This week’s theme of ‘Wheels’ is for all the car enthusiasts.
Close family members will be familiar with stories told by Mum and Aunty Ruth recalling their trips from Gardenvale to the family holiday home in Olinda.
…oOo…
‘Chummy’ 65092 1928-Unknown
Kiwood Family and ‘Chummy 65092’ taking a break on the road to Olinda.
Chummy by name, Chummy by nature!
Imagine a trip in a Chummy from Gardenvale to Olinda; on-board Nana Kirwood driving, Pa Kiwood sitting up front and Mum and Aunty Ruth in the back seat.
To get some idea about the car and what the trip would be like, I approached the Austin 7 Club (see email response in Additional Resources).
Cruising speed with of the ‘Chummy’ is quoted at 30-35mph. Given that the last 14km of the trip entailed steep and winding roads climbing Mt Dandenong, it must have taken at least half a day to make the trip.
Nana Kirwood was the driver, as far as I am aware, Pa Kirwood never obtained a driver’s licence.
For those interested in the history and technical aspects of the Austin 7 I have included a link to the Wikipedia article in the Additional Resources at the end of this post.
This week’s theme, ‘Intitutions’, brings to mind two family members who were admitted into institutions.
Joseph Holliwell Brown, my 3rd great grandfather and, Anne Bassett my 3rd great aunt both spent time in institutions late in life, both may have been suffering from dementia. In today’s world they could have spent their latter years in aged care specifically designed for residents suffering from dementia.
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Joseph Holliwell Brown 1787-1863
Joseph Holliwell Brown was admitted twice into the Ballarat Benevolent Asylum:
7 May 1862 – Admitted to Ballarat Benevolent Society. Discharged 7 Oct 1862. Gave notice left the Asylum on his own request with the intention of working with his son at Carngham.
12 January 1863 – Admitted to Ballarat Benevolent Society. Discharged 21 May 1863, left the Asylum on the morning of the 21st. without giving any notice, died on day of July 7th.
Knowing Joseph’s life before entering the Ballarat Benevolent Asylum, more of which I intend to include in a future post, I can well understand why he would not take to kindly to been locked away in an institution.
Ballarat Benevolent Asylum 1861
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Anne Bassett 1826-1904
Anne Bassett was the daughter of John and Martha Bassett who had emigrated to Australia in 1853 aboard the S.S. Great Britain with her parents. Ann is listed in the passenger list as Mrs Anne Davey, her husband Stephen was already living in Australia.
Interestingly Ann’s sister-in-law, Catherine Elizabeth Davey my 3rd great grandmother, who was married to her brother, John Bassett jr.. Anne and Catherine both lost their husbands early; they went on to marry the Kitto brothers Richard and James respectively.
Anne entered the Sunbury Lunatic Asylum on 29 January 1904. Her life in the asylum must have been a sad time for her before she passed away on 8th November 1904. Anne suffered several medical problems as described in the Coronial Inquest held into her death on 9th November 1904 (refer to the Coronial Inquest papers in Additional Resources).
I originally had my DNA tested to assist in breaking down two of my most persistent ‘brickwalls’, those being firstly, who were the parents of my two times great grandmother, Frances Brown (see Week 11 post), and secondly the origins and the family of my four times great grandfather, John Anderson.
Since completing my DNA testing I have added another ‘brickwall’ to my DNA research; what were the origins, and what became of my three times great grandparents, Charles Donald and Rachel Stranachan (aka Rachel Strachan). Charles and Rachel are assumed to be the parents of James Donald.
Research continues into John Anderson, and also into Charles Donald and Rachel Stranachan.
In the following post I detail what is known about each of these ancestors, what is still unknown about each. I also give a ‘high level’ description of how I am using the results of my DNA tests in an attempt at breaking through the ‘brickwall’ in each case.
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John Anderson
Baptism Record for Andrew Anderson son of John Anderson and Elizabeth Inglis
Marriage Record of Andrew Anderson and Margaret Gourlay
I have included a copy of of an index of Kirkcaldy Burials 1767-1854 in ‘Additional Resources’ at the end of this post. It appears from this index that John Anderson and Elizabeth Inglis may have also had two daughters, Betey and Margaret (MGT), who died as infants in 1793 and 1795 (pages 4 & 5).
The author of this index also notes that there is a gap in the recorded burials for Kirkcaldy between 1795-1826.
What we know of John Anderson from the baptism and marriage records of Andrew Anderson, his son and the Kirkcaldy Burials:
John worked as a shoemaker in Kirkcaldy, Fife.
John was married to Elizabeth Inglis.
John passed away sometime between 1795 and 1810 (ie during the gap in the index of burials).
What is unknown about the life of John Anderson:
Exact date and place of John’s death.
John’s date and place of birth/baptism.
John’s parents names or date and place of marriage.
What became of Elizabeth Anderson nèe Inglis, John’s wife after 1795.
Whether John and/or Elizabeth had any other children.
DNA Research Overview
Contrary to the TV advertisements, having had your DNA tested doesn’t automatically provide you with a family tree, especially true going back more than 2-3 generations. Genealogists use DNA testing as one of many tools when researching family history.
In my case, attempting to discover the origins of John Anderson, I have the option of utilising two types of DNA tests:
Y-DNA, DNA passed from father to son exclusively along the male line.
Autosomal DNA, half of which I inherited from my father and the other half from my mother.
Y-DNA is broken down into groups and sub-groups which descend from a common male ancestor. The common ancestor for a particular group or sub-group, depending on the number of Testers, could be anywhere between 10’s of years to many 100’s of years back in time.
My Y-DNA test results indicated that I am attached to a small group of 6 men, with our common male ancestor who lived any time between c.1200 – c.1700. With so few Testers in this group it is unlikely that my Y-DNA test is going to be helpful in my search into the origins of John Anderson; at least not until we have more Testers join the group.
My Autosomal DNA test results allows me many more options in finding about the origins of John Anderson and his ancestors.
Currently I have 49 Autosomal matches identified as descendants of Andrew Anderson, son of John Anderson, and his wife Margaret Gourlay. This list of matches, range from siblings and 1st cousins through to 5th cousins, and the list grows regularly as more descendants complete DNA testing.
My research now is focused on reviewing the matches I have in common with each of the 49 identified Anderson/Gourlay matches to determine if I can genetically connect our John Anderson, shoemaker in Kirkcaldy, to any other Anderson Family.
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Charles Donald
Rachel Stranachan or Strachan
Marriage Record of James Donald and Mary Carruthers (formerly Murray)
Death Record of James Donald
Marriage Record of Charles Donald and Rachel Stranachan
The first two records shown above are the official civil records recording the marriage and death of James Donald, my 2x great grandfather. The third record above is assumed to be the record of marriage between James’s parents, Charles Donald and Rachel Stranachan.
Also included in the ‘Additional Resources’ is a copy of the 1871 Census record for the Donald/Carruthers Family.
From these records we obtain the following information about James Donald and his parents Charles Donald and Rachel Stranachan:
James Donald was born circa 1838 in Maybole, Ayrshire.
James’s parents were Charles Donald and Rachel Stranachan (aka Strachan).
Charles Donald and Rachel Stranachan were married 27th October 1833 in Maybole.
Charles Donald passed away sometime between c.1838 and 1868.
Rachel Donald (nèe Stranachan) was assumed to be still living in 1868.
[Ed. It should be noted that there were other Stranachan families living in Maybole around the same time. Additional research has revealed that the Stranachan families of Maybole were of ‘Scots-Irish’ origin having returned to Scotland after living for some time in Ulster. Many of the ‘Maybole Stranachan’s’ reverted to using their original Strachan surnames.]
What is still unknown about the Donald/Stranachan family:
A record of James Donald’s actual birth or baptism.
What became of both Charles and Rachel after the birth of son James.
Whether Charles and/or Rachel had any other children.
DNA Research Overview
My research into James Donald’s ancestors using my DNA test has been limited.
Factors that have contributed to the limitations surrounding the use of DNA in my research:
James’s only had two sons, William my great grandfather and John (whom we have little knowledge after his birth in 1870). [Ed. More on John Donald in a future post.]
Up until very recently, other than siblings and 1st cousins, I had no other matches from my Donald line.
The new match on my Donald line is with a 2nd cousin once removed, Samuel Astbury. Samuel is a great grandson of my great aunt Jean Olive Donald. Unfortunately, it appears that the few matches that Samuel and I share are from our Hastings/Minshall line and not the Donald line.
Any further research using DNA into my Donald and Stranachan lines is dependent on more test results becoming available.
For this week’s post, ‘Oldest Story’, I have chosen the story about a tragic accident resulting in the death of my 2nd great grandfather, William Anderson.
While this story may not be the ‘Oldest Story’, it is the first published story I encountered when I began my Family History journey some 45+ years ago.
Interestingly, I realise that I am posting this story on the 140th anniversary of William’s death.
…oOo…
William Anderson 1827-1885
William Anderson was the son of Andrew Anderson, Wright and his wife Margaret nèe Gourlay, He was born on 27 May 1827 in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland and baptised 13 June 1827.
William married Jean Page in Glasgow on 13 Jan 1851. William and Jean, along with their son Andrew, emigrated to Australia arriving in Portland aboard the ship ‘John Davies’ on 9 November 1852.
Jean passed away in October 1853 of unknown cause, no record of Jean’s death has been located. William remarried Mary Chick at Woodford on 15 March 1859.
William was the father of 11 children.
Andrew 1851-1930 (1st marriage)
Robert 1859-1935 (2nd marriage)
William John 1861-1918
Alexander 1863-1906
Margaret Elizabeth 1865-1953
Sarah Esther 1866-1944
Ellen Mary 1868-1906
Rachel Ann 1870-1948
Caroline 1873-1954
James Rice 1875-1955
Catherine Edith Jane 1877-1941
William farmed land at Woodford, and later moved to Purnim; he passed away on 19 April 1885 at the Caledonian Hotel, Warrnambool. The circumstances surrounding his death, and subject of this post, was reported in the following article published in The Warrnambool Standard on 20 April 1885.
The Coronial Inquest into the death of Willam Anderson was held in the Caledonian Hotel, Warrnambool on 20th April 1886 before J. G. Taylor PM.
I have included the original Coroner’s Report in the ‘Additional Resources’ at the end of this post, however I have transcribed the pages here to make it easier to read.
This week’s theme is ‘Big Mistake’, however my post could be more aptly labelled ‘Miscarriage of Justice’.
The story involves the early tragic life of William Carbis 1864-1921, my 4th cousin twice removed. William was grand-nephew of Martha Carbis who arrived in Australia on the ship, S.S. Great Britain (refer Week 8 post).
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William Carbis 1864-1921
William Carbis 1828-1882
Mary Jane Carson 1829-1882
William Carbis jr. was born in 1864 at Eaglehawk, Victoria to parents William Carbis sr. and Mary Jane nèe Carson. He was the sixth child of eight children born to William and Mary who had emigrated to Australia in 1852.
William sr. and Mary, along with their eldest daughter Elizabeth, arrived in Adelaide on 19 Oct 1852 aboard the ship ‘Medina’ from Penninghame, Wigtownshire, Scotland. Soon after arriving in Adelaide William sr. and family embarked on an overland trek to the Victorian Goldfields.
William Carbis jr. had led the normal life of a young lad growing up in a Victorian mining community in the 1860-70’s until 19 October 1879; on that day the course of his life (along with his friend, William Punch) was to change in a dramatic way.
The following is a description of a court case involving William Carbis and William Punch published in The Bendigo Advertiser, Saturday 21 February 1880, which details the situation the two boys found themselves in:
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The case and subsequent sentencing of William Carbis and William Punch was referred to the Executive Council meeting held on 10 March 1880 as reported in The Argus, 9 March 1880 resulting in both death penalties being commuted to imprisonment for 10 years each.
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William Carbis 1864-1921 Prison Record
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Exculpation of the crimes of William Carbis and William Punch
Article published in The Argus, 26 December 1882
It must have been very sad for William to find that both of his parents, William sr and Mary had passed away within 4 days of each other and only a mere 3 weeks before he was to be exonerated of his crime and released from gaol.
[Ed. I have included the Administration Papers (Probate) for William Carbis sr. in the ‘Additional Resources’ at the end of this post. The document details the sad situation of the Carbis family in November 1882. Interestingly, the Affidavit attached to the Administration Papers was signed by George Kirwood, Solicitor’s Clerk; George was the brother of my great grandfather, John Kirwood]
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After his release from prison in 1882, William returned to Eaglehawk where he married Elizabeth Ann Angove on 24 December 1886. William and Elizabeth (aka Bessie) had 4 boys, William Arthur, Richard, William Edgar and Albert Christopher born between 1887 and 1894 in Eaglehawk; two of the boys, William Arthur and Albert Christopher died in infancy.
After Elizabeth presumably (no death record has been located) passed away sometime between 1894 and 1899, William remarried for a second time to Rose Florence Kenworthy on 12 April 1899 in Ballarat East. William and Rose had 4 children, 3 girls, Isabel, Rose Florence, May and 1 boy, Thomas George; only their eldest daughter, Isabel, survived infancy.
William passed away aged 57 years on 1 November 1921 in Ballarat East. Rose passed away in 1949 also in Ballarat East.
I am taking this week’s theme of ‘Language’ as an opportunity to introduce my ancestors with connections to Wales and the Welsh language.
Welsh is one of the six living Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Breton, and Cornish, though Manx and Cornish are revived languages, not continuously spoken community languages.
What I find particularly interesting about the Welsh language is that in Wales today we have very Welsh place names such as Llandyrnog and Llangwyfan along with Welsh forenames such as Dafydd and Ffion, while common surnames in Wales appear to be very English such as Williams, Roberts, Jones and Edwards (using a patronymic naming convention); why not surnames of Dafydd, Rhys and Delwyn.
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‘Henry Ephraim Hastings ei fedyddio yn Henllan, Ddinbych‘ ~ Henry Ephraim Hastings was baptised in Henllan, Denbigh
…oOo…
William Hastings 1778-1860
Elizabeth Minshull 1779-1853
Wales or Cheshire? The Hastings/Minshull families had their origins in West Counties of England and the Welsh Border regions.
William Hastings and Elizabeth Minshull were married in St Deiniol’s Anglican Church, Hawarden, Flintshire on 5 April 1804. William had been born in Christleton, Cheshire c. 1778 and Elizabeth had been born c. 1779 in Hawarden, Flintshire.
In the 1841 Census William Hastings was listed farmer in the Llandyrnog Parish, Denbighshire and in the 1851 Census he was listed as a ‘Proprietor of Houses (or Horses)’ living at the home of his son William jr.
It is possible that William and Elizabeth were visitors in the 1851 Census as William and Elizabeth both passed away at their home, Coediog Farm near Llandyrnog Village in 1860 and 1853 respectively.
St Deiniol’s Anglican Church, Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales
William and Elizabeth Hastings had 6 children born between 1805 and 1820.
Thomas William b.1805
Samuel b.1806
William b.1809
Ann b.1812
Elizabeth b.1817
Henry Ephraim b.1820
All their children except their eldest son, Thomas William, were baptised in the St Sadwrn Church, Henllan, Denbighshire, Wales.
[Ed. It was the tradition that a wife would return to her mother’s home to give birth to her first born child.]
St Sadwrn Anglican Church, Henllan, Denbighshire, Wales
Llandyrnog Village, Denbighshire, Wales
Coediog Farm, near Llandyrnog Village, Denbighshire, Wales
Henry Ephraim Hastings 1820-1870
William and Elizabeth’s youngest son, Henry Ephraim Hastings is my 2x great grandfather who emigrated to Australia between 1852 and his marriage to Margaret Fraser, my 2x great grandmother in 1860. I have not been able to locate any details regarding on what ship he emigrated to Australia.
Henry Ephraim had married Catherine Jones at Holliwell, Flintshire in 1849; however Catherine passed away in 1852 in Denbighshire. There appears to be no issue from Henry’s marriage to Catherine.
Interestingly all records (Baptism, Marriages and Census) have his first name as Ephraim; the first appearance of Henry as a first name appears on his marriage to Margaret Fraser in 1860. For sometime this had me worried I was tracing the wrong person, however, there are many DNA matches that confirm Ephraim Hastings in England/Wales is Henry Ephraim Hastings, our ancestor.
Henry and Margaret Hastings (nèe Fraser) had 6 children born between 1861 and 1870
Barb and I have been privileged to travel overseas on several occasions. Two of our trips have included visits to the U.K. where I had the opportunity to visit almost all the places where my ancestors lived prior to emigrating to Australia.
This week’s theme, ‘Home Sweet Home’, had me thinking which towns/regions where my ancestors lived felt most like ‘Home’ to me.
The answer was Cornwall, and in particular the seaside town of St Ives!
What was it about St Ives that made it feel like home to me? Was it because it’s a seaside town, not unlike where I was born? Was it because of the history of mining, not unlike Castlemaine where we currently live? Or, was it because I spent so much time with Nana Kirwood talking about her Cornish ancestor?
Perhaps it is a combination of all of the above!
…oOo…
William Trevorrow 1817-1885
Honor Napton 1819-1895
Honor Dunn Trevorrow 1841-1920
St Ives, Cornwall
William Trevorrow, his wife Honor (nèe Napton) and family emigrated to South Australia from St Ives, West Penwith, Cornwall in 1856. The family arrived at Port Adelaide on 28 November 1856 aboard the ship ‘Lord Hungerford’.
The Trevorrow family arriving on the ‘Lord Hungerford’ were:
William Trevorrow, miner, aged 38
Honor, aged 36
Honor D., servant, aged 14 (listed as single female in shipping list)
Annett, domestic servant, aged 13
Mary, aged 11
Elizabeth, aged 9
William, aged 6
Jane, aged 1
After arriving in Adelaide the Trevorrow family proceeded to the copper mines at Kooringa (present-day Burra). While living at Kooringa two more daughters, Patience and Eliza were born to complete William and Honor’s family. Kooringa is also where Honor Dunn Trevorrow met and married Thomas Vivian Williams (my 2x great grandparents) in 1859.
1867 saw the end of underground mining at Kooringa so the Trevorrow family relocated to South Australia’s Copper Coast where William was employed in the Wallaroo Copper Mines.
Both William and Honor died at Wallaroo in 1885 and 1897 respectively.
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Around St Ives, Cornwall
The Warren, St Ives ~ Trevorrow residence, 1841 Census
Island Road, St Ives ~ Trevorrow residence, 1851 Census
Entrance to St Ives town centre
Bethesda Hill, St Ives ~ Looking down to Smeaton’s Pier
St Ives Waterfront
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Around West Penwith, Cornwall
Carn Calver Engine House, en-route to Lands End
Geevor Tin Mine, Pendeen
Land’s End
The Minack Theatre, Porthcurno
Mousehole ~ Home of the Carbis family
‘Pirates of Penzance’
St Germoe’s Holy Well, Germoe ~ Breage/Germoe was home to the Bassett family
Trevorrow Farm ~ Ludgvan, Cornwall
It is commonly believed that Ludgvan, Cornwall was the original home of the Trevorrow family.
A number of Trevorrow families relocated to the St Ives, Towednack and Uny Lelant parishes around the end of the 17th century.
In this week’s theme of ‘Historic Event ….’ I will be exploring our very distant connection to the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.
…oOo…
Percy Andrew Bailey 1894-1912
Name: Mr Percy Bailey Born: 1894 Age: 18 years Sex: male Last Residence: Penzance Cornwall England Occupation: Butcher’s Assistant 2nd Class passenger First Embarked: Southampton on Wednesday 10th April 1912 Ticket No. 29108 , £11 10s Destination: Akron Ohio United States Died in the sinking. ( Atlantic Ocean ) Body Not Recovered
Percy Andrew Bailey is my 4th cousin twice removed; yes, a very distant cousin. William Carbis (b. 1761) and his wife, Ann nèe Drew (b. 1759), are the couple who are Percy and my most recent shared ancestors.
Percy had gained a position in Ohio through a friend of his father enabling him to complete an apprenticeship to be a butcher. His original passage had been booked for the vessel Oceanic but he had been convinced by friends to change his booking to the Titanic who had already booked their passages. Percy shared a cabin with Thomas Henry (Harry) Cotterill and Richard George Hocking, both acquaintances from Penzance.
Unfortunately Percy is listed among the non-survivors of the wreck of the Titanic. Before he left Southampton he penned letters to his family; I have included a link to Percy’s story on the ‘Encyclopedia Titanica’ website in the Additional Resources at the end of this post, it includes his letters to family.
Percy’s grandmother, Grace Bailey mentioned in one of the letters was born Grace Martins Carbis.
[Ed. William and Ann Carbis were the parents of Martha Carbis featured in the SS Great Britain post of Week 8, we will be looking into William’s misadventures later in the series.]
Brickwalls, the bane of the family historian. Brickwalls in a family tree can be caused by many different reasons; missing records, incorrect information on records, name changes to name a few.
This week I tackle one of my ‘Brickwalls’. A Brickwall that had me stumped for many years, had me researching lines that went nowhere and was one of two ‘Brickwalls’ that drove me to DNA testing to see if I could get a breakthrough.
…oOo…
Frances Brown 1833-1915
Who were the parents of Frances, wife of John Brown Flett?
This was the question that had me stumped for many years. I had four records available to me that may assist in solving the question. Or, perhaps these records would only make solving the mystery more difficult.
Birth Certificate
No Birth Certificate has been located for Frances Brown born c. 1833 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Marriage Certificates
According to Frances’s Death Certificate Frances had been married twice. Firstly to William Green when she was 17 years old, and secondly to our ancestor, John Brown Flett when aged 21 years. Both marriages were registered in South Australia.
South Australian civil records for the period in question provide very little information to help the family historian. In the case of marriage certificates they only provide the date and place where the marriage took place along with the names of the bride and groom.
Knowing this lack of information I have not gone to the expense of getting copies of the marriage certificates, so I am including copies from the South Australian marriage index.
William Green passed away in Gawler, South Australia on 3 December 1853. There are no known children from this marriage.
It should be noted the discrepancy on Frances’s Death Certificate regarding her age at the time of her second marriage to John Brown Flett. This is not surprising as information supplied for Death Certificates are always from secondary sources.
Death Certificates
We now turn our attention to Frances’s Death Certificate. Even though the information on a Death Certificate comes from secondary sources, here in Victoria they provide a lot more useful information for the family historian.
Frances’s Death Certificate provides the following information over and above the basic time and place of her death:
Date of death (1915) and age 83 years meaning she was born c. 1832.
Place of birth being Hobart, Tasmania.
Name and occupation of her father, John Brown shipwright.
Name of her mother, Martha maiden surname unknown.
Marriage details including Spouses Names, age when married and place.
Lists her children with their ages or deceased.
Name of the Informant, in this case it was the undertaker (information presumably supplied by a family member).
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Frances’s husband, John Brown Flett, passed away 10 years before Frances in 1905. John Flett’s Death Certificate (below) contains information that may be inconsistent with information provided on Frances’s Death Certificate.
John Brown Flett’s Death Certificate provides the following information about Frances that appears to conflict with information provided on Frances’s Death Certificate:
Frances’s surname is recorded as Riley.
The Informant for John’s certificate was his son William Flett.
Questions arising!
Given the limited information from the official records, left me with a list of questions needing further research:
What was Frances’s maiden surname? Brown or Riley?
Did Frances marry a third time, hence the reference to the Riley surname?
Did Frances’s father’s occupation of ‘shipwright’ and the Brown surname mean a possible link to Orkney?
Having been born in Hobart c. 1833, were her parents free settlers or of convict stock? Were the inconsistent records attempting to cover up a convict connection?
Were there any Tasmanian shipping records for John Brown, shipwright and wife Martha?
Did Frances have any siblings born in Tasmania?
Many hours of research into answering these questions resulted in no clear indication of who were Frances’s parents.
Can DNA help solve the mystery?
Time to turn to Genetic Genealogy to try and break through the brickwall!
Researching my DNA results revealed a large group of DNA matches from descendants of a Joseph Holliwell Brown and his wife Martha who had settled in the Snake Valley / Carngham area, west of Ballarat.
More research revealed that Joseph and Martha’s eldest daughter, Mary Ann, had married a James Riley. Another DNA match revealed the their youngest daughter, Ellen, had been born in Tasmania c. 1841.
This all looked promising for a breakthrough!
So it’s off to get some confirmation through official records.
Martha Brown nèe Berry – Death Certificate 1883
Bingo! ~ Frances aged 49 years listed among the children of Joseph and Martha Brown.
Brown Family 1832 Shipping Confirmation
[Ed. We will learn more about Joseph Holliwell Brown in a future post]
Brickwall breakthrough with DNA
After 30+ years of frustrating research the brickwall has gone and a new branch added to the family tree thanks to DNA and Genetic Genealogy.
“Siblings are the branches of our Family Tree. They grow in different directions, yet their roots remain as one.”
“They say that no matter how old you become, when you are with your siblings, you revert back to childhood.”
For this week’s theme I have chosen to display six generations of Anderson siblings starting with the first generation to be born in Australia (with a few exceptions) and ending with the latest siblings along my personal branch of our Family Tree.
Are you able to add the siblings along your branch? Perhaps you may have 7 generations of siblings in your branch.
Secrets that can be different for every family. Most families have at least one secret.
Here is the best kept secret of the Donald Family.
…oOo…
Allan Burns Donald 1910-1974
Allan Burns Donald was born 21 March 1910 in Warrnambool, Victoria. He was the 6th and last child of William Donald and his wife Ellen Edina nèe Hastings; or was he …….
Donald Family Bible (part)
Allan Burns Donald Death Certificate
Allan Burns Donald Birth Certificate
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Allan was ‘adopted’ by his grandparents, William and Ellen Donald, and raised as one of their own.
The circumstances surrounding Allan’s birth was a closely held secret; we are even unsure whether Allan himself was aware his ‘eldest sister’ was actually his birth mother. Certainly his wife Julia, who was the Informant on his Death Certificate was unaware (or was Julia just making sure the family secret remained a secret?).
Allan and Julia had no children. As far as we know, only one of Allan’s siblings got to know that their ‘uncle’ was in fact a half-brother. How many of the extended knew the Donald family secret?
How times have changed!
[Ed. Family Historian’s be prepared for surprises in your endeavours to uncover the past.]
oOo
Donald Family ~ L-R Allan Burns, William, Margaret Mary, Hector Fraser, Jean Olive and Ellen Edina (James Henry missing)
This week’s theme is Migration…. ~ Somewhere along anyone of our family tree lines there was an ancestor that emigrated to Australia. Most of our emigrating ancestors arrived in Australia during the ‘Gold rush’ era, the 1850’s-1860’s with a few exceptions.
My Migration post will concentrate on our Bassett and Carbis Cornish families for reasons that will soon become apparent.
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John Bassett 1790-1868
Martha Carbis 1794-1882
Very few ‘history buffs’ have the privilege to walk through the ship which carried their ancestors from England to Australia in the 1860’s. However, this was the case for myself and Barb when we toured the SS Great Britain at the Great Western Dockyards, Bristol in 2013.
John Bassett aged 70 years and his wife Martha (nèe Carbis) aged 65 years were among the passengers who embarked on a 2 month sea voyage from Liverpool, England to start a new life in Australia.
John and Martha from Madron, Cornwall close to Penzance in West Penwith, were joined by a large contingent of Bassett and Davey family members on the Great Britain’s Voyage 21 to Australia.
SS Great Britain 1843-1886.
There were a total of 14 passengers associated with the Bassett-Davey families on board the SS Great Britain when it arrived at Williamstown on 23 December 1861 –
John Bassett (70) and wife Martha (65).
Eleanor Symons (27) listed as Miss Semmons travelling with John and Martha was the future wife of son James.
James Rowe (38), wife Martha (32) daughter of John and Martha with their children Julia (8), Martha (5) and Nanney (1).
Mrs Ann Davey (35) daughter of John and Martha with children Jane (18), Elizabeth (16), John (12) and Stephen (9). Ann was travelling to be reunited with her husband Stephen already in Australia.
John Trerise (22) the husband of the above Jane Davey. John and Jane were married immediately before leaving England and after her passage had been booked as part of the Davey family.
oOo
Accommodation onboard the SS Great Britain
Steerage ~ Married Couples / Family Quarters
Steerage ~ Single Women’s Quarters
Steerage ~ Single Men’s Quarters
An illustration of the difference between travelling 1st Class and Steerage ……….
Steerage Dining Room
1st Class Dining Room
oOo
The voyage on the SS Great Britain was not the only voyage ‘Down Under’ made by John Bassett (1790-1868). John’s second son, also named John (1820-1865), also made multiple trips to Australia.
It is thought that both John’s were involved in a mining company operating out of Cornwall and made several trips back to England to acquire the necessary equipment needed in Australia. On return trips to Australia they brought progressively more family members with them.
I have included in the Additional Resources a timeline of known trips between England and Australia by the Bassett and Davey families.
This week’s theme, Letters and Diaries takes us back to the maternal side of the family, specifically to the Williams family.
…oOo…
John Williams 1893-1920
Edward Williams (1893-1894)
One of the treasured family heirlooms I seem to have inherited is the postcard below sent to my grandmother, Nana Kirwood, from her younger brother John (Jack).
Like so many other postcards and letters sent to family and loved ones, Jack sent the postcard from England during the week before he was to be sent to France during World War 1, not knowing whether he would survive his time at the front. Jack also included an embroidered silk handkerchief as a gift for his sister.
It must have been particularly heart-rending to write the finals words to this brief letter to his sister and family in Australia. ‘Good by till we meet again ….’.
Nana treasured brother Jack’s postcard and gift and kept them together for over 65 years until she passed away in 1983. We are especially privileged to have this piece of family history to pass onto future generations.
Dear Bell, Just a card to let you know that I am quite well and hope you are the same. Well I am off to France on Tues 8/5/1917. So I thought I would send you along a Silk Handkerchief with this card hoping you will like it. It is all I could do at the village. I never got my leave worse luck. Well give my love to all. Good by till we meet again from your ever loving Brother Jack xxxxxxx
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John (Jack) Williams was born in 1893 at Golden Square, Victoria. He was one of twin boys, sons of Thomas Williams and Martha Ann Bassett. Jack’s twin brother Edward died in infancy at the age of 6 months in 1894.
Jack enlisted in the A.I.F. on 3 November 1916, he had been rejected during a previous attempt due to poor eyesight. However, by 1916 the heavy casualties experienced during the first years of the war forced the Army to relax their eligibility rules for recruitment.
Jack was considered not suitable for a frontline combat role. However, Jack had been a farm labourer before enlistment and was familiar with the handling of horses, the recruitment officers therefore felt Jack could serve a role with the Veterinary Hospital.
Jack left Australia for overseas service aboard the troop ship H.M.A.T. “Medic” on 16 December 1916 and after a period of training in England he proceeded onto France on 9 May 1917. Jack was attached to the Army’s Veterinary Hospital in Calais and remained in France until 11 June 1918.
Even though Jack was considered ineligible to serve in a combat unit, he still served close enough to the frontline to contract three bouts of ‘Trench Fever’ and Otisis (deafness) to his right ear caused by a shell burst during his time in France.
Jack survived the war and returned to Australia, arriving home on 10 June 1919 and was discharged from the Army on 31 October 1919.
After being discharged from the Army, Jack was able to be granted a ‘Soldier Settlement’ block at Woorinen near Swan Hill through the World War 1 Soldier Settlement Scheme. So Jack went to work as an orchadist. However, Jack’s career as an orchardist was to be cut short; Jack contracted Pyaemia (a form of blood poisoning) and passed away in the Swan Hill Hospital on 26 February 1920, aged 26 years.
This week we return to Australia and move to my paternal Anderson line. This post also reveals a connection to a particular iconic peice of Melbourne’s past.
The theme for Week 6 is ‘Surprise’.
Surprises come in many different forms for the family historian. You might be trawling through records researching a particular ancestor when up pops a record for another unrelated ancestor. A record you’d had been searching for years. You might be passing a display window about the history of Immigration to Australia in the mid 19th century only to observe an Immigrant’s diary detailing their voyage to Australia that was written by your grandfather’s Uncle.
This is one of many of my Surprises ……..
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Robert Anderson 1859-1935
It was way back in 1984 at our Anderson Family Reunion held in Warrnambool, Victoria. I had put together a booklet detailing the descendants of each of William Anderson’s children from his two marriages. William Anderson (1827-1885) was the first of our Anderson line ancestors to emigrate to Australia. I had photos or illustrations for each of William’s children except two, sons Robert and James Rice.
Both Robert and James had no children; Robert married but had no children and James never married. So I wasn’t surprised there were no photos found for either.
Surprise! During a picnic at Jubilee Park on the Sunday after the formalities of the previous day, one of the cousins called me over to view some family photos from his particular branch of our tree. Going through each of the photos, the cousin describing each of the subjects until, he came to the photo below. The cousin indicated that this was apparently a family member but was unaware of who the subject was.
Robert Anderson 1859-1935
Having completed detailed research on each of William Anderson’s children in preparation for the reunion I immediately recognised the photo was of Robert Anderson, one of the missing photos from my booklet.
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Robert Anderson was born in 1859 at Woodford, Victoria about 7km north of Warrnambool. He was the eldest child of William Anderson (1827-1885) and his second wife Mary Chick. William and Mary went on to have ten children in all; they all survived to adulthood.
Robert’s life up to the age of 26 years would have followed the typical path of most boys and men growing up in a farming community in the mid 19th century. However, in 1885 tragedy struck. His father, William, suddenly died as a result of an accident. This left Robert, being the eldest of the family of ten siblings aged from 10 years upwards, to help his mother run the family farm in Purnim.
By 1891 the Anderson family in Purnim had began to disperse with many of Robert’s elder siblings finding partners and starting their own families. Also, the younger children were now of an age where they were old enough to help their mother Mary run the farm.
In 1886 the Melbourne Tram and Omnibus Company was established to provide a cable tram service for the citizens of inner suburban Melbourne. It is possible that Robert read or heard about the Melbourne Tram and Omnibus Company recruiting men to become Gripmen to operate their cable trams. Robert decided to make the move to Melbourne and try his luck at being a Gripman.
Robert completed his training on 24 March 1891 and was subsequently employed on 6 April 1891, initially on the company’s ‘Extra List’. Robert was eventually promoted to Gripman 2nd Class on 9 April 1892; he was to complete over 25 years of service before age and health issues forced his resignation on 17 December 1917.
I have included one page from Robert’s employment history in the ‘Additional Resources’ at the end of this post, it makes interesting reading. I wonder how we would fair being a Gripperson on Melbourne’s Cable Tram network today!
Also included is a short video of cable trams operating in Melbourne in 1910, courtesy of the National Film and Sound Archives of Australia.
Robert married Isabella Scheroer in 1901 at Toolangi, Victoria. Robert and Isabella had no children. Robert passed away in Dandenong, Victoria on 20 February 1935, Isabella continued living in Dandenong and died in 1940. Both are buried in an unmarked grave in the Dandenong Community Cemetery.
This week deals with ‘Family Lore’ and the challenges they present for the family historian. It is a continuation down the path of our Murray ancestors.
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Family lore are stories passed down through generations relating to past events. These stories are our oral history which we cannot find written down in official records, letters or diaries. Passing through the generations these stories tend to change by way of omission and sometimes embellishment.
These omissions and embellishments set a particular challenge for the family historian, trying to sort fact from fiction. In my experience researching numerous family stories handed down in such manner, there is usually at least some grain of truth contained within.
This leads me to a story given to me by my first cousin, Helen. Helen related a story about our Murray ancestors from Closeburn, Dumfries-shire having some connection to the Dukes of Atholl and Earls of Tullibardine in Perthshire. I had not heard this story coming to our branch of the family-tree.
John Murray 1st Earl of Tullibardine (c.1550 – 1613) a Scottish courtier and leader of the Clan Murray.
So, here was the family historian’s challenge, to prove or disprove whether we are in some way descendants of the John Murray Earl of Tullibardine, a Scottish peer. This requires an exploration of our Closeburn Murray’s paternal line to see where it leads.
Robert Murray 1784-1854
In last week’s post it was revealed that Mary Murray’s parents were Robert Murray and Jane (aka Jean) Seaton. Robert Murray was born 31 December 1784, Lakehead, Closeburn, Dumfries-shire. Robert’s parents were William Murray and Sarah Wightman.
Robert and Jane Seaton were married 4 November 1808 at Closeburn. The Seaton family were millers from the Tynron parish west of Closeburn.
Robert and Jane had nine children John (1808), William (1810), Jannet (1814), Sarah (1821), Robert (1822), Thomas (1824), David (1824), James (1825) and Mary (1828).
In the 1841 Census of Scotland Robert’s occupation is listed as labourer, however by 1851 he is listed as a farmer of 6 acres at Park Village.
Robert died aged 69 years at Park Village on 24 May 1854. After Robert passed away Jane continued living in Park with various family members. Jane died aged 93 years at Park Village on 12 October 1880.
Robert and Jane had at least 39 grandchildren; their descendants are now spread across the world – United Kingdom, Ireland, United States of America, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa and beyond.
Park Village, Closeburn, Dumfries-shire
William Murray 1758-1813
William Murray, father of the above Robert Murray, was born c. 1758 at Holehouse, Kirkpatrick Juxta, Dumfries-shire. William along with his brother Adam (presumed to be twins) were baptised together on the 3 September 1758. William’s and Adam’s baptism record states their father’s name as John, however their mother’s name is not mentioned.
William married Sarah Wightman in Closeburn on 21 June 1782. Sarah’s family were from Holywood, Dumfries-shire, about 14.5km south of Closeburn and 5.5km north of Dumfries.
William and Sarah had 9 children – James (1783), Robert (1784), Jean (1787), James (1789), William (1792), Jannet (1794), Ann (1795), Sarah (1797) and Cathrine (1799). Three of their children, James, Jannet and Cathrine, it would appear didn’t survive beyond childhood.
Both William and Sarah passed away at Park; William on 23 November 1813 aged 55 years and Sarah on 29 April 1818 aged 60 years.
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William Murray and Sarah Wightman, along with Robert Murray and Jane Seaton are all buried together in a marked grave in the Kirkyard of the Closeburn Kirk.
In Memory of
William Murray in Park who died on the twenty third day of Novr 1813 Aged 55 years Also Sarah Wightman his Spouse who died on the 29th day of April 1818 aged 60 years + Also James, Jannet and Cathrine three of their children ALSO Robert Murray son of the above who died at Park on the 24th May 1854 aged 69 years Also Jean Seaton his Wife who died at Park 12th Octr 1880 aged 93 years.
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John Murray
John Murray, father of the above William Murray, is where we begin to lose any continuity through parish records.
There are two other baptism records for children of John Murray at Holehouse, Kirkpatrick Juxta those being sons Thomas Murray baptised on 2nd November 1755 and Andrew Murray baptised on 14th July 1761. Again, there is no mention of a mother’s name for either of these Baptisms.
I have been unable to locate any other records including marriage and burial records that can be directly attributed to John Murray father of our William Murray.
Family history researcher’s with published family trees who are descendants of William Murray and Sarah Wightman have various theories regarding John Murray and his origins.
DNA and Genetic Genealogy
Now that we have seemingly hit a ‘roadblock’ along the document trail, it’s time to look into genetics and DNA matches to see if we can find any links to the Tullibardine Murray families.
Along with my own DNA matches, I am lucky to have access to cousin Helen’s and siblings Ruth and Craig’s DNA matches. I also have limited access to DNA matches and family trees of many other descendants of William Murray and Sarah Wightman.
Working through each of our matches is an ongoing task which, has to date, provided some interesting findings without any conclusive evidence of a direct relationship between our Murray ancestors with the Tullibardine Murray’s.
Some of the interesting matches –
I have a small match with Matthew Thomas Oakeley who is the 4x great grandson of John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl and 6th Earl of Tullibardine.
All four of us (Helen, Ruth, Craig and myself) have several matches to the Oswald family in Kirkcaldy, Fife. General Sir John Oswald of Kirkcaldy married Charlotte Murray-Aynsley, granddaughter of the above John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl. Our connection to the Oswald’s could possibly be through our Kirkcaldy Anderson family.
All four of us have matches with an American colonial family, William Murray who emigrated to Pennsylvania with his father and brother, both named John, about 1732. William married Isabella Lindley. Various published histories either have the Murray’s emigrating directly from Scotland or after a brief sojourn in Ulster. There are a great many published trees by family historians claiming a connection between this colonial family with the Earls of Tullibardine without any documentary or genetic information supporting their claim.
So, despite the above described matches, there still remains the mystery of whether the Murray families of Closeburn, Dumfries-shire are genetically connected to the Earls of Tullibardine.
The challenge continues to prove or disprove any connection between the two families.
This week I am stepping back in time with a visit to Scotland following our Murray ancestors in Dumfries-shire.
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Old Dalgarnock Kirkyard
Family historians spend many hours seeking out and traipsing around graveyards. Graveyards in large towns and cities, some in remote country towns no longer inhabited and family graves located on private properties.
Most cemeteries are clearly marked on readily available maps and easy to locate, others need more effort to locate; so much so that they could easily be missed and overlooked.
Such was the case when Barbara and I were on our 2013 tour of the U.K. and Ireland.
Visiting Closeburn in Dumfries-shire, Scotland, the home of our Donald and Murray families, one of my goals was to visit the local graveyards seeking the places where our ancestors were laid to rest. We easily located most of the early burial sites in the Closeburn Kirkyard, and more recent burials in the new Closeburn Cemetery.
There however was one particular gravesite I was keen to locate, that of my great great grandmother, Mary Murray, Grandpa Donald’s mother. Mum and Dad had visited Mary’s gravesite during their U.K. tour some years earlier, returning home with photos of the gravestone.
Dad described the graveyard being located remote from the Closeburn Village and in the middle of a farmer’s fields. Scanning maps of the area and tourist brochures didn’t reveal the location of the graveyard. So off to find a local resident for help! After some minutes pondering the description I gave them, the locals decided that it was the ‘Old Covenantors’ graveyard we were looking for and we were given the directions.
Dad’s description was quite accurate. Down a country lane, easily mistaken as a farmer’s driveway, past the farmhouse, through the machinery yard and down another lane and onto the graveyard in the middle of the farmer’s fields. As Australians we are not used to the ‘Right of Ways’ commonly found in Britain. If we had not known of the graveyard’s existence we would have missed our opportunity to visit Mary’s burial site.
Today, the location of Dalgarnock Kirkyard is included on Google Maps.
So, here are the photographic results of our efforts, the resting place of Mary Murray and the family of her first marriage to William Carruthers.
Carruthers Family Grave, Dalgarnock Kirkyard, Thornhill, Dumfries-shire.
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This is one of the more interesting headstones found in the graveyard.
Can you guess what the symbols represent?
Also, imagine the surreal feeling we experienced as we wandered around this ancient burial ground in the serene Nithsdale countryside, when two R.A.F. fighter jets flew overhead.
Be sure to view Roger Griffith’s YouTube video tour and commentary of the Kirkyard. The link is in the ‘Additional Resources’ at the end of this post.
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Mary Murray 1828-1906
Mary Murray was born c. 1828 in the Kirkmichael Parish, Dumfries-shire, Scotland; about 11kms south-east of Closeburn. Mary was the youngest child of Robert Murray and his wife Jane Seaton.
The Parish records for Dumfries-shire contain several gaps and no baptism record has been located for Mary and several of her siblings. We know Mary had at least eight siblings through census records and/or marriage and death records.
Nothing is known of Mary’s early life. The first record we have of Mary is the 1841 Scotland Census when she was 12 years of age. In 1841 Mary was living in Park Village about 1.5km south of the Closeburn Parish Church along with her parents Robert and Jane, and siblings Sarah, Robert and David. Robert, Mary’s father’s, occupation is recorded as labourer.
No record has been located for Mary’s first marriage to William Carruthers, however, William and Mary are listed in the 1851 Census as living together in Park Village with William’s brother James Carruthers. William’s occupation is shoemaker and James is an apprentice shoemaker. In 1851 Mary’s parents, Robert and Jane were also still living in Park Village along with other members of the family.
Mary and William Carruthers had five children born between 1853 and 1861 before William sadly passed away aged only 41 years in 1863. William’s death record states he ‘supposedly’ died of Phthisis an ailment he had suffered for 9 months prior to his demise. William’s death left Mary a widow at age 35 years supporting five children, the eldest, James only 10 years old.
The 1871 Census finds that Mary had remarried and still living in Park Village with her second husband, James Donald, also a shoemaker. Mary and James had married in 1868. The circumstances of how James came to be introduced to Mary is not entirely clear. He may have worked for William Carruthers prior to his death and stayed on to continue the business, or perhaps he came to Park Village from elsewhere. I have been unable to trace James’s movements after his baptism in Maybole, Ayrshire in 1838 until his marriage to Mary in 1868.
Nevertheless, by 1871 Mary and James had added to the family with the birth of two sons, William (Grandpa Donald) and John. Mary and James lived for a short time at Kirkpatrick, about 500m south of Park Village (1881 Census) before ending their time together at Gateside, 2km south of Crossroads (1891 and 1901 Censuses).
Mary passed away on 29 April 1906 at Crossroads; James had passed away the previous year on 21 November 1905, also at Crossroads.
The photograph above is the family residence of James Carruthers and his wife Margaret J Shaw at Crossroads, Closeburn. Given the relative ages of the people in the photo and census records showing who lived in the home it would appear the photo was taken around 1905.
My best guess is that the elderly gentleman and the lady to his right are James and wife Margaret. The tall gentleman at the back, William Carruthers, James and Margaret’s eldest son, and the other three women daughters Mary, Nellie and Jemima.
The photo is taken looking east along Shawsholm Road, with the Closeburn Railway Station in the background.
Nickname, the theme for this weeks post was always going to be a difficult one for me. Our family seems to be bereft of nicknames. The family largely used variations or contractions of their first names, such as Bill for William, Jack for John, Nellie for Ellen and Fanny for Frances etc.
How was I going to write a family related post about nicknames?
My earliest recollection of the use of nicknames were ‘Bluey’ and ‘Whacka’. ‘Bluey’ and ‘Whacka’ were workmen who worked at the ‘Croydon Plaster Works’ which was located opposite our childhood home in Pascoe Avenue. As children myself, along with siblings Ruth, Craig and Malcolm often frequented the Plaster Works.
Thinking about ‘Bluey’ and ‘Whacka’ immediately brought to mind our wonderful childhood days in Croydon with Mum and Dad. Our most immediate ancestors!
Lois Isobel Kirwood 1923-2016
Lois Isobel Kirwood was born 26 March 1923 in Brighton, Victoria, the first daughter of Frank Harold Kirwood and Honor Isabella Williams.
Two years later in 1925 sister Ruth was born which completed their small but close family.
Lois (Mum) spent her childhood living in Gardenvale, Victoria; the family home was at 1 Lantana Road.
Mum’s school life was completed at Gardenvale State School followed by time at Brighton Technical School where she was introduced to sewing and needlework preparing her for her future career as a dressmaker.
Growing up in a bayside suburb Mum would have spent many hours at the beach. However, in later years she would recall her favourite days were spent at the family’s holiday shack in Olinda.
Mum loved the days at Olinda, hiking around the bush with her Mum, Dad, sister Ruth and friends. She would recall the joy of buying chestnuts and roasting them on an open fire after a chilly winter’s day tramping around the hills. Mum had joined the Girl Guides and often talked about the friends she made in Rangers and the adventures they had together.
World War 2 broke out in 1939 and Australia was once again called to take up arms. With the men off at war came a shortage of workers to work on farms, so along with her Ranger friends, Mum joined the Australian Women’s Land Army. In March 1941 the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) was established and Mum joined up where she trained and worked as a signaller operating Morse Code sets.
The war ended in 1945 resulting in Mum needing to look for a job. Having been trained and qualified as a dressmaker prior to the war, Mum applied for and obtained a position as a teacher at the Warrnambool Technical School teaching sewing and needlecraft. So off to Warrnambool to start a new career and more!
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William John Anderson 1927-2014
William John Anderson was born 27 June 1927 in Warrnambool, Victoria, the third son of William Anderson and Margaret Mary Donald.
William, known as Bill to family and friends, had two older brothers, Donald (Don) and Keith. Brother Ian, along with sisters Margaret and Betty were to follow to complete the Anderson family.
Dad’s childhood up to the age of 12-13 years was spent living at ‘Merrivale’ also known as ‘Windy Hill’. ‘Merrivale’ was the Warrnambool Golf Club’s residence used by the Greenkeeper. Dad’s father, William (Grandpa), had gained employment as the greenkeeper at the golf course after returning from World War 1, the position he held until 1939 when, he again enlisted in the Army at the beginning of World War 2.
Dad’s life as a country lad would have been pretty ‘free and easy’, having a golf course as a backyard, the beach
within walking distance, football and cricket with your mates. What more could a boy want! But alas, one needed to go to school and prepare for a future in the workplace, ‘earn a quid!’. Dad attended the South Warrnambool State School and the Warrnambool Technical School for his education.
However, I don’t think school was Dad’s thing! He left school aged 15 years of age and for a few years worked in a bicycle repair shop and worked a ‘milk’ run for his Uncle Jack who had a dairy farm in the district.
An interesting story Dad told us was, when he fronted at the local police station to sit his driving licence test. The Constable behind the desk took one look at him and handing Dad his licence told him to “get out of here, I’ve been watching you delivering milk in town for a couple of years, you don’t need a driving test to get your licence!”.
In about 1946 Dad obtained a bricklayers apprenticeship with Ernest Harris, a local builder. The first job Dad worked on as an apprentice was the heritage listed Timboon Consolidated School (now Timboon P-12).
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William John Anderson and Lois Isobel Kirwood were married on 14 May 1949 in the Gardenvale Congregational Church.
Both Lois and Bill had been raised in Christian homes, attending church regularly and involved in church communities.
It was not surprising that when Mum moved to take up her teaching position in Warrnambool that she would join a local church.
Mum and Dad met at the Warrnambool Congregational Church, where they were both involved in the church choir and youth group. They soon started dating and became a couple.
After their marriage in 1948 Mum and Dad commenced their married life in Warrnambool, Dad a bricklayer and Mum a school teacher. Dad built their first home at 1 Derby Street, Warrnambool; it was the first of two homes built by Dad for the family, the other being Pascoe Avenue, Croydon. Dad also built an extension to their home in Karen Court, Montrose.
Before too long the family began to grow with the arrival of daughter Ruth in 1950 followed by Warwick in 1952, Craig in 1954 and finally Malcolm in 1958.
Dad was forced to give up bricklaying when he contracted dermatitis on his hands caused by constant contact with cement and lime. Dad then tried a stint of dairy farming but the problem with dermatitis persisted demanding yet another change in career.
Dad became a trouser presser at the local Fletcher Jones factory, Mum was also employed at Fletcher Jones topping trousers (sewing in waistbands and flys). I doubt Dad would have enjoyed pressing trousers as a means of earning a living, so began seeking more interesting employment.
In 1956 Dad applied for and was accepted for a sales position with John Danks and Son, a Plumbing and Hardware business operating in Melbourne. At least Dad would now be employed by a company involved within the building industry in which he was familiar, and the job had promising prospects for advancement. Dad, in the end, rose within the company to senior management level managing the company’s Plumbing Division.
Of course accepting this offer of employment entailed a move for the family to Melbourne. So in 1956 the family moved into temporary accommodation in the Croydon Congregational Church manse, which happened to be vacant between ministers, before moving into our home in Tatiara Avenue, Croydon North. The Tatiara Avenue home had been ‘spec’ built and had a few construction issues, so Mum and Dad decided to build their own home at 38 Pascoe Avenue, Croydon.
For Ruth, Craig, Malcolm and myself, Pascoe Avenue was to be our home for the majority of our childhoods and when Pa Kirwood passed away in 1959, Nana Kirwood built a home next door at 36 Pascoe Avenue. I am sure we all have fond memories of our lives in Pascoe Avenue.
By 1969-1970 Nana Kirwood who, after having a hip replacement operation, was unable to continue to live on her own so Mum and Dad decided to have a home built that could accommodate Nana along with the rest of the family. There followed a short rental stay in Smith Avenue, Croydon while a new family home was built at 75 Mullum Mullum Road, Ringwood.
Soon after the move to Ringwood the family began to reduce in size with both Ruth and myself finding partners, marrying and starting out on our own.
Dad ceased working for John Danks and Son in 1971 after 15 years of service. He took a position as Payroll Clerk and eventually Cost Clerk for the City of Croydon. He worked for the council for another 15 years before retiring in 1986.
Mum took on a variety of part time jobs to help with the family’s finances including a return to teaching night classes in Footscray, working at the Hollandia shoe factory, and who could fail to remember the hours spent in the garage at Pascoe Avenue assembling, packaging and painting ‘clips’. Without Mum’s contribution I doubt we would have been able to afford any of our wonderful caravan holidays we had as children.
After Nana went into aged care at Strathdon in Forest Hills, Mum and Dad moved into a home in Karen Court, Montrose and when Dad finally retired in 1986 they had their retirement home built at 41 Braidwood Avenue, Rosebud. Both Mum and Dad were raised by the sea and it was only natural that they would choose to spend their retirement years together somewhere close to sea and sand.
I’ll leave it for Mum and Dad’s grandchildren, the next generation, to tell of their seaside holidays with Nan and Pa in Rosebud.
Mum and Dad’s happy and loving marriage of 66 years ended with the passing of Dad on 9 November 2014 in the Rosebud Hospital. Mum passed away two years later on 10 December 2016 in the Regis Aged Care Facility, West Rosebud.
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Lois and Bill with their children and spouses. Back L-R: Julie (Malcolm’s wife), Justine (Craig’s wife), Barbara (Warwick’s wife), Warwick. Front L-R: Craig, Ruth, Bill, Lois, Malcolm.Lois and Bill enjoying time with some of their great grandchildren.
This week’s post in many ways is a continuation of Week 1’s post focusing on our Williams line.
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Lillian Williams 1892-1971
William John Sayers 1886-1915
Laurence Bede Opray 1889-1951
Family Wedding Photo taken at the marriage of William John Sayers to Lillian Williams on 6 September 1911, Bendigo, Victoria. [open attached pdf file at the end of this post for list of subjects in this photo]
What makes this photo one of my favourites and special?
This picture illustrates the large, close family circle that surrounded Nana Kirwood and her brothers and sisters as they grew up; as alluded to in Week 1’s post. This picture covers two generations of our Williams and Bassett lines.
The photo has ‘back stories’ of day-to-day life in a country town in Central Victoria and Melbourne during the early years of the 20th century. The highs and lows, the happy times and times of tragedy. This picture also has a direct link to a defining moment in Australian history.
These are the reasons why I find this photo an important and treasured artifact within my collection of many photos and records.
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Aunty Lil certainly had a life of ups and downs, happy times and sad. Born Lillian Williams in Bendigo in 1892, the fourth child and second daughter of Thomas Williams and Martha (nèe Bassett).
Aunty Lil’s early life in Bendigo followed the familiar pattern of other girls of the time; attending school, playing with friends, helping with chores around the home.
Like most girls, entering her late teen years, Lil started to take an interest in boys. One boy in particular caught Lil’s eye; a lean handsome local lad named Wil Sayers. The couple soon started courting and eventually married in a grand ceremony in the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo on 6 September 1911. Aunty Lil was 19 years old and Wil was 25.
Lil and Wil (sounds like a good title for a TV sitcom) began their married life living in High Street, Golden Square; Wil was employed as a timber yardsman. In 1913 Lil gave birth to a daughter, Clarice Isobel.
Unfortunately, Clarice had a relatively short life. In November 1927 Clarice suddenly became very ill and died on 11 December 1927 in the Kooringal Private Hospital, South Melbourne. The cause of death was Suppurative Appendicitis.
Losing young Clarice aged 14 years and full of life was a devastating loss for Aunty Lil. However, Clarice’s death was not the first tragedy in Aunty Lil’s life.
Clarice Isobel Sayers – 1. c 1914 as an infant with Lil. – 2. c. 1926 as a young girl not long before she died.
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Ya can’t blame a bloke who likes adventure He saw the posters on the wall See the world through the sights of a rifle Grab ya mates and go to war
And give the man a bayonet Give the man a hat Land him on the beaches Eight thousand never came back A rat-a-tat-tat
This is Gallipoli And don’t you forget You are the Diggers of the Anzac
Song by John Williamson
Yes, Wil Sayers was among the eight thousand soldiers who landed on the beaches of Suvla Bay on the Gallipoli Peninsular that were destined never to return to Australia.
William John Sayers had enlisted on 18 August 1914 in Bendigo. Wil’s enlistment date was only 12 days after war was declared. Did Wil possess a keen sense of duty or, was he in for the adventure – “see the world through the sights of a rifle”? We will never know!
He joined “D” Company of the 7th Battalion with the rank of Company Quartermaster Sergeant (C.Q.M.S.).
William John Sayers Regt. No. 754 was reported injured on 25 April 1915 during the landing at Gallipoli, this report was later updated to Killed in Action (K.I.A.). Wil along with many other soldiers was buried at sea.
One can only imagine the pain and grief Aunty Lil experienced when the news of Wil’s death eventually arrived in Australia. Now she was a ‘War Widow’ with a young toddler to care for; like so many other wives of soldiers killed during the war. Luckily Lil had a large circle of family and friends to help her get through this difficult time.
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Aunty Lil and Clarice continued to live in Bendigo up until the end of the war. However, by 1919 Lil and Clarice had joined other members of the family who were living in Prahran. Lil was working as a saleswoman. Lil’s elder sister, Nana, had moved to Melbourne 2 years before the war. Martha, Nana and Lil’s mother, along with her second husband James Andrew and the younger children had joined Nana in Prahran around 1915.
Was Lil’s move to Melbourne prompted by a need to seek better employment opportunities, she was still a single mother supporting herself and her daughter on a war widows pension? Or, perhaps she missed the comfort and support of close family.
In 1920 Aunty Lil married for a second time. I suspect Lil’s employment as a saleswoman may have involved the ‘rag trade’ and this is where she met her second husband, Laurence Bede Opray, who worked in the family drapery business. Laurie and Lil were married 8 October 1920.
Wedding Photo of Laurence Bede Opray and Lillian Sayers (nèe Williams) 8 October 1920.
Lil and Laurie had no children and Laurie passed away on 2 May 1951 leaving Aunty Lil a widow for the second time.
Aunty Lil must have been thankful for the comfort and support that I am sure Laurie would have provided in 1927 when Clarice passed away.
Aunty Lil, despite a life of ups and downs always appeared cheerful and loved life. Aunty Lil had a cheeky smile and always dressed smartly. Her passions were Family, Friends, Lawn Bowls and Aussie Rules. Lil was a member and keen supporter of the St Kilda F.C. until she passed away on 28 May 1971.
Aunty Lil passed away as a result of being hit by a car while crossing a road in Caulfield. Strangely, her death mirrored the death of her older brother, Tom, who had suffered the same fate in Bendigo 11 years earlier.
Today I am beginning the daunting task of writing about 52 ancestors in 52 weeks. This is a challenge devised by Amy Johnson Crow at ‘Generations Cafe’ Facebook group.
My interest in family history began with many a winter’s night sitting in front of the Warmray wood heater at 36 Pascoe Avenue, Croydon with my maternal grandmother, Nana Kirwood. My favourite thing to do was to get Nana to talk about her family; her brother’s Uncle Tom, Uncle Will and Uncle Jim; her sister’s Aunty Lil and Aunty Myrtle.
I, of course, was too young to bother about writing down and recording any of our conversations at the time! Luckily however, I became more serious with my interest in family history before Nana passed away aged 97 years in 1983; this enabled me to record much of Nana’s family recollections before she died. Probably more important was being able to have Nana Kirwood identify the people and places portrayed in the trove of family photos in her collection.
Honor Isabella Williams birth certificate. Born 29 July 1886, Tempe, New South Wales.
Nana Kirwood was born Honor Isabella Williams on 29 July 1886 in Tempe, New South Wales to parents Thomas Williams and Martha Ann Bassett. Honor was the eldest of nine children born to her mother Martha; the youngest, Nana’s half brother James, was born after Nana’s father had passed away and Martha had remarried.
The story as conveyed to me, was that Thomas and Martha had eloped to Sydney from Bendigo/Eaglehawk when Martha’s parents refused permission for her to marry Thomas; Martha was under-age, her age recorded as 19 years when Honor was born. This story may be supported by the fact that Martha stated her age as 21 years on her marriage record to Thomas on 26 December 1885 in Newtown, New South Wales.
Thomas and Martha, along with Honor soon moved back to Bendigo where the remaining brothers and sisters were born. Who knows, Martha’s parents may have forgiven her for running off with Thomas when she arrived home with a granddaughter to dote over!
Bendigo is where Nana Kirwood spent her ‘growing up’ years amongst many cousins and more distant relatives. Her family had roots in Bendigo/Eaglehawk going back to the beginning of the ‘gold rush’ in the early 1850’s.
Honor Isabella Williams c. 1893, Bendigo with siblings Thomas (standing), William (sitting) and Lillian.
During these years her days consisted of attending the Violet Street State School in Golden Square and, being the eldest, assisting her mother taking care of her younger siblings while Martha took in washing and ironing to help with the family finances. Nana’s father Thomas was a miner and spent long periods away from home at various mining sites around the country.
By 1912 Nana had moved to Melbourne’s south eastern suburb of Prahran where she had obtained employment as a dressmaker, and by 1915 she had been joined by her mother Martha and younger siblings and living at 56 Henry Street, Windsor. Honor by this time had attained a position as a tailoress.
World War 1 broke out in 1914 and Australian men were called to join up and fight. This meant there was a dearth of men left in Australia of marriageable age, both during and after the war had ended.
Nana must have felt she was to be left as a spinster like so many women were due to the war.
Wedding Photo of Frank Harold Kirwood and Honor Isabella Williams married 18 March 1922, Church of Christ, Swanston Street, Melbourne. Attendants: Duncan Hancock (bestman), Katie Mitchell (bridesmaid).
During the war years Nana Kirwood was employed as a tailoress by a Mr Medson, and through Mr Medson she was introduced to one of his friends, Mr Frank Kirwood. Mr Kirwood was a widower who had lost his wife in 1912 during childbirth. Nana and Mr Kirwood formed a close friendship which soon turned into Frank courting Nana over a number of years. Frank eventually ‘popped’ the question. Nan was hesitant given their age difference; Frank was 48 years old and 14 years older than Nana. However, after talking over Frank’s proposal with family and friends they convinced Nana that Frank was a ‘good catch’ and his proposal could be her last chance at marriage. Nana accepted Frank’s proposal and they were married on 18 March 1922.
An amusing occurrence happened as the newly-weds left the church after the ceremony. The couple ran into the St Patrick’s Day march proceeding down Swanston Street ending up with Nana on one side of the street and Frank on the other. Poor Frank! He had finally caught his bride only to lose her moments after their vows!
Frank Harold Kirwood and Honor Isabella Williams marriage certificate. Married 18 Mar 1922, Melbourne, Victoria.
After Frank and Honor’s marriage came two daughters to complete their family, Lois born in 1923 and Ruth born in 1925. The rest is history and reserved for future posts.
Honor Kirwood with daughters Lois and Ruth c.1927, Olinda, Victoria.
Nana Kirwood’s passions were her faith, her family, her garden and keeping up with the current affairs of the day. Nana Kirwood was affectionately known to her brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces as Belle or Aunty Belle.
Honor Isabella Kirwood passed away peacefully on 22 October 1983 in the Strathdon Aged Care Facility, Forest Hills, Victoria.
