Clara KNOPP [b.1888 Flowerdale, Vic d. 1946 in Wonthaggi, Vic] was my grandmother, the daughter of William KNOPP and Jessie Elizabeth nee TAYLOR. Clara was born and raised in Flowerdale, a small rural community north of Melbourne, Vic.

Clara was third born of twelve children and lost her mother in 1907 leaving Clara and her sister Florrie to care for the younger children, the youngest Norman being only 4 years old.

It is stated on Clara's Wedding Certificate that she was a Domestic Servant at Silver Creek which was an adjoining small community to Flowerdale, possibly at [Fanny Louisa WHITMORE] her grandmother's hotel. See Whitmore/Taylor journal.

It was on the 1st June 1910 that she married James Francis McDONALD at Flowerdale and on 17 August 1911 in Coburg, their first child was born, a son names James Douglas. He married Elsie May nee FLACK [b.abt. 1917] in 1933 and he and Elsie May (known as May) did not have any children. Both Jim and May died in 1961 in Wonthaggi and are buried at Bacchus Marsh.

The family were living in Ballan, Vic in 1915 when son Duncan Stewart was born on the 13 March and by 1918 the family were living at Waddell Street Bacchus Marsh, Vic when another son Leslie Francis was born 5 May 1918. Duncan married Joyce STEWART, had six children and separated. The six children were placed in orphanages. Duncan died in Wonthaggi in 2006 and Joyce died in Perth, WA around the same year.

Les married Shirley WHELAN and had one daughter. They lived all their married life at White Road, Wonthaggi Vic. Les was a Funeral Director. Shirley died early in 1971 and Les on the 5 August 1971, both at Wonthaggi and buried at Korumburra, Vic.

James and Clara were resident at the same address in the 1919 Census and it was said that James was a factory hand. John William was born at Bacchus Marsh on 22 November 1920. John (known as Jack) married May CHURCHILL and they had two children, a boy and a girl. Jack died in Dandenong, Vic in 1974.

Yet another son, Angus Andrew was born in 1925 at Bacchus Marsh and unfortunately died in 1929 from eating green apples and drinking water which fermented.

In 1928 on 7 April Jessie Elizabeth, my mother was born. She attended the Bacchus Marsh Catholic School until her mother Clara developed bad health and she went to live with her father's sister Sarah O'HALLORAN at Wonthaggi. Jessie first married Ronald Joseph NEWMAN on 5 April 1947 at Wonthaggi and had eight children, four boys and four girls.
Ron died of a heart attack on 29 July 1971 aged 49 years and is interred in the Wall of Remembrance at Springvale Crematorium in Melbourne, Vic. Jessie next married David Alexander HARBECK on 1 March 1990 and both are still living as at February 2011.

The James McDONALD family were still in Waddell Street, Bacchus Marsh in the 1931 Census but James had taken up farming at Mt Wallace by Census time in 1936 and 1937. Clara died 21 April 1946 aged 57 years.

James had moved to 13 Dowling Street, Wonthaggi, Vic sometime between 1937 and the 1949 Census.

James was 42 years of age when he married Clara [22] and was 59 and Clara 39 when Jessie was born. He was 81 years old in 1949 and stayed at 13 Dowling Street, still being there during the 1954 Census along with son John (Jack) and wife May and son James (Jim) and wife Elsie May. James died in 1958 aged 90 years.