Antonio Albress was a pioneer of the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. (See also ALBRESS,BENNETT, McINTYRE etc journal.)
itellya
Antonio Albress was a pioneer of the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia.He was a grantee of 90 acres, whose eastern boundary was over Browns Rd from Springs Lane (which is the western boundary of the Moonah Links Golf Course.) His grant is now part of the locality of Fingal but was not in the parish of Fingal, being crown allotments 37 A1 and 37B of the parish of Wannaeue. (The Wannaeue map is available online.)His name was recorded on the map as Albres, which was probably the original spelling.
(Les Albres is a region in France, which suggests that one of Antonio's ancestors may have been French. As there is no mention of the Cape Verde Islands being under French control, perhaps this Frenchman from Les Albres had been on a ship sunk by Sir Francis Drake who did a bit of hunting in those parts.)
The two grants between Antonio's grant and the 2011 site of the Truemans Rd tip were 37B1 (Nicholas De Mas, probably another Cape Verde Islander) and 38A (Edward Russell.) I will not repeat Albress information posted on Rootsweb by thommo99 and Emily Burkitt and the details about probate.On rootsweb, you will also find details from newspapers accessed on trove. One of these (Mornington and Dromana Standard, 14-8-1909, p.2) states that Antonio came from the Cape Verde Island of Bona Vista. This was the English version of the Portugese Boa Vista (and was used for places in Canada and Brazil.) English presence on the island is indicated by an 1819 book of sailing directions that called the main town "English Road". It was probably this presence and the fact that J.B.Were, who had land near Cape Schanck, acted as the Consul for Portugal that resulted in Cape Verde Islanders such as Emanuel de Santos of Rye and Joe Peters of Rosebud coming to the Peninsula.
Boa Vista has the native name of Bubista, and the nickname, Ihla das Dunas (Island of the Dunes.) It is the third largest of the Cape Verde Islands, is 455 km west of the the Africa mainland's westernmost point, is fairly flat with its highest point being at only 387 metres and has the smallest population of all the inhabited islands. Being fertile at the time Antonio (or his parents) left, the island was fertile and supported much agriculture but now it is called Cape Verde's desert island.Antonio's given name was probably very common on the island, given that one of the three "mountains" and Ponta (point)Antonio on its north coast bear the Saint's name.
by itellya
Profile | 
Research |
Contact | Subscribe | Block this user on 2011-11-05 06:43:52
Itellya is researching local history on the Mornington Peninsula and is willing to help family historians with information about the area between Somerville and Blairgowrie. He has extensive information about Henry Gomm of Somerville, Joseph Porta (Victoria's first bellows manufacturer) and Captain Adams of Rosebud.
Comments
itellya on 2011-11-14 08:44:34Unfortunately the ANTONIO ALBRESS file cannot be attached. It contains much information from trove and genealogical sites. If anyone would like a copy of the file, text your email address to 0438 874 172. The same applies to any of the surnames about which I have written journals or any farm owners between Dynon Rd, Kensington and Melbourne Airport, or on the Mornington Peninsula east of Weeroona St, Rye.
itellya on 2012-02-09 06:57:36The file has been copied and pasted into a new journal entitled:
MRS ANTONIO ALBRESS DID NOT DIE. HER SON WAS NOT WEST INDIAN, PROFESSOR.
itellya on 2012-02-17 20:12:23
itellya on 2012-02-17 20:14:53The new journal now has a map showing Antonio's grants on Browns Rd, Rye.
Sorry about firing a blank just before.
itellya on 2012-02-17 20:20:26
itellya on 2012-02-17 20:35:09See ONGOING ALBRESS LINE-NORTH QUEENSLAND BRANCH by Ray Albress.
itellya on 2013-05-16 23:24:52Something that has annoyed me for a couple of years is that J.Albress was listed on the Rye Roll of Honour for W.W.1, a photo of which was included in Patricia Appleford's RYE PRIMARY SCHOOL 1667. This was undoubtedly Antonio's son John. And yet I could find no mention of him in THE A.I.F. PROJECT and similar sites. Surely someone would have objected to his name being on the Roll of Honour if he did not serve his country. (Nobody would have objected if he did not enlist at, or near, Rye; the Hobleys were near Leongatha at the time but still appear on Rosebud's Roll of Honour and young Furphey was listed on Tullamarine's memorial only because of his relationship to Bill Parr.)
Antonio was an African from the Cape Verde Islands,most likely of mixed blood and despite dilution of his genes over many generations I was still able to recognise, at first sight,his descendant, Jason Albress of Main Ridge Cricket Club. Jason has a wonderful sun-tan. John must have appeared much the same or his nickname would more likely have been Darkie, or something equally politically incorrect, rather than Curley. John's brother, Bill, who played footy for Richmond, must have been much darker because a Richmond lad who became a Professor described him as a West Indian.(The transcript of the Professor's speech is in one of my journals,probably MRS ANTONIO ALBRESS DID NOT DIE.)
The following seems to prove that John did enlist.John would have played for RICHMOND DISTRICT in a Melbourne-wide competition (not the Richmond League) whose name I can't recall. These details are also probably in MRS ANTONIO ALBRESS etc.
EXTRACT FROM:
Football Reminiscences The Peninsula's Past Champions Recalled
Frankston & Somerville Standard (Vic. : 1921 - 1939) Friday 5 August 1921 p 1 Article
UP GUARDS AND AT 'EM The year 1915, the second of the war, showed, not strangely, a decline in the standard of the game, and a diminishing interest by the public. As it was, the season was curtailed. The Langwarrin Guards, captained by Cousins, and including 'Curley" Albress and "Red" Moffatt, of the Richmond League (sic), beat Hastings, Somerville and the Naval Base (which was not composed of naval men as to-day), and got into the finals, where they were conquered in the premiership by Hastings by one point,- Hastings just defeating the Naval Base by two points.
I have corrected a reference to Edward Russell. Edward's old shipmate, Thomas Alexander Bennett was the father of Maria, who married Antonio Albress. Maria's mother's name was Elizabeth but she seems to have called herself Eliza as in the case of Tom and Eliza's tribute to Harriet Skelton following that pioneer's death.This led to her name being given in each way regarding the christening of their TWO children christened as Thomas.
Maria's death has not been shown on any website. This lack of detail is caused by the fact that she actually died as Maria McIntyre! After Antonio died in 1909, the farm was sold in 1910 and most of the family lived in Richmond. Antonio was probably the ancestor of every Albress in Australia, including those in Queensland.