Gangplanks

Charles Baker stepped down off the gangplank warily and looked for his brother Edward in the crowd.  He was back in the mother land but did not intend on staying long.  After jumping ship in Jamaica he managed to make his way back to England on a trading vessel.  He needed to keep his head down as he was still wanted for desertion.  He knew it was wrong to desert but being forced into the Navy at 15 and spending the past five years there he had had enough.

Charles found Edward and made his way through the crowd.  They hugged and headed toward the Hogshead Tavern nearby.

“Charlie, are you mad!  You’ll get more than 5 years in the Navy if they find you!”

“I know but I couldn’t hack it any more Ed, I’ve found us passage to Australia!  The ship I came here on, the Durham, is heading there and I got us work as crew.  Come with me Ed, please!”

Edward shook his head and laughed.  Charlie had always been a risk taker and loved an adventure.  He pondered his proposal for a minute too.

“Why the heck not!  What have I got keeping me here?”

Two days later the men were aboard the Durham for Australia.  They arrived in March, a new beginning for both men.[1]  Charles disembarked, he was not known as a deserter in this place so it was a rebirth almost. They wandered around the port taking in the sounds and sights and the heat.  Charles was optimistic that this was the best decision he had ever made.

Reflection

I think writing about new events would be the easiest topics for me.   I tried to be descriptive in this text but not let it take over, same with dialogue but I wanted to convey that there was ending and beginning but the adventure of a new world was the main topic.

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[1] Historic Shipping, ‘Durham’, http://www.historic-shipping.co.uk/monwigram/durham%2074.html, Accessed 10 August 2018.

The Baby - flash fiction

Christian Schultz shipped out for the front lines of World War One at 15 years of age in October 1915.[1]  Chris, as he was known, was a prolific letter writer and I hold over 100 letters from him written between 1915 and 1919.  Letters written during 1918 in Wales mention a girlfriend and a mystery baby. [2] [3]He also writes that he is going to get married![4]

This opened a huge can of worms as the Uncle Chris my father remembers had an Australian wife and no children.  Was there an illegitimate child in Wales that we did not know about?  This prompted a search of births in the Glamorgan area to an Elsie White in early 1918 or late 1917 and also looking on genealogy groups to see if anyone in that area recognised the address he was writing from.  I narrowed it down to one Elsie White who had a child in early 1918, perhaps this was the one.[5]

Once I had this date I started to search war diaries and the letters to create a time line for Chris.  Alas, his visits to Wales began in April 1918 and he was in France for a year prior to that. The baby was not his.

A letter to his family in September 1918 apologises for any stress he has caused and that the marriage is off and he will wait for a nice “Aussie” girl, like mum has said. [6] The tone of the letter suggests mum was none too happy.

Reflection:

So much to write in such a short space.  I feel an attachment to Chris, purely because he signed up at 15, lying about his age.  He did take me down a rabbit hole with Elsie and the baby and challenged my research skills and power of deduction.

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[1] Service record of Christian Henry Schultz, p.17, B3503, National Archives of Australia.

[2] Christian Schultz to Henry and Susan Schultz, letter, 15 August 1918, original held in author’s possession.

[3] Christian Schultz to Henry and Susan Schultz, letter, 25 April 1918, original held in author’s possession.

[4] Christian Schultz to Henry Schultz, letter, 28 March 1918, original held in author’s possession.

[5] Findmypast, Birth Registration Record for Wilfred White, ‘Birth Registration, Swansea, Glamorganshire, Wales, Accessed 15 July 2018

[6] Christian Schultz to Henry and Susan Schultz, letter, 1September 1918, original held in author’s possession.

update well overdue

oh gosh, this is very out of date.  I have been plodding along with my family history and completely neglecting this blog.

I have stumbled over two new convicts, found out that many of my father's ancestors were actually Tasmanians who moved to Victoria.

Visited a few Schultz cousins during a road trip that took me to Bendigo, Horsham and Melbourne last year.

Knocked out a few bricks in a wall on my mother's side that was doing my head in for years!

This year I have signed up to do the Diploma of Family History through UTAS.   The first unit I am doing is called Place, Image, Object and I am a bit excited about using my brain for something different.  I am also enrolled for a unit on Convict history too.

This year I decided to become more involved in the Launceston Historical Society by accepting a place on the committee.  I look forward to learning more and being involved in some projects locally.  I am also involved (with my 12yr old daughter) in the Launceston Mechanics Institute project.  We will be researching artifacts from the old institute and documenting them in a photography project and researching their history.  I also plan on doing an oral history project later in the year for the same group.  It is all happening!   Along with volunteering in the archives at Launceston LINC.

This week I have had to give thought to an image or object for study.  Sadly most of my family were not hoarders so this has left me with very few objects from the past and even less photographs.

My mum did hand over these treasures today though so I am trying to decide what I will concentrate on.  The small book is a prayer book given to my grandmother by my mother in 1957, the ruler was my grandfathers, who was a carpenter/builder and the large book is a book that belonged to by great grandfather on 'how to be catholic'.

This next picture is of a charm or pendant that belonged to by grandmother's grandmother.  It is very old, but I don't believe it to be very valuable, it doesn't look to be made from actual silver but I have never had it looked at professionally.  The book is a 1891 copy of Great Expecttions and The Uncommercial Traveller by Charles Dickens. This book belonged to my great grandfather and was the only book he ever read.  Seriously, he would finish it, turn it over and start again!  That is dedication for you.

Anyway, I hope to update a little more often from now on.  I have a few stories to share of various ancestors and a couple to update.