Treading in Family Footsteps

Here is seventh-generation Australian-born descendant of Robert Forrester (my daughter Thea) with her four children enjoying the Olympic spirit at Trafalgar Square in London in August.  My half-English, half-Australian grandchildren are two sets of twins born 14 months apart. The five-year-old (identical) boys are standing top-left and sitting bottom-right; the other two are six-year-old fraternal twins. A pretty unique family! Can you imagine managing that lot by yourself on long-haul flights out of Heathrow? Thea does.

What intrigues me is that the wheel has turned full circle - Thea and her children are standing on the site of the old Golden Cross Inn at Charing Cross. The British lion behind them marks almost the exact spot where the famous inn once stood. A major coaching business ran from the Golden Cross to many parts of England, a business operated for about fifty years from 1763 by Thea's direct forebears, a father and son both named George Boulton Esquire. Back in 1783 Robert Forrester lived just up the road and probably had an occasional drink or two at the Golden Cross, before his trial at the Old Bailey. George Boulton Esq (Jnr) and Robert Forrester were worlds apart in 1783 but, thanks to Australia, the two men are linked by the 5th-great-granddaughter they share, Thea.

Coffee at Balmoral Beach

Family history research is a pathway to meeting a range of very interesting people, all descended from Robert Forrester. At an enjoyable morning coffee meeting at magnificent Balmoral Beach last week, my mother Julia and I met Philip & Debbie Higginson, Philip being a descendant of Isabella Jane Forrester. That makes Philip my 5th cousin, since I'm descended from Isabella's sister Ann Forrester.

Southwark Luck

Southwark Luck, the story of Charles Homer Martin, Ann Forrester and their children was delivered to me at 3pm last Friday 31 August.  It's a great relief to reach the endpoint, after about ten years of elapsed time in researching and shaping the book.

It's the third in my series about significant pioneers of the Hawkesbury. The three books look good together as a set, each featuring on their cover a scene of the farm where the families of Robert Forrester, Paul Bushell and Charles Homer Martin lived.

All the pre-ordered copies have been posted and the book is available for general purchase. Now I wait for reader reaction. And hopefully for the word to be spread around everyone's family networks.

Because the Martin children spread afield, the book has a wide geographic reach, so a request to your local library to purchase the book would also be much appreciated, no matter where you live.

For more details of the book, and how to purchase it, please refer to http://www.louisewilson.com.au/charles_homer_martin.html

I hope you all enjoy reading about Charley's adventures. By the way, Southwark is pronounced 'Suthuck', rhyming with luck.