Whitmore from England to Victoria
My connection to the WHITMORE family is through my great grandmother who was Jessie Elizabeth TAYLOR nee WHITMORE.
It was in 1806 that James WHITMORE was born and after marrying Jessie UNKNOWN and living in London fathered two daughters, Elizabeth Eleanor b. 1845, Francis (Fanny) Louisa b. 1848.
Firstly Fanny met and married John Thomas TAYLOR b.1839 in Bury, Lancashire Eng d. 14 January 1866 of Bright's Disease and buried in the Kew Cemetery on the 16th January. He had worked as a dispenser (chemist) at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
The 16 Jan. 1866 Argus death notice reads:
THE Friends of the late Mr. JOHN THOMAS TAYLOR, dispenser at the Melbourne Hospital, are respectfully invited to follow his remains to the place of Interment, Melbourne General Cemetery.
The funeral to move from his residence, 150 Stephen-street, THIS DAY, 16th inst., at 4 o'olock.
JOHN DALEY, undertaker, Latrobe and Spring street, Melbourne.
Before his death, Fanny had given birth to a daughter, Jessie Elizabeth TAYLOR, b. 5 September 1864 at 137 Johnson Street, Fitzroy Vic. Jessie later married William KNOPP (see KNOPP journal).
Next to marry was Elizabeth Eleanor (known as Eleanor) who married William Symonds DREWE on 27 May 1864. [Argus dated 27 May 1864] DREWE-WHITMORE.-On the 21st inst., by special licence, at the Scots Church, by the Rev. I. Heatherington, William Symonds, eldest son of the late William Drewe, late of Exeter, to Elizabeth Eleanor, eldest daughter of the late James Whitmore of London.
Eleanor and William had one daughter Jessie Cameron DREWE b. 1868 and d.1943 in Elsternwick, Vic.
Fanny next married Richard PETERSON, a miner on 7 April 1870 in Scots Church Melbourne. He passed away in 1890. He was born abt. 1837 in Schleswig Denmark.
Fanny accumulated great wealth in her lifetime dying in 1924. She is buried in the same plot as her son-in-law (William KNOPP d. 1914) at the Coburg Cemetery. She lived at 27 Blair Street, Coburg (which is now a block of flats) and married Charles DOHERTY 7 July 1891. He died in 1925. Fanny owned four other properties in and around the Coburg area as well as the hotel at Flowerdale on 250 acres of land and according to the census and her will, she had a lessee in the hotel at the time of her death, but was at the hotel in the late 1890s and married Charles there but returned to live in suburban Melbourne at a later date.
Elizabeth Eleanor DREWE nee WHITMORE died at 34 years old and was buried on 1st April 1879 at Melbourne General Cemetery.
THE Friends of Mr WILLIAM SYMONS DREWE are most respectfully invited to follow the remains of his late beloved wife to their last resting place, the Melbourne General Cemetery. The funeral procession is appointed to move from his residence, 48 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, THIS DAY, (Tuesday, the 1st), at a quarter to 4 o clock punctually.
WILLIAM GEORGE APPS, undertaker, corner of Fitzroy and Moor streets, Fitzroy [1 Apr 1879 Argus Funeral Notices]
Eleanor and William's daughter Jessie Cameron DREWE married William Albert CHERRY in 1900. They had the "Grandview" boarding house at the corner of Green and Symonds Sts, Healesville, Victoria, an establishment which is still used as holiday accommodation in Healesville.
Jessie Cameron CHERRY was, along with a solicitor, the executor of the will of her Aunt, Francis (Fanny) DOHERTY. Jessie and William had two children, William Drewe CHERRY b. 1902 and Jessie Eunice CHERRY b. 1907 d. 1995.
In researching my great great great grandmother I have uncovered a wealth of information and I am sure there will be more to add in times to come.
so rewarding when you see it all together - Regards
Thank you edmondsallan,your comments are always appreciated and your hints are invaluable.
Regards Marg
Hello, I stumbled across your post by accident whilst looking for information about my grandfather William Drewe Cherry, son of Jessie. Née Cameron and William Albert Cherry. William(known as Drewe by me and others I his family) married Charlotte Major Hooton, had 10 children, lived in Canada - Windsor Ontario -- in the late 1920s and early 1930s. They returned to Australia then when my mother, their eldest child was 7 years old. They eventually settled in Newcastle NSW where they opened a ladies wear store in The Newcastle suburb of Hamilton. My grandfather died in 1967. My mother is now 86 and has many memories of the Cherrys at Healesville.
Hi Lesley, the story continues...your great-grandmother was Jessie Cameron (middle name) CHERRY nee DREWE and her son is your grandfather, what a small world. He had a sister Jessie Eunice CHERRY...do you know what happened to her, she would have been your mum's auntie. Fancy William (Drewe) going off to Canada then returning to Australia. My mother is 84 and while she remembers quite well, she unfortunately had more to do with her father's family than her mother's who are also on your side of the family. Where is your mum now, still in Newcastle, NSW? There is also another lady who is very interested in the older history of the DREWE/WHITMORE line, if you are interested in the older history of this family. Thank you for writing. Marg
Hi. my name is Doug Hill and I have an unusual connection to William Albert and Jessie Cameron Cherry parents of William Drew and Jessie Eunice.
I know very little of the Cherry's only that it was their good grace that they took my Grandmother Ivy May Fritsch in at sometime after her mother Margaret Fritsch died after having a miscarriage on a train in 1909.
How and when the Cherry's became involved I do not know, but my Nan was with them up until 1917 when she married my Grandfather Horace James Hills at Healsville.
My Nan thought enough of Jessie Cameron to name her youngest daughter of two daughters Muriel Ivy Jessie Hill.
Do you have any information at all on how my Nan came to be with the family via family gos or stories. Her husband Horace had come back from Galipolli with eye problems and he was a shoemaker and gardener. He was not in a good way he was suffering from what we now know as PTSD but the it was "Shell Shock". Poor bloke did not have a happy life.
When he married Ivy May it was William Albert who was one of the witnesses on the marriage certificate. It is a very long shot but would you happen to have any old photo's of the wedding?? Or of Ivy May??
Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you want to reply by email my address is douglashill@optusnet.com.au or I can be found on Facebook my cover pic is a photo of my brother with a hat on and me in our younger days. Sadly he has passed and I am now pushing 73.
Kind regards
Doug Hill.