Polley Books Australia

The Chisholm Letters

THE TALE OF A TOWN SCAVENGER

“…it’s a story of life’s struggles in 19th century Scottish villages, the trials and trepidation of emigration to Australia and the excitement of settlement.”

“The Chisholm Letters, a Tale of a Town Scavenger, is much more than a family history (although it is that); it’s a story of life’s struggles in 19th century Scottish villages, the trials and trepidation of emigration to Australia and the excitement of settlement. As you follow the divergent life stories of various Chisholm family memories you’re treated to a treasure trove of fascinating detail, transporting you back to a different age.

Beautifully illustrated with historical and current photographs, maps and delightful drawings, this is a saga to be dipped into time and time again.

With her careful research, Kim has produced a wonderful volume – lively, engaging and above all, authentic.

I’d highly recommend The Chisholm Letters as an absorbing read, which celebrates life in more difficult times.” D. Betts

The Chisholm Letters reveal the raw story of Colin Chisholm. He was born in Dingwall, in the Scottish Highlands in 1803, and lived most of his life in Nairn, near Inverness. The pages lay bare his struggles, worries and friendships as a poor working-class family man whose job placed him at the bottom of the social ladder in Nairn. Fortunes and misfortunes unravel through letters between Colin and his siblings who relocated to various parts of the globe. Their lives are richly painted through the harsh reality of the social conditions of the time, and are further illustrated with maps, photos, paintings and historic references. After Colin’s death in 1868, through an assortment of notes, the reader follows the lives of Colin’s children and his siblings in the UK, Canada and Australia up to the early 1900’s.

Reviews

Travel ignites my thirst for history. This book draws on stories from home and far away, some places familiar to me. For example, I’m taken back to 19th century Glen Innes in NSW, getting there via horse and cart using the steep and winding trails from Port Macquarie that I’ve more recently travelled in modern vehicles. I became acquainted with the lives of early Scottish settlers in Australia and their loved ones back in Scotland, as told through their beautifully crafted letters. The author provides us with a superb account of lived history expressed in a unique approach to storytelling. It’s just a great read.

The Chisholm Letters draws out the day to day living and everyday problems of the author's forebears. Congratulations on producing a book of great historical interest.

I first of all glanced through the book and then I found the chapter which of course is of special interest to me. It was most interesting to read about my ancestor's early days and marriage. My thoughts were that I wished that my father was still alive to study this book, he would have loved it. He always felt a strong connection to his people in Beauly. He would have loved to have met you too. It is wonderful that you felt a desire to put the history of our Chisholm family together and I say ‘thank you’ for all the time, work and research you undertook to produce this wonderful book.

It has been a delight to read “The Chisholm Letters ''. The book is meticulously researched and superbly presented with the author contributing many sketches herself together with historical pictures then and now from Scotland and at various places in the new colony. The letters published are fascinating and capture the human story of the Chisholm family. At the same time the letters are a snapshot at the time of historical events such as the Crimean war. Kim is to be congratulated on producing such an important research project.

I enjoyed reading your new book, Kim. Truly amazing the research you have been able to do. It was so interesting with all the hardships our ancestors endured. Hard to believe so many survived. By the way, R has been a collector of HOLLOWAY POTS and Fish Paste Pots with Crimean War scenes circa 1850‘s. [photos of the lovely collection were included]

Contact:

info@polleybooksaustralia.com.au