The Story of Margaret Farrell

The story of my maternal Great Grandmother, Margaret Farrell (1865-1955), known as Maggie, is another tale about a strong, determined woman from my family tree.  Margaret was not blessed with a charmed life, good fortune or good luck, but in the end you could say she was blessed.

In the year of Margaret's birth, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated for his second term as President of the United States and assassinated not long afterwards; the Confederacy surrendered bringing an end to the American Civil War; the Salvation Army was founded in London; and Arnott's Biscuits was founded in Australia by Scotsman, William Arnott.

Bridges over The Tyne 1865

Margaret Farrell was born in November 1865 in the Sandgate area of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland in the County of Durham, England.  Ship building and heavy engineering were central to the prosperity of the city at this time and it was not n outstandingly beautiful corner of the world.

Margaret's Irish-born father Michael Farrell was aged 29, and her Irish-born mother Susan Downey/Muldowney was 18  (although there is some conjecture about her actual age!) when Margaret came into the world.  Her parents had married in Scotland in January that same year, 1865, but had moved to Newcastle at some point in the months that followed their wedding day.  Perhaps they moved around the month of March, when Susan found out that she was pregnant, and were hoping for better employment opportunities in England.

Margaret was the first-born child of Michael and Susan, and another eight children were born after her.  All of Margaret siblings were born in the Durham County but it seems that the family moved around a lot, as they were living in different places within the Durham County over the next several years. Some of the children were born in Lanchester, some in Stanley and some in Tanfield.

Thomas was born in 1868, when Margaret was 2.
Michael was born in 1870, when Margaret was aged 4.
Helen Ann was born in 1872.
Elizabeth in 1873.

Sadly, Margaret's brother Michael died that same year, at the age of 3.

Three years after that, in 1876, another son was born and he was named Michael.  Margaret was 10.
Patrick Joseph was born in 1878.
James was born around 1880, when Margaret was 14 years old.

The 1871 census for England shows the Farrell family living at Hinde House in the township of Holmside. Margaret's father was listed as a "coke worker" which means he was employed to work at nearby beehive ovens, used to coke the coal stream located in the underground coal mines.  This would have been physically exhausting work, and Margaret would have witnessed her father, and many of the fathers living in that area, coming home in a filthy, exhausted state after a very long hard day's work.

Margaret was 5 years old at the time, living with her father Michael, mother Susan and younger brother Thomas.  They did not however have the house to themselves.  There was another family living with them, a lodger named Bridget and her three very young children.  Was Bridget perhaps a relative of either Margaret's father or her mother, or was she simply another worker sharing colliery housing provided by the mine owner? 

The 1881 census records show that the Farrell family was a poor working class family living at house no 140 in the small township of Havanna in the Tanfield Civil Parish.  Margaret's father Michael was labouring as a coke drawer on the beehive coke ovens in the Tanfield area. Margaret's brother Thomas, aged 13, was working as a screener at a colliery. Margaret's mother Susan was looking after their small home, their large family, and a boarder, a man named Hugh McGuire who was lodging with this family of nine!

Noticeably, Margaret was not living with her family at the time of the 1881 census however.   She was working as the only domestic servant in the house of the Robinson family at house no 10 in Havanna.  In all likelihood, Margaret would have been sleeping in a very small room up in the attic, and working long hours every day looking after the the needs of the family. It was quite the usual thing back then to send children off to work at what we would now consider a very young age, in order to help provide for the family.

Domestic servants in Durham in the 1880s

It's likely Margaret would have started work before the sun came up and ended her working day well after dark.  It would not have been a fabulous life for a 15 year old!

Her working days would have been filled with jobs such as carrying full scuttles of coal up stairs to build fires in the bedroom fireplaces; carrying buckets of hot water up stairs for bathing and then carrying the dirty water back down the stairs to be emptied outside; emptying the slosh buckets from the "water closets" (toilets); doing the laundry and cooking the meals; as well as keeping the rooms clean, tidy and dust free.

I wonder how often if she did get leave from work at times to visit with her family, who lived about thirty houses down from the Robinsons' home.

It appears Margaret worked as a domestic servant for around five years in Durham County, but then she either decided for herself or, more likely, her parents encouraged her to leave England and emigrate to Australia.  Perhaps there were relatives of either her mother or father already in Australia and it seemed like an opportunity too good to miss.

Margaret did not travel alone on the voyage however.  She was accompanied by her younger sister, Helen Ann, known as Annie.  

19-year old Margaret and 16-year old Annie Farrell left London aboard the ship Cloncurry on the 2nd of December 1885.  They arrived in Townsville, Queensland in February of 1886.

The Immigration Act of Queensland, introduced in 1882, had been part of a planned effort to encourage the flow of immigrants into Queensland by the Queensland Government.  The government saw its immigration policy as playing a key role in expanding its economy.  The Act had several provisions, including the authorisation of free passage for domestic servants.  Margaret and her sister took up the offer of free passage.

Meanwhile, back home in England, Margaret's youngest brother Matthew Felix was born the following year, in 1887.  At this point, it appears Margaret was working as a domestic servant in Charters Towers, west of Townsville.

Main Street of Charters Towers in 1888

Gold had been discovered in Charters Towers in 1881.  That had transformed the small town into a thriving business community, and there would have been a few rather grand homes in and around the town that would have need for a domestic servant.  I wonder if Margaret was living in a home or was renting a room in the town?  Either way, it would not have been an easy life!

Not long after the birth of her brother Matthew back in England, Margaret's parents, along with all of the children still living with them, boarded the ship Cheybassa and also emigrated from England to Australia.  The family disembarked in Townsville in September of 1887, and headed out to Charters Towers.  This is an indication to me that there were already relatives of either Margaret's mother or father living in Australia and possibly encouraging them to emigrate as well.

I've been unable to find out any information about what transpired in Margaret's life or the life of her family for about the next five years after her parents came to meet up with her. 

Photo shared by my 3rd cousin Lawrie McCane

Update:  This is a photo of Margaret which is likely to have been taken sometime between the late 1880s and early 1890s, when she was in Australia. 



It is an absolute treasure, sent to me recently by a relative, as it's the only photo I've seen of Margaret at a young age.

It might possibly have been taken at the time of her coming of age (1887) or engagement (between 1890 and 1892).

St. Columba's Church, Charters Towers, c. 1903, the place of Margaret's wedding.

In February of 1892 however, Margaret Farrell married Owen McCane at St. Columba's Church in Charters Towers.

Elizabeth Farrell, my great grandmother's
youngest sister.

Margaret's younger sister, Elizabeth (pictured to the right), was one of the witnesses.  Helen Ann (known as Annie), Margaret's other sister had already married in 1890.

The marriage certificate records Margaret's occupation as 'Domestic Servant', so she was still working in that job at the age of 26.  Her new husband, Owen McCane, was a miner and was Irish.  I'm sure Margaret's Irish parents were overjoyed!

Margaret and Owen had seven children over a period of fourteen years.

Susan Mary was born in 1892, when Margaret was aged 27.
Sarah Mary Josephine (my Grandmother) came along in 1894, when Margaret was 28.
Edward William was born in 1896.
Thomas Owen, in 1899.
John Michael in 1901.
James Patrick was born in 1904, when Margaret was 38 years of age.

The 1903 electoral roll records show that Margaret and her husband, Owen McCane were living at the Pumping Station in Charters Towers.  This was the Burdekin River Pumping Station located on the peninsula at the junction of the Burdekin River and Sheepstation Creek.  The pumping station, the engineer's residence, some worker's cottages and a school were located on the north bank of the creek.  As Owen's occupation was now  recorded as 'Fireman', then I think we can safely assume they lived in one of the worker's cottages, and not the engineer's residence.

Perhaps life was quite idyllic for Margaret after the birth of her sixth child, living at the Pumping Station beside the Burdekin River.  Perhaps Margaret and Owen might have regarded their lives in Australia as being far better than what they had experienced back in England and Ireland. I'm not convinced that was so, given where they were living.

At least Margaret had her family living close by.  Her father Michael, mother Susan, brother Thomas, brother Michael and his wife Hannah Margaret, and brother Patrick were all living in Charters Towers at the time.  I'm sure they would have been a great form of support during hard times.

Unfortunately, tragedy hit the very next year, and both Margaret and her husband Owen would have needed family support.  In 1905 Margaret's oldest son, Edward William, died at the age of 8.

Northern Miner (Charters Towers),
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 foremen 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."

The loss of a child will always break a parent's heart and I imagine both Margaret and Owen were grief-stricken. 

Two years later, another son was born and he was named Edward Joseph.  Margaret was 41 years old by this time.

Photo shared by my 3rd cousin Lawrie McCane

This is photo of Margaret with her sons.  It's likely to have been taken sometime around 1912, about seven years after the loss of son Edward William.

Margaret would have been around 50 years of age.


Back row L-R: 
Thomas Owen (Tom), John Michael (Jack).

Front row L-R:
James Patrick (Jim), Edward Joseph (Eddie) and Margaret McCane nee Farrell.

1916 was a momentous year for Margaret, her parents and siblings. Margaret's three youngest brothers enlisted in 1916 and went off to war, fighting on the front in France and Belgium.  I imagine it would have been a harrowing time for Margaret's parents, my great great grandparents, and the siblings at home waiting for news of their beloved boys.

The passage of time between 1917 and 1922 saw Margaret suffer significant loss and grief as both her parents died, and three of her brothers all died at quite young ages.  Given that the family was close, all living in the same small town, I'm sure Margaret felt these losses keenly.

Patrick Joseph Farrell,
died in action 1917

Margaret's brother, Patrick Joseph Farrell, died in action in Belgium in September 1917, aged 39.  Margaret was 51 years old at the time.

He had enlisted just 10 months before he was killed.  Reports from fellow soldiers who were with him at the front state that "A shell landed and there was an explosion" and horrifically Patrick's "head was blown off and he was blown to pieces.  A burial was not possible."  

I do wonder just how much detail was shared with the family at the time, and whether or not Margaret knew exactly how her younger brother died.

Her father Michael Farrell, aged 83, passed away just two months later, in November 1917.  He had suffered a fall, broken a hip, and died 15 days later of complications.  I have yet to find out the exact details of his fall, but I have made the assumption he was likely to have been in a great deal of pain for days after his accident.  Margaret would no doubt have been helping her mother care for her ailing father.


In early 1918 Margaret's brother Matthew Felix Farrell was repatriated home from WW1.  He had been injured in his right leg and arrived home in April.

Then just 3 months later, in mid-1918, Margaret's brother Michael died.  He suffered a fracture of the base of skull, cerebral haemorrhage, and heart failure.  He died at the young age of 42.  How his skull was fractured is still unknown to me, but I can only imagine it resulted from some horrible incident.

Then in early 1919, Margaret's mother Susan, aged 77, also passed away.  The cause of death was listed as: senility, broncho-pneumonia and heart failure.  As the only daughter still living in Charters Towers at the time, it's likely Margaret would have been attending to her ailing mother.

Perhaps Margaret regarded it as a blessed relief for her mother to pass after suffering the loss of her husband and two of her sons in such quick succession, and then to be afflicted by broncho-pneumonia in her late 70s.  Margaret's mother would have suffered terribly, finding it hard to breathe, sweating and shivering from chills, and perhaps even experiencing dizziness and nausea.

Matthew Felix Farrell,
died of a heart attack 1922

That wasn't the end of the loss of close family in Margaret's life though.  Three years later in 1922, Margaret's brother Matthew Felix, who had been repatriated home from WW1, died.  He had suffered a heart attack at quite an early age, just 35 years old.



The Farrell family group was dwindling.

Electoral records of 1919 show that Margaret, her husband Owen, and their daughter Sarah (my Grandmother) were now living on a farm near Molongle Creek, situated between Ayr and Bowen.  It's probable that they had moved from Charters Towers after Margaret had lost her mother.

By that stage most of their children had left home and had also left Charters Towers. Their daughter Susan and son Thomas were off teaching around the Bowen/Gumlu area, and most of their other sons had established their own farms in the Gumlu area.

I'm guessing that's the reason for moving to a property near Gumlu.  Margaret's other daughter Sarah appears to have moved with them, and was living with them on the property known as 'El Rita'.  Margaret was now 53 years old.

That same year saw the wedding of Margaret and Owen's eldest daughter, Susan.

Photo shared by my 3rd cousin Lawrie McCane

This photo of Margaret and her husband Owen was likely to have been taken on the day of their daughter Susan's wedding in 1919.  

Wedding Photo of Margaret
and Owen's eldest daughter Susan.

(Comparing the wedding photo of Susan and her husband, there are clues that suggest these photos were taken on the same day - there's a similar looking mat on the ground, a similar looking chair and in the background a water tank that looks the same).

Photo shared by my 3rd cousin Lawrie McCane

Here's a photo taken on the wedding day of Margaret and Owen's second daughter Sarah, in 1921.

Back row L-R:  Margaret and Owen's sons, James Patrick (Jim), Thomas Owen (Tom), John Michael (Jack) and Edward Joseph (Eddie).

Front row L-R:  Sarah Mary Josephine, Owen McCane, Margaret McCane nee Farrell, and Susan Mary McCane

Margaret would have been 55 years old.

Update: Recent contact from a Muckian relative has shed some light on what was happening in Margaret and Owen's life during the early 1920s.

In 1923, Owen paid for his two nieces, Bridget and Rose Barry, to come out to Australia.  They were the daughters of his sister Anne (known as Nancy) Barry nee Muckian.

Thanks to my 3rd cousin Maureen, daughter of Bridget, I now have re-collections passed on to her by her mother Bridget about the time she spent living with my great grandparents Margaret and Owen once she reached Australia.

“Owen paid for Mum's and her sister Rose's passage to Australia. Owen's sons Jack and Jim met them in Bowen and took them to Owen's farm.

My mother knew little about Owen but thought he grew sugar cane, pineapples and bananas on his farm. Mum and Aunty Rose helped Margaret around the house.  I recall a story told by Mum about when she was cleaning in the kitchen and threw out a smelly can of substance which turned out to be yeast that her Aunt Maggie was cultivating to use to make bread! (Irish country girls would not have been familiar with using yeast as a raising agent for bread making as they used buttermilk and bicarbonate soda instead.) 

Maggie was a great cook and used local herbs etc. for cooking and medicinal purposes.  When Mum and Aunty Rose first arrived, they noticed a smoking tin under the table and were shocked to find out it was dried dung set alight.  Aunt Maggie informed them that this was used to keep the mosquitoes away otherwise they would have been bitten alive."  

Between 1923 and 1947 Margaret lost all her other siblings and her husband.

Her oldest brother, Thomas, died in 1927, aged 59.  The cause of death was pulmonary tuberculosis.  Then in 1930, her husband Owen died at the age of 70, after celebrating 38 years of marriage just the month before.  Cause of death:  senility and cardiac failure.

Margaret's sister Elizabeth died in 1934, aged 61.  She had apparently been sick for many years and had gone to Sydney for an operation.  She did not recover and died three days later.  Her sister Helen Ann died in 1937, aged 65.  Her brother James died in 1946, aged 66.

At the time of her husband's death, in 1930, Margaret took over the running of the family farm.  She was 64 years old, and no doubt supported by her sons John Michael (known as Jack) and James Patrick.

This was evidenced in the 1936 / 1937 / 1938 / 1941 and 1942 Australian City Directories for Gumlu, Queensland, where Margaret was listed as "farmer", along with two of her sons.  I have no doubt Margaret, who was in her 70s over this period of time, tirelessly to keep the family farm going and was involved in the day-to-day business of farm life.

Margaret's life was most definitely not something dreams are made of. It would not have been considered a charmed life. She worked hard from a very early age, and raised a large family with very little in the way of material wealth.  She lost her mother and father, her husband and all her brothers and sisters in her latter years, but she was blessed with a large family of her own. 

This photo, taken in the mid-late 1930s, shows Margaret (aged around 70) sitting on a wicker chair surrounded by her family, including five of her children (my grandmother amongst them), along with her daughters-in-law, her grandchildren (including my mother) and some of her great grandchildren. Most of them lived close by, so they would have been a large part of her everyday life.

Perhaps Lady Luck actually did smile down on Margaret in a way!  As a mother and grandmother myself, I would be overjoyed to have my family living close by and part of my everyday life, but such is not the case for me.  So I rather think Margaret was quite lucky in her twilight years.

Margaret McCane nee Farrell, on the left, standing beside her daughter Sarah O'Donnell nee McCane
possibly late 1940s.

Margaret, the oldest of all the Farrell siblings, was the last one to die.  She passed in October of 1955, at the age of 89, one month shy of her 90th birthday.  She was survived by six of her children.  At the time of her passing, daughter Susan was aged 61, daughter Sarah (my Grandmother) was aged 59, son Thomas was 55, son John was 54, son James 51 and son Edward was 48.

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.