About this blog

As a young girl probably about 12 years of age, I remember visiting my paternal great grandmother in her country house, (which was an underground house, still with kerosene lamps, and her only speaking German). One visit I wandered into the old run down wooden & tin shed barn. It was a wonderland. An old double 4 poster bed with a handmade quilt on it, boxes of what I remember as being old newspapers & letters? written in German. My great grandmother’s daughter came in & yelled at me saying “get out!!! mind your own business, a child has no excuse being in here, you nosy girl”. I was always a little scared of this aunty.  To this day I am so sad about this, and not long after my grandmother was moved to a warmer drier house in the town.  I was told by my father that the barn had been burnt down with everything inside of it. The memory of that old barn is I am sure, one of the stand out moments that began my fascination with history and especially my family history. How sad that the documents were destroyed and no one ever talked about the history behind them. So I write this blog in honour and awe of my amazing Heneker family, their pioneering spirit, their hard work, their trials. I began researching my family history 30 years ago when I was quite young. Before the days of internet, and digitised records. Working at the State Library of SA helped, and starting my career there in the State Archives was a bonus.

I have made contact with some wonderful family connections, whom I otherwise would not have known about, other than perhaps names on a family tree. This has been mostly via online genealogy sites, or word of mouth and I gladly share any information. I will always, where possible, add my sources, e.g. newspapers, word of mouth, books etc. If I am not sure of a connection I will either not publish it, or will advise that I am still researching for further information.