Memories ... October 6

 In Remembrance

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of  the passing of my maternal Great-Grand Aunt, Elizabeth Farrell  1873-1934.

*Our common ancestors are:  Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney/Downey.

• Born in England in 1873 to Irish-born parents, Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney (Downey).

• She was the fifth of nine siblings, although only eight would survive into their adult years.

• Elizabeth grew up in the harsh environment of colliery houses in coal-mining towns like Tanfield, Stanley and Lanchester in the Durham area of north-east England.

• In 1886 Elizabeth's older sisters, Margaret (my great grandmother) and Helen Ann left England for the vast unknown of Australia, and the remainder of the family - Elizabeth's parents, Elizabeth and her four brothers - followed in 1887.

• Elizabeth emigrated to Australia with her family when she was 14 years old, arriving in Townsville, Queensland in September of 1887.

• She travelled with her family on to Charters Towers where her two older sisters had been living and working since they left England.

Frank Edwin Shaw

• At the age of 23, Elizabeth married Frank Edwin Shaw who was also an English immigrant, hailing from Yorkshire.

Elizabeth and her five children

• Elizabeth and Frank went on to have a family of six children, although only five would live past their infancy.

"Brucelee" homestead at Goondi, Innisfail, Queensland

• They lived on the family property known as "Brucelee" at Goondi, which was on the outskirts of Innisfail, northern Queensland.

• Elizabeth and Frank were married for 29 years until Frank passed away in 1926.

• Elizabeth died just eight years later in 1934, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst Sydney, when she was 61 years old.

• She is buried at the Waverley Cemetery in Bronte, Sydney, New South Wales.

I have written a longer post with many more details about Elizabeth's life journey from the industrial heartland of England to the tropical landscapes of northern Queensland.  For those who are interested, follow this link:  The Story of Elizabeth Farrell