ISABELLE MORESBY, AUTHOR OF "ROSEBUD, FLOWER OF THE PENINSULA" (VIC.,AUST.) :: FamilyTreeCircles.com Genealogy
<< Previous - Next >>

ISABELLE MORESBY, AUTHOR OF "ROSEBUD, FLOWER OF THE PENINSULA" (VIC.,AUST.)

Journal by itellya

Firstly,apologies for having wrongly written this wonderful woman's name as Isobel for so long. It was the discovery of the correct spelling that led to my breakthrough. She has been variously described as a Mrs and a Miss but I now believe that not only that she was married, that her maiden name was Hunt, that Auntie Phillips was indeed her aunt, that she holidayed at Rosebud with the Hunts. An old map of Rosebud showing early residents has lot 24 of the fishing village, on the east side of Rosebud Pde (extension), labelled "Hunts".Lot 25 on the west side of Rosebud Pde was granted to E.J.Phillips. S.Phillips and D.Phillips of Brunswick both had land in Wannaeue Village near Wattle Place in 1919, the latter probably being David Phillips, a purchaser of many blocks in the Hindhope Estate (who was responsible for this journal.) Also in 1919, Henry hunt of Kew was assessed on crown allotments 22 and 23 of the fishing village. I now believe the map was drawn by Isabelle.

Secondly, an apology for the presentation of this journal, which like the GOMM, ALBRESS and many other of my journals is a diary of discovery. I will format the half lines shortly; I want to make sure I don't strike the Oh Noes gremlins first.

LAST THING FIRST.
HUNT.?On May 12, Louisa, widow of Harry Hunt, and loved mother of Jessie (Mrs. Lloyd), Constance (deceased), Isabelle (Mrs. Moresby),Dorothy (Mrs. Phillips), Alice (Mrs.Benzies), Louisa (Mrs. Patton),Harold, and Noel, aged 91 years.(P.14, Argus, 14-5-1949.)

MORESBY?HUNT. ?On the 7th May, at St.Columb's, Hawthorn, by the Rev. D. M. Deasey. Fairfax Robert, younger son of the late Matthew Fortescue Moresby, R.N., to Emily Isabelle (Milly), third daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. Hunt, Kew . (P.1, Argus, 27-6-1924.)

NOW THE RAMBLINGS.
David Phillips purchased several blocks in the Hindhope Estate and recalling that I had noticed the surname in fishing village assessments while looking for other information, I did a Phillips/Rosebud search on trove without much success re David. Then I recalled ISABELLE mentioning the surname in ROSEBUD:FLOWER OF THE PENINSULA.

"Granny Coyle, of saintly character, kept the lolly shop and Auntie Phillips was caring too. Grandfather Bucher's tiny cottage was called Modesty Cottage." (These are my words used in summarising Isobel's information and may not be hers verbatim.) The titles re Coyle and Phillips may have been nicknames used by all the youngsters. I have failed to find a Bucher/Moresby link in family notices.

When I wrote a summary of Isobel's book, I forgot to write her name and had to check the spelling of her surname. It was the same as in Port Moresby and I idly wondered whether there was any connection. There was!

FULFILMENT OF PROPHESY
On April 24, 1873. in the company of a small group of fellow officers, a Royal Navy man stood beneath a British flag, which had just been unfurled from a coconut palm on the east coast of New Guinea, and declared:
"I, John Moresby, captain of the Royal Navy, commanding H.M.A.S. Basilisk, do hereby, by right of discovery, take possession in the name of Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria. in token whereof I have hoisted
and saluted the British flag on this island."

His grand-daughter, Mrs. Isobel Moresby, of Caulfield, recently recalled this historic occasion. Captain (later Admiral) Moresby, she said, had been appointed to the Australian station in 1871 by the British Admiralty. At heart an explorer, he had obtained permission to survey unknown coasts north of Australia and he soon concluded that New Guinea must be annexed for the British Crown if the future safety of Australia were to be safeguarded.

It was in February, 1873, that he first visited the Papuan coast, which had been surveyed from outside the reef 50 years earlier by Captain Owen Stanley. He found a large native village near where the township of Port Moresby now stands, and the excellent land-locked harbour commended itself to him at once. "This port will make
history," he wrote in his diary. He named the harbours after his famous father, Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby.
Port Moresby has indeed made history in the last few months.
(Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954) Friday 24 April 1942 Edition: LATE NEWS EDITION p 5 Article.)

I have been trying to work out Isobel's descent from Henry and Ann (nee White from Clackmannan,Scotland)and Captain John Moresby, but without success. I can't see how Isobel was a grand-daughter of the Captain if her name was Mrs Morseby; perhaps it should have been Miss. Maybe I'll stumble across the missing link sometime in the future. There is a definite Morseby link with Caulfield; there was a house called Morseby there by 1873. A genealogy website, in which a Morseby woman living at Balaclava had the second given name of Isobel, had a wrong entry (different area)when I clicked on it.

Captain John Morseby's children were far-flung from each other,one daughter becoming a novelist in Canada. I thank Isobel for writing her book,capturing so much of Rosebud's history that would otherwise have been lost. The missing link between Isobel and the Captain probably involves Tasmania.

KAY-MORESBY. - The engagement is announced of Marjorie, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs H. H. Kay, Smithton, to John, only child of Mr. and Mrs. F. P.Moresby, Caulfield, Victoria.
(P.2, Advocate, Burnie, 12-6-1948.)

As shown in the electoral records, John's father would have been Fairfax Phillip Moresby.
Emily Isabelle Moresby
gender 1931 Victoria Balaclava city
Fairfax PhilipMoresby
gender 1942 Victoria Balaclava city

ROSEBUD FLOWER OF THE PENINSULA.
Google: . Then click on "View a 9.6 MB pdf file of the pamphlet."

Isabelle was a Miss* and an accomplished musician who played the violin and viola in orchestras and wrote a book about notable singers of Australia. (* Was she?)

IN THE THEATRE Pointers From Past
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Saturday 30 October 1948 p 21 Article
... they called them- selves Australians. Miss Isabelle Moresby gives some curious historical flashbacks ... sonalities and events, past and pre- sent, in the Australian musical world. Miss Moresby is more in- .

Isabelle's historical interests were not confined only to music and Rosebud; she also wrote a history of New Guinea whose Port Moresby was named by her grandfather after her great grandfather.

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Saturday 5 February 1944 Supplement: The Argus Weekend magazine p 7 Article
... Isabelle Moresby in her book "New Guinea - The Sentinel." She traces its history from its first mention ...

Was she married with a son called David?
FOR DAVID.
Letters to a Prisoner of War.
By Isabelle Moresby (Author of "New
_ Guinea-The -Sentinel").
This is an ideal book to send to all In
the services-especially those who have spent
much time out of Australia. In the form
of 12 letters to a P.O.W., it covers the hap-
penings within Australia itself from the fall
of Singapore to this year. It tells how the
Australian people have lived throughout two
years of great domestic changes.
So much familiar to us at home is un-
known to so many of "the boys"; the hasty
building up of A.R.P. Shelters-the coming
of the "Yanks"-the Women's Services
Manpower-the War Factories and their
Workers-Airgraph Mail-Coupons-and a
hundred other developments. A whole his-
tory of Australia over two tense years is here
told simply and appealingly.
(P.9,Argus, 23-12-1944.)

Having just re-read ROSEBUD FLOWER OF THE PENINSULA, I have no doubt that its author wrote the New Guinea book which similarly goes into much detail about flora and fauna.
NEW GUINEA - THE SENTINEL.
Land of Heroes and History.
By Isabelle Moresby.
Here at last Is the story of the great Is-
land upon which the southward march .of
the Japanese was stopped-and is being
turned back. Although so near and so im-
portant to us, few Australians know a great
deal about New Guinea.
Now a member of the Moresby family tells,
simply and Interestingly, of the discovery,
exploration, and development of the Island
group from 1511 to 1943. The people of New
Guinea, the birds, flowers, insects, etc. are
dealt with, and the story includes the Dutch
territory. We meet Dampier, Owen Stanley,
and John Moresby. From the voyage of
H.M.S. "Basilisk" we move on to the gold
hunters, to "B.P.," and the airways; and,
finally, to a diary of the New Guinea Cam-
paign from January. 1943-July, 1943.
Well Illustrated, the book contains In
handy compass a wealth of Information about
New Guinea, "Land of Heroes and History".
(P.5, Argus, 27-11-1943.)

Surnames: BUCHER COYLE HUNT MORSEBY PHILLIPS
Viewed: 439 times
Likes: 0
by itellya Profile | Research | Contact | Subscribe | Block this user
on 2013-07-16 01:24:46

Itellya is researching local history on the Mornington Peninsula and is willing to help family historians with information about the area between Somerville and Blairgowrie. He has extensive information about Henry Gomm of Somerville, Joseph Porta (Victoria's first bellows manufacturer) and Captain Adams of Rosebud.

Do you know someone who can help? Share this:

Comments

Register or Sign in to comment on this journal.