Once you start researching your family history, you find yourself wanting to travel a bit. The places where your ancestors lived, the cemeteries where they are buried, the town halls that hold records of their lives – all these places need a visit. And there are always the hitherto unknown relatives you turn up.
These travels started out reasonably enough for me. A jaunt to Boston to check out the records at the New England Historical and Genealogical Society. A road trip to Toronto to see the Quaker Archives there, then another stop at Swarthmore to see the American Quaker Archives. Some poking around in Upstate New York and Michigan to locate graves and places. A journey to California to meet a cousin who has some information (but I was going west anyway). I could even contemplate a trip to England to do a little research without too much of a stretch.
But here’s the thing: my mother was from Australia. Getting to Australia is not a jaunt or a trip or even a journey. It’s a full-fledged expedition. I feel like I should have bearers to schlep all my stuff around. (Actually, Tom is pretty useful in that role.)
I’m using this blog to keep a record of my expedition. Some of this will be about family, some of it will just be adventures along the way. Enjoy what interests you, skip what doesn’t. And feel free to share with other family members who might be interested.