family saga Archives - Vicky Adin Author https://vickyadin.co.nz/tag/family-saga/ NZ Women's Fiction and Historical Fiction Writer Mon, 29 Jun 2026 02:45:34 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://i0.wp.com/vickyadin.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/favicon-32x32-1.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 family saga Archives - Vicky Adin Author https://vickyadin.co.nz/tag/family-saga/ 32 32 133248656 I’ve Never Been to Bristol: The Research Journey Behind Sarah’s Destiny https://vickyadin.co.nz/2026/06/30/ive-never-been-to-bristol-the-research-journey-behind-sarahs-destiny/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ive-never-been-to-bristol-the-research-journey-behind-sarahs-destiny https://vickyadin.co.nz/2026/06/30/ive-never-been-to-bristol-the-research-journey-behind-sarahs-destiny/#respond Mon, 29 Jun 2026 21:30:00 +0000 https://vickyadin.co.nz/?p=3489 I have never been to Bristol. Yet I have wandered its streets, found its lost pubs, traced its floating harbour, and followed a Victorian woman through sixty years of her life there. That’s what genealogy research does to you. I’d stepped sideways in the hope of finding a link for my third and fourth great-grandparents...

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]]> https://vickyadin.co.nz/2026/06/30/ive-never-been-to-bristol-the-research-journey-behind-sarahs-destiny/feed/ 0 3489 Five Minute History: The Real Sarah of Victorian Bristol — Murder, Marriage and the Welsh Back https://vickyadin.co.nz/2026/06/24/five-minute-history-the-real-sarah-of-victorian-bristol-murder-marriage-and-the-welsh-back/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=five-minute-history-the-real-sarah-of-victorian-bristol-murder-marriage-and-the-welsh-back https://vickyadin.co.nz/2026/06/24/five-minute-history-the-real-sarah-of-victorian-bristol-murder-marriage-and-the-welsh-back/#respond Wed, 24 Jun 2026 03:01:11 +0000 https://vickyadin.co.nz/?p=3484 She gave birth to eight children, had two husbands, was a witness at a murder trial, and held a victualler’s licence in her own name. This is the real Sarah — and she lived on the Welsh Back in Victorian Bristol. Sarah’s Destiny opens in 1851. At that time, Bristol was already a progressive and...

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]]> https://vickyadin.co.nz/2026/06/24/five-minute-history-the-real-sarah-of-victorian-bristol-murder-marriage-and-the-welsh-back/feed/ 0 3484 Who dominated the headlines in Sarah’s Destiny in 1852 https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/11/10/the-man-who-dominated-the-headlines/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-man-who-dominated-the-headlines https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/11/10/the-man-who-dominated-the-headlines/#respond Thu, 09 Nov 2023 18:34:00 +0000 https://vickyadin.co.nz/?p=2500 Continuing the theme of my previous blogs on historical research for my current novel, I discovered that 1852 was a quite a significant year. Did you know that Arthur Wellesley (né Wesley) was twice Prime Minister of England and was given a state funeral at the insistence of Queen Victoria? Do you know who he...

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]]> https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/11/10/the-man-who-dominated-the-headlines/feed/ 0 2500 Elinor receives an Award and I’m celebrating https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/10/12/quick-im-celebrating-and-you-win-the-rewards/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=quick-im-celebrating-and-you-win-the-rewards https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/10/12/quick-im-celebrating-and-you-win-the-rewards/#respond Thu, 12 Oct 2023 06:30:00 +0000 https://vickyadin.co.nz/?p=2485 I’ve been jumping up and down with joy since the certificate arrived for Elinor, Book 2 in The Art of Secrets series. It’s such an honour to be chosen by readers to qualify for a BRAG Medallion. Thank you to all involved. As I sit at my window watching the sun glinting on the water...

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]]> https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/10/12/quick-im-celebrating-and-you-win-the-rewards/feed/ 0 2485 Family History: Why Genealogy Matters to everyone https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/10/03/family-history-month-october-in-the-north-august-in-the-south/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=family-history-month-october-in-the-north-august-in-the-south https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/10/03/family-history-month-october-in-the-north-august-in-the-south/#respond Tue, 03 Oct 2023 01:42:48 +0000 https://vickyadin.co.nz/?p=2480 It doesn’t matter when we celebrate, only that we do. Genealogy is all about family: discovering your ethnic branch, your indigenous roots, your European connections and the names of your ancestors. Family is what ties people together. If you don’t like secrets, those surprise ooh and ahh moments, then family history probably isn’t for you,...

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]]> https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/10/03/family-history-month-october-in-the-north-august-in-the-south/feed/ 0 2480 Strange Victorian Job Titles: What Did Your Ancestors Actually Do for a Living? https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/07/21/the-weird-names-of-victorian-occupations/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-weird-names-of-victorian-occupations https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/07/21/the-weird-names-of-victorian-occupations/#respond Thu, 20 Jul 2023 19:30:00 +0000 https://vickyadin.co.nz/?p=2367 In my previous blogs I’ve mostly talked about the women. They are the stalwarts of the time: staunch, loyal and committed. But let’s talk about some of the occupations their menfolk undertook to feed the household. Do you know what a cordwainer was? It’s similar to a snobscat. Or a cooper, or bodger? No…? Here’s...

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]]> https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/07/21/the-weird-names-of-victorian-occupations/feed/ 0 2367 Remarkable Victorian Women: The Unsung Lives Behind the History Books https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/07/07/time-to-remember-those-remarkable-victorian-women/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=time-to-remember-those-remarkable-victorian-women https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/07/07/time-to-remember-those-remarkable-victorian-women/#respond Fri, 07 Jul 2023 07:30:00 +0000 https://vickyadin.co.nz/?p=2360 This week, let me introduce you to Harriet. Every time I follow the life story of Victorian women I am amazed at their stamina and adaptability. Only seven years younger than Queen Victoria, Harriet knew little about the reign of Kings George IV or that of William IV and lived her life knowing only Victorian’s...

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]]> https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/07/07/time-to-remember-those-remarkable-victorian-women/feed/ 0 2360 For the love of keeping the past alive https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/06/09/for-the-love-of-keeping-the-past-alive/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=for-the-love-of-keeping-the-past-alive https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/06/09/for-the-love-of-keeping-the-past-alive/#respond Thu, 08 Jun 2023 19:37:00 +0000 https://vickyadin.co.nz/?p=2338 Staying with Bristol and Welsh Back from my previous blog for the moment, what always fascinates me about research in the UK and Europe is the history. I especially love the ancient buildings that have stood the test of time for centuries, and are still in use today as places to live, to work, and...

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]]> https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/06/09/for-the-love-of-keeping-the-past-alive/feed/ 0 2338 The Welsh Back: What “Back” Really Means in Bristol — and Why It Matters to Sarah’s Destiny https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/05/26/whats-in-a-name-it-depends-on-when-you-were-born/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=whats-in-a-name-it-depends-on-when-you-were-born https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/05/26/whats-in-a-name-it-depends-on-when-you-were-born/#respond Thu, 25 May 2023 19:30:00 +0000 https://vickyadin.co.nz/?p=2325 Do you know what a back is? Or a key? I’m sure you would tell me a key is used to unlock doors, or possibly a vital clue in solving a problem. Maybe even a button on a phone or computer keyboard, or even associate it with music – it has many definitions. If you...

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]]> https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/05/26/whats-in-a-name-it-depends-on-when-you-were-born/feed/ 0 2325 Now or then? 1893 or 2023? https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/05/02/now-or-then-1893-or-2023/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=now-or-then-1893-or-2023 https://vickyadin.co.nz/2023/05/02/now-or-then-1893-or-2023/#respond Mon, 01 May 2023 19:31:00 +0000 https://vickyadin.co.nz/?p=2298 Are you ready? Lucy, the determined suffragist, is on her way. She’ll be here soon, but it’s a long way from 1893. But first, do you know Emma? Let me introduce you. Emma lives in New Zealand. She loves her job as a genealogist who researches other people’s family histories. Her willingness to help others...

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