Spotlight on ... Witness To History!

A while back I decided to branch off from just telling the stories of my direct ancestors and use some of my posts to share other things of interest.  The main motivation for this was my desire to share some of the many wonderful photos I've found of my extended family (not too many degrees of separation from my direct ancestors).  These photos deserve to be in the spotlight, and I had to think long and hard about an interesting way to do just that.

I decided to put together collections of photos that all share a common thread.  This post will be the fourteenth of these collection posts and this time the spotlight is on ... Witness to History!

Whilst so many of the treasured photos I have collected during my family tree research journey have been either studio portraits of people or photos taken by family members to celebrate important family events and milestones, there are just a few shots that highlight some of the changes in the everyday lives of my relatives over time, and therefore act as a tangible witness to history. 

Let's start  ...  there are a handful of family photos featuring horses that highlight the different roles horses played in their lives.  For so many of my farming ancestors and their families, horses were essential to getting around and/or played a vital role in way they made their living.

This is a photo of Norman Dawes,

1854 -1925, taken on his farm at Albion Park, New South Wales in the late 1890s.

Norman was my paternal first cousin 3x removed. 

I'm not entirely sure what the machinery being pulled by the team of horses is, but it could be a piece of ploughing equipment or a mowing attachment?

Common Ancestors:  my paternal 3x great grandparents James Hukins and Susannah Fullagar.

This photo shows William Connors, 

1864-1959,

and family.

My paternal great great uncle William is the one driving the team of horses pulling the covered buggy, referred to as a 'bus' in those days.

This photo was taken in 1905 at Blowering, after William had delivered the entire family to safety from raging bushfires at Tumut, New South Wales.  The family was able to escape safely and intact thanks to this sturdy rescue vehicle and its strong team of horses.  I can only imagine the pace those horses must have travelled at to outrun the flames.

Common Ancestors:  my paternal 2x great grandparents William Conners (Connors) and Eleanor Hickey.

This is Henry Nowlan driving his horse and gig.

Henry was the husband of my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, Susannah Jones.

He used the gig to carry the mail between Spring Grove and Casino in New South Wales.  He did this for 50 years.

This particular photo is thought to have been taken in 1928, when Henry was aged 72. 

Records dated Apr 1914 show that Henry's mail route was 8 1/2 miles long and he delivered the mail three times per week.

Common Ancestors:  (with Henry's wife Susannah Jones)  my paternal 3x great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

A number of my relatives lived their lives on horseback, as part of the daily routine of living on the land.

This man, my paternal great uncle Cyril Ernest Connors, 1888 - 1942, grew up on his parents' dairy farm, and at the time of his enlistment for service in World War 1, his occupation was that of  'horse breaker'.  

Cyril enlisted in the 6th Australian Light Horse Regiment which was a mounted infantry regiment of the Australian Army during WW1. Obviously, being a mounted infantry, horses were an integral part of the regiment.  At that time though, regimental members were expected to supply their own horse.  

B Squadron, 6th ALHR (with Cyril) embarked from Sydney on the 21st of December 1914 aboard the Suevic, and disembarked in Egypt on the 1st of February 1915.  The long voyage to Egypt would have been difficult on the members of the Light Horse, as well as their horses.  Cyril would have worked tirelessly to keep his horse fit, exercising him daily on deck whenever possible, routinely cleaning out the stall, rubbing the horse down, making sure he was eating and drinking.  It's said that the men also slept with their horses to ensure their safety and good health.  

Unfortunately I don't have any information about the fate of Cyril's horse and just how it fared during Cyril's service from February 1915 to November 1918, when Cyril returned home to Australia.  I do often wonder though just what its wartime life would have been like!

Common Ancestors:  my paternal great grandparents Thomas Edgar Connors and Susannah Fullagar Hukins.

Now, it's time to move onto other forms of transport that pop up in family photos.

The man standing to the right in this photo is Charles John Hugh McGuiness, 

1859-1952, my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed.

Charles worked for the company West & Sharpe for many years carrying timber in the Lismore District.  

This photo (c. 1920s) shows Charles and family standing beside an old time West & Sharpe solid tyre lorry that Charles used for pulling logs.  The beast of a lorry is obviously bogged and perhaps hampered by a broken chassis.  I do wonder how on earth Charles managed to get this thing back on the road.  Spot the crank, hanging at the front of the the vehicle, used to start the engine.  Those were the days!

Common Ancestors:  my paternal 3x great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

Now here is a much classier looking vehicle.

The older rather distinguished looking man is Alfred Barrow Jnr, 1880-1944,

my paternal second cousin 2x removed.

Alfred's second eldest son, John Alfred Barrow, is sitting on running board, and son-in-law Douglas Sydney Fitzsimmons is standing on the right.

The photo is likely to have been taken sometime around the end of the 1930s, just before the outbreak of war.  Alfred's eldest son Harold Allan Barrow, second eldest son John Alfred Barrow (pictured above) and son-in-law Douglas Fitzsimmons (also picture above) all served in WW11, and thankfully, all returned home.

On an Anzac Day many years later, the eldest son mentioned above, Harold Allan Barrow, 1910 - 1971, my paternal cousin 1x removed, was photographed standing beside quite a stylish looking vehicle.  Is it a late 1950s Holden?  

Harold is standing proud wearing his service medals, likely prior to hopping into that stylish car and heading off to an Anzac Day Parade.

I'm unsure about the date of this photo as well, although it's likely to have been sometime between the late 1930s and early 1940s.

The man on the left is John Alfred Barrow again (pictured sitting on the running board two photos above).  He is my paternal 3rd cousin, once removed.

It does look like John Alfred took his cycling rather seriously and was probably competing at a local level.  I'm assuming this photo was taking after a hard training session.

Look at those sleek racing bicycles!

Common Ancestors (with the Barrow clan):  my paternal 3x great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

Here's another great looking bike!

That lovely lady with the big smile is Lucy Emily McGuiness,1863-1959.

She is my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed (sister of Charles John Hugh McGuiness pictured above, beside the broken down lorry).  Lucy would probably be aged around 70 or so in this photo and obviously kept fit and active.

What a fabulous old bicycle, complete with basket at the front and parcel rack at the back.  It does seem to be far too big for Lucy though!  Those wheels are enormous.

Here's Lucy Emily McGuiness once again.

This time she's standing in front of what I've guessed to be a beautiful old Ford Zephyr Six!  

It's likely to be a mid 1950s model.

Common Ancestors:  my paternal 3x great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

Now that's Christina Hettrick nee Connors, 1915 - 2000, (my paternal aunty) draped across the hood of what I think might be a post-WW11 MG.

My father, Bede William Connors, 1924 - 2016, is standing on the left, and I think it's likely this photo would have been taken in the late 1940s or early 1950s.  I haven't yet been able to find out just where this photo was taken and exactly how my father and his sister came to be driving around in this sleek automobile.

Common Ancestors:  my paternal grandparents George Connors and Grace Brown.

I'm going to end this post with a photo of a fantastic old workhorse of a car.

I'm really not sure what type of car this is, but it was obviously perfectly suited to loading up an entire family for a day's outing somewhere in the bush.

I do know the photo dates from the late 1940s, and a couple of my maternal O'Donnell uncles and their friends are sitting in the back of this ute ready to head off for a day full of fun!

Common Ancestors:  my maternal grandparents James O'Donnell and Sarah McCane.

Spotlight on ... Bearded!

This is another of my posts that branches off from just telling the stories of my direct ancestors.  The main motivation for these 'Spotlight' posts is my desire to share some of the many wonderful photos I've found of my extended family (not too many degrees of separation from my direct ancestors).  

These photos deserve to be in the spotlight, so I thought long and hard about an interesting way to do this.  Hence the decision to put together collections of photos that all share a common thread.  

For the thirteenth collection post, the spotlight is on ...  Bearded! 

Looking through my family tree photos, it's become apparent that there were not many men on either side of my extended family tree who were fans of beards, and there was a definite time period for those men who are bearded in the family tree photos.  These bearded men were born between 1814 and 1861 and all seemed to have preferred the full beard style.

Edward Bannister Daw / Dawes  (the spelling varied), born about 1814 in Kent, England.

He married my paternal 3rd great-aunt Elizabeth Hukins in Woodchurch, Kent and then emigrated to Australia the following year with his wife and baby son.

They went on to have another ten children and Edward died in 1897 after living a long life of 83 years.

Common ancestors:  (with Edward's wife Elizabeth)  James Hukins and Susannah Fullagar, my paternal 3rd great grandparents.

James Exton, my paternal 3rd great grandfather, was born in Lincolnshire, England in 1816.

He married Susannah Lancaster in Grantham, Lincolnshire in 1835.  They went on to have nine children, but after the arrival of their fourth daughter, they emigrated to Australia, arriving in 1844.

James went on to become a prominent pioneer in the Richmond River area.  He died in 1876 at the age of 59.

Common Ancestors:  John Hukins and Elizabeth Crittenden, my paternal 4th great grandparents.

Richard King, the husband of my paternal 3rd great-aunt, was born in 1818 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

He emigrated to Australia on his own in 1841, married Sarah Brown in 1847 and they went on to have a family of ten children.

Richard died in 1903 at the age of 85, having worked most of his life as a farmer.

Common Ancestors:  (with Richard's wife Sarah)  Henry Johnson Brown and Eleanor Gowen, my paternal 3rd great grandparents.

James Wright, husband of my paternal 3rd great-aunt.

He married Hannah Browning in 1848 and they went on to have eighteen children over the following twenty years.

James died in 1875, aged 53.  Sadly he had been killed by a falling tree when he and two of his sons were out in the bush looking for a bee's nest to harvest its honey.

Common Ancestors:  (with Frederick's wife Hannah)  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns, my paternal 3rd great grandparents.

Michael Farrell, my maternal 2nd great grandfather, born in 1834 in County Leitrim, Ireland.  He moved to Scotland initially in search of work and that's where he met and married Susan Muldowney (also spelt Downey).

They married in 1865 and soon after, moved to north-eastern England where their nine children were born.

In 1887 Michael emigrated to Queensland, Australia with his wife and seven of his children, as two of his daughters had already emigrated.

Michael died in 1917 having lived a long life of 83 years.  In the year before his death, 1916, his three youngest sons had enlisted to serve in WW1 and were all fighting overseas in 1917.  

Sadly one of his boys was killed in action in September of 1917 and Michael died two months later. 

Common Ancestors:  Thomas Farrell and Anne Conoly (or Conway), my maternal 3rd great grandparents.

John Potter Davis, my paternal 3rd cousin 4x removed, was born in Kent, England in 1834.

He emigrated to the U.S.A. in 1849 with his father, mother and siblings, when he was 15 years old.

John married Mary Mack in 1855 and they went on to have three children.

John and his wife Mary were induced by the Poor Commissioner of Wisconsin to undertake the management of the Poor Farm in Walworth County, and all its inmates.

Their administration began in 1882, ended in 1901 when they retired and earned them the approval of the Commissioners, the County Supervisors and the community, earning a place in the history of the county.

Common Ancestors:  my paternal 6th great grandparents John Fullagar and Elizabeth Potter.

Francis Fredericks, the husband of my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, was born in New South Wales, Australia in 1839.

He married Eliza Jones in 1871 and they went on to have twelve children.

He was regarded as a pioneer of the Richmond River District, establishing a  dairy farm in an area where timber getting and maize growing were the principal industries.

Common Ancestors:  (with Francis's wife Eliza Jones)  my paternal 3x great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

Edward Hocking Edwards, the husband of my paternal 2nd great-aunt.

Born in 1840 in Cornwall, England, he emigrated to Australia with his parents and siblings when he was 16 years old.

In 1871, at the age of 30, he married Anna Caroline Penelope Brown.  They went on to have 12 children

Edward was one of the first converts to the Salvation Army Corps in Lismore, New South Wales, serving as Treasurer, Colour Sergeant and Corps Sargeant Major during his lifetime.

He died in 1920, aged 80.

Common Ancestors:  (with his wife Anna)  my paternal 2x great grandparents Henry Johnson Brown and Caroline Penelope Browning.

Michael James Hickey, my paternal 3rd great uncle.

Michael was born in 1842, the year after his parents and older siblings had emigrated to Australia from Ireland.  

He was born in the Maitland area of New South Wales.  

He married Mary McCarthy (known as Ellen) in 1862 when he was 20 years old.  They went on to have six children.

Michael died in 1916, aged 73.

Common Ancestors:  my paternal 3x great grandparents James Hickey and Margaret McNamara.

Francis Thomas McQuilty, the husband of my paternal 3rd great-aunt.

Born in 1843 in Sydney, New South Wales.  His pioneering parents moved to the Richmond River area when he was six months old. 

He married Elizabeth (Betsy) Exton in 1866 when he was 23 years of age.

They lived in the Richmond River area for their entire married life, and went on to have ten children.

Common Ancestors:  (with Francis's wife Betsy)  my paternal 3x great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

Richard Dawes, my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, was born in 1845 in Marshall Mount, New South Wales.

He married Mary Pearson in 1868 and they went on to have a family of eight children.

Richard died in 1920 at the age of 75 and was recognised as one of the "great pioneers of the fertile district" of Lismore, having established a large dairy farm near Eltham in the Lismore District.

Common Ancestors:  my paternal 3x great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

William Henry Barber, the husband of my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed.

William was born near Goulburn, New South Wales in 1847.

He married Hannah Maud Wright in 1868 when he was 21 years old.  They had a family of eleven children.

During his lifetime, William turned his hand to any form of work he could find, from timber cutting to gold digging.  

He died in 1941 at the ripe old age of 94.

Common Ancestors:  (with William's wife Hannah Maud Wright)  my paternal 3x great grandparents William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns.

Alexander Johnson Brown, my paternal 2nd great uncle, was born in  1849 in the Richmond River District.

He was known as Sandy for his entire lifetime, and claimed to be the first white child born in the Lismore area.

Alexander (Sandy) was known to have an extensive knowledge of the dialects of all Aboriginal groups living from the Tweed River to the Clarence River at that time.  

He was the first timber consignor in the Richmond River district to brand his cedar logs, and his was the first branded timber to be sent to the Sydney market.

During his lifetime, Alexander worked as a timber cutter, a publican, a mail contractor and a farmer.  He married Margaret Jane Bustard in 1871 when he was 22 years old.  They went on to have a family of twelve children.

Alexander died in 1931 at the age of 82, just a few months after the death of his wife.

Common Ancestors:  my paternal 2x great grandparents Henry Johnson Brown and Caroline Penelope Browning.

William Consett Proctor, husband of my paternal 2nd great aunt, had a distinguished career in the law and public office, but quite a messy private life.

William was born in Lancashire, England in 1850, but came from a long and quite prominent lineage of Irish Proctors.

He was the son of a police constable John Proctor J.P.; the grandson of a Henry Proctor, manager of the Northern Bank in Galway, Ireland; the great grandson of a Major William Proctor, Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms; and the great-great-grandson of the Very Rev. Dr. Quarrie, who was the Dean of Cork in Ireland.

William emigrated to Australia with his parents and siblings in 1851, at the age of 1.  He passed the preliminary examination in law in 1867 when he was just 17.  He was invited to "the mysteries of the Masonry" in 1873 when he was just 23 years of age, and was appointed Junior Deacon the following year.  He was a member for 15 years, went on to become Senior Warden, and 'Worshipful Master of Lodge Harmony' No.5 in Sydney.

William became a solicitor in 1875.  He was elected Mayor of Armidale in 1877 and held office until 1879.  William was then elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Member for New England in late 1880, and served for three terms of office - from Dec 1880 to Nov 1882, Dec 1882 to Oct 1886, and then for a few weeks in 1887.

In 1886, William had became a Director of the Mercantile Building, Land and Investment Society as well as the Universal Land Building and Investment Society.

William's private life was complicated and the subject of a number of headlines in local newspapers at the time.  He married twice.  His first wife was Kathleen Roberts whom he married in 1878 when he was aged 28.  A warrant for wife desertion was placed on William in 1897, and Kathleen was granted a divorce later that same year on the grounds of drunkenness and desertion.

William and Kathleen had two children, a son named Frederick William Proctor and a daughter named Alethea Mary Proctor (who went on to become a well-known artist by the name of Thea Proctor).

William had begun an affair with my paternal 2nd great aunt, Julia Cusack, before he divorced his first wife though.  William and Julia had four children together, the first born in 1896, and the last born two months after William married Julia in 1903.  At the time of their marriage, William was 53 and Julia was 36.

Sadly, William died just two years later in late 1905 at the Hospital for the Insane in Gladesville, New South Wales.  Interestingly, there's a short page on Wikipedia dedicated to William!

Common Ancestors:  (with William's second wife, Julia Cusack)  my paternal 2x great grandparents Patrick Cusack and Eliza Exton.

William Edward Wright,  my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, was the son of James Wright (pictured above) and the older brother of Hannah Maud Wright (the wife of William Henry Barber, and pictured above).

William was born in the Armidale district in 1852. 

He married Mary Jane Aspinall in 1873 when he was 21 years old.  They went on to have a family of six children.  William died in 1931 at the age of 79 in the township of Alectown, which was within the Parkes Shire of New South Wales.  He was well-known as one of the pioneer miners in that area.

Common Ancestors:  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns, my paternal 3rd great grandparents.

Oliver Richard Jones, my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, was the son of a convict named John Michael Jones and the daughter of a pioneering family, Harriett Lancaster-Exton.

Oliver was apprenticed to the shipwright trade at a young age.  He was employed at William Yabsley's shipbuilding yard during the boom days of the timber and shipbuilding industries.  

He married Elizabeth, the daughter of his employer William Yabsley, in 1878 when he was 22 years old, and they went on to have a family of ten children.

William died in 1951 at the age of 99.  He was survived by seven of his children, 40 grandchildren and 83 great grandchildren.

Common Ancestors:  my paternal 3x great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

Andrew Thomas, the husband of my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, was born in Molong, New South Wales in 1856.

He married Harriet Matilda Wright in 1876 when he was aged 20.  They went on to have thirteen children.

Andrew died in mid 1915 when he was 59 years old.

Common Ancestors:  (with Andrew's wife Harriet Matilda Wright,  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns, my paternal 3rd great grandparents.

Thomas Atkin, husband of my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, was born in 1857 at Wiseman's Ferry, New South Wales.

He married Hannah Jones  (the brother of Oliver Richard Jones pictured above) in 1882 when he was 25 years old and they went on to have a family of five children.

Thomas spent his life framing in the Blakebrook area and lived until he was aged 71.  He died in Lismore in 1929.

Common Ancestors:  (with Thomas's wife Hannah Jones) my paternal 3x great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.  

Edwin Cusack, my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, was the son of convict John Cusack and Frances Seale.

He was born in Tabulam in 1861, married Jane Cochran in 1882 when he was 21, and went on to have a family of eight children.

Edwin was a farmer and spent most of his life on his property on the Dunoon Road, north of Lismore.

He died in 1931 at the age of 70.

Finally, one of Edwin's older brothers John Thomas Cusack.

John Thomas was also born in Tabulam, like his brother Edwin, but earlier, in 1858.  

When he was 22 years old, he married Emma Bridget Lofts.  They went on to have six children.

John died in 1933 at the age of 75 in Lidcombe, New South Wales.

Common Ancestors:  (with brothers Edwin and John Thomas)  my paternal 3x great grandparents, Michael Cusack and Mary Green.

Spotlight on ... Going Solo!

I've decided to branch off for a while and share things other than just the stories of my direct ancestors.  The main motivation for this is my desire to share some of the many wonderful photos I've found of my extended family (not too many degrees of separation from my direct ancestors).  These photos deserve to be in the spotlight, so I thought long and hard about an interesting way to do this.

I've decided to put together collections of photos that all share a common thread.  For the third collection post, the spotlight is on ... Going Solo!

The individual portraits are either photographic portraits or painted portraits that cover the time period from the mid to the late 1800s. Each one is truly a treasure.

James Wright

1822-1875

He was the second husband of my paternal 3rd great aunt Hannah Browning.

James was born in London in 1818, but he died in New South Wales.  He was transported to Australia as a convict at the age of 19.  He went on to marry Hannah in 1848 when he was 26 years old.  

Together they had 21 children, including 4 sets of twins.  Tragically, not all the children survived into adulthood.

James died at the age of 57. He was accidentally killed by a falling tree while out cutting down the said tree with his sons in an attempt to collect a bee hive that was lodged in the tree!

What a life story!  I don't have a date for this portrait, but James does look like he is in his early 50s, so perhaps this photo was taken to celebrate his 50th birthday in 1868!

Common Ancestors (with his wife Hannah):  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns  (my paternal 3x great grandparents).

This is one of James's sons, William Edward Wright.

1852-1931

He is my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed.

William earned his living as a miner for many years, married Mary Jane Aspinall when he was 21 and went on to have six children.

I think this portrait speaks volumes about the sort of man William was - unassuming, no-nonsense and hard-working.  I think perhaps that was his best set of clothes.

No date for this portrait either, but I'm guessing it would be late 1880s to early 1890s.

Common Ancestors:  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns  (my paternal 3x great grandparents).

This is a portrait of  Harriet Matilda Thomas nee Wright.

1860-1920

She is one of James's daughters and one of  William's sisters, making her another of my paternal 1st cousins 3x removed.

Harriet married Andrew Thomas at the age of 16 and they went on to have a family of thirteen children, including one set of twins.

Harriet's husband died in 1915, aged 59, and Harriet herself died in 1920, also aged 59.  

I find the enormous lace collar that Harriet is wearing to be quite extraordinary.  I wonder if it was a family heirloom and held special significance for her?  I imagine it was only worn on very special occasions.

Common Ancestors:  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns  (my paternal 3x great grandparents).

This kind-faced man is Joseph Fullagar

1820-1915

He is my paternal 1st cousin 4x removed.  Born in Woodchurch, Kent, England, he lived his entire life in that village, working as a gardener.  That would be my dream job!

He married Charlotte Morphett when he was 21 years old in 1842, and they had a family of eighteen children, including one set of twins.

Joseph passed away in 1915 at the age of 94.

I'm unsure of the date of this photo but Joseph looks to be in his late 40s, so it could have been taken in the late 1860s.

Common Ancestors:  John Fullagar and Elizabeth Bourne  (my paternal 4x great grandparents)

This is Joseph's wife Charlotte Fullagar nee Morphett

1824-1895

She married Joseph in 1842 when she was 17 years old, and (as mentioned) went on to have eighteen children, including a set of twins. 

I think she would have been one rather remarkable woman and I'm amazed she still has such a kindly countenance in her golden years, as seen in this portrait.

I don't have a date for this photo, but Charlotte looks to be in her 60s, so perhaps it was taken to celebrate a milestone 60th birthday which would have been in 1884.

Perhaps that cap/bonnet on her head was a real fashion statement at the time, but it's hard to imagine wearing something like that on a daily basis!

This distinguished man is John Potter Davis

1834-1917

He is my paternal 3rd cousin 4x removed (quite a distant relationship!)

John was born in Woodchurch, England but emigrated to the U.S.A. with his parents in 1849 when he was 15 years old.

He married Mary Elizabeth Mack when he was 21 and they eventually settled in Wisconsin.  

Both John and Mary worked as a team when John became the Superintendent of the Walworth Poor Farm in in 1882.

They ran this poor house and lunatic asylum for sixteen years, and apparently were known as quite a caring couple displaying humane (for the times) treatment of the inmates.  Those poor inmates ended up living in this place because of poverty, that was often accompanied by mental illness, a physical or cognitive disability; or they were young, poor, unmarried pregnant women who could not take care of themselves or their offspring.

Common Ancestors:  John Fullagar and Elizabeth Potter  (my paternal 6x great grandparents).

This is Mary Elizabeth Davis nee Mack, John's wife.

1837-1918

Mary was born in Madison County, New York and died in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, as did her husband.

Mary's husband John died in 1917 at the age of  83, and Mary herself died the following year, 1918, at the age of 81.

It's likely that the photo portraits of both John and Mary were taken when they left Walworth Poor Farm, around 1898 which would put them both in their early 60s.

Emily Adelaide Hukins

1847-1942

This is my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed.  She was born and died in New South Wales, Australia.

Emily married Thomas John Dixon Barnes in 1865 when she was 18 years old.  They went on to have eight children, losing only one daughter in infancy. 

Sadly, Emily's husband died when she was 53, but Emily herself had a very long life and passed away in 1942 when aged 95.

I don't have a date for this portrait unfortunately, but given the usual practices of this era, it could have been taken on her wedding day, on the day she turned 21 or to celebrate a wedding anniversay.

Common Ancestors:  James Hukins and Susannah Fullagar  (my paternal 3x great grandparents).

Here is Thomas John Dixon Barnes, the husband of Emily

1842-1901

Thomas was 23 years old when he married.  He had emigrated from England just the year before.

In 1901 Thomas passed away at the age of 59.

Again, I'm unsure of the date this photo was taken.  Thomas is holding a top hat which could suggest the photo was taken on his wedding day in the mid 1860s, but he looks older than 23.  

Perhaps this photo was to mark a special occasion of some other sort.

Nancy Eliza Robertson nee Browning

1875-1939

My paternal first cousin 3x removed

Born in New South Wales, and died in Gympie, Queensland.

Nancy married William Hector Robertson in 1896 when she was 21 and went on to have a family of nine children.

Perhaps this portrait dates from her wedding day.  

Nancy passed away in 1939 when she was 64 years old.

Common Ancestors:  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns  (my paternal 3x great grandparents).

This is William Hector Robertson, Nancy's husband.

1868-1950

He was born in Scotland and died in Gympie, Queensland, Australia.

William married Nancy when he was 21 years old.  When Nancy died in 1939, William was 71 years old, but interestingly he re-married the following year 1940 at the sprightly age of 72!

He passed away in 1950 at the age of 82.

Now this rather dapper young man is John Thomas (Jack) Browning, brother to Nancy pictured previously.

1879-1951

My paternal first cousin 3x removed.

John Thomas, known as Jack, married Margaret Ellen O'Reilly when he was 31 years of age.

They went on to have eleven children, not all of whom survived to adulthood.

This photo shows John as a young man. It was possibly taken when John turned 21 in 1900. 

John was born and died in Queensland. He passed away when he was 72 years old in 1951.

Common Ancestors:  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns  (my paternal 3x great grandparents).

This lady with the quite stylish bonnet and rather sad face is Eleanor Jane Atkin nee Jones

1863-1957

She is my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed.  Born in New South Wales, Australia to a convict named John Michael Jones and his wife Harriett Lancaster-Exton, Eleanor was raised in a family of nine siblings and two half-siblings.

Her father died when she was only 3 years old, and her mother re-married three years later.

I think Eleanor would probably have had a tough upbringing.  It's likely she would have perhaps remained a little unnoticed with eight older siblings, having a sister born just a few months after the death of her father, and then two half-siblings born when she was aged 7 and 11.

Eleanor married Joseph Atkin when she was 19 years old.  They were married for 59 years and had six children.  Joseph passed away in 1941 when Eleanor was 77 years old.  Eleanor herself died in 1957, aged 93.  

Common Ancestors:  James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

This sweet jovial face belongs to Elizabeth (known as Betsy) McQuilty nee Exton.

1849-1917

She is my paternal 3x great aunt.  Elizabeth was born in New South Wales, but died in Beaudesert, Queensland.

Elizabeth married Francis Thomas McQuilty in 1866 when she was only 16.  They went on to have eleven children.

Along with raising their children, Elizabeth worked as a domestic for most of her life.

Her husband passed away when Elizabeth was 58 and she kept on working after that.  Elizabeth died in 1917 at the age of 61.

Common Ancestors:  James Exton and Susannah Lancaster  (my 3x great grandparents and Elizabeth's parents)