Last month I enrolled in the basic level courses of the Australian Records Certificate through the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. I have just started my second course. Imagine my surprise this morning when I received a tweet from a librarian friend who works less than a kilometre from me to say that she had just posted her first response and that one of mine was directly below her entry. It's certainly a small world. I didn't know she had an interest in genealogy. Now we have another common interest.
I am currently in England visiting my daughter who is working in London. Naturally I decided I would have to spend some time on genealogical pursuits. The problem was where would I choose for a few day's retreat from London? In the end I decided to go to Northampton to visit the grave of Caroline Chisholm. Caroline is known as the immigrant's friend. She was a well known social reformer of her day. Why is Caroline significant to me and my family? You may recall that Caroline Chisholm was on the original $5 note in Australia. As well as her image there was a picture of a ship. That ship was the Waverley . Caroline agitated at the Home Office to reunite the wives and families of convicts with their husbands and fathers. On 22 June 1847 she wrote that she ‘had just left the Home Office and had obtained a passage per Waverley for forty-nine souls.’ SMH 9 August 1847, extract from letter 30 March 1847. My great great grandmother Matilda Agnew, her older siblings James, Joh
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