Rowley Jennings Mullens Williams of Rye Rosebud Vic Aust

Last night I chanced upon a notice of the marriage of Robert Rowley and Christina/Christena Edwards which I added to my MALLEE TO RYE:THE ROWLEY CONNECTION journal. I also sent a copy of the addition to Linda Berndt, who with Phil Cain, does much research on the area west of Rosebud for the Rye Historical Society, whose museum in the grounds of Rye Primary School is well worth a visit.

Linda replied to my email providing much information, demonstrating why I like to connect people who private message me about the same family. Each person might not necessarily double previously found knowledge but the pool of information will certainly be bigger.

One thing that perplexed me was that the two Williams brothers died only one day apart, according to the late Ray Cairns, but only one was named on the grave inscription where he was buried in the same grave as his sister Carrie. Linda supplies the reason! The Rowley, Jennings and Williams families are discussed in several of my journals.

WALTER JENNINGS
NOTE THAT WALTER JENNINGS, NOTED TENOR AND LEADER OF THE FRANKSTON CHORAL SOCIETY, WAS NOT RELATED TO THE JENNINGS FAMILY OF RYE, MEMBERS OF WHICH LATER RAN A DAIRY AT THE CORNER OF PT. NEPEAN RD AND ROSEBUD PDE, OUTSIDE WHICH STANDS A STATUE OF JACK JENNINGS AND A POTTED HISTORY OF HIS FAMILY.

Walter Jennings formed a touring company in about 1914, and in the absence of Walter and the accompanist,the Frankston Choral Society was forced into temporary recess. Decades later,Walter was still in high demand to perform in concerts and was advertised as a drawcard.

ON TOUR.
Rochester Express (Vic. : 1914 - 1918) Tuesday 26 May 1914 p 3 Article
... Walter Jennings, who possesses one of the most beautiful tenor voices at present in Australia ETC.

Heyfield Herald (Vic. : 1914 - 1918) Thursday 9 April 1914 p 2 Article
... Mr Syd Stewart, clever comedian and female impersonator; Mr Percival Wilmot (bdsno), Mr Walter Jennings (tenor), and Miss ilosa Walton, in charming monologues and songs at the piano.

DECADES LATER.
Frankston & Somerville Standard (Vic. : 1921 - 1939) Friday 29 January 1937 p 3 Article
... Nellie Melba. It is probable that Mr., Walter Jennings, the noted tenor, will also appear, if .
(Wally needed a lift to Somerville, most likely from Rosebud, in order to appear!)

Here's Linda's reply.

Thanks xxx,
Do have Ronnie’s details through Dad. Most interesting. I know Bob Rowley always said his great grandparents were married in Tasmania and his writings attest that. Haven’t written much about the Rowley's because Bob wrote so much. It is his writings in Nell’s book. Nell Arnold you may like to know is now 103!!! Although in care she is still with it mentally.

I was looking at your writings this arvo. I can clear up the Williams cemetery story for you. It is common knowledge around the older Rye folk that the two Williams boys always fought. When they died Caroline said she would be buried between them to keep them apart in death. The reason one doesn’t have a headstone and the other does is because one saved his money so Caroline bought him a headstone. The other was less frugal so she didn’t get him a headstone and wouldn’t outlay the cost herself. The kids at school love that story!!! We do a working bee in the cemetery every week and that story gets told EVERY week.

xxx, I was also having a look at the Jennings bit. Although there were also Jennings’ at Rosebud in the early part of the 1900’s, this family is not related to us in any way. Walter Jennings had a beautiful singing voice and was a fine musician. I know he played a lot around Frankston. I have copied across the ones that aren’t relevant to my lineage. You may also be interested to learn that although the newspaper article states Cec married in Portsea he was actually married in Northcote, about 3 days after that article appears! Just goes to show you can’t believe all that goes in the papers.There may have been a pre wedding gathering at the Tucks in Portsea but not sure, certainly no wedding there.
K. Jennings, the hiker was Kath (Hannah Katherine Mary) Jennings, daughter of Cec. She ended up marrying Wally Faux from Horsham and settling there, her sister and a brother also ended up in Horsham. That is how Clarrie ended up there for a few years.
Our Jennings family arrived in 1914 and until the 1920’s when they leased the Tootgarook Run from the Purves family (by then named Rye Park) and my great grandfather bought a milk round from Rowley’s they only lived in Rye on the farm boarded by Dundas, Weeroona (then Jennings Rd) and Browns road.
The Rye farm which was first known as Milangil then changed to Kariah after old Dod died was sold by Cec in the 1950’s. My great grandfather Ern sold his part to Cec in the 40’s. The family had the chance to purchase the land in Tootgarook which extended from Government Road to Morris street and back as far as Brights drive for a pound an acre but my great grandfather said no because the land would never amount to anything!!!!! The original homestead on the corner of Leonard street was knocked down about 4 years ago. (#@**%$ Shire). It was a wattle and daub place which had been bricked around, the original fence posts were there until the place was knocked down also. This was the site of the first licenced inn.
Jennings book being launched at the Family reunion on the 26th April. I will make sure Rosebud Library get a copy.

I enjoy your writings, every now and then I click on to see what’s there, keep it up!!!
Linda

Those assessed in 1919 on land in section A# were:
A.L.Adcock, Red Hill, 6, 7, N.A.V. 2 POUNDS!; H.Cairns 14, c/o Mrs Papper, 433 George St.,Fitzroy; Mace, Wangaratta, 84, 85,86; W.R.Mullens 17, 18, c/o Jennings Rosebud; J.Patterson,Rosebud, 13; Mrs Emily June Ada Nethercote, Hawthorn, 12.
Not all of the above gained title. H.Cairns could have been Harry or Helen, neither of whom died for some time so the partly paid-off block may have been sold because of financial difficulties or an offer that couldn't be refused. The Mullens and Jennings family were related by marriage as shown in part 1*.
(# Of the Hindhope Estate)

15--- 9-3-1921 --Gladys Iris Jennings-50'-----Plaza Car Park to east kerb of entry/exit separator.
16--- 9-3-1921----Gladys Iris Jennings---50'-----to diagonal crack in footpath west of entry/exit.

JENNINGS CONNECTIONS (FROM HINDHOPE PART 1. which specifies the land bought north of McCombe St. by Gladys.)
ALWAY-JENNINGS.-The marriage of Betty Irene, elder daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Alway, Hillside avenue, East
Malvern, to Frederick Rowland, youngest son of the late Mr. Walter Jennings and Mrs.G.Jennings, Rosebud, will be celebrated at St. John's Church, Finch street, East Malvern, on Monday, April 15, at 5.30 p.m. (P.10, Argus, 12-4-1946.)

JENNINGS (nee Gladys Mullen). —On the 10th November, at Nurse McInne's private hospital,Box Hill, the wife of Walter Gordon Jennings,of "Dalgabeena," Blackburn —a son (Gordon Roberts).(P.11, Argus,12-12-1914.) So that's why the Mullen assessment was to be sent to Mrs Jennings in 1919!

MULLEN.-On March l8, at Hobart, Lt.-Col. L. M. Mullen, loving brother of Gladys (Mrs. W. G. Jennings. Rosebud,
Vic). -Duty nobly done.(P.2, Argus, 20-3-1943.)

ROBERT ROWLEY'S MARRIAGE.
ROWLEY-EDWARDS - By the Rev. J Smithies, at the house of Mr Joseph Tongs, Illawarra Christina Edwards, the only daughter of Mr William Edwards, of Newborough, Fife, Scotland, to Mr Robert Rowley, of Dromana, Victoria.
(Launceston Examiner (Tas. : 1842 - 1899) Tuesday 22 January 1861 Edition: MORNING p 5 Family Notices)
There was an identical notice on 1-1-1861 but I could not re-find it.

Hi XXX,
You got me wondering about the Rowley marriage. Have done a check on Ancestry and also with the Tasmanian Records online. Robert Rowley married Christina Edwards at Longford, Tasmania on 28 Dec 1860 rego number 553.
Cheers (from Linda Berndt.)

The following makes it possible that Robert Rowley worked for Peter Pidoto at Dromana for 15 years or more. He received the grants for 46A and 46 Wannaeue on 13-2-1883 and 7-7-1886 respectively. It would seem that Robert left Dromana soon after Emma's birth, built a house on the foreshore while continuing his aquatic activity,as a fisherman,and then turned to farming,settling and building a house on 41A before 1879. (See below.) The spelling of his wife's given name is given as Christina in all family notices seen so far;Christena could be an error made by the carver or transcriber of the grave inscription.

Mary Christina Rowley BIRTH: 1866 Dromana, Victoria, Australia ...
records.ancestry.com/Mary_Christina_Rowley_records.ashx?pid...‎
10 Records - Born in Dromana, Victoria, Australia on 1866 to Robert Rowley and Christina Edwards. ... Potential photos and documents for Mary Christina Rowley.
Emma Rowley BIRTH: 1875 Dromana, Victoria, Australia DEATH
records.ancestry.com.au/Emma_Rowley_records.ashx?pid=164047352‎
Emma Rowley. Found 10 Records, 4 Photos and 582,137 Family Trees. Born in Dromana, Victoria, Australia on 1875 to Robert Rowley and Christina Edwards.

ROBERT ROWLEY'S SECOND HOUSE IN RYE.
Ron Doig,a Rowley descendant told me that Robert's first house in Rye was on the foreshore opposite the post office,his second house was near the southern boundary of 41A (south of Belar St near Carboor St, Melway 169 C8) and his third at 17 Lyons St.

The second house would have to be the one referred to below.
"Tourism commenced in a small way late in the 19th century,in the form of an old pioneer's house which was owned and built by Robert Rowley before 1879,being converted into the "Alma Guest House" (sic?).
(2461 - 5 PNR Rye HERITAGE ASSESSMENT 090522 - Mornington ...
www.mornpen.vic.gov.au/files/af39f772.../101506da_att_231_5.pdf‎)

The crown allotments on the west side of Truemans Rd between Pt Nepean Rd and the freeway reservation were granted to Ben Stenniken,James Trueman and Robert Rowley. James Trueman's 112 acre crown allotment was subdivided as the Doigs' Oceanaires Estate (eastern half) and the western half as the Almaray Estate. The latter estate name combined the names of Panda's hairdresser,Raymond Guest, and his wife Alma. The origins of other street names on the two estates are explained elsewhere. Houses on both sides of Bona and Guest Streets are on the Trueman grant. It is likely that Alma and Ray Guest bought all or part of the land south of the Guest St houses and that ALMA GUEST lived in Robert Rowley's pre-1879 homestead. It is possible that the house was used as a guest house by Robert Rowley because James Little Brown "stayed with Robert for a few weeks" when he arrived in Rye from the Mallee. It is also possible that Robert named it Alma House but I believe that "Alma Guest House" means a house belonging to Alma Guest.