The Story of John O'Donnell (Daniel)

This week's post tells the story of my maternal Great Great Grandfather, John O'Donnell (1813-1896).  

Unlike my previous posts, I have no photos of John to share.  As far as I know there are no photos of him in existence any more, if there were any at all.

In the year of John's birth, 1813,  Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was published anonymously in the U.K.; Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the Austrians in the Battle of Dresden; Westminster Bridge in London was lit by gas lighting from the world's first public gasworks; and in Australia, William Wentworth, William Lawson and Gregor Blaxland successfully led an expedition westward from Sydney to cross the Blue Mountains.

John O'Donnell (Daniel) was born in April 1813, in the townland of Ballyhenebry in the Owning Parish, County Kilkenny, Ireland.  When he was born, his father Patrick O'Donnell (Daniel) was aged 33 and his mother Margaret Rafter was 34.

One of the sponsors at his baptism appears to have been an uncle.  John Rafter was most likely a brother of baby John's mother, Margaret Rafter.  Johanna was not a common O'Donnell name up to that point, so it's likely the other sponsor was also a relative of baby John's mother.

County Kilkenny, Ireland

At that time, there had been a very long history of the anglicization of Irish surnames.  Ireland had constitutionally been made part of the British state in 1800, but England had claimed Ireland back in the 15th century.

Legislation under English rule had led to the anglicization of many Irish names and the adoption of English names.  English law, for a period of time, even forbade the use of 'Mac' or 'O' in Irish surnames.

Hence the O'Donnells were known by the surname of Daniel in the 1800s.





There were already four children born to Patrick and Margaret by the time John came along.

Margaret was born in 1805.
The twins, Mary and John, were born in 1806.
Michael was born in 1810.

After John, Brigid was born in 1815, when John was 2 years old.
His brother William was born in 1820, when John was 6.

John and his six siblings grew up on a small farmholding in Ballyhenebry, in the parish of Owning, which would have been just a village of farmholdings at the time.  No doubt the village was a tight-knit community and the families would have worked hard on the farmholdings they were renting.

Between the year of his birth and the year of his marriage, I have found little evidence of what happened in the life of my Great Great Grandfather John.  I imagine life would have revolved around eking out a living on the family farm, although that would have been difficult as the years passed, given that there were six offspring growing into adulthood, no doubt wanting to have families of their own.

I suppose most of the siblings moved away from the family farm and established lives elsewhere.  By the time of the Great Famine of 1845-1850, John would have been in his early 30s.  I wonder how he, his siblings and his parents made ends meet at this time?  John obviously stayed in the area because there is a marriage record for him in 1853 where it was recorded he was now living in Killonerry, which was quite close to Ballyhenebry, his childhood home.

On the 23rd of May, 1853 John married Catherine (known as Kate) Joy when he was 40 years old.  His bride was much younger.  They moved onto quite a substantial 30-acre farm in Killonerry, that had a house with stone walls and a slate tile roof. 

John and Kate had 13 children over the next 18 years.

Patrick was born in 1854, when John was aged 40.
Richard was born in 1855.  John was 41.
Margaret was born in 1856.
Michael was born in 1857.
William was born in 1859,
John was born in 1861,
Edmond (my Great Grandfather) came along in 1862,
Peter was born in 1864,
Ellen was born in 1865,
James was born in 1867,
Thomas was born in July of 1870, but died the same year.
Catherine or Kathleen was born in 1871,
Mary was born in 1872.

John lost his middle daughter, Ellen, in mid-1880.  She died aged just 14.  Information shared from family in Ireland tells that Ellen died of tuberculosis, which was apparently rampant in Ireland at the time.  John's eldest son emigrated to the U.S. that same year.

John lost his wife Catherine just a couple of years later, February of 1882, when he was aged 68.  They had been married for 28 years.  Catherine had spent the first 18 of those years giving birth to children, but then there was a period of 10 years grace, after the birth of their last child in 1872.  Unfortunately John's wife, Catherine, also died of tuberculosis.

“The Sick Child”, Edvard Munch, 1907

For much of the late 19th century in Ireland, tuberculosis (TB, or consumption, as it was commonly known) was a scourge that ravaged the country.  


For many, including John's young daughter and wife, it was left untreated and the victims would die a terrible death with their bodies literally being "consumed" by weight loss and breathlessness.


It was known as 'the White Plague'.

John O'Donnell was left a widower with 10 children, although most of them were now adults.  At the time of their mother's death (February) Richard was 26, Margaret 25, Michael 24, William 23, John 20, Edmond 19, Peter 17, James was 14, Catherine 10 and Mary was 9 years old.

Their mother's death seems to have acted as a catalyst for most of the siblings to decide to leave Ireland and emigrate.  By that time in Irish history, over 3 million Irish had emigrated in the 40-year period between 1841 and 1881.  Most of John's offspring were destined to become part of the Irish diaspora.

Richard left the year his mother died, 1882. Edmond left the following year, 1883. Michael left 3 years later in 1885.  William left around the same time.

I'm not entirely sure when Peter left Ireland, but it seems James, Kathleen and Mary all emigrated in the late 1890s.  So, over the 8 year period after his wife died, 8 more of John's children left the family farm.

Only Margaret and John Jnr. stayed at home with their father.

John O'Donnell died on March 16th, 1896 aged 82.  He was buried in the old burial ground of the Owning Catholic Church.

He was survived by nine of his children.  My Great Grandfather had died just three years before.

By about 1901, William had returned from the United States and had moved back home onto the family farm.  He had married and had a family of three children by that time.  His sister Margaret remained living at the home with him.  Brother John had by now moved out and into his own home at nearby Carrick-Upon-Suir, with his own wife and son, along with his sister-in-law.


Full Circle:   There is an amazing twist to this story.


Up until I began researching my family tree about eight years ago using Ancestry.com, I had no idea who any of my Great Grandparents were, let along my Great Great Grandparents.  I spent a number of years trying to break down those brick walls, purchasing birth and death certificates for the information.  


Then Lady Luck stepped in with one of those serendipitous emails from someone in the U.S. back in 2013, who had spotted the start of my O'Donnell research and thought we might be connected because of one of the names included in my family tree - the name of my Great Grandfather Edmond.  She had recognised it from family information that had been passed down over many, many years.


It was an amazing event in my life.  It turned out that we were indeed related, and her extensive family research led me to a second cousin, once removed, in Ireland who still owns the ancestral family farm in Killonerry that John had established back in 1853.

John's sons who had headed off to Australia (my Great Grandfather Edmond and his brother Richard) had not kept in contact with their family in either Ireland or America it seems.  The other O'Donnell family members had little to no idea of what had happened to either of them, or indeed any of their offspring, and had no idea about the existence of any of Edmond's descendants, including me!


The family story came around full circle in 2014, when I had the opportunity to visit the ancestral family farm 132 years after my Great Grandfather Edmond had left.  My youngest son, who was living in Ireland at the time, accompanied me during that visit which meant John O'Donnell's great great granddaughter (me) and his great great great grandson (my youngest son) from Australia were able to stay at the family farm he had established.  

I was lucky enough to meet second cousins from the O'Donnell clan, from the Bourke clan (my Great Grandmother's family), as well as a member of the Joy family (my Great Grandfather's mother's family)!  I was also able to visit the Bourke ancestral family farm as well!  It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  The connection to Ireland was no longer intangible!

Now ... to the prompt for this week's 52 Ancestors In 52 Weeks Challenge.  It's 'Heirloom'.

I don't have many heirlooms at all I'm afraid.  There wasn't really any object that was passed down the generations in my family.  I do however have something now that can become an heirloom, passed on down to younger generations.

During my last visit to the ancestral family farm, just two years ago, my wonderful second cousin presented me with something very special.  It's one of the original roof tiles from the ancestral farmhouse.  The farmhouse was renovated quite extensively many years ago, but thankfully many original bits and pieces, like some of the roof tiles, were kept.

My little piece of the ancestral family farm is now proudly displayed in my home, and has become quite the conversation piece with visitors.  I'm so very honoured to be able to share the story that goes with it.

Special Note to any family members:  If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, can I graciously ask that you do so.  Please use the comments box below or email me.  It may prove to be invaluable to the story and provide future generations with something to truly treasure.

The Story of Edmond O'Donnell

This week's post tells the story of my maternal Great Grandfather, Edmond O'Donnell (1862-1893).

1862, the year of my Great Grandfather's birth, was the year that paper currency was introduced in the U.S. by President Abraham Lincoln; the American Civil War was in its second year; the first pasteurization test was completed by Louis Pasteur; Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) created Alice in Wonderland for Alice Liddell on a family boat trip; and John McDouall Stuart completed his third attempt at crossing Australia from north to south, successfully this time!

County Kilkenny, Ireland

Edmond O'Donnell was born in August 1862 at the O'Donnell family farm in the townland of Killonerry (Cill Ó Neire), County Kilkenny (Cill Chainnigh) in Ireland.

His father, John O'Donnell, was 49 and his mother, Catherine (Kate) Joy was 34.

At the time of his birth, there had been a history of the anglicisation of Irish surnames beginning in the late 1700s.  Many families felt the pressure to change their fine Gaelic Irish surnames into English surnames or English translations of the family surname.  There were strong socio-economic reasons for this, given that Ireland was under English rule and there was a concerted effort to completely subjugate the Gaelic way of life.  Thankfully, the process of adopting English versions of Irish surnames was halted and often reversed by many Irish families during the nineteenth century; which is what happened to our ancestral family name.

The O'Donnell family in County Kilkenny in 1862 was known as 'Daniel'.  On the birth record for Edmond his name is recorded as 'Danniell', although it was usually spelt 'Daniel'.  

There are other errors on the transcription of his birth record as well.  His mother's name was recorded as 'Joyce', but it was 'Joy'.

Edmond already had six siblings.

Patrick (known as Patsy) was born in 1854.
Richard (known as Dick) was born in 1855.
Margaret was born in 1856.
Michael was born in 1857.
William was born in 1859.
John was born in 1861.

The family of John and Kate O'Donnell kept on growing after the birth of Edmond though.

Peter Paul was born in 1864, when Edmond was 1.
Ellen was born in 1865, and Edmond was 3 years old.
James came along in 1867.  Edmond was aged 4.
Thomas was born in 1870, and Edmond was now 8 years old.  Unfortunately Thomas died a few months later.
Catherine arrived in 1871, when Edmond was 9.
Then Mary (known as Minnie) was born in 1872, when Edmond was aged 10.

Edmond and his 12 siblings grew up living on the O'Donnell farm, around 30 acres in size, in a house with stone walls and a slate roof. Back then, a house with stone walls was not the usual thing for a tenant farmer, so it appears that Edmond's father was able to provide a fairly comfortable home for his growing family.  Of course, as the children approached their early adult years, the realisation must have come to them that this single family farm would not support them all if they were to marry and have their own families.

The original building is evident in the photo above, which was taken about 15 years ago, before extensive renovations.  The house had been built sometime around 1806 and would have been considered quite a substantial farmhouse for its time.  Edmond's father and mother had moved into the home in the early 1850s.  They would have lived quite comfortably in the home to start with, but as the family grew to be a family of 14 in the 1870s, it would not have felt particularly spacious.

By mid-1880 Edmond's younger sister Ellen died when she was only 14 years old; and by the end of 1880, Edmond's oldest brother Patrick had left the farm and emigrated from Ireland to the U.S.  Edmond was aged 17.

Two years later, in early February 1882, Edmond's mother died at the age of 48.

Thanks to my Irish second cousin Brigid for the added comment:

" As an aside, both Ellen and her mother Catherine had died from tuberculosis. Neither had received any medical attention. That disease was rampant in Ireland at the time and entire families were wiped out."

Not long after the death of mother Catherine in early 1882, Edmond's older brother Richard also left the farm and emigrated from Ireland to Australia.

Towards the end of 1882 Edmond also decided to leave the farm in Ireland and emigrate to Australia. Perhaps he had been closer to his brother Richard than his older brother Patrick, and that's why he chose to go off to Australia and not America?

Edmond O'Donnell travelled to Australia with a familiar neighbour, who would become his wife once they reached their destination.  Bridget Burke (spelt Bourke at home in Ireland) lived on a neighbouring farm, and it seems likely that they might have been courting for some time, making plans to head off together to a seemingly brighter future.

Bridget was the only daughter in a family of seven children.  The prospects of the family farm supporting so many children was quite hopeless; and as Bridget was a female, her choices would have been even more limited. She and Edmond would have been in similar positions.  His family farm was not going to support the thirteen offspring in their adult years either.

Both Edmond and Bridget were making the decision to leave Ireland at a crucial point in Irish history as well.  There had been two Great Famines that had resulted in mass deaths back in the mid-1700s and the mid-1800s.  The tragic stories of starvation and death would have been passed down in family oral history, as their parents would have grown up during the 1845-1851 Great Famine (now known as The Great Starvation).  Mass migration had begun in the 1850s, and both sets of parents would likely have experienced either family or friends leaving Ireland forever.

 

In 1879, when Edmond was aged 16, another famine occurred and over 1,000 Irish people were evicted from the land by their British landlords.  Even though it was of a far smaller scale, the 1879 mini-famine would have caused great concern amongst adults who had experienced The Great Famine as children, and no doubt this anxiety would have been keenly felt by their own children. 

The reality for both Edmond and Bridget was that neither of them would have had much of a chance at improving their lot if they were to stay in Ireland.  The sweethearts were prepared to leave their families behind and make a new life together in a far-off land.

 

(Just as another aside ... in all, seven of the O'Donnell sons and two of the daughters emigrated from Ireland.  Apart from Richard and Edmond, all the other siblings headed to the U.S.  Only one of them returned to Ireland!) 

The barquentine-rigged steamer, the Almora.  (Photo in the public domain).

So it was that Edmond boarded the ship 'Almora' in England, along with his valentine, Bridget.  The ship departed Plymouth on November 22nd, 1882. At the time Edmond was 20 years old.  He was listed as a 'free' passenger.  The Queensland Immigration Act of 1882 allowed free passage for farm labourers and female domestic servants.  Edmond definitely met the criteria as he had been a 'farm labourer' on his family farm for many years.

I've often wondered what it would be like to leave your home and family, and head off on a long voyage to a foreign land, and interestingly, a shipboard diary exists, kept by an unidentified passenger on the same trip as Edmond and Bridget; so I know a little about their three-month voyage out to Australia.

It detailed the passengers aboard the ship, the places visited and the day-to-day weather conditions experienced on the voyage.




The unknown writer also noted things such as the large number of German passengers aboard the ship, and that the ship's matron, Miss Chase, supervised the single females quite harshly.

That would have included Edmond's sweetheart Bridget.  Although at the time, she was aged 32 (29 was recorded on the passenger manifest, but it was incorrect!) and had grown up with five brothers, so perhaps she gave Miss Chase some lip in return!!



Parts of this diary were included in a short article published in the January 22nd edition of the Brisbane Courier.

Brisbane Courier, Monday 22nd of February, 1883

Excerpt from the article "Arrival of the R.M.S. Almora":

"The Almora left London 20th November at 6.50 a.m., and Plymouth at 8.30a.m. on the 22nd. 

In the Bay of Biscay encountered rather rough weather for two days, but otherwise the run to Malta was fair. Malta was left at 1.30 p.m. on the 2nd December, and had favourable weather to Port Said. Port Said was left on the 6th, at 10.5 a.m.; had an easy passage through the Canal. 

In the Red Sea weather very warm till Aden was reached. At Aden detained four days for the mails; left Aden on the 16th, at 8 a.m.; encountered adverse trade winds in the Indian Ocean; otherwise had a fine run to Batavia. Left Batavia 2nd January, at 7.30 a.m., and proceeded to Thursday Island. 

Discharged cargo, and left Thursday Island on the 11th; proceeded to Cooktown, and landed ten immigrants and discharged cargo; left Cooktown on the 13th and Townsville on the15th, discharging cargo at each place; from Townsville proceeded to Bowen; left Bowen on the 16th, and Mackay on the evening of the same day, unable to discharge cargo at either of these ports, but carried it on to Rockhampton, where part was discharged, and the rest carried on to Brisbane. Left Rockhampton at noon on 18th, for Maryborough, and arrived at the Brisbane anchorage on Saturday, 20th."

The article also noted:

"Married couples in the bow; then a batch of single men, and another batch of married couples; while the single girls were allowed the privilege of using one side of the quarter-deck."

So all the passengers spent the entire three-month trip up on deck.  Edmond would have been on the side with the "batch of single men", and Bridget would have been amongst the single girls who had the "privilege of using one side of the quarter-deck".  When the ship encountered "adverse trade winds" in the Indian Ocean, I imagine the conditions would have been a little scary!


Once Edmond and Bridget had disembarked, they appear to have headed straight to Toowoomba.  Perhaps Edmond's brother Richard, who had emigrated the year before, was there; although I have been unsuccessful in tracking down Richard's movements after he had arrived in Australia.  I know for certain that Bridget had a brother, William Burke, living in Toowoomba though, so that family support would have been a drawcard.

A few months after arriving in Toowoomba, Edmond married Bridget Burke at Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Church on July 22nd, 1883.  He was 20 years old.  One of the witnesses was Bridget's brother William, who had been living in Australia for nearly 20 years.

  

It was recorded on the marriage certificate that Edmond was living in Irish Town, which was just outside Toowoomba, to the north. It had started as a settlement for the Irish immigrants who had come to the area in the 1860s for the building of the railway line.  By the time Edmond had arrived there, it was an area of small farms that surrounded a small settlement for the farm workers.  Obviously this was a place where many Irish immigrants settled in amongst their own after arriving in the country whilst they tried to find work as farm hands.  Bridget, meanwhile, was living in Toowoomba.

Edmond and Bridget had five children during the course of what-was-to-be their short marriage.


In September of 1884, their daughter Catherine (known as Kate) was born.  Her birthplace was recorded as 'Irish Town' in the County of Aubigny, Queensland. Edmond was now 21 years of age.


Edmond's son John was born in 1886, when Edmond was aged 23.  His birthplace was recorded as the 'Agricultural Showgrounds' in Toowoomba.  So by this time Edmond and Bridget had moved from 'Irish Town' into the township of Toowoomba, most likely so that Edmond could be close to his workplace; but they had not yet been able to afford moving into a house.  Living at the showgrounds most likely involved living in a temporary dwelling and doing it tough.

Perkins Brewery, Toowoomba, photo taken between 1872 and 1882.

By 1886 Edmond had commenced work as a carter / carrier for Messrs. Perkins & Co. The company owned a brewery in Toowoomba and as a carrier, it would have been Edmond's job to deliver barrels of beer to the many hotels in the area.

 

James, Edmond's second son (my Grandfather) was born in 1887, also at the Agricultural Showgrounds in Toowoomba.  So perhaps Edmond's job was not a well-paid one, or there was another reason why the family had not yet moved into a house in town. 

 

Knowing the rest of Edmond's story, I can state that it seemed he had a drinking problem.  Perhaps this had started back in Ireland, or perhaps it was the consequence of the hard life in Australia.  The promise of a brighter future had not borne fruit for Edmond, and perhaps he had become very disillusioned with the daily hard grind!  It seems likely he spent a lot of his wages on 'the drink'.

Unfortunately, in 1888, Edmond's first-born son died. His death certificate stated that he had been suffering from diarrhoea and convulsions for three days.  He was only 2 years old!  I'm not entirely sure why his name was recorded as James Patrick, when the birth record showed his name as 'John'!

  

It was Edmond who had provided the details for the death certificate, so perhaps he was not all that sober at the time, and was confusing his first-born with his second son, James!  Edmond also gave Water Street as his address.  Given that the family was still living at the showgrounds when their next child was born, it's very unlikely that they had moved into a house at Water Street, as recorded on the death certificate!

 

A second daughter, Mary Margaret, was born in 1890 when Edmond was 28 years old. Her birthplace was recorded as the Agricultural Showgrounds in Toowoomba.  So it seems the hard times had continued.

In 1892 another son, Maurice Patrick, was born.  Edmond was now 30 years old.  Maurice's place of birth was recorded by his mother Bridget as James Street.  So it seems that the family had finally moved out of temporary shelter and into a proper house. 

Unfortunately, Edmond's story ends just a couple of months later, in January 1893.  He was just 30 years of age, and had only been in Australia for slightly less than10 years.  The ending was rather tragic.

I found very detailed reports of Edmond's death in a few editions of two newspapers published in the area at the time, the Darling Downs Gazette and the Toowoomba Chronicle.  In the reports Edmond is named as 'Edward', which is not an error as he had been known as Edward by his family, and his wife Bridget.

Darling Downs Gazette, Jan 11 1893, p.3

Darling Downs Gazette (Qld.: 1881 - 1922), Wednesday 11 January 1893, page 3

"A Sad End. —
A man named Edward O'Donnell, who for a considerable time had been in the employ of Messrs. Perkins & Co, Toowoomba, as cart driver, was found dead in one of the cells of the police station yesterday morning; about breakfast hour.

His removal to a place of safety had been rendered necessary owing to a violent attack of 'delirium tremens' by which he was overtaken on the previous night.

Mr. W. Andrews, to whom much credit is due for his efforts to overcome the violent ravings of the sufferer, supplies the following information: —

O'Donnell, who had exhibited symptoms of the dreadful infliction during the latter part of last week, was sent to the hospital from whence he escaped on Sunday evening and returned to his wife and family.

On Monday evening our informant was summoned to the rear of Mr. Giles' residence where the deceased, dressed only in his shirt, was employed in grabbing a gate post and otherwise behaving so strangely as to leave no doubt about his condition.

Mr. Andrews succeeded after much trouble in clothing him, and by skilful manoeuvring induced him to move in the direction of the town and police.




The progress was very fitful, and during its course two or three girls took fright and fled hysterically.
At last the poor man was brought to the corner of Herries and Ruthven streets, and Mr. Andrews accomplished the feat of finding a policeman. O'Donnell was soon in safe-keeping, and he was left for the night apparently much calmer. In the morning he was found dead, and a post mortem examination of the remains was made shortly afterwards.

Deceased was a finely built, muscular man of about 35 years (not quite correct, so he may have looked older than is years), and leaves a wife and family of small children. A magisterial inquiry will be held this morning. The funeral takes place to-day, and members of the Hibernian Society are requested to assemble in regalia at the hall at 1:30 in order to follow the remains of their departed brother to the grave."


Edmond had died in police custody and a magisterial inquiry followed.  The reports filed about this inquiry were very detailed.

Darling Downs Gazette, Jan 14 1893, p.4

Essentially, the inquiry found that Edmond had on the 9th of January, a Monday evening, been arrested and locked up because of his rather strange behaviour in the streets, as if suffering from 'delirium'.  He had been taken to the watch-house.  During the night he became very ill, experienced two fits through the night, the last of which he did not recover from, and died at 7.45 am the following morning, Tuesday January 10th.  He was pronounced dead by the Government Medical Officer, who knew him well as one of his own patients.  Dr. Garde stated that O'Donnell was a hard drinker, and deemed that his death was the result of paralysis of the brain, a coma, bought on by chronic alcoholism.

In my opinion, there were two other factors that appear to have had some impact on the chain of events for poor Edmond.  I know I'm his great-granddaughter, and might be slightly biased in my view of things, but ...

 

Bridget O'Donnell was called to give evidence at the inquiry, and she mentioned that Edmond had experienced an accident at work a week prior to this, and that her husband had not been drinking very hard at that time.

Her testimony:

"He was about 32 years old, was a native of County Kilkenny, Ireland, and had been nine years in Queensland; had not been drinking very hard lately; had kept at his work; had been unwell, having met with an accident in the show grounds over a week ago through lifting a heavy load on to a dray.
He went to the hospital last Saturday evening and came home about 3 o'clock on Sunday morning; all Sunday he seemed right enough and gave no trouble; early on Monday he grew fidgety and as evening came on got worse; he remained at home until half past 7 p.m. when he ran out from his bed, having nothing on but two shirts; that was the last time witness was near him; about 10 minutes later she saw him in the street; he did not return, and she did not again see him alive; he did not sleep since he came back from the hospital.
Dr. Nolan came to see him on Monday and gave the witness a sleeping draught; she gave her husband a tablespoonful four times, one every hour, according to the directions on the bottle.  She was sent for about 8 a.m. on Tuesday to go and see her husband; when she got to the lockup found he had just died; she knew her husband was in the lockup but did not go to see him until sent for on Tuesday morning."

Whilst it sounds terrible that Bridget did not go to the watch-house straight away on Monday evening, it was perfectly reasonable given that she had an 8-year old, a 5-year old, a 2-year old and a 4-month old baby at home.

 

I find it immensely interesting that Edmond had had an accident the week before, had obviously suffered some pain, but had put off going to the hospital for a number of days.  He had spent hours at the hospital through the Saturday night of that week, but decided to head home at about 3 o'clock in the morning of the next day, Sunday.

Did a doctor attend to him at all on the Saturday night?  It doesn't seem so because, according to Bridget, Edmond became very 'fidgety' early on Monday morning and not slept at all since returning home early on Sunday morning.  She must have called for Dr. Nolan because he turned up at her home sometime on Monday morning, and gave Edmond a sleeping draught.  Bridget then administered four tablespoons of the draught every hour, for the rest of that day, according to instructions!

I wonder what the 'draught' was, because it was on Monday evening that Edmond appeared to become delirious and started acting very strangely.

Another interesting event occurred the weekend before Edmond died.  Apparently the weather had turned extremely hot.  In fact on the day that he died, Tuesday January 10th, newspapers reported that it had been the "hottest day ever known in Toowoomba", with the mercury rising to "99 degrees in the shade at 4 in the afternoon."  Dr. Garde did mention in his testimony that "the hot weather would have a tendency to develop the congestion of the brain quicker than cold weather."

What if Toowoomba had not experienced such a heat wave at the time?  What if Edmond had received the proper care and attention he needed after being hurt in the accident at work?  Would the outcome have been different?  That's a question that can never be answered unfortunately.

It does seem rather sad though that Edmond and Bridget, who had left Ireland together, with such hopes, were destined not to live a long and happy life together.

Edmond was survived by his wife Bridget, aged 42; his daughter Catherine, aged 8; his son James (my Grandfather) aged 5; his second daughter Mary Margaret, aged 2; and his infant son, Maurice, aged just 4 months old. 

Special Note to any family members:  If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, can I graciously ask that you do so.  Please use the comments box below or email me.  It may prove to be invaluable to the story and provide future generations with something to truly treasure.

The Story of Sarah Mary Josephine McCane

This post tells the story of my maternal Grandmother, Sarah Mary Josephine McCane (1894-1970). 

    

Sarah McCane
(Photo contributed by Terry & Carmel O'Donnell)

In 1894, the year of my Grandmother's birth, Karl Benz received a US patent for his gasoline-driven automobile; Coca Cola was sold for the first time in bottles; Thomas Edison's kinetoscope (moving pictures) was shown for the first time; the decision was made to hold the modern Olympic Games every 4 years; London's Tower Bridge opened; Ethel Turner's novel, Seven Little Australians, was published; and the future Prime Minister of Australia, Robert Menzies, was born.

Charters Towers c.1900

Sarah Mary McCane was born in September of 1894.  She was brought into the world at Bridge Street in Charters Towers, Queensland, which was the home of her maternal grandparents.  So it would appear that her mother Margaret went to her own mother's house to give birth to Sarah.  This was common practice at the time, to have a home birth with family support.  When Sarah was born her father, Owen McCane (Muckian), was aged 31; and her mother, Margaret Farrell, was 28.

The family name 'McCane' was a variation of the original Irish surname 'Muckian', altered during Owen's immigration journey from Ireland to Australia.  Sarah's father, Owen had left Ireland with the surname Muckian, but had arrived in Australia with the surname, McCane.  It is likely that when departing London, the person recording the details heard the surname spoken in the Irish accent, understood it as 'McCane' and recorded it as that.

Sarah was the daughter of an Irish immigrant (her father) and an English immigrant born of Irish parents (her mother).  She was the second child of Owen and Margaret.  Her sister Susan had been born 2 years before in 1892.

After Sarah, there were 5 boys added to the family.

Edward William was born in 1896, when Sarah was 2 years old.
Thomas Owen was born in 1899, when she was 4.
John Michael was born in 1901, when Sarah was aged 6.
James Patrick was born in 1904, when Sarah was 9.
Edward Joseph was born in 1907, when she was 12 years old.

Unfortunately, the eldest boy Edward William, died in 1905, when Sarah was aged 10.  The death certificate records the cause of death as 'accidental drowning' in the Burdekin River.

Northern Miner (Charters Towers) Feb 6, 1905, p.4

Northern Miner (Charters Towers, Qld. : 1874 - 1954), Monday 6 February 1905, page 4

"A sad drowning accident occurred at the Burdekin yesterday, the victim being a lad named Edward McCane aged eight years. The boy, with a younger brother went fishing, and fell off a log into the water. His little brother ran to give the alarm, but first went to the pumping station engine-house, which was untenanted. He then ran home and told his father, who is one of the firemen at the station. The father rushed down to the spot, and others came to his assistance, but it was 45 minutes before the body was recovered under the bank in 8ft. of water. All efforts to restore life were futile".

Such a tragic event!  I wonder if Sarah was at home when her little brother rushed in to tell her father about the accident?  Would she have gone down to the river?  Losing a brother under such tragic circumstances must have been traumatic for the 10-year old Sarah.  It would have broken the hearts of her mother and father.

Reading through the funeral notice, it's evident that there was a large extended family to support Sarah, her mother and father, and her siblings through the tragedy.  Mr. and Mrs. Farrell were Sarah's maternal grandparents.  Mr. and Mrs. D. Davies (nee Farrell) were her uncle and aunt, her mother's sister and her husband.  Mrs. F. E. Shaw (nee Farrell) was another of Sarah's aunts, on her mother's side.  The gentlemen mentioned ... Messrs. Thomas, Matthew and P. J. were all uncles, brothers of her mother.

Map showing the location of the Pumping Station, the workers' cottages and the provisional school.

Sarah and her siblings grew up in the small close-knit community that lived at the site of the steam powered water pumping station, on the south bank of the Burdekin River, about nine miles north of the town of Charters Towers.  The pumping station, with its boilers, engines, pumps and inlet shaft, had opened in 1889 as the first phase of a water scheme planned by the Charters Towers Water Board.

There were several cottages built at the pumping station for the twenty or so men employed there and their families.  There was a 'provisional school' built as well.  Sarah and her family lived in one of the small cottages, and all the children attended the school when they reached the appropriate age.

Provisional schools were a means of providing education in areas where the expense of building a full State School was unjustified (primarily because the population in the area was small, unstable and/or itinerant).  As the name implies, provisional schools were intended as a temporary solution that would eventually be replaced by a standard State School, if deemed necessary.  Quite often the provisional school buildings were often of a very low standard in terms of the building materials and limited furniture provided.

The Pumping Station Provisional School was built as a temporary solution to provide education not just for the children of the pumping station workers, but also for the children of local farmers around that area, and the children of the woodcutters' families who lived in temporary accommodation in the bush.  The school opened with an enrolment of 22 students, and had an average of around 27 students in any given year. 

Sarah's father, Owen McCane (Muckian) worked at the pumping station as a 'fireman', which meant he worked as part of a team of men who kept the steam powered engines working.  He worked there from around 1892 to 1912-1913.  

In the early 1900s it was compulsory for children to attend school from the age of 6 until the age of 12, so Sarah would have attended the provisional school from 1901, when she turned 6, until 1907 when she reached the leaving age of 12.

I found mention of the Pumping Station Provisional School in the Evening Telegraph, dated June 1907.  The District Inspector's Annual Report of Kennedy District Schools was published in the newspaper, and Sarah's school was listed as one of "the best-conducted provisional schools" in the district.  Presumably "best-conducted" meant that the students received quality instruction from a highly competent teacher.  This would have been Sarah's last year of compulsory schooling.

While Sarah's younger brothers would have continued attending school, both Sarah and her older sister Susan would now spend all their time helping their mother attend to the home and the family.  I would suspect that Sarah and her older sister Susan, would have been very close when growing up.  They were only two years apart in age, and would likely have spent a lot of their time together.  I imagine the younger brothers might have become a little annoying and tiresome at times.

Sisters Sarah (on the left) and Susan (on the right) McCane   

(Photo contributed by Carmel and Terry O'Donnell)

After many years of researching, I found my grandmother listed in the Queensland Teachers Index from 1910 to 1920, which finally clarifies for me that Sarah did begin a career in teaching before her marriage.  She worked as a teacher for around 10 years.

It was in November of 1910 that Sarah McCane began her teaching career.  She had just turned 16 and began working at Millchester State School, the first school established in Charters Towers.  The transcription above lists Sarah as a "PT 0" which means she was admitted as a pupil-teacher and began at the lowest level of experience and expertise.  Pupil teachers taught classes under the supervision of experienced teachers, learning their craft as an apprentice would in trades and other occupations.

Sarah remained living and working in Charters Towers for another five to six years.

I found Sarah and her sister Susan briefly mentioned in a newspaper item early in 1914, in the 'Social and Personal' column of the Evening Telegraph (a Charters Towers newspaper). It seems the sisters were heading off to spend time holidaying together, when school would have closed for the summer holidays.  Sarah was 19 and Susan was 21. 

Evening Telegraph (Charters Towers), Sat. 10 Jan. 1914, p.4

"The Misses McCane have left for Cairns, where they intend spending a holiday."
It was obviously a newsworthy event!

1914 was also the year that Sarah's sister Susan began her teaching career.

Northern Miner (Charters Towers), Sat. 9 Oct. 1915, p. 6

In the following year, 1915, the Northern Miner (Charters Towers) newspaper published an electoral list for the Kennedy electoral district.  Sarah McCane, who would have been 21 years old and eligible to vote, was listed as living on Bridge Street in Charters Towers.  

Her occupation was listed as 'School Teacher'.  She was the only McCane registered as a voter in Charters Towers that year though, so it seems her mother, father and younger siblings had all moved, along with her older sister, Susan. 

Sarah was not alone however.  She was living with her grandparents and her uncle at her grandparents' home on Bridge Street, where she had been born.




Sarah's sister Susan had been listed on the electoral record the year before, in 1914, as a 'School Teacher', but listed as living (and working) at Molongle Creek, near Gumlu.  So it looks like all the other members of the McCane family had moved to a farm at Molongle Creek that year, but Sarah had remained at the family home in Charters Towers, as she continued teaching at Millchester State School.


Sarah had definitely left Charters Towers before the end of 1916 though, and had moved closer to her family.  

A small item appeared in the Northern Miner newspaper acknowledging the rather hasty departure of Sarah from the town.  She had been appointed to another school.

The Queensland Teacher Index shows that Sarah was transferred in April of 1916 from Millchester State School, in Charters Towers, to Euri Creek State School, which was near Bowen on the coast of Queensland, and closer to her family living near Gumlu.  

She had worked her way up from "PT 0" to "PT 4" after five years of teaching, but with her transfer came a change in her professional standing.  She was now HT - Head Teacher.

Sarah's name appeared in the Bowen Independent newspaper in September of 1916.  Community members from across the entire Bowen area were busy raising funds to support the soldiers who had marched off to war.  Australia had been involved in the First World War since mind-1914 and the early end to the war had not eventuated as expected.  As the war dragged on, with the loss of many family members and friends, people back home were doing what they could to support the war effort.

Sarah's fund-raising efforts were mentioned in the minutes of the Patriotic Celebrations Executive meeting, and the minutes were published in the local newspaper.  The group were intending to pass on their thanks for her work in the Euri Creek area where she was the school teacher.  Sarah had seemingly worked hard to raise funds for the war effort.

Her name was then mentioned in the November 25th, 1916 edition of the Bowen Independent.  It seems she had ruffled the feathers of one J. Eyre Massey, a member of the Patriotic Celebrations Executive.

Bowen Independent, Nov 25, 1916

It seems Miss McCane first of all had the effrontery to call J. Eyre Massey a "secretary" when in fact J. Eyre Massey was a "general secretary"!!!

Obviously there's a huge difference!

The gist of the complaint to the editor was that Sarah McCane has questioned why her name and details of her contribution to the Bowen Patriotic Fund had not been published.

Reading between the lines though, it seems that Sarah was highlighting the fact that many of the small contributors were never mentioned or acknowledged, but the "principal donations" (the well-off!) were seemingly always listed.  

She had obviously made waves by questioning the lack of acknowledgement of small contributors versus the principal donors.  Well done Sarah for standing up for the little guys! 

Australian City Directories 1917

Sarah's name was listed in the 1917 Australian City Directories' record (a list of all Australian citizens) where Sarah, now aged 23, was listed as residing in Merinda and her occupation was listed as school teacher.  

Sarah was in fact still teaching at the Euri Creek State School which was near the small township of Merinda, just outside Bowen.

Her sister and father were still living at Gumlu, to the north of Bowen.  There is no mention of her mother Margaret at this time. 

Interestingly, there is another brief mention of Sarah McCane in the Townsville Daily Bulletin, dated 26th of February, 1918.

A tiny little article had been placed in the newspaper by Sarah.

It's very difficult to read the original, so I've transcribed below ...

Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1907 - 1954), Tuesday 26 February 1918, p.4

RUSSELL. — In loving Memory of Private Albert (Bert) Russell. 

Killed in Action in France, February 26th 1917. 

There is just one thing death cannot sever, loving remembrance, which lasts forever.    (Inserted by Sarah McCane.)

It seems that Sarah had perhaps previously had a sweetheart, Albert Russell, known as Bert; and he was taken from her while fighting in France.  She was remembering him on the first anniversary of his death.


Bert had probably signed up in 1916, so perhaps she had met Bert in Charters Towers.  Perhaps he had been a fellow teacher and they had met through work.  I know no more details about this unfortunately.

The 1919 census record shows that Sarah, aged 25, was now living back at Molongle Creek near Gumlu with her parents, but was no longer working as a teacher.  Her occupation was listed as "home duties" and it's interesting there was an additional note: "care of O. McCane".  That would have been her father, Owen.

Does that mean she was taking care of her father, or was in the care of her father?  I'm not entirely sure of the circumstances. Why would that statement appear on an electoral roll? Her father Owen would have been aged 56 at the time.  He was a farmer, so perhaps he had been a victim of some terrible accident on the farm!  Perhaps it was Sarah who had fallen sick and was being cared for at her parents' home.

Sarah did return to teaching in 1920 though, as her name once again appeared on the Queensland Teachers' Index, although there were a few changes for her that year.

First of all, she was appointed as Head Teacher at the Eden Lassie Provisional School, which was also located outside Bowen, in June of 1920.  This appointment was cancelled in July however.

Of course the Queensland Teachers' Index doesn't give a reason for the cancellation, so it's hard to know exactly why this happened.  I would say it's likely that there might have been a significant drop in enrolments and the need for a teacher could not be justified at the time.

A newspaper article that had appeared just the year before appears to back up my thoughts about this: 

As mentioned previously, provisional schools were set up by the community as a temporary arrangement to meet the educational needs of the children in the area.  

Quite often, temporary single-room structures were built, or a room was found in a building, to accommodate small groups of students.

Once the community had erected or found a space for learning, a request for a teacher was sent by the community to the Education Department, and the response was awaited with excitement.

Even if a teacher was dispatched to work at a provisional school, there was no guarantee that they would be there for a lengthy period of time, especially if there was a greater need identified elsewhere.

Sarah was promptly moved to another school in July of 1920.

The Queensland Teachers' Index shows that Sarah was now an AT Prob - an Assistant Teacher once more - at Kuridala State School.  

Sarah had to re-locate to a small town a long way off to the west of both Gumlu and Bowen, as Kuridala State School was outside the small town of Cloncurry in far western Queensland.

This was quite a long way from her parents and siblings, the McCanes, and also a long way from her extended family, the Farrells, in Charters Towers.

It's likely Sarah missed her family dearly and was feeling quite homesick during the time she spent at this school.

It come as no surprise to me that in October of 1920, Sarah resigned.

I found a record for her once again in the Queensland Teachers Index, dated October 1920, which states that Sarah had "left service", which means she was no longer teaching.  As it turned out this was the end of her teaching career, which had lasted around 10 years.  At the time, women were not permitted to continue teaching once they had married.

Sarah McCane on her wedding day 1921 
(Photo contributed by Terry and Carmel O'Donnell)

Sarah McCane married James O'Donnell on the 16th of June, 1921 when she was 26 years old.  James was living and working on a farm nearby, on Armstrong Creek.  Sarah and James were married at her family's home in Gumlu.

Sarah McCane, her parents and siblings, on her wedding day
(Photo contributed by Lawrie McCane)

This is a photo of the McCane family on Sarah's wedding day.  What a treasure!

Back row L to R:  my grandmother's brothers, James Patrick (Jim), Thomas Owen (Tom), John Michael (Jack) and Edward Joseph (Eddie).
Front row L to R:  Sarah McCane (my grandmother), her father Owen McCane, her mother Margaret McCane nee Farrell, and her sister Susan McCane.

At this point, I'll digress to talk about my Grandmother's name.  It has intrigued me for a long time!  Anyone researching Irish ancestors will understand the predictability of names in Irish families.  Not many strayed from the usual naming pattern. In the case of girls, usually the first born was named after her maternal grandmother and the second daughter was named after her paternal grandmother.  So in this case, the first born daughter, Susan's maternal grandmother was indeed a Susan.  Sarah's paternal grandmother was indeed a Sarah.  All good so far!

Then I come across my Grandmother's name recorded on her marriage certificate as Sarah Mary Josephine!  The Josephine seemed completely left field!  There are no other family members in her lineage with that name.  Not a single one!  I've searched high and low! It seems completely out of place and I'd love to know its source.

Was it a confirmation name that Sarah had chosen for herself, and then proudly used for the record of her marriage? I'm not sure there was a Saint Josephine on the list of choices for a confirmation name back in the early 1900s!  Was it an extra middle name chosen by her parents, and if so, why did she have three Christian names and her sister only two?  It's a mystery to me!

Now, enough digressing, where was I?  

1921!  Sarah married James, and they moved onto his farm on Armstrong Creek, near Kyburra.  They went on to have 8 children over a span of 15 years, six sons and two daughters.

Edmond James, born in 1922, when Sarah was 28.
My mother, Margaret Brigid was born in 1923.
Maurice Owen was born in 1925, when Sarah was aged 31.
John Joseph, born 1926, when was 32 years old.
James Thomas was born in 1928.  Sarah was 33.
Edward Martin was born in 1931, when Sarah was aged 37.
Then another daughter, Marcella Therese was born in 1934.  Sarah was aged 40.

(Photo courtesy of Terry & Carmel O'Donnell)

This fantastic McCane / Bidgood / O'Donnell family photo was taken either in 1934 or 1935.  Sarah McCane (aged 40) is seated to the right of her elderly mother Margaret McCane (nee Farrell), and she is holding baby Marcella.

On the other side of Sarah's mother, is her sister Susan holding her son Neville.  My mother (Sarah's eldest daughter) is standing behind Sarah and little sister Marcella.  Other members of this photo are Sarah's three brothers, the McCane boys (from the right in the back row: Jack, Tom and Jim), their wives and children; along with Sarah's own five sons.

The photo was taken at Sarah's parents' farm at Molongle Creek, near Gumlu.  Unfortunately Sarah's father, Owen McCane (Muckian) had died by this time.  He had passed away several years before in 1930, when Sarah was 35.  I'm not sure where Sarah's husband James was when this photo was taken!  Perhaps he was the one taking the photo.

Sarah went on to have one more son, Terence William, born in 1937 when she was aged 43. Sarah, her husband James, and their family of eight stayed on the farm at Armstrong Creek, near Kyburra, for over twenty years.  It was not always an easy life on the farm.  It took hard work, resolve and perseverance to remain there for that period of time.

In an article published in the 1929 edition of the Townsville Daily Bulletin, Sarah gives a little glimpse of her life on the farm.  She was giving evidence at a Civil Sitting at the Supreme Court in Townsville.  Sarah's husband James had sued the Beak Pastoral Company for alleged cattle trespassing on his property, and was claiming £400 for trespassing and damage done by defendant's cattle to his land and crops.  Sarah was called upon to act as a witness for the plaintiff - my Grandfather James O'Donnell.

Townsville Daily Bulletin, May 8th 1929, p.5

During her testimony, Sarah mentioned that she sometimes helped with the planting and in the previous year, 1928, she had helped with some of the 2000 tomatoes that were planted, all of which had been raised from their own seed.  She went on to say that she always helped her husband with the packing of the tomatoes at the end of the growing season.

The case highlighted a number of problems faced by Sarah and her husband James on their sugar cane and tomato farm, right from the start of their married life.  Aside from cattle straying in from the neighbouring property of Rocky Ponds, there was mention of frost, the cost of shipping crops to market and the variable return on those crops, along with the impact of a wet season over a dry one.

After more than two decades of hard work on the farm, Sarah and her husband decided to leave and take their now grown family to settle in the town of Bowen, which was not very far away.

This photo would have been taken around 1945, after the family had moved off the farm and into Bowen.  This is a shot of the family at their new home on Richmond Road.  Sarah would have been about 51 years old.

This photo shows Sarah with her mother Margaret and is likely to have been taken around the same time as the photo above ... 1945 perhaps.

The photo below, probably taken in the early 1950s, shows Sarah, with her mother Margaret and sister Susan all dressed up and setting off for a special event.  

Sarah O'Donnell nee McCane (on the left), Susan Bidgood nee McCane (on the right)
with their mother Margaret McCane nee Farrell.
Photo probably taken in the early 1950s.
(Photo courtesy of Therese Olsen)

Sarah, when she was aged 61, lost her mother Margaret McCane (nee Farrell) in 1955.

Her youngest daughter Marcella died in 1961, when Sarah was 66.  Her eldest daughter Margaret died in 1968, when Sarah was 73 years old.

Sarah herself passed away in 1970, aged 75.  She was survived by her husband James, her six sons, her sister Susan and three brothers.  Her life was a testament to resilience, hard work and dedication to family.

At the time of my Grandmother's passing, I was aged 10.  So many of my memories of her revolve around sitting at the long dining room table at Dalrymple Street, having a roast lunch after 9.00 am Mass on a Sunday.  I have clear pictures of Grandma in the kitchen cooking and preparing the meal for the family members who had dropped by.

My brother's memories:

"I do remember Nanna being very Church going, every Sunday it was off to the 6am Mass and the 7am Wednesday mass (Benediction I think they called it). 

On Sundays when Nanna made corn beef for lunch she would use the left overs to make corn beef fritters for tea, and then out came the bowl of hot soapy (good old Sunlite soap) water at night to catch the flying ants and moths."

One of the most precious items I have of my mother's is her W.M.U. cookery book, published in 1951 and purchased at The Herbert St. Grocers in Bowen, owned by the Bull family.


Inside that old book my mother wrote down her mother's (my Grandmother Sarah's) recipe for home-made ice cream.

I remember the taste of that ice cream very well!  Rich and creamy.  It would be served out of a long aluminium tray that had been frozen and would stick to your fingers when you first picked it up out of the fridge freezer.







My Grandmother's recipe:

Another of my memories associated with my Grandmother and her home was sitting out on the verandah reading from the fascinating Coles Picture Book.

I'm not sure if I had bought it from my own home or if it was one of my Grandmother's books, but I can remember poring over the pages of that book with great delight while sitting in the cool breeze out on the verandah.

My brother has also reminded me that our Great Uncle Eddie (Grandma's brother), ran the Bowen public pool that was directly across the street from our grandparents' house.  We used to go there, mainly on the school holidays, to learn how to swim ... and we were allowed in for free!  My brother Mark does recall however ...

"We were not allowed to ask great uncle Eddie for any lollies when we would go to the pool.  (He ran the pool back then) There was a bit of a family disagreement happening."

I do remember Grandma telling us not to ask for lollies after our swim ... but I'm sure we did get some!


Special Note to any family members:  If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, can I graciously ask that you do so.  If there are events that are not quite correct, do please let me know.  Please use the comments box below or email me.  All contributions are invaluable and will provide future generations with a story to truly treasure.