The Leftwich Books available in print and pdf

The three books on the Leftwich Family in Australia are currently available to descendants in pdf format at no cost, while a limited number of Books 2 and 3 are available in printed copies for the cost of shipping by Aus Post satchel only.

For information and copies, contact David Thompson
at leftwich123@icloud.com or on 0429 992 037

Here is a summary of the content of the three books.

1. The Leftwich Family in Australia – Book I: The Leftwich Heritage
by Dr Meg Duncan PhD, 1999, revised edition, 2008. 116 pages.

Book I traces the ancestry of the Leftwich Family back to England in pre-Norman Conquest times. Chapters include:
• the Roman, Scandinavian, Saxon and Norman Heritage
• The Vernon and Leftwich Holdings in Chester
• Leftwich – the Place and Name
• The Leftwich Family in England (12th to 19th centuries)
Book I ends with the descendants of Joseph Leftwich, the link to Australia.
The book includes maps, photos, tables and family trees.

2. The Leftwich Family in Australia – Book II: The Leftwich Family
(1838—2006) by Dr Meg Duncan PhD, 2005. 

The revised edition of 2007 contains many corrections and an index. 269 pages.

Book II describes the descendant families of Richard William Leftwich I, the descendant of Joseph Leftwich who was the Migrant to Australia. Copies of historical documents, descent charts and many photographs are included.

3. The Leftwich Family in Australia – Book III: The Chronicles
by Dr Meg Duncan PhD, 2007. 98 pages.

Book III complements the first two books by providing a historical background to the land they left, came to and lived in, a chronology of births, deaths, marriages and significant family events from 1808 to 2006, and nine genealogical charts of the various family lines in Australia.

 

NOTE: Any additions or corrections to family descendants can be updated in the pdf versions if practicable. Please contact David Thompson with such information at leftwich123@icloud.com or 0429 992 037.

CALLOUT to Australian Leftwich Descendants

 Back in 2005-2008, I assisted Dr Meg Duncan in formatting and distributing the three books that she published on the Leftwich Family in Australia. At the end, she left in my keeping her collection of research papers and old photos of her family and other Leftwich families in Australia, as well as her researches in the UK.

Now that I am in my 80's and my wife and I are looking to downsize, I am looking for another descendant to take over her collection. It also includes a copy of Meg's PhD thesis on Education in PNG. I also have a few printed copies of the books remaining – 2 of Book 1, 17 of Book 2 and 19 of Book 3.  

Please, can someone offer to take over the research collection and possibly the remaining books.
I would hate to have to dump them. There are also PDF versions of the three books available to Leftwich descendants.
I can be contacted at leftwich123@icloud.com or on mobile 0429 992 037.

Thank you and best wishes to you all. David Thompson

Obituary

I regret to advise the death of the Right Reverend James Randoph Leftwich on 28 January 2020 at the age of 75.  He was a great grandson of Alfred George Leftwich and Bessie Bessie from Frazer Island. Based in Cairns, Queensland, he was ordained a deacon in 1987 and priest in 1988 in the Anglican Church of Australia and he established an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministry in Cairns, Queensland. On 16 September 2001, he became an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of North Queensland and the National Aboriginal Bishop for the Anglican Church of Australia. He retired in 2010. His funeral service took place on 14 February at St Monica's Catholic Cathedral in Cairns.

The Leftwich Family in Australia

The Leftwich Family has its origins in England with links back to pre-Norman conquest times. There is a large branch in the USA descended from Ralph Leftwich who emigrated in 1658. There is also an historical association in the USA (www.leftwich.org/).

Another branch of descendants arose in Australia as descendants of Joseph Leftwich. His grandson Richard William Leftwich I migrated to Australia in 1838. It became a tradition in Australia that the first-born son of a Richard William should also be named Richard William.

A daughter of Richard William IV, Dr Meg Duncan, undertook extensive research of the Leftwich ancestry and in her 80s, travelled widely to the USA, Canada and the Far East, and visited England and Scotland in 1995 in the course of researching the history of the Leftwich Family. She has been assisted by two other Leftwich descendants in Australia – research assistant, Warren Blackley, and editor, David Thompson. Their labours resulted in the publishing of three books on the Leftwich Family in Australia.

Three books published by Dr Meg Duncan are available from:

Rev. David Thompson, in Cairns Qld 4870

0429 992 037

Email: leftwich123@internode.on.net

The Leftwich Family in Australia – the remaining books 2-3 are now free! 

Supplied for postal cost in Australia for the remaining set of Books 2 and 3..

Copies of the three books are also available in pdf format for descendants.
Please contact David Thompson by email – leftwich123@icloud.com
and for international postage.

See earlier posts for details of the books.

Obituary

It is with sadness that I advise the death of Dr Meg Duncan at Maryborough, Queensland, on 5 May 2011, at the age of 94 years. Born on 10 August 1916, Meg was the second daughter of Richard William Leftwich IV (1885-1956) and Ada Gertrude Birt (1892-1976). She served as a teacher in her early years and enlisted as a VAD with the AIF. She later served as a Secretary/Librarian in Perth. She met her husband, Captain Eric Duncan, during the war.

After the war, Meg joined him at Lae, New Guinea in 1950 and she taught at various schools in PNG for 20 years. On her return to Australia, she completed a B.Ed Hons and Master of Education and resumed teaching at Hervey Bay and Maryborough High Schools, later becoming Senior Mistress at Hervey Bay High School.

In 1965, Meg retired from teaching and also gained her PhD, also at The University of Queensland. In her 80s, Meg was committed to writing up the history of the Leftwich Family in Australia including their origins in the UK. She travelled extensively to research the family’s background and the resulting three books are a testament to her determination and they are a significant legacy to the Leftwich descendants in Australia.

The Three Books

1. The Leftwich Family in Australia – Book I: The Leftwich Heritage
by Dr Meg Duncan PhD, 1999, revised edition, 2008. 116 pages.

Book I traces the ancestry of the Leftwich Family back to England in pre-Norman Conquest times. Chapters include:
• the Roman, Scandinavian, Saxon and Norman Heritage
• The Vernon and Leftwich Holdings in Chester
• Leftwich – the Place and Name
• The Leftwich Family in England (12th to 19th centuries)
Book I ends with the descendants of Joseph Leftwich, the link to Australia.
The book includes maps, photos, tables and family trees.

2. The Leftwich Family in Australia – Book II: The Leftwich Family
(1838—2006) by Dr Meg Duncan PhD, 2005. 

The revised edition of 2007 contains many corrections and an index. 269 pages.

Book II describes the descendant families of Richard William Leftwich I, the descendant of Joseph Leftwich who was the Migrant to Australia. Historical documents, descent charts and many photographs are included.

3. The Leftwich Family in Australia – Book III: The Chronicles
by Dr Meg Duncan PhD, 2007. 98 pages.

Book III complements the first two books by providing a historical background to the land they left, came to and lived in, a chronology of births, deaths, marriages and significant family events from 1808 to 2006, and nine genealogical charts of the various family lines in Australia.