Recently (11 September 2018) I attended Donald Robinson’s funeral. Don was my father’s cousin, 10 years older than Dad. Their mothers were sisters, Gertie and Winnie Ross. I remember Don fondly because, among other things, he was the keeper of the family history, and a … Continue reading The passing of an archbishop
Tag: Sydney
The Byrnes and our Irish origins
My grandmother’s oldest sister was named Kathleen Byrne, but the family usually called her Lena. She was born in 1886 in Sydney, the first child of George and Susie Byrne, who were both Irish migrants from County Kerry. Her parents were reasonably well off; some … Continue reading The Byrnes and our Irish origins
John Christopher Hickson (1848-1945)
Donald Robinson, a former Archbishop of Sydney, writes (around 1960): The Hicksons were an old Protestant family whose Hickson forebears had crossed to Ireland from England in the time of Cromwell. Their ancestral seat was "The Grove" at Dingle, 30 miles or more west of … Continue reading John Christopher Hickson (1848-1945)
German immigrants in Sydney: 1855-1886
Gottfried and Viktoria Fischer arrived in Australia in March 1855. Both were 33 years old. They had three children, Caroline (8), Charles (5) and William (1). Their fourth child, Heironimys, aged 4, had died of cholera on the voyage out. Five months after they arrived … Continue reading German immigrants in Sydney: 1855-1886
Arriving in Sydney 1855
The Fischer family, migrants from Germany, arrived in Sydney on board the sailing ship Caesar in March 1855. It was a different sort of arrival to ours in Sydney Harbour in 1973, having sailed on the Ellinis from Southampton. We had been at sea for … Continue reading Arriving in Sydney 1855
Forgotten tales 