Grannie and Grandad Pearce

In August 1912, my Grannie and Grandad Pearce and their five children left Peebles in the border country of the River Tweed, Scotland. The family business was running an aerated soft drink factory utilising the natural spring on their property. But having eight sons meant too many workers, so three emigrated to Canada, and my Grandad to Australia.  

He took up an irrigation block in Victoria, in No 2 settlement, East of Shepparton in the Goulburn Valley.   Wheat had been previously grown there. 

The family of three boys and two girls along with Mum and Dad lived in a tent through those first long rainy months.  They cooked outside over a make-do fireplace, straining the muddy water through cotton to make it potable. Being an irrigation area, they had the nearby channel to wash in. 

The men built fences on the land and prepared it with the help of their horse to start a fruit orchard. 

Watering the rows of trees

1886 - Joseph Henry Pearce

Joseph Henry Pearce known as Harry was born to William and Sarah Pearce (nee Clarke) on 16 Feb 1886 in Innerleithen, Scotland. He was the baby and the tenth child of the family.

The Pearce family. Harry is the little boy on the right front

Ancestors: The Palmer Family Story

The earliest member of my ancestral PALMER family for whom there is definite evidence is John Palmer born in March 1730 in Gloucester, Gloucestershire England. 

He married on 14 February 1763 to Sarah COWMEADOW possibly in Richmond. 

Sarah was born 07 June 1735 in Longney, Gloucestershire to Ann Bullock and Richard Cowmeadow. 

(Don't you love the joining of those two surnames) 

Anzac Day 2019: Remembering Andrew Crawford

Today I remember Andy Crawford, mum's cousin - B2455, ANDREW CRAWFORD, SERN Major, Tatura VIC. 8th Light Horse Regiment, A Squadron; part of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade.
I have written a full story (click here), of Andy's war service.  (warning it is very long - 29 pages).

2019. #52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks; Week 16 Prompt: ‘Out of Place’

Week 16 Prompt: ‘Out of Place’

LOUDEN

This time I have decided to look at a name that seemed out of place.  

My father was born in Peebles in 1904.  He was christened William Louden Pearce.  Years ago when I wondered if Louden was a family surname handed down, I asked my father where did the Loudens fit in? 

He laughed and told me – “they don’t, he was the minister who christened me!”.  

When speaking with my new found relatives in New Zealand last week (April 2019) I discovered that one of the women had also been given a middle name Louden, and the family story was the same – she was named after the minister in the Congregational Church in Innerleithen who christened her in 1915.  

NB: The Congregational Church was started in 1848.

I tried to research who this popular minister was. The only possibility I found was T.S. Loudon a minister with the Congregational Church, who was preaching at Muirkirk in Scotland in 1899.  Muirkirk is 1½ hours drive east from Innerleithen. 

If this is the same minister maybe he moved on to Innerleithen some time between 1899 and 1904. The reference to his being at Muirkirk is in a book which, unfortunately, only covers up to 1900.

Reference:https://archive.org/stream/historyofcongreg00ross/historyofcongreg00ross_djvu.txt

The Old Manse, previously the Manse for the Congregational church in Leithen Road, Innerleithen,  
This is where Reverend Loudon would have lived as Minister of the Congregational Church.

2019. #52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks; Week 15 Prompt: DNA

Week 15 Prompt: DNA

A couple of years ago my husband and I decided to have DNA tests done. We used Ancestry first of all and then Family Finder. It was interesting to see which countries our ancestors came from.  But that was not our main interest.  It was to have a record so that hopefully at some time our ancestors would be traced in a proven manner.

Although I have saved on file many helpful documents on how to utilize the DNA results, and attended interesting presentations, at this time I have not had time to follow up. 

When the results first came, I was keen and contacted those other people DNA tested, who matched me. Sadly, most did not reply. Of the few who did, we were still unable to identify the connection, as it was probably too distant. 
I have saved my results on 'My Heritage' and 'Gedmatch' as well. 

There are a couple of ‘Brick Walls’ that I do hope to break down in the future when more people have tested and I understand it better.