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Blog postThe digitised newspaper collection at Trove, the National Library of Australia site, is an amazing (and free) resource. It proved invaluable when I was doing the research for my book about Susan Mason. Trove has many more resources available besides newspapers of course - maps, diaries, journals, government gazettes, and videos, to name but a few - but for those researching their family history,
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Blog postLimerick c 1900 John Mason was 18 years old when he was transported to Australia aboard the Parmelia. Until recently all that I knew about his crime came from his convict records, which stated that he had been sentenced in Limerick for 'stealing cotton'. The Limerick prison records (available at Find My Past) showed that he had been tried on 27 June 1833 and sentenced on 11 July, but gave no
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Blog postMarket place, Barnard Castle (cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Ben Gamble ) Now that I've traced back through Alfred Pearson Bentley's forebears, it's time to have a look at his wife Annie Reed. As I've mentioned before, Alfred and Annie were married in Dewsbury in Yorkshire in 1869, and moved to Salford in Lancashire before 1872. In 1879, soon after the birth of their fifth child, Alfred sailed to America,
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Blog postMost of us have probably wondered at some stage whether we can really go on being a Christian until the end of our lives. Our faith seems so weak and wobbly at times. Perhaps we’ve struggled with doubts about certain doctrines, or felt puzzled and disturbed by something we've read in the Bible. Maybe we’ve tried to share the gospel with others and found ourselves flummoxed by their
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Blog postTwo voices, one song* In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul was writing to Christians who were at risk of believing that keeping the Jewish law was helpful, perhaps even necessary, for salvation. To help them understand that it was their faith in Jesus, not keeping the law, that put them right with God, he pointed out that Abraham was declared righteous by God before the covenant of
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Blog postSt James Church, Tong, built 1727 © Copyright Humphrey Boltonlicensed for reuse under this CC Licence Harriet Smith is one of those people whose story can only be told in terms of "daughter of..", "wife of...", mother of...". Anything we know of her character or actions has to be deduced or guessed. She was born in Armley, near Leeds in Yorkshire, on 18 July 1817, the second daughter of James
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Blog postThis is a rather special post. A few weeks ago I received an email from Dawn Spradlin, who introduced herself as the great great granddaughter of Jeremiah Whybrew, David Whybrew's older brother. She had come across this site and realised that we must be related. I asked if she would be willing to write something about her research into her own family's history, or share some photos, and to my
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Blog postWe all need encouragement to keep doing what we’re doing. As a writer, I’m encouraged to go on writing when someone tells me that something I’ve written has been helpful to them. Teachers are encouraged when their students do well in their exams. Trades people are encouraged when a customer recommends them to someone else, not just because of the promise of more work, but because it shows that
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Blog postMay the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6 Photo by Riza Nugraha In a world where conflict abounds at every level, the ability of Christians to live and work together in unity should be a wonderful
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Blog postDrawing of the first patented lockstitch sewing machine, invented in 1845 by Elias Howe and patented in 1846, 15 years after William Bentley's death. He would have done all his tailoring work by hand. After posting a couple of articles about Ben Bentley my plan was to say something about his forebears and those of Harriet Smith, his wife. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot to say with
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Blog postView the book The book I've been writing about Susan Mason and her family is finally complete and published on Amazon worldwide. It's available as an e-book which can be read on any Kindle device or Kindle app. A paperback version is also available (although sadly not through the Australian Amazon site, which doesn't stock printed books yet). I'm still looking into other e-book options such as
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Blog postMy book about Susan Mason and her family is finally complete and almost ready to launch. In fact it's already sitting on the Kindle Direct Publishing page on Amazon. Once I set a price, then hit the "publish" button, it will be on it's way into the world as an ebook. I'm just waiting for confirmation from a couple of people that they're happy for their names to appear on the acknowledgements
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Blog postLeeds Corn Exchange, which Ben no doubt visited. Designed byCuthbert Brodrick and built in 1863.Now home to a food emporium and boutique shops. In my previous post about Ben Bentley I left the unfortunate gentleman languishing in Portland prison in Dorset, after he was arrested for embezzlement. So what became of him and his family? Ben was released in December 1860, having shown "exemplary"
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Blog post26 January 2017 Name:Harriet SMITH1–10 Sex:Female Father:James SMITH ( - ) Mother:Martha NAYLOR (1793- ) Individual Facts Birth18 Jul 1817Armley, Yorkshire, England1–4,6–10 Baptism14 Sep 1817 (age 0)Bethel Independent OR Congregational, Leeds, York, England8–10 Residence1841 (about age 24)Bramley, Yorkshire, England6 Residence1851 (about age 34)Relation to Head of House: Wife
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Blog post26 January 2017 Name:Ben BENTLEY1–17 Sex:Male Father:William BENTLEY (1785-1831) Mother:Ann Wildrick (1785-1849) Individual Facts Birth1819Gildersome, Yorkshire, England1–4,6,9,12–14 Baptism22 Aug 1819 Gildersome, St Peter, Yorkshire, England7,10 Census1841 (age 22)Bramley, Yorkshire, England13 Census1851 (age 32)116 West St, Leeds, Yorkshire Relation to Head of House: Head Occupation:
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Blog postI mentioned in my last post that when Ben Bentley died in 1897 he was described in the probate calendar as "Ben Bentley, gentleman". Originally a man could only be described as a gentleman if he inherited, or was granted, a coat of arms. By the 19th century the term had started to be applied to anyone who was wealthy enough to live on their own means, without needing to work. Eventually it
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Blog postHappy New Year! It's a while since I've written any posts. The living members of my family obviously take precedence over those long since departed when it comes to how I spend my time, and the past couple of months have been filled with family events, visits, traumas and travels. But Christmas is over, the visitors have all gone home, the walking wounded are showing signs of getting better, and
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Blog postOro-Medonte in Ontario, Canada A distant relative and fellow family historian recently forwarded me a link to an old discussion post about David Whybrew's older brother, Jeremiah. I knew that Jeremiah had migrated to Canada as a young adult, and married there, but that was about it. So it was interesting to learn more about what happened to him. Since then I've done a bit more research and
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Blog postSeveral years ago we visited a 'living museum', a house set up and furnished just as it would have been in the early 1900's. The couple who owned and occupied the house tried, as far as possible, to live as the occupants would have lived in that era. The one concession they had made to modern life was the washing machine sitting in a corner of the laundry. They admitted that washing their
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Blog post“Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” Genesis 18:25 The Old Testament is vital to our understanding of who Jesus is and what he said and did. Yet it’s not always easy to read. Sometimes the problem is our distance in time and
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Blog postIt's over four years since I began this blog, back in April 2012. Since then I've written something like 120 posts. Some branches of the family, such as the Masons in Adelaide, have had more posts devoted to them than others. Generally, though, I've tried to work my way fairly systematically through the lines of my four grandparents, sharing what I've learned. From time to time I've digressed
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Blog postThe Cemetery at Vis-en-Artois. William Whybrew has no grave, his name is inscribed on panel 5 of the curved memorial wall between the two stone pillars.(image courtesy of wikimedia). Back in March 2014 I wrote a couple of posts about the children of David and Susan Whybrew. At the time, much of what I wrote about their youngest son William (the youngest son to survive childhood at any rate)
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Blog postOh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (Ps 107:1) In a recent news clip about children’s art being displayed in a prestigious art gallery, one child was asked how she felt about seeing her picture hanging besides works by world-famous artists. Her unsmiling response was “It shows that I’ve worked hard and that if you really want to, you can
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Blog postWell, here's some positive news at last about Brexit. As a result of events on June 23, it has become less expensive for Australians like me to purchase certificates from the UK General Registry Office (GRO). This time last year one British pound was equivalent to roughly $AUD 2.0. Now it's down to $AUD 1.70. That takes about $3 off the cost of a certificate. Politics aside, ordering copies of
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Blog postMillers Point in 1870 (Image from State Library of NSW collection) Anyone who has followed this blog for a while will be familiar with my theory that John Mason, who married Catherine Murphy in Sydney in 1841, was an Irish convict born in Limerick. He arrived in Sydney on the Parmelia in 1834. The problem has been that my conclusion was based on excluding all the other possible John Masons
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Blog postHe rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. (Psalm9:8 NIV)In our judicial system, the role of judge is separated from that of lawmaker. A judge cannot change the law, initiate legal proceedings, or change the penalty imposed by the law. A judge has no role in carrying out the sentence against the guilty.This separation of lawmakers and judges is meant to ensure
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Blog postOne Wednesday evening late in October 1855, the Court Perseverance of the Ancient Order of Foresters met in the Prince of Wales hotel in Adelaide for their anniversary dinner. After a meal which "for abundance and variety of delicacies, for exquisite cookery and choice wines, would bear favourable comparison with some of the crack hotels of the mother country", they got down to the important
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Blog postIt's difficult to know what name to use for the woman who would become William Beales' mother. Her birth, late in 1846, was registered as "Rosana" Bines and that's how her name is spelled on the 1851 census. But in 1861 she was recorded as "Rosina" and in 1871 as "Rose Anna". When she married James Beales in 1867 she was "Rosanna". The confusion is perhaps an indication that she and her
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Blog postHe tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40.11 (NIV) The prophet Isaiah had good news to announce to God’s people. God himself would come and be their shepherd. He would demonstrate his power and authority, but he would also have a special concern for those who were so often left
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Blog postOld records - where it all begins A few months ago I started writing a book about Susan Mason and her family. In a way, I've already written most of her life story on this blog, but it's quite fragmented. I wanted to draw together all the information I've discovered about her into a continuous narrative. She's such an interesting character, and her life, while not remarkable in any historical
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Blog postAfter forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. (Genesis 8:6) When we’re in the middle of a crisis, all we want is for it to come to an end. Each day we look for signs that it might soon be over. We long for life to return to normal. Once the crisis is over, many things do return
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Blog postAs I've mentioned before, William Beales and his family were dedicated members of the Salvation Army in Colchester. Recently I've been reading more about the history of the Salvation Army. It's not only fascinating in its own right, but also includes some intriguing links with our family history, both in Australia and England. Catherine and William Booth William Booth, a Methodist minister,
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Blog postWhen Eliza Whybrew married William Beales in the autumn of 1891, she was marrying a man whose childhood was distinctly different to her own. Whereas she had spent her childhood moving from place to place with her father's army regiment, Bill had always lived in the same small village where his father and his grandfather had spent their whole lives. Bill was born and raised in St Osyth, on the
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Blog post"I am with you always, to the very end of the age". (Matt 28.20b) A few days before she was to start kindy, a little girl began insisting that her mother should let her walk there on her own on the very first day. This seemed rather strange, so her mother tried to find out why it was so important to the child. Eventually the little girl said “Well, if I go on my own I won’t have to say
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Blog postEliza in her Salvation Army uniform In my post on David and Susan Whybrew's fourteen children I skimmed over Eliza, saying that I'd devote a whole article to her. I've just realised that two years have gone by, and I still haven't done it. So my next few posts will be about Eliza Whybrew, her husband Bill Beales and their family. Eliza had an unsettled childhood. She was born in Adelaide,
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Blog postWhatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24) Those Christians who work in the helping professions may be tempted to look at those who do creative or constructive work and experience a certain envy. It
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Blog postThis child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. (Luke 2:34b-35) Simeon had waited his whole life to see the promised Messiah. Then one day an unassuming young couple brought their baby into the temple court, and he knew that the moment he had been waiting for had
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Blog postIn the church calendar October 31 was traditionally All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Saints Day on November 1. It was a time for remembering the dead, both the saints and martyrs (”the hallowed” or holy ones)and loved ones who had died. It may have been timed to coincide with an older pagan festival which marked the onset of winter, although originally All Saints day was in May. Many
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Blog postBut to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. (Deuteronomy 29:4) Two sorts of people never change their mind - those suffering from delusions caused by mental illness, and the prejudiced. Mental illness can often be treated, but prejudice has no treatment. A person whose mind is open to the truth may have very strongly held beliefs based on
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Blog postNow the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.(John 11:57) Mark’s gospel tells us that it was out of envy that the religious leaders sought to have Jesus arrested and executed. But what was the cause of their envy? Perhaps it was that Jesus related freely to God and called him Father,
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Blog post“The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” John 9:11 Model of old Jerusalem.Original image by Berthold Werner The blind man had never seen Jesus. He had only heard him speaking and felt his hands touching his face. But something about Jesus, his willingness to touch a blind beggar, his voice and
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Blog postThe advertising industry has apparently decided that promoting anxiety about being judged inadequate is just as good for business as creating envy. So women's magazines carry pictures of celebrities with scathing captions mocking the size of their thighs, the colour of their lipstick or their fashion blunders. The message to readers is clear - get this right or you too will be judged. Of
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Blog post"Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16) The Pharisees knew the scriptures well. They knew that in order to approach a good and holy God, you must live a life of scrupulous obedience to his law. Since no human being could hope to live a perfectly sinless life, a sacrifice was
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Blog postWe no longer stand alone One of the key themes of Paul's letter to the Ephesians - in fact one of the key themes of Paul's theology - is that through the church the wisdom of God is made known to "the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places." (3:8-10) Christ has been raised from the dead and is seated "far above all rule and authority, power and dominion" (1:21). Now we, who once
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Blog postYou did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:16 (NIV) Image by Ged Carroll via Flickr Jesus taught his disciples many things in the three years that he was with them. But when he spoke to them for the final time before his death, we can be sure that
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Blog postDo not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. Micah 7.8 Dungeons are traditionally dark, windowless places. That's no accident. Except for those born blind, human beings find being in the dark for any length of time disturbing. We rely so much on our vision to make sense of the world. Keeping a prisoner in complete
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Blog post(from my 'About' page) Well, for a start, with a gazillion blogs already registered on the internet, it's getting hard to find a name for a new one. It was either this or "The In of And". But more seriously, why Rumours of Hope? 'Rumour' is, after all, a word with somewhat negative connotations. In a world that clamours for constantly updated information, rumours are often substituted for
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Blog postPeople have been predicting the imminent end of the world and Jesus' second coming since his ascension. Some of these predictions have been based on supposed prophetic visions or dreams. Others have focused on auspicious dates such as the years 500, 1000 and 2000 AD. Calculations based on the book of Revelation have produced a wide range of dates, most of which have already passed by
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Blog postThen he said to me "Prophesy…" So I prophesied as he commanded me. Ezekiel 37:9-10 After studying the role of the prophets in the Old Testament, one of our Bible study group members asked "What about today? Are there still prophets today?" It's a good question, and we discussed it at length. Some would point to Hebrews 1:1-2 to argue that prophecy ceased with the end of the Old Testament
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