52 Ancestors #2 John Ferres

John Ferres (1818-1898),John to memy great great grandfather, was the second of my direct ancestors to migrate to Australia. This makes him the second of my ‘boat people’.

John was one of 203 “assisted” immigrants on the barque “Aurora” which sailed from Plymouth on 17th August 1848 and arrived off Point Henry, Geelong on the 7th December 1848.

The ‘Nominal List’ of the passengers on the “Aurora” listed him as John Ferries (or Fernes?); a carpenter aged 30, from Bath, Somerset. His religious denomination was given as Baptist. John could both read and write and owned a Bible. Continue reading “52 Ancestors #2 John Ferres”

Thankful Thursday – some new records

It is not often that I am pleased (thankful is probably a bit too strong a word!) to have a cold. But, because I stayed home from my usual session at the gym and watched Jill Ball’s Online Resources for Australian Research Hangout on Air, today has turned out to be one of those days.  Thanks to Jill and her guests, I have an extra record and a new lead! Continue reading “Thankful Thursday – some new records”