-
The Cygnet Joyspreaders Orchestra
I’ve been researching Clarence Stafford John Burton (1890-1970) who was born in 1890 at Emu Bay, Tasmania. His father, Edward Burton, was headteacher at the Lovett State School in 1907. In the 70s, I crewed on his namesake, the C S Burton, a 12 ft Cadet Dinghy, a three-handed open clinker-built sailing dingy, out of the Derwent Sailing Squadron. There is more to tell, but I’ll begin with the story of the renowned Cygnet Joyspreaders Orchestra.
John Harrison Hansbrough and the Cleburne Estate
John Harrison Hansbrough, an African American, was born near Stevensburg, Virginia in 1860, in the shadow of the looming Civil War. At the age of 34, he emigrated to Australia in 1894. He was employed as a labourer by Richard…
The Tatler Theatrette and the Manhattan Coffee Lounge
There was discussion in the Tasmanian History Facebook group recently of the old Tatler Theatrette in Murray Street, Hobart. I remember going there quite often as a small child when my mother would take my older sister and me to…
Farmer Thomas Wiggins
In Hobart recently, I caught up with my only cousin on my father's side. His mother was my aunt. I spent some time today researching his paternal ancestry. The most unusual discovery was the story of another third great-grandfather, Thomas…
‘Captain’ George Ransley
The Napoleonic Wars of 1803-1815 was a time of hostility between France and England. As well as increasing the size of the army and navy, the British government responded by strengthening existing defences and building new ones along the south…
Notorious strumpets and dangerous girls
Having survived a shipwreck and three months at sea, Ann Livingstone arrived in Hobart Town in February 1825 on the good ship Henry ably commanded by Captain Ferrier. Along with newspapers, she carried 79 female prisoners with ten children, and…
