In February my husband and I bought a house in Tasmania. We are moving from Victoria to the small town of New Norfolk.
The house is a treasure built in 1906 by a Mr.Fysh. Obviously a woman involved in the design as so much Art Nouveau is included in to what should have been a manly domain in the middle of Tasmania, a harsh land at that time.
So wanting to know more about the lady owner, I went into research mode. Mr.Fysh's father was a Sir Fysh an important person on the island.
I managed to find the family tree and traced it back to the UK. The daughter of the house Esther born at the house in about 1916, is miraculously still alive and living in Hobart. We visited and have become friends, she has also visited her old home and seeing us get it back to its original state with a little of 21st century help.
BUT the really interesting thing is, that one of Esthers relatives married into the Tullett family. An Ann Tullet who happens to be my husbands 5th Great Aunt. What on earth would be the percentage of luck, that the same family has bought a house on the other side of the globe and not even known of each others existance, as Ann Tullett and her Fysh husband emigrated to Canada!!
Another coincidence. The place is full of art nouveau ceilings and finger plate, so trying to bring its history alive I have been hunting for pieces at auction fill the house. A few weeks ago at aution found some lovely reproduction Tiffany lamps. So more research, and find that I am related to Tiffany through marriage. A cousin Mary Goddard married into the Tiffany family. My surname "Goddard" How weird this whole thing is becoming, so many coincidences, wonderful at that!!!