Hi Janrm,
I guess genealogy is important to us in Australia because the country is only slightly over 200 years into settlement - which means we all have ancestors who were from 'somewhere else'. It's not the same as a country with centuries of history on the doorstep!
Anyway, a 'case study' sounds good to me.
I have very little information on my Gt Grandfather but I'm hapy to supply the little that I do have:
Name: Anton Ludwig Solberg.
Born: Christiansand (I think),Norway.
Occupation: Sailor.
Married: Ada Maud Florence Hall in Fremantle, Western Australia in 1893.Anton stayed 'on land' for approx 18 months before taking a job on a ship bound fo Fiji. He returned after 3 years.
First child: Hilda Amelia Solberg born circa 1899.
He took his wife & Daughter to Norway where second daughter Lilly Solberg was born.After 3 years there they returned to Western Australia. Ada's family paid the fare for her & the children but Anton only paid his own fare as far as Bremerhaven,where he asked the Captain of the sailing ship if he could work the rest of his passage to Australia - this was denied and he was put off the ship. He promised to find another ship & work his passage back.
This never happenned and after 8 years with no correspondence his wife filed for divorce which was granted in May 1916.
No one ever heard from Anton again - he could have fallen overboard, gone back to Norway or sailed somewhere else. - No one knows! (But I'd really like to know!)
Regards,
Milly Mac.