After arriving in Hobart, the capital of the Apple Isle, Tasmania, there was a sense of belonging for me and Me Jenny as this is the spot that Jen’s great grandfather – my great great grandfather first arrived on a ship called Orient back in 1887 – Well, it wasn’t Hobart exactly, they apparently arrived in Launceston and then seemed to move around Tassie a bit before high-tailing it to Fremantle in WA.

My Great Grandfather, William with his wife, Maria and their two eldest children, Gwen and My grandfather, Clem

So after much discussion about where and when and how and then much joyless searching on the inter-web for facts, the Births, Deaths and Marriages office looked like it was going to be high on the agenda for tomorrow.

There is so much conflicting advice and ‘facts’ online.  I know you have to leave room for human error, but I do have to wonder if it was the data entry person’s own family members, maybe they would have taken more care.

Clem, not sure, maybe William’s brother?, Bert, Betty, Nanna – Maria, Da – William and Gwen

Here’s our story:  There was a chap, let’s call him Archer, cause that was his name. He married Sarah in the UK and they had some kids, including my great grandfather, William. They came out to Australia on a ship called Orient along with Sarah’s younger sister, Jane.  Now, poor Sarah died two years after arriving in Tassie, when my GG Grandfather was only 2 years old, and so the heartbroken Archer married Jane – Talk about bringing a spare, just in case! Archer and Jane went on to have about 8 more children.

So with a beautiful day before us, BDM here we come!