Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 14 August 2022

HAPPY NEW WEEK!

I hope everyone has a joyful, serene week. 

I've read all of your news. I have a lot of important tasks with time deadlines weighing on me right now, and I can't seem to summon much energy to do them. I'll catch up with you all soon. 

Take care of yourselves. Those in the U.K., stay cool!

  • Sounds interesting, AQ. I agree that there is a habit now of changing the titles of things. History is History as far as I'm concerned!

    My d.in.law works in HR (that's Human Resources). I often have to explain what that is, to people who enquire as to her job.

    We went to visit Sue in her pretty garden this morning, as its her birthday today. Took her presents and some flowers, plus some useful cardboard boxes. I told my OH before we got there, that I was going to have to treat the whole thing about her moving as if it was a good idea, so as not to upset anyone with my disapproval. I can't think about it without wincing. <sigh> We sat in the sunshine and ate 'naughty cake' with a mug of tea & talked about other family members as we admired the flowers she's successfully planted under the trees which are her neighbours, leaning over the fencing. The trees, that is, not the neighbours!

    I went to the dentists before we left and got a clean bill of health this time. 

  • HEATHER - there are listings online of emigrant ships leaving British ports, where they went and who was on board - will try to find more detail when I have time - only popped in here for a minute!

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY to DIANE!!! (sorry I had wrong date in my head andposted weeks ago!)
  • HEATHER – Do you know your father’s brother’s name? Scots came to every state in Aust and each state has its own records (shipping, marriage, birth, etc). If you wanted to find more let me know & I can at least offer advice. Maybe do a search. Also major Aussie newspapers have been digitized & are available online. I have found heaps of info from them; too bad they weren’t available when I started, gosh, 37 years ago!!! The hours I have spent in archives!

  • Good Morning. Dry & cloudy today, as per the forecast. It must be interesting looking at all those archives about immigrants, AQ. All those fascinating individual stories!
  • Happy Birthday to Diane!!! Hope you can have a good day, and a break from working.
  • Happy birthday, Diane :) Hope you manage to have a peaceful and enjoyable day.
  • Happy Birthday Diane. I too hope you can take a break from your work deadlines and do something for yourself instead.
    AQ - finding out facts about the immigrants and how you are related to them must be fascinating. I often wonder how people will find things out in the future now that everything is digitalised. In books, the record keeping seems to have been very neat and thorough and is now still accessible.
    The sun has come out here. I am going to have a quiet morning as I am playing golf again this afternoon. An unexpected team competition which I mysteriously got entered into!!! I don’t mind but I feel sorry for the other 2 ladies in my team. I don’t think I will contribute much if I play like I did on Wednesday!!!!
    I took my friend for her physio yesterday and she now has some exercises to do. We walked into town so that she could do a bit of shopping and then she treated me to lunch at the garden centre. Afterwards we had a look at the plants and she bought a very pretty purple and white salvia. I offered to plant it for her when I took her home but she said it would be happy in its pot for the time being.
  • Hello all - I hope to come back later with other replies but just wanted to thank OG and AQ for their offers of help.
    As far as I can make out from a family tree done by an in law of my brother - my grandmother was born in 1874. Her name was Ann McDonald. She had a child, my father, out of wedlock, when she was 17 years of age. She must/may  have married at a later time, as my father apparently had two brothers and a sister. So my father's birth certificate says that he was called Charles McDonald. He retained that ( very common in Scotland) surname. What I don't know is who his mother subsequently married. It could have been a widower with children. Or she could have had a further three children with her husband. The brother - or stepbrother - that went to Australia was called Duncan, I have remembered that, as I was told that by my parents. How I wish that I had been told more !
    Sadly, I don't know his surname, so tracing him would be nigh impossible. I often think about doing a DNA test ! Maybe there would be matches somewhere. 

  • HEATHER - I hoped that AQ might offer advice. Sad that you don't have the surname of your?uncle. How about looking grandmother up on the censuses after your fathers birth - find who lived in same household as her..