The Story of Catherine O'Donnell / Memories ... September 25

This post tells the poignant and rather short story of my maternal Grand Aunt, Catherine O'Donnell  (1884 - 1898). 

Our common ancestors are:  Edmond O'Donnell and Bridget Burke.

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

Anniversary of a Birthday

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page) 

Catherine was born in September of 1884 in a small community known as 'Irish Town', situated just outside Toowoomba, in the southern reaches of Queensland, Australia.  Her birth marked the arrival of the first-born child to Edmond O'Donnell and Bridget Burke.

Edmond and Bridget were two Irish immigrants who had arrived in Australia just the year before, seeking opportunity and a fresh start in a distant land.  Their arrival in February of 1883 was followed shortly by their marriage in July of the same year, in the township of Toowoomba.

Catherine's birth certificate has her first name recorded as "Kate".  This information was provided by her mother, and was likely the name used affectionately by her family.  Later in life however, she would be formally known as "Catherine", a name her mother also provided when Catherine passed away.  I shall refer to my grand aunt as Catherine throughout this post.

View of Irish Town c.1884

At the time of Catherine's birth, her father Edmond was a young man of 22, working as a farm hand in the local area; while her mother Bridget, a decade older at 33, had secured work on a dairy farm outside Toowoomba.

Irish Town would have provided a supportive network of fellow Irish immigrants for this family, but Catherine's mother also had the support of her much older brother William, who had emigrated from Ireland in 1865 and had established a life for himself and his family in Toowoomba.

As a baby, Catherine would have heard the lilting accents of her Irish heritage daily in Irish Town, but about a year after her birth, in 1885, the family left Irish Town and moved into Toowoomba proper, likely seeking better opportunities in the growing township.

When Catherine was just 1 year old, her brother John Patrick was born in early 1886.

When Catherine was 3, her brother James (my grandfather) was born in October of 1887.

Life for the young family was about to be marked by loss for the first time.  Tragically, in early 1888, just as Catherine was approaching her fourth birthday, her brother John passed away.  The loss of John would have left a sorrowful mark on her parents, but it's unlikely that Catherine herself would have carried memories of John.

Catherine's only sister, Mary Margaret, was born in November of 1890, when Catherine was 6 years old.

Since the family had moved into the township of Toowoomba they had faced constant economic challenges.  Despite both parents working - Edmond as a carter for the local brewery and Bridget as a dairy keeper - there was little income, and the family lived in temporary shelter at the Showgrounds, where the constant struggle for food and warmth would have been a daily reality.  

Milking cows in a milking shed
Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria
Photographer: Gabriel Knight 
Photo taken c. 1903

The children were no doubt by their mother's side from very early in the morning to the early evening, as she milked cows and maintained the diary sheds.  

Catherine would likely have spent her time caring for her siblings throughout the day and assisting her mother in whatever way she could. 

By the time brother Maurice Patrick came along in late 1892, when Catherine was 7, the family had finally moved into a house on James Street, where they would have experienced a little more comfort, privacy and protection from the elements.

Tragically, when Catherine was just 8 years old, she experienced the devastating loss of her father Edmond, who died in 1893.  His death left Catherine's mother a widow with four young children to support and raise alone in a world where options for widows were limited.  

Penniless and facing an uncertain future, Catherine's mother made a bold decision to apply for a license to run the Free Selectors' Hotel, a modest establishment on the corner of James Street and Ruthven Street that provided meals and lodging, along with a bar that served alcohol to patrons.  The family would have also used a couple of the rooms upstairs as their home.

This grainy old photo holds the only image of Catherine that I've been able to find.  The photo shows B. O'Donnell's Free Selectors' Hotel and standing in front of the sign is mother Bridget with Catherine to the right and James (my grandfather) to the left.

  

Did you notice the ladder lying on the ground?  The thought that came immediately to my mind was it's likely that Catherine's mother used the ladder to climb up and add the sign "B. O'Donnell's" - her name, Bridget O'Donnell!  This photo was taken in 1894 after Bridget had become the licensed victualler of the establishment and Catherine at the time would have been 9 years old.

The death of her father and then the change in lifestyle when her mother became a businesswoman would have been huge turning points for young Catherine.  Suddenly the family was thrust into the world of running a hotel.  With her mother working long hours, Catherine, as the eldest child, would have taken on many new responsibilities.  She would have helped her mother from early morning until late at night, cleaning rooms, preparing meals and Catherine would also have been expected to shoulder significant responsibility for the care of her younger siblings.

Catherine's childhood would have been cut short.  Life at the hotel meant a constant bustle of guests and patrons, and as she took on the roles of caregiver and household manager in the midst of the busy, often rough atmosphere of this working-class hotel, Catherine was shouldering very heavy responsibilities for someone so young. 

Just two years after her father's death, life changed once again when Catherine's mother re-married in 1895.  With a new stepfather in the household, Catherine faced the challenge of adapting to a new family dynamic, which was soon followed by the birth of another brother in 1896.

By 1898, when Catherine was only 13, she had fallen gravely ill.    

Over the course of six months, Catherine's health worsened as she suffered from dropsy (now known as edema), which caused swelling in her body due to fluid retention.  In her final days, she slipped into a coma and passed away at the family's residence in the Free Selectors' Hotel on Ruthven Street, surrounded by her loved ones.

The primary cause of death, as recorded on her death certificate was 'Bright's Disease'.  It's a term that's no longer used in the medical world, and refers to kidney disease.  

A funeral notice appeared in the local newspaper on April the 5th indicating that the funeral service was held at the Free Selectors' Hotel and then the mourners moved onto the cemetery from there.  The death certificate lists Reverend Thomas Lane, a Roman Catholic priest, as the person who conducted the service.

Catherine's death marked a heartbreaking end to a short life filled with hardship, loss, poverty and responsibility. She was buried alongside her father Edmond at the Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery. 

The inscription on her headstone reads:  "Hark they whisper, Angels say, Sister Spirit come away."  This is an excerpt from a poem written by Alexander Pope named "The Dying Christian To His Soul" and specifically refers to the call of angels for her soul to go to heaven.   To her family, death was not the end for Catherine, but a passage to a spiritual existence.  It's quite moving!

Memories ... August 13

 Remembering two Wedding Anniversaries

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of my maternal Grand Aunt Susan McCane's wedding day,

and my maternal Great Grand Aunt Helen Ann (Annie) Farrell's wedding day.  

These two women were related.  Helen Ann was Susan's aunt.  They both married on August the 13th, but their wedding days were 29 years apart.

Helen Ann Davies nee Farrell

(Sadly, I have no photos of Helen Ann or her husband to share).

• Helen Ann (known as Annie) Farrell was born in north-eastern England in July of 1871.

• She was the fourth of nine children born to Irish-born immigrants Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney (Downie).

• Her parents had left Ireland years before Helen Ann's birth, and had moved firstly to Scotland (where they had married) and then to England, where all their children were born.

• Helen Ann emigrated to Australia with her older sister Margaret in December of 1885.  Helen Ann (Annie) was only 14 years old when she left England, arriving nearly two months later in Townsville, north Queensland.

• Helen Ann and her sister travelled to Charters Towers, west of Townsville, where they both worked as servants.  The remainder of their family, their parents and siblings, all emigrated in late 1887 and travelled to Charters Towers to be with Helen Ann and Margaret.

• Helen Ann met her future husband, David Davies, whilst living and working in Charters Towers.

I can only share a few details about their wedding day.  I have no information about what the bride's wedding dress looked like, or who was in the wedding party.  Whilst I have searched for local newspaper records from that time, I have not been successful in finding any so far; and there are no family stories to share either. So, here the scant details that relate to Helen Ann's and David's special day.

• They married in August of 1890.  Helen Ann was aged 19 at the time, and required the permission of her father to marry (as she was under the age of 21).  This permission was given and the wedding was conducted at the Catholic Presbytery, as the Church itself (St Columba's) was a building site where major extensions and alterations were being carried out at the time.

  

• Helen Ann and David were married according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church.

• One of the witnesses to the marriage was Margaret Farrell, Helen Ann's older sister.

  

• The other witness, identified as a 'sponsor' was likely someone known to David.  The name originally recorded was "Mary Agnes Tippett", but then there has been a correction made and a note recorded beside the last column that the name should read "Henry James Tippett".  I have no more information about who these people might have been.  Perhaps Henry Tippett was David's employer.  

• Helen Ann and David went on to have nine children, including twins daughters. Sadly their daughter Eileen Monica Davies, who was born in 1903, passed away aged just one week old.

• Tragically, the marriage of Helen Ann and David only lasted until March of 1911, when David was lost at sea during the sinking of the S.S. Yongala.  This was just five months before they would have celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary. 

 

• Helen Ann was widowed at the age of 39 with eight children to care for.  Susan was 19, David was 18, the twins Helen and Margaret were 15, Elizabeth was 12, Mary was 9, Thomas was 6, and Rita was just one year old.

     

• Helen Ann never re-married.

I have previously shared Helen Ann's story with many more details and for those who are interested in reading more, please follow this link:  The Story of Helen Ann Farrell

For anyone interested in reading a little more about David's sad demise, please follow this link:  Shipwreck! Townsville's Titanic. 

Susan Mary Bidgood nee McCane

• Susan Mary McCane was born in November of 1892, in Charters Towers, Queensland.

• She was the eldest of seven children born to Irish-born immigrant Owen McCane (Muckian) and English-born immigrant Margaret Farrell (mentioned above as the sister of Helen Ann). Sadly, one of Susan's younger brothers, Edward William McCane, died as a result of a drowning accident in 1905, when Susan was 12 years old.

• Susan began her teaching career around the age of 20.  She initially taught in Charters Towers, but then became the head teacher at Molongle Creek Provisional School (later named Gumlu State School) in Gumlu in 1914.

• By 1914, Susan's entire family, her father Owen, her mother Margaret, and the five surviving children including Susan (aged 21 at the time), had all moved to a property that Owen had purchased on the south side of Molongle Creek, in the area around the small township of Gumlu.

• This is where Susan met her husband-to-be, Frank Alexander Bidgood.  He was a farmer who had also purchased property in the area, although his land was near the Wakala railway siding.

• Susan and Frank's courtship was interrupted by World War 1.  Six young men from the area went off to serve their country, including Frank, who enlisted in mid-1916 when he was 32 years old.  He saw action in France and was captured by the Germans, becoming a prisoner of war in April of 1917.

• Thankfully, Frank survived, after being a prisoner of war for over two years.  He was repatriated to England in January of 1919, and then shipped home to Australia in May of 1919.  Three months later, he and Susan were wed.

 

• Susan and Frank were married according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church, even though Frank was not a baptised Catholic.  (He was Church of England).

• The witnesses recorded on the marriage certificate were Sarah Mary Josephine McCane (Susan's only sister) and John Lennane (who I assume was a good friend of Frank).

• As recorded on the marriage certificate, Susan and Frank married at "the residence of Owen McCane (Susan's father), Gumlu" on the 13th of August, 1919.  There was no Catholic Church in the area at the time, so weddings were usually conducted at the home of the bride's parents.

• In the photo above you can clearly see that the wedding portrait was taken outside at the family farm, where two large mats had been laid down on the ground.

• An item printed in a local newspaper gave more details about their special day:

On 13th August, a wedding of much interest was celebrated at "El Rita," Gumlu, the residence of the bride's parents, when Miss Susan McCane was united in the bonds of holy matrimony to Mr Frank A. Bidgood, Toowoomba (late A.I.F.).

The Rev. Father Morley (Bowen) officiated.

The bride wore an exquisite frock of ivory crepe de chine, beautifully hand embroidered and trimmed with orange blossoms.  She also wore a lovely veil, which was kindly lent by Mrs. W. S. Gordon, Proserpine (a recent bride).

The bride was attended by her only sister Sarah, as bridesmaid.

The bridegroom was supported by Mr John Lennane, late A.I.F., as best man.

The bride's present to the bridegroom was a handsome gold Albert (a watch).  The bridegroom presented the bride with a diamond and pearl pendant, and the bridesmaid with a pearl and emerald brooch.

The happy couple received many congratulatory telegrams, and the presents, which included many cheques, were numerous and costly.

After the ceremony a reception was held at the residence of the bride's parents.

Previous to her marriage, Miss McCane, who has been head teacher of the Molongle Creek State School, Gumlu, for over five years, was presented with a beautiful silky oak duchess by the Gumlu residents.

The school children, at an afternoon tea, presented their teacher with a handsome eight-day clock, suitably inscribed.

• Interestingly, the school Susan taught at closed down upon her marriage until a new teacher could be found.  In the early 1900s women were not allowed to continue teaching once they had married.  

• Susan and Frank were married for just twelve and a half years until sadly, Frank passed away at the age of 48 in early 1932.  I think that the conditions he endured during his years as a prisoner of war would likely have impacted his health and perhaps contributed to his shortened life span. 

 

• Together Susan and Frank had seven children.  At the time of Frank's death, the children's ages were: Leonard 11, Ernest 9, Lorna 7, Irene 5, Alfred 3, Frank 1 and Neville 5 months old.  

 

• Susan never re-married.

I have also previously told Susan's story.  So for anyone interested in reading a little more about her, please follow this link:  The Story of Susan Mary McCane

Memories ... July 17

In Remembrance

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page) 

Today is the anniversary of the passing of my paternal Grandaunt Mary Ellen Bates nee Connors.

(I have previously written a far more detailed post about my Grandaunt, and for those who are interested in reading this, please click on this link:  The Story of Mary Ellen Connors)

• Mary Ellen Connors (my paternal grandfather George Connors' oldest sister)  was born on the 24th of July in 1874 at Gerringong, on the coast south of Kiama, in southern New South Wales.

• She was the first child born to Thomas Edgar Connors and Susannah (Susan) Fullagar Hukins.

• By the time Mary Ellen was 17 years old, the family were living in inland southern New South Wales, in the region that surrounds the town of Berry.  Mary Ellen's father, Thomas Edgar Connors, had bought land there and had established a dairy farm.

• There was a child named Margaret Adelaide born in 1897, raised by Thomas and Susan Connors as one of their own children, but actually Thomas and Susan were Margaret's grandparents, as Margaret was the daughter of Mary Ellen.

• At the age of 23, Mary Ellen gave birth to Margaret Adelaide in December of 1897.  The father of the baby girl was not recorded on the birth certificate, and it appears that the circumstances surrounding the birth of Margaret must have caused some consternation to the family, given that Thomas and Susan raised Margaret as one of their own children.  I think Mary Ellen's parents wanted to protect her from possible negative attitudes from the community and shield their granddaughter from the stigma of illegitimacy.

• Six years after the birth of her daughter, Mary Ellen married John George Bates in May of 1904, when she was 29 years old.  They married at St. Luke's Church in Berry, New South Wales.  

• Mary Ellen and John George remained married until Mary Ellen passed, and they had six children together - George Thomas, William Alfred, James Erice, Mary Elisabeth Susannah, Percy Frederick and Cyril Ernest.

• Sometime around 1912, Mary Ellen, her husband and her family moved to Queensland.

          

• Mary Ellen passed away at the age of 72 and is buried at the Nudgee Catholic Cemetery in Brisbane, Queensland.

 

Memories ... February 7

Anniversary of a Birthday /  In Remembrance

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of my paternal Grand Aunt 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!

The Story of Susan Mary McCane

This week I'm telling what I know about my maternal Grand Aunt, Susan Mary McCane  (1891 - 1974).  

Our Common Ancestors are:  Owen McCane (Muckian) and Margaret Farrell.

Susan was my grandmother's only sister and according to family connections, they were very close throughout their entire lives.  There were many parallels in their lives, and while I've told my grandmother's story before, I've never posted about Susan, so I think it's time.

Just this past year, I received a batch of photos of Susan and her family, from a second cousin.  I've never seen any of these photos before, and this prompted me to look a little more deeply at Susan's life. There was one particular shot which quickly became a favourite out of all the photos sent to me.

Photo shared by my second cousin Therese Olsen

Here's my grand aunt Susan trying to pose with all her grandchildren at a birthday party, sometime in the 1950s.  I just love the informality of this photo and the fact that Susan is not even looking at the camera at all, while most of the children are, apart from a couple of what appear to be upset babies at the back who are the focus of Susan's attention!   I'm sure the point of getting all the kids together was to have a record of this special day with their grandmother and it looks like the photographer just gave up on getting Susan looking the right way.  I wonder if the occasion was her birthday?  I was also left wondering where this photo was taken, as that looks like an old wooden bridge that they're all standing beside!  Where were they celebrating?  It looks like most of the grandchildren are wearing swimmers, so perhaps they're all near a great swimming spot, like a creek or river.  I want to know more!

Not long after my second cousin sent her collection of photos, I was sent a digital version of a book celebrating the 100th anniversary of Gumlu State School by a third cousin, in which Susan was mentioned as one of the very first teachers at the school.  As I am now coming to the end of a 40-year career in education myself, it always peaks my interest when I find out that particular relatives were also teachers, so this was an extra prompt to delve further into the events of Susan's life.

So, here I go with my attempt to tell my grand aunt's story ...  (if any of Susan's descendants read this post and have more information, I would very much appreciate it if you would share this with me)

Susan Mary McCane was born in November of 1892 in Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia.  Her parents were Owen McCane (Muckian), an Irish immigrant, and Margaret Farrell, an English immigrant.  

Susan was the eldest of seven children, who were all born in Charters Towers.  After Susan's birth in 1892,

Sarah Mary Josephine (my grandmother) was born in 1894, when Susan was aged 1.

Edward William came along in 1896, when Susan was 4.

Thomas Owen (known as Tom) was born in 1899, when Susan was 6.

John Michael (known as Jack) was born in 1901, when Susan was 8 years old.

James Patrick (known as Jim) came along in 1904, when Susan was 11.

Sadly, the eldest son, Edward William, died in 1905.  Susan was 12 years old at the time. (I have told the tragic story of Edward in a previous post).

The last of her brothers, Edward Joseph, was born in 1907, when Susan was 14. 

Photo shared by my 1st cousin 1x removed, Lawrence (Lawrie) McCane

This photo shows Susan with her mother and father and all her siblings on the occasion of her sister's wedding in 1921. 

Back row L to R:  James Patrick McCane (known as Jim), Thomas Owen McCane (known as Tom), John Michael McCane (known as Jack), and Edward Joseph (known as Eddie).

Front row L to R:  Sarah Mary Josephine McCane, father Owen McCane, mother Margaret McCane nee Farrell, and Susan McCane.  (Susan was 28 years of age in this photo, married and the mother of a young son).

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

Susan and her siblings grew up in the small 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 also built at the pumping station for the twenty or so men employed there, along with a 'provisional school'.  Susan and her family lived in one of the small cottages, and 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. 

Susan'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.  

At this time, it was compulsory for children to attend school from the age of 6 until the age of 12. Susan attended this provisional school from 1899, when she turned 6, until 1904 when she reached the leaving age of 12.

I found an item in the newspaper Northern Miner that listed Susan's achievement when she was in Class V in 1904.  She had won a prize for coming first in her class for "general proficiency".  It seems she was a bright student. 

At the end of seven years of compulsory attendance, students did not have the opportunity for further education unless they came from quite wealthy families.  Given that Susan grew up in a small community outside a regional town in northern Queensland, her options were limited.  Becoming a teacher was one of these limited choices for women at the time, and that's what she did.

It's highly likely that she became what was then known as a 'pupil teacher' and worked alongside the teacher of the provisional school as a sort of apprentice. The pupil-teacher system was the main method of recruiting and training teachers  during the late 1880s to early 1900s in Queensland.  It was not until 1914 that a teacher training college was established, and that was in Brisbane, in southern Queensland.  Eventually the pupil-teacher system was phased out between 1923 and 1935.

I'm assuming Susan became a pupil-teacher for a number of years at the Pumping Station Provisional School, as that is where her parents and siblings were still living until around 1914.  After that, her father and mother moved to a farm on the banks of Molongle Creek, near Guru, which was about 70 miles away from Charters Towers, nearer to the coast.

Usually it's hard to find records for women during the 19th and early 20th century, apart from birth, marriage and death certificates, and you have to engage in a lot of guesswork about their lives.  In Susan's case however, I found her name in a few places. 

I found Susan's name in the Queensland Education Office Gazette in both 1914 and 1919.

The primary role of the Education Office Gazette was to provide instructions and information to the staff of government schools.  As the Queensland Education Department was quite a large organisation and had schools spread across the state from the most remote settlements to the inner city of Brisbane, this gazette was the most effective line of communication at the time.

It was a monthly publication that covered all the necessary items of interest for teachers, including admissions, promotions, transfers and resignations.

The 1914 gazette listed her admission to the teaching profession.

Susan was appointed as head teacher at the Molongle Creek Provisional School in May of 1914.

Her appointment was also mentioned in a local Charters Towers newspaper at the time as well.

Northern Miner, Friday 1 May, 1914, p 7.

The Molongle Creek Provisional School had only just opened in October of 1913, after the local residents had "erected a tent near the railway station, about 24ft long by 12ft wide, (which is) is cool and airy, and will do excellently as a temporary building"  (excerpt from the North Queensland Register, dated Wed 7 May, 1913) and a teacher named "Miss Dean, from the Burdekin Bridge tent school has been transferred here as school teacher"  (excerpt from the North Queensland Register, dated Tues 4 Nov, 1913).  The enrolment at the time was 9 pupils.

School broke up for the holidays on December 20th 1913, and Miss Dean went home to Charters Towers.  Unfortunately, Miss Dean fell ill and never returned.  She passed away in May of 1914, and Susan then took over.

I am in absolute awe of these women!  Teaching under tents, during the excruciatingly long, hot and humid summers, with almost no teaching materials or resources, apart from a few slates and books.  Susan's teaching career was relatively short, from 1914 to August of 1919, when she married.  At that time married women were not allowed to continue teaching and had to resign, and this is what Susan did.

 This was recorded in the 1919 edition of the Education Officer Gazette.

An outbreak of bubonic plague at the time forced the continued closure of the Molongle Creek Provisional School, after Susan's resignation.  Good reason to keep the school closed, I think!

During Susan's time as teacher, the school remained a provisional school until 1915, when it then became a State School.  Its name was eventually changed to Gumlu State School in 1920, the year after Susan had left.

There were some notable improvements during Susan's time.  The original tent building was replaced in 1916 and the new school was built "on blocks, 24 by 18 feet, boarded up to 4 feet with blinds on three sides" (excerpt from the 100th Anniversary of Gumlu State School book)!

This photo (taken from the book mentioned above) shows that newer building as it looked in 1921.

Susan's name also appeared in Pugh's Almanac & Queensland Directory in 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918 and 1919.

This publication covered everything from events on that year, to shipping and railway information and obituaries.  

It also contained a country towns directory with details about the services and trades in those towns together with the names of those who ran or conducted the service/trade.  This included the name of the local school teacher.

Susan's name was listed as the teacher for the Gumlu area in ....

1915

1917

1918

Of course, during Susan's appointment to Molongle Creek Provisional School, World War 1 was raging and this impacted on the lives of the pupils and their families, as well as the teacher.

A newspaper item published in 1917 mentions the contributions made by Susan and her pupils to the Red Cross Society.

The article printed in the Bowen Independent, dated Saturday 10 November 1917, mentions that the Red Cross Society group which met in Bowen every fortnight

"resolved that a letter of thanks be sent to Miss McCane and the pupils of Gumlu School for their donation of tinned goods."

Further down in the article there is mention of the separate items donated by Miss McCane herself, as well as the items donated by the pupils.

"12 pillow slips, 4 tins tobacco, 2 tins jam" were donated by Miss McCane.

"School children:

L. Bradshaw, 2 tins jam, 1 tin cocoa;

Ethel Sibson, 1 tin tobacco;

Willie Sibson, 1 tin milk;

Harold Sibson, 1 tin fruit;

Jack Sibson, 3 tins ham and chicken paste;

Ashley Read, 2 lbs load sugar, 1tin sardines;

Eddie Northwood, 2 tins sardines;

Denis McLean, 1 tin cigarettes;

Pat McLean, 1 tin tobacco;

Jack Savage, 1 tin sardines."

Those 10 pupils must have been so impressed that their efforts were reported in the local newspaper!

Susan had met a young man named Frank Bidgood soon after she had moved to the area. Frank had taken up a small farm in the area near Wakala, not far from Gumlu.  He and five other young men from the area had enlisted and gone off to fight in the great war.  I wonder if Susan and Frank wrote to each other during the war?  

Frank had enlisted at Bowen in June of 1916, at the age of 32 and was shipped off to fight in France.  He was reported missing in April of 1917.  Imagine the agony Susan must have suffered worrying whether or not he would return, and return alive!  I imagine when she was organising donations for the Red Cross Society, she was thinking particularly of Frank!

As it turned out Frank had been captured by the German Army near Reincourt, and he then spent nearly 2 years as a prisoner of war in Germany.  He arrived back home to Australia in May of 1919.  Out of the other five young men who had enlisted with him, only two returned home.  Frank was the only one of the Gumlu group who had been taken as a prisoner of war.  Susan must have experienced sheer joy when she found out Frank was coming home!

Photo originally shared by T Bidgood on Ancestry.com

Susan McCane married Frank Alexander Bidgood in 1919 when she was 26 years old, and he was 36. Frank had only just returned from war four months previously.  

A newspaper item, published in the Bowen Independent in September of 1919, gave lovely details of the wedding, and the previous celebrations attended by residents of Gumlu and Susan's pupils:

"On 13th August, a wedding of much interest was celebrated at "El Rita", Gumlu, the residence of the bride's parents, when Miss Susan McCane was united in the bonds of holy matrimony to Mr. Frank A. Bidgood, Toowoomba (late A.I.F.)  (says the Townsville Daily Bulletin).

The bride wore an exquisite frock of ivory crepe de chene, beautifully hand embroidered and trimmed with orange blossoms.  She also wore a lovely veil, which was kindly lent by Mrs. W. Gorden, Proserpine (a recent bride).

The bride was attended by her sister Sarah, as bridesmaid.  The bridegroom was supported by Mr. John Lenanne, late A.I.F., as best man.  The bride's present to the groom was a handsome gold Albert.  The bridegroom presented the bride with a diamond and pearl pendant, and the bridesmaid with a pearl and emerald brooch.

The happy couple received many congratulatory telegrams and the presents, which included many cheques, were numerous and costly.  After the ceremony a reception was held at the residence of the bride's parents.

Previous to her marriage, Miss McCane, who has been head teacher of the Molongle Creek State School, Gumlu, for over five years, was entertained at a social evening, and presented with a beautiful silky oak duchess by the Gumlu residents.  The school children, at an afternoon tea, presented their teacher with a handsome eight-day clock, suitably inscribed."

I think it's fitting that the Gumlu residents recognised Susan's contribution to the community.  While technically she wasn't the first teacher of the provisional school (Miss Dean was there first, but only for 3 months), Susan really was the person who put in all the hard work in establishing the school and ensuring all children in that community received the education they deserved.

Susan and Frank set up home on their farm at Wakala, near Gumlu.  It was a mixed farm, where several different crops were grown, including sugar cane.

This photo would have been taken in 1921, and shows Susan's husband Frank standing amongst the cane on his farm.  He's the moustached man mid-shot. 

To his right stands Susan's father, Owen McCane, holding Susan and Frank's first born, Leonard.  On the far left of the photo stands one of Susan's brothers, John Michael McCane (known as Jack), and standing beside Frank in the middle of the photo is the youngest of Susan's brothers, Edward Joseph (known as Eddie).

Susan and Frank went on to have seven children over a period of eleven years.

Leonard Ashley (known as Lenny) was born in 1920.

Ernest Alfred (known as Ernie) was born in 1922.

c.1927 
Irene on the left, Lorna on the right.
Photo shared by Therese Olsen.

Susan then gave birth to two daughters, two years apart, just as her own  mother had done.

Lorna Margaret Alice came along in 1924.

Irene Alma (known as Bon) was born in 1926.

Frank Alexander (Junior) was born in 1930.

Neville Edward came along in 1931.

Alfred Owen (known as Fred) was born in 1932. 

Tragically, Susan became a widow that same year.  Frank died in February of 1932, at the age of 48.

   

Photo shared by my second cousin Therese Olsen

This family photo was actually taken after Frank's death.  His likeness was taken from the wedding photo and superimposed on the family photo, which was taken at the end of 1932. 

Susan was left widowed at the age of  39, with seven small children, ranging in ages from 11 to a few months old.  She continued to work hard to keep the farm for nearly 15 years following the death of her husband..  

She was listed on the City Directories for Queensland as a "farmer" living and working at Gumlu for the years:

1936

1937

1938

1941

  and 1942.

By this time, Susan was aged 50.

War had touched her life once again, with her two eldest sons, Leonard (Lenny) and Ernest (Ernie), enlisting in the CMF - Citizen Military Forces. 

Leonard enlisted in December of 1940, and was discharged in July of 1942.  His posting at discharge was with 31 Battalion D Company.  

Ernest enlisted in September of 1942 and was discharged in June of 1944.  His posting at discharge was with the 22 Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps.

Susan's children were now grown up and starting married lives and families of their own.  Leonard married in 1942, Ernest in 1943.  Lorna married in 1945, and Irene married in 1947.  Neville married in 1951 and both Frank Jnr. and Alfred married in late 1953.

By 1949 electoral rolls showed that Susan had left the Gumlu area, and had moved into a new home on Poole Street, in Bowen.  She was now 57 years old.

Photo shared by my second cousin Therese Olsen

This photo shows Susan surrounded by her children at Christmas time in Bowen, in the early 1960s.

Photo shared by my second cousin Therese Olsen

This photo was taken on the same day, but this time Susan is surrounded by her seven children and their wives or husbands.  Again, I love the informality of these shots and everyone seems so happy to be together.

Susan lived to the ripe old age of 81.  She had by that time moved to live with one of her daughters in Rockhampton, on the central coast of Queensland.  That is where she passed away, on the 30th of June, 1974.

She was however buried in the Home Hill Cemetery, south of Gumlu, beside her husband Frank.

Photos of Susan in the latter part of her life:

All photos kindly shared by my second cousin Therese Olsen

At the beginning of this post I mentioned that there were a number of parallels in the lives of Susan and her sister Sarah (my grandmother).  I'll finish this post by sharing a few of these:

Sisters Sarah (left) and Susan (right) McCane

Both sisters became teachers.

Susan's career lasted five years, while Sarah's lasted for ten.

Both sisters married when they were 26 years old.

Both sisters married farmers, and worked on these farms.

Both sisters only had 2 daughters in their large families, as their mother did.

Both sisters gave birth to their last child when they were in their early 40s.

Both sisters ended up living in Bowen after moving from the Gumlu area.

They both adored their families and remained close until the younger Sarah passed away in April of 1970.

Susan passed away, four years later, in 1974, which coincidentally was the same year that Sarah's husband (my grandfather) passed.

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.