Tony Scott's Family History
Publications
Once I had become interested in family history in the early 1990s, I soon amassed a small mountain of notes, certificates, photocopies, computer files, newspaper cuttings, photographs, etc. It then dawned on me that all of this information was of very limited value if it was just going to reside in drawers and boxes and on my computer. It obviously needed putting into order so that it told a story, and what better way of doing that than writing it up in book form. Not only would it then be far more meaningful to me, but it would also very likely be of interest to other members of the family.
If you would like to purchase a book or find out more about them, please contact me.
Kinloch-Ditchburn, a family sketch: the forebears of George Kinloch & Violet Ditchburn
My
first book describes the families of my maternal grandparents, the
Kinlochs and Ditchburns, from their humble beginnings in the UK to the
union of the two families in Hawthorn, Victoria, where my mother was born.
James Kinloch struggled to support his family in the textile factories at Bonhill and Alexandria in the Vale of Leven 25 km northwest of Glasgow, until he decided to try his luck in the new and exciting colony of Victoria. James indentured himself to a squatter for a year in order to obtain an assisted passage and together with his family arrived in Victoria aboard the Flora McDonald in 1852. They lived near Portland at first and then moved to the gold-rich district around Castlemaine.
John Ditchburn left the coal mines of Northumberland in 1850 and came to Victoria on the Glen Huntley. In Melbourne he married Eliza Crowdy who had arrived in 1849 aboard the Cromwell, and soon they settled in the booming gold city of Ballarat where John established himself as a share broker. After a prosperous career the couple moved to Hawthorn. Descendants of both of these families, the subjects of the title, met and married in Hawthorn.
This
book received a Highly Commended at the 2004 Alexander Henderson Awards
held by the Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies Inc. The citation
reads in part: "The judges were impressed with the book's modest but
effective production values, its user-friendly layout, ... and its
accessible text. A short, unpretentious but winning book".
Book details: size A5 (148 x 210 cm), spine stapled and taped, 62 pages, 30 illustrations, maps, 8 family charts, index and references. ISBN 0-9751809-0-8. Price A$20 plus postage.
An obedient servant: the life of schoolmaster James Mills Scott 1855-1934
This
book concerns the life of my great-grandfather. Born in the gold mining township
of Steiglitz, near Geelong, he taught in state schools all over Victoria for 45
years. Being a public servant, much of his correspondence with the Education
Department has been preserved by the Public Record Office of Victoria: in fact,
I have accessed over 250 original documents, many of them written by him.
The life of a late-nineteenth century schoolteacher in rural Victoria was not easy. Isolation, substandard conditions, low pay, community indifference and a rampant bureaucracy were just a few of the impediments to be endured and, if possible, overcome. James Mills Scott suffered all of these and much more. Through his many letters we are given a first-hand account of the endless battles he waged as he strove to improve his prospects. Full of self-justification, indignation and, occasionally, anger, these documents also provide unexpected glimpses of his family’s domestic life.
This volume gives a unique insight into the life of a typical schoolmaster and his relationship with the Victorian education establishment as it shed the rough edges of the gold-rush years and slowly gained stability, effectiveness and respect.
This book was awarded a Special Mention
at the 2006 Alexander Henderson Awards held by the Australian Institute
of Genealogical Studies Inc. The judges described it as "...a warm and well
written account..."
Book details: size B5 (175 x 250 cm), perfect bound (ie: paperback), 142 pages, 29 illustrations, maps, 3 family charts, index and extensive references and notes. ISBN 0-9751809-1-6. Price A$25 plus postage.
NOW AVAILABLE! The pubs and licensees of Steiglitz, and History of the Alfred (ANA) Hall
Soon after the discovery
of gold-rich quartz reefs at Steiglitz in 1855, four hotels were in
business, along with numerous sly-grog traders. The pubs immediately
became the centres of social and commercial life where new-found nuggets
were proudly displayed, deals were made, inquests were held,
entertainments were staged and, of course, lots of drinking was done.
Publicans generally occupied positions of influence and prestige, and there were some noteworthy characters amongst their ranks—the unhappy William Vale whose mysterious death and bizarre autopsy were the subject of official enquiry and local gossip alike; the highly respected Benjamin Goulden who ran the largest establishment in town; the hard-nosed businesswoman Christiana Scott who outlasted everyone else.
Mining activity at Steiglitz suffered the familiar boom-and-bust cycles so typical of many Victorian goldfields. Some hotels—and their owners—managed to weather the downturns and lasted for decades; others came and went in a few short years. The last two pubs were closed early in the twentieth century due to government legislation strongly influenced by the temperance movement.
Steiglitz is one of Victoria’s less familiar goldfields and its history abounds with uncertainty and unknowns. This volume helps to fill one of those voids by offering a fascinating glimpse of one aspect of its social history.
Book details: size B5 (175 x 250 cm), perfect bound (ie: paperback), 65 pages, 29 illustrations, 4 maps, index, references and notes. ISBN 978-0-9751809-2-1. Price A$15 plus postage.