I’m really thrilled to be able to update and add ‘birdseye’ information to my research. Having recently returned from an overseas trip, which unfortunately hasn’t by half been long enough to get to what I needed to, I’m busily adding extra information to existing pages. I’ve been able to update Bridget Duffy and James Mohan and their daughter, my great-grandmother from Drogheda and Dublin in Ireland. I hope you enjoy as much as I did visiting.

I’ve had the great fortune to be able to travel to Tasmania (Hobart) in December 2019. Part of that fabulous family holiday included a trip to Port Arthur. To the best of my knowledge, I’ve not been able to place any direct ancestors at Port Phillip during its operation. I’d like to hope that that remains as it is, because having visited there, despite its austere beauty and unexpected stunning gardens, Port Arthur remains a place in Tasmanian history where there has been great sadness and loss by those who have spent time there. It was most definitely one of the most profoundly emotive places I’ve ever been.

Back in December 2019, I was travelling around Tasmania and came across a cemetery with some old graves. It was one of those rather warm days. Some of these might be useful to other researchers in our lines and your welcome to use these if they are of use to you? Whilst I didn’t/couldn’t find any of the particular graves I was looking for on this day, I did find enough connections and no reason not to expect that this was a familiar cemetery to our pioneering ancestors.

I’ve been researching this one for some years now. Even with the arrival this week of the death certificate from New Zealand there is little I can conclusively prove regarding the origins of our Hancock origins.

I’ve been checking regularly through ‘Thru Lines” on Ancestry.com DNA looking for a connection to the (English based) Hancock line. I have been able to find DNA connections through both Walter and Louisa via their children Emma Sarah Hancock and Elizabeth Hancock.

I hope you enjoy the story that I’ve been able to put together for Walter and Louisa.

These photographs are on card, are quite small and are exactly what you would expect for pre-twentieth century photography. Each of these photographs were taken at the same time at the Stevenson and McNicoll studios at 108 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. From 1885 on-wards Stevenson and McNicoll added the ‘gold border’ around their photographs and this was something common in their work. With this in mind I know that these photographs were taken from 1885 onwards. These photographs originally belonged to Lily Mary Lorkin/Larkin Fowles. I had thought at first that they might be her first three sons and daughter as children however, I can’t corroborate that and the little girl doesn’t look old enough to be the eldest child. So I’m back to the drawing-board and looking for help to identify these children.

This very dapper gent is Frank and I know that because it’s written in pencil in beautiful scrolling script on the back of the card, well actually the more I look at it it could even be Izaak. I’m really not sure anymore. However, if you can help me ID this fellow I would be deeply grateful. This is going to be somehow linked to the Fowles or Lorkin/Larkin family.

Hello everyone,

I’m undertaking a spectacularly large project with photographs that have been given to me. The puzzle is that not all have names or information on the back to serve as clues.

If you know who this fellow is and I suspect he may be linked somehow with the Fowles family? I would dearly like to hear from you. I have the original which is in very good condition on heavy card. There is absolutely nothing to indicate who this came from, not even a photographic studio name.

Any help identifying this fellow would be deeply appreciated.

Well, its been a long time coming but I’ve finally got the first two pages on.

Richard Varcoe and Mary Ann Gill.

I hope you find them as interesting as I have.