leave on arrival. The Governor of Bermuda had awarded all who sailed on the Bangalore a Ticket of Leave for good behaviour.

    James went on to marry another convict, Ellen Crowley and they had 11 children.

    He established a successful basket-making business in Launceston and worked in it until his death in 1897.

  4. Barbara May JONES formerly POWELL nee WALKER
    My Nana who died over 20yrs ago – if I’d asked the questions I have now whilst I had the chance I believe many of my brickwalls would never have existed

  5. B is for Barcaldine, Blackall, Beaudesert and Brisbane – all Queensland towns my father’s grandparents and father lived in. My father’s paternal grandfather, Ion Joseph Edge-Williams was a Bush policeman in the late 1800’s till 1906. My father’s maternal grandfather, James Robert Nolan owned four and possibly five bush hotels in the Palmer River Goldfields from 1877 till his death in 1903. B is also for burials – grave numbers available but no idea where they are as plans for most of the cemeteries I need no longer exist and headstones were not put on grave plots.

    • Marilyn for Blackall graves try: Blackall Tambo Regional Council -they have recently upgraded their registers for 150 year celebrations in 2013. Not sure if they are digitised yet But I can ask locally if you want. Some gaps as always but still useful.Regards Marg

  6. “Bard”

    My 1st cousin, 2 x removed, Ancestry reckons, was a marvelous lady who had a very theatrical approach to family history. It was only logical considering her back ground. We followed some of her footsteps in Cornwall 5 years ago where many years earlier she became a “Bard” . We sat in an old pub late one afternoon and heard local fisherman singing in ways that you could only dream of. There were old shanties, songs I had a faint memory of and a version of the “Sloop John B” that the Beach Boys would have loved. Those fellows were amazing singers just having fun. “You led us there Thea” and we had an amazing time and took it all in. I wish you were still among us.

  7. Brothers and Brothers-in-law

    I’ve found by looking sideways to my forebear’s brothers’ and brothers’-in-law details so much information regarding my family that has not been forthcoming by looking into my direct ancestor.

    • Rae,

      Many folk go back just the direct line. I come forward from as far back as possible in the hope that I meet someone from one of those lines, doing research so that we can share what we have from past generations. By doing that I found my “Wheelers” only recently. I’m not really a Wheeler although I wouldn’t change it to Scammell. It was Scammell until 1906 though. I’m not related to those Wheelers but their name became mine through a series of misdemeanors.

  8. Beautiful babbling brooks,
    Blonde Bombshells.
    Bright bubbly Brainiacs and
    Beautiful blushing brides, bridesmaids and bridezillas.
    Bega, Bermagui, Bullamakanka, Bali,
    Begosh and begorrah, be gone an by your leave.

  9. Bush-rangers: Morgan, the Blue Cap Gang, John O’Malley, John Gilbert and Ben Hall were regular visitors to the hotel owned by my great-great-grandfather Laurence Roche, the “Gold Diggers’ Arms” at Adelong NSW during the 1860s.

    • Robin I love the stories the Bushrangers throw out there. My paternal grandmogther, Nana, had a vivid imagination and didn’t mince her words. Her step father was one Frank Kelly. Till she left this world she was convinced “our” Frank was one of those Kellys. I can’t make a link. I guess all those irish rebels, and that she was, claimed a bit of “those” Kellys.

  10. BENTLEY Fanny beautiful child in a photo, went on to be a bride, died from septicaemia leaving Behind Nan to care for five siblings, poor little James Buried with Mum. Went to the BDM at the library found -Walter Billin and Mary, Been in Qld 35yrs tracked down the Boat that sailed from England and Wales. Couldn’t find death dates so I checked out Rockhampton City Council Burial Registers oh what a treasure. Trove tells a story of a widow forlorn, men killed in action and men killed by mine dust. Who wants to read fiction when you can find facts?

  11. Brimbelcombe family, from Cardiff, Wales. James married into the Price family, one of the first pioneer families of MiIltown, Digby, Merino, Heywood, Hamilton areas of Victoria. Several Brimbelcombes came to SA and settled in Wirrabara.

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