On 27th September 1864, 251 passengers waited at Table Bay, Cape Town, in the Western Cape province of South Africa, to board the Barque Alfred bound for Auckland, New Zealand. Among them were Thomas and Mary Ryan, Mary’s young son Thomas Aylward and Thomas and Mary’s infant son, Michael. Michael Aylward (c1830-1860) and Mary Spain … Continue reading Journeys to Waipipi – from Woodford to Cape Town
My great grandfather James Donelan was born in County Longford, Ireland in early 1823. Although no birth record has surfaced to date, James’s military service record from March 1864 lists his age as 41 years and 1 month, so he was likely born in February 1823. The record also states that his place of birth … Continue reading James Donelan – a military life
In 1982 I was given a photo to add to my collection of family photos. It is titled “Les’s daughters”, and the three girls are labelled Eileen, Joyce, and another name, hard to make out, but that I always thought might be Miriam. Les is Leicester Alfred Cooke (1867–1954), my father’s maternal grandfather and the … Continue reading Les’s daughters
From New Zealand Herald, vol LIV, issue 16481, 6th March 1917 Mr John McDonald of Jersey Park, Waipipi, Waiuku can be justly proud of the record his sons are putting up in defence of the empire. His eldest son, Ernest, aged 35, a married man with a wife and four children, left with one of … Continue reading Four brothers in the Great War
Andrew Bowes Malcom (1819-1895) and Elspeth Dall (1822-1907) were the parents of my paternal gg grandmother Janet Malcolm. Andrew grew up in Kettle, Fife, Scotland and Elspeth in nearby Balmerino. Andrew and Elspeth married on November 20, 1842, in Collessie, Fife, Scotland. They had both grown up in Fife, Andrew in Kettle and Elspeth in … Continue reading Family of Andrew Malcolm and Elspeth Dall
William Shepherd Myles (1842-1895) and Janet (Jessie) Malcolm (1845-1915) married on December 28, 1867, in Leslie, Fife, Scotland. They had both grown up in Fife, William in Cupar and Janet in Leslie. William, aged 25, was a shoemaker and Janet, 22, worked in a factory. Between 1869 and 1886 William and Janet had ten children. … Continue reading Family of William Myles and Janet Malcolm
Peter and I have created this blog to explore the stories of our families. Not just names and dates but people and places. Who were they? What was it like in the places they lived, when they lived there? What did they do? How have our lives changed over the centuries? We will cover quite … Continue reading About this blog
Our Folk Stories 