Discovering I'm related to a politician
Di Rieger shares her story about looking into her genealogy and discovering she has ancestors from Sweden and that she was related to a Melbourne senator.
I developed an interest in family history at an early age when family stories were casually chatted about at the dinner table or regaled again and again at family gatherings. These memorable stories of my parents’ and other family members’ lives took on a special importance to me because even if I heard different versions of the same event, to me they were true. To me these stories were family heirlooms held in the heart rather than in the hand. I felt that they were a gift that deserved preserving.
By learning more about the personalities and heritage of our ancestors, they become more than just names and dates. They become real people with real struggles and dreams and triumphs in their lives just like us.
Researching my mother’s family
My mother believed that her father Thomas Oscar Miller (nee Liljequist/Liljeqvist) was born to Swedish parents in Boston, Massachusetts, while the family were on holiday visiting relatives. Apparently Thomas had sailed the world twice in a ketch by the time he was 12 years of age.
My mum would tell us stories about her father and his siblings, including his sister, Helen, who was blind and his brother, William, who drowned at sea while serving as an officer in the American Navy.
I remember her receiving beautifully hand-written letters from her cousin, David (the son of Thomas’s sister, Ruth), who lived in Michigan. I loved reading the letters and looking at the photographs and dreamed of one day travelling to America. She also received letters from her uncle John who lived in a hotel in the Alps.
It has been difficult to trace Thomas’s family because he jumped ship and assumed a new name. Most of the information that I have has come from copies of official documents, photographs, personal possessions and shared stories. In the book, Ship Deserters Reported at Adelaide 1912-1913, records show that Thomas Oscar Liljeqvist disembarked from the S.S. Port Hunter (a merchant navy vessel), which had arrived from London and was berthed in Port Adelaide on the April 19, 1912. Thomas Oscar's Application for Certificate of Naturalization (No. 21465) dated at Port Adelaide on December 7, 1914, states that he arrived in Australia on the April 18, 1912. A Statutory Declaration signed the same day states that Thomas's occupation was a labourer and it is believed that he worked on the railway bridge that crossed over the Port Road between Grand Junction Road and the Port Road intersection and Port Adelaide itself. It is not clear when he changed his name to Miller but when he married Maud Ellen Edwards on October 22, 1913, he signed the Marriage Certificate as Thomas Oscar Miller. My sister has in her possession a cookbook that was sent by Thomas’s mother in Sweden to his wife Maud in 1914.
Thomas Oscar, official number 374A, was a Staff Sergeant in the First A.I.F. He served in the First Machine Gun Battalion and was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal for service in England, France, Gallipoli and the Middle East. When he joined the army he was described as being 26-years and four-months of age, 5' 10 and 1/4" in height, weighing 158lbs with a fresh complexion, light-blue eyes and fair hair. Distinctive marks included a lady's head on his right forearm and a bunch of flowers on his left forearm. At the time of his enlistment Thomas and Ellen Maud were living with their two children Albert John and Thomas Alan at Emily Street, Sandwell, South Australia. When he embarked from Australia on September 19, 1916, his third child, daughter Marjorie Ellen Ruth was only 23 days old.
My husband’s great grandfather, George Andrew Sangster, was born in June 1845, at the village of Cothal Mills, eight miles from Aberdeen, Scotland. He was one of a family of 12 children and received four years' schooling at a small primary school in Aberdeen. At an early age, he worked at the woollen factory of Messrs. J. J. Crombie and Company where he learned the trade of woollen spinner. At the age of 19 years George abandoned that trade and went to work at the Great North of Scotland Railway Company as an engine cleaner. In 1867 he left the Railway Company and joined Allen’s line of Canadian mail boats running between Liverpool and Quebec and Montreal in the summer months and between Liverpool and Portland, Maine in the winter months. He served in three different boats of Allen's line as fireman and remained with the line till the beginning of 1869. As the service was a weekly one, he acquired some experience of Canadian and American life during this period. When he was nearly 24 years of age George joined the famous steamship, Great Britain, under the well-known Captain Gray. The Great Britain was celebrated in its time for the speed of its passage from England and on March 10, 1870. George sailed on the Great Britain for Melbourne, where he arrived the following May.
George had numerous positions perhaps the most notable being that he was the first State Labour Member of Parliament for Port Melbourne, Victoria. He opposed participation in the Boer War and federation, supported the White Australia Policy and refused to attend the retiring Governor’s banquet because he believed the money would be better spent providing jobs. As a local councillor he constantly sought better conditions for local workers and better schools for their children. A monument consisting of a ship’s anchor and plaque was erected by the Seamen’s Union of Australia and the City of Port Melbourne in George Sangster Reserve, Port Melbourne in 1988 to recognise a lifetime of service and struggle 1845 to 1915. Our daughter has in her possession a table and set of chairs that belonged to George and is over 100 years old. The chairs were covered with red fabric that represented the Senate chamber in which he sat. Because George was a State Member of Parliament we were able to find information about him in the Parliamentary Library (Parliament of Victoria).
Di's tips on looking into your own genealogy
So you've decided to dig into your family history, but aren't sure where to begin? These basic steps will get you started on the fascinating journey into genealogy and your past.
Genealogy, or the compiling of a family tree, is the starting point for broader family history research. It reveals details of related individuals extending backwards in time.
Start with yourself and work backwards through the generations, recording each person's major life events. Interview your relatives – especially the elder ones – and ask them if they have any family documents, photos, baby books, or heirlooms. Don't forget to enjoy the journey – what you learn about your heritage is more important than how many generations back you can take your family.
Local libraries have an incredible array of family history resources to help you find out more about the lives of your ancestors. Most of the sources are Australian, however, information from New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland is also available as is a growing collection of other sources. Libraries may also offer services to help you learn how to conduct your genealogical research and ways to make it easier.
Family trees are meant to be shared and most people look for a way to do it beautifully or creatively. A number of different family tree charts can be purchased or printed for free online. Full-size wall charts make more room for big families and are great conversation starters at family reunions. Alternatively, you can create a family history book, CD, scrapbook or even a cookbook. The point is to have fun and be creative when sharing your family's heritage.
The best genealogy software program basically boils down to finding the one that's right for you. Almost all family tree software does a good job of letting you enter your family data and view and print it in a wide variety of formats. The differences add up in the features and extras. Try them out before you buy as most genealogy software programs offer free trial versions or a money-back guarantee.