Donald,
All the best to all the members of the Jerrems Family tree around the world.
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January Edition 94 |
Ray Jerrems, Our Genealogist, Historian, and Mountain Adventurer
Visit to the Snowy Mountains
Ray took us on a Journey to the Snowy Mountains (in the south of New South Wales). The Snowy Mountains and the Main Range to the north originally contained about 120 huts that were built by stockmen, miners, fishermen, skiers, the Snowy Mountains Authority and others.
The huts provide interesting destinations for bushwalking or ski trips, as well as life-saving refuges in bad weather. Their various designs, materials, construction methods and locations are particularly interesting.
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February and March Editions 95 & 96 |
Ray Jerrems
Remembering Percy
FEBRUARY: Sometimes I wonder what I will write about next, casting around for ideas. Then someone, perhaps a reader or a person who has googled our website, contacts me with information that provides a new perspective, leading me to do further research and find a “story”.
This was such a case for Percy Hope, a relative of one of our readers. He is somewhat unique in our Jerrems Journal annals on three interesting counts because he was a Presbyterian Minister, he served in France in the First World War as an Army Chaplain and he was involved in a head-on collision.
MARCH: At the age of 36 Percy took the dramatic step of volunteering for the Army as a Chaplain. Having obtained a commission as Captain he embarked from Hobart in July 1916 to serve in France. After spending some time training in England, he was finally despatched to France in early 1917.
OK,OK, OK. I hear you asking “What happened to the article about Percy?”.
The answer is that I thought it would be useful to give you a “snapshot” about the War but somehow the snapshot turned into a DVD. This will be useful for future articles involving descendants and friends of the Jerrems family in the First World War. Also I felt that the photos are very interesting, I spent quite a long time selecting them. Some I have not seen before.
So now we leave Percy in France, but he will soon return home to a hero’s welcome, to be described (I promise!) in a future edition of the Journal.
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April Edition 97 |
Ray Jerrems, Our Genealogist, Historian, and Researcher
Do I here the query from new readers “who on earth is Big Bill?”.
Big Bill was born in 1782.
This nickname arose from an historical reference to him:
“Here is old Jerrems, the Parish Constable, massive and dignified, for he weighs almost eighteen stone; almost a Mayor and a Corporation in one! He is well able to keep all the Gainsborough lads in order, to inspect the sewers, and to manage his farm at Willingham in his spare time”.
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May Edition 98 |
Ray Jerrems
Huts in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains
In my first article, in the January 2013 Journal, I described the method of construction of typical mountain huts in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains.
What I did not mention was the fact that the stockmen’s huts (unlike the miner’s huts) were only used by the stockmen for a peak period of about two weeks a year, during mustering time in autumn prior to arrival of the first snows. In that period the stockmen were out from dawn to dusk locating, mustering and yarding the stock which had been roaming the high plains since being brought there in spring. There was a need for maximum capacity, at the expense of creature comforts.
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June Edition 99 |
Ray Jerrems, Our Genealogist and Historian
This article follows on from my previous article in the Jerrems Journal of April 2013. In that article I concluded with an account of how Big Bill innovatively issued tokens in 1811 and 1812. In this article we start with a jump forward to 1822, when Big Bill entered into the insurance business to supplement his income as a tea merchant and grocer. During this period he also had eight children.
Children
The children were:
*William Clarke b&d1813. John(1) b&d1814,
*Thomas Clarke b1815 (my great great grandfather),
*Ecclesiastes b1816,
*John(2) b1819, d1867 (Alan Fitz-Patrick’s great great grandfather),
*Mary(2) b1821,
*William b1823 d1869,
*Robert b1824 d1862.
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July Edition 100 |
Ray and Donald Jerrems
Reminiscing with Ray and Don
Ray and I worked on this edition for a couple of months and asked for contributions.
In the interest of space and saving electrons, we reprinted the letters and submitted pictures in the August edition.
Thanks for the interest, your compliments and pictures. We love them.
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August Edition 101 |
Ray and Donald Jerrems
Thanks to our Worldwide Readership
Ray and I asked many of our readers to comment on the landmark of reaching the 100th edition. The response was very gratifying, so I have set out their comments below. In some cases I have abbreviated the comments.
Leila Menzies – Leila is one of our original readers who is distantly related via Alexander Jerrems the gridiron player
Brian Harrison – Ray received two notes from longstanding reader and distant relative, Brian, in Sydney, who, reads Jerrems Journal fully every month. “I guess I feel a “very distant cousin”. You have to be congratulated for your efforts with this Family publication.”
Caroline and Anita – My most enthusiastic reader, Ray’s daughter-in-law Caroline (mother of Lachlan and Nathan), also sent her congratulations and a photo of her boys. Another reader is Ray’s daughter Anita, who recently sent me a photo of her daughters Samantha and Jessica taken when they were on a recent holiday in France.
Dick Weindling – Dick, who hails from England, sent Ray a note. He is a professional historian and writer who has undertaken the huge task of researching the London suburb of Hampstead. As part of this he has researched the ancestors and family of “Nicoll the Tailor”. concentrating on Nicoll the Tailor’s brother Donald Nicoll.
Adam Marshall – An email from Adam in England, a “Nicoll” descendant said: Thanks very much for the message about your forthcoming centenary edition. Since discovering the Journal, I have very much enjoyed reading it and I would like to thank you and Donald for all your work and efforts. My hearty congratulations on reaching this great milestone!
Ray Lloyd Here is a short note from Ray Lloyd in England, a descendant of the “Wappenham” Jerrems family. Thanks Ray. I will try and sort out something. Much appreciate the monthly letters.
Laurel Gray – My second cousin Laurel, who lives on the NSW South Coast and at one stage lived with her missionary husband Laurie in New Guinea, says: “I always read Jerrems Journal with great interest.”
Mark Healy – I also received a note from Mark (a son of Annie Healy nee Jerrems, who was a daughter of William George Jerrems) to say that he has retired as a Fire Captain in California.
Helen Mitchell – Helen in Melbourne, a fellow descendant of my great great grandfather Thomas (the chap who eloped with my great great grandmother Elizabeth nee Jepson) comments: “Hi Ray, congratulations to you and Donald. What about putting a tree together doing it by states and countries so the readers can really see where everyone fits in and if any misinformation it can be corrected.” Note to Ray: Let’s put this in the To Do list.
Steve Jerrems – Steve and his family also hail from California. Steve is also a descendant (great grandson) of William George Jerrems. His comments started with: I can’t tell you how much I enjoy reading the latest newsletters. Always a lot of interesting stuff… and then referred to: “a family update on what’s been going on over here (including a 30th anniversary, 2 college graduations, and two shortly upcoming weddings!)”.
Leonore Neary – I received two emails from Leonore, a descendant of Arthur Wallace Jerrems in America, who holds the “Rooster Shawl” depicted in the Journal of July 2008. “I truly appreciate all your work on the family history and would like to share more pictures. Again thank you for keeping in touch and it has been wonderful for me to learn so much more about my grandfather’s side of my family.”
Angie, the Jerrems Guardian Angel – Congratulations on the 100th edition. I enjoy working with the small extended Jerrems family, even though I have to travel four continents to meet my mission statement: “Keep them healthy, and don’t let them do anything incredibly stupid.” When I am traveling to another continent, sometimes I let you down, unfortunately. I have had a good year – there were no embarassing appearances from that old Rascal Ray, the family ghost.
Old Rascal Ray – I enjoy being a wispy ghost especially travelling around the world, sometimes getting attention and my picture taken with celebrities. I admit I can be an unwanted pest, but it is in my DNA…hmmmm. But I don’t have DNA any more…maybe a carry-over from my previous earthly character as a convicted cow-tipster in the UK.
That darn Angie has been keeping me in line lately. I think she has me on her heavenly GPS.
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September/October Editions 102 & 103 |
Ray Jerrems
About Zilpha: From Alpha to Zeta about Zilpha
This article is about a great granddaughter of Big Bill, Zilpha Lizzie Small.
Briefly, Big Bill had a daughter Elizabeth who married William Small, and the couple migrated to Australia in 1850 with their three children, including Thomas Stephen Small. In due course Thomas married Zilpha Elizabeth Small (nee Burchett) and they had fifteen children, the tenth being Zilpha (born 1876)
I have chosen Zilpha because she was the first woman in the Jerrems tree to describe herself as a “grazier”, the Australian equivalent of an American “rancher”. Also, she settled on French Island (pictured below) which would have provided additional challenges.
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November Edition 104 |
Ray Jerrems
About Aubrey Fitz-Patrick
Having described in the Journal of November 2012 the three Fitz-Patrick grandchildren of Ada Jerrems (a granddaughter of Big Bill) who were highly awarded during the Second World War with (respectively) the MBE, OBE and MC, we now take a step back in time to the First World War to talk about one of Ada’s sons, Aubrey Leonard Fitz-Patrick.