Those Places Thursday - Planning by UK Genjourney

Time is ticking by soooooooo quickly!  In less than three weeks I will be winging off to the UK.  I am feeling a little overwhelmed with all the things I hope to have organised before I left.  I guess they will still be here when I get back.

Elizabeth Taylor

In my last blog I listed a number of action points that would assist me in making the most of my research time. Now I have to make the hard decision on which branches of our family tree to focus on.  In other words Rationalise!!!

If you follow my other blogs,Family Stories, Photographs and Memories and

The Other Half of My Family Tree- stories of my female ancestors,  you will know that I am fascinated by the story of Elizabeth Rushworth (1843-1927). 

Elizabeth and her husband William Taylor (1833-1928) came from Burnley, Barnoldswick and finally lived in Colne, Lancashire, and it is for this reason that I have decided to base myself in Lancashire for four weeks. I hope to be able to connect with their descendants and check out all the local resources (Libraries, museums, newspapers) to help to put together a more comprehensive picture of their family and way of life.

There are three other branches of our family tree that I would like to follow up on.  The first being the Goldings/Gee families who immigrated from Oakington and Longstanton, Cambridgeshire to Adelaide, South Australia in the mid 1852 on the "Epaminondas". Edward

Golding and Maria Golding (nee Gee) were my great-great-great grandparents. They immigrated with their brothers, sisters and children seeking a new life in the colony of Adelaide, in South Australia.

Also, I plan to visit Daybrook, Arnold in Nottinghamshire.  My great-great-great grandfather  Lynn David Shepherd and his wife Elizabeth (nee Mariner) were born and married in Daybrook.  Lynn was a soldier in the Battalion of 69th Regiment of Foot and fought in the Napoleonic Wars. When he returned from the war he joined the Royal Veteran Corps bound for New South Wales, Australia. Lynn, Elizabeth and their children came to Australia on the "Orpheus" arriving in Sydney cove on the 19th September 1826.

Hannah Nesbitt's Grave

The final branch that I plan to explore is that of my great-great grandmother on my mother's side, Hannah Nesbitt (1827-1913) who lived in Alnwick, Northumberland.  She married Francis Newman (1820-1852) in 1847 and they travelled  from England to South Australia in 1850 on the "Boyne". Unfortunately Francis died while seeking his fortune in the Victorian gold fields, and Hannah remarried my great great grandfather William Herbert  (1818-1881)and they settled in the copper mining town of Burra in South Australia.

There are a number of family stories that say Hannah and her family lived in or near the castle at Alnwick.  I am assuming that her family were on the staff at the castle.  There are also stories that some members of the next generation returned to Alnwick to visit their family.  It would be nice to see how much truth is in these tales.  Of course there is also the bonus side to visiting Alnwick! That is to be able to tell my grandsons that I visited the Castle where Harry Potter was filmed!!!!

Of course I plan to keep an open mind and if the opportunity arises and there is a chance to delve into other branches of our family tree, that will be a bonus.