As mentioned, apart from getting a definitive answer to a couple of questions on my Liddle side, I have not ended up doing much research on that side. The Liddles are a big, Aboriginal family from Central Australia, and as such, just carrying that surname due to patriarchal social norms, as well as coming from a second well-known Central Australian Aboriginal family in the Perkinses through my grandmother, placed me in ways I have never known on the non-Indigenous side. There had also been other family members on that side who had already undertaken the research on the Liddle lines, so I was thankful for that work done, really. It was simple: the Liddles came over here from the Orkney Islands in Scotland where they mainly worked sheep. Thomas Drever Liddle and Mary Hercus landed in South Australia with their children, my lot descend from their son Thomas Foster Liddle and his second wife, Matilda Hurle. Their son, William Hurle Liddle went from Angaston, SA, up to Central Australia, got a pastoral lease. And therefore the "Central Australian Liddles" descend from William and his acknowledged Arrernte wife Mary Earwaaker. William had additional children to other women on the cattle station, and as such, surnames like Randall, Forrester, etc are also part of our immediate family.
A huge part of my experience therefore have been people coming across random Liddles, via the public sphere, the media, politics, community, etc and going "hey, are you related to...". This happens all the time, and I am sure other Liddles get asked it in relation to me. In short though, the most common ones I get (relationship, in white ways of knowing, expressed in brackets) are: Lorraine (first cousin, once removed), Kerrynne (first cousin), Ryan (second cousin), Catherine (second cousin), Helen & Zane (aunties), Leanne (first cousin), Johnny (first cousin, once removed), Bob (first cousin, once removed), and Allan (dad). Just to cover it 😉
So it's due to this network, this already done research, and the many trips up and back from Mparntwe in my life, that digging deeper didn't really happen. I thought I knew the story there.
A trip to Fawkner Cemetery to visit the resting spots of my mum's family changed that perception. And in all places it could change, the "Pioneer Section" was probably the least likely. But here we are.
The Pioneer section is on "third avenue", and to get to my nanna Lorna's wall niche, I walk straight through it. As I was doing so, the above headstone caught my eye for obvious reasons, so I took a photo and looked up the names when I got home. I didn't assume a relationship, it was simply interesting that there was a Liddle in this section.
What did I find out? Well, firstly, Peter Liddle was from the Orkney Islands as well, and indeed, from Kirkwall, which was where Thomas Foster Liddle was born before his parents relocated to SA. Secondly, Christina was also from this area. Thirdly, we were related to both of them, as Peter's grandmother was a Drever, Christina's mother was a Drever, both of them had siblings married in with the Hercuses - which we also were, and so forth.
I will be straight up: the Orkneys are isolated, and as such, there was a lot of intermarriage going on between the families. So much so, that what I saw was an intricate network of various family names, and therefore, quite trackable. Though I am yet to find out exactly how my lot are linked to both Peter and Christina, but when I can give it some real time, I will be able to figure it out quite easily.
I also found out that Peter was here for the goldmining. He died a few years down the track up in the QLD goldfields, of all places. There was another part to this though. Next to this grave was another grave for the Miller family (as I have since found out, more correctly "Millar", but spelling is not always consistent. Such is also the case with Hercus/Harcus). I found out that these graves are a pair, and were originally surrounded by a wrought iron barrier. The Millers were also from the Orkneys, and were, in fact, Peter's maternal uncle and his wife and children. We have links with the Orkney Millers as well, and as such, are related to this lot too.
So in effect, I was not just looking at a Liddle relation who had, somehow, landed in Victoria before my Liddles made it to SA. I was looking at an entire family group of ours who came to Australia earlier. As such, I am fascinated.
I am yet to work out the exact degree of relationship between us and these family members, but thanks to a wonderful website on the Orkney families by another descendant of these families, I am looking into it now. Hopefully, I figure it all out soon!
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