Monday 20 January 2014

Australia Day Challenge 2014: C’mon Aussie

Fellow blogger, Pauleen of Family history across the seas has created the geneameme
  "Australia Day Challenge 2014: C’mon Aussie" which I am hoping may help unlock the "bloggers block" I have been experiencing lately.  Although lack of time hasn't helped much either.

Pauleen says she quite coincidentally came up with 26 questions for the geneameme which is rather fitting as the 26th of January is Australia day.

http://www.fodors.com/world/australia-and-the-pacific/australia/

CLIMBING YOUR FAMILY’S GUM TREE
My first ancestor to arrive in Australia was
My 3rd great grandfather, John Pike   from Kildare, Ireland  arrived in Australia on the 10th July 1840 by the Ship "Coromandel". He was 27 years old and single.
All the rest, apart from my paternal grandfather from New Zealand, had arrived and settled in Australia by 1865.
I have Australian Royalty (tell us who, how many and which Fleet they arrived with)
Um, I'm not sure what "Australian Royalty" is.
I’m an Aussie mongrel, my ancestors came to Oz from:
Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Prussia and New Zealand
Did any of your ancestors arrive under their own financial steam?
One was my Kiwi grandfather who came to Australia about 1936 and a few early ones must have swam because I can't find them on ships but all those I can find arriving by ship seem to have been assisted immigrants. 
How many ancestors came as singles?
Nine
How many came as couples?
Five couples
How many came as family groups?
Six families
Did one person lead the way and others follow?
Yes a few siblings of my direct ancestors had already settled here so that others followed.  And others had siblings follow them here.
What’s the longest journey they took to get here?
The following account of my great great grandmother, Isabella Beaton's travel to Australia.  I bet it felt like forever to them.
INDIA - Lost at Sea 1841
The barque INDIA sailed from Greenock Scotland on June 4th 1841 carrying 193 bounty immigrants and crew bound for the Australian colony of Port Phillip. On the 19th July, six weeks into the voyage and being some 200 miles from land and 1200 miles from Rio de Janeiro, the ship caught fire and sank. 17 Souls perished in the disaster with the remainder being rescued by the crew of the ROLAND - a French whaling vessel. 

The survivors were conveyed to Rio de Janeiro where the British Government hired another ship the GRINDLAY to transport them to Port Phillip where they arrived on October 22, some four and a half months after leaving Scotland. Newspaper reports of the day provided a graphic description of the tragedy and the miraculous rescue of almost all those on board the INDIA.
(from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/fh/passengerlists/1840India.htm)
Did anyone make a two-step emigration via another place?
No directly to Australia, apart from the tragic detour listed above.
Which state(s)/colony did your ancestors arrive?
Victoria
Did they settle and remain in one state/colony?
Yes
Did they stay in one town or move around?
Most moved around but a couple stayed put in Melbourne
Do you have any First Australians in your tree?
None
Were any self-employed?
Yes quite a few
What occupations or industries did your earliest ancestors work in?
builders, labourers and farmers.  One family were Hotel keepers/publicans/licensed victuallers
Does anyone in the family still follow that occupation?
No
Did any of your ancestors leave Australia and go “home”?
No, all who came to Australia are buried here.
NOW IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU
What’s your State of Origin?
Victoria
Do you still live there?
Yes I do
Where was your favourite Aussie holiday place as a child?
Staying with my maternal grandparents where ever they lived at the time.
Any special place you like to holiday now?
What's a holiday? 
Share your favourite spot in Oz:
Anywhere my family are 
Any great Aussie adventure you’ve had?
Driving over Mt Kosciuszko a few years ago.  (I come from the flat country)
What’s on your Australian holiday bucket list?
Western Australia
How do you celebrate Australia Day?
work :(

12 comments:

  1. Kerryn, I prescribe a holiday but I suspect it's not going to happen any time soon with your business responsibilities. It's clear you have a very strong sense of family from your responses. You are as ridgey-didge a Victorian as I am a Queenslander, no probably more so as you haven't defected to other states.

    What a tragedy that was with the India, and how lucky your ancestor Isabella survived. On these things our lives turn.

    Sorry to throw you with the royalty question - I don't have any convicts either.

    Thanks for joining in.

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    1. I enjoyed it thanks Pauleen. Yes I consider myself lucky to be here. With the hazardous voyages our brave ancestors experienced I think that probably goes for many of us.

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  2. Kerryn Australian Royalty is a nickname for convicts :-)

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    1. Ah thanks Kylie, that is why I didn't know it, I have no convict ancestors lol

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  3. Kerryn, I can totally relate to working to hard and not enough time for research and blogging!

    Your Great Great Grandmother had an "interesting" trip over. Amazing that so many people survived in those days.

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    1. Hi Sharon, I had noticed that you were AWOL from blogging as well. This work thing is a real distraction at times ;)

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  4. How wonderful to have an account of the journey your great great grandmother undertook... There is a Beaton in our extended family also, Jessie Beaton, from Glasgow, born in May 1834.

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    1. So far as we know to date Chris our Beaton family are all from Edinburgh but one cousin has two completely different lines of Beaton ancestors.

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  5. The shipwreck must have been very frightening. I enjoyed reading your post.
    regards
    Anne Ballarat

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    1. Thanks for dropping by Anne, I enjoyed your post very much too.

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  6. Kerryn, I expect a curtsey when we meet as I have many Aussie royal connections.

    Somehow I missed reading your post, pleased I found it now. Isabella certainly had a rough trip, I imagine that she was pleased to land here.

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  7. LOL Jill, I can't believe I didn't twig what Aussie Royalty was.

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