This Blog is a collection of short articles from my research.
The Story of Francis Foote
Part 1 - Dickens' LondonFrancis Foote – The Convict Francis Foote, aged about 17, arrived in the Colony of New South Wales on the convict ship ‘Bengal Merchant’ 23 July 1838, one of 270 male prisoners. All the prisoners’ physical descriptions were recorded in...
Albert Edward Tambling – Do You Know Him?
The following article has been compiled from my research into Albert Edward Tambling aka Thompson. Do You Know Him? “Albert Edward Tambling, an ex-service man and a native of Bath, Somerset, England, who was last heard of as residing in or about Sydney in 1924. His...
The Sick Children’s Hospital, Brisbane
The beginnings of the first dedicated children's hospital in Brisbane, Queensland. Mrs Mary McConnel was the instigator and driving force behind the Sick Children's Hospital in Brisbane, but there were many women at her side who have, over time, been mostly...
Charlie Thomson (1844 – 1910)
The following is an excerpt from an account I wrote on several ancestors, including Matthew Charles Thomson, or better known as Charlie. He arrived in Queensland, Australia from Kilmarnock, Scotland in the 1860s. This excerpt is from his later years. While W & M...
Who Was Frederick Foot? Part 2.
Finding Frederick Foot.There is little available information on the Frederick Foot who informed Governor Gipps of the murders of a large group of Aboriginal people (Wirrayaraay) at Myall Creek, Liverpool Plains in 1838. In all accounts he is usually described as a...
Who Was Frederick Foot? Part 1.
Frederick Foot is not well known but he is acknowledged for his key role in one of the earliest infamous events in Australia’s colonial history, the Myall Creek Massacre in 1838. It is Frederick Foot who is credited with informing Governor Gipps of the unprovoked...
Famous Footes – Samuel Foote
Famous Footes: These aren't biographies but highlight some of the famous Footes of their day. Samuel Foote was famous in his day perhaps infamous, and is not quite forgotten. A London actor and playwright, he was well known for his mimicry, satirical writings and...
Alexander Bedward Foote (1859 – 1908)
I came across several photos of a Captain Foote in the online catalogue of the Nelson Provincial Museum of New Zealand. After some initial research it was clear Captain Foote was Alexander Bedward Foote, whose family I had recently been researching in various...
Beautiful Bills
Sifting through a folder at the archives, you have a general idea of the contents but you don't know what interesting items you may find that pique your interest. These invoices from 1909, in a file of administrative papers, are typical of the period with their...
William Henry Capes (1823 – 1897)
William Henry Capes (1823 – 1897), merchant’s clerk, shopkeeper, lay-reader, and schoolteacher was baptised on 2 February 1823 at St. Peter's Church, Manchester, England. He was the son of William Capes, a wealthy auctioneer of Manchester and his second wife Hannah...