About This Website

What Is the Telfer Wiki?

This is a digital family tree and history archive for the Telfer family line — starting from John Telfer (born around 1731 in Castleton, Scotland) all the way down to the latest generation born today.

Think of it as a Wikipedia for our family. Every person has their own page with their story, photos, dates, and connections to other family members. The family tree shows how everyone is related, and you can click through to explore generations of history.

When Someone Marries Out of the Telfer Line

If we keep the family tree following the Telfer name, what happens when a woman marries someone who isn't a Telfer? The rule is simple:

1. She stays — as her father's daughter, under her own name (her married name is noted too).
2. Her husband joins — under his own name, listed as her husband.
3. Her children — if they have a different surname, the branch stops there.

This keeps the tree true to the Telfer line while still honouring the women who marry — and reminds us that some branches lead off into other families of their own.

What's On Here

• 🌳 Family Tree — A full, expandable tree starting from Francis Charles Telfer. Click a name to see that person's details.
• 👤 Person Pages — Every person in the tree has their own profile with birth, death, marriage, children, and notes.
• 📅 Timeline — Key dates and events in the family's history, from Scotland to South Australia to modern day.
• 🔍 Search — Find any person by name, date, or place.
• 🧬 DNA — Genetic genealogy information for family members who have tested.
• 👪 Families by Surname — Browse people grouped by their family name.
• 📄 Source Documents — Reference books, reunion booklets, and research documents including the 1986 Telfer Family Reunion Booklet (PDF, 8 MB).

Privacy & Living Relatives

We treat living family members differently from those who have passed. The short version: once someone has passed away, their full story is published — that's the whole point of a family history archive. For people who are still living, we keep things private by default.

A living person's page shows only the facts that hold the family tree together:

• ✅ Full name and full date of birth
• ✅ Birthplace
• ✅ Family relationships — parents, siblings, spouse or partner, and children (including grandparents and step-parents)
• ✅ Marriage and divorce dates
• ✅ Photos with captions

We deliberately leave off everything else for living people — no life summaries, no current residence, no work history or employers, no schooling, no personal stories or notes, and no social profiles. Being part of the family tree does not mean sharing your private life with the world.

For the small number of family members who prefer not to appear in online search results at all, their pages are kept hidden from search engines while still remaining part of the tree.

The Family in Numbers

Who Built This?

This site was put together by Mark Telfer — one of the latest generation of the family tree. It's a personal project to preserve and share the family's history with relatives near and far.

The data comes from years of family history research — old records, certificates, photos, family stories, and online archives. It's a work in progress: new people get added, old information gets corrected, and there are always more branches to explore.

A Work in Progress

Family history is never really finished. If you notice something wrong, have information to share, or want to add a family member who's not here yet — get in touch. Every contribution helps make the story more complete.

Data sourced from the Telfer Family History archive. Built by Skippy the Magnificent & The Librarian.