Welcome!

This Gardener family history research blog is a work in progress. This is just the beginning and I hope you will chime in with ideas and information to fill in the gaps because there is still a lot of detective work to be done. A big thank-you to my cousin Dianne Turner for sharing her research. Dianne, you inspired me to set up this blog! I am still researching and will add to these posts as I find out more. Let me know when you see errors and inaccuracies – I will correct them as soon as possible. All additional information gratefully received. Regarding our New Zealand Roche connections, I would like to recommend a blog authored by (distant cousin) Karl Longley. Here is the link: http://rocheausnz.blogspot.com/2009/ There is some useful information in this NZ blog about our ancestor Letitia O’Brien’s parents, Letitia and Nicholas Roche. I have been able to contact Karl Longley and he has kindly helped me with further questions about Letitia and Nicholas Roche – thank-you Karl! My great great great grandmother Letitia O’Brien emigrated to Sydney in March 1839, just over 4 years after her brother Edward Bourke Roche. Edward Roche inherited the family property in Ireland and married his first cousin Maria Theresa Bourke who was distantly related to the Governor of NSW Richard Bourke, so unlike our O’Briens, the Roches had some money and connections in NSW. Edward and Maria Roche had 2 sons. One son emigrated to New Zealand and the other son remained in Victoria. Back to the Australian O’Briens now! This is my first blog ever, so thank-you for reading and for your patience! I’m starting with our Irish ancestors who are pretty tricky to find in Ireland and will (eventually) look further into our German roots (even trickier)!