Stories from Dead Relatives

I'm being a rebel again, in my own very tiny way. This week's theme is "cemetery" but the list is very American and is really just a prompt to get you writing about your ancestors, so instead I've gone with "Anzac Day". First up, on my side, we have David Eric Morton who was my 1st cousin, twice removed (son of my maternal great-grandmother Emma Morton's brother). According to the Australian War Memorial , he was a Private in the Army/Flying Corps. His WWI records show he signed up on 19 March 1917 in Sydney when he was 20 years old and he embarked on 9 May 1917 on the "Port Sydney", arriving in the Suez on the 8th September 1917 as part of the Camel Reserve Corps - 1st Camel Battalion as a Private. The Imperial Camel Corps Brigade was formed in 1916 from British and Commonwealth troops and was attached to the Anzac Mounted Division. There were four regiments: the 1st and 3rd were Australian, the 2nd was British and the 4th was...

Well, this week's theme on 52 Ancestors is "Storm". Last week was "taxes" and try as I might, there was nothing I could come up with, so I had a week off. I nearly did the same this week, but as I was doing a bit of research, sure enough, we have a thunderstorm going on, so I'm going to draw a very long, tenuous bow... John Broome is my 7th great grandfather. He was born in 1710, in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. Now this place is interesting because a) Worcestershire sauce! and b) Kidderminster is considered the home of the first machine-made (as opposed to hand-made) carpets. Kidderminster had been a textile producing town since medieval times . By the 17th century, Kidderminster cloth was the only textile industry to survive and flourish because of the town's ability to adapt to changing needs and tastes. Already famous for its broadcloths, the town rapidly became famous for producing what was known as "Kidderminster stuff" whi...

This week's theme for #52ancestors is The Maiden Aunt. And our star this week is Miss Delia Sedgwick, who was my Great Aunt. Delia Gertrude Sedgwick was born on 13 June, 1887, the fifth of eight children of Gasper Sedgwick and Catherine (Kate) Morley. After Kate died when Delia was 6 years old, Gasper married her sister, Cecilia and had a further five children, including my Grandfather, Joseph. My Great Aunt Delia; her sister-in-law, my paternal Grandmother Cora; her half-sister, my Great Aunt Jacomina; and Jacomina's daughter, Celine Delia Simon. Delia never married - she worked as a maid for Miss Nan Garvan, herself an "old maid", who we believe is one of the six daughters of James Patrick Garvan (who also had six sons). Delia and Nan Garvan The Garvan Institute of Medical Research began as a small research department of St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst, Sydney. The Sisters of Charity used funds raised from their Centenary Appeal to establish ...