150 years ago

 A 17 year-old came out on assisted passage - Alfred Benjamin Martin - alone amongst 350 on the "Isles of the South" (check out this trove article by the captain on the voyage - the man should take a masterclass in understatement - would go nicely with a decent port!)

Six years hence he married a 20 year old German girl who had lived half her life in Queensland. Wilhelmina - or Minnie - Schultz.

Over the next 10 years , four children had been born and the wife had died when the youngest was not yet three years old. I saw a very old photograph of them - Bennie,  Rosie, Lennie and Lillie.

He brought his father (Alfred) and 3 siblings out to Australia from a changing England - an older sister (Esther) and two much younger brothers (William and George).

The sister looked after these four motherless children until a business discussion led to a new wife nearly half his age. Phoebe Emma (or Anne - it appears interchangeable) Edwards.

I have several matrons in the family tree who had a dowry. Both have stories attached.

One great great grandfather - no relation to the above for another generation - was a total scoundrel but did not touch the 1,000 pounds that his wife Hannah brought with him.

But this great grandfather was a great bloke and friend to all, had well-taxed deep pockets and Phoebe's 10,000 but 5 years later Phoebe had four well-married stepchildren, a 19 year old son (another Alfred - James Alfred),  a sadness (Hector died at 1 day old and there is a family story told many years later that there were up to 10 pregnancies) and two late surprises with an 8 year old girl (Jean) and a 4 year old boy (Ian - my grandfather) - widow's weeds and a line of business associates of her late husband requesting that she waive the IOUs that were due - and less than 400 with no money coming in.

He was many more things than the above in his amazing life - he was a scholar, an engineer, a mill manager and spokesperson for all things sugar in the region - first Mackay and then Maryborough, both serving pivotal roles in his life journey.

But back to the trove story - unfortunately this post - I was about to make up a word - anniverses - does it work? This post doesn't anniverse the story with hailstones

 A very heavy N.W. gale was experienced on the 27th, in latitude 33° S. and longitude 155°* E., with much thunder, lightning, and large hailstones. A sudden shift to S.W. (for which we had prepared ourselves) took place, and a new inner jib paid the penalty and was

blown almost to rags, the sheet of which was flogged into quite a "Gordian knot," which took some pains to unravel.

but instead, it would have been the month prior 

On August 24 (62 days out) we passed the meridian of Cape Aguthas, in lat. 44° south, and then a fair run of 233½ miles a day for 27 days was made. On August 29 Flog Island, one of the Crozet Group, was sighted ; and on this parallel of 45° south we continued to run down our easting, during which mostly favorable weather was experienced with an occasional gale and a high sea to break the monotony of the day's routine. 

But that is Captain J. D. B. le Conteur for you - understated!