Introduction

"A One-Name Study is a project researching the genealogy and family history of all persons with a given surname, as opposed to researching a particular pedigree (ancestors of one person) or descendancy (descendants of one person or couple)."

Guild of One-Name Studies website

A One-Name Study may include:

geographical distribution of the name and the changes in that distribution over the centuries
construction of the genealogy of as many lines as possible bearing the name
a systematic collection of information about the surname from civil registration records, parish registers, census, wills, monumental inscriptions, genealogies, newspapers, immigration and other records from all over the world
the origin and meaning of the surname and changes in spelling over time
famous or newsworthy people with the surname, either currently or in history
grants of arms made to people with the surname
other websites with surname information
others researching the surname

As a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies I will undertake to:

collect all references to my registered sumame on a worldwide basis, and strive towards the goal of establishing a substantial body of worldwide data, in particular for countries where the name is relatively significant and where sources are readily available
respond to all enquiries and emails that I receive relating to my registered surname.

For the purposes of my One-Name Study I will include the following surname variants: STERRY, STERREY, STERRIE, STIRRY, STIRREY

See My Profile on Guild of One-Name Studies.

Where do I fit in?

I live in Australia and have been researching family history for over fifteen years. My own family line is that of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK. My direct descent is from Theophilus Sterry (1823-1866) who emigrated to Australia in the early 1850s hoping to make his fortune in the recently discovered goldfields 'downunder'.

For me, family history research complements my own love of history. It has also been a wonderful way of meeting people from all over the world with similar interests. I very much enjoy sharing my research with other people and helping them on occasions to locate their own family roots. I am always delighted to hear from others who share a similar interest and very happy to hear about their own research.

Many people have contributed to this site, beginning with the so-called 'greatest Sterry genealogist', the Reverend Francis Sterry (1834-1925) of Eastbury House, Essex. His son, Sir Wasey Sterry, kept his father's papers which reveal a painstaking assemblage of data over a sixty year period (1862-1911), culminating in a beautifully lettered chart of this entire branch of the English Sterrys 1633-1952. The family papers were made available to Walter Smith who included them in his well-researched book on The Sterry Family of America (1973).

There are far too many researchers to acknowledge personally who over the past fifteen years have provided me with both guidance and inspiration. But there are three in particular that I would like to publicly acknowledge. My cousin Gwen Eastment from Australia, now in her 97th year; Cecily Sterry from England and Art Sterry from Florida in the USA.

I thank most sincerely all those who have so generously contributed so much of their time to the wealth of material that is now available on this website and I thank them for sharing that research. Hopefully this website will allow others with similar research interests to further their own studies and perhaps find their own personal family roots.

Robert Sterry
Kurrajong, Australia

See further information on my personal story on GOONS website: Members Stories