ALFRED SILVESTER COULD NOT MAINTAIN THE ILLUSION OF BEING FAITHFUL SO LOUISA WAS A RESIDENT OF DROMANA, VIC., AUST. BY 1890.
A NAME IN A LIST ISN'T MUCH GOOD FOR FAMILY HISTORIANS! YOU WON'T FIND ANY MENTION OF LOUISA SILVESTER IN ANY PUBLISHED MORNINGTON PENINSULA HISTORY.
In 1890, the Sorrento 3rd 20 travelled to Rosebud to play an AUSTRALIAN RULES football match against Rosebud Union, a team comprised of players who were probably too old or too young to get a game in Dromana's team. Rosebud was a sleepy little fishing village and probably didn't have enough males to form a football team of its own. It had a jetty but only small vessels could berth there while the big excursion steamers could do so at Dromana and the Queen of watering places, Coppin's Sorrento. Income derived from the lengthy "Season" sustained many guest houses and provided employment out of season for those who maintained the summer houses of the wealthy at Sorrento. Sorrento had several hotels and Dromana had two until the Arthurs Seat Hotel burnt down in early 1898. Many of the humble pioneering Sorrento locals earned money during the season as cab drivers, servants, working in stores, and even slumming it over summer or Easter so their houses could be let to holiday makers, deriving probably half their yearly income. Dromana residents such as Susan Peatey and Julia Clydesdale found employment at the town's hotels as early as the late 1860's but there were fewer SUMMER HOUSES there and the only documented case of employment at one is that of Godfrey Wilson's future wife, Maria Stenniken, (whose father,Ben of Rye, leased land on the Survey.) Maria worked at the summer house of John Vans Agnew Bruce on his Brokil Estate (between today's Mount Martha Waterway-Tassells Creek- and Bruce Rd.)
Thus it can be seen why Sorrento had three teams, Dromana one and Rosebud could not form a team of its own.
SORRENTO 3RDS V. ROSEBUD UNION
EXTRACT FROM THE MATCH REPORT.
The game terminated thus :Rosebud 5 goals 6 behinds, Sorrento nil. The goal. kickers were Rudduck 2, Lawrence; Souter and, Fred Salva 1 each. In addition to these :Peters,Silvester, Jamieson, Watson and Thomson played well, whilst Joe Cain,Sutton, Salva, Watson, Riley and Griffiths worked hard to avert disaster,
NOT MUCH FOR A SILVESTER FAMILY HISTORIAN TO GO ON IS IT?
As I had not seen the name in connection with Rosebud and could not find one on trove, I tried SILVESTER, DROMANA and with one result- and another search for LOUISA SILVESTER (with one result also) to determine roughly when the separation took place- WHAT A STORY EMERGED!
Rosebud Union's SYLVESTER was probably a teenager, son of Alfred and Louisa Silvester who had arrived in Melbourne in November 1874 and performed all over as illusionists, including at Geraldton, W.A. where Alfred fell into intemperate habits, apparently with a performer named Annie Sefton rather than alcohol, causing a separation and Louisa Sarah Anne Silvester, of Dromana, music teacher sued for divorce about a year after the football match. She was granted custody of the three children.
DETAILS OF ALFRED AND LOUISA'S NATIVE PLACES, DATE AND AGES WHEN MARRIED AND OTHER DETAILS NOT INCLUDED IN MY SUMMARY.
THE DIVORCE
The visit to Geraldton and subsequent separation must have occurred during the 1880's because the couple had three children by 1891 and was still performing together in 1879*. Most female performers probably gave the illusion of being single so the male members of the audience would not feel guilty about ogling them. Louisa was almost certainly Alfred's wife because any daughter, if legitimate, would have been 5 years old or less. Nellie was probably Arthur's wife too.
*The Silvester and Vivian entertainment attracted a good house to the Fitzroy Town Hall on Saturday evening. Hadji Mahommed Sahib, an illusionist, made his first appearance, and created a favorable impression. A racy little comedy by Miss Nellie Vivian and Mr.Silvester's cabinet seance,Masks and Faces by Miss Louisa Silvester, and some comic characters by Arthur Vivian were very deservedly applauded. (Near end of P.3, The Age, 17-3-1879.)
1879 PERFORMANCE AT FITZROY
on 2018-01-14 23:46:57
Itellya is researching local history on the Mornington Peninsula and is willing to help family historians with information about the area between Somerville and Blairgowrie. He has extensive information about Henry Gomm of Somerville, Joseph Porta (Victoria's first bellows manufacturer) and Captain Adams of Rosebud.
Comments
SO, ALFRED (one of that name anyway) WAS A DOCTOR OF MAGIC EH!
I wonder if the 1918 version was the Rosebud Union footballer of 1890 or his brother.
Findings in italics at the end of this comment indicate that the Fakir (Dr.Silvester)was possibly the father of Louisa's husband, Alfred, the illusionist.
For the First Time in Australia,
SILVESTER, SILVESTER, SILVESTER,
SILVESTER, SILVESTER, SILVESTER,
SILVESTER, SILVESTER. SILVESTER,
The Magician of Magicians,
He has the secrets of the famous Fakir of Olou
'(Doctor Silvester), who appeared in Melbourne in
the 'seventies. Also the knowledge of Silvester
the illusionist, here in 1880.
(P.18, Argus, 17-10-1918, column 6.)
NOW IT GETS REALLY CONFUSING. SURELY THIS CAN'T BE LOUISA'S HUSBAND of 1874-1891 unless he sired three children in two years and continued performing with Louisa after committing bigamy. WAS THIS ONE A COUSIN?
SILVESTER-BEAUMONT.—On the 24th inst., at St.
Jude's Church, by the Rev. B. Rodda, Alfred Sil-
vester (Fakir of Oolu) to Sarah Amelia Beaumont,
eldest daughter of Wm. George Beaumont, Esq., of
Hobart Town. Tasmanian papers please copy.
(P.1, Argus, 27-10-1876.)
A detailed review of this Alfred's performance at Geelong four months before his marriage:P.3, Geelong Advertiser, 20-7-1876.
ONLY ONE MAGICAL ALFRED AFTER 1886.
SILVESTER.—On the 13th inst., at Prince's-terrace,Prince's-street, Fitzroy, Alfred Silvester (the Fakir of Oolu), aged 55.(P.1, Argus, 14-1-1886.)
He was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery. He'd lived at 2 Prusher (Prince's) Terrace, Princes St., Fitzroy.
This Alfred was born in about 1831. Louisa's Alfred was 21 when they married in 1874, so he would have been born in about 1853. It is possible that Dr Silvester had married by 1852 or so and was Louisa's father in law.
Therefore the following article would seem to be about Sarah Amelia Beaumont's future husband and his son, Louisa's husband. Alfred Jnr. was obviously a child of the doctor's first/earlier marriage.
Silvester, the 'Fakir of Oolu,' met with an accident at Bathurst, where he was badly injured by the falling timbers of the School of Arts, which was blown down in a gale of wind. His son, Mr. Alfred Silvester, assisted by Mademoiselle Naomi*, gave an entertainment entitled 'Mysteria' in various towns in New Zealand.
(P.155**, THE AUSTRALIAN SKETCHER WITH PEN AND PENCIL, 25-12-1875.)
* Louisa was most likely pregnant if this was her husband.
** I think page numbers were carried on from one issue to the next.
LIKE MAGIC, THIS ALFRED'S WIDOW FOUND A NEW HUBBY IN A JIFF!
KINGSLEY—SILVESTER.—On the 10th inst., at St.
Peter's Church, East Melbourne, by the Rev. Canon
Handfield, Henry James Collis, third son of the
late Major Charles Kingsley, of Blackrock, Co.
Dublin, Ireland, to Sarah Amelia, widow of the late
Doctor Alfred Silvester, and daughter (of) W. G. Beau-
mont, Esq., Hobart. (P.1, Argus, 17-11-1887.)
The Alfred Silvester performing with Naomi was married to her so Louisa was not married to the doctor/Fakir's son but most likely to his nephew.
TRAGEDY ENDS PARTY CHARGE OF MURDER
Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954) Saturday 21 October 1922 p 7 Article
... collection, which consists of a lion and lioness, a panther, and a fox. belong to Mr. Alfred Silvester, a ... nephew of the famous illusionist. Dr. Silvester, and the proprietor of a thought-reading act by
AND I THINK I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT IN CASE I GO UP IN A PUFF OF SMOKE.