Grave distribution: the limited geography of ancestor burials

During my family history research project, I have investigated the lives and movements of over 100 of my direct ancestors in New South Wales. Surprisingly the geographic range that these families have covered in the past 190 years is not overly extensive. All of my ancestors in Australia began their new lives after arriving in...

Maria Brown and the mystery portrait

Photographs of our Australian colonial ancestors are hard to come by. Painted and sketched portraits are even rarer. Fortunately, one of my ancestors (my maternal grandmothers great-grandmother) was not shy of camera or canvas. Stashed behind an old refrigerator, in my grandparent's garage, are two portraits that were among items passed down and stored after...

William Brown’s Bible – “the best book to read”

Personal objects can often be overlooked when conducting family research. It may be that they are seen as merely possessions, however objects can provide us with rich and invaluable information and stories. While consulting a well-crafted genealogy publication, concerning the Holgate family, I observed an interesting note. On the pages that were of interest to...

Image: House near Kiowarrah (Bevendale) where my great-grandmother, Evelyn May Noakes lived for a short while with her son, William Charles Noakes who was working on the property.

Two Women and Two Generations of Bevendale ‘Posties’

It has been recognised recently, through campaigns such as the United Nation's International Day of Rural Women, and initiatives like the Invisible Farmer Project, that rural women are often overlooked and left out of our rural histories. Many of the newspapers of our past often removed a woman identity, tying them to the name of their...

A Bevendale Diamond

On Easter Sunday, 1947, a diamond wedding celebration was held at 'Mayfield' (near Bevendale) for James and Emma Noakes. According to the Goulburn Post, every descendant of the couple attended, 160 in all, celebrating in a marquee decorated with bright streamers and flowers. Even the couple's elderly bridesmaid was there. Toasts were made and messages...

Bevendale Pony walks around the world (twice!).

In 1947 the 'Burrowa News' (as it was called before 1951) and the 'Crookwell Gazette', ran a story about a local horse. The pony, whose name is not given, was reared by a Mrs. Hines; a Benvendale local. The pony was used in the local mail run, and the Crookwell Gazette estimates it travelled, in...

A 69th birthday celebration turns tragic.

It is January 1938. A group of Bevendale locals had gathered at the ‘Mayfield’ homestead, the home of Emma and James Noakes. The lady of the house, Emma Noakes (nee Brown), was turning 69 and while she was returning from her mail run, her local friends and family had gathered for a birthday surprize. Green...