Cairns War Cemetery
Now live on our website in time for Anzac Day, 25th April, are the stories of the men and women who served in World War II and are interred in…
What happened to Elizabeth Marett?
Elizabeth was born c1845 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, according to her death certificate, and died at the Cairns Hospital on the 20th February 1923.Her parents are named on the certificate…
Unidentified photograph, Ravenshoe?
Can you identify this photograph or anyone in it? Old unidentified black & white photo of women and children celebrating at Ravenshoe Many people have old photos stored in suitcases,…
The Native Headmen of British Ceylon
The lead photo (see below) for the Ceylon Civil Widow and Orphan Fund Application index features a couple of British officials surrounded by native Sinhalese and Tamil head men who…
Robert Craig – Chemist and Druggist
During a recent visit to Cairns from her home town of Kempsey on the Central Coast of NSW, Cairns Family History member Robin Clear reconnected with her Craig Family history.Research…
Shadows from the Past
McLeod Street Pioneer Cemetery is a treasure trove of information about the amazing Pioneers of Cairns and surrounding district. McLeod Street was not the first cemetery in Cairns; the first…
Rats of Tobruk tribute website & database
Cairns Family History was recently alerted to the existence of a very comprehensive Rats of Tobruk Tribute website, produced by ex-serviceman Owen Carlton as an element of his Rats of…
The Anderson name in the British Ceylon Widow and Orphans Fund records
For a number of years I have been researching the Anderson Family in British Ceylon. Any Anderson name found in Ceylon or Indian records was a potential clue. My goal…
Stories from the Shadows – Mary Anne Lovelock
Mary Anne Lovelock was the second of seven children born to George and Mary (nee Shanahan) Lovelock. Mary Anne was born on the 24 January, 1869 in Bowen, Queensland. Mary…
A Cricket Dynasty – Gregory Cricketing Family
With cricket in the forefront of news at the moment with the England Australia Ashes Tests in progress, I thought it was timely to share some of my family history.…
Cairns Cenotaph WW1 Online Memorial
In October, Cairns Family History launched the Cairns Cenotaph WW1 Memorial. This project is presented online to reach the widest possible audience - the Cairns community, family historians, military historians,…
My Great Uncle Walter Holliday
Walter Holliday was born on 23 December 1891, at home, in Schwanfelder Place, Beeston, Leeds in Yorkshire, England; the eighth of nine children born to William and Mary Ann (nee…
Cairns Inlet Tragedy
A tragedy occurred in the Cairns Inlet on 13th April 1945, when the Adelaide Steamship Company’s tug “Uta” overturned and sank while assisting a U.S. ship away from No. 10…
From Beeston to Park Avenue and the opportunity for a better life
My Paternal grandparents, Eli and Elizabeth Ann “Lizzie” Wood Eli, my paternal grandfather, was the 9th of 10 children born to William & Mary (nee Marwood) Wood, born on 1…
Ancestry British Ceylon – Vital Records Research
Over the last 12 months, researchers and visitors at the Cairns and District Family History Centre would have seen a sprightly, bespectacled, grey haired gentleman, peering intently into the microfilm…