MsMeridy on Family Tree Circles

I have been doing alot of reserach and have come across a link with the O'Donnell family and the Hoopers, Coopers and Bergers that lived out Devenish way.

It was very interesting reading to see all the links to and from families that are familiar to me.

Quite exciting as well.

If you wish to contact me I can put you onto the website where all this information is contained and I may also be able to answer some of your questions.

Cheers

Meredith

This gentleman came to Australia and was the great great great grand daddy of the Aussie O'Donnells here in Victoria.

He was born in Ireland and married Jane Stephens.

One of his children (Hamilton Lewis born 1810- 1866) married Emily Jane Todd and they had 5 children. Four boys and one girl.

One of the boys Hamilton Lewis O'Donnell married Annie Brown. One of their sons Albert Edward who was born in 1879 is my grandfather.

Hamilton and Annie had 13 children. Albert Edward was born in 1879 was Roy Albert's dad.

This is a very big family with ties to many other big families that lived in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

They have spread around Australia and some of the younger members of the family are using the Internet and search engines to share each other's information.

Keep in touch

Cheers

Meredith






















I have decided to write a Family Tree, so if anyone wishes to share their information with me that would be wonderful.


Cheers and thanks

Meredith

Charles Tolliday was born in 1862 at Italian Gully near Smythesdale to John Curtis and Sarah Elizabeth Tolliday (nee Miles).
Birth Registration Number 23652

He was the 6th child of eleven. And the 4th son of seven boys in the family.

The family consists of -
Fanny Sarah born 1852
Eva born 1854
John Robert born 1856
William Curtiss born 1858
Alfred John born 1860
Charles born 1862
Robert Porcher born 1865
Sarah Elizabeth born 1867
Ernest Montague born 1869
Jane Elizabeth born 1872
Albert born 1874

His parents came to Australia on the ship British Empire which left Southampton in October 1854 arriving at Port Henry in Victoria in January 1855.

The Tolliday family that immigrated to Australia were- Matriach Jane Curtis Tolliday, her son John Curtis and his wife Sarah Tolliday (nee Miles), son in law Charles Jonas Clark and Elizabeth Clark (Jane's daughter)(nee Tolliday), Christiana Tolliday and youngest son William Tolliday. Also three young children travelled with their parents. Fanny and Eva Tolliday and Jane Clark accompanied their parents on the long 3 month journey.

He married Alice Martha Penhalluriak in 1889.

Martha was born in 1862. Martha's parents were Pearce and Maria Penhalluriak (nee Bunney). Martha died in 1931 aged 69 at Balwyn a suburb of Melbourne, Victora. The Death Registration Number 3792.

Charles passed away in 1934 aged 71 in Camberwell. Death Registration Number 198.

I still have some data entry to do on this line of the family so I have not entered the children of this couple yet. Will update this journal at a later date.

William Curtiss Tolliday is the 4th child of John Curtis and Sarah Elizabeth Tolliday (nee Miles). He is their 2nd son and one of eleven children.

The family consists of -

Fanny Sarah born 1852
Eva born 1854
John Robert born 1856
William Curtiss born 19th August 1858
Alfred John born 1860
Charles born 1862
Robert Porcher born 1865
Sarah Elizabeth born 1867
Ernest Montague born 1869
Jane Elizabeth born 1872
Albert born 1874

John and Sarah immigrated to Australia with their two daughters Fanny and Eva along with John's mother Jane Curtis Tolliday, his brother William his two sisters Elizabeth and Christiana. Also travelling on the sailing ship the Bristish Empire were Elizabeth's husband Charles Jonas Clark and their infant daughter Jane. They arrived in January 1855 at Port Henry in Victoria.

William was born three and half years later at Geelong on 19th August 1858. The Birth Registration Number is 2712.

William married Jeannie Lindsay on 16th November 1887 aged 29. They had three daughters.

Florence Genevieve born 1887. Married Robert Arthur Williams in 1909. Florence passed away in 1974 in Sale.

Myrtle Eveline Lindsay born 1893. Married a Mr Phillips. Myrtle passed away in 1954.

Ruby Muriel Myles born 1900. Married Leslie Cula 14th October 1929.

William passed away at Sale aged 73 on 21st April 1932. The Death Registration Number 7466.

Jeannie was born on July 1st 1862 at Ayreshire and passed away aged 53 in 1917 at Sale. The Death Registration Number 2910.

Two marriage Numbers 1286 and 1887.

John Robert Tolliday is the third child of John Curtis and Sarah Elizabeth Tolliday (nee Miles).

He is one of eleven children and the first son of 7 boys.
He was also their first child born in Australia.

He was born in Ashby which must be near Geelong, Victoria. Birth Registration Number 12932.
The two eldest children Fanny and Eva were born in England.

His mum and dad travelled to Australia in October 1854 on the ship the British Empire taking three months to land at Port Henry Victoria Australia in January 1855.

The Tolliday family consisting of grandmother Jane Curtis Tolliday his aunts, Christiana and Elizabeth and her husband Charles Jonas Clark along with uncle William all immigrated to Australia.

John was a Blacksmith. He married Mary Jane Finch who was also known as Polly in Geelong. They had six children.

Mary Jane passed away in 1928 at Ballarat aged 59. The Death Registration Number 13182.

John passed away aged 81 in 1938 at Ballarat East. Death Registration Number 12199

George William Tolliday was born in 1874 in Scarsdale the Birth Registration Number is 19190. He was the 6th child of William and Priscilla Martha Tolliday (nee Barton). He was one of ten children and the 4th of 6 boys.

The family in birthdate order-

Nathaniel John born 23/10/1863. Married Mary Jane Richardson
Christian born 16/09/1865. Married Robert Selkirk.
William born 7/12/1867. Married Alice Harris.
Priscilla Martha born 3/02/1870.
John born 18/04/1872.
George William born 6/09/1874.Married Margaret Young
Frederick Numa born 11/04/1876.Married Rose May Essenhigh.
Alfred Barton born 19/01/1879. Married Annie Mitchell.
Sarah Elizabeth born 1883.Married James Davis Mann.
Alice born 20/02/1886.

George William married Margaret Young and they had nine children.
There were three girls and six boys.

The family in birth order-

Doris
Gordon Lindsay
Allen Raymond
Arthur Stanley
Lloyd
Maude
Trevor Barton
May Victoria Alexandra born 1/05/1901
George Frederick William born 19/12/1899.

Will fill in the dates of the other family members when I can.

George William was a miner and he passed away in Ballarat East aged 46 in 1921. The Death Registration Number 4269. Margaret died in 1959 aged 80 at Ballarat. The Death Registration Number 27035.

Fanny Sarah Tolliday was the first daughter of John Curtis and Sarah Elizabeth Tolliday (nee Miles). She was on of eleven children born to the couple.

Her father John was the first child born to Nathaniel and Jane Tolliday (nee Curtis)of England.

Grandmother Jane and her 4 children John, Elizabeth, Christiana and William came out to Australia on the British Empire arriving in January 1855 at Port Henry in Victoria. Jane was a widow as her husband Nathaniel drowned before the family immigrated.

Fanny was just a little girl of about 2 years of age when she and her infant sister Eva, who was born in 1854, accompanied by their parents, grandmother, two aunts and one uncle and his wife arrived after 3 months travelling by sea.

It was a long journey one can only imagine how hard it would have been on everyone.

Fanny met George Carey and they were married in 1881. They had three sons John born 1881, George born 1882 and James born 1884.

Fanny passed away in 1888 aged 36 in Ballarat East. The Death Registration Number is 12134.

The boys were only young when she passed away. John would have been only 7, George was 6, James was 4.

John Alfred Tolliday is the second son of Nathaniel John and Mary Jane Tolliday(nee Richardson). He was born in 1893 and was one of five children.

His siblings were-
William born first in 1886
Margaret Ada born 1895
Frederick Charles born 23/12/1897
Harold James born 1903

He married Clara Kerr on 25/09/1916 and they had two children.
A daughter Merle Esme born 10th April 1918 and Jack Douglas born 2nd November 1924.

He passed away on January 1st 1961 AGED 68. Death Registration Number 117. Clara passed away on 4th October 1980.

His father Nathaniel John was the first child of ten children born to William and Priscilla Martha Tolliday (nee Barton).

Grandfather William is one of the 4 original Tolliday children and the youngest member of the family to travel over on the British Empire with their widowed mother Jane Curtis Tolliday. They sailed from Southhampton in 1854 arriving at Port Henry in Victoria 3 months later in January 1855.

William's siblings were John Curtis, Elizabeth and Christiana.
John married Sarah Elizabeth Miles, Elizabeth married Charles Jonas Clark and Christiana married Agnon Charles Louis Numa.

From these two men there is a large family of Tollidays in Australia. Not to mention the daughters families as well although their names are not always available or carried through because their children do not carry the Tolliday surname, They are still from the Tolliday original English family of yesteryear.

The Family Tree is huge and still growing.

Meredith Tolliday

I was looking throught the National Archives of Australia and found a treasure trove of information on the Tolliday men who had enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force.

There are scanned records of enlistment details, where they were posted and what company or unit they were assigned to. Also if they were ill or injured through their time in the Forces. Details of the medals they received as a result of their military service.

There is even an AIF Marriage Certificate that shows the names of the Bride and Groom being married in a Registry Office in Portsmouth in 1918.

Terrific stuff and available to print off and save as Bitmaps and keep.

I have so far seen details for :-
Alan James Tolliday,
Alfred Noel Tolliday DOB 19/07/1922,
Allan Raymond Tolliday DOB ,
Arthur Stanley Tolliday DOB 15/08/1907,
Brian William Tolliday DOB 30/08/1926,
Eric William Tolliday DOB ,
Frederick Charles Tolliday DOB ,
Grant Gordon Tolliday DOB 26/04/1949,
Ian Wallace Tolliday DOB 29/04/1927,
Jack Foster Tolliday DOB 14/11/1918 ,
Jack Gordon Tolliday DOB 22/08/1913,
Leslie Alfred Tolliday DOB,
Leslie Robert Tolliday DOB 27/03/1917,
Moreland Stanley Tolliday DOB,
Stanley Moreland DOB 20/03/1919..need to check the MS or SM Tolliday.
Trevor Barton Tolliday DOB 16/01/1905,
William John Tolliday DOB 16/03/1922,
William Victor Tolliday DOB 28/06/1915,
William Tolliday DOB 28/03/1914

More details to come.

Meredith

My parents were Roy Albert and Beryl Eve O'Donnell.

They lived in a small country town called Benalla, where my brother and I were born.

Mum was born 13th June 1927 and dad was born 10th September 1908. He used to say it like 10 09 08. Which was pretty cool.

They were married 11th December 1954. A second marriage for both of them.

Dad had a son from his previous marriage but mum didn't have children the first time round.

My dad passed away in December 2003 he was 95. Mum passed away after she had her hip replaced as a complication of the surgery in March 2006 she was just 78.

They didn't quite make it to their 50th Wedding Anniversary which was a shame for them.

My mother did alot of research on dad's side of the family. She has passed all her work onto another younger member of the O'Donnell Clan.

Her family lived in Warburton where she grew up and her dad was Thomas Hansen and her mum was Janet Olive Johnson. Thomas was involved in the bush and he used to use bullocks and drays to bring down the cut trees down from the hills and Olive's family had a foundry I think in Brunswick. I have a few cast iron mementoes of the era.

Thomas was the first person to own a truck in the area and at the time of the war it was comandeered by the Army.

Hamilton Lewis O'Donnell was born in Omah,County Tyrone Ireland. He is the great great grand daddy of this line of the O'Donnell clan.

Dad had a brother Rex who lived up in Queensland with his wife Molly.
Rex lived to a grand old age as well.

Roy and Rex worked together and were builders or carpenters. There is many a house in Benalla that I could say my dad had a hand in. As well as some of the stores in the main CBD.

Will I do the Family Tree on the O'Donnells from my side? Maybe one day I will attempt it. At the moment I am concentrating my efforts on my husband's side of the family, the Tollidays. You will see I have written many journals on this family as I have been given so much information and it has been easy and a pleasure to do.

There is no point in me researching the O'Donnells because it too has been done but I just don't know who has got it all. And if they plan to make a website on it.

Tho yesterday I did find a site with the names of Hamilton Lewis and his children. There were no details of my dad's name or our names in the listing. SO I'm guessing that we haven't been linked up yet.

I think my father's father was Albert Edward O'Donnell. The children's names and Birth years as follows:- Edith b 1875, Albert Edward b 1879, Edwin James b 1881, George Lewis b 1884, Rebecca b 1886 and Maud Mary Adelaide b 1888 and ones with dates to come- Annie L, Charlotte M, Daisy Ethel, Emily Jane, Robert John, Cecile A M, Evelyn V,

That would account for the family name of Albert being passed onto my dad as a second name.

Drop me a line if you are related to me and mine.

Cheers

Meredith

Check out this website for information on the original Irish Family and their descendants.

http://haleycentral.com/phpGedView/individual.php?pid=I64979&ged=consolidated.ged