Family History
I've been very involved with family history for the last few years. I joined Ancestry.com and discovered Trove which is a fantastic Australian resource that's completely free!
I've been on a vertitable rollercoaster ride discovering so many exciting new facts about previously unknown branches of my family tree as well as my husbands.
The Henriques family were well known in Australian society of the time and through Trove I've been able to piece together many aspects of their lives. As far as I know Joseph Augustus Henriques was the first of the family to come to Australia. He was the first US Consul in Melbourne, Victoria. He was born in Jamaica in 1823 and married Leah Louisa Lopez in Kingston, Jamaica in 1842. The marriage was performed by the bride's father, Isaac Lopez, a Jewish Rabbi. Joseph and Leah's son Frederic Augustus Henriques was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1853 but at some stage went back to the USA. There he married Florinda Lister Montgomery, who was born in New York 1854 the daughter of Irish Immigrants, Samuel and Eliza Montgomery. Frederic and Florinda left for Australia very soon after their marriage and raised a large family as they travelled throughout Western Australia, Victoria and finally New South Wales.
My husband's great grandmother Viola was their daughter. She married Emil Francis Gerber and after their marriage in Melbourne they settled at Widgee just outside Gympie, Queensland. There they had a dairy farm for many years until their house burnt down after which they moved into town to live near their daughter and son in law Sid & Nancy Rankin.
The above book cover is from 'The House that Beckons' by Gladys Lister 1940.
Gladys is a relatively well known Australian authoress who also illustrated some of her books.
The above book cover was illustrated by Pixie O'Harris.
Gladys was the sister of my husband's great grandmother, Viola Gerber nee Henriques.
I've discovered so much but feel there is much more to find and I cannot wait!
