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.

Thompson's Corner

Whenever I'm in Sydney, one of the places I frequent is a little shopping village called Thompson's Corner. My Dad & Aunt often talk about walking up to Thompson's Corner and going to the bakery when they were kids. On my recent trip to Sydney in July, I stumbled across the historical marker at Thompson's Corner. 

Historical Marker at Thompson's Corner
[Photo taken August 2016]

Transcription:

In 1877, Thomas Thompson, whose father was transported to the colony of New South Wales in 1813, commenced business in the store and bakehouse on the site now occupied by the island between the traffic lights. 

The bakehouse fell into disuse, and from 1932 to 1939 became a place of worship until the Bethlehem church opposite was constructed. Bethlehem means 'house of bread.' 

The store/bakehouse was demolished in 1961. 

I did not know the history of Thompson's Corner until I read that. When I got home, I decided to enter Thompson's Corner into Trove and see what I could find.

Map of Thompson's Corner
[Source: Google Maps]

Street View showing the original site of the store and bakehouse.
[Source: Google Maps]

A DISTRICT IDENTITY.— MR. THOMAS THOMPSON. (1897, April 17). The Cumberland
Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950),
p. 14. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85774364

PENNANT HILLS. (1918, March 9). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate
(Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), p. 8. Retrieved September 17, 2016,
from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article86209465

HELD CHURCH IN BAKEHOUSE (1939, May 3). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers
Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950),
 p. 15. Retrieved September 17, 2016,
from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106215131

"BAKEHOUSE" CHURCH (1939, July 26).The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers
Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), p. 7.
Retrieved September 17, 2016,
from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106197112

'BAKEHOUSE' CHURCH (1939, August 9).The Cumberland Argus
and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950),
 p. 9. Retrieved September 17, 2016,
from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106210412

Five years later, my Grandparents married in that church!

William Gow's Police Badges

Yesterday, I found police badges that belonged to my Great Grandfather William Gow (1868 - 1943). As you can imagine, I was quite excited by this unexpected discovery! I took a few snaps of them this morning to share with y'all.

Now, I am only assuming they are badges. If you have other ideas, I'm all ears. I have no idea how William would have worn them with his uniform. The large ones could have also been worn for special occasions. I have e-mailed the NSW State Archives in the hope for further information (after e-mailing the NSW Police).

Great Grandfather William Gow, 1889, Sydney.
[Source: Personal Collection]

A little background information about William's police career -

He joined the police force in Sydney in November 1896 (he left Scotland and arrived in Sydney in 1886). On his application form, he stated that he had been a gardener and fruit grower for 14 years. He was a Probationary Constable for 12 months. In November 1897, he became an Ordinary Constable. In 1905, William was promoted to First Class Constable. According to William's obituary, he was well known throughout the Traffic Department of the Police for 16 years. In 1912, he resigned and returned to farming. He was requested to reconsider his decision but believed farming was his true occupation.

Large police badges

A handful of small police badges

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.

The James Moran (Trove Tuesday)

Last week, I discovered my 4x Great Grandfather Angus Mackay's immigration record. He arrived in Port Jackson (Sydney), on the 11th of February, 1839. With him was his wife Christina, three children from his first marriage, and four children from his current marriage. The ship they traveled on was the James Moran. It departed Lochenvar, Scotland on October 22nd and came via the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.

I decided to search Trove to see if I could find anything interesting about the ship. To narrow down the process, I selected 1839 as the year. This would hopefully rule out articles about individuals with the same name.

I stumbled upon the following article published in The Colonist on the 16th of February, 1839. In preparation for the Trove outage, I made sure to save the article and citation.

Source: THE JAMES MORAN. (1839, February 16). The Colonist (Sydney, NSW : 1835 - 1840), p. 3.
Retrieved February 22, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31722569

It is good to know that Angus and his family hopefully had a positive experience on board. 

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?

Ancestor Hunting in Kempsey - Mission #2

Following on from Mission #1 of my Ancestor Hunting day in Kempsey with my Aunt in August, Mission #2 was to find the graves of my 4x Great Grandparents Silas Gill and Mercy Catt.

4x Great Grandmother Mercy Catt
[Source: Personal Collection]

4x Great Grandfather Silas Gill
[Source: Personal Collection]

Silas was born in 1806 and Mercy in 1808 - both in Beckley, Sussex, England. They married in 1826. Before arriving in New South Wales in 1837, via the Augusta Jessie, they had 5 children - Harriet, George, Mary Ann, James, and Dinah. However, only four of those children made the trip to Australia as Harriet passed away in 1830 when she was four. Silas and Mercy went on to have 7 more children in New South Wales - Sarah, Naomi, David (my ancestor), John, Miriam, Silas, and Thomas. The family eventually settled in Kempsey, although they did travel around due to Silas being a Methodist Preacher/Minister.

Silas passed away on the 10th of September, 1875, in Kempsey, New South Wales. Mercy lived for another 10 years and passed away in November, 1885 in Kempsey. They are buried in West Kempsey Cemetery. 

So, to West Kempsey Cemetery it was! 

West Kempsey Cemetery, 11 Aug 2015
[Taken by Caitie]

Kempsey Hospital in the background, 11 Aug 2015
[Taken by Caitie]

Visiting the resting place of Silas Gill and Mercy Catt for the first time, West Kempsey Cemetery, 11 Aug 2015
[Taken by Caitie]

Caitie at Mercy Catt Gill's grave

Caitie at Silas Gill's grave

Mission #2 accomplished! But we were not done yet. Stay tuned for Mission #3...

Ancestor Hunting in Kempsey - Mission #1

Back in May, I posted the Will of my 4x Great Grandmother Elizabeth Wright nee Graham. Her Will was like treasure to me in that she was very detailed and provided street names of the land she owned in Kempsey, New South Wales. This was the first time I had come across any record of where exactly she lived and owned land in Kempsey. If you'd like to read the transcription, please do so. Elizabeth's Will is one of my favorites.

In my transcription of the Will, I inserted screenshots of the relevant streets from Google Maps. To refresh your memory, the locations Elizabeth mentioned were -

1. Allotment of land with cottage and outhouses having frontage to Sullivan Street & William Street, East Kempsey.

Sullivan Street & William Street, East Kempsey, New South Wales
[Source: Google Maps]

2. Half an acre having frontage to Lord Street and Innes Street, East Kempsey.

Lord Street & Innes Street, East Kempsey, New South Wales
[Source: Google Maps]

3. Eight acres of land having frontage to Washington Street, East Kempsey.

Washington Street, East Kempsey, New South Wales
[Source: Google Maps]

Earlier in August, while my Aunt and I were visiting family nearby in South West Rocks, we decided to have a day out in Kempsey ancestor hunting. Mission #1 was to find the streets mentioned in the Will. Funnily enough, we ended up taking the scenic route to Kempsey instead of the Pacific Highway. I did not have any phone reception either and could not get on Google Maps to follow our route or provide directions once we got to Kempsey. We simply followed the signs with no idea of which part of the town we would enter. When we saw a sign telling us that we had indeed arrived in Kempsey, my Aunt started calling out streets we were driving past in the hope that with my now working phone reception, I could get the directions to East Kempsey. 

A second later, my Aunt is saying "Washington Street, Sullivan Street..."

ME: "THIS IS IT! STOP THE CAR! THOSE ARE THE STREETS!"

We pulled over on Sullivan Street and took a few moments to confirm our location on Google Maps, and yes, we were exactly in the area we wanted to be in. It was really interesting wandering around and thinking that this was the area my ancestors lived in. I was walking the same streets they walked on. The numbers in the captions below corresponds to the number of the relevant map above. 

1. Sullivan Street, East Kempsey

Corner of 1) Sullivan Street & 3) Washington Street, East Kempsey

1. Corner of William Street & Sullivan Street

My Aunt wanted to knock on the door of the house at the corner of Sullivan and William Streets, but I am not a fan of knocking on random people's doors. I decided instead that I will write the residents a letter to see if they know anything about the history of the land. Is the house on the corner still owned by Wright's? Who knows! 

2. Lord Street, East Kempsey

2. Innes Street, East Kempsey

In my previous post, I had wondered if Wrights Lane that runs off Washington Street was named after my Wright ancestors. Another mystery to solve!

Wrights Lane, East Kempsey

Wrights Lane, East Kempsey

Caitie at Wrights Lane, East Kempsey

It was a very exciting day so far, but we still had more to do. Stay tuned for Mission #2 of our Ancestor Hunting day in Kempsey.