Wikitree

Largest family in your tree

Miss W. Davey, Wikitree , , ,

My answer

My Davey family seem to be having the largest number of children in my family tree.

3x great grandparents:

John Davey and Mary Anne Jennings married 1828 – 12 children, but 3 died under the age of 10

2x great grandparents:

John Davey and Anne Dixon married 1859 – 12 children, youngest one died aged 17 in childbirth

great grandaunt and uncle:

Mary Elizabeth Davey and Adam Brown married 1879 – 17 children, 6 died under the age of 5

great grandparents:

George Davey and Martha Colgrave married 1890 – 12 children, 2 girls died at 11 and 8

Readers: Is there a surname in your family tree that are having large families?

A challenge faced by an ancestor

Miss W. Wikitree , ,

 

This is the first question I have chosen for the 16 for 16 challenge.

My Answer

I think all of my convict and free settlers faced the challenge of crossing the seas to a new country on the other side of the world. Some came of their own accord, but others had no choice. But as far as I have researched, they all survived and built a family and life here in Tasmania which was known as Van Diemen’s Land.

But it must have been challenging for my great great great grandmother Mary (Mayday) Dixon nee Pickering. Arriving in Launceston in August 1841, Mary and her husband David had a young daughter under 3 travelling with them, but Mary was also pregnant whilst on board. My great great grandmother Ann Dixon was born 4 months after their arrival on 31 December 1841.

David’s occupation was as a shepherd on the property called Curramore owned by Henry Stevenson. The family lived in a small hut at Spring Plains. While David was out working, Mary and her two daughters were vulnerable to bushrangers who were often escaped convicts. On 1 April 1843, three men robbed Mary of men’s clothing and money then locked her in the hut. Mary testified at their trial. At the time she was three months pregnant again.

To read what happened check out the newspaper report starting at the bottom of column 2.

Readers: What challenge was faced by an ancestor of yours?

What am I doing this year?

Miss W. Wikitree , , ,
Nikin / Pixabay

I will be doing a lot of things during 2024 as I have started a challenge created by WikiTree.  It is called 16 for 16 and relates to the fact that WikiTree (WT) is 16 years old in 2024.

I am on WT more often these days adding to their global tree. Why? Well before you add a profile to the tree you have to include at least one source for that person. Hopefully this makes the tree more accurate and it also allows collaboration with other members on WT.

There are lots of missions to choose from in the 16 for 16 challenge and I have already completed 9 of them during the month of January.

  1. Create a page to keep a track of what I have completed
  2. Improve my biography on my profile
  3. Add 16 profiles to a cemetery category
  4. Add another 16 making 32 profiles to a cemetery category
  5. Connect 8 unconnected profiles – Montevideo Maru POWs, North Mt Lyell miners
  6. Add at least one source to 16 unsourced profiles – Tasmanian
  7. Resolve 16 profiles in the Needs Birth Record
  8. Upload 16 photos of a person or a headstone to the relevant profile(s) – Montevideo Maru POWs
  9. Improve 16 profiles of individuals who died young

I am trying to do profiles relating to my family or the miners who died or survived North Mt Lyell mining disaster in 1912. I am also taking part in a monthly challenge related to Montevideo Maru POWs so some of that work helps count in the 16 for 16.

But there is one mission where you my followers can also take part.

  • Share 16 of the Question of the Week images on your social media

So each week I will be writing a post on my blog with one of the images. Please feel free to leave a comment on the post. I will probably also mention this on Facebook especially in the alumni Diploma of Family History student group.