Kin, n, relatives, collectively.

Kindle, v.t., to set alight, to arouse strong feelings.

Welcome to KINdling.

Since my early teens I’ve been curious about who I am from, whose blood flows through my veins and what characteristics they gave to me.

While researching their lives and times, I’ve discovered that most of my ancestors lived very ordinary lives… but sometimes ordinary is extraordinary!

This is (most likely) a picture of Mary (nee Davies) Sendall. This picture was taken in a Sydney studio in the early 1900s.

Mary is my maternal great grandmother. Extraordinarily, Mary was the mother of 15 babies. Some of those babies died in childbirth or when they were children, but most of them lived full and long lives. Mary’s life was anything but ordinary and was sadly much too short. I’ll explore Mary’s life in more detail in a separate post.

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.

My mind is blown by many of the people who make up my family tree.

KINdling explores the roots, the limbs, the branches and the leafy bits of my family tree, shining a light on the ordinary lives of my forebears and bringing the extraordinary to the forefront.

Need a little help bringing your family history to light? Why not contact me!