Telling stories from photographs

Old images give up their secrets For anyone fortunate enough to have photographs of family members going back multiple generations, identifying people can be almost impossible. Fortunately some images have names on them and others are recognisable from later pictures....
Census with a Silver lining

Census with a Silver lining

Census records are a treasure trove of information for genealogists and can produce a number of ‘yes!’ moments of discovery. As census-taking improved and more information became available, the task of tracking a person or a family was also made much easier. Back in...

Piecing together this timepiece’s journey

This picture is of a pocket watch (or fob watch) manufactured sometime in the 1800s in Scotland with the name “Geo. Donald” inscribed on it. It is in the possession of descendants of James Silver who grew up in Scotland and moved to Australia in 1890 when...
Life at Boolburra

Life at Boolburra

Boolburra is the central point of a once-thriving  community on the banks of the Dawson River about 100km (60 miles) west of Rockhampton, Queensland. In the 1870s when the town plan was laid out and the school opened, those who lived in the community saw a prosperous...