The Story of Erice Sylvester Connors

This is the story of my paternal Grand Uncle, Erice Sylvester Connors  1892 - 1916.

*Our common ancestors are: Thomas Edgar Connors and Susannah (Susan) Fullagar Hukins

• Erice was born on the 24th of January 1892 at the family farm named 'Far Meadow' outside Berry, in the Shoalhaven Region of New South Wales.  The birthplace is recorded as Meroo, as that was the nearest small town to the family farm.

• He was the youngest of ten children born to Thomas Edgar Connors and Susannah (Susan) Fullagar Hukins.

• The children born before Erice were:

           - Mary Ellen born in 1874

           - John Edgar born in 1876

           -William Adolphus born in 1878

           - George Thomas (my grandfather) born in 1880

           - Alice Adelaide born in 1882

           - James Alfred born in 1884

           - Percy Jerome born in 1886

           - Cyril Ernest born in 1888

           - Frederick Augustus born in 1890

• Erice wasn't a common first name at the time, nor indeed a common family name.  I'm unsure of the reasoning for this choice by my great grandparents, given the more conventional choices for all his siblings. 

• Throughout his lifetime, Erice was mostly called 'Eric', although he was also affectionately known as 'Ted' by friends.  I suppose that was because his actual Christian name was a tad unusual and was rarely used by anyone who knew him.  

• When researching 'Erice' as a first name, I did not find many reliable sources of information.  Some say it's a female name.  Some say it's a name for males.  Some say it's a unisex name.  Some say it's of English origin.  Most don't appear to know the origin of the name at all.  It seems to be quite a rare name altogether, so I'm left dazed and very confused about why my great grandparents would choose such a name.

• I did find out that there was apparently an ancient Greek name, spelt Eryx, which was the name of an ancient Greek hero.  I doubt very much that my great grandparent had any knowledge of ancient Greek heroes. 

• Further searching revealed there is an historic town named Erice in Sicily, and it sits atop Mount Erice.  The town changed its name from Monte San Giuliano to Erice in 1934.  That would not have been known by my great grandparents., who both died before 1934, so that obviously played no part in the naming of their youngest child.

• I think the reasoning behind the name of my paternal Granduncle will remain a mystery.  His name however will live long in our family's history.

Here's his story:

• Growing up on the family dairy farm ' Far Meadow' near Berry, Erice and his siblings would have learned all the ins and outs of farm life, supporting their father with the work involved in running a dairy farm.

• Erice would have tended to all his chores before and after school, making for very long days indeed.

• Erice was an active participant in local and school events as well.  In 1906, at just 14 years of age, Erice showcased his athleticism by placing 1st in the '75 yard sack race' and the 'wheelbarrow race' during the Public Schools Carnival, held in Nowra.  He placed 2nd in the 'throwing at wicket' competition.  His name appeared as Eric in several newspapers at the time, including the Shoalhaven Telegraph (dated Oct 3 1906) and The Kiama Independent & Shoalhaven Advertiser (dated Oct 5 1906).

• Tragically in December of that same year, Erice faced the loss of his older brother William Adolphus.  William had been suffering tuberculosis for at least three years and unfortunately, he died as a result of this terrible disease when he was just a young man aged 28.

• The following year brought more sorrow to the family.  In 1907, When Erice was 15, his older brother James Alfred died as a result of burns inflicted by a fire that broke out at his workplace.  (I've written about James in this previous post:  Fire and its Tragic Consequences.  For those interested, scroll to Story 2).

• In 1910 the Connors family experiences further heartbreak.  Erice's mother Susan died in May and then his father passed away in August.  Erice had just turned 18 at the start of that year.

• By this stage, Erice found himself amidst a family that had dispersed, with most of his siblings leaving the family farm.  In the face of such personal loss and family change, Erice made his way to the north coast of New South Wales, joining his older brothers John, Cyril and Frederick (Fred) who had established themselves in the Richmond River area.  His eldest sister wasn't too far away either, as she was living in Brisbane with her husband John George Bates. 

• By 1914, Erice was living with his siter Mary Ann and her husband John George on Gotha Street in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland.  Erice was working as a bread carter.

• The spectre of World War 1 was now looming menacingly, and when England declared war on Germany, Australia was thrown into a worldwide conflict that would alter the lives of millions.

Cyril Ernest Connors, older brother of Erice
Photo taken around time of enlistment - 1914

• Erice's older brother Cyril Ernest had enlisted early, in October of 1914.

• Erice himself answered the call for duty, enlisting for the Great War on the 28th of September 1915.   He signed his attestation papers with the signature 'E. S. Connors'.  Despite the fact that his name was recorded at the top as 'Erice Sylvester Connors', when I was searching for his war service record I found it had been created under the name of 'Eric Sylvester Connors'.

(The following details of Erice's war service were sourced from his War Service Record & "Stories of the Somme: The Soldiers of the Great War", a Weebly webpage written by Micheal & Donna Fiechtner).

HMAT Wandilla
Description:  Troop Transport HMAT Wandilla (A62) preparing to sail from Pinkenba Wharf on Jan 1916 with Australian troops onboard. Relatives and friends farewell the troops from the dockside.
Copyright expired - in public domain
Sourced from the Australian War Memorial website

• Erice joined the 9th Battalion 14th Reinforcements, embarking on the HMAT Wandilla from Brisbane on the 31st of December 1915. 

Active Service Record of Erice Sylvester Connors

• His journey initially led him to Alexandria, Egypt, where the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) were preparing for deployment to France.  He disembarked at Alexandria on the 5th of March 1916.

11th Field Artillery Brigade
Description:  11th Field Artillery Brigade, near Bailleul, France 1917
Copyright expired - in Public Domain
Source:  Australian War Memorial website

• On the 21st of April 1916, at Serapeum, Erice was taken on strength by the 11th Field Artillery Brigade, assigned the rank of 'gunner', and posted to the Brigade Ammunition Column. The 11th Field Artillery Brigade had only just been formed in February, and was attached to the 4th Division.  

•  Erice was then assigned to the 43rd Battery of the 11th FAB at Serapeum on the 24th of May 1916.   (Information about the 11th Field Artillery Brigade can be found here:  11th Field Artillery Brigade, 4th Division Artillery, AIF)

• On the 1st of June 1916, Erice sailed for France aboard the HMT Haverford, marking the beginning of his active service.  The ship docked in Marseilles on the 10th of June, and at 2.00 pm that afternoon Erice boarded a train for a three-day train ride to Le Havre, near Paris.

• After this train journey, the brigade arrived in a relatively quiet "nursery" sector near the town of Armentieres in northern France.  The early battalions were engaged around Armentieres first as it was regarded as a good place to prepare soldiers for future engagement on the Western Front.

• On the 17th of June 1916, Erice was transferred to the 11th Field Artillery Brigade Headquarters where he took on the role of a signaller withing the Brigade Ammunition Column.  He would have been responsible for communications within the Brigade, possibly laying signal lines between HQ and the various batteries.

• Erice was involved in major action involving Australians on the Western Front throughout the remainder of 1916.

• The Brigade first entered the line at Fleurbaix in the Fromelles sector on the 4th of July 1916 and two days later had its first taste of battle when shelled by enemy artillery for two hours.  The Brigade returned fire during the next few days.  On the 13th of July 1916 the Brigade retired to billets at Croix du Bac, but returned to its former position in the lines within a few days.

The battlefield of Fromelles
A view from the German observation post on Fromelles church that gives an idea of the complete domination the enemy had over the battlefield on 19 July 1916.
Copyright expired - in public domain
Sourced from the Australian War Memorial website

• Between the 19th and 20th of July, the Brigade supported the 5th Division AIF in its attack at Fromelles, and on the 22nd of July it was attached to the New Zealand Division and moved north to Armentieres where it stayed in the line until the 3rd of August.  (Information about the Battle of Fromelles can be found here:  Fromelles (Fleurbaix) 19/20 July 1916)

• The Brigade undertook further training until the 23rd of August 1916 when it proceeded to Dickebusch near Ypres to take over from the 6th FAB of the Canadian 2nd Division.  This area was in the vicinity of Pozieres which had been taken by AIF troops in the previous weeks.

• The 11th FAB stayed in the line until the 18th of September when it was relieved.  On the 8th of September, Erice had been invalided to the Australian Field Ambulance for a short while, as his teeth were giving him trouble.

• The next couple of months represented a similar affair for the unit, with stints in and out of the lines.  

• On the 14th of November 1916 the Brigade undertook a six day march from Boeschepe to Naours, returning to the Somme, where it would eventually be held in reserve until the 21st of December 1916.

Front line at Flers 1916

• At that time his battalion took the line just north of Flers, not far from Pozieres on The Somme.  The Germans welcomed them promptly with a heavy bombardment on the 22 of December 1916.  Shrapnel fire was sustained, and the Brigade subsequently engaged in an artillery duel with the enemy on Christmas Eve.                                                                                                      (Information about the Flers/Gueudecourt Battle can be found here:  'The Winter Offensive' - Flers/Gueudecourt /Gueudecourt Winter of 1916/1917)

• By Boxing Day, the enemy had accurately registered its guns on the Brigade and the Australians were convinced their own gun flashes were visible to the Germans except in extremely foggy weather.

• The conditions on the Somme were horrendous, with the winter of 1916/1917 being the worst in 40 years.  In the short time Erice had been in France, he had experienced and endured the extremely harsh conditions of the Western Front, engaging in battles and facing relentless enemy fire.

• On the 28th of December 1916 an enemy airplane attacked the Brigade, firing its machine guns into the Batteries.  Two days later, on the 30th of December 1916, the Germans opened fire on the Brigade, whose positions it had ranged.  The fire around HQ was very heavy throughout both the morning and evening that day. 

• At 4.00 pm a shell hit one of the HQ dugouts that functioned as a cook house where Erice was sheltering with a number of soldiers.  Erice was killed instantly along other soldiers, including Kenneth (Ken) Taylor and John (Paddy) McGrath.  In all, 344 other Australians would be killed that month.

• The Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files have a number of records concerning Erice's death.  This suggests that enquiries were made by relatives back home in Australia, after hearing the devastating news of his death.

• It had taken some time before family and friends knew about Erice's death.  Death notices did not appear in local newspapers until February the following year.

• The Red Cross Wounded and Missing File indicated that Erice, acting as a Signaller for Brigade HQ, was sheltering in a dugout, reportedly having a cup of coffee with comrades Ken Taylor and John (Paddy) McGrath, when a 5.9 inch shell hit their location.  The explosion claimed Erice's life, along with the lives of his comrades and at least one other soldier, and left little evidence behind.  Erice's death was instantaneous.

• These files included a statement by an eye witness who assisted in the burial of what remained of the all the soldiers into one grave, with a cross erected above the grave.  There were other reports stating that the soldiers were indeed buried together.

• Burials often occurred in a field or an available clear space near where the soldiers died, but sadly these graves would often be destroyed later, as the war ravaged on.  This appears to be the case for Erice's burial place and his remains, as they have never been found. 

Erice's name on the Australian Memorial at Villers Brettoneux

Erice's name on the Wall of Honour at the Australian War Memorial

• Erice Connors, like many others, became one of the countless soldiers with no known grave.  His sacrifice is however commemorated on the Australian Memorial at Villers Brettoneux and the Roll of Honour Wall at the Australian War Memorial, a testament to a life cut short on the brutal battlegrounds of World War 1.

• Erice's name is projected onto the exterior of the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial four times a year, ensuring his name lives on.  The next name projection is scheduled for Monday, May 13 at 12.54 am.

I'm joining Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2024 Challenge with this post.

This time I'm catching up with the prompt for Week 9  - ''Changing Names".

You can join by blogging or posting on social media with the tag #52Ancestors.

Check out Amy's FB pages:  Generations Cafe  or  Amy Johnson Crow.

Memories ... February 19

Anniversary of a Birthday

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page) 

Today is the anniversary of the birth date of my paternal grandfather, George Thomas Brown.

I have written a longer, far more detailed post about my grandfather before (follow this link if you are interested in reading: The Story of George Thomas Connors), but for this 'Memories' post I will simply include some of the important events in his life.

• George was the fourth of ten children born to Thomas Edgar Connors and Susannah (Susan) Fullagar Hukins.

• He was born on the 19th of February 1880 in the township of Meroo, New South Wales.

• His siblings included 

          - Mary Ellen, born in 1874

          - John Edgar, born 1876

          - William Adolphus, born 1878

          - Alice Adelaide, born 1882

          - James Alfred, born in 1884

          - Percy Jerome, born 1886

          - Cyril Ernest, born 1888

          - Frederick Augustus, born 1890

          - Erice Sylvester, born in 1892

• George spent his childhood years learning the work of dairy farming, following in the footsteps of his father.

• Over his lifetime however, George was employed in various occupations.  He worked on railway gangs.  He worked as a butcher, and he also found employment at a forestry logging camp at one point.

• In 1906, when he was 26 years old, George married Grace Brown in Lismore, New South Wales.

• They went on to have 11 children, but sadly lost two of their children in infancy.

• George and Grace were married for 60 years, until George passed away.

• In 1966, at the age of 86, George died.

• He was buried at the Gympie Cemetery.

• George was survived by his wife and his nine children.

The Story of Joseph Edward Browning / Memories ... February 14

This post tells the story of my paternal 2x Great Grand Uncle, Joseph Edward Browning  1845 - 1919.

*Our common ancestors are: William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns.

I'm publishing this post on the anniversary of his birth.

 Anniversary of a Birthday 

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of the birth date of the only family tree member I know for certain was born on February 14.  

• Joseph Edward (known as Joe in his adult years) was born on February 14, 1845 to father William Henry Browning and mother Anne (known as Nancy) Littlejohns.  

• Joseph's parents (my 3x great grandparents) were English immigrants who had landed in Australia in 1840 as bounty immigrants.  They already had seven children who had been born in England.  Sadly, one of their daughters had passed away before they emigrated, so they arrived in Port Jackson as a family of eight.

• Five years later, according to the Browning family bible, Joseph Edward was born at 4.00am in the morning, while the family was living in the Richmond River District.  Father William and wife Anne (Nancy) were employed by Ward Stephens as shepherds on his sheep station.  Joseph Edward would be the second of the four children born in Australia.

• The Browning family moved around quite a lot, working as shepherds or labourers on various properties in the northern areas of New South Wales, and so it was that Joseph Edward's baptism didn't occur until three months after his birth.

• Joseph was baptised on May 31st, 1845 according to the Church of England rites.  By this time, the family were in the Clarence River District.

• Most of Joseph's childhood and teenage years were spent living a nomadic life, as his father and mother worked as shepherds throughout that time.  

• By 1861 however, the family were living near Lismore on the north coast of New South Wales and both Joseph Edward and his father William were appearing before the Lismore Court!

As excerpt from the research of Esme Smith in her 2001 publication 'The Browning Story: Tracings From The Past'.

"On February 1861, William appeared before the Lismore Court to answer a summons lodged by Alexander Campbell of Tunstall Station, that he trespassed on the Tunstall run and drove cattle from the property.  The complaint was not proven and therefore dismissed by the magistrate.  On that date Joseph Browning also appeared before the same court and made a plea of guilty to trespassing and and driving a bullock from the Tunstall run.  He was fined twenty shillings and costs were awarded against him, in default of forty-eight hours imprisonment."  

(information sourced from the State Records of NSW, Deposition Book for Lismore for period 11 October 1860 to 12 December 1874)

 

• It sounds like father and son were up to no good, but Joseph Edward (aged 16) took the fall!  Cattle stealing from the large cattle stations (runs) was rife at this time, and was obviously a practice of the poor stealing from the rich for the sake of family survival.  Whilst not to be condoned, it can certainly be understand.

• When Joseph was just 18 years old (not 22 as recorded on the marriage certificate) he married Eliza Wilson who was aged 17.  They married in March of 1863 at Casino, New South Wales.  

• They began their married life at Rosehill, a logging settlement outside Lismore.  

• Rosehill was in the vicinity of Tunstall Station and while Joseph had previously been employed at Tunstall as a stockman, he was working as a sawyer, cutting cedar, at the time of his marriage.

• Joseph Edward and his wife Eliza went on to have 12 children over a period of 28 years.

          - Henry Joseph was born in 1864

          - Mary was born in 1866, but died not long after birth

          - Susanna came along in 1867

          - Joseph was born in 1870, but sadly died in 1876

          - William was born in 1873

          - Amelia came along in 1875

          - Sarah Ann came along in 1878

          - James was born in 1881

          - Samuel was born in 1883

          - Francis was born in 1889

          - Jack came along in 1890

          - then Robert was born in 1892.

• Just two years after his marriage, Joseph Edward was back in court once more, in 1865, when he was 20 years old.

• This time it was a dispute about the ownership of cut timber.  The settlement of Rosehill was near a river and once the cedar trees were cut down and trimmed, they were rolled down a chute into the river and they would then float to the mill.  Unfortunately, many disputes arose about just owned the logs once they were in the river.  Sometimes sawyers would brand their logs, but perhaps helped themselves to quite a few that weren't actually theirs!!!

• Joseph Edward went to court, taking action against a William Holman Berry, for theft.

• During the hearing, Joseph gave the following evidence:

"I am a conditional purchaser residing on Terrania Creek.  On, or about, the 1st of June a black named Jimmy Woolgary and his gin were at Rosehill wharf.  He told me he was putting on cedar for Mr. Berry.  I had the cedar planks on the wharf and I missed them.  I saw the black with the raft of Mr. Berry. 

 

I went to Mr. Berry when I missed the two planks (about a week after) and I said he had got them and had sent them to Mr. Breckenridge's sawmill.  He said he would allow my father for them.  I told him the planks had nothing to do with my father and after went to him and wanted him to settle with me for them but he would not listen to me. 

 

I served a notice on him and he called me back and said he would allow me a pound for them now and would send the stuff to Sydney and what it fetched he would give me back."

          (information sourced from the State Records of NSW, Deposition Books for Lismore, for period             11 October `860 to 12 December 1874). 

• Berry agreed to pay Joseph the cost of the cedar planks.  Joseph however was still out of pocket because of the cost of the court action. 

• At some point (I have yet to discover exactly when) Joseph ceased working as a sawyer.  He went on to work as a teamster and became a land owner. 

• By the time Joseph was 40 years old, he and Eliza were running cattle on 184 acres that they held at Rosehill.  According to the Parliamentary Return of Landholders 1885, they had 5 horses and 45 head of cattle. 

• An interesting newspaper item, written by a woman named Mrs. Mary Graham, appeared in a Lismore newspaper in 1936.  She had lived at Tunstall Station many years before and had known many of the early residents of the Lismore district very well.  The item mentions her visit to the Browning family at Rosehill in the early 1900s and talks about Joseph (who would have been in his 50s at the time):

Pencil & Wash Drawing titled 'Australian Bullock Driver' by William Strutt
Created c. 1851
Out of copyright
Held by the National Library of Australia

So ... he was a brilliant stockman who could make a fine stockwhip and wield it with expertise.

He wore snowy moleskin trousers, a Crimean shirt and finely plaited cabbage tree hats!

He would have looked something like the man depicted in this drawing done by artist William Strutt around 1851.

The distinctive cabbage tree hat was an Australian invention and very popular during the 19th century.

It was named the 'cabbage tree hat' because it was made from the leaves of the Cabbage Tree Palm.

• Joseph lived through the years of WW1 and sadly saw two of his sons march off to war, Jack and Robert.  Thankfully Robert returned, but unfortunately Jack never did.  

• Joseph and wife Eliza had received a telegram stating that their son Jack had been wounded in action in February 1917, but by the time that telegram had arrived, Jack had been killed in action in France, in March of 1917.  Such a cruel blow!

• Then tragically, in early 1919, the last of Joseph's siblings died.  By this time Joseph had experienced the passing of both his parents, all of his six sisters and three of his brothers.  Joseph must have felt the loss of his youngest brother very keenly.

• Joseph himself then passed away just a few months later in November of 1919, aged 74.

• An obituary was published in the Northern Star, the tone of which implies the respect that was held for this "old sterling type of bushman" who "was a man of unassuming nature ... always prepared to help those in distress." 

• Joseph was buried at the East Lismore General Cemetery

• He was survived by his wife Eliza and nine children.

• Joseph and his wife Eliza had been married for 56 years and upon his death, Eliza had a lovely tribute inscribed on his tomb.  I think it's fitting to read her words on the day this post is to be published - Valentine's Day.

"You are always in my thoughts dear husband. 

Tis sweet to breathe your name.  

In life I loved you dearly.  

In death I do the same."

 

          

Memories ... February 7

Anniversary of a Birthday /  In Remembrance

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of my paternal Grandaunt Lillian Ruth Brown's birthday .....  

.....  and the passing of my maternal Great Grand Uncle Thomas Farrell.

Here's some of Lillian's story:

*Our common ancestors are: Richard Joseph Brown and Ellen Cusack.

• Lillian was born in 1887 in Lismore, New South Wales.

• She was the second of four daughters born to Richard Joseph Brown and Ellen Cusack.

• At the time of her birth, her father Richard was 25 years old and her mother Ellen was 24.

• Lillian's older sister Grace (my paternal grandmother) had been born two years before Lillian.  Then when Lillian was 3 years old her sister Elsie came along.  When Lillian was 5, her sister Marcella (Marcy) was born.

• The sisters grew up in Lismore, New South Wales.  They were the descendants of well-known pioneering stock on both their paternal and maternal sides (the Browns and Brownings on her father's side, the Cusacks and the Extons on their mother's side).  As such the girls inherited a well-respected family name.

• After leaving school, Lillian worked as a dressmaker for a number of years.  

• In 1906, when she was 20 years old, Lillian married James Alfred Connors.

• James was in fact the younger brother of George Connors (my grandfather), who had married Lillian's sister Grace (my grandmother) that very same year.

• Lillian and her husband James welcomed their only child into the world in April of 1907, a daughter named Lorna Mary Grace.

• Sadly, Lillian became a widow just six months later, when her husband died as a result of burns inflicted during a tragic accident at his workplace.  (I have told James Alfred Connors' story before.  For anyone interested in knowing more, follow this link:  Fire and its Tragic Consequences!)

• Lillian re-married just over a year later to an Irish immigrant named Jeremiah (Gerry/Jerry) O'Donnell, who hailed from County Cork.  Lillian was 21 years old at the time and Jeremiah was 23.  

• Sadly, Lillian and Jeremiah lost their first born, a son named Roger, on the day he was born in 1909.

• Their daughter Lillian Margaret was born 1911.

• Unfortunately though, Lillian would never see her two daughters grow up.

• Standard practice for women giving birth in hospitals in the early 1900s included the women remaining 'in confinement' at the hospital for a couple of weeks after giving birth.  Tragically, Lillian contracted pneumonia while in confinement, became weaker and weaker until her heart gave out and she passed away.

• Lillian was only 24 years old when she passed away on the evening of August 31st, 1911.  She died at the maternity hospital which was known as Nurse Atkins' Private Hospital, in Lismore.

• She was buried in the Roman Catholic section of the Lismore Cemetery.  I have yet to locate her exact resting place.

• Lillian was survived by her second husband, a daughter aged 4 and a newborn aged just 14 days.  She was also survived by her father Richard, her mother Ellen, and her three sisters, Grace (my grandmother), Elsie and Marcella (known as Marcy). 

• Interestingly, Lillian's second husband did not provide details of Lillian's first husband on the death certificate, nor indeed the name of Lillian's first child.  I think there's a story there that I have yet to uncover!

Here's some of Thomas's story:

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

• Thomas's birth record shows that he was born on the 15th of January 1868 in Holmside, County Durham, England.   His mother registered his birth on the 26th of February and interestingly, this date appears to have become the date that his birthday was celebrated for the remainder of his life!  Weird, right???  Did his mother forget his actual birth date?  Surely not!

• At the time of his birth, his father Michael Farrell was 34 years old and his mother, Susan Downey / Muldowney was 26.

• Thomas was the second of nine children born to Michael and Susan, and he was the oldest boy. 

• Thomas was born at a place named 'East Field House' which was part of a row of small, rather humble, colliery houses, built by the owners of the coal mines and coke works in the Durham Coalfield area of north-eastern England to provide housing for the their workers and families.  It was substandard housing and families often lived in tiny one-room cottages, quite inadequate for housing large families.  The harsh living conditions became a breeding ground for disease and ill-health.   

• Sadly, Thomas's younger brother Michael died as an infant when Thomas was 5 years old.

• The 1881 England Census shows that Thomas was working as a 'screener' at a colliery when he was only 13 years old.  While Thomas was working above ground (a whole lot better than being down the mine), the work was laborious and the days were long.  

Definition of 'screener':  watches that coal passes over screens and dust or small coal is properly sifted through; may also pick dirt from conveying belt as coal passes to screens.

• It was not uncommon at the time for children to start work when they were 7 or 8, sometimes younger!!  I suspect that Thomas had started work a few years before the census date.

Australia Passenger List - Queensland
Ship - Chyebassa

• Thomas emigrated to Australia at the age of 19, along with his father, mother and six of his siblings.  Two of his sisters (my great grandmother Margaret and her sister Helen Ann) had already emigrated and were living in Charters Towers.

• After arriving in Townsville in September of 1887, Thomas and the other members of his family travelled to Charters Towers to meet up with his sisters.

Australian Electoral Roll 1903

• The 1903 Census shows Thomas living on Bridge Street in Charters Towers, with his father, mother and Thomas's occupation was listed as 'miner'.  He was 35 years old at this time.

• Thomas remained living on Bridge Street until he became ill later in life.

• Thomas worked as a miner in Charters Towers until he became quite ill in his late 50s.

• Thomas never married, but was very close to his family throughout his lifetime.

• Thomas's three youngest brothers, Patrick, James and Matthew, all went off to serve in WW1.  Tragically, his brother Patrick was killed in action in 1917.  Brothers James and Matthew did return home.

• Sadly, Thomas also experienced the loss of both parents and another brother before the end of 1919.

• His father Michael died in 1917, the same year as his brother Patrick was killed in action.  Thomas's brother Michael died in 1918.  Thomas's mother Susan died in 1919.

• When the war finally ceased, things had changed quite dramatically for Thomas.  His three sisters and his brother James had all married and moved away from home.  His brother Matthew was the only sibling left in Charters Towers, and was living with Thomas at the family home on Bridge Street.

• Then, quite unexpectedly in mid-1922, Thomas's brother Matthew also passed away.  Thomas was now living on his own in Charters Towers.

• The 1925 Electoral Roll lists Thomas as still living on Bridge Street and his occupation was still 'miner'.  Thomas was 57 years old.

• Thomas became very ill with pulmonary tuberculosis in 1926.  He left Charters Towers to live with his older sister Margaret (my great grandmother) at her home on the family farm at Molongle Creek near Gumlu.

• On the 7th of February 1927 Thomas passed away at the age of 59.  He would have only just celebrated his 59th birthday a month before.  (Note:  his age is recorded incorrectly on his death notice and on his headstone.)

• Death notices for Thomas appeared in the Northern Miner (a Charters Towers newspaper) and the Townsville Daily Bulletin.

• He was returned home to be buried at the Monumental & Lawn Cemetery in Charters Towers, alongside his brother Matthew.  Unfortunately, both burial sites are now quite severely damaged and need repair.

• Thomas was survived by his three sisters and his brother James.

An interesting note:

• The brother still living when Thomas passed away - James - also suffered with pulmonary tuberculosis for a couple of years before he died, and this was listed as one of the causes of his death as well!