itellya on Family Tree Circles
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THE CAIRNS FAMILY OF BONEO, FINGAL, ROSEBUD AND RYE, VIC., AUST.
When it comes to being side-tracked, I reckon I must be the world champ.Not long ago,I promised to stick to my Red Hill Dictionary History. And I did until I started the CONNELL entry. CONNELL>WILSON>YOUNG>TURNER>GOMM>PURVES>SOMERVILLE>PURVES>WILLIAM JOHNSON/JOHNSTONE>UNRELATED GEORGE JOHNSTONE>GREEN HILLS is a summary of my mental wanderings. Hopefully I will purge myself of the urge and get back to my Red Hill research after this final fling.
What caused my desire to write this journal was laughter in the courtroom at Dromana. One of the Cairns family, Carrier Harry I think, was suing Alf Head for the cost of repairs to his trap after Alf had caused a prang during a race at the Kangerong/Dromana Show. William Patterson was giving evidence when he was asked if he was related to Cairns. After the affirmative answer, a smart Alec lawyer (Hall?) commented,"Everyone's related down here." Some wag asked,"Are you?" and the courtroom erupted into laughter.
Basically, I will reproduce my notes from Peter Wilson's THE CAIRNS FAMILY OF BONEO. It took many hours to assign nicknames in the genealogy from clues offered throughout the book. As I was writing notes from many local history books and transcribing rates,my notes are very brief and concern mainly genealogy, and only to the marriage of Robert, David and Alexander's children. The GEORGE AND OLLIE JOHNSTONE journal contains much information about Alex,his son Walter and Walter's daughter Olive. I also plan to give the locations of the grants obtained by members of the family and other farms detailed in rate books. I will also paste text from TALKING HISTORY WITH RAY CAIRNS. Dick Parker had told me I should interview Ray, but I wasn't sure where Ray was until he scored his last century, when an article about the Boneo Bradman led to an interview ten days after his hundredth birthday.
ROBERT CAIRNS (1820-1884) was married in Scotland to MARY DRYSDALE (1828-1901.) Robert was buried at the cemetery on Alexander's grant at Boneo and Mary was buried at Rye. Mary's parents, who came out with them, settled on the other side of the bay and gave Drysdale its name. Mary Campbell, who came out with them in 1852, with Robert as her guardian and probably helping Mary with the children, later became a relative via the Edmonds family, her daughter and Walter's daughter both marrying into this family. Robert most likely bought his grant at Boneo at auction because this was before the days of selection as far as I know; selection was enabled by the Land Acts of the 1860's. Robert had intended farming but got into lime burning which proved so lucrative that he was able to help his brothers,David and Alexander to come out in 1854.
(Something I had intended to put into the GEORGE AND OLLIE JOHNSTONE journal. Robert obviously came with some money. Alex Johnstone stated that the limestone houses erected by Cairns family members were indicative of money. However the fact is that pioneers used the material that was most readily available, and limestone was common ABANDONED DUE TO MULTIPLE FAILED ATTEMPTS TO SUBMIT EDITS.
GREEN HILLS, PURVES RD., ROSEBUD/DROMANA, VIC., AUST.
While writing the George and Ollie Johnstone journal, I determined from Alex Johnstone's email that George's 180 acres bought from James Purves was the southern portion of The late Dr Hearn's Green Hills.(Lot 7 below.)
In the advertisement re Dr Hearn's estate in 1891,Green Hills was obviously the name of a farm, just as Roselands was the name of the farm across Purves Rd.
GREEN HILLS-MELWAY 171 C-F7,west to Gardens Rd, south to Davos St.
ROSELANDS- MELWAY 171 G-K 7,8, from Wilson Rd corner south to opposite the Davos St corner, and fronting Rurves and Main Creek Rds.
lot7- Green Hills being Allotments 29A and 29B, parish of Wannaeue, county of Mornington, containing 301 acres 1 rood 20 perches agricultural and grazing land fenced and subdivided, timber rung and partly cleared, well adapted for orchards, prettily situated in the Arthurs Seat Range from which is obtained extensive views of the bay and Southern Ocean.
Lot 8 -Roselands being Allotment 22, parish of Wannaeue containing 265 acres 2 roods 22 perches good grazing land, fenced, separated from Green Hills by Government-road.
(P.2, Argus, 25-3-1891, Sale of the estate of the late Dr.Hearn of Heronswood,column 6.)
While investigating Walter Cairns' Quamby and Ned and Edna Cairns' land at the end of Duells Rd, I discovered in my transcription of the 1900 rates:DAVID CAIRNS, 260 ACRES,13AB, WANNAEUE, GREENHILLS.
What's more, James Purves was assessed on 180 acres, 14AB Wannaeue, not 29AB,despite Hector Hanson's statement that "up at 'Green Hills' the men were clearing the land,putting in underground wells and building the shingle roofed sheds and dairy" in the late 1880's when Emily Purves and her younger sister Frances had their frightening encounter with seven aborigines at Tootgarook.
13AB, MELWAY 171 B-F9,from Davos St to opposite 463 Purves Rd and west to Two Bays Walking Track.
14AB, MELWAY 171 d-E11, fronting Purves Rd (south of a point opposite No.463) and Browns Rd (to a point opposite No. 27.)
Crown allotments 14AB were granted to James Purves on 10-11-1869. This was probably the son of Peter Purves Senior,not Peter's architect brother. It is likely that James had bought his land in the parish of Fingal and 14AB with money inherited from his father circa 1860 when Peter died.
It seems that the name of Dr. Hearn's farm "Green Hills" had been used to describe the locality, as in the case of John McKerchar's "Greenvale" and John Brock's "Janefield" near Bundoora. Purves Rd (the Government road in the 1891 advertisement) seems to have been known as Green Hills Rd by 1899.
DEATHS. QUINAN.? On the 21st of June, at 'Green Hills.' Dromana, Victoria, Frances Emma, in her 85th year, relict of the late R. D. D. Quinan, and mother of Mrs, John Laird, Gawler, Mrs. James Purves, Victoria, and Robert and Arthur Quinan, W. A., and sister in-law of Lady - Ribton, Henry and Dr. E. Quinan, Dublin, Ireland. Dublin papers please copy.
Family Notices. Bunyip (Gawler, SA : 1863 - 1954) Friday 5 July 1907 p 2
LENZ-PURVES - On the 20th December 1899 at St John's Church Dromana by the Rev M M Witton. Gustaf F.P. LENZ of Gawler, South Australia to Emily*, eldest daughter of James Purves, Green Hills, Dromana.
Family Notices. The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Saturday 7 April 1900 p 9
(*See the encounter with the aborigines above.)
Red Hill and Mornington Horticultural Society. DROMANA SHOW.
Mornington Standard (Vic. : 1889 - 1908) Thursday 25 March 1897 Edition: MORNING. p 3 Detailed lists, results, guides
... ferns, dried and mounted in book or card, etc. First. 5s, gift of J, Baldry, Esq., Green Hills, Dromana; ... value ?110s, gift of Mrs. Purves, Green Hills, Dromana
John Baldry was assessed on 161 acres, Wannaeue in 1900.This was crown allotment 8 of 161 acres and 30 perches,granted to John on 25-20-1902,located at Melway 254 E5, south of the equestrian ground and containing
the part of the Baldry Circuit walk east of the tributary arising in D4. The boundaries of Green Hills were expanding rapidly but Alex Johnstone, who family came after 1920, had never heard the term!
gravelling on Green Hills road, J.Purves ?15 31 5d ;
Shire of Flinders and Kangerong.
Mornington Standard (Vic. : 1889 - 1908) Thursday 2 November 1899 p 2 Article (Tenders)
See the MURRAY GOMM journal for some PURVES genealogy.
GEORGE AND OLLIE JOHNSTONE OF PURVES RD. NEAR MAIN CREEK, VIC., AUST. (YERING, SUNBURY?)
POSTSCRIPT, 21-1-2016. I have referred below to the Brady property Mount Evergreen being 21C Wannaeue (Melway 171 K10) but a sale advertisement makes it clear that Mount Evergreen was 6A and 6B Wannaeue south of Browns Rd and Melway 171 B-E12.
This journal arises from my journal HOW DID SARAH WILSON LEAD ME TO HENRY TUCK? Two years ago when I read Hec Hanson's MEMOIRS OF A LARRIKIN and saw the mention of George and Ollie,I assumed that George was related to William Johnstone, the grantee of 20C Wannaeue. Armed with genealogical information from Petronella Wilson's GIVING DESTINY A HAND, I realised that George Johnstone could not be a descendant of Sarah Wilson. Just to be sure, I contacted Christie Johnstone, son of the grantee's brother, Robert Henry Johnstone and Catherine, daughter of Henry Tuck Jnr. Christie confirmed that George Johnstone was not related and thought that George had lived near Red Hill.
Peter Wilson's THE CAIRNS FAMILY OF BONEO shows that Alex Cairns and Janet Dalgleish were married in Scotland. Their tenth and last child was Walter who married Florence Laughton. Their children were Edna,Jean and Olive.
Trove shows that Walter was involved with the Boneo cricket and tennis club and after the opening of the latter's court (1911,if I remember correctly), the members were entertained at Walter's property "Eureka". It also shows that he was later at Main Ridge. In 1910, Walter was assessed on 87 acres of Barker's and 103 acres, which should have been 143 acres being crown allotment 2, Wannaeue, granted to Alexander who called it (Menstries?) Main. In 1919, Mrs Helen Cairns had this property which was correctly described as 143 acres.
One genealogy page stated that Olive Millicent Cairns,born in 1908, married George Johnstone. The My Heritage page showing all Cairns-Sabine results has a photo of Ollie and shows that she died in 1990.
Diane Johnstone has a page which shows that George's father, George Johnston was born at Yering in 1866, married Sophia Harrison and died at Dromana in 1949. Now,there was a George Johnston at Sunbury in the early 1860's, who was granted land in the Buttlejork (west of Jacksons Creek) part of the town,wrote letters to the Melton Road Board and was appointed in 1865 as one of the trustees of land reserved for the Church of England at Sunbury. Then he seems to have disappeared. The fact that land on De Castella's estate at Yering, Victoria's first vineyard (as wikipedia puts it)was advertised in 1864 might have had something to do with his disappearance!
I have forgotten most of the information that I learned from I.W.Symonds BULLA BULLA, but I do remember that there were some prominent early vineyards at Sunbury: (Bubeck's?)on Vineyard Lane near The Gap, Eadie's Ben Eadie,and two run by politicians, Francis (Goonawarra) and James Stewart Johnston (Craiglee.)
MY MESSAGE TO DIANE JOHNSTONE.
I am more interested in George Johnston's son, George Johnstone. He could be the George Johnstone who married Olive Millicent Cairns (born to Walter Cairns and Florence, nee Laughton,in 1908) and had three children: Alexander, Heather and Ian. I write local history for family historians as itellya on family tree circles. My journal HOW SARAH WILSON LED ME TO HENRY TUCK concerns another Johnstone family which lived near Main Ridge on Shoreham Rd and Roberts Rd.
In MEMOIRS OF A LARRIKIN, Hec Hanson told an amusing tale about George and Ollie Johnston. " A lady from over on Purves Rd, Ollie Johnson (nee Cairns), used to come to the dances (at the Main Ridge hall) on her own.Her husband,George, didn't dance and would stay home with the kids.One night I got her up for a dance,and as we waltzed around the hall Cocko (Harold Wilson) flicked grass burrs in her direction. These would cling to her dress. We often wondered what George thought about this when she arrived home."
I will be mentioning in the above-mentioned journal that George was not descended from Sarah Wilson, whose daughter Matilda married William Johnson. (Their son, William changed the family name to Johnstone by deed poll.) However I will write a separate journal: GEORGE AND OLLIE JOHNSTONE OF PURVES ROAD NEAR ROSEBUD, VICTORIA to provide background information about the Cairns, Haughton etc families. I wonder if George Johnston's wife was related to the family of Alf Harrison after which Harrisons Rd near Dromana was named.
DIANE'S REPLY.
That would be him. A few of the Johnston(e) clan moved to Main Ridge area from Gruyere, Colstream, Lilydale area. My grandfather was George's brother and Aunty Ol' a lovely lady. I will pass the anecdote above to Alec, I'm sure he'll love it. I will see what I can find out about Harrison. I've never found anything connecting her to Alf Harrison though. Thank you for the invitation to your information, it is hugely appreciated.
AN EMAIL FROM GEORGE AND OLLIE'S SON, ALEX.
Hi
I am the Alex Johnstone you referred to in the email to Diane Howden . I am the son of George and Olive (nee Cairns) . With reference to your �How Wilson led me to Tuck� I have a great deal of curiosity as to how Walter Cairns my grandfather. The only one to marry of a large family living in what was at the time a backwater of Boneo met and married Florrie Laughton a member of a well off family ( Laughtons Foundry creswick st. Footscray) I believe the main connection to Melb at the time would be by steamer up the bay.
There in must lay a story the truth of which I guess I will never learn.
I have read the book by Hec Hansen (I have vague memories of him) that was the first I heard of the burr incident when i read the book.
There has been considerable research done on the Cairns family by Ray Cairns also a Google search of the Cairns family of Boneo will reveal that nearly everyone on the southern peninsular was related at some early stage.
As for the Wilson�s were they from what I have been led to believe Wilson, Cairns. Purvis, Rowley and a number of old families that are all related in some form or other
I will try to send this email and if you receive it and if you feel I may be able to help in your search just ask the question and I will endeavor to answer.
MY SECOND REPLY.
I now believe that the connection between Walter Cairns and Flo Laughton took place at Flinders. William Brent married Flo's sister, Elizabeth (Bessie.) W.C.Brent was on the Flinders Park committee of management by 1896 and was in the area until about 1910. After David Cairns* fell from a wagon while intoxicated and was partly paralysed, his missus ran a boarding house in Flinders for a long time, so Walter probably met Flo during a visit to Flinders.
*While I was looking in my THE CAIRNS FAMILY OF BONEO notes for details of David's accident and the tenure in the boarding house, I found something that confirms my theory about Walter and Flo meeting at Flinders.
It was Blacks Camp Davey (1842-1923) who was involved in the accident. He was the second child and son of David Cairns and Janet Thompson who had married in Scotland,and married Elizabeth Russell. During his teens he had driven the cart for Benjie Shaw (who later established the Kangerong guest house in Dromana.) Then his early connection with Flinders started, with David working for Sam Tuck, stock riding for the Barkers (Boneo and Flinders), and breaking horses for Robert Anderson (Barragunda at Cape Schanck and much land in the parish of Flinders.) He also worked on the Cape Schanck lighthouse, South Channel Fort, and for T.B.Muntz on Main Creek Rd.
After David's accident in 1897,the Blacks' Camp property (probably crown allotment 29, parish of Fingal, of 52 acres 2 roods and 25 perches opposite the Cape Schanck turn off, granted to D.Cairns on 19-1-1888) was sold and he and Elizabeth started the Oaklands guest house in Flinders which was finally sold in 1919.
Walter (1870-1956) was, as stated earlier, the son of Alexander Cairns and Janet (nee Dalgleish.) Not surprisingly,he had a sister named Janet (1859-1909) who married William Brent and was buried at Flinders. Just in case you thought that William Brent was a bigamist, I'd better point out that Janet married William C.Brent the Flinders Park trustee, not the bloke that married Bessie Laughton.
Family Notices
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Friday 20 August 1909 p 1 Family Notices
DEATHS.. BRENT. - On the 16th August, Janet, the dearly beloved wife of W. C. Brent, and mother of J. R. and A. C. Brent, of Flinders, aged 49 years and 5 ... 1115 words
ALEX JOHNSTONE'S REPLY TO MY FIRST REPLY.
My first reply outlined the many Wilson families including those of Sarah Wilson and the unrelated Henry William Wilson, who both started on the Survey, Ray Cairns' birth at his great grandma Neville's at South Melbourne (her daughter had married Michael Cain; hence Neville St on the Cains' Tyrone) etc. Then I asked:
1.Where was George and Ollie's property in Purves Rd in relation to the Purves' Green Hills and the Brady property Mount Evergreen?
2.Also, how big was it and what kind of farming was done?
3.I know that Walter Cairns' property at Boneo was called "Eureka".
(a) Was this crown allotment 2 Wannaeue, including the cemetery?
(b) Was his later property at Main Ridge the one where George and Ollie lived and if not, where was it?
THE REPLY(with my comments in italics.)
Thanks XXX for the info re Wattie & Flo It seems like the probable turn of events.
I have formed a few conclusions, maybe quite likely wrong over the years that I will run past you. Firstly I feel that the Cairns family bought some wealth with them from Scotland,(1) Elizabeth’s limestone house at Rosebud Hospital. (2)Edna ( Watties eldest Daughter) & Ned Edmonds limestone house with substantial annex near the Boneo hall.(3) Ray and Charlie’s substantial houses at the Schanck (4) Watties 2 room limestone house at Purves Rd , with substantial annex , furnished with high value cedar and marble topped furniture , even fitted out for gas lighting. Not the picture of pioneer families usually presented, (ie) Slab huts and bullock drays hard work and deprivation. The exception to this seems to be the now non existent Eureka. I believe to have been on the left of Boneo Rd 5 or so Km past the Boneo school. Somewhere opposite a property once owned by Lou Gaffer. The Edmonds place extended from Browns Rd up to and included the cemetery. I believe it would have been inherited from the original settler family , I think it also included the large bald hill , now a vineyard, at the end of Duels rd ,later sold to Bert Herman by Ned and Edna.
MONEY. It is likely that Robert Cairns brought some money from Clackmannan when he came out in 1852, as his wife's parents,the Drysdales (pioneers on the other side of the bay)would seem to have done as well. (The mention of Jean White,later in the reply is interesting because Robert White Senior, father of Blooming Bob White and grandfather of Bullocky Bob White, i.e.Robert James>Robert White, came from Clackmannan too and if I remember correctly, his wife's maiden name was Cairns.All the details of this are in my HILL HILLIS journal and Family Tree Circle's toolaroo is about to publish a book about the family.) Robert was intending to farm on Little Scotland (crown allotment 2 section A Wannaeue on the north east corner of Boneo and Browns Rds)but soon turned to lime burning which was so profitable that he was able to assist his brothers, Alex and David to come out in 1854. I believe that their initial capital was greatly increased by this trade , and that the dispersal from Little Scotland and increased emphasis on farming in the 1870's, was due to increased competition from limestone quarries closer to Melbourne, such as at Lilydale. While all the descendants managed to buy land, they were comfortable rather than rich and poor, with David's James of Alva Hill becoming rabbit inspector for the shire and his brother Harry was known as Carrier Harry, and the farming being mainly of the subsistence variety apart from when a contract could be won, such as supplying chaff for cabmen's horses to Stringer's store at Sorrento.
HOUSES. 1.The house at the Rosebud hospital, where Elizabeth died was Eleanora and has heritage protection. See Mornington Peninsula Shire Heritage Study which contains a photo and historical information but not the name. This is on 13AB section A Wannaeue, bounded by the highway, Boneo Rd, Eastbourne Rd and almost Chinaman's Creek,which was purchased by Eleanora Davey and William in the early 1900's, Davey building Eleanora and William in 1919 being assessed on 64 acres of 13AB*.
(*13B of section A Wannaeue, now housing the shops, bottleshop and possibly the medical superclinic at the west corner of Boneo Rd, consisted of 5 acres and from about 1920 was known as Martin's Corner because of Martin's shop which probably still serves as the Blue Mini cafe.)
2.EDNA AND NED EDMONDS'. This was crown allotment 3, section A, parish of Wannaeue, of 143 acres 2 roods and 16 perches at the north west corner of Boneo and Browns Rds with frontages of 718 and 800 metres respectively. This was granted to Walter's father, Alex (and R.Amos, who according to the late Ray Cairns never came to Australia.)
In the last available rate record of 1919, Miss Helen Cairns ((1869-1946) of Boneo, daughter of Alex and sister of Walter, was assessed on 144 acres (c/a 3, A, Wannaeue, this property) and 135 acres(part 13A, section B,Wannaeue.) The 135 acre property would have been the land, mentioned later by Alex, at the end of Duell's Rd. Crown allotment 13A is between the end of Duells Rd (the midpoint of the western boundary) and Purves Rd,indicated roughly by Melway B-F 8 (bottom half) and 9 (top half.)It is likely that this land adjoined Quamby but as the parish map has no acreage for 13A, I can' be sure.
In 1921, Helen and Walter's brother, William, had 64 acres at Martin's Corner but was probably living on "121 acres part 20A, section B, Wannaeue "(probably the whole of 21C, the Brady family's Mount Evergreen, sold when William Brady died and his wife, Rosa nee Roberts, moved back to Rosebud near her beloved Methodist Church.) Mount Evergreen was at Melway 171 K 10,172 A 10.
3. Maroolaba, near Pattersons Rd. I think there's a photo of this in LIME LAND LEISURE. When the grant was obtained the cost of the house (and other improvements) came off the purchase price according to the late Ray Cairns. Details in my transcript TALKING HISTORY WITH RAY CAIRNS.
4.WATTIE'S ON PURVES RD. This was QUAMBY and was south of Davos St (not Davies Lane), according to later information in Alex's email. It was probably west of the bend in Purves Rd (Melway 171 F 9-10.)
5. EUREKA.At about 5km south of the Boneo school, Eureka would be at approximately Melway 259 part C, D1 or 2, on land granted to William or James Patterson or nearer the Cape Schanck turn off,"Blacks Camp" David Cairn's grant, crown allotment 29 Fingal of 52 acres 2 roods and 25 perches. Walter might have bought David's grant after the latter's accident in 1897.(See near end for details about Walter's time on Eureka.
The transition from Eureka to Purves Rd (Quamby) I suspect again was the result of an inheritance of some sort around the 1910 -1920 period .approx 80 acres Here lived Florrie, Wattie and Daughter Olive . The properties Green hills and Mt Evergreen ring no bells with me.
This 80 acre property, Quamby, may have adjoined, or been part of, the 135 acre property on which Walter's sister, Helen was assessed in 1919. As Helen did not die until 1946, it is more likely that the 80 acre Quamby adjoined the 135 acre property at the end of (and obviously accessed by) Duells Rd.
Enter George Johnstone. He purchased around 180 acres next door to Quamby (Arthurs Seat side)including what is now called Davies Lane around the 1930,s from Jimmy Purves. Nature took its course and a marriage looked like happening between George and Ollie. George lived in a shed so decided a house was required so got a brick mould and built a wheel barrow , found a sandy bank at the headwaters of the Drum Drumolock? creek and made the bricks to build a 4 room house opposite the Pig and Whistle cafe on Purves Rd.
The Pig and Whistle (which the owner told me used to be a dairy farm) is at Melway 171G8,directly across Purves Rd from Davos St, which is virtually the southern boundary of 29AB Wannaeue, whose northern boundary is 84 metres south of the Wilsons Rd corner.
lot7- Green Hills being Allotments 29A and 29B, parish of Wannaeue, county of Mornington, containing 301 acres 1 rood 20 perches agricultural and grazing land fenced and subdivided, timber rung and partly cleared, well adapted for orchards, prettily situated in the Arthurs Seat Range from which is obtained extensive views of the bay and Southern Ocean.
(P.2, Argus, 25-3-1891. Sale of the estate of Prof. Hearn of Heronswood, Column 6.)
The Purves would have been leasing Green Hills before the sale because it was while they were building the dairy there in about 1888 that some aborigines scared the living daylights out of two young girls at Tootgarook, as detailed in MEMOIRS OF A LARRIKIN. Thus it was the southern 180 acres of Green Hills that became George Johnstone's farm. George would have got the material for his bricks at Melway 171 D8, the headwatersof the Drum Drum Alloc Creek.
Along came Alex , Heather and Ian. Wattie and Florrie became older and George and Ollie purchased Quamby. Wattie and Florrie then moved over to middle daughter Jean Whites place on Main Creek RD The substancial house on Quamby fell into disrepair and is now unfortunately non existent.
Couple of other things , I can remember Hec Hansen and I think Alf Hansen shooting kangaroos off horse back with high powered rifles in the Waterfall gully area.I also have a cup, legend has it,that was won by a horse Wattie owned at the Boneo racecourse situated opposite Ken Spunner's (Bunnings)
I'm looking for references to the racecourse and Eureka, but none of the reports or advertisements mention the farm's name except the tennis court opening.
TO STAND THIS SEASON AT Walter Cairns' Farm, Boneo, THE ROADSTER STALLION TIT WILLOW.
(P.3, Mornington Standard, 21-9-1907.) In the summer of 1904-5, Rajah the 20 race winner from India stood at Eureka in between stints at Brady's Mount Evergreen and Randall's Hindhope (the Rosebud Plaza site east to First Avenue and including Hope St.)Walter won prizes at the Dromana and Flinders shows for tomatoes, vegetables and fat lambs.
Tennis. OPENING OF BONEO COURT. After being unavoidably postponed for some time, the opening of the Boneo tennis court was held on Saturday, April 8th. There was a good attendance, and the weather was all that could be desired. The opening set was played by the secretary (Miss Cairns) and Mrs W. Cairns again Miss A. Baker and Miss E. Cairns, the latter coming off victorious after some exciting play. Several sets were played, and the vice-president (Mr E. Cairns) in a short speech declared the court open. Afternoon tea was then served. The President (Mr Richard Baker) was not able to attend, as he is convalescent after a severe illness, but all expressed the hope that he would soon be about again. A very enjoyable evening was spent at 'Eureka,' the residence of Mr Walter Cairns. (P.3,Mornington Standard, 22-7-1911.)
Eureka was opposite a property owned by Lou Gaffer.
Mr. J. Gafer, of Boneo Rd., advised council that he has leased a portion of property, and desires to use a portion of swamp for the purpose of in tense culture. The council will ascertain the legal position re the right to drain.(P.10,Standard, Frankston,11-4-1946.)
All what I have entered here as facts come with the proviso that you are able to cross reference them with info from another source
I hope it all makes sense and fills in some spaces for you, If I can be of further assistance just ask
Regards
Alex
JOHNSTONE BROTHERS OF DARUM AND THEIR LAND NEAR BONEO????
HOW DID SARAH WILSON LEAD ME TO HENRY TUCK? SHOREHAM & FLINDERS, VIC., AUST.
A few short weeks ago, all I knew about Sarah Wilson was that she and her sons,George and Robert, lived on Jamieson's Special Survey before the Kangerong Road Board's first assessment of 1864,and that the three of them were honoured on the DROMANA PIONEER PATHWAY and all of them signed a petition in 1861 requesting that Quinan's school be chosen instead of Nicholson's to become the Dromana Common School.
It was during my attempt to discover information about the Simpsons of Red Hill that I made contact with Margaret Connell (nee Simpson) through the assistance of Keith Holmes and was shown Connell genealogy compiled by Dot Watt (nee Connell.) Marg. and Dot told me to read Petronella Wilson's GIVING DESTINY A HAND.
Having read this book, I kept part of the Mornington News 2013 Anzac Edition because it related to a fascinating name change mentioned in the book. It was an article about Christie Johnstone who happened to be the grandson of Henry Tuck Junior, the fantastic bush poet, whose works are available from the Dromana Historical Society museum, and no doubt most local historical societies.
In A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA, Colin McLear gave details of all the children of councillor John Calvin Griffith of Dromana and Mary. Mary Who?
Having all the details of Christie Johnstone's descent from Oliver and Sarah Wilson, I entered "Henry Tuck, obituary" and got what seemed at first hand to be a useless response. But it wasn't, despite the journalist's usual error of rendering Griffith as Griffiths. Mary must have been Mary Dowling!
OBITUARY. DEATH OF MRS. C. DOWLING, By the death of Mrs Catherine Dowling, as mentioned in our last issue, another very old resident of the Mornington Peninsula has been removed from our midst. Mrs Dowling had reached the ripe old age of 86 years at the time of death. Although she was not suffering from any painful illness, she had been gradually failing under the pressure of her advanced years for some considerable time, and her death was not unexpected. She was possessed of an exceedingly kindly, warm hearted disposition, and very many old residents of the district, as well as the younger generation, will remember her as a true friend who had always a kindly word, and was ready to do a kindly action for anyone with whom she came into contact. The deceased lady was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, and reached Melbourne with her husband-who predeceased her by some nineteen years-in the ship " Marco Pauls " on Christmas Day, 1852. She was thus a colonist of nearly 59 years. After spending eight years, in other parts of Victoria, the Dowlings came to Stony Creek, now known as Shoreham, in the year 1860, and they were the first settlers to actually reside on their own holding in this locality, which was a portion of Tuck's Old Manton's Creek run. The country was, at the time of their acquiring the land, in a very rough state, and Mrs Dowling had many interesting incidents of hardships to relate. Her quaint sense of quiet humor always made these reminiscences pleasant to listen to. Their first homestead, a slab erection on the banks of the Creek, was totally destroyed by the collapse of a giant gum tree one very stormy night. In this instance Mr and Mrs Dowling had a very narrow escape from death. A large fork of the tree came down on each side of the bed upon which they were sleeping. Upon another occasion Mr Dowling, when some little distance away from the homestead, was forced by the ferocity of the dingoes to take refuge and spend the night up in the branches of a tree. Of Mrs Dowling's family three daughters and one son, all of whom are well known throughout the Peninsula, are surviving. These are Mrs J. C. Griffiths of Dromana; Mrs.Joseph Stanley of Balnarring; Mrs West, and Mr Christy Dowling, who was living at "The Glen" with his mother at the time of her death. The recent demise of one daughter, Mrs Henry Tuck, of Flinders, is sadly re- membered by her friends, as is also that of another daughter, Mrs J. West. A son, Mr Thomas Dowling, died some years ago, and another son expired in infancy. The remains of the deceased lady were interred in the Flinders general cemetery, when a very large number of people attended the funeral to show their last respects.
(P.3, Mornington Standard, 5-8-1911.)
My journal FAMILY CONNECTION ON THE MORNINGTON PENINSULA is now dwarfed by the information available in my other journals. No doubt a Tuck family history has been written so I don't intend to write one. One of my aims in family connections was to explain geographically how the two families became acquainted; usually, apart from during war time and, to a much lesser degree during the 1890's depression when many peninsula lads headed west in search of gold, the families were at least near-neighbours. Robert Rowley and Christine Edwards caused me months of wasted time until I found the neighbourly connection had been at Longford, Tasmania before Robert joined Henry Cadby Wells in a lime-burning venture near Sorrento, circa 1841.
How then would the Jennings family of Rye be related to the Tucks? Before settling at Rye in 1914, George Dodd and Hannah (Wiffen)had spent time farming at Flinders, Cranbourne and Camperdown. Their son,Cecil, married Catherine Tuck. (JENNINGS:A PIONEERING RYE FAMILY by Linda Berndt,P.20, Southern Peninsula News, 13-7-2010.)
CHRISTIE JOHNSTONE'S DESCENT FROM OLIVER AND SARAH WILSON.
Olver Wilson, a staunch Presbyterian, (1791-1851) and Sarah Spence (1811-1870) married in 1832. Their third child, Matilda (1837-1878) was born in Lifford,Ireland.With her parents and siblings, George (1833-1905)and Jane (1834-1863), Matilda came to Australia aboard the Argyle, landing at William's Town on 13-4-1841. Robert (1843-1894)was probably born in the Flinders Lane house. Oliver had become established as a shoemaker but after his death in 1851, rents rose dramatically because of the gold rush and George suggested a move to Jamieson's Special Survey (the Safety Beach area, east to Bulldog Creek Rd.)
On 18-4-1855, a double wedding was celebrated in Sarah's house on the Survey. Matilda married William Johnson(1832-1875) and her sister Jane, married George Young. When Jane died six days after the birth of her fifth child, Sarah (b.12-8-1863), the baby was brought up as one of Matilda's family.
William and Matilda had eight children of their own:
William (1855-1905) who never married;
Matilda(Tilly,1858-1936) who never married;
William Henry (1860-1860);
Robert Henry (1863-1936)who married Catherine Tuck in 1915, their children being William Henry, Christopher James, Margaret and Mary. N.B. THE CHRISTIE JOHNSTONE ARTICLE CALLS HIM ALBERT HENRY!
Rebecca Sarah (1866-1922) who never married;
Mary Jane (1869-?);
Sarah (1871-1927)who married W.G.J.Coulter in 1903, their children being Ruby and William George;
Charles Oliver (1875-1963) who never married.
JOHNSON BECOMES JOHNSTONE.
The first-born, Billy acted as head of the family when his own father died ten weeks after the birth of Charles Oliver.The family had been living on a 5 acre portion of 67A* Balnarring. Billy kept on receiving demands for payment of bills but they were not his debts. A member of another Johnson family was responsible for them,possibly the family which lived near Warrawee (Vansuylen's grant.) This so annoyed Billy that he changed the family name to Johnstone by deed poll.
*It seems that this is a mistake and that that the 5 acre block was on 67B. i.e.The 20-10-1913 assessment records that Christopher Oliver Johnstone, Red Hill farmer, was rated on 5 acres and buildings, part crown allotment 67B,Balnarring.
TO BE CONTINUED 67A LOCATION , 20 WANNAEUE.-SEE COMMENT 1.
Crown allotment 67A in the parish of Balnarring is between Shoreham Rd and Stony Creek with its north east corner being exactly opposite the Oceanview Ave corner. It is roughly indicated by Melway 190 J11. In the 1860's William Johnson and Matilda settled on 5 acres of it with the Wilsons. Petronella Wilson stated that 67A was granted to Robert Wilson in 1871 but the parish map indicates that 67A and 67B were both granted to Edward Gray.
INQUESTS.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Tuesday 29 September 1874 p 7 Article
... INQUESTS. Mr Candler held an inquest on the 25th inst, at Dromana. on the body of Edward Gray, aged 60 years, a farmer at Balnarring. On the 24th inst. the deceased and his son were burning trees, to clear a paddock, and i the son hearing a tree fall near the deceased I went up and found the ..
The farmers south and east of Arthurs Seat/Red Hill roads were not in the Kangerong Road District and their first assessment by the Flinders Road Board was on 13-6-1869. Ratepayers were listed geographically and the following excerpt starts in Tucks Rd near Shands Rd. Thomas Bullock 59 acres (west side where almost 97 acres were granted to F.Bullock in 1875), Hamilton Allen 115 acres(east side where 115 acres 2 roods and 30 perches were granted to A.Allan), George Young 16 acres, William Johnson 5 acres, George Wilson 32 acres,Edward Gray house and 53 acres, William Bayne 2059 acres (76AB of 208 acres between 67A and McConnell's 75AB, plus 630 acres granted across Shoreham Rd and obviously a lot leased.)
By 7-6-1870 George Young had gone, probably to Moorooduc on Andrew White's grants south of Vineyard Lane and on the west side of three chain (Old Moorooduc)road.After Jane (Wilson) had died in 1863, George had married the orphaned Janet White of "Mt Martha" in 1866 and through her George had probably come into ownership of the property or part of it. His address was certainly three chain road.
In 1870, George Wilson had 48 acres having occupied Young's 16 acres. William Johnson was not assessed on his 5 acres and may have been in Moorooduc; at about that time a William Johnson was considered ineligible to be on the electoral roll for the Mornington Division because he had sold his freehold land in the parish of Moorooduc. If this was so,George Wilson should have been assessed on the whole 53 acres of 67B but such logic usually escaped rate collectors who were too busy to worry about such details.
OH NO! MORE CONFUSION.PARISH OF WANNAEUE.
When I read the amusing tale of George and Ollie Johnstone in Hec Hanson's MEMOIRS OF A LARRIKIN, I assumed that George was related to the grantee of 20C Wannaeue but he wasn't! I have written a separate journal about George and Ollie.
Billy and his uncle George (Wilson)obtained a lease from the Crown in 1882 for crown allotment 20B (of section B)in the parish of Wannaeue. This consisted of 191 acres according to GIVING DESTINY A HAND but an 1872 Wannaeue map gives its area as 172 acres 2 roods and 2 perches. A later map shows that 20B was later split into 20B of 34 acres (granted to John Shand in 1905)and 20C of 130 acres (granted to W.Johnstone on 19-7-1902.) The reason for the splitting of the original 20B and the apparent loss of 8 acres was Roberts Rd, separating 20B on the west side from 20C, which was bounded by Shands, Roberts and Mornington-Flinders Rds.
Alexander Shand, who died during his son,John's term as President of the Shire of Flinders and Kangerong, had established an early steam sawmill beside Main Creek,which had the most constant supply of water in the area and William Johnson/Johnstone must have raised no objections to Alexander's waggons taking a short cut through his selection on the way to Red Hill. Eventually the shire declared his track a shire road.
My transcriptions of rate records only provide a snapshot of occupancy and of course the 1879 assessment does not mention William Johnson, George Wilson or any landholding of 172 (or 191) acres in the parish of Wannaeue.
This part of the parish, with Flinders, Red Hill (west of Red Hill Rd) and Dromana, was in the Central Riding.
1900.William Johnstone, 126 acres, c/a 20C,Wannaeue.
1910. R.H.Johnston,Shoreham farmer,80 acres, 20C, Wannaeue. Joseph Smith,farmer,Red Hill,50 acres,part 20c, Wannaeue.
1919 (the last assessment on microfiche)Robert Henry Johnstone (Billy's son and Christie Johnstone's father),38 acres and buildings,part c/a 20C, Wannaeue. Mrs Mary Cleave,Red Hill,24 acres and buildings,part 20C, Wannaeue. No other identified parts of 20C were assessed.
R. H. Johnstone, Red Hill, offering to purchase wood on Cape Schanck fronting his property, and calling at- tention to culvert near Dumbleton's as it is dangerous.- Tenders to be called for timber, and culvert to be at-tended to.(P.2, Mornington Standard, 6-6-1914.)
In referring to the timber/property on Cape Schanck, Robert Henry Johnstone was almost certainly discussing 20C Wannaeue. The above excerpt from a report of a Shire of Flinders and Kangerong meeting is the only article linking Johnstone and Cape Schanck and the only mention of Dumbleton in the area. It illustrated how vague locality names were in those days. The Johnsons were living on their 5 acre block on 67B, which was described (above)as being in Shoreham in one instance and and at Red Hill in another. None of the roads had names! How could Robert Henry say "the wood near Shand's Rd?" I can assure you that the following tender was for Limestone Road but very few people would know it.
No. 7-Metal, Main creek to Black's camp. (Black's Camp was on Boneo Rd halfway between Browns and Limestone Rds but there was another Black's Camp near the corner of Boneo and Long Point Road where the second Boneo (or Blacks'Camp) school was situated. Therefore Black's Camp described the general area.)
AND NOW FOR CHRISTIE JOHNSTONE'S STORY.
Christie Johnstone's story was in a Mornington News special Anzac Edition 2013, which also has an article about three Tuck boys. There was also a Southern Peninsula News Anzac Edition with exactly the same content. As I have had trouble finding this special edition online, and readers might too, I will reproduce Christie's story verbatim. There are three photos with the article (young Christie in uniform,the derelict 1877 Mantonville homestead and Christie outside his farm gate.) If family members would like copies of these, send me a private message.My comments are in brackets.
CHRISTIE CARRIES ON TUCK TRADITION by Peter McCullough.
Christie was born on 17 February 1920 at Main Ridge. His parents were Albert* Henry and Catherine Johnstone, and he had a brother,William Henry,and a sister. (His father was Robert Henry Johnstone.) His father was born in Dromana and the Johnstone family lived in Red Hill (i.e. 5 acres of 67B Balnarring.)"They were bushmen-splitting timber and that sort of thing." His father worked in Gippsland in his younger days, later moved to Main Ridge where his parents* had an orchard and grew strawberries. (Robert Henry was born in 1863,his father, William Johnson, died in 1875 and his mother, Matilda,nee Wilson,died in 1898. The orchard would have been on the 5 acres at RedHill/ Stony Creek/Shoreham and as his father died in 1875, it would have been more accurate to say that Robert's family had the orchard,with Robert's brother , William (1855-1905), who changed the family name to Johnstone, and was granted 20C Wannaeue, running the small farm with the assistance of his youngest brother, Charles Oliver (1875-1963.) C/A 20C would probably have been used for cattle grazing and getting wood for timber or firewood. Robert Henry must have returned shortly after his brother, William, died in 1905 and settled on 20C Wannaeue; he was assessed on the property in 1910, and probably earlier.)
Christie's mother, Catherine, was the eldest daughter of Henry Tuck Junior and the family moved to Flinders in 1924 to look after her father, who was almost 80 and to help him run the farm. His wife, Margaret had died in 1910. (The obituary of Mrs C.Dowling in 1911 -sixth paragraph of this journal- reveals that Henry had married Margaret Dowling.)
Christie went to school in Flinders, starting the same day as Eric Lucas who died just recently. It was a two mile walk to school and in those days he could walk to school and home again without seeing a car. He had more rides in a horse-and-buggy than he ever got in a motor car. As soon as Christie turned 14 he left school to work on the farm.
"Mantonville" was a dairy farm of 150 acres and all the milking was done by hand in those days. The family only milked about 20 cows as that was all they could handle.After the war, with machines, they were milking 50 cows. Kinross Dairies would collect the milk and take it to Edithvale. Christie milked cows for about 50 years and never took a holiday for 25 years. With a milk contract he had to be there every day. About 30 years ago he went out of the dairy business and has been running beef cattle ever since. However only 80 acres are left out of the original holding.
After Christie left school he did a lot of other work as well as milking cows twice a day: fence contracting, ploughing, wood cutting, and splitting posts. Just before he joined up in 1941 he worked at the Flinders Golf course for 12 months but he never hit a golf ball;"Working there five-and-a-half days a week,I reckon I saw enough of the golf course! Besides,I was still milking cows before and after work."
(I wonder if Christie knew the magnificent golfer in the surgical boot was related to him. Jane Darley,nee Wilson, was the daughter of George Wilson and niece of Matilda Johnson, nee Wilson.
William Edward Darley (born Jamieson's Special Survey, 1859-1938) and Jane's children were:
1. Florence Mary (1892-1943), spinster.
2. Annie Maude (1894-1967) who in 1937 married Joseph James Kay but had no children.
3. Kate Evelyn (1896-1981.) No issue. There may have been marriage detail which I neglected to record in my rush.
4. William George (1899-1971) bachelor.
5.Saville Maude (1910-1987)who in 1944 married Patricia Marie O'Donnell and had five daughters.
6. Lionel Edward (1913-1987)who in 1943 married Faye Chitts and had one daughter.
William George Darley,the fourth child and oldest son of Willam Edward and Jane (Wilson) was an outstanding golfer. He had a physical disability. When I googled "Darley, Flinders, Golf", I did find confirmation of this. He had to wear surgical boots as a result of being gored by a wild boar when he was seven.
Flinders Golf Champ Dies; 72 . - Google News
news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19710825&id...
Flinders golf champ dies; 72 . Bill Darley, of Flinders, one of Victoria's best known golfers died in his sleep early yesterday,aged 72. He played his last round of ...
There should be a spate of "aces" down Flinders way in the next few weeks. The club recently staged an exhibition match between Eric Lucas and Bill Darley against Ken Lucas, and Heidelberg professional Al Whykes.
Bill gave the gallery a perfect demonstration of how to hole out in one. He did the trick at the 15th-and what a reception he received! Of course, it was no trouble for Bill and Eric, to go on then and win the match 2 and 1. (P.14, The Argus, 12-1-1954.)
What a coincidence that Christie's lifelong friend, Eric Lucas, was Bill's partner in that contest!)
NEXT PAR WON'T SUBMIT- PASTED ONTO JOHNSON-JOHNSTONE FILE
Farmers were classed as an "essential trade" and were barred
TO BE CONTINUED IN COMMENTS BOX.
THE MYSTERIOUS SARAH WILSON, PIONEER NEAR ARTHURS SEAT, VIC., AUST.
If it had not been for Colin McLear's A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA, my PIONEER PATHWAY journal entry for Sarah Wilson and her sons,George and Robert, would have been nothing but a heading. I would not even have known that she existed apart from the plaque on the pathway. The PATHWAY entry contained much speculation, as did the WHITE journal, because the WILSON surname was very common in the area too.
Henry William Wilson started off on the Survey, as did Sarah, and it was logical to assume that Sarah was a widow and that she might have been related in some way to Henry. I stress might because she could just as easily have been related to George Wilson near the Balnarring/Flinders parish boundary,Alfred B. Wilson at Shoreham,the Wilsons on Tuerong Station at the time of the Schnapper Point murder, or the Mornington pioneers. Charles Bowman Wilson,train driving President of Mornington Shire, after whom the C.B.Wilson reserve in Wilson Rd, Mornington is named, was the child of a marriage between members of the previously unrelated Tuerong and Mornington Wilson families. (Joan Downward, and the author of the website:
'Bonnie William from Dundee' � a Synopsis | Bonnie William.)
A relationship between H.W.Wilson and Sarah seems impossible because Henry (whose biography I've almost forgotten) came from the London area and ran the Beauvoir Arms hotel there before coming out, this being the reason his son Godfrey Burdett Wilson gave the name "Beauvoir" to the house he built, which still stands proudly at about 10 McCulloch St Dromana. Sarah's native place was far from London, across the Irish Sea!
The rest of the journal is due to Petronella Wilson's GIVING DESTINY A HAND. Thanks to the library, I had two days to make notes from its incredible detail, actually one because of a social commitment on the Sunday. The author's maiden name was Roberts and she was probably of the family which received the grant in the parish of Flinders at the south end of Roberts Rd (Melway 255 B1.) Interestingly,I found while searching for something else that J.Roberts was residing in Main Ridge in 1896; he may have been Rosebud's first postmaster, John Roberts who bought land nearer to Rosebud and whose daughter,Rose, married William Brady of Mount Evergreen.
SARAH WILSON.
Sarah Spence was born in County Tyrone,Ireland and at the age of 21, she married Oliver Wilson, a staunch Presbyterian and a shoemaker. Oliver, son of George and Martha,was born on County Donegal in 1791.His mother died in 1831 aged 80 and probably because he no longer had the responsibility of her care,he married in 1832 at the age of 40. Three children were to share the voyage to Australia: George b.1833,Jane b.1834 and Matilda b.1837.
Since 1835, there had been a bounty of 38 pounds paid for married couples under the age of 40 who went to the colony so Oliver,now 49, declared that he was 38 and that Sarah (actually 29) was 34. Having crossed the Irish Sea,they sailed from Liverpool on the Argyle,leaving on 7-11-1840 and landing at William's Town on 12-4-1841, glad to step ashore after the confined space in steerage.
Oliver continued his trade as a shoemaker and the family had a house in Flinders Lane where their fourth child,Robert, was born on 11-7-1843. Melbourne had been declared a Town in 1842 and by the birth was probably in the grip of a severe depression,but Oliver persevered and by 1847 was making a good living from his craft, with help from 14 year-old George. Oliver died on 12-1-1851 and soon rents became astronomical because of the gold rush, so 18 year-old George,now the head of the family suggested a move to cheaper housing on Jamieson's Special Survey near Arthur's Seat (the present Safety Beach, east to Bulldog Creek Rd.) This makes it likely that Sarah's family arrived on the Survey in 1851 or soon after,rather than 1855 as stated by Colin McLear and the pioneer pathway plaque. How could Jane and Matilda have married fellow Survey residents on 18-4-1855 if they had not spent some time getting to know each other?
THERE WAS NOT TIME TO NOTE ALL DETAILS. IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE FURTHER INFORMATION, SEND ME A PRIVATE MESSAGE OUTLINING WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AND I WILL SEE IF "GIVING DESTINY A HAND" HAS THOSE DETAILS.
The children of Oliver Wilson (1791-1851) and Sarah, nee Spence (1811-1870) were:
1. George (1830-1905),born Lifford, Ireland who married (1866)Mary Jane Connell (Ryder on birth certificate.);
2. Jane (1834-63), born Lifford, who married George Young (1855,see his journal) at Sarah's house on the Survey;
3. Matilda (1837-78), b. Lifford, who married William Johnson (b. Dublin,1832-75)in a joint ceremony with Jane;
4. Robert (1843-94), born Melbourne, who never married and would have been only about 18 when he signed the petition supporting Robert Denison Quinan's school at Dromana in 1861.
OLIVER AND SARAH WILSON'S OFFSPRING.
George and Mary Jane WILSON'S children were:
1. Mary Ann (1867-1925) who in 1889 married Christopher Hansen Laurissen (b. at Cranborne, 1862-1939) and settled near George in the Red Hill South area near Main Ridge;
2. George Henry (1869-1914)who married Elizabeth Mary Given in 1911 but had no children;
3. Jane (born Stony Creek, Red Hill South,1871-1929) who in 1892 married William Edward Darley, member of a Flinders family about which I believe I've written some information in my SHIRE OF FLINDERS journal;
4. Sarah (born Balnarring,Red Hill South,1874-1948) who in 1908 married Albert Alexander Thomas Boulter.
5. Isabella((1876-1942)who in 1897 married James Turner.
6. Ellen (1878-1918) who in 1901 married Joseph Barkly Davis.
7. Robert (1881-1938) who in 1916 married Esther Dunn Ellis.
8. James (a twin, 1884-1954) who in 1915 married Barbara Scott Purves. (Much information about both is in my MURRAY GOMM:LOCAL FOOTY HERO journal.)
9. Elizabeth (a twin, 1884-1952)who in 1914 married William Henry Tayson.
George and Jane YOUNG'S children were:
1. Jane Ann (1856-1938) who in 1880 married James Connell. Their children were Anthony Edward, James Thomas, John George, William Charles, Albert Ernest, Mary Ann Eleanor, David Lewis, Charlotte Jessie and Elsie Florence.
2.George (1857-?) who married James Clout and had a son named George.
3.Mary Jane (1859-?)
4. John (1861-1947) who in 1888 married Martha Ellen Andrews.
5. Sarah (1863-1943)who in 1882 married James Matthews.
After Jane's death, George Young married Janet White and had ten more children. (See the GEORGE YOUNG journal.)
William and Matilda JOHNSON'S children were:
1. William 1855-1905, bachelor.
2. Matilda (Tilly), 1858-1936, spinster.
3.William Henry 1860-1860.
4. Robert Henry 1863-1936, who in 1915 married Catherine Tuck, daughter of Henry Tuck Jnr., (the excellent bush poet whose poetry can be purchased from the Dromana Historical Society.)Their children were William Henry, Charles James, Margaret and Mary.
5. Rebecca Sarah 1866-1922, spinster.
6. Mary Jane 1869-?
7. Sarah 1871-1927, who in 1903 married W.G.J.Coulter and had two children,Ruby and William George.
8. Charles Oliver 1875-1963, bachelor.
GEORGE WILSON'S OFFSPRING.
Christopher Hansen Laurissen and Mary Ann's children were:
1.Mary Jane (twin) 1893-1937 who in 1914 married Robert George White, their children being Nellie Harriet, Christopher Robert, Stanley George, Ivan Henry,Ruby Mary, Doris May and Alma Hilda.
2. Rose Mabel (twin) who in 1914 married William Thomas Burgess and had five sons and three daughters (details in book.)
3. George William 1895-1964 who in 1918 married Vera Rose Montgomery Holmes and had five children whose details are in the book. Vera's family had settled in Red Hill (probably in Prossors Lane) about five years earlier.
4. Elizabeth Elsie 1898-1936 who in 1916 married Francis Nolan Taylor and had eight children whose details are in the book.
William Edward Darley (born Jamieson's Special Survey, 1859-1938) and Jane's children were:
1. Florence Mary (1892-1943), spinster.
2. Annie Maude (1894-1967) who in 1937 married Joseph James Kay but had no children.
3. Kate Evelyn (1896-1981.) No issue. There may have been marriage detail which I neglected to record in my rush.
4. William George (1899-1971) bachelor.
5.Saville Maude (1910-1987)who in 1944 married Patricia Marie O'Donnell and had five daughters.
6. Lionel Edward (1913-1987)who in 1943 married Faye Chitts and had one daughter.
Alexander Edward Boulter (b. Mauritius, 1867-1945)and Sarah's children were:
1. William Albert 1897-1967, bachelor.
2. Florence Emily 1908-1986, spinster.
3. Doris 1911-1978 who in 1928 married Walter John Scott and had two daughters.
James Turner (b. Bittern, 1863-1943)and Isabella's children were:
1. George Edward 1897-1953,bachelor.
2. Ida Ellis who in 1916 married David Lewis Connell of Foxey's Hangout fame.Their children were Doreen,
Amy Isabell,George James,Nellie Evelyn,Jean Ivy and Leonard Lewis.(See the CONNELL Journal.)
Joseph Barkly Davis(b. Richmond, 1870-1956) and Ellen married in 1901 and had the following children:
1. Muriel Ellen (1902-?) who in 1926 married Walter Jeffrey Yelland.
2. Ethel May (1906-1911.)
3.Ruby Mavis (1913-?)
Robert Wilson* and Esther Dunn Ellis (1887-1977) had one child:
Robert Richard (1919-1986) who in 1955 married Jocelyn Gladys Reed and had two boys and two girls (details in book.)
*Robert was lucky to survive his childhood. I'll bet he was very careful using axes.
James Wilson and Barbara Scott Purves had the following children:
1. Daphne Mavis (1916-?) who in 1940 married William James Hicklin and had two sons and a daughter.
2.Harold James (1918-?,known to Hec Hanson as "Cocko")who in 1947 married Marjory Burston and had five boys.Marjory might have been a descendant of George Burston from Fitzroy who was assessed on a large part of the Burrells' Arthurs Seat pre-emptive right.
CHECK RATES.
3.Lila Violet (1920-?) who in 1940 married Alan Hosken,with no issue, and in 1947 married George Gomm and had two sons, Ray and Murray. There is much detail about the Purves and Gomm families in my journal:
MURRAY GOMM,LOCAL FOOTY HERO,SOMERVILLE FOOTBALL CLUB.
ABOUT FAMILY MEMBERS.
WILLIAM EDWARD DARLEY.
RACING.
Mornington Standard (Vic. : 1889 - 1908) Saturday 23 April 1904 Edition: MORNING. p 5 Article
... Nominations close this evening with the hon. secretary, Mr W. E. Darley, for the Flinders Racing Club's annual meeting, which takes place on Friday, May 6.
William George Darley,the fourth child and oldest son of Willam Edward and Jane (Wilson) was an outstanding golfer. I seem to remember that he had some sort of physical disability but I could take forever to find the source of my belief. However when I googled "Darley, Flinders, Golf", I did find confirmation of my belief. He had to wear surgical boots as a result of being gored by a wild boar when he was seven.
Flinders Golf Champ Dies; 72 . - Google News
news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19710825&id...
Flinders golf champ dies; 72 . Bill Darley, of Fliders, one of Victoria's best known golfers died in his sleep early yesterday,aged 72. He played his last round of ...
There should be a spate of "aces" down Flinders way in the next few weeks. The club recently staged an exhibition match between Eric Lucas and Bill Darley against Ken Lucas, and Heidelberg professional Al Whykes.
Bill gave the gallery a perfect demonstration of how to hole out in one. He did the trick at the 15th-and what a reception he received! Of course, it was no trouble for Bill and Eric, to go on then and win the match 2 and 1.(P.14, The Argus, 12-1-1954.)
Properties mentioned in GIVING DESTINY A HAND.
ANTHONY CONNELL. Nag or Nagg Hill. Crown allotments 29 and 27,parish of Moorooduc, granted to Anthony at an unspecified date. Fronting the east side of Old Moorooduc Rd from the bend at number 235 to the Vineyard Lane corner, the south boundary being 1004 metres and the north boundary being 700 metres to the Balnarring/Gillett Rd corner. Anthony was also granted 11A, Moorooduc,of 22 acres 1 rood and 33 perches on 4-3-1873. Gillett Rd was the northern boundary of this grant, whose western boundary was that of the Tuerong Reserve,the course of Balnarring Rd having been altered to run through 11A circa 1931. The marriage of Anthony's daughter, Mary Jane, and George Wilson took place at Nagg Hill in 1866.
The Connells were much involved in horse racing so I believe that this interest led to the farm's name and prefer the Nag Hill version. Nag Hill was directly across Old Moorooduc Rd from Anrew White's grants. George Young married Mary Jane's sister Jane in 1855 and they might have lived at Nag Hill for some time. When Jane died in 1863,it was not surprising that his second wife was Janet White, who was probably Andrew White's daughter. They married on 2-1-1866 with George Wilson and his fiancee, Mary Jane Connell, acting as witnesses.
JAMES CONNELL. Tuerong (Cresta 11 in 1992.) Crown allotment 12B Moorooduc, of 177 acres 2 roods 25 perches, was granted to James on 1-7-1886. I don't know whether Tuerong was actually the farm's name (James Connell of Tuerong may have been interpreted as James Connell of "Tuerong".) If it was,it might have been the reason that the Tuerong pre-emptive right was called Tuerong Station and later Tuerong Park. Rennison's grant (11B of 239 2 22,where the Peninsula's first race meeting was said to have been held)and adjoining James Connell's grant on the north, was without doubt the 240 acre TUERONG VALLEY advertised for sale in 1950. (P.27, Argus, 9-12-1950.) James Connell's grant fronted Balarring and Derril Rds,the Hodgins Rd corner being at the midpoint of its eastern boundary. Melway 152 D-F, part 8,part 9.
ROBERT WILSON.(A) Crown allotment 13 Moorooduc, south of James Connell's 12B to Foxey's Hangout Rd.This allotment of 170 acres was granted to Robert on 21-5-1886. Robert,born to Oliver and Sarah Wilson in Melbourne in 1843 died in 1894 at the age of 51, so he may have been in failing health in August 1891 when he sold it to James Smith Adams, a Mornington butcher who owned considerable land near Westernport. Adams sold the property to Charles Beissel of Richmond a month later.
(B) FERN HILL. Crown allotment 67B,Balnarring, of 53 acres 2 roods and 18 perches was selected by the grantee, Edward Gray, in 1862. Robert Wilson bought the 54 acres in his 20's,gaining title in April 1871. His sister,Matilda, and her husband, William Johnson, settled on 5 acres of it. (Melway 190 J12,fronting Stony Creek and Shoreham Rd.)
JAMES TURNER.
GEORGE WILSON.
GEORGE YOUNG, THE MYSTERIOUS PIONEER OF DROMANA, VIC., AUST.
In A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA, Colin McLear discussed many of the pioneers of the 5 280 acre Jamieson's Special Survey, today's Safety Beach, but also extending east to the line of Bulldog Creek Rd. Petronella Wilson's GIVING DESTINY A HAND mentions several more. One of these was George Young Junior.
I am guessing that Thomas Oliver Young was his nephew or great nephew.
YOUNG.-On the l2th May, at 33 Nelson road, Newport, Thomas Oliver, third beloved son of Mary and the late W. W. Young; brother of George,Frank, Andrew, Joe, Elsie and Grace Young. Aged 30 years 6 months. Atrest. Funeral Notice. YOUNG. - The friends of the late Mr Thomas O. Young are respectfully invited to follow his remains to the place of internment, Williamstown Cemetery. The funeral will leave the residence of his mother, 33 Nelson-road, Newport, at 3 p.m. THIS DAY (Saturday), May 14. -Thomas Lonsdale; Undertaker, Williams town and Newport. (P.2, Williamstown Chronicle, 14-5-1910.)
I make this wild guess because there is so little else (from trove)to indicate that George Young junior ever existed and there are several possible links. The first link is that George Young junior died at Williamstown in 1916. The second is that Thomas had a brother named George. The third is that the second given name of Thomas was Oliver. The fourth is that Thomas had a brother named Andrew.
The first two links need no explanation. Oliver was the name of George's father in law, who died about four years before George's first marriage in 1855. Andrew might have been the name of the father of Janet White, George's second wife who bore him 10 more children. Now these given names were fairly common but you never know!
GEORGE YOUNG'S STORY.
I'll give you the ending before the start!
YOUNG.-In loving memory of my dear husband, George Young, who died 29th September, 1916, in his 86th year, at his son - in - law's, James Johnson, jun , 5 Garden street, Williamstown, leaving a wife and a large family of sons and daughters.-Inserted by his loving wife.(P.2, Williamstown Chronicle, 29-9-1917.)
WHAT MAKES GEORGE YOUNG MYSTERIOUS.
The presence and location of many pioneers is made known through parish maps and ratebooks. If somebody was not a grantee, it can usually be worked out,with great difficulty, where they were living. However, George Young and probably many other pioneers (especially tenants on Jamieson's Special Survey and those leasing crown land)have slipped under the radar because they have moved on before Road Boards were formed and started assessing residents.
The first Kangerong Road Board assessment in 1864 just caught a Connell involvement on the Survey; somebody called Connell had his rates paid at the last minute by somebody called Wilson. George Young had already moved
on,probably to 16 acres in the parish of Balnarring but that was in the future Flinders Road District, where the first assessment was in 1869. If it had been in 1870,we would not have known he was there either.(See the Flinders RoadBoard assessments below.) It is a rare stroke of luck to pinpoint where a pioneer was living from trove. This information is more likely to come from family folklore or an old title deed.
I initially suspected that George Young might be related to Robert Coxen Young or Henry Young. The first was granted 21B Kangerong of 121 acres(Melway 161 E 10-11)and was assessed for a few years, possibly selling out or leasing to the Counsels. The latter owned or leased the 249 acre Gracefield (Melway 159 H9 to the Seahaze Estate at G12.) I think both were men of means and the following, from GIVING DESTINY A HAND, makes it unlikely that George was related.
George's father, also George, was born in Birmingham and, convicted of stealing brushes at the age of 16 was transported to Van Dieman's Land in 1820. Having served his time, he married Charlotte, who had been convicted of highway robbery, in 1826 and George Junior was born in 1828. Charlotte was murdered by being pushed into a fire when the boy was about 7 and his father later married Elizabeth Jones (who had been transported for stealing a purse.)George's father and stepmother were recorded as passengers to the Port Phillip District (Victoria) in 1848. Petronella Wilson speculated that George (junior)worked his passage across and mentioned no siblings (which surely there were unless there was a reproduction problem.)
George Young junior married Jane Wilson at Sarah Wilson's house on the Survey on 18-4-1855. Jane had been born in 1834 to Oliver and Sarah Wilson and had been about 7 when the family arrived on 12-1-1841. George was now 25 and his occupation was given as carpenter. On the same day, possibly simultaneously, Jane's sister, Matilda, married William Johnson. The two couples later moved to Melway 255 H-J 1 with George Wilson, brother of the brides.George and Jane had five children:Jane Ann, George, Mary Jane, John and Sarah.
Jane died at 29 shortly after Sarah's birth on 12-8-1863 and the baby was taken in by Matilda and William. On 2-1-1866,George married Janet White, an orphaned 18 year old from Mt Martha. George Wilson and his fiancee, Mary Jane Connell were witnesses; Mary Jane's father, Anthony, had been granted a huge area of land across three chain road from the grants of Andrew White, who may have been Janet's father.
IN the SUPREME COURT of the COLONY of VICTORIA : Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction.-In the Will of ANDREW WHITE, late of Tubba Rubba, In the parish of Moorooduc; In tho County of Mornington, in the Colony of Victoria, Farmer, Deceased. -Notice Is hereby given, that, after the expiration of 14 days from the publication hereof, application will be made to tho Supreme Court of the colony of Victoria, in its Ecclesiastical jurisdiction, that PROBATE of tho LAST WILL and TESTAMENT of Andrew White, late of Tubba Rubba, in the parish of Moorooduc, in tho county of Mornington, in the colony of Victoria, farmer, deceased, may be granted to Archibald White, of Tubba Rubba aforesaid, farmer ; William White, of the same place, farmer ; and William Armstrong, of Mornington, in tho said colony, clerk of petty sessions, the trustees and executors named in and appointed by tho said will.
Dated this sixteenth day of January, A.D. 1865.
GEORGE JOHN SIMS, l8 Collins-street east, Melbourne, proctor for tho said Archibald White, William White, and William Armstrong, the above-named trustees and executors.(P.6, Argus, 17-1-1865.)
I have no way of knowing if the G.Young, grazier of Moorooduc, was our George, but I have a fair suspicion that he was. I also suspect that his unfortunate son was named after one of the executors of Andrew White.
MORNINGTON, Tuesday.
A young man named William Young aged 26, a son of Mr G Young grazier of Moorooduc and considered to be one of the best horsemen in the district, met with a fatal accident whilst out riding on Sunday breaking in a young horse. It appears that the horse by some means got its tail entangled in the crupper of the saddle and commenced to buck, ultimately coming down and falling heavily upon the rider, who was severely injured about the head. The services of Dr. Reed were promptly called in, and on examination that gentleman pronounced the injury to be concussion of the brain of a serious nature, and in spite of all that could be done for the sufferer he remained in a partly unconscious state until Monday afternoon, when death put an end to his sufferings. An inquest or magisterial inquiry was not deemed necessary, Dr Reed having given a certificate that death resulted from concussion of the brain, &c.(P.6,Argus, 24-2-1892.)
In GIVING DESTINY A HAND, Petronella Wilson stated that, after his first wife died, George Young had married 18 year old orphan, Janet White of Mt Martha in 1866 and they lived on 16 acres in the parish of Balnarring. This description made me think of Andrew White, whose grants were across three chain road from those of Anthony Connell in the parish of Moorooduc. But first I had to find the 16 acres in Balnarring.
A snatch of the first Flinders Road Board assessment (8-6-1869) is reproduced below.
33. Thomas Bullock house and 59 acres; 34. Hamilton Allen 115 acres; 35. George Young house and 16 acres;
36. William Johnson house and 5 acres; George Wilson house and 32 acres; 37. Edward Grey house and 53acres.
On 7-6-1870,the following were assessed.
49. Thomas Bullock 59 acres; 50. George Wilson 48 acres; Edward Gray 54 acres. (George Young and William Johnson were no longer there! George Young's 16 acre block was obviously part of George Wilson's property.)
I checked every parish up to 1874 and the first Shire of Flinders and Kangerong assessment, and there was no sign of either. I had suspected that if Janet White was related to Andrew White, George and Janet would have been likely to settle in the parish of Moorooduc (which was in another Road District, being north of Ellerina Rd.
And about the grazier's son being named William: William White, executor for Andrew White (Law notice above in italics) was probably related to George Young's second wife, Janet. George had five children from his first marriage and added ten more with Janet including William Henry and Charles Albert.
George Young (1828-1916)b.Launceston married (1855) Jane Wilson (1834-63.) Their children were:
Jane Ann (1856-1938) who married (1880) James Connell. (See the Connell journal.)
George (1857-?) who married Jane Clout and had a son,George.
Mary Jane (1859-?)
John (1861-1947) who in 1888 married Martha Ellen Andrews and had seven children.(Names available.)
Sarah (1863-1943), raised by Aunt Matilda, who married Dromana carpenter, James Matthews, in 1882; no issue.
DEATH OF OLD MORNINGTON IDENTITY The Mornington district has lost one of its oldest pioneers in the person of Mr. Jack Young, who had resided in the locality for many years. The late Mr. Young was the son of the late Mr. George Young, who lived near Tuerong Creek in early days. Mr. Jack Young was born in the district, and can therefore be claimed as Mornington's oldest resident. The funeral took place at the Mornington Cemetery.
(P.1, Standard, Frankston,29-5-1947.)
Jack was probably John (above) born in 1861. I have seen the Andrews family described as an old Moorooduc family.
From E. Young, Tuerong, mentioning that the road between Messrs Pitt and Young's properties was impassable. -Referred to the engineer. (P.3, Mornington Standard, 19-9-1903.)
E.Young was most likely Edward Young, woodcutter, brother of Charles Young and brother-in-law of Jack Skillen.
(P.2, Mornington Standard 6-1-1906.) Charles and Edward would have been among the 10 children of George Young and Janet (nee White.)Charles was accused of stealing a slaughtered pig.
The following tenders were accepted : Street sweeping and lamp lighting Charles Young, 30s per week. Supplying 150 yards of metal (spalls) from Tuerong quarry-W. White, 5s 6d per yard. (P.5, Mornington Standard, 21-1-1905.) William White would have been related to Janet White, George Young's second wife. I presume Charles was performing his work in Mornington itself.
George Young's last child with Jane, nee Wilson, was Sarah. She was raised by her aunt, Matilda Johnson, and married James Matthews of Dromana. James was a carpenter and arranged funerals for Hector Gamble of Frankston. He also did the Dromana, Cape Schanck, Flinders mail run.
OBITUARY JAMES MATTHEWS Mr. James Matthews passed away at Bush Nursing Hospital, Mornington, on Monday, September 24 at the age of 85 years. He was born at Dromana, and lived there all his life. His parents were early settlers of Dromana. His wife predeceased him. The funeral was to the Dromana Cemetery. The coffin bearers were: Cr. Rudduck, Mr. J. F. Cross and Mr. A. H. Cross (nephews), Mr.F.Debney. Rev. E. Shackell read the burial service. Messrs. Hector Gamble and Son conducted the funeral arrangements.
Standard (Frankston, Vic. : 1939 - 1949) Thursday 4 October 1945 p 3 Article.
DROMANA Mr. J. Matthews, a well-known identity, died at Mornington Hospital recently. He is survived by a wife. The deceased had resided in Dromana for many years. (P.2 same paper and issue!) Sarah died in 1943 so the first report is right and the second is wrong! They had no children.
James Matthews served as President of the Dromana Sports Club, was a trustee of the recreation reserve and supplied materials for the maintenance of the mechanics' institute. Like many, he suffered from the 1939 fire at Dromana.
The local undertaker Mr. J. Matthews who is aged 79 years was almost trapped in his workshop. His home and workshop were destroyed and tools worth ?300 and six coffins were lost.(P.2, Argus, 10-1-1939.)
ANOTHER 10 FOR GEORGE.
George and Jane's first child, Jane Ann married James Connell in 1880 at the age of 24, by which time her father would have provided her with a collection of half brothers, two of whom are mentioned below.
After marrying Janet White on 2-1-1866, George had ten more children including William Henry and Charles Albert who were working with Jane Ann's 14 year old son, Anthony Connell, in the Tuerong quarry when the lad was killed.
THAT'S THE YOUNG HORSE!
Mr. J. Oldfield had a narrow escape from a serious accident on Monday. A horse and trap belonging to Mr. Young, of the Three Chain road, bolted from Mornington with the winkers off and without a driver, and ran into Mr. Oldfield's jinker at Mr. Monk's corner, breaking the shaft, and doing other damage. The same day a horse belonging to Mr.Connell bolted in the main street, breaking the shafts also.
(P.2, Mornington Standard, 12-1-1902.)
WAS THIS CHARLES ALBERT YOUNG'S HOUSE?
During a thunderstorm on Monday, a five roomed house owned by Mr C. Young at Tuerong, was burnt to the ground. The chimney was struck by lightning, and the whole place set on fire. The building was uninsured.
(P.2, Mornington Standard, 24-8-1912.)
MURRAY GOMM, LOCAL FOOTY HERO, SOMERVILLE FOOTBALL CLUB, VIC., AUST. (AND THE WEST AUSSIE GOMMS.)
I asked a question about Sarah Wilson when I was writing the PIONEER PATHWAY journal some time back. I now know all the answers thanks to Petonella Wilson's GIVING DESTINY A HAND and the Rosebud Library manager's consideration. In 2010,I had a problem after reading Leila Shaw's THE WAY WE WERE. Henry Gomm was the harbour master at Rosebud and was also at Somerville. Was it the same man? Leila could not help me much so I rang a young lady at Pearcedale who happened to have that surname. She said that her uncle Murray might be able to help.Thus Murray became the first descendant of pioneering Peninsula families with whom I came into contact.
Today, Somerville played the mighty Buds and I told Murray about the Gomm bit in GIVING DESTINY A HAND. I told him I'd photocopy and post it to him. Later, I thought I'd trace his mother's ancestors (from the book) back to those who arrived in the country. Having done that, I decided to make it a journal.I will do the same for his father, George's, side of the family later on. Last year Somerville had a shocking run with injuries but that hasn't deterred Murray and he was hard at work in the coach's box today. What else would we expect from someone with the bloodlines of so many Peninsula pioneers to whom overcoming adversity was a simple fact of life.
Petronella's book said that Murray's brother, Raymond George, could turn his hand to anything and that Murray William was great with horses. It gave great detail of George's dairy and the pub but it was probably written before George and his brother, Billy, were elevated to the status of Legends of the Somerville Football Club.
The LOCAL FOOTY SHOW is on digital 44 for 30 minutes on Fridays from 7 pm, and 9 to 10:30 am on Saturdays.
Apr 15, 2010 - 18 posts - 5 authors
LOCAL FOOTY SHOW shown at 7.00pm on C31 FRIDAY EVENING
LOCAL FOOTY HERO Murray Gomm (Somerville FC)
Murray Gomm has been a player, official and all-round tireless worker for the Somerville Football Club since 1967. But Murray is merely following a family tradition. The Gomm family has had a constant presence at the Somerville Football Club since the club was born in the 1890's, with Murray's father, grandfather and countless other family members heavily influential in the club's development. Congratulations Murray on being named as this weeks Bendigo Bank Local Footy Hero.
MorninGton PeninSula nePean Fl
mp3.news.com.au/hwt/cfpdf/.../sorrento%20somerville.pdf
Club legends. Somerville FC is a family club through and through, evidenced by many of its club legends. Both the Gomm (George and Bill) and the Armstrong ...
LILA WILSON MARRIED GEORGE GOMM IN 1947.
LILA'S PARENTS.
Lila was born in 1920,the third child of James Wilson(1884-1954) and Barbara Scott, nee Purves (1878-1934.) The 1919 assessment records that James was farming 163 acres (part 23B and 23B2, section B, Wannaeue) which probably means that his "50 acre property, "Fernlea" on which James and Barbara lived out their lives" was part of 23, on the south side of Whites Rd and west side of Main Creek Rd or 23A of 59 acres 3 roods and 34 perches (roughly Melway 171 H6) whose south west corner is the end of Wilson Rd. (There is no 23B2!)
LILA'S GRANDPARENTS.
James Wilson was the 8th of nine children born to George Wilson (1833-1905) and Mary Jane,nee Connell(1844-94.)
Barbara was the 7th of 10 children born to James Purves (29/9/1835 to 6/11/1913) and Emily Caroline,nee Quinan
(16/3/1844 to 4/8/1910.)
LILA'S GREAT GRAND PARENTS.
George Wilson was the first child of Oliver Wilson and Sarah,nee Spence who arrived landed at William's Town on 12-4-1841 having falsified their ages to qualify for a bounty,Sarah's up and Oliver's well down.They rented a house in Flinders Lane and Oliver continued his trade of shoemaking until his death in 1851. Soon after they leased a small farm on Jamieson's Special Survey (Safety Beach and east to Bulldog Creek Rd.)George selected land in the parish of Balnarring in the early 1860's and Sarah and George's siblings moved there with him.He married Mary Jane Connell in 1866.
Mary Jane Connell was a daughter of Anthony Connell, another early Survey tenant who bought much land between Old Moorooduc and Balnarring Rds in the parish of Moorooduc and called it Nag(g)s Hill. Some of his family later moved to Mornington and Red Hill. His son Lou (and Phillip Jackson) had a fox shooting contest that led to the creation of Foxey's Hangout.
See comment 1 for the parents of Barbara's parents.
THE GOMM GENEALOGY.
Henry Gomm's biography, as at 1888 can be found in VICTORIA AND ITS METROPOLIS:PAST AND PRESENT but his surname has been given as GOMIN. It states that he was born in 1839 (correct) and that he came to the colony in the same year (wrong.) It gives extremely little detail. As I wanted to find out how he was connected to Henry Gomm of Rosebud, I consulted GOMM genealogy and discovered Convict Henry Gomm. Thinking that Somerville Henry's incorrect and far-too-brief 1888 biography might have been a cover-up attempt,it took me six months to write my diary of discovery, THE MYSTERIOUS HENRY GOMM.
If Henry's biography had been like his obituary (below), I probably would never have discovered that William Gomm of Rosebud and Hastings, Henry Gomm of Rosebud and Thomas Gomm of Dromana were all sons of Convict Henry and totally unrelated to Somerville Henry.Nor would the City of Kingston's historian, Graham Whitehead, have written about the two unrelated families whose members were neighbours for about 60 years until their deaths.
(People: Two Gomm Families - City of Kingston Historical Website).
The Late Mr Henry Gomm. By the death of Mr Henry Gomm,Somerville has lost one of its oldest identities and one of its oldest benefactors. As the late gentleman was a colonist of 74 years, the story of his life is very interesting, especially to residents of this district. Leaving England with his parents in the ship "'Wallace" he arrived in Victoria in November 1843, being then five years of age. His parents settled in Melbourne and the boy received his early education at St James' School, West Melbourne. When he was 11 years old, his parents removed to Cope Cope where his father was employed as a bunder on Sutherland's sheep station. Gold having been discovered at Bendigo the family resolved to try their fortunes on the goldfields. They remained there about one year and then proceeded to Collingwood where Mr Gomm Senr. bought land and erected houses. Some time later the family shifted to Cheltenham and Mr Gomm who was then 15 years of age, became engaged in fishing pursuits at what was then called Schnapper Point. Subsequently he and his father in conjunction purchased a craft and visited Mud Island in search of guana. After several successful trips the vessel was wrecked at Davey's Bay, near Frankston and all the belongings of the crew were lost, as was also the craft. After the loss of the boat he entered into market gardening but on the outbreak of the Port Curtis diggings in Queensland, he journeyed there to try his luck. The venture proved a disastrous failure and Mr Gomm returned to Cheltenham. The following year, 1859, he married Margaret Monk and settled down. Mr Gomm afterwards built a home in this district and 51 years ago last November he brought his wife and family to live at what is now Somerville where all but two of the family were born. The late gentleman was very enthusiastic in all matters relating to the welfare of the district, his time, money and assistance being always proffered with the greatest willingness and alacrity. His liberality is too well known to require much comment as he donated the ground where stand both the local Mechanics' Institute and the Church of England. He leaves a widow, four sons and five daughters also 27 surviving grand children and two great-grandchildren. Mr Gomm was an only son, he and his three sisters being the total family of his parents. He was of a very bright and cheerful disposition and was keenly appreciative of a good joke. In boyhood he spent much time amongst the blacks and could speak the language of the aborigines; also he could throw the boomerang and other native weapons. Of his sons one is now fighting France, whilst a grandson took part in 'the landing" and fought for 6 months in Gallipoli and is still on active service. A second grandson only 18 years of age, is now in camp preparing to do his bit for the Empire. So far as Somerville is concerned,it may be truly said that the late Mr Gomm has left his "footprints on the sands of time."
(P.2, Mornington Standard, 28-4-1917.)
Extract from THE MYSTERIOUS HENRY GOMM.
Within hours of reading my email, Neil (Mansfield) responded- with the names of Henry,s parents. They were George Gomm and Ann Teagle, who married at Hedington, Oxfordshire in March, 1839. Ann had been born on 22-10-1815 in Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire. Henry was actually born in 1840, but the place of Birth was Oxford as stated by Henry. George, who died in Fitzroy on 5-10-1898, became a widower when Ann died at Collingwood in 1887. He was not alone for long, marrying Mary Catherine Hoffman (born 1826 Stepney, London) in the same year.
George Gomm (1814), his father (Thomas, 5-7-1785), and his grand father (William, 5-4-1747) were all born in Wheatley, Oxfordshire. Margarets father, James Monk, was born at Brierton, Bucks in 1811 and married Eliza Clanfield at Tring Hertfordshire on 13-10-1831. Elizabeth was born on 7-5-1809 in Fyfield Parish, Berkshire.
Margaret Monk was born in 1838 in Brierton, Buckinghamshire.
This must sound like a lot of county hopping in days when some people spent their whole lives without travelling more than ten miles from home. However Oxfordshire shares boundaries with Wiltshire (sw), Berkshire (s), and Buckinghamshire (e) with Hertfordshire being on the other side of Bucks.
The above, obtained from rootsweb, proves conclusively that Somerville Henry was not Convict Henry's son. Apart from Somerville Henry's mothers place of birth, there seems to be no link with Wiltshire.
Henry's father and mother brought young Henry out on the Wallace, arriving at Port Phillip Bay on 16-4-1844. George's occupation was listed as Stonemason. This seems to be the information that Aussie1947 gave but certain details are different.
Rootsweb states that Henry and Margaret married on 17-10-1869 at St Peters Melbourne. The year should be 1859. Witnesses were Alfred Monk and Fanny Gomm. They were possibly siblings of the bride and groom. Their children are listed and further details provided.
1. George b. 1860 Moorabbin. Married Amelia Andrews.
2. Un-named b. 1862 Moorabbin.
3. Frances Elizabeth b. 1864 Moorabbin. Married George Vincent Coate at Ballarat in 1891.
4. Minnie Ann b. 12-8-1866 Frankston. Spouse George Edward Shepherd. Death/ burial 30-8-1955 at St Kilda.
5. Henry Ernest b.1869 Collingwood. Died 1869 Collingwood.
6. Angelina May b.1870 Cheltenham. Died 1952, Victoria. See death notice.
7. Harry Falby b. 24-2-1873 Frankston. Married Catherine Rogers at Albany W.A. in 1900.
8. Charles Edward b.1875 Somerville. Died Chelsea 1960, Married Annie Julia Henderson 1899, Langwarrin. (Probably Pearcedale.)
9. Isabella Jessie b.1878 Frankston. Married Oliver Percival Devlin in 1901 at Sth Fitzroy.
10. William Herbert b.1880 Frankston. Married Jean Firth 1915 Vic.
11. Beatrice Ethel b.1882 Frankston. Married David George Graf (born 1872 Shepherds Flat, Vic. ) in 1909 Vic.
The children of the above are listed following the father's surname and the mother's maiden name.
CHILDREN OF THE ABOVE. Same number as for the parents.
1. GOMM (Andrews). Henry George, born and died 1889, Schnapper Point.
Amelia, born 1891 and died 1892, both at Tyabb (parish!)
Francis Elizabeth, born 1892, Tyabb.
Marguerite, born 1897, Tyabb.
3. COATE (Gomm). Louisa May, born 1894, Warrnambool.
Frances Evelyn, born 1896, Kensington Hill, Vic.
George Henry, born 1898, Kensington Hill.
8. GOMM (Henderson). Elsie May, born 1899, Frankston.
William Henry, born and died 1901, Frankston.
Henry Ernest, born 1904, Frankston, died 1908, Kew.
George Roy, born 1907, Frankston Died 1981, Mt Martha. Married Theresa Frances Marshall 1931, Vic.
9. DEVLIN (Gomm). Marion Isabel, born 1901, Sth Fitzroy.
10. GOMM (Firth). William Henry, born 1917, Hastings.
George Edward Clarence, born 1918, Frankston.
11. GRAF (Gomm). Henry David, born 1910, Hotham West.
Raymond George, born 1913, Flemington.
ABOUT THE IN-LAWS.
The Gomms were related by marriage to many other pioneering families in the district. Paddy's wife was the daughter of William Firth from the Orkney Isles who had married Ann Scott, the first white girl born in the Somerville area, and had established Orkney Farm at the west corner of Eramosa and Coolart Rds. The Shepherds had established their Perfection Nursery in early days and it was continued in recent times by David Shepherd and his brother on "Penbank" at Moorooduc. It took a few generations for the descendants of Henry Gomm and Sarah Wilson to hook up but they were hardly neighbours. It was probably because of the famous Somerville Fruitgrowers' Shows and later the Red Hill Show that the two families became acquainted, the Gomms being involved almost as much as orchardists as with milk production and horses.
One in-law that wasn't a local was young Graf but that was because Henry Gomm thought the young station master at Somerville was not a suitable beau for his daughter. During his teens at Cheltenham Henry Gomm had become a mate of young Tommy Bent who later became the subject of a book called BENT BY NAME AND BENT BY NATURE. That's right, Sir Thomas Bent,minister for Railways and later Premier. Henry had only to ask and his wish would be granted.His first wish was that the Somerville station would be a stone's throw from "Glenhoya" (west corner of Eramosa and Jones Rds) rather than near Lower Somerville Rd, which was the centre of population according to Leila Shaw in THE WAY WE WERE.
Wedding. GRAF-GOMM. A wedding of local importance was celebrated quietly at St. Mary's Star of the Sea, West Melbourne, on Wednesday last, the contracting parties being Mr David J. Graf, of Ascot Vale and Miss Beatrice Ethel Gomm, youngest daughter of Mr and Mrs H. Gomm, "Glenhoya" Somerville. The bride, who wore a handsome dress of cream crepe de cheyne, over glace silk, was given away by her brother, Mr C. E.Gomm, Mr W. H. Gomm acting as groomsman. The bridegroom's gifts to the bride were a handsome pearl pendant and beautifully bound prayer book. The happy couple left by the Sydney express for the Blue Mountains where they will spend their honeymoon. The bride's travelling dress was a tailor made costume of Navy blue with wedgewood blue hat. The presents were numerous, many being received from the Victorian railway staff.(P.2, Mornington and Dromana Standard, 14-8-1909.)
No Henry! I bet Margaret wasn't too happy missing the wedding! Charles Edward was commonly known as Edward. Edward St,between the hotel and Fruitgrowers' Reserve is named after him. The groomsman was Murray's grandfather, Paddy.
The second wish was to get rid of young Graf and he was posted to Ascot Vale station.It didn't do much good because Beatrice fled to the big smoke to join him despite being warned that she would no longer be part of the family. Unknown to Henry, Paddy and her other brothers used to give her food and other goodies every time they went to Melbourne. (See verse1 below.) It was not until after Henry's death that the Grafs were welcomed back into the fold, a member of the family being in Somerville's cricket premiership team in the first year. Graf Rd is named after Shaun Graf, a descendant of Beatrice, at the suggestion of a Somerville Cricket Club official (not a Gomm.)
The third wish was probably that the Somerville Fruitgrowers' Show would be opened by the Premier of Victoria.
(See verse 4.)
Murray's grandfather was generally known as Paddy but also sometimes as Herb.
The wedding of Mr Wm Herbert (Paddy) Gomm, 'Glenhoya,' Somerville, to Jean, eldest daughter of the late Wm Firth and Mrs Firth. 'Orkney Farm.' Somerville, was quiety celebrated at St Anslem's Church of England, Middle Park, on November 20, the Rev A P McFarlane being the officiating clergyman.
(P.2, Dandenong Advertiser and Cranbourne Berwick and Oakleigh Advocate Advertiser, 9-12-1915.)
Charles Edward Gomm was known as Edward or Ted. His "Pine Side" was across Eramosa Rd from Glenhoya, being on Crown allotment 22, parish of Frankston, granted to Henry Gomm on 22-9-1874. The triangular block is labelled Township of Somerville and may have been resumed by the Crown in 1891 and the township gazetted in 1901. Obviously,despite the nearby railway station, the township did not take off and closer settlement blocks were consolidated in Gomm ownership. Ted, along with Alf Jones and later J.E.Sage of Almond Bush Stud, spend quite a bit on advertising pedigree stallions, so an extra plug among items of news was common. Ted also ran cross-bred sheep on Pine Side.
Mr C. E. Gomm. of " Pine Side." Somerville, is to be complimented on having introduced in the district a fine Clydesdale strain in the three-year-old stallion, "The Black Prince". This superb colt has youth, beauty and symmetry of action and appearance on his side, and as this is supplemented by a high-class pedigree, the colt can be confidently recommended to breeders.(P.2,Mornington Standard, 30-8-1900.)
IMPORTANT TO STOCK OWNERS. Attention is directed to the extended advertisement appearing in our advertising columns advising that Mr C. E. Gomm's stallion, "Favourite Lad," will-stand this season at "Pineside," Somerville, and, if required, travel the district. "Favourite Lad", foaled in 1922, was imported from New Zen land, having been bred by Mr. R. Paton, of Papakaio. His sire was "Knockinlaw Favourite," and his dam, "Abbotsford Flora," by "Black Knight." "Favourite Lad" holds the Government certificate,-and full particulars may be obtained from the proprietor, Mr. C. E. Gomm, "Pine side," Somerville. "
(P.2, Frankston and Somerville Standard, 1-10-1925.)
Ted also dealt with straying cattle as a ranger appointed by the shire of Frankston and Hastings.
IMPOUNDED at Somerville-1 black heifer, earmarked ; 1 black and white yearling steer and 1 yellow heifer, no visible brands on either.-C. E. Gomm, ranger, Somerville. (P.2, Frankston and Somerville Standard, 16-9-1921.)
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF PADDY GOMM Argus issue in footnotes.
1.When little sis Beatrice went to Graf at Ascot Vale
Paddy gave help so their marriage wouldnt fail;
Her rejection by Henry was a sorry tale
So hed take her food when he went to a Newmarket sale.
2.Big sis Minnie Ann witnessed three deaths by suicide:
Stan Clarke and Janet Ross when their love expired,(1)
And hubby, George Shepherd, when his pain grew too great,
Made use of a shotgun to seal his fate. (2)
4. Tommy Bent, Paddy's dad's old mate
By 1906, was Premier of the State
And opening the Annual Fruitgrowers Show
Told why his Brighton cabbages did abundantly grow.(3)
(1)5-11-1921. (2) 28-6-1932. (3) P.4,15-3-1906.
See Comments for MURRAY GOMM'S TEA CHESTS.
See Comments re the year of Henry's arrival in Somerville.
See Comments for Murray's lineage.
Plans for the Smoke night for Henry Gomm reveal the kangaroo hunts as part of three-day entertainments provided by Henry.
SOMERVILLE.
Mornington Standard (Vic. : 1889 - 1908) Friday 25 December 1903 p 5 Article
... unanimously. agreed to tender Mr H. Gomm, sear., -a smoke nirght suliper'on Saturday. 2nd January, in the new hotel :'- Mr- Gomm has al l ways been first and foremost as a will ing helper where his ... old faces who used to patronise the good old three days' entertainmert provided by Mr Gomm twenty ... 370 words
The following webpage has excellent photos of Henry Gomm and the Glenhoya homestead.
Henry Gomm - Pioneer Graves in the Mornington Cemetery
www.morningtoncemetery.com/.../Church.../Gomm/Gomm-Henry.shtml
Five-year-old Henry Gomm arrived with his parents aboard the ship Wallace, in 1843. ... Photo courtesy of Somerville & Tyabb District Heritage Society ...
THE CONNELLS OF MOOROODUC, MORNINGTON AND RED HILL, VIC., AUST (and family connections.)
This originated from an entry started in my RED HILL DICTIONARY HISTORY when I knew not a single Connell descendant. Now there is so much information that I would fill the surnames list with surnames of just families connected with the Connells. The end of the journal will include information from Petronella Wilson's GIVING DESTINY A HAND (which is not available for borrowing) about George Young (possibly related to Robert Coxen Young) and his two wives (WILSON of the Survey/Main Ridge/ Flinders/Red Hill and WHITE, related to the Female Drover), and other relatives such as Turner, Bidgood etc.
CONNELL.
Extract from MORNINGTON HISTORY WALK, SELF GUIDED.
Turn right into Albert Street
18. St Andrews Church - 51 Barkly Street
Church - Barkly Street
This building had significant heritage to the area but unfortunately in the 1980's was been turned into a retail precinct. The church was built in 1867 by William Grover using bricks supplied by Thomas Allchin from his local brickworks. The church trustees were John Barrett, Alex Morrison, John Connell and James Butchart owner of Beleura. Reverend Caldwell came to Mornington in 1874 and commenced a long tenure with the church and town, being one of the more influential citizens. In 1979 the Mornington Historic Society applied to the National trust to preserve the church. The National Trust failed to find the building significnat on a Statewide basis. In 1984 the church was convereted to a restaurant.
It might seem strange to start an entry in a Red Hill history with a piece of Mornington History. But members of the Connell family lived in Red Hill and at least one still does. The following has been pasted from the original Red Hill Dictionary History journal so that I can ensure that I'm not repeating myself without constantly swapping between two journals.
CONNELL.
Extract from my THE FEMALE DROVER: A HISTORY OF MOOROODUC.
James Connell received the grant for allotment 12 near the boundary with Kangerong and Bittern parishes. It was possibly Anthony or James whose rates on 50 acres and a hut in Dromana were paid for him by Wilson at the deathknock on 20-1-1865. The rate collector didn?t know much. As well as not knowing the given names of Connell and Wilson, he didn?t realize that the name Dromana only applied to land west of McCulloch St.
POSTSCRIPT, 26-4-2013. It is likely that the Connell rates were for a leased farm on the Survey and were paid on 20-1-1865 by George Wilson,then aged about 31, who married Anthony Connell's daughter, Mary Jane,in 1866,the same year that the unrelated Henry William Wilson was insolvent. (Giving Destiny a Hand, Kangerong Road Board rates.)
Colin McLear tells us the following. The Connells were tenants on Jamiesons Special Survey in 1851 or shortly thereafter. (Anthony Connell?s block was probably near the one later occupied by Henry Wilson.) A descendant of Anthony?s was a silent partner of Jack Rudduck in Mornington Station in the Kimberleys in the 1950?s. Mornington Station was near Fitzroy Crossing 300 miles inland from Derby.
The Connell and White children were among the pupils of a school that operated near the Hickinbotham Winery site in the early 1850?s. This school may have closed when the teacher?s wife died or because two private schools had been opened in Dromana by Quinan and Nicholson. Its closure was probably the impetus for the establishment of a school in Moorooduc.
Anthony Connell was obviously the forerunner of the Connell family in the area. He received the grants for allotments 27 and 29, totaling 337 acres, all or part of which became the rifle range.
In 1910, James Connell, a farmer of Mornington, was leasing 238 acres (lots 3-6 of Bruce?s) and James Connell, a farmer of Tuerong, was leasing 230 acres (lots 1,2 of Bruces.) This land was just south of Ellerina Rd in the parish of Kangerong. I presume that would be James senior and James junior. Bruce?s was the northern section of the Survey fronting the Sea Lane, which is now called Bruce Rd, and is the boundary between Kangerong and Moorooduc parishes.
Anthony Connell's grants in the parish of Moorooduc, crown allotments 29 and 27, with a frontage of 1680 metres on the east side of Three Chain Road (Old Moorooduc Rd) from opposite No. 235 to opposite the Vineyard Lane corner (the south boundary of the Tuerong pre-emptive right)consisted of nearly 338 acres and had a Balnarring Rd frontage of 310 metres at the north east corner.(Melway 151 J8 to 152 A-B 6.) In 1873 Anthony was granted C.A. 11A bounded by Gillett Rd on the north, which is now the Tuerong Reserve.(152 C6.) When the property was sold, Connells were the auctioneers.
JAMES CONNELL'S GRANT.
On 17-7-1886,James Connell was granted crown allotment 12,section A, parish of Balnarring, consisting of 177 acres 2roods and 25 perches. This had frontages to Balnarring and Derril Rd. It is very difficult to be exact about its location on Melway because the creeks shown on the parish map do not appear on Melway map 152. Derril Rd is the boundary between the parishes of Moorooduc and Bittern and the road meeting the midpoint of the eastern boundary of c/a 12,being in Bittern, is not named on the Moorooduc map. It is, however, certainly Hodgins Rd. The eastern boundary was 2926 links (585 metres), so using my Melway (not superpages) map, I can state with certainty that the north east corner was latitudinally in the middle of 152 G8,just north-east of where Derril Rd(northbound) curves to deviate around the reservoir.The south east corner is at the top right corner of 152 F 10. The north and south boundaries have to be parallel with Foxey's Rd and the driveway to Donistoun Park (152 D9) could be just within its south west corner.
A Connell family living in Red Hill in the 1890's must have lost their rabbit's foot. Firstly their little girl was badly burnt as a result of her brother playing with matches (Mornington Standard 18-4-1895 page 2) and then Mr Connell was in hospital receiving treatment for his eyes by the end of 1896(M.S. 24-12-1896, P.3.)
Two young Davey girls of Marysville, Frankston (Davey's Bay)had collected donations as a Christmas present for the distressed family and the donations were to be forwarded on to Mr (H.P.)Davey of Forest Lodge, Red Hill.
The family was referred to in the first article as living near Red Hill so perhaps they were near Merricks North and Forest Lodge. As Henry Pearce Davies was involved as secretary of the Balnarring sports committee (My DISCOVERING DAVEY journal)it is possible that this family was in the parish of Bittern where J.(John?) Connell had a grant across Balnarring Rd from Anthony's. My journal also reveals that the hospitalised father was William Connell.(Mornington Standard 12-11-1896 P.3 and 10-12-1896 P.3.)
POSTSCRIPT, 22-4-2013. Mrs Trevor Connell, a descendant of Red hill pioneers, Joseph and Mary Ann Simpson, told me today that Connells lived on Eatons Cutting Rd. Most of the land along this road (7 and 7A, Kangerong) was not alienated until the 1900's so perhaps William Connell was leasing 8 acres from the Crown.
Cr Davies asked the council to provide some relief for the family and H.P.Davey pointed out that the father had previously been unable to work for six months before his eyesight problems emerged and the large family, with the oldest child only 15, was living on bread and water. (Mornington Standard 17-12-1896 P.3, F&K SHIRE.)
Evelyn Connell, daughter of Mrs Connell of Red Hill, died on 24 April, 1910 from pneumonia at the age of 19 and was buried at Mornington Cemetery. She was one of a set of triplets. (Mornington and Dromana Standard 30-4-1910 P.2.) Miss R.Connell was a member of the Red Hill Literary ans Social Club, rendering items along with Charles and Mrs Thiele, Tom Sandilants' wife, H.McIlroy, W.Simpson and Mr Prosser (sic).(Mornington Standard 29-8-1903 p.3.)
In 1900, William Connell was assessed on 8 acres Kangerong. The man who first appealed for help for William's family, A.E.Bennett, was living on Kent Orchard at the time. Kent Orchard, later occupied by the Huntleys was on Kentucky Rd (Melway 191 H 1.)
Although no details were given, Evelyn Mary (Evie) Connell who died on 11-12-1900 might have been the mother of Evelyn (above) and thus Mrs Connell of Red Hill and William's wife.
POSTSCRIPT 23-4-2013. Dot Watt's information shows that the parents of the unfortunate triplet, Evelyn,who died in 1910 were William and Rebecca (nee Bidgood.)
Today (22-4-2013) Mrs Trevor Connell provided me with Connell genealogical information compiled by Dot Watt nee Connell without the aid of a computer. I will later speak with Dot. A member of the Balnarring Historical Society has written a book about Lou Connell who was the other competitor in the formation of the legend of Foxey's Hangout. There are two or so books,including Mary Karney's THE GOLDEN PLAINS OF TUBBARUBBAREL,that give much detail about the contest and the unfortunate Jackson.
Henry Connell married Isabella (Topham?)in 1803.(Marriage licence bonds book for the diocese of Cork and Ross in Dublin Public Records Office.)
Parents of Anthony and Simon Connell arrived as bounty passengers on 30-9-1840 on the ship "Himalaya". Anthony was engaged by E.E.Manuel Esq. for 3 years. He was listed as a labourer in one section but in the list of all unmarried men he was listed as a baker. Anthony bought land on 3-10-1855,lots 46 and 48,Parish of Moorooduc,for one pound per acre.Lots 46 and 48 were shown in reports of land sale (P.R.O.code V.P.R.S.80, UNIT 4)but lot 46 was section 27. Lot 48 was section 29.
Simon Connell appears in the Port Phillip directory of 1847 as a farmer, Strathallan,Darebin Creek.
(Simon may have been leasing from Malcolm McLean, who later advertised three 220 acre farms to let on Strathallan. McLean later offered a paddock on the Strathallan Estate near the Darebin Creek, on the Upper Plenty road to the Victorian Agricultural Society at a reasonable price.(P.6, Argus, 1-5-1871.) It's a fair bet that Strathallan Rd (Melway 20 C7)and Latrobe University are on the Strathallan Estate. If Simon was there long enough he would have been a neighbour of John Brock,an early Bulla squatter whose run was absorbed into Big Clarke's Special Survey and moved to the Bundoora area by 1851 when his wife, Jane, died; Brock called his estate (north of Strathallan)Janefield.
It's a fair chance that Simon saw John McLear killed outside the Plough Inn, Bundoora's first hotel, on Boxing Day,1849. John's widow, Mary Ann,possibly his groom,William Marshall, and Anthony Connell were to become tenants on Jamieson's Special Survey not much longer than a year later. John had been leasing land from a Mr Green since 1846, possibly near Greensborough Rd,east of Strathallan.)
The Electoral Roll Victoria 1856-57 Mornington Division.
Name and Surname of Voter No.515-Connell, Anthony.
Place of Abode and description. Mt Martha, farmer.
Nature of Qualification. Freehold.
Description or Qualification. Land, Mt Martha.
Simon Connell, No.516, Mt Martha, Farmer, Freehold,Mt Martha.
Anthony Connell, born 1802, County Cork,Ireland; died 4-5-1895, Moorooduc, Reg. No. 7767.
Buried 6-5-1895, Mornington Cemetery, Pres.16. Lived Tuerong at time of death with son, James Connell.
Farmer, General Debility.
Married 21-3-1869, Reg. No. 1179.
Mary Ann Phair,born 23-7-1827, Hobart, Tasmania.
Died 31-3-1910 aged 82 years. Buried 2-4-1910, Booroondara Cemetery, Kew, Pres.B 3909 with daughter, Elizabeth Jackson.
Simon Connell,buried 28-5-1878, aged 66 years. Typhoid Pneumonia, Farmer,lived Bittern.
(Information from George Connell) Plot No. C/E 125.
Also buried in Pres. 16 (with Anthony):
James, 1 day old March 1901;
Evelyn 19 years, 26-4-1910, father-William,mother Rebecca, nee Bidgood.(Info.from James Connell.)-One of the triplets!
CONNELL-YOUNG.
James Connell, b.15-8-1854, Moorooduc,d.10-6-1926, buried 12-6-1926 C/E 324, Mornington Cemetery; his parents were Anthony and Mary Ann Connell.
Jane Ann Young, b.14-2-1856, Moorooduc, d.20-8-1938 aged 82 years, Mornington,buried 22-8-1938 with James; her parents were George Young and his first wife Jane (nee Wilson.)
James Connell and Jane Ann Young married in 1880 (Reg. No. 865.
Their children were:
1.Anthony Edward Young Connell b. 2-9-1876, Schnapper Point (Mornington), d. 12-1-1891 aged 14 years, buried 14-1-1891, Mornington Cemetery Pres. 15 with uncle and uncle John and Ellen. Killed by rock fall at quarry. (Possibly near Gillett Rd, now a park.)
2. James Thomas Young Connell b.8-6-1878 Schnapper Point.
3. John George Connell b.13-8-1880 (Reg. No. 25262)Schnapper Point, married 20-8-1908 (Bella Hooper?)
4. William Charles Connell b.25-8-1882,Schnapper point (Reg. No.25815), d. Western Australia, married 10-5-1911 at Onslow near Ashburton, W.A. to Ellen Mary Taylor. Which one died in 1947?
5. Albert Ernest Connell b. 16-3-1884 Schnapper Point (Reg. No. 12875), d. ?-7;1948 aged 64 years at the old post office at Mornington from a heart attack after riding a push bike to work from Dunns Rd. Buried 29-7-1948 at Mornington Cemetery, Meth.113. He married May Elizabeth Thorne b.1891/2 Schnapper Point (Reg. No. B.C.7003?)and died in May 1942 from a heart attack aged 52 while she was knitting at her home, Condale Cottage in Dunns Rd. She was buried on 25-5-1942 C/E 350.
Albert remarried to Gladys someone and they had no issue. (See article below re Albert's death.)
6.Mary Ann Eleanor Connell b.3-7-1888 Schnapper Point (Reg. No. 22073 1837-1888 pioneers' Index), d.22-2 1971 aged 85 years, buried Fawkner Cemetery. Married Mathew Mooney in 1910.
7. David Louis Connell b.16-1-1891 Schnapper Point, d.9-4-1968 at Mornington aged 78* from lung cancer, buried 10-4 1968 at Mornington Cemetery C/E 361, (aged 77 in cemetery records.)Married 16-6-1915 at St Peter's Church of England, Mornington (Marriage Certificate No. 782)to Ida Ellis (Ellice)Turner b.23-2-1899 Bittern, d.16-7-1930 aged 31 years,buried 18-7-1930, C/E (339/361?)
8.Charlotte Jessie Connell b.1894 Schnapper Point, d.17-2-1984 aged 89, cremated at Fawkner Cemetery. Married Alex. Simpson.
9.Elsie Florence Connell b.1895 Schnapper Point. Married James (McNaulty?
N.B. See my new journal WARNING:PLACE OF BIRTH. None of the children might have actually been born in Mornington.
OBITUARY MR. ALBERT CONNELL.
Standard (Frankston, Vic. : 1939 - 1949) Thursday 5 August 1948 p 2 Article
OBITUARY MR. ALBERT CONNELL. On. Thursday morning last the death occurred, suddenly of Mr. Albert Connell, of Dunn's Road, Mornington. The late. Mr. Connell was employed at the Mornington Post Office, and after reporting for work on Thursday morning collapsed and died. He is survived by his wife and two sons, John and James. Mr. Connell was a native of Mornington; and was 63 years of age.
Ida Ellis (Ellice) Turner, who married David Louis Connell, the seventh child of James Connell, was probably the child of R.Turner, a Justice of the Peace at Bittern by 1881 and Ellen, who was complaining about drainage in 1885. R.Turner received the grants for crown allotments 29, 28A and 28B, parish of Bittern,the last-named on 17-8-1876. Comprising almost 348 acres, these fronted the east side of Loders Rd, Graydens Rd and Hodgins Rd.J.Turner,possibly Ida's brother, was granted crown allotment 51 and 48 directly across Hodgins Rd and also fronting Turners Rd and Stumpy Gully Rd. The parts of Loders and Turners Rds (the same roadway with a name change at Hodgins Rd)and all the Turner grants are now part of the Devilbend and Bittern Reservoirs. No wonder Ellen had a problem with drainage! I wonder if there was a family connection between the Turners and the family of Smith Ellis in the parish of Flinders.
Mornington Standard (Vic. : 1889 - 1908) Saturday 31 August 1907 Edition: MORNING. p 2 Article
... belonging., to Mr. A. Downward' t. Prd' last week and four other head belonging to Mr. Messrs J. Connell, Turner, and Vale of Mornington, a Government In spector, Mr, Curlewts visited tho district. The,
Vale's Dalkeith was near the Nepean and Moorooduc Highway Junction(Melway 151 C8). The Connell grants south of the Tuerong pre-emptive right,(29 and 27 Moorooduc), fronted the east side of Old Moorooduc Rd from a point opposite No.235 to the Vineyard Lane corner. Anthony was also granted 11A, across Balnarring Rd, now the Tuerong Reserve and fronting Gillett Rd(151 K7 and 152 B6.)The Turner land was at Melway 153 B4-10, about a mile and a half east across the Devilbend Creek valley(no reservoir then!)It's easy to track the killer dogs and also to see how the Connell and Turners would have been well acquainted.
David Louis Connell was known as Lou and once commented that the site of the Devil Bend Reservoir was Connell Country, not because they owned it but because they,Lou in particular, spent so much time there shooting foxes and trapping rabbits. Lou is a third of the legend of Foxey's Hangout, the part aboriginal Tasmanian, Phillip Jackson, being his fellow competitor and Gary Downward the scorekeeper. American servicemen were fascinated by the site during W.W.2.
The following comes from the DISCOVER MORNINGTON PENINSULA website (which has several photos.)
Fascinating Historical Facts - Mornington Peninsula
Foxey's Hangout
Corner Balnarring & Tubbarubba Roads Merricks North
Foxey's Hangout
The old gum tree known as Foxey's Hangout
Foxey's Hangout is located at the corner of Balnarring and Tubbarubba Roads. The corner has been known as Foxey's Hangout since the late 1930's. The name was coined by neighbouring property owners when two trappers, Phillip (Jack) Johnson and Lou Connell used a conspicuous gum tree at this junction to separately display their catches. Johnson, a Tasmanian, came to live in the area in 1936. He made a living working for a local landowner, Herb Downward trapping foxes, for which a bounty was paid. Friendly rivalry sprang up between him and Connell as to who caught the most foxes. Garry Downward, another local, checked the tree each day to adjudicate. The winner was announced at the end of each year.
Foxey's Hangout in the late 1930's
Foxey's Hangout in the late 1930's
This site became a local curiosity and landmark. Jack continued to hang foxes from this tree until his untimely murder in 1946. Friends and neighbours later revived the custom and maintained the site. The hanging practice gradually died out over the years.
Today both Jack Johnson and the old gum tree have passed on but the stories refuse to die. The tree branches are adorned with sheet metal fox profiles as symbols of the real fox carcasses, which hung there in the 1930's. 'Foxey's Hangout' is now recognised as an historic site on the Mornington Peninsula.
FOXEY'S HANGOUT and THE GOLDEN PLAINS OF TUBBARUBBAREL give much detail about Jackson but the August 2011 issue of the Balnarring and District Historical Society newsletter (which prompted my MELBA and SALTBUSH BILL journals) does the same regarding Lou. This is a summary only.
The article states that Lou's parents were James Connell and Jane Ann Wilson but his father had married Jane Ann Young (whose parents were George Young and his first wife, Jane Wilson.)SEE DOT WATT'S INFORMATION.
The location of Anthony Connell's grants c/a 27 and 29 is described very accurately, correctly calling Old Moorooduc Rd "Three Chain Road", its official name for almost a century. The other grants are not mentioned.
N.B.THE PREVIOUS SENTENCE REMINDED ME THAT WHEN I WROTE "THE FEMALE DROVER" I HAD NOT MENTIONED JAMES CONNELL'S GRANT. I HAVE INSERTED IT IN THE EXTRACT FROM THE FEMALE DROVER BUT SO YOU CAN FIND IT EASILY IT IS UNDER THE HEADING JAMES CONNELL'S GRANT.
Lou was born in 1891,just days after "Anthony Connell, 14, eldest son of Mr James Connell of 3 chain road, was crushed to death in Bittern Quarry." Lou was shearing for the Oswins when he was about 16; later he and his older brother, John, were quarry workers and were involved in an accident at Turner's Quarry near Tuerong."
(FOUND IT!!! A serious accident occurred at Turner's Quarry, near Teurong, on Wednesday. Messrs. John and Louis Connell were engaged in blowing out stone,a hole had been drilled, and three pounds of blasting powder put in, when an accident happened with the fuse. The fuse ignited the powder while they were standing over the hole. Both had a narrow escape from being blown to pieces, and they received injuries to face, arms, and body. Dr. Hornabrok attended to the sufferers.-P.2, Mornington Standard, 2-2-1907.)
Lou became a big strong man who excelled in woodchop events at Shows and was an expert rabbit trapper who had 104 traps and caught an average of thirty rabbits a day. As rabbit was the only meat most families could afford during the 1930's depression and Dalgetys bought the skins, Lou made a good living from this and the chickens he sold to hotels, the price determined by the weight of the baskets (into which the odd lead weight happened to find its way!)Extra money came in from foxes and ducks shot in the marshy areas near his home (probably the Devil Bend Reservoir land.)
Lou was a frequent visitor to Herb Downward's "Maxwelton" and on one occasion the fox-shooting contest between Lou and Jack Johnson was initiated. Lou was a rugged footballer but even he was terrified of the Hastings team because they were not satisfied with flattening you; they'd run all over you! One bookie who was being throttled had reason to be thankful for Lou's interest in the sport of kings when Lou came to the rescue. Lou was also a keen dancer.
When Lou was 25, he married 17 year old Ida Turner. (The acquaintance with the Turners was inevitable because of the proximity of their properties, Lou's hunting in the marshy area between them, and the quarry, in which Lou could have died, probably being owned by the Turners.) They lived in Racecourse Rd, Mornington, raising four daughters and two sons but Ida died at 32 from rheumatic fever shortly after the birth of their last son.
The family was split up and Lou moved to Main St to be near his mother who cared for three of her grand daughters (perhaps William and Sarah Connell's triplets, one of whom died at 19 and was buried with Anthony Connell.)
Lou retained his love of hunting, although his shotgun had passed its use-by date, but driving was hardly a strength because his bulk made shifting levers difficult.He died in Mornington in 1968 aged 77.
There is much information about the Connells in Petonella Wilson's GIVING DESTINY A HAND which is primarily about the descendants of Oliver and Sarah Wilson. She gave the date of the Mornington Standard issue that contained Anthony Connell's obituary, and here it is.
MORNINGTON. FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. Mr. Anthony Connell, a 50 years' resident of the district, died on Saturday last, at the mature age of 93, at his son James' residence, Moorooduc. The deceased had not been suffering from any specific ailment, and on Saturday morning, whilst Mrs. Connell was engaged preparing the breakfast he laid down on the bed and when Mrs. Connell went into the room to call him she found he had quietly passed away. As no doctor was in attendance,a magisterial inquiry was held on Monday by A. Downward, M.L.A. The cause of death being general decay. The funeral took place last Monday, and was largely attended by relatives and friends.(P.2, Mornington Standard, 9-5-1895.)
Anthony's land on three chain road was called Nag's (or Nagg's) Hill and his son,James' grant between Derril Rd and Balnarring Rd was called Home Bush.
Courtesy of steve74.
DEATH OF PENINSULA PIONEER. THE LATE MR.JAMES CONNELL. MEMORIES OF BAXTER'S FLAT RACECOURSE. The passing away of the late Mr. James Connell on June 10 has left a blank in the Tuerong district, and he will be greatly missed by all neighbors around that part. His death came as a surprise, as only the day before he was engaged in doing some fencing. Awakening at daylight he spoke to Mrs. Connell but shortly afterward he drew a long breath and passed away. The esteem in which he was held was shown by the very large attendance at the funeral on Saturday afternoon. The members of the Foresters'lodge (of which deceased was a member) joined the funeral at the Point Nepean road, and marched to the graveside in advance of the hearse. Archdeacon Aickin, of the Church of England, read the burial service, and Bro. F. Berglund the last rites of the Foresters' lodge. The pall bearers were members of the lodge -Bros. J. and E. Turner, H. Downward, P. Olsen, C. Parsons and W. Cavell. The deceased was a native of the Peninsula, having been born at Kangerong 73 years ago. He was asso- ciated in the early days with the first racing club of the Peninsula at Baxter's Flat, and acted as starter there for many years. He was also starter at Mornington until 1919, when the V.R.C. officials filled all the important positions at that course; he acted as starter at Emu Plains and Moat's Corner right up till the last meeting held this year, also at Flinders ever since the race club was re-formed there in 1906. He was, with the Hon. A. Downward and Mr. J. C. Griffeth (sic!), senr., of Dromana, one of the last three surviving members of the first Baxter's Flat Racing Club. Being of magnificent physique, he was an athlete of no mean repute, and took part in the first historic football match played on the Peninsula. This was when two teams, captained by the Barker brothers, of Barker's station, Flinders, just home from college - from the Flinders and Balnarring districts met at Balnarring. Football was played for ten minutes and then the two teams fought each other until dark, some players even being chased to their homes. He then took up land at "Tuerong" and by energy and perseverance had at one time 1000 acres of land and a large number of stock. In recent years he sold 408 acres at Kangerong to Mr. Matthewson and 200 acres near Hastings to Mr. Heggan and lived a quieter life. As a shearer in the "nineties" he used to shear along the Darling and the Murrumbidgee Rivers. In later years he and Mr. Albert Wilson, formerly of Moorooduc, put up a record at John Cleeland's, Phillip Island, which has not since been beaten on the Peninsula. They shore 292 come- back wethers in one day--Mr. Wilson 150, and "Jim" (as he was known all over the Peninsula) Connell 142. He was one of the leading stone contractors of the Peninsula-all the first metal roads were made by Messrs. J. Connell, T. Male and J. Turner. His declining years were cheered by an affectionate wife and a united family, consisting of Messrs. James and John G. Connell, of Brunswick; William, of W.A.; Albert and Louis, of Green Island, Mornington; Mrs. M. Mooney, Brunswick; Mrs. A.Simpson, Brunswick; and Mrs. J. McNulty, Echuca.
(P6, Frankston and Somerville Standard, 25-6-1926.)
The Dromana resident was Cr John Calvin Griffith who was not related to George and Charles Griffieth of the Two Bays nursery at Mooorooduc despite both families suffering from repeated mis-spelling of their surnames in the newspapers. The usual mis-spelling of the former was to add "S" and in the case of the Griffieth brothers the second "I" was left out.
There is a fair chance that the two captains had played in the first recorded game of Aussie Rules. See below.
Cordner-Eggleston Cup - This Cup is contested each year by the first football teams of Scotch and Melbourne Grammar School. It commemorates the first recorded game of Australian Rules Football, which was played between the two schools on 7 August 1858, which scotch won and is today commemorated by a statue depicting the game outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Biography - John Barker - Australian Dictionary of Biography
adb.anu.edu.au/biography/barker-john-2935
John Barker (1815-1891), pastoralist and public servant, was born on 1 May ... all of whom were educated at Scotch College
Mrs A.Simpson was not related to the Simpsons of Seaview at Red Hill South. (SOURCE:Mrs Margaret Connell, nee Simpson, who is the first connection between the two families.)
OBITUARY THE LATE MRS. JAMES CONNELL. The death occurred of Mrs. James Connell at her residence, Main Street, Mornington, on Saturday evening last. Mrs. Connell was in her 83rd year, and had resided on the Peninsula at Tuerong all her life until the death of her husband, 12 years ago, when she went to live at Mornington. The coffin-bearers were Messrs. G. Turner, J. Connell, E. Young, W. Bidgood. Pall bearers: Messrs. H. Downward, J. Turner, E. Turner, G. Connell, E. Thorne, J. McNaulty. The Rev. H. O. Watson conducted the service and Mr. James Wilson had charge of the arrangements. (P.4,Frankston and Somerville Standard,2-9-1938.)
Jane Ann,the oldest child of George Young and Jane (nee Wilson) had married James Connell in 1880. She was born on the Survey in 1856 and had probably moved from Red Hill to Tuerong in 1870 when her widowed father had married Janet White.
See the GEORGE YOUNG and (future)SARAH WILSON journals for more details about the Connells.
ANZAC DAY 2013, ROSEBUD AND TULLAMARINE, VIC., AUST.
LEST WE FORGET.
At dawn outside the Rosebud R.S.L.
I thought of the boys who went through hell.
For King and country they crossed the water.
The grieving parents, siblings, son and daughter.
I recorded every Broady, Tulla, Keilor and Bulla name
But I no longer have them; what a shame!
Major Murphy moved the monuments at the first places two
To the old windmill site and Dalkeith Avenue.
The Lane boys of "Gowrie Park" (where planes rise and dip),
Alf Cock who died on a torpedoed ship,
Send offs where the old Beech Tree had been
During W.W.1 for the lads from Tullamarine.
Jack Hoctor, born in the coach house,who lit the lamp,
Tramped up the hill from Broady Town to the camp
To give Bro mother's cooking and her wishes best;
The lads were released to help the harvest.
Rosebud's Honour Board hangs in the school primary.
Fred Hobley's brother won a medal for extreme bravery.
Leongatha and Rosebud honoured the Hobley boys
Who suffered the mud, gas, pain and ear-splitting noise.
DAME NELLIE MELBA'S FIRST CONCERT, SORRENTO, VIC., AUST. (Helen Mitchell?)
Grace E. Caldwell's 1921 letter about Dame Nellie Melba's concert, which she organised when she was a girl soon after the Continental opened and Hughes was mine host, to raised funds to fence the Sorrento cemetery, might have been held in January 1885 when Helen Mitchell was a married woman, Mrs Armstrong, aged about 24.Either Grace was wrong to describe her as a girl at the time or there were two concerts, one in about 1876 and another in 1885. See my comment of 2014-12-27 19:39:52.
POSTSCRIPT,FEB.20,2015.
THE FOLLOWING PAR LED TO MY ASSUMPTION THAT NELLIE WAS ABOUT SIX WHEN SHE ORGANIZED THE SORRENTO CONCERT.It is now clear that her first public performance at the age of six,when a playmate saw her drawers,was at Richmond and that her performance at Sorrento to fence the cemetery was as Mrs Armstrong,hardly a girl as Grace Calder described her. Sydney Smith Crispo wrote much verse and conducted a one man show consisting of twenty versatile items that got rave reviews so "the man in the street" was taking a cheap shot at him.
CORNERISMS.
By "THE MAN IN THE STREET."
Tay Pay O'Connor, M.P., who has started a new journal in England, has just published a chapter of history of
Madame Melba, Australia's Queen of Song. By Nellie's own account she was an incorrigible child, and the only
thing in which she showed a reasonable interest was music. At the age of 6 she made her first appearance singing Shells of Ocean and Comin' Thro' the Rye, but on asking a playmate how she sang, the latter replied with scorn "Nelly Mitchell, I saw your drawers!"
Strange that the first public performance she gave was for the fence round a cemetery in our own district (at Sorrento). She saw the fence was in a dilapidated condition and determined on getting up a concert. She did the bill posting herself, and the result was a profit of £20. Perhaps Nellie's success in the world of song has inspired St Crispo to endeavor to make himself famous in poesy.(P.3,Argus,1-9-1898.)
MORE ABOUT MELBA was the title of another fascinating article in the Balnarring and District Historical Society newsletter of August 2011. It is about a concert that Melba gave at the Flinders Naval Depot. It was broadcast by 3LO but a crying baby and interference caused by the telegraph to Tasmania affected the quality.The stamp to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Melba's birth was designed by the great-great -granddaughter of Septimus Planck, Balnarring's first school master. Other details of the concert had obviously been given in a previous issue.
PLANCK LAND AND THE TELEGRAPH OFFICE.
S.Planck,possibly the Balnarring teacher, Septimus, was granted crown allotment 104A of the parish of Bitten on 25-3-1876. The acreage is not recorded on the parish map but it had to be 95 acres 1 rood and 20 perches.It had a frontage of 706 metres to the south side of Myers Rd and today would be occupied by the Bluestone Lane Vineyard and,at the middle of the frontage, No 265 Myers Rd, (roughly Melway 163 B8.)
FLINDERS. Last Saturday morning, a very severe accident befell Eric, the 14 year old son of Mr Chas. Planck of the Telegraph Company.(P.2, Mornington Standard, 15-7-1905.)
A pleasant social gathering took place at Balnarring, on Tuesday evening last, the occasion being a complimentary farewell dinner to Mr S M Planck, head teacher of the Shoreham State School, he having been a teacher in the district for upwards of 11 y ears, and is, it is understood, about to be transferred to a school in a more populous locality, at Avenel. The chair was occupied by Mr Robert Wighton.
(P.9, Argus, 26-6-1883.)
RECOLLECTIONS. " To the Editor of "The Standard." Sir,-The football match, Frankston v Balnarring was a very pleasant game from the start to the finish. I am glad to see such good feeling between these teams, as it reminds me of old times, about 30 years ago, when we used to meet the Frankston cricketers, with either Ben Baxter or Johnny Box as captain of the F.C.C., and S. M. Planck skipper of the Balnarring team. We always had very pleasant meetings for years. Those were the good old days; and I hope the good feeling of last Satur-. day will always remain between those two football teams. I was glad to see our old friend,Mr B.Baxter, sen;, present but we miss a few of the old faces. I will say nothing about the young barrackers this time.
Yours etc.,. - - ROVER. Balnarring, 20 /7 /1910.(P.3,Mornington and Dromana Standard, 23-7-1910.)
Septimus may have left the district but the family remained for some time, with C.Planck acting as treasurer for the Flinders Mechanics' Institute and library.
Valedictory. MESDAMES PLANCK AND SAVAGE, FLINDERS.
Mornington and Dromana Standard (Vic. : 1908 - 1911) Saturday 12 June 1909 Edition: MORNING p 2 Article
... Valedictory. MESDAMES PLANCK AND SAVAGE, FLINDERS. Owing to the closing down of the Eastern Extension Cable Co's local branch at Flinders, Messrs Planck and Savage (who were on the cable staff) together with their wives and families, are leaving Flinders for the metropolis, where they intend mak ... 318 words
THE ABOVE ARTICLE REMINDED ME OF AN ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY WHICH MADE BEING SIDETRACKED VERY WORTHWHILE!
SORRENTO AND MELBA.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE ARGUS.
Sir-Son onto in Mr MueDonnld s line phrase is the adie, of the State Die iirst mai nugi heiviee wai, s ilenimsetl hele and on Oitiber ii the 1 ill and Countess of stiidbiolL mtenil 1 nig piescnt at the hcrviee that mail (his hist inc event
Another thing, Dame Nellie Melba Queen of Song, gave her first concert in this the queen of watering places. The Continental Hotel had just been erected* (Hughes being mine host ) and Melba was here with her father. Walking one day they came across the grave of a member of the crew of a recent wreck and being told it was a cemetery which they were going through, the girl exclaimed, "And without a fence!" It was explained that it was probably owing to lack of funds that the cemetery was not closed in. She decided to give a concert, and wrote the placards herself being wise enough not to mention her own name for "singing in public makes a young girl bold" was the father's opinion who was then in ignorance of his daughter possessing "a singing voice." The concert was held, and a sum made that erected the fence that is still there, whilst today if Dame Melba repeated the performance, two people would have to occupy one chair, so great would be the enthusiasm to rehear her-
Yours, &c, GRACE E. CALDWELL.
Sorrento, Sept. 26.
(P.10,Argus, 28-9-1921.) My apologies for not correcting the text in the first paragraph but you can see how much fun I had doing the relevant bit!
*The Continental Hotel was built in 1875 by Ocean Amphitheatre Co Ltd of which George Coppin was the Managing Director.( Continental Hotel - About www.continentalhotel.com.au/).
Melba, Dame Nellie (18611931)
by Jim Davidson
Dame Nellie Melba (1861-1931), prima donna, was born Helen Porter Mitchell on 19 May 1861 at Richmond, Melbourne, eldest surviving of ten children of David Mitchell, building contractor, and his wife Isabella Ann, ne Dow. (Australian Dictionary of Biography.)
Mitchell, David (18291916)
by Joan Campbell
David Mitchell (1829-1916), builder, contractor and businessman, was born on 16 February 1829 in Forfarshire, Scotland, son of William Mitchell, tenant farmer, and his wife Anne. In 1846 he was apprenticed to a master mason and on completing his indenture sailed from Liverpool on 6 April 1852 in the Anna, arriving at Melbourne on 24 July.
Mitchell worked as a mason and saved money to build a shanty on a lot in Burnley Street, Richmond. Next year he visited Bendigo and near-by goldfields but returned to set up as a building contractor at his Richmond site, which became the centre of his business operations. In 1856 he married Isabella (b.1833), daughter of James Dow, an engineer at Langlands Iron Foundry, and built a new home, Doonside, to replace his shanty.
The next forty-five years saw his active and successful participation in a variety of business ventures. Work had been started in 1850 on rebuilding St Patrick's Cathedral, Eastern Hill, and in April 1856 Mitchell won the tender for the masonry work for 7760. By mid-1858 he had completed this work on the first stage of the building but it was then decided to demolish the existing structure and to start again with W. W. Wardell as architect.
By 1859 Mitchell had a factory for steam-made and pressed bricks at Burnley Street. In 1874 he became a shareholder in the Melbourne Builders' Lime and Cement Co., formed to break the monopoly of the Geelong limeburners. By 1878 he had bought Cave Hill farm at Lilydale and began working its limestone deposits, later also handling the distribution. In 1888 his extensive workshops at Richmond were destroyed by fire. He rebuilt the works and added two new ventures, the production of 'Adamant' plaster and in 1890, with R. D. Langley as a partner, a Portland cement factory at Burnley using materials from Lilydale.
In 1890 Mitchell formed a company to mine a channel and tunnel on the Yarra River at Pound Bend, Warrandyte, and employed gangs of Chinese to work three miles (4.8 km) of riverbed for gold. By 1894 he had cheese, butter, bacon, ham and soap factories at Cave Hill, housing them in a complex of well-designed brick buildings. In 1888 his dairy had operated the colony's first mechanical milking device. By 1900 he owned vineyards and wineries at Yeringberg, Coldstream and St Hubert's. He acquired several large stations in various districts, including the Bethanga estate on the upper Murray, Jancourt in the Western District, Gooramadda, Dueran, Barjarg and Colbinabbin, most of which were subdivided and sold.
Among his many large structures Mitchell built the Menzies Hotel in William Street (1857), the Paterson, Laing & Bruce warehouse, Flinders Lane (1871), Scots Church, Collins Street (1873-74), the Presbyterian Ladies' College, East Melbourne (1874), Prell's Buildings (1887), the Masonic Hall, Collins Street (1888), the Equitable Insurance Building (1893), the National Bank and the New Zealand Loan Co.'s wool and grain warehouses at Kensington. His grandest venture was the Exhibition Building, which employed 400 men and was opened in 1880. He retired from building in 1899 and concentrated on his other business interests.
Mitchell had given support to the eight-hour movement in 1856 but was not very active in public affairs. He was a member of the Council of the (Royal) Agricultural Society and of the Builders' and Contractors' Association. As a Presbyterian he was a long-time member of Scots Church choir. His musical interests included playing the violin at home and encouraging the talents of his daughter Helen, later Dame Nellie Melba, but even when she became world famous his natural reticence prevented him from openly praising her singing. Predeceased by his wife in 1881, he died on 25 March 1916. Of his ten children, he was survived by Frank, Charles and Ernest, Dame Nellie who travelled extensively after 1886, and three married daughters living in Melbourne.
A portrait is held by the David Mitchell Estate Ltd., and another by Hugh Ramsay is in the Castlemaine Art Gallery. (Australian Dictionary of Biography.)
P.226, MEMOIRS OF A STOCKMEN, Harry Peck (available online on trove, digitised newspapers and more.)
David Mitchells name so far has only cropped up incidentally
as the holder at different times of Yering, St. Huberts, Dairy, Killara
and Pendleside, but in reality David Mitchell for fully half a century
was the colossus of the Upper Yarra, standing head and shoulders
over all of the district in his multifarious transactions. He was also
widely known as the father of the world-famous Dame Nellie Melba,
herself born at Lilydale. F o r many years David Mitchell was a
member of the Council of the Royal Agricultural Society and, as a
member of the works committee, was a host in himself, for be it
remembered that as the contractor he built both the Melbourne
Exhibition Building and the Equitable (now the Colonial Mutual
Assurance building) at the corner of Elizabeth and Collins streets.
Like his famous daughter he had a voice of silver, and sang for years
in the choir of Scots Church in Collins street. His speaking voice
was equally mellow and soft and his whole personality pleasant.
W earing the full beard of his day, slightly titian and early tinged
with silver, of medium height and weight, David Mitchell was ever
a man of easy approach, even for the most humble. He held a number
of stations, owning Jancourt near Camperdown, Dueran near
Mansfield, Bethanga Park and Gooramadda in the north-east, and
Colbinabbin near Rochester.
No doubt the great Cave Hill lime quarry on the boundary of
Lilydale township and still going strong after 80 years working, was
the foundation of his fortune and it is still worked by his trustees.
In connection with the lime quarry and works there are about 1000
acres of well-grassed lands and 50 to 60 years ago Mr. Mitchell sent
drafts of fat sheep and lambs fattened thereon regularly to
Newmarket by hoof, before the Lilydale railway was built. As is
generally known Dame Nellie Melba bought a property of about 1000
acres just beyond Coldstream some 10 years before her death, and
built thereon a fine home (Coombe Cottage), where her son Mr.
George Armstrong now resides. He has improved the property
considerably by top-dressing and has been a regular supplier of fat
bullocks to Newmarket.