Skelendipity

On browsing the Register for 1858, one entry caught my eye due to its more expansive than usual explanation as to the cause of death, i.e. lost on a mountain. However, on noticing that the man’s name was the ubiquitous “John Smith” I thought he would be impossible to research but I was swiftly proved wrong.  Entry shows John Smith of the vessel  Derwentwater , ex London on 7 August 1857, was due £7.6s.1d. in wages. This John Smith has a memorial to his passing, high among the rocky slopes of brooding Mount Wellington that towers over the city of Hobart in Tasmania.  An inquest and other reports of his death in  TROVE  and the British Newspapers Archive  give further detail. In particular, this research document by Maria Grist fleshes out the whole sad story. Smith's Monument, copyright Tas Trails Looking into the genealogical resources and with his common name I am unable to confirm with any certainty which John Smith he is born around 1821. His last know...

All family history enthusiasts will be aware that some records make for more interesting study than others. One can plough through long lists of official births, deaths and marriages that show little beyond the names of the individuals, the place and dates of the events and – unless already known to the researcher – one may never get any real sense of the stories behind any of them. However, there are other lists that immediately present intriguing tales on every page and these can be a marvellous distraction into the by-ways of history. One of these is the The Register of Wages and Effects of Deceased Seamen , a component of the UK Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages at Sea 1844-1890.   As the world staggers towards recovery from the Covid pandemic, it is worth reminding ourselves that although modern science and medicine have combined to save millions of lives, humanity will always face risks from infections and diseases, accidents and disasters. Within the pages of th...