Tales from the Grave

Uncovering family history from down under

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He established Bushman's Bible and portraiture prize

Samantha Elley

Jun 8, 20213 min read

He established Bushman's Bible and portraiture prize

What do Australia's most famous portrait prize, the now defunct Bulletin magazine and Hyde Park fountain in the heart of Sydney all have...

335 views2 comments

Female bushranger wore pants alongside Captain Thunderbolt

Samantha Elley

May 17, 20214 min read

Female bushranger wore pants alongside Captain Thunderbolt

In 1865 police had tracked the notorious bushranger Captain Thunderbolt to his camp in the Maitland area. What they found was a heavily...

1,527 views4 comments

Chained to a rock on Goat Island for 2 years

Samantha Elley

May 10, 20214 min read

Chained to a rock on Goat Island for 2 years

Goat Island in Sydney Harbour became Charles 'Boney' Anderson's prison for two years, chained to a large sandstone rock.

2,656 views1 comment

How a piece of paper caused more drama than a soap opera

Samantha Elley

Apr 20, 20213 min read

How a piece of paper caused more drama than a soap opera

The fight over his will took up more space in the newspaper than his obituary.

503 views0 comments

Samantha Elley

Mar 26, 20211 min read

A date with SAG to talk about Tales

I was honoured to be asked to talk about the establishment of Tales

123 views0 comments

“Here’s to ‘ee”: Raising a glass to the Toohey Brothers

Samantha Elley

Mar 20, 20215 min read

“Here’s to ‘ee”: Raising a glass to the Toohey Brothers

Two Irish brothers who had been running pubs in Melbourne, travel to Sydney to make their own beer, and create an Australian icon. It is...

686 views1 comment

Gumnut baby creator seen as ‘New Woman’ in early 20th century

Samantha Elley

Mar 5, 20214 min read

Gumnut baby creator seen as ‘New Woman’ in early 20th century

Bringing the beauty of the Australian bush alive, not only to children, but also to adults, was the special skill of May Gibbs. Born to...

263 views1 comment

Tales from the Grave enters Genealogy list

Samantha Elley

Feb 26, 20211 min read

Tales from the Grave enters Genealogy list

It's been 15 months now since I established my newspaper column Tales from the Grave as a website. It's been only 3 months since I...

190 views0 comments

Dickens' son a station agent and bushranger catcher

Samantha Elley

Feb 20, 20214 min read

Dickens' son a station agent and bushranger catcher

His name alone carried the weight of British literature.

240 views0 comments

Sheep industry thrives under a woman’s touch

Samantha Elley

Feb 13, 20214 min read

Sheep industry thrives under a woman’s touch

Elizabeth’s expert ability to manage the sheep ensured their competitive place in the British wool market.

192 views1 comment

Police Commissioner has finger on the police force pulse

Samantha Elley

Feb 7, 20214 min read

Police Commissioner has finger on the police force pulse

He nearly died on the job and introduced finger printing as a way of catching criminals.

284 views1 comment

Samantha Elley

Jan 29, 20213 min read

The mystery of the Fraser Island girls

Two young white girls are rescued from an Aboriginal tribe on Fraser Island, three years after their boat is ship-wrecked and all crew is lo

1,272 views3 comments

Olley surrounded herself in still life art

Samantha Elley

Dec 7, 20204 min read

Olley surrounded herself in still life art

She worked in a chaotic maze of colour and clutter, creating her beautiful artworks. Her surroundings were not for the minimalists among...

495 views2 comments

Fridge king establishes Taronga Park Zoo

Samantha Elley

Dec 4, 20204 min read

Fridge king establishes Taronga Park Zoo

When Edward John Lees Hallstrom had a passion for something, he threw everything at it.

456 views0 comments

Previous tragedy spurs father on to be a hero

Samantha Elley

Nov 30, 20203 min read

Previous tragedy spurs father on to be a hero

An unbearable tragedy may have been the catalyst for a daring, heroic act by John Christian Erichs, where he would eventually pay the...

732 views0 comments

Samantha Elley

Aug 8, 20201 min read

More coverage for Tales from the Grave

Tales from the Grave is gaining a wider audience. Find out here where we are going.

226 views0 comments

He was the founder behind a 144 year old newspaper

Samantha Elley

Jul 5, 20202 min read

He was the founder behind a 144 year old newspaper

People complained about this "new-fangled idea of a newspaper" in their town, but William Kelleway went on to establish a newspaper that...

432 views0 comments

Her high jump record was held for 98 years

Samantha Elley

Jun 20, 20203 min read

Her high jump record was held for 98 years

Her 'frail' physique belied the amazing ability Esther Stace had when in control over a large horse.

3,073 views0 comments

After three years he came back from the dead

Samantha Elley

Jun 7, 20203 min read

After three years he came back from the dead

James Benson could have been forgiven for aligning himself with Job of the Bible, when he lost his family and his freedom.

498 views2 comments

How a collection of old boxes became anthropological gold.

Samantha Elley

May 30, 20203 min read

How a collection of old boxes became anthropological gold.

They were a treasure buried in dusty boxes, left by a woman who had died, for a real estate agent who didn't know what to do with them.

4,319 views0 comments

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