tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38108269635466129912012-01-18T20:57:50.000+11:00HOW A 72 YEAR OLD GRANDMOTHER DISCOVERED ADVENTURE ON THE HIGH SEAS IN HER LIVING ROOM AND UNCOVERED A 200 YEAR OLD ROYAL MYSTERY IN HER FAMILY TREENeil Smithnoreply@blogger.comBlogger71100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810826963546612991.post-58000770734557287602007-04-28T15:10:00.002+10:002008-07-14T13:08:01.079+10:00

"I was reading a magazine," Florence wrote in her journal, "and on coming to an article that had been sent in by a reader, my face got hot and my head seemed to tingle and vibrate and I thought I was going to faint."The article was headed The Unwilling Royal Groom which said, way back in 1795 George, then Prince of Wales, aged 33 years, married Caroline of Brunswick. Having a mistress, 39

Neil Smithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810826963546612991.post-79810279384950159902007-01-24T16:15:00.007+11:002008-07-14T13:19:07.985+10:00

"What had seemed to be a simple exercise was turning into a real puzzle," Florence lamented later in her journal about the secret family messages. "Right from the start I found myself grappling with two family trees."Two family trees?It was the other family tree, which was not hers, that would really send her into a tizzy.So for ten of her later years in life, between the ages of 72 and 81, this

Neil Smithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810826963546612991.post-41419899115210915752007-01-19T10:49:00.002+11:002008-07-14T13:14:22.961+10:00

"Okay Mum. What are the other two secret family messages?" I asked with my curiosity peaked.Florence reached for a book on the floor beside her chair - her filing system - and took out a scrap of paper."Well, the first one is: 'James Simmons, father of William Simmons, came to Australia about the time of the First Fleet.' This time there's no reference to the Royal Navy but there is 'the time of

Neil Smithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810826963546612991.post-16492997700599211962007-01-01T15:46:00.002+11:002008-07-14T13:13:51.943+10:00

"So Charlotte was wrong about one of our ancestors coming out about the time of the First Fleet," I said impatiently."Wait. There's more," Florence huffed back."When my brother sent me the photocopy of the marriage certificate from 1856 he told me in passing that my cousins, Charlotte's two sons, also had pieces of information about the family tree."So I phoned them. To my surprise each had been

Neil Smithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810826963546612991.post-84772583653679485582006-12-28T11:44:00.002+11:002008-07-14T13:13:24.494+10:00

"I've never told you about the family secret," my mother announced as she greeted me at the door on my next visit wearing the familiar sheepish look on her face. "No, you haven't," I replied. "What do you mean, 'family secret'?""Do you remember Charlotte?" she continued as we sat in front of the fire in her living room."Yes, of course I remember Charlotte. She was your mother's sister, right?""

Neil Smithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810826963546612991.post-27676498892858810682006-12-21T19:10:00.002+11:002008-07-14T13:12:22.534+10:00

Another 70 years would pass before Florence encountered the ghost of Granny Fitz again. Interestingly, it happened when she began researching the family tree. She wrote of the episode later in her journal so I can do no better than to use her exact words to describe her unexpected psychic experience."I was standing near the Melbourne Town Hall and as I looked up Collins Street [one of the city's

Neil Smithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810826963546612991.post-84166856291997170492006-12-17T10:23:00.004+11:002008-07-14T13:12:49.138+10:00

As Florence greeted me at the door, eyes watering and cheeks flushed, she looked like she'd seen a ghost. In fact, she had.I'd called to visit my mother on my way home from the city late one afternoon back in the days when I lived in Melbourne, was married and ran my own one-man business from home as a freelance copywriter."You're not going to believe this," she declared sheepishly the moment I

Neil Smithnoreply@blogger.com