Blogs by Topic

INDEX to Blogs by Topic

As of today – June 17, 2025 – I have written 295 posts: grouped by topics:

·         182 Silver Bowl Research Project Posts

·         31 Reviews of Restaurants, Meals and Other Travel Related Bits

·         30 Just for Fun & Other Bits

·         21 Book Reviews &/or Mentions Of Books

·         31 Recipes &/or Food

Silver Bowl Research Project Posts (updated June 17, 2025)

Oct. 2010	The Quest for the Silver Bowl. My very first post.
	First Day in London – this is a pretty lumpy post, not my best.
Nov. 2010	Two Versions – the contribution of genealogy to scholarship.
	Research Update from Ireland Mentions of Jacksons in Glengarriff & Carrigallen;  Olivers & Huguenot roots.
	Busted in Dublin In the Deeds Registry. Oops.
	Gratitude #1 So many generous people who have made all this possible.
	Research Work in Two Irelands Just some practicalities for someone from Canada.
	The Blogging Beast The imperfection that is part of these posts – like wearing pyjamas in public.
	Drogheda and  a Perfect Day – seeking the JACKSON Coat of Arms – to no avail. Drogheda City Hall
	Curses and Blessings The science of luck and Lucky Jackson.
	Chinese Food in Ireland Fan’s Chinese restaurant, on Dame Street in Dublin, is where Samuel BROWNE, linen merchant carried out his trade in the mid 1800s, and where my great grandfather – Thompson BROWNE son of Samuel – also resided. NOTE: Fans is now closed.
	Too Much Food – Field Book includes mention of David Jackson’s house in Leitrim in 1841
	The Picture of Dorian Gray – stories of Clandeboye and BLACKWOODs. Meeting Lady Dufferin. Anne BLACKWOOD nee JACKSON (1724-1814).
	Till It’s Gone – the story of a missing gravestone at Creggan Graveyard. Mary Skuce’s transcription of several JACKSONs who I have yet to learn more about.
Dec. 2010	Random Acts – Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness – meeting Dawn at the Deeds Registry.
	JACKSONs in Memorials of the Dead
	Gilford Castle & the Gift of Christine Without Christine, this whole adventure would not have had the successes and adventures that it did.
	JACKSONs in the Belfast Newsletter: Includes: John JACKSON of Newtownards on Aug 4, 1797 followed a couple of weeks later by: ANN JACKSON begs leave to inform the Friends of her late Husband and the Public in general, That she continues to carry on the Business as usual and will be constantly supplied with Wine, Spirits, &c. &c. She has purchased new Chaises, good Horses, *c. For the accommodation of her Customers, and hopes from her care and attention, to merit a continuance of former favours.
	Blogs and research Mary Cumiskey & Jackson research; Tullyvallen, Creggan, NOTE: I had misplaced hopes for finishing the book in 2011 – dream on!
Jan. 2011	A Mysterious Dundalk Cousin J.W. JACKSON aka John W. JACKSON of Castletown, near Manchester.
	No Success Like Failure Exploring likely links between JACKSONs of Creggan Parish, Co. Armagh & JACKSONs of Co. Wicklow and Co. Wexford.
	The Voice of Patrick Flynn Mary Cumiskey’s story of the Creggan Charter School, and my 5th g-grandfather George JACKSON. Patrick FLYNN was a student who spoke out about the appalling conditions, and was helped.
Feb. 2011	TJ and the Story of his Statue Sculptor Mario RAGGI, the statue was trashed in WWII, and found again
	In Defence of Not Knowing – links to 19th C Hong Kong photos. Dr. Janet Davison Rowley quote about observational research.
	Choosing Rooster Scratches instead of County Louth Photos of Cavananore
	Organic Gardening Advice from 1802 – old practices, new soil. Reference to Killynure smoked hams.
	1898 Avast the Mast – photos of Irish in 19th C Hong Kong – including a woman who shinnied up the mast of a ship in full skirts.
Mar. 2011	Memory is Like Water Personal memory – and a meditation on how this connects to the political.
	Memory is Like Water Part 2 – Memory and a re-evaluation of key historic incidents in Ireland
	One Good Deed Deserves .... Work in Deeds Registry
Apr. 2011	Tip of the Iceberg How inscriptions don’t always tell the truth. Thoughts on TOLLEMARCHE connection;
	Sometimes a Picture: The Dares of Yokohama. George Mildmay DARE & Annie Dorothea Caroline EARNSHAW; Also, my father as Poo-Bah in The Mikado.
May 2011	A Walk in the Rain. This jumps from present to past and is a meditation on community – then and now A meditation on time and place. Mentions of Urker.
	Stories From the Graves. Adelaide Fingal Smith
	My Web Feet – Quack Quack. This is about how research and connections work – thanks to the Internet. Stories of tracking down the Silver Bowls.
	Knock Knock – Who’s There. On the power of sharing research – as well as some guidelines.
	Facts and Theories. Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness aka RAOGK. JACKSONs of Co. Down, Meath, Monaghan and America. John HENRY of Broomfield & JACKSONs of Lisnaboe. Also mention of Quaker JACKSONs.
	Nature, Nurture and Family. Image of double helix; epigenetics anecdotes; personality theory
	Reading Irish History. The importance of perspective. “Je me souviens”; Charles Foran “The Last House of Ulster”; Ascendancy to Oblivion by Michael McConville; Governor KENNEDY of Hong Kong & Co. Down;  Anglo-Irishman, Arthur Wellesley, is better known as the Duke of Wellington, the defeater of Napoleon
Jun. 2011	Ngaio Marsh Links to the DARE family of Yokohama, Singapore & Hong Kong.
	Being an Irish Tourist & Meeting Turtle Bunbury. Mention of pubs.
	Tales of the Elusive Julius – Part One. His connection to the DAREs of Yokohama: Near this place lyeth interr’d the Body of Capt. William Julus [Julius] late Commander of His Maj. Ship the Colchester who departed this life ye 3d of Oct. 1698 Aged 33 years
	Tales of the Elusive Julius – Part Two. Louisa Caroline JULIUS’s marriage proposal from Horatio NELSON. She subsequently married Phocian DARE.
	Have trod, have trod ... Disappointments in research. – also stories connected to deeds from Wendy Jack and Nigel Dickie.
Jul. 2011	The Jackson “Connexion”. Jacksons of Lisnaboe; stories of Henry JACKSON of Pill Lane, Dublin; connection to Arthur HALEY of Roots;
	Crests and Coats of Arms – 1st in a small series The sheldrakes in JACKSON trees; my experience with Mission City designing of heraldic arms in the 1980s.
	The Red Hand of Ulster – 2nd in a small series O’Neills, Jacksons, sheldrakes, the story of the red hand as told by Derek Lundy.
	The Sheldrake and other elements – 3rd in a small series. Mention of Jacksons of Ahenesk, Ballyboy, Doncaster, Duddington, and Glanbeg.
Aug. 2011	Lorna Goodison This is not only about the poetry and memoir written by Lorna Goodison, but also about Howe Peter BROWNE of Ireland and Jamaica.
	Carolan's Farewell, a novel by Charles Foran based on the life of harpist Turlogh O’Carolan, one of the last premodern harp composers.
	How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill Doubleday, New York.  My book review
Sept 2011	Pete of the Glorious Berkshires A tribute to my mentor on townland research.
	Talk at Armagh & District History Group An ad for a speech I gave.
Oct 2011	Strongbow & Deeds My visit to his tomb & the link to JACKSON deeds. John JACKSON of Athy, Co. Kildare, Gent … lands of Currageen cont 630 acres, Barony of Kilkea and Moon, Co. Kildare… lives of said John JACKSON & Sarah his wife &  George DEACON of Athy, Gent… rent of 283 pounds 10 shillings to be paid at Strongbows tomb in Christ Church Dublin….
Nov 2011	Thomas JACKSON Kildare farm - some detective work Sir Thomas JACKSON (1841-1915) seems to have had a farm in Co. Kildare. Story of Patrick LYNCH.
	Original Jackson – exploring his links to Irish JACKSONs. NOTE: Three sheldrakes on his grave marker. This Original Jackson lived at Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire not far from the JACKSONs of Duddington. There seems to be a 2nd Original Jackson: St. Nicholas's Church, Whitehaven: April 9, 1787, Isabella Jackson, wife of Original Jackson, buried.
	Island Hall in Godmanchester –As I mentioned in my previous post, Island Hall was built by Original Jackson  for his son, John.
	JACKSONs and the Samuel Pepys connection References to the marriage of John Jackson and Paulina Pepys – sister of Samuel - in Pepys’ diary
Dec 2011	Thomas and Samuel Jackson - Pewterers of London – exploring their relationships with Ireland. Pewterer Thomas Jackson (1600-1680) & Thomas’s only known surviving son, Samuel (1634-1716)   Family tree of the Jacksons from Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Berkshire and London.
	Henry Jackson of Dublin - a 1690 will Henry Jackson of St. Peters Parish Dublin; mention of Lodowick JACKSON.
	Goldsmiths, Jacksons, London, Ireland & some ongoing mysteries – starting with Alexander Jackson who advanced money to finance Cromwell’s war, and was allocated property in the South-East corner of the Barony of Navan, Co. Meath. He was also granted land in the Barony of Morgallion. The townland of Lisnaboe – where the Jacksons of Monaghan and United Irishmen fame came from - is in the Barony of Kells, County Meath. These three baronies adjoin each other.
Jan 2012	A couple of "Unchurched Olivers" – William OLIVER of Killynure, Co. Armagh, and Mary Anne MALLON
	Irregular Marriages – what I learned from a news article about the controversy & the part of Rev. Daniel Gunn BROWN[E]
Feb 2012	Nepotism: Yea or Nay. This is in part a book review of Citizens of The World: London Merchants and the Integration of the British Atlantic community 1735-1785. David Hancock, and partly a look at Sir Thomas Jackson of Armagh’s hiring practices at HSBC in the mid to late 1800s.
	Inching towards Kildare. This page links to at least a hundred pages of original compilations of research that I have recently done. Includes Quaker JACKSONs, a photo of a Stone House in Monasterven. The lands of Athgarvan and Kennagh are wo of the townlands that these Kildare Jacksons were supposedly granted for services under William III.
Apr 2012	Jacksons of Grange, Kings Co, Ireland. These JACKSONs did not stay in one place – sightings of them range from adjacent counties to America. Mentions of Robert Jackson, Henry Jackson (Co. Wicklow), Thomas Jackson, Drechet, Quakers, Nicholas Jackson of Kilbank, Seawaite, Lancashire, England, Birr Castle, Birr aka Parsonstown, Arthur Tenison Groves research, Seirkieran, & Edenderry in Kings co,, .
	Imagining a Parish and its People. Creggan Parish, Co. Armagh. Photo of Jackson & Johnston enclosures at Creggan graveyard; Ursula LeGuin quote;
May 2012	Cavananore – unearthing the tale. Cavananore, a townland of some 219 acres in Co. Louth, was occupied at least as early as the late 1600s by a Presbyterian family named Coulter. They were supposedly awarded the land for their valour at the Battle of the Boyne on the side of King William.
Jul 2012	Handsome James Jackson of Drogheda. I stumbled upon a description of John Jackson, son of Alderman Jackson of Drogheda in The Dublin Scuffle. It was printed in 1699, and written by John Dunton, an eccentric bookseller and even more eccentric writer.
Jul 2012	Research bits on Handsome James Jackson. The earliest known ancestor of handsome James Jackson was Richard Jackson of Drogheda (carpenter, sheriff and merchant) a man who seems to have been quite successful. His son, another Richard Jackson, became an Alderman of Drogheda and was also a successful merchant ...
Sept 2012	Francesca aka Frances Bertha Marion “Daisy” Sexton. If you were to see Mrs. Noble in 1890, just after the birth of her youngest child and presiding as President of the Ladies Recreation Club of Hong Kong, you would think that the world was her oyster.
Sept 2012	George Edward Noble. At the peak of his bank career, he was Chief Manager of HSBC.
Oct 2012	The Irish Governors of Hong Kong. At least eight Irishmen became Governors of Hong Kong in the 19th and early 20th Century. Other governors married Irish women or had other such connections.
Nov 2012	Sir Robert Ho Tung (1862-1956)   Ho Tung was one of Sir Thomas Jackson’s cherished friends.
Nov 2012	Shameless Self Promotion #1. Sir Thomas Jackson and The Bank: Not your average banker.
Nov 2012	Crowd Sourcing and the Dares. A quick flypast describing Amelia’s brothers and brother-in-laws, with a focus on their inter-connected business involvements.
Nov 2012	Shameless Self Promotion #2. The next speaker at the Royal Asiatic Society is an unusual choice. She failed history in High School, and then steered clear of all such courses at university.
Dec 2012	500 Words.  I received several emails from people who were unable to attend my talk at the Royal Asiatic Society in Hong Kong in November, so I promised to publish parts of it in future blogs. This is the first installment.
	Flibbertigibbet. A round-about intro to a 1902 description of a banquet in Hong Kong.
Jan 2013	Hong Kong & Ireland: Two British Colonies. An excerpt from a speech delivered to the Hong Kong branch of the Royal Asiatic Society in November 2012.
	A Hong Kong Embroidery 1902. A 1902 news account described the attempted presentation of this embroidered scroll to Thomas Jackson in Hong Kong at a banquet celebrating his life in the Colony.
Feb 2013	The Land League Hut at Shortstone.  I first saw this picture in the study of Willie Tracey, an elderly farmer who lives and farms at Shortstone, Co. Louth. Includes the murder of Samuel COULTER in 1849 & the care of Widow Wiseman by his sons.
Apr 2013	Jacksons of Drogheda & Creggan. JACKSONs in St. Peter’s of Drogheda Parish Register in late 1600s.
	Last Day in Ireland – This Time. Description of working in Deeds Registry and such.
May 2013	Jacksons of Co. Cavan. Exploring links between JACKSONs of Kildare and the northern counties of Ireland; finding a counterfeit dollar; “The Jackson family of Kildare were related to most of the big Quaker families. ...... Armagh ; at Lisna- garvey or Lisburn ; at Belturbet in Co. Cavan ; at Grange ...”;
	The Dog That Didn’t Bark. Research examining some of the supposed origins of the Irish Quaker JACKSONs, and possible links with JACKSONs of Coleraine; quote about how broke Rev. Richard JACKSON was; quote from Edmond T. Bewley;. NOTE: Names have since been added and updated in family tree.
Jun 2013	Woof - Part One. Following up on the family of Richard JACKSON (1595-1680) of Westmorland. Link to Jackson Hall, Kirby Lonsdale, now known as The Royal Hotel, Photo of Jackson Hall aka Manor House in Coleraine;
	Geekdom Fascinating bits found in Deeds such as the legal arrangements made between Thomas and Mary Jackson, and John Halpin - a comb maker, because the Jackson's marriage had come asunder in a time before divorce was an option. Me & Nick Reddan in Dublin.
Jul 2013	Stones Can Talk - Part I. Some Jacksons in Dublin memorials
	Stones Can Talk – Part II. More transcriptions of grave stones.
Sep 2013	Email Serendipity. The tombstone of Anne Day Woodville in Bekegem, Belgium. She was the widow of Sir George Jackson (1776-1840), her second husband. Sir George was born in Coleraine, Co. Londonderry and later also lived at Forkhill, Co. Armagh. In later life he lived and died in Belgium.
Nov 2013	The Tale of a Townland. A primer on how to learn much from maps using the townland of Urcher aka Urker as an example.
Dec 2013	Urker Lodge. Archival photos compared with contemporary photos and maps.
Jan 2014	Urker and Sir Thomas Jackson. Linking fairy tales and features which can be found in the landscape of South Armagh.
	Creggan on the Peak. Sir Thomas JACKSON of Creggan parish in south Armagh built a home in Hong Kong that he named Creggan.
Feb 2014	Thomas Jackson and the Overland Route. The experience of travelling from England to Hong Kong before the opening of the Suez canal.
	Margaret McMillan. When I was reading her book The War the Ended Peace, it got me thinking about Prince Henry and his visits with the Jacksons in Hong Kong in the 1890s.
Mar 2014	The Sizzle of Connections. A story about the links between the SCOTTs of Singapore and Sir Walter SCOTT and William Ramsay SCOTT, brother-in-law to Sir Thomas JACKSON.
	Whitworth Allen and Anna Maria Dare. Anna Maria DARE was a sister to Sir Thomas Jackson’s wife, Amelia Lydia DARE.
May 2014	The Dummy Clock. Finding the clock at Crossmaglen
	Cabra Castle and Jacksons. Madeline Eglantine Jackson was born about 1816. George Vaughan JACKSON was a 1st cousin of Madeline. Note the three eagles heads in the JACKSON part of the crest - upper left segment. At present I cannot rule out that the original member of the Co. Mayo line of JACKSONs was not Francis JACKSON (1632- bef 1680), son of Rev. Richard JACKSON and Dorothy OTWAY. Three birds, which are included in the arms of the descendants of Rev. Richard & Dorothy, are a common motif in all sorts of  Jackson Crests.
May 2014	My Oxstead Visit where I meet the irrepressible Eileen Johnston and learn of a letter from 1875.
May 2014	An 1875 letter from Slieveroe – the return after a honeymoon of Margaret JACKSON and Dr. Robert Hamilton REID – wild festivities.
May 2014	Photos of people mentioned in the 1875 letter. Margaret JACKSON; Mary MENARY; Robert REID; Annie REID; Miss ROBINSON; Mrs. MAGEE; Annie GILBERT; Mrs. BEATTIE, Sarah McCULLAGH, Sarah JACKSON, Thompson & Bessie BROWNE; John JACKSON.
Jun 2014	Brittas and the Belted Galloway. The story of Capt. Bligh & Brittas Estate and our visit there.
Jun 2014	The JACKSONs of Rathe. Meeting Brian GARVEY a farmer at Rathe; Rathe had been leased by Henry Jackson of Lisnaboe and his son Thomas Jackson, and was likely owned by the family for several decades before this. These Jacksons are related to the Jacksons of Ballybay in Co. Monaghan, and are also likely related to another line of Jacksons who lived at Ballyreagan, Co. Down; photo of Rath House; Maps of Rath; Lisnaboe.
Jun 2014	Possible Treasures. The 1765 Innes-Jackson will. Mention of niece Mrs. M’LOUGHLIN; The John BALL who is mentioned in the will as having given a watch to Jane Innes was the same John Ball who held the lease to Urker, where the ancestors of Thomas Jackson lived.
	Stint at SOAS Library in London – The Addis Collection. Archives of Charles Stewart Addis; letters by Amelia JACKSON; excerpts.
Jul 2014	Early Jacksons of Co. Down. Exploring connections between JACKSONs of Lisburn, also Ballyreagan, Co. Down & Lisnaboe.
Aug 2014	David Jackson in Yokohama. Murder on the Bluff – the murder of Mr. Walter Raymond Hallowell CAREW - includes clues about the JACKSONs; maps included, as well as info on the love interest of Mrs. Carew, the murderer: Henry (aka Harry) Vansittart Dickinson, an accountant with HSBC.
Aug 2014	Location of Creggan in Hong Kong. This is the house built by Sir Thomas JACKSON (1841-1915) in the late 1870. I have created several maps with descriptions. Photo of fellow researchers, Annelise Connell, and David Bellis
Aug 2014	First Houses on the Peak in Hong Kong. Some history and photographs to give context.
Aug 2014	Lombard Street & London Bankers.  Starting with 16th C. goldsmiths named JACKSON. Pasqua Rosee’s Head, the place where London’s first coffee shop opened in 1652. Later in the 1600s, the goldsmith John Jackson plied his trade nearby, using the emblem of an angel as his mark. 31 Lombard St. was also the street where HSBC’s London office was housed until it moved to #9 Gracechurch Street. A bit about The Banker’s Church, and mention of family who died in WWI. TJ’s funeral at All Hallowes. In the early 1700s, the firm of Knight and Jackson operated under the Unicorn on Lombard Street. SEE: A Handbook of London Bankers. SEE: The London Goldsmiths. By the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, 1936 by Sir Charles Jackson. See also English Goldsmiths and their Marks, C.J. Jackson, 1905.  Also London Vol 4  ed. Charles Knight page 17ff. for a history of London Banking.Place to eat: Qian Long on 46 Gresham Street
2014 Sept	Psychics and the Boltons. Details about Captain Charles James Bolton whose first wife was Louisa Caroline Dare., a sister of Amelia Lydia Dare (wife of Sir Thomas Jackson). Death of their son, Charles James BOLTON. The account was from Bolton’s second wife, Julia Mitchell, in the Journal of the Ontario Society for Psychical Research. Volume XVI, 1913. Pages 3-6.
2014 Sept	Discovering Captain Bolton. Happy Valley graveyard in Hong Kong & meeting up again with Paul Harrison. Lots of research on BOLTONS and ships, and deaths of children.
Oct 2014	Two 19th Century Catholic Chapels in Creggan. The memory of Old Rose. When she was blind, TJ would take her down Monag Road every Sunday so she could hear the church bells. Maps showing Moybane and Monag chapels.
Oct 2014	Old Rose and her Blessing. She was the old nurse of TJ. Research undertaken to unearth her identity.
Oct 2014	The Walls and Floors of Urker. Includes an ad to rent in 1829; photos of Peter Rogers; thoughts on mortar; Pidgeon House; lots of photos of walls and construction.
Oct 2014	More Photos of Urker Lodge.
Nov 2014	Crowd Sourcing – First of Five. This is the first section of a draft version of one of the chapters for my upcoming book The Silver Bowl.
Nov 2014	Crowd Sourcing – 2nd of Five. Henry John Temple aka 3rd Lord Palmerston was 18 years old when his father died. Having inherited an Irish peerage, he was able to start his career near the top of the military ladder.
Nov 2014	Crowd Sourcing – 3rd of Five. Sir Hugh Gough (1779-1869)
	Crowd Sourcing – 4th of Five. Sir Henry Kellett, also an Irishman, and a naval officer serving on the HMS Sulphur under Belcher’s command, was amongst that first crew that hoisted the flag at Possession Point on Monday, January 25th, 1841.
Nov 2014	Crowd Sourcing – 5th of Five. It wasn’t until 1842, at the conclusion of the First Opium War and a year after the flag had been raised at Possession Point, that Henry Pottinger from Co. Down, as the Queen’s representative, dictated the terms of the Treaty of Nanking to the Chinese after their military defeat. A year earlier, aged fifty-two, he had been appointed Envoy and Plenipotentiary to China by Lord Palmerston.
Mar 2015	The Jacksons of Steeple. In the mid-1700s, the Jacksons of Steeple were connected to the Jacksons of the townlands of adjacent Holwell, as well as to the Jacksons of nearby Loonburn. There may also be a link to the JACKSONs of Coleraine. I have included maps and sources.
Apr 2015	The Failure of the Tipperary Bank. Saturday February 17, 1856, John Sadleir, knowing his bank was failing, committed suicide. Also, this piece mentions Wilson KENNEDY, the Regium Donum, and how the failure affected him. Also mention of Thomas Jackson and Daniel Gunn BROWNE,
Apr 2015	Kirkby Lonsdale and the Royal Hotel. My bedroom at the Royal Hotel overlooks the Market Square. It used to be part of the gardens attached to a building that was known as Jackson Hall before it was sold and turned into the Rose and Crown. This was the property of Rev. Richard JACKSON (1602-1681). He bequeathed it to his eldest son, William JACKSON (1628-1688) of Coleraine.
Apr 2015	Timeline of JACKSONs re: Steeple. This page includes mention of JACKSONs of Steeple, Antrim, Holywell, and Loonburn.
Apr 2015	Jacksons of Steeple – Family Tree. There is also likely a connection to the JACKSONs of Tobermore. NOTE: Extract from "Mackenzie's Memorials of the Siege of Derry"; Introduction by W. D. Killen, D.D. (1861) Sarah [Born: 1 Oct 1698, Magherafelt, Ireland], the third daughter of Captain Ash by his second marriage, became the wife of Mr. John Jackson, by whom she had three sons, William, Hugh, and Luke.
Apr 2015	Richard Jackson (1602-1681) of Westmorland. The family tree of the known descendants of Rev. Richard JACKSON of Kirkby Lonsdale and his two wives: Dorothy OTWAY & Jane CARTER. With these two wives, he sired twenty living children, many of whom made a significant impact on Ireland from the mid-1600s onwards.
May 2015	Aghavilly – Birthplace of Sir Thomas Jackson. There are lots of maps and charts here. NOTE: It is not impossible that David Jackson may have inherited this land from Thomas McCullagh, land which had been previously deeded to Alexander Wilson. On the other hand: Mind the gap.
Apr 2015	Tullyvallen and My Quest for Jacksons. Lots of maps and charts. Starting with Thos Ball to the use of Daniel & Sarah Jackson in 1668 – then a jump to 1864 & Anne JACKSON.
Apr 2015	Johnstons of Woodvale. There are multiple links to the Jacksons of Urker. Includes a family tree which I updated February 17, 2016.
Apr 2015	Jacksons of Tullyvallen. – update May 2015. This line of inquiry might get us closer to either establishing or disproving the link with both the Jacksons of Coleraine as well as a possible link to the Richard Jackson who established the Forkhill Trust in the late 1700s – as well as the JACKSONs of Steeple (Dunaghy needs checking out). Includes 1823 map.
Apr 2015	Mitchelburne and Jackson connections. Col. John MITCHELBURNE married Susanna Beresford, the widow of William JACKSON & Richard MITCHELBURNE, his brother, who married a Mary JACKSON.
Apr 2015	The Twenty Children of Rev. Richard JACKSON. Rev. Richard JACKSON of Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland sired fifteen children with his first wife, Dorothy OTWAY (1605-1645), and then he sired five more with his 2nd wife, Jane CARTER. These sons and daughters, and their descendants, had a significant impact on the next four centuries in Ireland. One of their sons, William, owned leases for land that covered much of Coleraine in the mid-1600s, while son Samuel had dozens of leases in Dublin, Monaghan, Meath and Cavan.
Apr 2015	Family Crests and Jacksons. My personal experience in contributing to a coat of Arms in Mission, BC. Sir Thomas Jackson, and the sheldrakes.
Apr 2015	Oral History – Jacksons and Fairy Rings. JACKSON’S FORT The rampart of the ring of this earthwork has been levelled into the trench all the way round with the result that the ring sits several feet high above the surrounding fields. It is now (1931) in use as an orchard. Mr. Allen, the present owner of the farm states that his family settled in the adjoining townland of Ternacreevy in 1616. His mother was a Miss Jackson daughter of the former owner & the Jackson’s held the farm “from the days of Cromwell”.
Apr 2015	Clay Pigeons. Exploring connections between Sir Thomas JACKSON’s sheldrakes, Anne BATES Ashby de la Zouche wife of Richard JACKSON & three shovellers; Richard JACKSON of Forkhill’s shovellers. Photos of crests.
Apr 2015	The Irish Referendum & Dorothy Jackson. The frequent invisibility of gay people in family histories. One remarkable thing about how Dorothy Jackson lived her life was that she was a lesbian living openly with her partner Dorothy Fitch at Barony House (or cottage), Glengarriff, Co. Cork . Also, Dorothy Jackson’s relationship with Phyllis Keys, and her connections to the Bloomsbury group.
June 2015	More Letters found at Gilford. Letters from Thomas JACKSON in the early 1860s. Descriptions of his trip and arrival at Hong Kong. His Aunt Barbara DONALDSON, Dr King & the Elgin settlement in Ontario, and the bequest by her daughter (which likely funded Thomas’ education at Morgan’s School in Dublin).
June 2015	Occam’s Razor or KISS. Trying to suss out the place where Sir Thomas Jackson had a farm in Co. Kildare. Maps of townlands where some Jacksons owned land in Kildare. His farm manager Patrick Lynch of Kildare. In the 1690s, Jacksons were at Athgravan and Blackrath, in the parish of Greatconnell, lost that land, and then settled at Narraghmore. Jacksons of Athy.
July 2015	Amelia Lydia Dare and Countess Dysart – fact or fiction. As a royalist, active throughout the Cromwellian years, Elizabeth Murray even went so far as to meet socially with Oliver Cromwell, initially to camouflage her subversive activities, but later as an act of genuine friendship. Unravelling the mystery of the secret marriage of William TOLLEMACHE; the story of William Ball WRIGHT;
Aug 2015	Amelia Dare & her Cape Town connections. Her grandfather, William Tollemache Parke (1790-1852), had been an innkeeper at India House on Rotherhithe Street, in his early thirties. This was near the docks in south-east London. Then Amelia’s grandmother opened what would become the world-famous Parke’s Hotel in Cape Town – it was featured in recommendations from as far away as Bombay
Oct 2015	Iceberg Writing and Silly Boy Pictures. In the meantime, here are some photo montages created in the late 1800s in Yokohama and/or Hong Kong. They include several of the Irish lads that I have been writing about.
Oct 2015	Intro to the Silver Bowl. One spring day, young Tommy was out a-walking with Mr. Malever. Down a lane, it was, back of the church. They chanced upon a Gypsy. She stopped them on the path. “Would you be after having your fortune told?” Malever laughed and reached into his pocket. He crossed her palm with a coin. She pocketed the coin, took the palm of young Tommy into her hand, and studied it carefully. Then she took the hand of Malever and as she held it palm upwards, the look on her face darkened. She shook her head and said, “One of you will be known all over the world and one of you will meet a dastardly death.”
Nov 2015	Presbyterian & Catholic Olivers of Armagh. Document from Eliza OLIVER from 1800s, maps of Olivers going back to 1664. Farmacaffley, Ballnahonebeg, Brootally, Ballycrummy, Killynure, etc. Sale of OLIVER estate,
Nov 2015	Kane Graveyard – Some History. Tales of the fairies; the story of The Stump; the COULTERs;
Dec 2015	Anniversary of Sir Thomas Jackson’s Death. Photos of Urker; Marketplace photo; the story of Old Rose; Rev Daniel Gunn BROWNE; racial and religious tolerance; charity; his grave at Stanstead.
April 2016	Aren’t you done yet? Mentions of Sir Thomas JACKSON’s farm in Co. Kildare; shovellers on JACKSON crest; Richard JACKSON of Westmorland; son William JACKSON of Coleraine & Samuel JACKSON of Dublin; John JACKSON – Oliver Cromwell’s treasurer; coin used by Sir George JACKSON.
Aug 2016	My Bags are packed. Blessington Park. Meeting Daphne McCann for the first time.
May 2016	2016 version of OLIVERS of Armagh. Sir Thomas Jackson (the focus of my research) and I both descend from a William Oliver who held a lease and farmed at Ennislare in Co. Armagh - at least as early as the 1700s. Oral history has it that our ancestors were Huguenots from the South of France. A map of Ballymoran and images of other documents are included.
May 2016	Lace from Crossmaglen. The story of Susan DONALDSON. Meeting Rosie Bell at Gilford Castle.
July 2016	Killynure – the Life of a House. Historic photos and links, and the story of our family’s connection.Edgar & Amanda KNOX & Natalie, Naomi & Faith.
July 2016	The Quaigh of Rev. Daniel Gunn Brown. Two branches of Rev. Daniel Gunn Brown’s family both originated from Scotland, but they also had previous ancestral connections to Antrim. The name Kirkpatrick aka Kilpatrick translates as: church of Patrick. This has more resonance than one might think. Comparison of language of activist Presbyterian ministers with that of Karl Marx.
April 2018	I’m Back! Includes Seamus Heaney poem.
May 2018	Origin Stories - Four versions – of our JACKSONs in Ireland. Includes Mount Leinster Lodge, Raheenkyle.
Dec 2018	Samuel Jackson - Gleanings of a Life. TGF Paterson records; Draper’s Guild; Clothworker’s Guild; Goldsmith’s Guild. Mention of Articlave, Bellaghy, Mansion House Coleraine. Sir Albert Conyngham, Mount Charles House, Strabane & Co. Meath holdings. Story of DRAKEs of Co. Meath
Apr 2019	Jacksons of Co. Longford, Dublin & Kings Co. Cartoon from Memorials of deeds; Richard JACKSON of Tinenane, Co. Longford. In later deeds, Tinenane aka Tenenare was referred to as Cullivore; SHAEN; O’FARRELL; according to Oscar Wilde, Burke’s Peerage: … is the one book a young man about town should know thoroughly, and it is the best thing in fiction the English have ever done! Mathew JACKSON, Kings Co.; list of possible JACKSON family links.
Apr 2019	Rev. William JACKSON - Dead Ends Blog #1 R.R. MADDEN; News articles; SALES aka SALE aka SALL; GORES;
Apr 2019	Dr. Richard JACKSON (abt 1720-abt1768) and the SALEs. Richard JACKSON, brother of Rev. William JACKSON; Cuffe Street mystery; St. Stephen’s Sq.
July 2019	Hyde’s Coffee Shop Rev. William JACKSON; HYDE family; WHITTHORNE; possible Sligo connections; United Irishmen & Robert EMMETT;
Sept 2019	Rev. William Jackson & his Gore ancestry Thomas Otway's play Venice Preserv’d. Katherine SALES; Dr. Edward SALE; Francis GORE; Countess Markievics aka BOOTH-GORE; Col. Zachariah TIFFIN; Newtownards; Henry JACKSON, Monaghan & Dublin;
Sept 2019	Documents relating to the ancestry of Rev. William JACKSON. Many maps; Captain George PEPPER; Dublin; Leitrim; Sligo; TIFFIN; Wicklow; Sandymount;
Mar 2020	Streetlight effect and Jacksons and Sheldrakes Jacksons from Cuddeson, Oxfordshire; ALDWORTHs; Gilbert JACKSON; Rev. Richard Jackson (1709-1796); Hickleton; Doncaster; WARD-JACKSON, Yorkshire; Duddington; Wiltshire;
Apr 2020	The wives of Rev. William Jackson (1737-1795) Anne PALMER (not a wife); Appledore; Theophilus JONES; Augustus HERVEY; GORE; BLACKWOOD; Clandeboye Estate is not far from Ballycastle; Paris, France & Vicinity Marriage Banns, 1860-1902 for a William Fritz Jackson on August 20, 1863; Hayle Place, Kent.
Apr 2020	Arthur Hamilton Lee and Sir Thomas Jackson connection to Chequers.
Jul 2021	Richard Jackson father of Rev. William JACKSON (1737-1795) His father officiated in the Prerogative Court of Dublin. -  is the only one that I cannot corroborate; Gentleman and Citizen’s Almanac,; Richard Robert Madden (1798-1886); Dr. Jackson, of Newtownards; A child of a soldier named Richard Jackson died 1738 and was buried at St. Paul, Dublin, Ireland on October 18, 1738; Richard Jackson who died at Kendal, Westmoreland, England on July 2, 1738. An etching of merchant Henry Jackson (1750-1817), a United Irishmen who fled to America makes him look a lot like Rev. William.
Dec 2021	JACKSON of Stansted House: Baronial Arms includes O’NEILL-JACKSON connections: Captain JACKSON (no forename was included)  as being of Shanes Castle, Largy & Toome Quarters. SEE: 1653 Presbyterian removals.
Sep 2022	The Naming of Irish Townlands The word otherwise was used 75 times in a single deed
Jun 2023	Updates to my Memorials of Deeds Pages PUREFOY & JACKSONs
Jun 2023	Reflections after transcribing more Creggan Parish Registers.
Jul 2023	Grave-markers and the Loss of a Sense of Place St. Hilda’s, Sechelt; Creggan Parish, Co. Armagh; Mattie Scuse’s transcription; Japanese graves in Vancouver;
Dec 2023	Rev William Francis JACKSON Finding his middle name.
Feb 2024	Rev. William JACKSON (1737-1795): Seen through the framing & lens of his Writing `
Feb 2024	2024 Visit to Coleraine BERESFORDs and JACKSONs.
Jan 2025	AI and breaking down brick walls How to find elusive memorial of deeds.
Jan 2025	Mrs. Elizabeth JACKSON née BUNTING Wife of Rev William JACKSON of the United Irishmen
Mar 2025	REV. RICHARD JACKSON (1602-1681)
Apr 2025	Abigail JACKSON (1683-1763): Part One AKA Abigail CROFTON.
May 2025	JACKSONs and St. Johns Killowen Including plaque by Richard JACKSON (1730-1789)
June 2025	History by the Ounce A largely philosophical rumination about memory, history, ancestry and truth.

Reviews of Restaurants, Meals and Other Travel Related Bits (updated August 20, 2014)

Needs updating!

Oct. 2010	Leaving Vancouver Includes references to Bill Reid & The Spirit of Haida Gwai.
Nov. 2010	Research Work in Two Irelands A bit of travel advice for newbies.
Nov. 2010	Drogheda & a Perfect Day Seeking the family crest of Thomas Jackson – to no avail,
Nov. 2010	Beauty & Three Hotels – Fairmount Pacific Rim in Vancouver, Granville Island Hotel in Vancouver, Fleet Street Hotel in Dublin.
Nov. 2010	Chinese Food in Ireland – Jimmy Chung’s, and Fansin Dublin
Nov. 2010	Too Much Food – Dublin Restaurants - Fafie’s, and Diwali’s in Dublin.
Nov. 2010	The Picture of Dorian Gray – A performance at Anaverna House, Ravensdale, Co. Louth
Nov. 2010	Humped Pelican Crossing Quite possibly my most inane posting.
Dec. 2010	Travelling Kicks & Kisses – mentions of O2; Derby Trains; KLM Boarding; McDonalds in London
Jan. 2011	Joy on a Saturday Morning – What Happens When in New York
Feb. 2011	Kinga’s 64th – links to Vij’s in Vancouver
Jul 2011	Norma Kenny House. A restaurant in Mission, BC, Canada
Aug 2011	Sushi Bar 5517. For me, the whole point of eating out is to find a meal that not only delights me but is also something I wouldn’t readily toss together for myself.
Sept 2011	Trashing a Hotel – Praising a Hotel. My adventures at the Fleet Street Hotel in Dublin.
Oct 2011	Heart, Mind, Body, and Concrete. While sick, enjoying the pleasures of The Granville Hotel.
	Quasimodo Then and Now. Recalling a long ago trip in the month of my eldest daughter’s birthday.
Jun 2012	Still Life at Beauvoisin  #1. A bit of an account of a holiday.
June 2012	Saintes Maries de la Mer. A bare bones, paper-plate outdoor café named La Cabane aux Coquilles had been recommended to us, and we all agreed that it exceeded our expectations of excellence.
Jul 2012	A Dozen Snaps of France. I have winnowed the usual indecent pile of holiday snaps down to a dozen. I am hoping that it will be sort of like Goldilocks and the Three Bears -  not too much (aka hot), and not too little aka cold).
July 2012	Two Orphan Snaps from France. OK, so I already did my holiday flypast, but I really have to pick the brains of my readers: What do you do with a fish like this? How do you cook it?
Nov 2012	It takes a Village. Some notes from Hong Kong
Feb 2013	Sharon’s Dumbed Down Boeuf Bourguignon
Mar 2013	Home Away from Home – staying at the Fleet Street Hotel.
Mar 2013	Kilcullin and the Camphill Movement – my visit in Co. Kildare.
Mar 2013	Barden’s Guest House in Co. Kildare.
Mar 2013	Fairylands B&B – just outside Armagh City.
May 2014	A Ritual Post – Easter Sunday
Jun 2014	Travelling not so Light.
Aug 2016	Plum Balls
Nov 2016	Thanksgiving Dinner at Coho 2016 Cranberry Sauce recipe.
Apr 2020	Orange Spiced Lamb Shanks

 

Just for Fun & Other Bits (updated August 20, 2014) Needs updating!

Jan. 2011	Roberts Creek New Year’s Day
Jan. 2011	Celebrating Twelfth Night
Jan. 2011	Twelfth Night Aftermath
Feb. 2011	Kinga’s 64th
Mar. 2011	Deep Down, We’re Shallow My annual Oscar night inanity.
May 2011	A Walk in the Rain. A meditation on time and place.
Jun. 2011	Where Angels Fear to Tread. On my challenges with designing & making a web site for my husband.
	June 30th. A summing up of some of the month’s events – with photos.
Jul. 2011	Lacuna This is more about my book club than it is about Kingsolver’s excellent book.
Jul. 2011	Chaster Creek Farm My brother’s organic farm in Gibsons.
Jul. 2011	Brown Brother’s Blues Three of my brothers perform with members of a band from 30 years ago.
Sept 2011	Pat Tutton. The death of a much cherished aunt.
	Rimsky. My youngest daughter’s cat – RIP.
Nov 2011	Gratitude is a Salad. Reflections on Thanksgiving.
	Waiting for Fine Fettle and My Usual Health
Jan 2012	Blame Housekeeping. This is sort of an end-of-year wrap, which is late, of course.
Apr 2012	Farm for sale. This is my brother Struan’s farm in Gibson’s BC
May 2012	That`s the Way the Cookie Crumbles. There are some phrases that I totally dislike hearing. Always have. Ever since I was a child, the phrase that earned its rightful place near the top of my personal cringe list was: That’s the way the cookie crumbles.
Aug 2012	Life and Death and Art. Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.
Oct 2012	Olena of Brooks Brothers. My escapades in clothes shopping.
Dec 2012	Our Christmas Traditions. Advent wreath, crèche, and recorder playing.
Aug 2013	Summer Blogs – cooking at Cohousing.
Sep 2013	The Gathering of the Tribe. Pierre Berton and the tradition of caring for writers through cooking.
	What I did on my Summer Vacation – Take Two – the dragon oven at my brother Struan’s farm.
	Summer’s End. My brothers playing music outdoors in downtown Gibsons.
Oct 2013	Tante Gertraut. RIP
Mar 2014	2014 Oscar Party
Aug 2014	Feeding Writers – our 2014 Diner.
Oct 2016	Missing Person - near Blythe, California
Apr 2017	Crash Test Dummy

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Book Reviews &/or Mentions of Books (updated August 20, 2014)

Needs updating!

Nov. 2010	The Picture of Dorian Gray. Mention of The Picture of Dorian Gray – mention of Caroline Blackwood’s Dangerous Muse.
Dec. 2010	Book Club Foodies – mention of  DeNiro’s Game by Rawi Hage
Jan. 2011	The Voice of Patrick Flynn – Mary Cumiskey’s books also include: The Famine in Creggan Parish and Creggan Charter School 1737-1811
Feb. 2011	Organic Gardening Advice from 1802 This includes references to: Rural Recreations or the Gardener’s Instructor and The Vegetable Garden by M.M. Vilmorin-Andrieux
Feb. 2011	Kinga’s 64th - mentions of Vij’s At Home: Relax, Honey and Vij’s Elegant & Inspired Indian Cuisine.
Mar. 2011	Memory is Like Water Part 2 - Josephine Tey, Daughter of Time and Fergus Whelan , Dissent into Treason: Unitarians, King Killers and the Society of United Irishmen
Mar. 2011	Politics and Belonging - the writings of Michael Ignatieff
Apr.	Curiosity & Other Creatures – two books: Joan Thomas’ Curiosity and Tracy Chevalier Remarkable Creatures.
Jun. 2011	Ngaio Marsh
Jul. 2011		The Red Hand of Ulster – 2nd in a small series Refers to and quotes from Derek Lundy’s The Bloody Red Hand.
Jul. 2011	Carolan’s Farewell. Charles Foran’s Book reviewed – alongside the harp music of Máire Ní Chathasaigh.
Jul. 2011	Lacuna. This is more about the food we ate while discussing the book.
Aug. 2011	Lorna Goodison This is a riff on her book about her family in Jamaica, and its connection to the BROWNEs of Westport, Co. Mayo.
	How the Irish Saved Civilization. Thomas Cahill’s history.
Nov 2011	Ill Fares the Land. Tony Judt – historian and essayist.
Apr 2012	Civil Society and Empire by James Livesay. The book addresses how civil society was developed in part because of the need for more tools for managing the British Empire. England was forced to wrestle with what to do with the issue of governing Ireland, while Ireland had to deal with England’s powers over them.
Jun 2012	Still Life at Beauvoisin #2. I review Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel and Eric Enno Tamm’s: The Horse that Leaps Through Clouds.
Nov 2013	In my Pocket – especially for Kinga. Stories from Vancouver Literary Fest – brief book reviews.
Feb 2014	Margaret McMillan. When I was reading her book The War the Ended Peace, it got me thinking about Prince Henry and his visits with the Jacksons in Hong Kong in the 1890s.
Aug 2023	Reflections After a Writers’ Fest. Last Winter. Carrie Mac
Apr 2025	My Conversation With Mark Carney. His book: Value(s).

 

Recipes &/or Food (updated August 20, 2014) Needs updating!

Dec. 2010	Book Club Foodies – incl.  Recipe for Dukkah Mix
Feb. 2011	Rich Chocolate Mousse Cake
Feb. 2011	Green Goddess Dressing
Mar. 2011	Head Over Heels
Mar. 2011	Four Step Sorbet
Mar. 2011	Sharon’s Vanilla Yoghurt Ice-Cream
Mar. 2011	Stunningly Good Quinoa Salad
Apr. 2011	Singapore Sling – a drink that connects to the story of the DARE family in Singapore.
May 2011	A Riff on Eileen’s Lunar Cake
Jun. 2011	The Staff of Life. My adventures with bread.
Jul. 2011	Chocolate Cinnamon Pie a la Rosemary.
Aug 2011	Summer Meal. I can’t cook for all my friends, especially since they live all over the world, I can at least share recipes and pictures.
Aug 2011	Queen Elizabeth Cake.
Aug 2011	Grilled Pepper Salad.
Apr 2012	Monday`s Bread. This particular batch was a mix of spelt and kamut.
June 2012	Still Life at Beauvoisin. A simple meal with fresh produce.
Oct 2012	The Full Oddie. My own special Martini recipe with Cranberries.
Jan 2013	My Accidental Vegan Veggie Pie. I am calling it accidental, because I am not a vegan and when I started in on this recipe I was mostly guided by significant doses of guess and by golly
Jan 2013	Adapted Caesar Salad – but first the story. Pierre Berton and his cookbook.
Aug 2013	Fruit Fly Flan – a silly name for a sensible solution.
Feb 2013	Sharon’s dumbed-down Boeuf Bourguignon. A scene in Julie and Julia  makes Boeuf Bourguignon recipe look as if it were a major undertaking. It is actually a snap.
	Lemon Meringue Pie.
Sep 2013	Trudy’s Stunningly Good Quinoa Salad.
	Sharon’s Sesame Ginger Port Lamb.
	Vanessa’s Recipe based on Sharon’s Homemade Bread.
Dec 2013	My Riff on an Irish Cocktail.
Jul 2014	Canada Day Duck – with Port-Cherry Sauce.
Aug 2014	The Ultimate Carrot Cake with Mascarpone, Fromage Frais and Cinnamon Icing
	Taratoor Sauce, Baba Ghanooj and Hummus.
	Sake-Sesame Marinated Chicken
	Feta-Spinach-Bean Salad.