Family history detective skills

Family history research involves patience, good computer skills and above all, excellent detective skills.
There is a little poppet buried in the Melton Cemetery by the name of Mary Amelia Mitchel. She died in 1889, aged 6. Her father managed a station at Rockbank.

For the month of August, Victorian Births Deaths and Marriages has a reduced fee to download PDF copies of certificates. (Interestingly, the Tasmanian equivalent provides certificates prior to 1900 for FREE!!!!!! I mean, all you're doing is downloading a PDF.)

Anyway I wanted Mary's certificate to see what her cause of death was. Her mother, Mary Hamilton Allan was my 3rd great aunt, and Mary my 1st cousin 3x removed.

When you search for a record on Vic BDM you get basic information, you have to pay for the certificate to get more detail. (In the past I paid for a certificate that proved not to be my ancestor. GRR.)
Mary Amelia's brief has her mother's maiden name as WILSON, her mother was Mary Hamilton Allan. The little doubt train starts rattling around in my head. Is this the right child? I ordered the certificate anyway.

The certificate doesn't say her mother's maiden name was WILSON, it says her father's surname was formerly WILSON (that was his mother's maiden name).

Another misleading piece of information that required navigating.

Poor little Mary Amelia died from diphtheria. 

Exposed

Authors put themselves out there when they publish a book. Yes it's true, you can't please everyone, but we do like to please everyone.
Not possible of course.

I have finally, after a long slog of 6 months, finished the prequel to the Cullen/Bartlett Dynasty. Well, at least the first draft is finished.
Before I celebrated the END, I read over it, rewrote lots of it, deleted bits and added more. When I thought it was pretty good, I gave it to my Alpha reader to go over.

Aaaggghh!!!!
No, not really. BUT she suggested I rearrange the whole thing into chronological order (the events) which isn't how I envisaged the work.
She is an Alpha reader for a reason, so I took her advice on board.

Sometimes you have to step back and let others take a look. It's the opportunity to please more people, if not everyone.

1852 travel journal of my 3x great grandfather - Liverpool to Port Phillip

James Darby left Liverpool on the Statesman on 22nd June 1852.
These excerpts are from the journal he kept on board. I have typed it as he wrote it. It is an amazing insight into how the journey progressed.
James was single and 26 years old. He travelled with two of his cousins. On arrival they went to Forest Creek on the Castlemaine Gold Fields.

June 28^th Monday

Up at eight, the sea rough with the wind quite in our teeth. Nothing but tacking about. Passengers most of them dreadfully sick as well as some of the sailors. Went to bed about eleven o’clock and discovered in the morning that my bed and pillows were very wet…

30^th

Got up in no pleasant mode – went to the Captain and complained. He ordered the Mate. The Mate ordered the Carpenter – and the Carpenter had something else to do…So I am still the same but am determined not to put up with it. Pulled my bed etc. on to the deck to dry – but found them very damp – am again going to (do) it. 

July 1^st

In the broad Atlantic weather – very cold for the time of the year. Nothing particular transpired during the day. Went to bed and found our Cabin in total darkness – the man being too ill to light the lamps. Men laying like children, their nasty messes laying in all direction…still quite well in health.

16th

Up at 5am to the sound of the words “Land O” which proved to be Porto Santo and about 2 pm we discovered Madeira at about 15 miles distant. Weather hot and fine…  

...After watching them till I could not possibly look any more I laid on the deck to sleep – but took great care to keep my head covered as it is attended with great danger not to do so in these latitudes owing to the power of the moon – Moonstroke proving at most times fatal.