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Great Gatsby Family Trees
We’ve been doing some research into the 2013 character of the hotly anticipated film, The Great Gatsby. Through some careful digging it appears that life, or family history in this case, imitates art for some of the lead characters.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s (Gatsby) great grandfather went from a street sweeper in 1900 (shown in the 1900 U.S. Census record below) -
to real-estate broker in 1930 (shown in the 1930 U.S Census record below). Like the character he plays in the film, the rise of the Nouveau riche, seems to be in the DiCaprio’s blood!
The Great Gatsby love story is epitomised in Tobey Maguire’s great grandparents tale of love conquering all. Through researching his family tree it appears that Tobey’s Great grandparents on his father’s side are from opposite ends of the world but found true love with one another. Bartholomeus Kropfl (Tobey’s great grandfather) is from Austria while Ana (Tobey’s great grandmother) is from Puerto Rico.
Director Baz Luhrmann it appears has his own tale of a rise from rags to riches. Baz’s 5th great grandfather, Pierce Collits, owned a famous inn in the Vale of Clwydd (near Lithgow) in the early 1800s. He came to arrive in Australia as he was convicted of receiving stolen goods and was sent from Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Ireland to Australia in the early 1800s with his wife and children.
Over the years, he was involved in the community as a constable, pound-keeper and inspector of cattle and eventually built his Inn in Val of Clwydd. For 10 years it was the most famous landmark on the arduous trek from Sydney to the ever-expanding town of Bathurst. A road was eventually built that bypassed the inn causing Collits to move his business to Little Hartley where he built another inn known as the Grand Fleece Inn (which stands today)!
Uncover your family story today at Ancestry.com.au.
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Manchester Parish Records – how do they appear online?
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Ask Ancestry
Do you have a burning question for Ancestry.com.au? Perhaps you’ve hit a brick wall with your research and are not sure what to do next? Ancestry’s Brad Argent will be answering your questions in a new family history Podcast. Simply submit your questions on our Facebook Wall, through our Sticky Notes blog or by emailing… Read more
Interactive Image Viewer – Coming Soon to More Collections!
ORIGINALLY AUTHORED BY ANCESTRY.COM Last year, we launched the Interactive Image Viewer as an interactive tool to help you view and interpret information from many of the Census records available online. We’re excited to announce that the Interactive Image Viewer will now be available for several more collections in the coming weeks. Finding and understanding… Read more
The Tale of James Walsh, Irish Convict
The density of the convict collections now available on Ancestry.com.au allow those researching their convict forbears to paint a vivid picture, not just of the convicts themselves, but also of their journey and their experiences in the fledgling colony of New South Wales. James Walsh was a 26 year old shoemaker when he arrived in… Read more
New UK Civil Divorce Records, 1858-1911
ORIGINALLY AUTHORED BY ANCESTRY.CO.UK It’s a family history conundrum. You don’t like to imagine your ancestors having difficult lives. But every time they hit tricky times they seem to be really well documented, and provide some of your most fascinating discoveries. This is true of Poor Law records. It’s definitely the case with criminal records.… Read more
Kris Williams: WWII – American Servicemen in Australia
The Japanese military attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, thrust the United States into WWII. It wasn’t long after that, Australia and New Zealand found themselves also under threat of Japanese attacks. While the majority of Australia’s soldiers fought alongside the British Royal Army against the Germans in the… Read more
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