Happy 125th Birthday In Heaven to my Great Grandfather, James Albert Dyer!
I’ll be coming to visit you in Bowraville Cemetery for the first time in approximately 2 weeks.
The adventures of a young aspiring Australian genealogist sharing her journey on social media.
Tuesday, 25 December 2012
Saturday, 22 December 2012
Sunday's Obituary.
The obituary for my Great Great Grandfather James Lewis Renfrow.
Born: 1861, Mississippi, USA.
Died: 1939, Texas, USA.
He had 7 children with his wife Mary Frances Smith.
James L. Renfrow & Mary F. Smith
My Great Great Grandparents James Lewis Renfrow & Mary Frances Smith.
James Lewis Renfrow
Born: 1861, Mississippi, USA
Died: 1939, Texas, USA
Mary Frances Smith
Born: 1861, Mississippi, USA
Died: 1955, Texas, USA
They married in 1885 in Mississippi & moved to Texas sometime between June 1892 & May 1894.
Thursday, 20 December 2012
Daniel G. Smith & Louisa C. Brister
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Louisa Clementine Brister.
Born: 1827, Virginia, USA.
Died: 1912, Mississippi, USA
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| Daniel Guyton Smith Born: 1824, South Carolina, USA. Died: 1877, Mississippi, USA |
My Great Great Great Grandparents who married in 1857 in Mississippi, USA.
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Wednesday's Child.
Leonie Beth Small.
Daughter of Enid Dyer (my Great Aunt) & Leonard Small.
Born: 1952, Bowraville, NSW.
Died: 9 Sep 1954, Bellingen, NSW.
Buried: Bowraville Cemetery, NSW.
Daughter of Enid Dyer (my Great Aunt) & Leonard Small.
Born: 1952, Bowraville, NSW.
Died: 9 Sep 1954, Bellingen, NSW.
Buried: Bowraville Cemetery, NSW.
Monday, 17 December 2012
Amanuensis Monday.
Letter from Jean Gow (Auchterarder, Scotland) to her son William Gow (Sydney, Australia), 27th of September 1893.
"Dear Son,
I just received your letter this morning & always glad to hear from you. You have got the paper of your fruit you think it might have had a better it was a mistake of me but I did not see it till I saw it in the paper & I could not help it then. In deed I was so bad of myself if Uncel [Uncle] Peter had not come. I dowt [doubt] you would not seen in the paper at all you think I might kept more to my self. I was so proud of you sending them that I could not hide your thoughtfulness of sending them so far to me I will be more so if you will send me some of your Oranges & I will know better if they are good or not. You saw I did not say if they were good you know heat corn is never good. They were very pretty to look at did you get the letter that they were corn & more as the young Sadie that wrote it was so kind to me. You have sent me Robert [William’s brother] address but I think you are making a card(?) of me now when you put Esquire to it. I will send his papers to you until I hear from you again & you can send them to him. Will he be far from where he was? Missie is gone to Kinross her address is Hygh St Kinross. I sent your address to Jeannie [William’s sister] long a go but everyone is so much taken up with themselves they have not much time to think of others at least it appears so. I had a letter from John [William’s brother] a long with yours this morning. He is thinking of coming for some days only if he can get away. You might come & join his company the days he will be here. I hope this will find you will & free of toothache. I am better than I have been for a long time so I will draw to close.
I remain your affectionate mother
Jane Gow.”
There was a significant lack of punctuation in the letter so I inserted full stops where I thought appropriate.
What were the main points I got from this letter?
"Dear Son,
I just received your letter this morning & always glad to hear from you. You have got the paper of your fruit you think it might have had a better it was a mistake of me but I did not see it till I saw it in the paper & I could not help it then. In deed I was so bad of myself if Uncel [Uncle] Peter had not come. I dowt [doubt] you would not seen in the paper at all you think I might kept more to my self. I was so proud of you sending them that I could not hide your thoughtfulness of sending them so far to me I will be more so if you will send me some of your Oranges & I will know better if they are good or not. You saw I did not say if they were good you know heat corn is never good. They were very pretty to look at did you get the letter that they were corn & more as the young Sadie that wrote it was so kind to me. You have sent me Robert [William’s brother] address but I think you are making a card(?) of me now when you put Esquire to it. I will send his papers to you until I hear from you again & you can send them to him. Will he be far from where he was? Missie is gone to Kinross her address is Hygh St Kinross. I sent your address to Jeannie [William’s sister] long a go but everyone is so much taken up with themselves they have not much time to think of others at least it appears so. I had a letter from John [William’s brother] a long with yours this morning. He is thinking of coming for some days only if he can get away. You might come & join his company the days he will be here. I hope this will find you will & free of toothache. I am better than I have been for a long time so I will draw to close.
I remain your affectionate mother
Jane Gow.”
There was a significant lack of punctuation in the letter so I inserted full stops where I thought appropriate.
What were the main points I got from this letter?
- Jean would like William to send some Oranges to she can judge the,
- Jean is very proud of William for doing well on the farm
- She will send Robert’s papers to him, and he will forward them on to Robert
- Jeannie is busy, everyone is taken up with themselves, therefore not much time to think of others
- John is thinking of coming to Scotland from Ireland for some days
- Jean is asking William if he might join John’s company and visit Scotland as well.
- Jean is better than she has been in the past for a long time.
Sunday, 16 December 2012
The 15th of December.
I was unable to post this yesterday because I was travelling.
Yesterday, the 15th of December 2012, was one year since my Great Uncle Curly died. He was an amazing man with a wide variety of interests - growing huge vegetables, inventing cleaning products & bee-keeping to name a few. He worked right up until the day he died. Funnily enough, the 15th of December 2012, marks four years since my Great Uncle Noel died. He was Uncle Curly’s younger brother. I didn’t know Uncle Noel, but I know he was a great man. I’m hopefully going to meet his wife soon. Uncle Curly & Uncle Noel were my Nannas' younger brothers.
Earl James Dyer
Born: 1918, Bowraville, NSW.
Died: 15 Dec 2011, Gold Coast, QLD.
Noel George Dyer
Born: 1925, Bowraville, NSW.
Died: 15 Dec 2008, Gosford, NSW.
They died on the same day, 3 years apart.
Rest In Peace Uncle Curly & Uncle Noel <3
Yesterday, the 15th of December 2012, was one year since my Great Uncle Curly died. He was an amazing man with a wide variety of interests - growing huge vegetables, inventing cleaning products & bee-keeping to name a few. He worked right up until the day he died. Funnily enough, the 15th of December 2012, marks four years since my Great Uncle Noel died. He was Uncle Curly’s younger brother. I didn’t know Uncle Noel, but I know he was a great man. I’m hopefully going to meet his wife soon. Uncle Curly & Uncle Noel were my Nannas' younger brothers.
Earl James Dyer
Born: 1918, Bowraville, NSW.
Died: 15 Dec 2011, Gold Coast, QLD.
Noel George Dyer
Born: 1925, Bowraville, NSW.
Died: 15 Dec 2008, Gosford, NSW.
They died on the same day, 3 years apart.
Rest In Peace Uncle Curly & Uncle Noel <3
Friday, 14 December 2012
Funeral Card Friday - Christian Croal
FUNERAL CARD FRIDAY.
The funeral card for my Great Great Grandmother Christian Croal nee Alves.
She was born in 1843 in Scotland. In 1869, she married my Great Great Grandfather David Croal in Edinburgh. They arrived in Sydney, Australia with their 3 children in 1883. She died on the 31st of August 1909 and was buried the next day. She is buried in Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney with her grandson Adam Gow (1905 - 1905).
The funeral card for my Great Great Grandmother Christian Croal nee Alves.
She was born in 1843 in Scotland. In 1869, she married my Great Great Grandfather David Croal in Edinburgh. They arrived in Sydney, Australia with their 3 children in 1883. She died on the 31st of August 1909 and was buried the next day. She is buried in Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney with her grandson Adam Gow (1905 - 1905).
Thursday, 13 December 2012
A Precious Heirloom.
TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY.
This is my Grandmother’s gorgeous vase. She died in 1980, 10 years before I was born, so I never knew her. She was very much into genealogy, one reason being that she was adopted. She passed down her love for genealogy to my Aunt & Uncle. My Mum didn’t catch the “gene bug” which we call it in our family. It skipped her, and I caught it instead. My Aunt gave me my Grandmother’s vase in 2009. When I have children, I will pass it down to them…and hopefully they will catch the “gene bug” too! When my Grandmother died, her children (my mum, aunt & uncle) were not able to have much of her things, so this is very special, especially since my love for genealogy comes from her. <3
This is my Grandmother’s gorgeous vase. She died in 1980, 10 years before I was born, so I never knew her. She was very much into genealogy, one reason being that she was adopted. She passed down her love for genealogy to my Aunt & Uncle. My Mum didn’t catch the “gene bug” which we call it in our family. It skipped her, and I caught it instead. My Aunt gave me my Grandmother’s vase in 2009. When I have children, I will pass it down to them…and hopefully they will catch the “gene bug” too! When my Grandmother died, her children (my mum, aunt & uncle) were not able to have much of her things, so this is very special, especially since my love for genealogy comes from her. <3
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Happy 150th Birthday Newtown!
Happy 150th Birthday to Newtown, Sydney, where my Great Great Grandparents David Croal & Christian Alves lived from 1890 - 1904.
The first photo, is them standing in front of their house in 1891/1892. After David died in 1893, Christian remained in the house until 1904. She moved in with her daughter and son-in-law, my great grandparents, Elizabeth Croal & William Gow, until her death in 1909. William & Elizabeth lived in Stanmore, one of the neighboring suburbs.
The second photo is the same house, taken in 1993.
The second photo is the same house, taken in 1993.
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
James & Eva's Wedding.
Great Grandparents James Albert Dyer (1887 - 1966) & Eva Florence Mackay (1888 - 1976) on their wedding day in 1913, Bowraville, New South Wales. He was 26. She was 25.
Eva was a shy & quiet person. I think you can see it in her eyes.
James & Eva.
My Great Grandparents James Albert Dyer & Eva Florence Mackay.
James was born on Christmas Day, 1887 in Bowraville, New South Wales. He died on June 1st, 1966 in Bowraville. Eva was born in 1888 at Bowraville. She died 10 years after her husband on May 14, 1976 in Bowraville. They married in 1913. Where? You guessed it. Bowraville. They had six children - Claude, Eunice, Earl, Vera, Noel & Enid. Only 2 are still alive today.
Monday, 3 December 2012
Happy Birthday Grandma!
Happy 80th Birthday in Heaven Grandma!
You were taken away from us too soon. I know you’re looking down on me from heaven, and I know you’re proud of me for all that I’ve done so far with my genealogy. I wish I could show you and tell you everything I’ve found. You’d be amazed :) I wish I could have known you. I love you!
Nancy Robinson
Born: 3rd December 1932, Texas, USA.
Died: May 1980, New Mexico, USA.
Nancy Robinson
Born: 3rd December 1932, Texas, USA.
Died: May 1980, New Mexico, USA.
Sunday, 2 December 2012
Happy Birthday Maud!
Born: 2 Dec 1891, Texas, USA
Died: 24 May 1974, Texas, USA.
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Alexander Croal.
My Great Great Uncle Alexander Croal. Born in 1870, Scotland, he arrived in Australia with his siblings & parents in 1883. He went back to England and married Mary Curran in 1913. They had one son Dennis in 1913. We are unsure as to what happened to Mary, but Alexander & Dennis returned to Australia. Alexander was an Actor & we have a few copies of theater productions where his stage name Alec Alves is listed in the cast. He died in Sydney in 1951.
Monday, 26 November 2012
Oh Jeannie, what a mystery!
31st March 2012.
What a day that was. It was the day I discovered what had happened to my Great Great Aunt Jeannie Gow. Over the past few months I’ve been writing up the story of how I discovered what had happened to her. It really did involve detective skills, cross checking, double checking, and triple checking documents, dates and names. It was a puzzle, and somehow, on the 31st of March 2012 all the pieces fell together. I took a break from writing the story to focus on University. Now that Uni is over for the year, I’m getting back into it.
Here’s a paragraph, a sneak peak at the story of dear old Jeannie:
Mid-semester break rolled up on the 31st of March. I decided to dive into the genealogy again after taking a break to focus on my University studies. The Scottish 1911 census had been released on ScotlandsPeople last year, but at the time I dismissed it because none of my direct ancestors were in Scotland in 1911. They were either a) dead or b) living in another country. I thought about taking another look at the census – I went through the family tree to check who would have been in Scotland in 1911. I don’t know how I forgot about them, but the other sister Isabella had married and had a number of children. Although Isabella died in 1896, her husband John Reddoch and her children were still alive in Scotland in 1911.
You'll have to stay tuned to find out more...
What a day that was. It was the day I discovered what had happened to my Great Great Aunt Jeannie Gow. Over the past few months I’ve been writing up the story of how I discovered what had happened to her. It really did involve detective skills, cross checking, double checking, and triple checking documents, dates and names. It was a puzzle, and somehow, on the 31st of March 2012 all the pieces fell together. I took a break from writing the story to focus on University. Now that Uni is over for the year, I’m getting back into it.
Here’s a paragraph, a sneak peak at the story of dear old Jeannie:
Mid-semester break rolled up on the 31st of March. I decided to dive into the genealogy again after taking a break to focus on my University studies. The Scottish 1911 census had been released on ScotlandsPeople last year, but at the time I dismissed it because none of my direct ancestors were in Scotland in 1911. They were either a) dead or b) living in another country. I thought about taking another look at the census – I went through the family tree to check who would have been in Scotland in 1911. I don’t know how I forgot about them, but the other sister Isabella had married and had a number of children. Although Isabella died in 1896, her husband John Reddoch and her children were still alive in Scotland in 1911.
You'll have to stay tuned to find out more...
The Diary of William Gow.
The Diary belonging to my Great Grandfather William Gow which he wrote in 1887.
We found it in a box at my grandparent’s house in 2011.He arrived in Sydney, Australia in 1886 from Scotland when he was 18 years old, and he traveled on his own. His older brother Robert was already in Sydney. William wrote this diary when he was 19. It is seriously amazing. 90% of the year has an entry.
This diary is older than Australia! I’ll treasure it forever.
Sunday, 25 November 2012
William & Elizabeth's Wedding.
My great grandparents William Gow & Elizabeth Croal on their wedding day. 14 December 1904, Sydney, Australia.
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