Every family has stories to tell… these are the stories of my ancestors.
I was born in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, when it was a territory of Australia, to Australian parents working there. We lived all around New Guinea then came back to Australia – to Daly Waters, in the Northern Territory, to Darwin, to Adelaide, to Melbourne, to Queensland, then back to Melbourne, which I have called home ever since. I have vague wisps of memories of my paternal grandparents, none of my maternal grandmother, and very loving memories of my Dandan, my maternal grandfather.
I think because I felt as though we didn’t have any extended family, I wondered about who they had been and what they had done – parts of their genes still existing within me.
So about 30 years ago I started looking into my family history. Tapping into a rich network of researchers looking at one branch, I was surprised to find out I was descended from convicts on my father’s side! Then in a conversation with my mother’s uncle he warned me off investigating our tree – saying that “the dead should be left buried, and their secrets with them.” Well… rather than a disincentive, this was like a red rag to a bull, and I was determined to find out what secrets there were!
Over the years I have uncovered many. However their secrets need to be examined in the context of the times in which they lived, and their circumstances. Over the years, I have met wonderful people, relatives and not, who are part of the genealogical community. I’ve been given help and helped others, and this is one of the joys of this past time.
And then came DNA testing. Brick walls have crumbled, new family discovered, it’s been a great ride!
So here we are, starting the process of documenting all that I have so that it’s all together somewhere safe.
This is my basic family tree on Ancestry:
To follow my paternal line, go here
or to follow my maternal line, go here
Sue
September 2022
Thomson Family History 