Family Tree Frog

O is for HMS Orontes My 2nd great-grandfather James Cook (no, not the James Cook) was a Gunner on the HMS Orontes from 15 June 1879 to 19 July 1879. (ADM 196/31 Warrant Officers Register of Service Image 351). He was 31 years old and had been married for nearly eight years to Caroline (nee Jefferies). His daughter Eleanor (my great-grandmother) was just four years old.   According to this site he would have been paid about  £2 6 per annum.   In the remarks column on his register of service, it says " Naval Brigade 8 Mch 79 to VO (perhaps this is WO??) Orontes 6 to 9 June 79, Hosp.(???) to Cape of Good Hope from 10 June to 11 June 79 ".  Before serving on the Orontes , my great-great-grandfather was serving on the Shah .  His service record lists the period 19 April 78 to 14 June 79. Conrad Dixon's Ships of the Victorian Navy advises us that on the way back from her first commission: Shah was diverted to Natal to land 400 officers, seam...

The picture comes from the TAHO ( Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office ) via Flickr Commons, and is simpled titled ‘Old Coaches 1900’. Little Nell aka Marilyn from Sepia Saturday says: There are any number of themes that can be taken from this picture: coach rides, old transport, roof-racks, luggage, waiting, animated discussion, clowning, cab drivers, or whatever else pops into your head. Of course you don’t have to theme and can simply post an old picture or two with a link back to Sepia Saturday, on or around 11 October. Actually it's well worth going to see the original of this image because it explains the headless horses and the bottomless horses.  And you get to see the driver of the coach more clearly - and the other driver of what I think is a sulky on the right, who is a woman.   So in fact, I think, the two men standing down are probably passengers and there is perhaps a one lane bridge and people are waiting their turn to cross or some such. ...