My favourite place to research is now known as Moonee Valley - 52 Ancestors - Week 38

The theme for week 38 is a favourite place to research. 

My favourite place to research would have to be what is now known as Moonee Valley which comprises the North-Western suburbs of Melbourne listed below.
Thanks to assistance from my dad's cousin and his wife Ray and Margaret GOODWIN, Lenore FROST and the Essendon Historical Society I have had many fruitful hours of research.
My paternal ancestors lived for many years in the suburbs highlighted. 
Some of the other suburbs did not exist back then.

• Aberfeldie
• Airport West
• Ascot Vale  my great grandmother Mary ADAMS nee MORGAN lived here during WW1
• Avondale Heights
• Essendon
• Essendon North
• Essendon West
• Flemington  my great-great-grandfather George ADAMS lived here ca 1903 to 1921
• Kensington  my grandmother, Brenda ADAMS  born here 1905
• Keilor East
• Moonee Ponds my great grandmother, Mary ADAMS nee MORGAN born here 1864.
• Niddrie
• Strathmore (originally North Essendon) my 3xgreat grandparents John MORGAN and Alice nee KELLY owned the original Cross Keys Hotel here from 1871 until Alice's death in 1904 when the hotel passed to her son John Felix MORGAN.
• Strathmore Heights
• Travancore

52 Ancestors Challenge 
  by Amy Johnson Crow at "No Story Too Small"

Death of War Veteran John Henry FLEMING - 1952

John Henry FLEMING was born 1893 at Temora, New South Wales, the second child and first-born son of Moses FLEMING and Mary Catherine HUGHS.
He married Lily Ina RIDLEY at West Wyalong, New South Wales in 1922.
Moses FLEMING, my great-grand-uncle, was the eighth child and fourth born son of William Finlay FLEMING and Ann Jane KNIGHT.

Tribute page for our Servicemen

Large Family - 52 Ancestors - Week 37

The largest family in my ancestry would have to be my Mum's FLEMING family.
Cousin Debbie FRANK says her Mum, Edna nee FLEMING,  told her she would probably be related to half of Victoria through the FLEMING family.  
I think she may have been right.

Our common great-great-grandfather, Willian Finlay/Finley FLEMING and his wife Ann Jane KNIGHT (above) had 13 children and many of those went on to have large families.

Ann Jane - (1853-1925) married Arthur THOMPSON and had 10 children
William James - (1855-1931) married Johanna FISHER and had 12 children.
Donald, my great grandfather - (1860-1921) married Margaret HART and had 11 children.
Alice - (1863-1944) married Thomas TUCKETT and had 7 children.
Finlay - (1864-1910) married Jessie SPLATT and had 9 children.
Moses - (1866-1939) married Mary HUGHS and had 9 children.
Matilda - (1870-1956) married Charles WORRALL and had 9 children.
John Knight - (1875-1954) married Margaret SPLATT and had 11 children.
Selina Maude - (1878-1952) married Samuel LAURENCE, they only had 2 children.

Ellen, Sarah, Ruth and Christina FLEMING all died in infancy.

William Finlay and Ann Jane FLEMING with 5 of their children.

52 Ancestors Challenge 
  by Amy Johnson Crow at "No Story Too Small"

Note from Amy - Did you know that all 10 of the most common birthdays are in September? (If you’re a chart geek like me, check out this heat map of birth date frequencies.) 

Working for a Living - 52 Ancestors - Week 36

Many of my ancestors were farmers.  
My Paternal grandfather, Jim FORSYTH (born James MUSSON 1906 - 1976) was a farmer. 
His MUSSON ancestors were also farmers in New Zealand and England. 
His FORSYTH ancestors were farmers in New Zealand and Meal Millers in Aberdeenshire, Scotland 
After he came to Australia and married my grandmother, Brenda DANIELS nee ADAMS, in 1937, my grandfather bought a rundown farm, improved it, sold it and moved on.  They moved on nearly every twelve to eighteen months, mainly around Victoria, but he once had a pineapple farm at Woombye in Queensland.  

He worked long hard hours to improve each farm.
The Australian electoral rolls show many of their movements although some of the years were a bit out.  Dad's memory fills in some gaps.
They moved to Tatura from Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria around 1942.
At Tatura he bought a truck and did cartage for the internment camp at Dhurringile during WW2. 
In 1944 he bought a farm at Girgarre East, Victoria
In 1946 they farmed at Stanhope South, Victoria
1949 at Mooroopna, Victoria
1950 at Shepparton East, Victoria
1951 at Glenrowan, Victoria
1952 at Marungi, Victoria
1953 at Trafalgar, Victoria
1956 at Woombye, Queensland
From 1957 until his death in 1976 he was in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria.

Mooroopna, Victoria 1949

Woombye, Queensland 1954 - 1956

L-R my brother, my grandfather and my dad, Kialla, Victoria, ca 1968.

School Days - 52 Ancestors - week 35

Below - My maternal grandfather, Archie FLEMING, back row far right, taken 1920 at King Valley Primary School No. 2894.

Below - My Mum, Amelia "Joan" FLEMING, back row far right, grade 3 and 4 at Myrtleford Primary school possibly about 1946

Below - My school photo in 1965 at Gowrie Street Primary school Shepparton.  I am 3rd from the right in the front row.

Recently during some sorting and packing I found some of my report cards!

1965

1968

1969

1970

52 Ancestors Challenge 
  by Amy Johnson Crow at "No Story Too Small"