June 2, 2025

The Burns family of Oxford - part 1

This is part 1 in a series about the Burns family of Oxford, Oxfordshire.

Regular readers will know that I live in Oxford, New Zealand. But this time we are 19,000 kilometres away in the historic town of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. Our story will take us through the two Workhouses and an Industrial School in Oxford, and eventually back to New Zealand where the Burns descendants include an All Black, as well as my nana’s stepmother.

February 14, 2025

David Bell & the Orange Lodge in New Zealand

Last time we looked at the erroneous headstone of my distant relative, David Bell.

Like many of my Irish ancestors, David was born in the townland of Dunmore, which lies about 8km north-west of Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland. At the time of these events, Ireland was a single entity; nowdays, these farms are part of Northern Ireland.

Dunmore is nestled sleepily between the eastern peaks of the Sperrin range; at an elevation of about 250m and touching on the picturesque Lough Fea. The eastern boundary of the townland is marked by the Lissan Water, a stream running down from the Sperrins to the Lissan House; at the time a landlord’s seat, but now a tourist attraction.

February 9, 2025

Can't Trust a Headstone

I’ve previously mentioned that I had only one blood relative at Oxford Cemetery – John Phillips. However it turns out there is another: David Bell.

David was the second cousin of my great-great-grandmother – a distant relationship, to be sure. Many people – families, and singles – left Ireland to seek a new life in the colonies. David was one of the latter; first coming to New Zealand in 1907 to work in coal mining at Westport, before switching careers and becoming a Canterbury farmer in partnership with other Irish relatives who emigrated after him.

January 5, 2025

Finding your Relatives in a Cemetery

Ever found yourself passing a cemetery and wondered if any of your family are buried there? In this article we’ll look at how to answer that question with the help of WikiTree’s Connection Finder.

We will also look at using FindAGrave’s Plot Details to help wht planning a route around the cemetery.

Firstly, you’ll need to be logged in to WikiTree and have yourself connected to the world tree. You’ll know you are connected if you see the Weekly Connections at the bottom of your profile:

December 1, 2024

All About DNA Testing

Always wondered what we’re talking about with DNA? In this post we’ll cover how it works, and then what you may be able to learn from the test results. We will look at the benefits of testing, as well as some of the possible down-sides.

At the time of writing, the major providers have Black Friday sales on, making this the best time to get started down the DNA trail.

November 17, 2024

The Emigration of John Dunlop

I was down at the Oxford Museum this morning. Chatting to one of the custodians, Mr. Dunlop, he mentioned a family mystery regarding his grandmother, Jane (Gillespie) Dunlop. We will write more about her in a future post; this one is about her husband and in-laws.

John Dunlop & Jane Holmes’s marriage

Jane Gillespie’s husband Robert Dunlop was born 6 January 1870 in the townland of Magherahaan, which is just outside the village of Raphoe, County Donegal, Ireland.