For the past 40 years I’ve been interested in where I am from, whose blood flows through my veins and what characteristics they gave to me.

What I’ve learned is that my ancestors lived very ordinary lives, but sometimes ordinary is extraordinary!

I want to share my journey with you by shining a light on my kin, the individuals who make up the roots, the limbs, the branches and the leafy bits of my family tree.

Maybe we can help each other to shine a light on the darkest corners of our genealogical journeys.

This is (most likely) a picture of Mary Davies Sendall, my ancestral twin. This picture was taken in a Sydney studio.

Mary is my maternal great grandmother, mother to 15 babies. Some died in childbirth while most lived full and long lives. Mary’s ordinary life was anything but ordinary and was sadly much too short. I’ll explore Mary in more detail at a later date.

Others may not agree, but I see myself in Mary’s face and hands. When I hold Mary’s picture in my hand, my mind is blown that she also held this picture in her hand.

Kindling will explore the lives of my ancestors, such as Mary, by shining a light on their ordinary lives and bringing the extraordinary to the forefront.