A funny thing happened on the search for.....

[Guest ozzie]

For some time now i have been searching for an old ultralight i built back in the 'good ol days' i know it's around i saw it advertised about 6 years ago but can't find the advert. It was overpriced and never sold.

 

I know the area the person who has it is in but not their name. So i thought, maybe i'll place an advert in their local paper. might produce a result. so i hop online and find the areas local rag and start looking for some info on placing an add. clicking away and there is my name. Only problem is i died in 1870. Well obviously it wasn't me and i read on a bit through the 'historical' article of the area. Not really surprised as the area is not to far away from home and have cousins and such scattered thru the area but being the 'blacksheep' never see to much of them. Included in the story of Ozzie's namesake is a link to the Hunter Valley Genalogy Forum. So hit the link and well the last couple of weeks just ain't been the same. On the forum was a person asking for information on decendents of our family name. And some of the replies had a few names i recognised. So i added a few of my grandfathers family and such. I've never been overly interested in where my family came from, but sort of remember some fading details of us having sailed out from England on some death boat called the "Maitland" in 1837.

 

Well curiosity got the better of me and i have spent quite a few late nights trawling for info on the web and spent an interesting and fasinating day wandering through the Clarence Town cemetery. Although my partner found it morbid and depressing. And i suppose in some ways it was as many of my family never made it through childhood. Out of some 28 headstones 8 were children. As for the 'deathboat' there were two brothers and their wives along with a total of 7 children, 3 of the children and one brother and along with the other brother's wife, died in transit. (along with 40 other pax).The surviving family members ended up in C/Town. Several years later the two surviving parents married, had a couple of more children and what an amazing contribution they made to the area. I won't bore you all with the details. But i now know were i get my determination from.

 

As for the person who asked for help and started me off on this who's who of Ozzie's clan? She did not know many of her family as her father died in a car accident when she was six months old but it turns out we are directly related as her grandfather is my grandfather's brother.

 

Small world and even smaller still as we work just a short walk from each other. We will be catching up this week. Wow just never know were an aircraft will take you and i have'nt got my hands on it yet.

 

So who's swinging in your family tree?

 

Ozzie

 

 

[turboplanner]

You're right Ozzie, it really gets you in. I found a photo of the house where my great great great grandfather George Bertram was born in 1798. He found a way to make paper using a machine, and sold the equipment all over the world becoming one of Scotland's most famous industrialists. Bertrams Ltd still exists, but the family long since squandered the money.

 

I was able to google earth the location and use street view to "drive" along their road, but someone knocked the house down in the 1970's.

 

A fascinating love story followed when his daughter Janet married. She would have been a socialite, but the couple left that life and moved to the scrub in Mundulla South Australia.

 

17 died on their ship, but they managed to get their 9 kids out intact. I went across last week and got a photo of their graves in Bordertown.

 

Another ancestor, Thomas Mudge invented the escapement mechanism in clocks. Before that a clock would run fast when freshly wound, but slow when unwound, so I guess you have to make some manual adjustments.

 

The interesting part of that story relates to Navigation. With those old clocks it wasn't possible to establish your longitude, so navigation was a hit and miss affair, and maps were very rough.

 

The Board of Longitude offered a prize for a chronometer which would keep accurate time. Thomas submitted his timepiece with the escapement mechanism, but the Board awarded the prize to someone else and his chronometer was used by Captain Cook to produce the world's first accurate maps since the mysterious errily accurate maps produced around the time of the Egyptians.

 

Who was the Chairman of the Board of Longitude? Sir Joseph Banks, and it seems Joe and Jim were close mates, because a group of people got upset that the Mudge clock hadn't been given a proper trial, retested it and awarded what appears to be virtually the full value of the prize to Thomas Mudge.

 

Oz, I think it takes longer to find the illegitimates and convicts, but I'm sure they are there.

 

I had the same feelings as you - you can see how you got some of your characteristics.

 

 

[skeptic36]

I had the same feelings as you - you can see how you got some of your characteristics.

Hmph! some of my ancestors where sent out here as convicts 'cause they where machinery breakers.

 

I try not to break machinery but it still happens sometimes

 

 

[turboplanner]

Look a bit harder skeptic; with that avatar you may be related to Leonardo Da Vinci! - or Icarus

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Another ancestor, Thomas Mudge invented the escapement mechanism in clocks.

The Board of Longitude offered a prize for a chronometer which would keep accurate time. Thomas submitted his timepiece with the escapement mechanism, but the Board awarded the prize to someone else and his chronometer was used by Captain Cook

I have just finished reading the biography of John Harrison (who predated Thomas Mudge) and the issues he had with the Board - he actually qualified for the full 20,000 pound prize but the Board was stacked with astronomers who hoped the answer to the Longitude problem would be found in the heavens and were furiously compiling tables of lunar, star and sun movements - even trying to use the moons of Jupiter - so the last they wanted was an uneducated, low born man to prove the clock more reliable.

 

The conduct of the Board was very nasty. After he had proved it according to the Act (twice), they then insisted he hand it over, they then made sure it didn't work but sold his plans to the French and got another clockmaker, Kendall, to make a copy which Captain Cook used, and praised. He built clocks for the Board prize from 1730 to 1768 and with his son William continued to produce more accurate and smaller timepieces for this purpose. This was just a little of what he had to go through, even had King George and parliament on side and round his death the Act was changed, but not the Board and the corruption continued.

 

Family history can really get you in. Despite my father saying we were too tight to pay our way (we must have been convicts) it turns out most of my mob got here in the early to mid 1800's paying their way. Husband always thought he was directly related to Charles Harrod (who founded Harrods of London), but it turns out his comes from Samuel Harrod, farmer of Goose Green and from Jane Ison convict who married 3 times whose children became the pioneers around Richmond NSW and Maryborough Qld. My mother warned me to only marry a man who had his family history done because she didn't think she had it in her to do another one.

 

And flying is in the blood on both sides (maybe it is hereditary?).

 

Sue

 

 

[winsor68]

Ozzie,

 

I am guessing you have at least one famous relation... He was on Hey Hey it's Saturday wasn't he?

 

Lol

 

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Like many others, I've traced my paternal family back to 1820. My mother, 94, asked me to do the same for her side of the tree and initially I had trouble as I couldn't find her father anywhere. I gave it up for a couple of months and then, via a brother still living in the UK, we were put in touch with a Probate Researcher from Hull, who was looking for Mum. Turns out she is to inherit a share in the estate of a cousin who died intestate. As Mum's Power of Attorney, I had to prove the relationship was correct so it meant going through the records again. This time I was more successful and, much to mum's surprise, found that her father had 10 siblings, 7 of which, mum had no idea or knowledge.

 

The upshot is;

 

A. She isn't going to become an overnight millionaire, bugger.

 

B. She has to share the estate with at least 7 other '2nd and 3rd cousins. bugger X7

 

C. She (we) have to wait up to 14 months to receive anything.

 

D. She's now determined to live that much longer where as she had previously said she'd had enough. She still lives independently even though she's sight impaired.

 

E. After the event, it will be up to me to attempt a family meet and greet back in the UK. OH, yes, Mum wants to go.

 

As to why Mum's dad was so secretive, who knows. Hopefully we'll get more info from the missing side of the family.

 

 

[dazza 38]

This has been fasinating reading, keep going.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

It may seem that there may be a bit of scandal in the family. Along with the two brothers and their wives and children was the surviving brothers ex wife and their child. Unfortunatly both died on the ship. So why were they all travelling together? A couple of generations down a child was born out of wedlock and the parents did not marry until a year or so later. Maybe an affair was being had and it ended in divorce for the marrried father of the child? But there is no mention of convicts or any of the family being in trouble with the law. If fact they became prominent upstanding folk in the community and i'll add to this when i get home tonite. When i was browsing thru the cemetery my partner remarked that this must have been so as their gravestones are huge and would have been expensive for the time. i scoffed at her remarks but it seems she is correct.

 

dazza is right, it is interesting reading of the other posts , much better than the other threads of Elections,politics and the parties. add more people, great stuff.

 

ozzie

 

 

[sfGnome]

Ozzie, It was strange reading your initial post. All the time I'm thinking, hmmm... my wife's family came on the Maitland... lots of people died on the trip... brothers and wives and kids... settled in the Hunter...

 

Anyhow, I went and looked it up and they arrived in 1830 so it wasn't the same family. Looks like coming to Oz on the Maitland was a dangerous undertaking!

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

So here is a bit of history of my family: It has been confusing to work out who is who in my family as it seems the same names have been handed down over the years. And some of the info i posted above was incorrect. I mistook John snr and his son stephen as his brother. But corrected there was John snr who with his wife Martha and their 8 children left Kent UK on the 'Maitland'. Martha died at sea. The eldest son, Stephen was married to Mary Anne and had two children. Both Stephen and the two children also died at sea and along with Stephen his brothers James, Henry, and Aaron and one sister also died. When the remaining family arrived they spent some time in quarrantine. So John Snr and his remaining children John jnr,William and Martha along with Stephen's widow Mary Anne, ended up in Clarence Town. John snr worked for the Australian Agricultual Company as a carpenter and not to much is known of him. John Jnr ended up marrying Mary Ann and had two children. John was a housebuilder and also with Mary Ann became the innkeepers of the Fitzroy Inn untill he bought some land and errected his own inn "The Commercial" During this time they helped build up the local school and hosted sporting events in the area untill John and Mary passed awaay 1884 and 1888 respectivly. Mary's funeral was one of the biggest ever seen in the area. John and Mary had several children including another John b1843 and Stephen b1845. It was this John who married into the Darke family and became a prominate horsebreeder and along with his father in law built several large mansions in the area including his home and again with his father in law became the main directors of the William Steamship Company. During this time the family were still running the Inn. His brother Stephen married Mary Ann Walters of Dungog who decendent is Doug Walters the famous cricketer. Everyone was keen sportsman and horseman. Stephen built the Victorian manor Hollydene on 21 acres at C/Town in 1888 It sold in 2007 for 2.5 million. Stephen's son Aaron was a bit of a lad and i suspect the family fortune slipped a bit here. Other brothers and sisters where contributing to the area as builders, owning the butcher shop and meatworks at Dungog and Gresford. There were bootmakers and saddlers. Some of the following generations started moving around the countryside. Then we come to Arron and Jessie who had a son Oliver who became a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald. At the out break of WW1 Oliver tried to become a war corrispondent but was deemed to young by his employer. So he signed up and went to Eygypt and took part in 5 well known battles . He was writing back home under the name 'Trooper Bluegum' and has a section at the Australian War Memorial unfortunatley he died shortly after the war from influenza while on leave in England. His son Kevin also made fame and i have not got this far yet but he made Order of Australia. These are just some amazing facts i have found out so far and i am meeting with my new found relative for tea tomorrow night who says she has more surprises for me. This is going to take some time to work it all out. Even the girls have done thier bit, Jessie was the first person to ride a horse to the top of Mt Kosiosko in one go. These are just my immeadiate family.

 

Well i suppose i am a pioneer and bit of an adventurer as well. i helped start up your sport in it's infancy and have contributed in the areas of hang gliding and skydiving amongst other things. seems a bit lame compared to them

 

Who am i?

 

My name is Stephen Robards, the great great great great great grandson of John Robards who along with his family helped make Australia as we know it today.

 

 

[turboplanner]

I forgot to mention, when my lot came out, Fremantle was a welcome relief and they all rushed into town for a Counter Lunch.

 

When it was time to go back to the ship two of the older boys said "Get stuffed, we're staying here in the pub for a few more drinks"

 

They missed the ship, and no one could afford the cost of the extra fares from Perth to the South East of South Australia, so we have a branch of the family in Perth

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

I forgot to mention, when my lot came out, Fremantle was a welcome relief and they all rushed into town for a Counter Lunch.When it was time to go back to the ship two of the older boys said "Get stuffed, we're staying here in the pub for a few more drinks"

 

They missed the ship, and no one could afford the cost of the extra fares from Perth to the South East of South Australia, so we have a branch of the family in Perth

Gee, Perth and Freemantle would probably still be a quiet place if it wern't for that pub. i wonder how many rocked back up at the warf and found the boat had sailed without them.

 

 

[farri]

So here it is,My name is Stephen Robards, the great great great great great grandson of John Robards who along with his family helped make Australia as we know it today.

G`Day Ozzie,I was just going back through some of the pages and came across this one and I`m glad I did,got me a bit emotional though,thinking about all the suffering that occured to those early migrants and others and going back through some of my life.

 

Like you,I`ve never realy been interested in my ancestory past and don`t know much about it, but what I do know is that my grandfather,on my mothers side,whom I never met,came out from Italy in 1926, to North Queensland,and with him was his wife and my mother when she was four years old. He made a cane farm,with an axe and whatever else they used in those days, out of dense scrub.

 

Finally he couldn`t work anymore due to an over worked injured back,he sold what was now a farm and went back to his homeland,the sadest bit is that when he got back,he put his money in a bank and the manager of that bank gambled his and everyone elses money away and left him and his famly broken.

 

My father and mother migrated to Australia in 1948, I was eleven months old,Dad was a mechanic and soon had his own buisness,school wasn`t for me so I left just before I turned fourteen and became an apprentice mechanic.

 

When the last of the Sugar Cane asignements were released in the mid sixties, we decided to take a new direction,we applied for and were granted an asignment and purchased a block of heavy scrub,then made it into a cane farm,wasn`t as hard as grandad did it but not much easier either,because cane farming is seasonal, in the slack seasons, I was able to do many other things during my life,I became a jack of all trades.

 

Today my wife Frances and I have a son,two daughters and eight grand children,our son is a civil engineer and manager of Maunsell/Accom civil engineering firm in Cairns,our eldest daughter and her husband own and opperate the bigest underground inline boring buisness in north Queensland,our other daughter her husband and their four children,the eldest now twenty one, are happily doing the best they can and Fran and I watch it all happen.

 

So here I am, I`m Franco,( Frank ) Arri, son of Juiseppe and Olga, who helped make Australia and the AUF/RAA what it is today.

 

Frank.

 

Ps, I would enjoy reading anyone elses history.