Hello Rebecca,
Lovely to hear from you.
My interest in Matthias Gaunt came about in a circuitous way.
I'd been looking at the Tamar River and its early, little river ports, which included the beautiful location, Windermere.
Having written some poems based on the church - and Dr. Gaunt - the intrigue of the story seeded itself.
When I dropped information and photographs from my book into the local store, it occurred to me from the conversations I had with people there that perhaps some of the local community didn't realise what a rich treasure they actually have in the geographical location of the hamlet, Windermere - and in one of the the founding fathers, Matthias Gaunt. This has set me off on a new quest, to record some of the history in a way that's different from what's already been produced. From the gb's of information I have already collected, I believe this is something I can accomplish...
I am going to concentrate on the pivotal couple and their issue, to the point of the passing of the first generation, which will take me just over the cusp of the 19th century and in to the 20th century.
I emphasise I don't plan for this to be the creation of a genealogical tree, but rather a broader sweep of story of one family and its achievements in a burgeoning (yet isolated) colony - Tasmania.
Cheers... Rose