A to Z Challenge - Z is for Zero

Snippets from the life of Martha Sarah Ellis.

Z is for Zero - no more 2017 A to Z Challenges left to do!

It had seemed simple enough 26 posts for the month of April 2017 with all Sundays except the last Sunday of the month off (how did I miss that?)

At the beginning of 2017, I decided to write a book about the life of Martha Sarah Ellis. Why? 

Because women’s stories are often lost or not sought after as the victors of history write their stories. 

So my quest began, to pull the data I had gathered over 25 years of research into some sort of digestible form suitable for reading.

Three months later with papers strewn all over my desk and my computer screen, I still hadn’t managed to pull together any stories suitable for publication of any sort.  Then I came across the A to Z Challenge – a way to focus my writing and research. 

And so the odyssey began the “Snippets from the life of Martha Sarah Ellis.” A series of blog posts roughly charting the life and concerns of my protagonist, Martha, life.  

Still no stories but now I have a much firmer foundation to begin my storytelling as a gift to my descendants.

Blogposts During the Challenge

A is for Addresses

B is Booths Poverty maps

C is for Census

D is for Daughter

E is for Education - Updated and revised on 10 May 2017

F is for Fremantle

G is for Getting employment as a new arrival

H is for Help Required

I is for Immigration

J is for January Weddings.

K is for Kate Ellen Ellis

L is Little Lottie

M is for Mortuary Photo

N is for Names

O is for Offspring – Martha’s not Walter’s for possible Walter Offspring read the entry for Y

P is for step-Parent 

Q is for Quarrelsome

R is for the Rest, Relaxation & the Races

S is for the storm of 1909

T is for Ted otherwise known as Edward

U is for Unions and Marriages

V is for the Vicissitudes of Martha

W is for Walter Todman

X marks the spot

Y is for Y chromosome

To find find the links for the above posts scroll down to the end of this post

Blogposts involving Martha before the A to Z challenge

• ·         Applying to Emigrate to the Australian Colonies
• ·         An assault on a servant girl - poor Ellen Carey - Updated 7 May 2017
• ·         United British Women’s Emigration Association
• ·         Travelling on the SS Nairnshire in 1889
• ·         SS Nairnshire
• ·         Mrs Lucy Henry vs Mrs Martha Todman Prahran Police Court
• ·         The First Few years of marriage for Walter Todman & Martha Ellis

Blogposts involving Walter Todman Martha’s husband  before the A to Z challenge

• ·         My Grandfather’s American Waltham Watch Fob Watch
• ·         Where was Walter Todman before 1890?
• ·         The Working Life Of Walter Todman
• ·         Finding Alma Dudley Todman’s baptism record
• ·         Searching for Christening records For Walter & Martha Todman's children
• ·         Immortalised in a Poem

Looking back over my blog, it seems I’ve been trying to do  a version of this since 2013 when I wrote my a first blog post entitled “Converting research into stories is it possible?” on Sunday, 20 January 2013

Well, I’m glad to say that it is possible.  Based in part on those 2013 blog posts a book has now been published Entitled “John Ebbott of Badharlick – Descendants in Australia 1852-2015”  which I am one of the three authors.

Photographer Sandra Williamson, front cover of the book, John Ebbott of Badharlick : descendants in Australia 1852-2015, compiled by William Barlow, Bob Ebbott, & Sandra Williamson published 2015. Available to read at the State Library of Victoria.

I'd also like to thank those who were so kind to drop in and leave comments, it was very encouraging and help to fuel the desire to do a bit more. 

Now to write the life story of Martha Sarah Ellis wish me luck!

To Read more about Martha's life for articles previously posted for the A to Z Challenges click the Letters below:-

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z