Oh My, Miss Mary Prince: Part 2

Last year, I told you a story about Mary Alice Helena Prince, my 1st Cousin, 3x Removed.

Here is a brief summary -

Mary was born in 1894, Macksville, New South Wales to parents Harriett Helena Gill (1869 – 1953) and John Charles Prince (1855 – 1930). After her youngest sibling was born in 1912, she relocated to Melbourne with her parents. However, by 1930, she was back in New South Wales and living at Little Billabong Station, near Holbrook in New South Wales. She remained there until at least 1949; the last Electoral Roll I found that has her living at Little Billabong. 

Location of Little Billabong Station
[Source: Google Maps]

I had also discovered, thanks to Trove, that in 1953 Mary was suing John James McLaurin for breach of promise. John was a grazier at Little Billabong and to whom Mary was engaged for 21 years. In the end Mary was granted $1000 in damages for McLaurin's breach of promise. 

One of the many articles about the court case.
[Source: WOMAN SUES GRAZIER (1953, May 14). National Advocate (Bathurst, NSW : 1889 - 1954),
p. 4. Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161659492]

At the time of writing about Mary last year, I had learned that in 1963 Mary was living in Castle Hill, Sydney, except her surname was Lawson. In 1968, she was living in Swansea, Newcastle. In both electoral rolls there was no other Lawson at her address. I had not been able to find a marriage in Victoria or New South Wales. I wondered if she really married or changed her surname for some sort of protection. The court case was very publicized in newspapers all around Australia. Mary passed away in 1971 and I was not sure where she was buried either.  

Last month, I finally got around to ordering Mary's death certificate. 

Snippet of  a transcription of Mary's death certificate ordered from NSW Family History Transcriptions

What information am I most interested in? 

Name of Spouse: Christopher Bernard Lawson. A likely explanation as to how she changed her surname to Lawson.

Age at Marriage: 60. If Mary passed away at 76 years in 1971, her approximate marriage year is 1955. 

Place of Marriage: Box Hill, Victoria. Unfortunately, the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages historical index currently has marriages until 1942, which would explain why I could not find a marriage record for Mary.

Conjugal Status: Widow. This provides the assumption that Christopher passed away before 1971.

As Mary was living in New South Wales when she passed away, I searched the New South Wales BDM Index for a potential death record for a Christopher Lawson, including other spelling variants. Conclusion: Negatory.

I searched the Victoria BDM for a death record for a Christopher Lawson and was given the following result:

Name: Christian Bernard Lawson.
Death Year: 1966
Age: 77
Place: Mont Albert, Victoria. 
Father: Frederick Lawson
Mother: Mary Catherine Lyons

I immediately ordered his death certificate to find out more.
Cause of Death: Effects of injuries received when he was struck by a motor car. 
The verdict was declared at an inquest held by the coroner. 

Where Married: Mont Albert, Victoria.
Age: Unknown
To Whom: Mary Uren
Conjugal Condition at Death: Married
Children: No

Is this him? I am not sure yet. The informant was the coroner, so perhaps he did not know the correct information about this Mary Uren? I found Christian's birth record for the year 1889, but could not find a marriage before 1942 for a Surname Lawson to a First Name Mary. 

I found two Victorian Electoral Roll records for a Christian Bernard Lawson.
1 - 1949, Scott St, Vermont. 
2 - 1963, View St, Subdivision of Surrey Hills.

In 1963, Mary is listed in the electoral rolls as living in New South Wales. Both were living on their own. Keep in mind that sometimes people forgot to update their address when they moved. 

The Victorian BDM says that marriage certificates can be applied for without identification documents if the marriage occurred more than 60 years ago, and both parties are deceased. 60 years ago was 1957, and Mary and Christian are both deceased. I wonder if the Vic BDM will be able to help me? I would love to know if this Christian is indeed the Christopher Bernard Lawson on Mary's death certificate.

Janet Mackay, Is It You?

This past week, I have been researching the descendants of my 4x Great Uncle Hugh McKenzie Mackay. His son Angus (1857 NSW - 1929 QLD) had 2 marriages and 16 children. Angus' 3rd child, Janet Mackay, according to the baptism record, was born in New South Wales in 1887 to his first wife Jane. I had a number of leafy green hints for Janet which I had a look at. 

This led me to another tree that had Janet listed with two marriages - Richard Daley in 1911 and Harry Walters in 1945. But hang on a minute, I had just read her sister Sarah's obituary on Trove. Sarah had died in 1938 before she was 50, and I was hoping Trove would provide me with some clues as to why. I got more than that though - Sarah's obituary wonderfully listed all her siblings! Her sisters first names AND married names were given.  

Obituary of Sarah Stone, nee Mackay.
[Source: Mrs. Sarah Stone. (1938, July 12). The Wingham
Chronicle and Manning River Observer
(NSW : 1898 - 1954), p. 2.
Retrieved January 29, 2017,
from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167877131]

Can you see Janet's name in the list of Sarah's siblings?

"Janet (Mrs J H Geelan, Elands)."

On the New South Wales Births Deaths and Marriages Index, the only marriage for a Janet Mackay & male Geelan is to a James Samuel Geelan in 1936, Taree (#3184/1936). 

James passed away in 1947 – there’s an inquest and everything! And yep, his wife Janet is mentioned. 

If you are interested, here is a link to an article detailing the inquest - it is very long!

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168523959

And his obituary...

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article162163307

I found a death on the NSW BDM for a Janet Geelan in 1954, with parents listed as Angus and Jane (#8318/1954). I guess it is time to order the death certificate and find out if this is her.

But what about this other tree?

Well, I checked it out and they are not a direct descendant of Janet, but of a sibling of Angus' first wife Jane. I guess this is another case of not believing in other public trees on Ancestry until you have done your own research. I would not want someone else coming along and taking the information from my tree to be 100% correct. We all make mistakes.        

So, will this death certificate tell me what I want to know? Is this Janet Geelan the Janet Mackay I am looking for? 

Time to play the waiting game.

Ancestor Count 2017

A new year. A new set of goals.

Every January I ask myself the following question - Which ancestors am I going to research this year? I reflect on the ancestors I researched the previous year, and those I wanted to research but did not get around to. 

The past few months, I have seen a few geneabloggers post their Ancestor Count. Doing an Ancestor Count involves counting the number of ancestors you have identified in each generation, compared with the total number of people in that generation. It is a great way of displaying the number of known ancestors you have, however, it also highlights the generations that may be lacking your attention.

When I see people post their Ancestor Counts, I always think about doing one, but then I never do. It was Michael Dyer's Ancestor Tally last week that got myself into gear. If you would like further instructions on how to create your own Ancestor Count, Deidre from Twisted Twigs On Gnarled Branches Genealogy has a great how-to. Alona Tester's Ancestor Count has just popped up in my news feed too. 

What is my current Ancestor Count? Well, I did two. My Maternal Grandmother was adopted, so one includes her adoptive ancestors, and the other her biological ancestors. You will be able to tell which one I know more about.

You can see that once I hit the 7th generation - 4x Great Grandparents - the trouble begins. I do have names for a number of people in the 9th and 10th generations, but I have not proven them yet, so I chose to leave them out.  

When I include my Grandmother's biological ancestors, then numbers decrease. We know who her biological father is, but not her biological mother - the missing Great Grandparent. 

For most of 2016, I was working on the descendants of my ancestors' siblings. I was working my way forward as much as possible. In 2017, it is time to go back to the past. Hopefully, when I do my next Ancestor Count in 2018, the numbers will have increased.   

Oh My, Miss Mary Prince.

On Sunday, I was reviewing the information and sources I had for Harriett Helena Gill (1869 – 1953), her husband John Charles Prince (1855 – 1930), and their children. This led me to a very interesting find, but first, some background information for you. 

Harriett is my 3x Great Aunt, being the sister of my Great Great Grandmother Elizabeth Lucilla Gill (1867 – 1905). Harriett was born in the Macleay River area of New South Wales (NSW) in 1869. In 1891, she married John Charles Prince (originally from England) in Nambucca, NSW. They had 8 children together – Christopher, Mary, Louisa, Emma, John, Hadden, Alma, & Gladness. After their youngest was born in 1912, Harriett and Charles moved to Melbourne, Victoria with all but Christopher who had moved to Queensland. Charles passed away in 1930, and Harriett in 1955. They are buried in Box Hill Cemetery, Melbourne.

Which one of Harriett’s children is the focus of today’s post? Mary! Full Name - Mary Alice Helena Prince. Mary was born in 1894 in Macksville, NSW. She originally relocated to Melbourne with her parents, and is listed as living with them in the 1924 Electoral Roll for Victoria. 

Mary Alice Helena Prince listed in the 1924 Electoral Roll
for Camberwell, Kooyong, Victoria
[Source: "Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980", Ancestry.com.au]

By 1930, Mary had moved back to New South Wales and was living at Little Billabong Station, near Holbrook and Little Billabong. She remained there until at least 1949; the last Electoral Roll I have found that has her living at Little Billabong.

Mary listed in the 1930 Electoral Roll for Holbrook, Hume, New South Wales
[Source: "Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980", Ancestry.com.au]

Map showing location of Little Billabong Station
and NSW/Victoria border
[Source: Google Maps]

I was searching Mary’s name on Trove to see if I could find anything about a marriage for her. I did not. But I found a whole lot of something else! I was amazed. I was filled with shock, confusion, laughter, and intrigue as I read article after article. Which article do I show you first? I think this one…

Oh, Mary's suing...
[Source: ENGAGED FOR 21 YEARS—FIANCEE (1953, May 13). Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga, NSW : 1911 - 1954), p. 1. Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article145490814]

In summary, Mary is suing John James McLaurin, a grazier at Little Billabong to whom she was engaged for 21 years, for breach of promise. Well, now I know why she lived at Little Billabong for so long! 

[Source: WOMAN SUES GRAZIER (1953, May 14). National Advocate (Bathurst, NSW : 1889 - 1954),
p. 4. Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161659492]

But wait, there's more!

They were even questioned about their kisses!
[Source: HOLBROOK MAN SAYS HE ENDED ENGAGEMENT IN 1929 (1953, May 15). Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga, NSW : 1911 - 1954), p. 3. Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article145490204]

This title is sure to grab anyone's attention...

Oh my goodness...
[Source: Breach-Of-Promise Suit (1953, May 15). The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), , p. 4. Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article160484246]

So what happened? What was the result of the court hearing? Mary was granted $1000 in damages for McLaurin's breach of promise. The result even made its way into the newspaper in Western Australia...

[Source: AFTER 20 YEARS SHE WAS JILTED (1953, May 23). Mirror (Perth, WA : 1921 - 1956), , p. 6. Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article75729869]

And that my friends, was my Sunday night discovery. I know I know, you want to know what happened to Mary after all that kerfuffle. I'm still figuring that out too! I do know she returned to New South Wales. In 1963, she was living in Castle Hill, Sydney, except her surname was now Lawson. In 1968, she had moved to Swansea, Newcastle, NSW. In both Electoral Rolls, there is no other Lawson at her address. I have not been able to find a marriage for Mary to a surname Lawson in Victoria or New South Wales. Did she really marry? Or did she change her surname for protection of a sort? Mary passed away in 1971 in Newcastle, and I am going to order her death certificate soon to find out.

National Siblings Day

Sunday was National Siblings Day. I have not posted a photo for the occasion yet...that is what this post is for! I have one sibling - a younger brother. He does not like it when I post photos of him on social media, so I shall be a good sister (for once?! Haha!) and respect his privacy. Instead, here are a few photos of some other siblings in the family.

1. My Dad & Aunt hanging about in their backyard in Sydney, New South Wales. Yes, that is my Dad in the tub. This photo would have been taken in the 1950's. 

Rub A Dub Dub, My Father's In The Tub

 2. My Great Great Grandfather Alexander Mackay (1856 - 1937) with his five children -  Alice, Eva (My Great Grandmother), Lottie, Archie, and Elizabeth. This would have been taken in the late 1920's/early 1930's, in or near Bowraville, New South Wales.

L-R: Elizabeth, Alice, Alexander, Eva, Lottie & Archie

3. My Great Great Grandmother Mary Frances Renfrow nee Smith (1861 - 1955) with 6 of her 7 children - Luther Marvin, Ernest Bascom "Bass", Roscoe (My Great Grandfather), Arthur, Frank & Launa. This was taken in the 1940s in Corsicana, Texas. Mary's third child, Lula, passed away in 1941.

L-R: Roscoe, Mary, Bass, Launa, Arthur, Frank & Marvin

Golden Anniversary - Donald & Jane Mackay

On the 11th of June, 1851, my Great Great Great Grandparents Donald Mackay (1829 - 1912) and Jane Gilliban Walker (1834 - 1911) were married in the town of Dungog, New South Wales. The following article describes how they celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in Bowraville on the 11th of June, 1901.

50th Wedding Anniversary of Donald & Jane Mackay
[Source: BOWRA NEWS. (1901, June 14). The Raleigh Sun (Bellingen, NSW : 1898 - 1918), p. 2.
Retrieved February 10, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article127665346]

Hopefully you just read the article and noticed at the end it said a photograph was taken of the whole group. Yes, this is that photo! Donald and Jane (she is wearing a veil) are seated in front of the very tall man standing slightly left of center.

The clan at Donald and Jane's 50th Wedding Anniversary
[Source: Family Collection]

Time for a close up...

Official Portrait of Donald and Jane Mackay at their 50th Wedding Anniversary
[Source: Family Collection]

It sounds like it was a grand event!

A Chance Encounter

My paternal Grandmother was from the small town of Bowraville in New South Wales. There has become a saying about Bowraville (which I am sure is probably true of other small country towns) – everyone is connected in one way or another! This has made researching my family history exciting, interesting, yet also very confusing at times. Because of this, I am often double checking who someone marries, and who their spouse’s parents were in case of a family connection.

Last night was one of those discoveries. First, you need to know what instigated it. The other week my Aunt visited my Grandmother’s sister at her nursing home on the Mid-North Coast of NSW. While she was there, one of the chef’s came around delivering the residents their afternoon tea. The chef started chatting with my Aunt and said, in reference to my Great Aunt, “I hear she’s from Bowraville.” This prompted my Aunt to ask the chef if he was from Bowraville. Indeed he is! My Aunt asked him what his family name was (I won’t mention it for privacy reasons) and she recognized it immediately. My Grandmother often talked about a lady named Joyce from Bowraville with the same surname. My Aunt asked the chef if he had known Joyce. Bingo! Joyce was his mother! Small world. The family is delighted that someone from Bowraville is working at the nursing home my Great Aunt is at.

As my Aunt was telling me all this last night, I checked the family tree to see if I had Joyce already listed. I sure did. My Aunt could not figure out how Joyce was related, so I explained it to her.

Joyce’s parents were Frank Ernest Grace (1890 – 1972) and Violet Bridgen (1888 – 1972). Frank was the brother of Richard (1872 – 1955) and William George Alexander Grace (1874 – 1966) who married two of my Grandmother’s father’s sisters – Alice (1882 – 1952) and Elizabeth Dyer (1873 – 1949). Joyce and I are not cousins, but we have mutual cousins courtesy of her uncles marrying my great great aunts.

Diagram showing the connection between Joyce Grace (1919 - 1996) and myself.

The story does not end there though.

When I explained to my Aunt how Joyce (1919 – 1996) was connected, she remembered that Frank and Violet had a son, Sydney Grace (1921 – 2002), whom my Aunt had known when she was little. She also remembered that Sydney was married to Mavis Laird (1912 – 1968). Mavis actually saved my Aunt from drowning when she was little. And Mavis is what brings me to the second half of last night’s discovery.

It turns out that Sydney was Mavis’ second marriage. Her first marriage? Francis Arthur Stephen Ward (1912 – 1982). When I went to add him into the tree I realized he was already in it, and I already had him as being married to Mavis. I suppose at the time I did not check to see if either of them had had further marriages. I noticed that I did have Francis’ parents listed in the tree too. Francis’ parents were Francis Herbert Ward (1861 – 1943) and Ellen Maude Wiley (1871 – 1939).

Wiley. Remember that name. 

Now, let’s go back for a minute to my Grandmother’s sister who is in the nursing home. My Great Aunt was married to my Uncle Charlie Jones (1916 – 1992). Charlie’s mother was Catherine Wiley (1881 – 1962). Wiley! I told you to remember that name. Uncle Charlie and Francis Jr were first cousins! Charlie’s mother Catherine and Francis’ mother Ellen were sisters. 

Diagram showing the connection between Mavis Laird (1912 - 1968) and Uncle Charlie Jones (1916 - 1992)

Is that the end? Not quite. But I shall give you a moment to breathe. I sure need one after all that information. 

Mavis’ parents were John Laird (1866 – 1913) and Sarah Usher (1884 – 1960). John died in 1913 when Mavis was a year old. In 1915, Sarah remarried a bloke by the name of George Thomas Ballard (1861 – 1930). I have a few distant cousins who were Ballard’s, so naturally I double checked the tree. George Ballard is part of a family I have not done much research into yet. He is my 1^st Cousin 4x Removed though! George’s mother was Sarah Ann Walker (1838 – 1902), the sister of my Great Great Great Grandmother, Jane Gilliban Walker (1834 – 1911). While Mavis’ mother Sarah was married to George, Mavis and my Great Grandmother Eva Florence Mackay (1888 – 1976) (My Grandmother’s mother) were step 2^nd cousins.  

Diagram showing connection between Sarah Usher (1884 - 1960), her 2nd husband, George Ballard (1861 - 1930), and my Grandmother.

And that my dear readers, is what I discovered last night after my Aunt told me about her chance meeting with a chef at my Great Aunt’s nursing home.

Do you have any interesting small world stories, or strange connections between ancestors?

Two Families, One Ship.

Welcome to my first post for 2016! I thought I would start with something I found quite funny. I had a *facepalm* moment the other day, and discovered a fact about my family history I probably should have known a few years ago.

My Great Great Grandfather Walter Thomas Dyer (1843 - 1911) arrived in New South Wales, from England, in 1849 when he was 6 years old. He traveled with his parents Thomas and Grace, and his older siblings on the ship Emigrant, which arrived in Port Jackson (Sydney Harbor) on June 8th, 1849.

Shipping Record of Walter Thomas Dyer and four of his older siblings on the ship Emigrant. His parents are listed on the previous page.
Source: New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828 - 1896, Ancestry

In 1871, Walter married my Great Great Grandmother Mary Ann Gore (1851 - 1889). Mary was born in 1851 in the Maitland area, 2 years after her parents Henry and Mary arrived in New South Wales...in 1849. 

Can you see where this might be heading?

The other day I was adding sources to Henry and Mary's profiles in my tree on Ancestry. I had another look at their shipping record. Date of Arrival: June 8th, 1849. Ship: Emigrant. Me: Wait. That sounds familiar. THE DYER'S! Double checked the Dyer's shipping record. June 8th, 1849. Emigrant. 

Shipping Record of Henry & Mary Gore, & eldest child Elizabeth on the ship Emigrant. My 2x Great Grandmother Mary was their second child two years later.
Source: New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828 - 1896, Ancestry

Yes. The Dyer's and the Gore's arrived on the same ship. I also saw that both families are listed on the same page! The Dyer's at the top. and the Gore's further down the page. That, dear readers, was my face-palming moment. When I first found the Gore's shipping record a couple of years ago, I did not even think to read the other names. 

*facepalm*

I started laughing once the initial realization had passed. But seriously, how did I not realize this until now?

Shipping Record of the Emigrant showing both families.
Source: New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828 - 1896, Ancestry

It does explain though, how my Great Great Grandparents Walter and Mary might have met. Their parents could have known each other from the ship and kept in touch upon arriving in New South Wales. It is possible. The other funny thing is, a few of Walter's older sisters married into a Brown family who also arrived on the Emigrant. 

As today is Trove Tuesday, there could not be a more perfect time to have a search on Trove for any mention of the Emigrant's arrival. I found the following two articles -

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE. (1849, June 9). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 4.
Retrieved January 19, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12906995

HOBART TOWN. (1849, June 9). The Shipping Gazette and Sydney General Trade List (NSW : 1844 - 1860), p. 153. Retrieved January 19, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161033595

The Dyer's and the Gore's are the only ancestors I have found that arrived on the same ship. Small world! Or should I say small ship?

Do you have any two (or more?) families in your ancestry that arrived on the same ship? 

A Poem for Dave & Eunice

While in Sydney this week visiting family, I found a box of stuff at my Aunt's house. It contained photos and documents belonging to my Nanna that I had not seen before. One item that I found, was a beautiful poem written by an unknown relative or friend, about my Grandparent's wedding. 

I cannot not share it with you all. I've transcribed it from the copy we have, however, please keep in mind that the punctuation is a bit iffy. It makes sense for the most part. I did not even know someone had written a poem about my Grandparent's wedding until I found it. Happy reading!

In the year 1944, Thursday Twelve the date.

October was the month for sure, of this event, I’ll state

A romance, between man and maid, is clearly brought to view,

And forever sealed, at little Church, between these lovers two.

West Pennant Hills was known quite well, to parents of the Bride.

As likely place, for friendly folk, whom, in various homes reside.

The Bridegrooms family, Mother, Aunt, though by count are only two,

Were also interested there, that nights event to view.

Fair, Eunice Dyer, and David Gow, both thought it just a shame,

Two people, with one single mind, should divided be by name.

So Pastor Hare, their problem solved, by tying nuptual knot,

And so pronounced them man and wife, in Church’s scared plot.

How early of solution, where people can agree,

May all lifes troubled problems, be as happily solved for thee.

For example, if the world, would take their troubles, as these two

And each side, take their share of blame, thus, friendship to renew.

Well, the Corner at West Pennant Hills, on crest of sloping ground,

As usual, with all friendly folk at western homes around.

By personal presence at the Church, then later, Koala Park,

Gave their approval, once again, as wedding cake shewed mark.  

And thus, true homes are founded, by affections, tie and meant,

To raise up loving children, by Gods divine consent.

And Churches sanction, thus be responsible and grave,

With true and loving comradeship, of Eunice and of Dave.

Now describing decorations, at the Church and at the Park,

Blended flowers and ferns, and greenry shewed forth, natures vivid mark.

For natural true embellishment, presents its varied thrills,

To the wedding guests assembled there, from Western Pennant Hills.

And the catering at the Breakfast, of that nuptual wedding. Time

Also gave no jar, or jangle. All went to perfect Rhyme.

For toasts were given freely, and all appetites seemed good,

By the relishing way of handling, all varietys of food.

There was song and pleasing music, contributed in turn,

By both voice and instrumental, good applause two lades earn.

To make a merry party, song and music give the thrills,

As it did this wedding party, gathered at West Pennant Hills.

Now concluding my description, of eventful wedding night.

I submit my own approval, by these few words I indite.

May love, and life, and laughter, may prosperity and peace,

In the home of Dave and Eunice, all their lifetime, never cease.

Wedding of David Gow & Eunice Dyer
12 Oct 1944, Sydney
[Source: Personal Collection]

Family History Mail

Tonight, I started writing my post about the In Time & Place Conference I attended on the weekend. I was not even two sentences in, when Dad asked me to accompany him to the Thai restaurant to get dinner. We stopped by the PO Box on the way, where I was surprised to find a thick A4 yellow envelope waiting for me. As soon as I saw who it was from I could hardly contain my excitement. My cousin had sent me family history stuff! Stuff I knew I had not seen before because we talked on the phone about what documents each of us had a few weeks ago.

Me, literally. Agnes, not Edith. 

I knew as soon as I opened the package that I was not going to finish my planned blog post. Instead, I wanted to blog about one of the many things I received. There are 12 plastic sleeves, some with two pieces of paper, others with three. Basically, there is a lot for me to process!

TREASURE!

I have been going back and forth choosing what to post. I decided that as it is after 10 pm and I'm ready for sleep, to stick with something simple. Ladies and gentlemen, the first photo I have EVER seen of my 3x Great Grandfather David Gill.

L-R: Louisa Jenkins, Harriet Prince, my 3x Great Grandfather David Gill,
& baby Winifred Jenkins. Four generations. Photo taken April 1922.

I'm so happy to finally put a face with a name. David Gill and his wife Alice Wright have always intrigued me. I had seen a photo of Alice before, but not David. He was born in 1842 to Silas Gill and Mercy Catt in New South Wales. In 1864, he married Alice Wright near Kempsey. They had 11 children - Louisa, Elizabeth (my ancestor), Harriet, Caroline, William, Silas, Edith, Charlotte, Alice, Ernest and Edwin.

Then things get interesting. David passed away in Wondai, Queensland in October 1922 at the age of 80. Where did Alice pass away? Melbourne, Victoria in 1926. They went in opposite directions, literally. He went north, she went south. I have no idea if they separated or divorced. I have not been able to find any evidence supporting that. What I do have is David Gill listed in the 1919 Electoral Roll in Wondai and Alice in Melbourne. I also know that they each had other family members living near them. That might have influenced them to move. Will I ever know why David and Alice went in completely opposite directions? Who knows!

Well, I hope you enjoyed that little tangent.

A massive thank you to my cousin for sending me such wonderful documents. I'm going to have a lot of fun in the next few days.

What was the last family history document you received in the mail?

A Pair of Doctors.

I have been diving back into researching my American ancestors and thought I would introduce you to the two Doctors in the family. Both of them are my Great Great Great Grandfather's. From my understanding, they were both family doctors - general practitioners.

1. Dr William Simpson Robinson

He was born on November 6th, 1823, in Tennessee to parents James Robinson and Catherine Mann. In Navarro County, Texas, he married Mariah Adelaide Riggs on September 21st, 1852. They had 13 children. William passed away on January 4th, 1887 in Dresden, Texas. He is buried in Dresden Cemetery.

Dr William Simpson Robinson
Dresden, Texas, 1848
[Source: Family Collection]

Grave of Dr William Simpson Robinson, Dresden Cemetery
[Taken by Caitie on July 8th, 2009...the day I caught the genealogy bug!]

2. Dr George Washington Spencer

He was born on January 6th, 1832 in Alabama, to parents Peter Spencer and Mary Cooper. By 1840, the family had moved to Itawamba, Mississippi. On March 14th, 1855. he married Frances Elizabeth McWilliams in Mississippi. They had at least nine children - I'm still confirming if there were more. Come 1870, George, Frances and their children had moved to Texas. George passed away on May 24th, 1904, in Frost, Texas. He is buried in Frost Cemetery.

Dr George Washington Spencer
Frost, Texas, 1880s
[Source: Family Collection]

Grave of Dr George Washington Spencer, Frost Cemetery
[Taken by Caitie on July 8th, 2009]

I'm still learning about the lives of my American ancestors. I know the Australian side like the back of my hand. The American side, not so much. I find it much harder to research them when I'm not there among the physical records my family has. My Uncle is currently going through all of my Grandma's genealogy stuff. Oh how I wish I was there with him!

Were any of YOUR ancestors Doctors or Medical Specialists?

Mackay Family Portraits

I was recently sent this photo of my Great Great Grandparents Alexander Mackay (1856 - 1937) & Elizabeth Lucilla Gill (1867 - 1905) with four of their five children. It was taken at some point in 1901 in Bowraville, New South Wales. I had never seen this photo before, so I was thrilled to receive it!

Alexander Mackay with wife Elizabeth Lucilla Gill
Daughters L-R: Lottie Mabel, Eva Florence, & Alice Jane
The baby is Archie Burton
[Source: 3rd Cousin]

Eva Florence was my Great Grandmother. Until I saw this photo, I had never seen a picture of her that young. She is just beautiful.

Elizabeth Lucilla Gill died giving birth to her fifth child, her namesake, Elizabeth Lucilla Mackay, in 1905.

The photo below is one I have had for a while now. It is of Alexander Mackay with his five children, but much later in life.

Alexander Mackay with his children L-R: Elizabeth Lucilla, Alice Jane,
Eva Florence, Lottie Mabel, & Archie Burton.
Date Unknown
[Source: Personal Collection]

I'm so excited to put these two photos together!

Casualty in The Blitz

Islet Miriam Mackay, my 2nd cousin 3x removed, was born in 1892 in Kempsey, New South Wales. She was the fifth of ten children born to Mercie Caroline Wright (1870 - 1945) and Hugh Adam Mackay (1854 - 1930). Her siblings were Alexander, Ivor, Edwin, Olive, Irwin, Garnett, Ruby, Arthur, and Howard.

In May 1922, it was made known that Islet had passed her fourth year examination as a nurse and was top of her class. In fact, she was the top of her class every year as described in this article from Trove.

Rollands Plains Lady's Success, Port Macquarie & Hastings River
Advocate, 20 May 1922, page 4.
[Source: Trove]

In 1926, Islet left Australia for Canada. However, she was not alone. She was travelling with a Miss Leila Small, also a nurse. After arriving in Canada, Islet & Leila made their way to New York where they spent six months doing post graduate work in nursing. They remained in the US for 18 months gaining further experience in the field. Islet & Leila then went over to the United Kingdom where they spent time traveling around England, Ireland, and Scotland for eight months. They then worked in a nursing home in London for a year. After this, it appears Islet and Leila went their separate ways for a few years as detailed in this article below. Leila went back to the US for a few years, while Islet remained in London. The article is more about Leila's career though. 

Nurses Abroad, Coffs Harbour Advocate, 14 Jan 1938, page 4
[Source: Trove]

When Leila returned to England, she and Islet stayed at the same hotel in Bath where they both continued to nurse. In August 1937, Islet & Leila went on a cruise around Portugal and Bermuda for a month.

UK Incoming Passenger Form, 10 Sep 1937
Arrows marking Islet Mackay & Leila Small
[Source: Ancestry, UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878 - 1960]

Islet & Leila returned to work in Bath, and as explained in Leila's article above, Leila returned home to Australia at the end of 1937. Islet remained in London nursing. However, in 1941, she became a patient. I was quite stunned to find that in early 1941 Islet was a victim in an air-raid.

Air Raid Victim, Macleay Chronicle, 12 Feb 1941, page 4
[Source: Trove] 

After reading, my reaction was something like - An air-raid?! A bombing?! What?! Wait a minute...1941. That's World War 2!

In school I learned about Australia's involvement in World War 2 and Nazi Germany, but I do not recollect learning about England's involvement in the war. I thought if London was bombed during World War 2, there is going to be something about it on the internet. I googled "air raids in London 1941" and struck gold. Between September 1940 and May 1941, Nazi Germany bombed and launched air-raids on England. It was this period that became known as The Blitz (BBC, n.d.). The raids were almost continuous in that they happened almost every day and/or night, with London being bombed about 70 times (History Channel, n.d.). Islet's father had died in 1930, but her mother Mercie was still alive. This would have been a very worrying time I'm sure.

“It was Hitler’s belief that the war from the air would terrorise London into defeat. He was wrong. The city’s inhabitants, on the contrary, took a perverse and particular pleasure from being the front line of the war. ‘We can take it’ became the catchphrase of the Blitz.” - Jon E Lewis, London: The Autobiography (History Channel, n.d.)

I also found an interesting website called Bomb Sight which has mapped where all the bombs fell in London during The Blitz. They have made it available online and is interactive in that you can type in a London address and see if it or the surrounding area was bombed. In the article above, Islet is working at Wellhouse Hospital and was living a mile away. Googling Wellhouse Hospital led me to Wellhouse Lane which is now the location of Barnet Hospital.

Map showing the location of Wellhouse Lane & Barnet Hospital
[Source: Google Maps]

I put Wellhouse Lane into Bomb Sight to see if there were any bombings in the area....and yes, there were.

Screenshot of Bomb Site showing locations that were bombed. I have labelled the location of Wellhouse Lane & Barnet Hospital.
[Source: Bomb Sight]

I wonder if it was any of those bombs that caused Islet's injuries? I do not know what happened during the rest of Islet's time in England or how long she remained there for, as by 1949 she had returned to Australia. I found her in the 1949 Electoral Roll living in Killara, Sydney.

1949 Electoral Roll for Subdistrict of Gordon, District of Bradfield, NSW.
[Source: Ancestry, Australia Electoral Rolls, 1903 - 1980]

After a definitely interesting life, Islet Miriam Mackay passed away in New South Wales in 1980 at the age of 88. She outlived eight of her siblings. 

References

BBC (n.d.). The Blitz. Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/events/the_blitz

History Channel (n.d.) WW2 - The Blitz Hits London. Retrieved from
http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-london/ww2-the-blitz-hits-london