Family History Mysteries

When I was researching the Dickens brothers for Episode 26, I came across a bushranger I had never heard of. This sparked my curiosity. He was coined 'Captain Bluecap' because he suffered from opthalmia, an inflammation of the eyes, that made him sensitive to light. He had a habit of wearing a piece of cloth to protect his eyes from sunlight. So here is the story of Robert Cotterell aka Bl...

This episode is about Charles Frewen-Lord who was married to my great great grandmothers niece, Elizabeth Ann Ascot, the daughter of Thomas and Emma Ascot, who featured in Episode 6. Charles' arrival with his family to Port Phillip in 1853 was dramatic and Charles' father William went missing 1853, never to be heard of again, when Charles was 6. Charles and Elizabeth had their struggles, w...

Sir Patrick Alfred Jennings was a pastoralist and politician who became Premier of New South Wales. From humble beginnings in Ireland, to slowly building his wealth in St Arnaud through owning a store and developing mining pursuits, Sir Alfred established himself in 'the land of opportunity' in the 1850s and beyond.

Two of Charles Dickens' sons, Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens (known as Plorn to the family) and Alfred D’Orsay Tennyson Dickens (known as Skittles to the family), came out to Australia in the 1860s. This is the story of their time in Australia.

*Warning - this episode contains information that may be diressing for some** This episode covers James and Mary Grogan and their descendants. This family was a tricky one to find information on and it has taken over a decade to gain a full picture of this side to my husband's family tree.

Eileen Casey was born on 4 April 1881 in Deniliquin, New South Wales. She led a very interesting life, being a suffragette, translator and teacher, living in several countries in her lifetime.

This episode tells the story of Harry Power - his beginnings as a convict, his 'career' as a bushranger and how he died. A bonus episode is also available to subscribers, that tells the story of what became of Harry's mother and step siblings and their families after they emigrated to Australia.

On Saturday the 15th October 1859, the Bank of NSW branch in Deniliquin NSW was forcibly entered by three armed men with blackened faces. They plundered the bank of silver, gold, notes and cheques, amounting to nearly 7,400 pounds. It was widely published in the papers around the country and was the biggest bank robbery in NSW at the time. *Subscribe to access the bonus episode, covering what happ...

In this episode I am again joined by Sarah Neilson, who shares a story about her grandmother's uncle, Alexander Nicol, and the interesting life he led!

This episode continues the story of Nathanial Lucas and Olivia Gascoigne and their descendants. The Lucas family is thought to be the largest 'descendants of convicts' group in Australia. One estimate suggests one person in 799 in Australia can claim Nathanial and Olivia in their ancestry!

This episode covers the story of Nathanial Lucas and Olivia Gascoigne and their descendants. The Lucas family is thought to be the largest 'descendants of convicts' group in Australia. One estimate suggests one person in 799 in Australia can claim Nathanial and Olivia in their ancestry! Their story will be told in two parts .

Joseph Lucas came out to Australia as a convict in 1831. He also married a convict in Van Dieman's Land. This episode tells the story of Joseph and his descendants.

Part 2 continues the story of Theophilus Feutrill, told by Rae Blair, family historian and author, who's husband is a direct descendant. It covers Theo's life in Tasmania, bushrangers and Theo's decision to go to Ceylon. *Please listen to Part 1 first*

I am thrilled to have as a guest expert in this episode: Rae Blair. Rae is a family historian and author who's husband is a direct descendant of Theophilus Feutrill, the person we are featuring in this episode. Theophilus was a soldier in the New South Wales Corps and arrived at Sydney aboard the  Neptune  in June 1790 as part of the Second Fleet. Part 1 covers what led Theo to be a soldier in...

This episode tells the story of Robert Mailer - he has the distinction of having a small town in south western Victoria named after him! Robert had a connection to Reverend Samuel Marsden in the early days of Sydney. This episode also uncovers a possible genetic disorder and an arsonist in Robert's descendants.

John and Mary Jenkins brought their family over to Australia from Dumbartonshire Scotland in 1856. This episode tells the story of John and Mary and their descendents.

My grandmother and great aunt had a nanny when they were children, who they knew as Miss James. They had fond memories of her. In the family photo collection, I found two postcard photos of Miss James which prompted me to find out more about her. I uncovered some surprises I didn't expect!

This episode tells the story of Johan Andreas Petersen, a Dane who settled in Wanganella NSW in the early 1800's.

This episode covers the story of Archie Murphy, a black tracker who enlisted in WW1 and WW2. Archie featured in a Bayliss family photo (my great great grandparents and their family) circa 1907. This episode outlines what I uncovered about Archie from this photo.

In 1894, Arthur Llewellyn donated a beautiful leadlight memorial to the local hospital, dedicated to his daughter, Katie, who died at 14 years old. The leadlight is still on display today at the Deniliquin Hospital. This episode tells the story of Arthur Lllewellyn and his family.

This episode tells the story of Thomas Weaver Bayliss, the brother of Philip James Bayliss, from Episode 8 - Military Man. Tom Bayliss fought in WW1 and WW2 and had mining interests in Papua New Guinea. His sons were airmen in WW2; one of sons tragically died in an aircraft accident.

This episode tells the story of James Verdon. His mother Mary Rose Verdon was a convict, whose life spiralled out of control, resulting in James relying on his stepfather in childhood. James became a licensee of a hotel and a landowner at Boree Creek NSW.

The story of George Mayne and his descendants has it all - convicts, illegitimate children, aliases and at least one death record that cannot be found!

Philip Bayliss fought in the Boer War and in WW1. He also ventured to Papua New Guinea. Discover Philip's story in this episode.

Hannah Williams' story tells of a young lady in the early settlement of Australia. Hannah came to Australia in 1800 and is my husband's fifth great grandmother.