Spotlight On ... Solitude!

The definition of 'solitude', according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is:  the quality or state of being alone or apart from society.  'Solitude' is the prompt for this week's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, and my immediate thoughts were about the solitude I've felt when being outdoors in nature ... at the beach, in the rainforest ... but none of that really related to the challenge.

Upon further reflection, I realised that I've experienced the feeling of solitude when standing at the last resting places of close family members ... my parents and grandparents in particular.  When standing there, I have definitely felt alone, but alone with my memories, and I'm always overwhelmed with a sense of thankfulness for all that they were and, of course, the fact that I would not be here if not for them!

This thinking has led me to put together a post about the last resting places of some of my direct ancestors.  I know exactly where my parents, all my grandparents and great grandparents have been laid to rest, and I've found it very interesting to note the simplicity of their headstones ... well at least the headstones that have been erected.  I've also found it rather heartbreaking to find out that some burial plots are not marked at all!

Going through the line of direct ancestors to my great grandparents, here's what I have found ....... 

My parents:  Bede William Connors and Margaret Brigid O'Donnell.

My mother passed away many years ago.  Then when Dad passed, we made the decision not to have a separate burial plot, but rather inter his ashes next to my mother and add a memorial plaque underneath Mum's headstone.

While my Mum was born near Gumlu in northern Queensland, and my Dad was born in Maleny in southern Queensland, they are both buried in Bowen, north Queensland.

My maternal grandparents

My maternal grandparents:  James O'Donnell and Sarah McCane. 

James, the son of Irish immigrants, was born in Toowoomba, southern Queensland.  Sarah, the daughter of immigrants from Ireland and England, was born in Charters Towers, north-western Queensland.  Both James and Sarah were buried in the Bowen Cemetery, the same resting place as my parents.

My paternal grandparents

My paternal grandparents:  George Thomas Connors and Grace Olive Brown

George, second generation Australian, was born in Meroo, New South Wales.  Grace, also second generation Australian, was born in Lismore, New South Wales.  They were both buried in Gympie, southern Queensland.

My maternal great grandparents

My maternal great grandparents:  Edmond O'Donnell and Bridget Burke.

Edmond was born in Ireland and after immigration to Australia, lived in Toowoomba, southern Queensland.  He was buried in the Toowoomba Cemetery, and up until this week I had no idea where his plot was.  

The #52 Ancestors prompt for this week sparked new interest in finding the plots of my maternal great grandparents Edmond and Bridget, and I went directly to the website of the cemetery.  I noticed there had been some updating since I last searched the site a few years back, and this resulted in my discovery of a photo of Edmond's plaque on a family graveyard memorial!!!

Strangely, his name on the cemetery online record was 'Edward' not Edmond, even though his correct first name was inscribed on the plaque.  This accounts for the great difficulty I previously had in locating a photo of his burial plot!   

Bridget was also born in Ireland and lived in Toowoomba after her immigration to Australia.  She was buried in the Toowoomba Cemetery as well, but under the name Bridget O'Brien (as she re-married after the death of my great grandfather Edmond).  Whilst I have been able to find her final resting place, as yet I have not been able to secure a photo of that plot.

My other maternal great grandparents:  Owen McCane (Muckian) and Margaret Farrell.

Owen was born in Ireland and after immigration to Australia, he first lived in Charters Towers, until his mid-50s.  He then moved, with his wife and family, to farmland near Gumlu in coastal north Queensland.  He was buried in the Home Hill Cemetery.

Margaret was born in England and immigrated to Australia (before Owen), where she first lived in Charters Towers.  Margaret met Owen in Charters Towers and they were married there.  She moved with her husband and family to farmland near Gumlu, and is buried beside her husband in the Home Hill Cemetery.

My paternal great grandparents

My paternal great grandparents:  Thomas Edgar Connors and Susannah Fullagar Hukins.

Thomas was born in Australia, near Kiama in New South Wales, the eldest son of Irish immigrants.  Susannah was also born near Kiama, in northern New South Wales.  She was the daughter of an Irish immigrant mother and an English immigrant father.  Thomas and Susannah were both buried in the Harley Hill Cemetery at Berry, in New South Wales, but sadly I have no photos of their plots, or even photos of them.

My other paternal great grandparents:  Richard Brown and Ellen Cusack.

Richard was born in Lismore, northern New South Wales.  He was the son of two English immigrants and he spent his life living and working in the Lismore area.   Richard was buried in the East Lismore Cemetery.  I do have a photo showing the plot where he was buried, but sadly there is no headstone or memorial to mark that spot.

Ellen was born at Rose Hill on the Richmond River, in northern New South Wales.  She was the daughter of an Irish immigrant father and an English immigrant mother.  

The only information I have about the burial of Ellen is that she was "privately interred" somewhere in the Rookwood Cemetery and Crematoria.

Now, when going further back to my 2x great grandparents, I hit some patchy information.  When it comes to the locations of resting places for my sixteen 2x great grandparents, I know the cemeteries where they are all buried, but I only know a few of the specific locations of their plots within those cemeteries.  

My maternal and paternal Great Great Grandparents

William was buried at the Tumut Pioneer Cemetery, in Tumut, New South Wales. Ellen was buried at the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Tumut. 

Adolphus is buried at St. Anne's Cemetery in Ryde, New South Wales (no photo) and Mary Ann is buried at the Roman Catholic Cemetery at Waverley.  (see photo 1 below)

Henry is buried at the North Lismore Cemetery in New South Wales.  

Caroline is buried at the Rookwood General Cemetery.

Patrick is buried at Rookwood Catholic Cemetery (no headstone - see photo 2). 

Eliza is buried in a plot with a headstone, at the East Lismore General Cemetery.

John and Catherine are both buried in the Owning Old Graveyard, in County Kilkenny, Ireland.  (see photo 3 below)

Unsure of where both James and Catherine are buried, but I know they are somewhere in County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Unsure of where both Patrick and Sarah are buried, but likely to be near Ballintemple, County Armagh, Ireland.

Both Michael and Susan are buried at the Charters Towers Cemetery, in Queensland.  (see photo 4 below).

Photo 1 - the gravesite of my 2x great grandmother Mary Ann Hukins nee Farley.

Waverley Cemetery, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Plot:  W-18-RC-OR-3452

Photo 2 - the unmarked gravesite of my 2x great grandfather Patrick Cusack.

Rookwood Catholic Cemetery, Rookwood, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Plot:  M1 sect 7 Plot 124

The oldest and largest working cemetery in Australia.

Photo 3 - my 2x great grandparents John O'Donnell (Daniel) and Catherine Joy

Owning Old Cemetery, Owning, County Kilkenny, Ireland

Photo 4 - my 2x great grandparents Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney / Downey.

Charters Towers Cemetery, Queensland, Australia

I'm joining Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023 Challenge  .

This time I'm catching up with the prompt for Week 15  - ''Solitude".

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 ... January 14

In Remembrance

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of the passing of my maternal great great grandmother, Susan Muldowney / Downey or Downie.  

I'm still not sure which surname is the one that would have been on her baptism record or indeed would have the been the actual family name of her father.

I've told Susan's story before, with as many of the known facts I was able to uncover.  If interested, you can read that by following this link - The Story of Susan Muldowney / Downey or Downie  

That previous post covers some of the story from her wedding day in 1865, in Scotland, to the day she passed away in 1919, in Queensland, Australia.

There are however still a few pieces of the puzzle missing:

• I'm still unsure of Susan's exact date of birth.  

Her 1919 death certificate listed her age as 69, which means she wold have been born around 1850.   Of course this information would have been provided by the informant, her son Thomas, and he may not have been in possession of correct information.

Her 1865 marriage certificate stated she was 22, which means she would have been born around 1843.  

The 1871 England Census lists her age as 27 and her birth year as 1844.

The 1881 England Census lists her age as 39 and her birth year as 1842.

The 1887 passenger list from the assisted immigration records listed her age as 37, which puts her birth date back to 1850.

In the end, I plumped for 1842, just because .... well, just because!

• It's also interesting to note that the age she would have been on her wedding day is different on various records.

On her death certificate it was stated she was 18 years old when she married, but on the marriage registration it was noted she was 22 years old.  According to the date of birth surmised from her death certificate, she would have actually been 15!  Who knows!!

• I have also not yet been able to find a record of Susan's baptism in Ireland despite the fact that the names of her mother and father were listed on her marriage certificate.  

Her place of birth was recorded as Leitrim on the 1887 passenger list, but was then recorded as Roscommon on her death certificate.  I've researched as far as I can in both counties at this point in time, but without success.

• Finally, there's the issue of her maiden name.  
  

On the marriage registration document her name was recorded as Susan Downie.  Her parents were listed as Patrick Downie (labourer) and Elizabeth Downie, formerly Reynolds.

On her death certificate the names of her parents are missing.

On both her sons' Michael's and Matthew's death certificates, and her daughter Margaret's death certificate, her surname was recorded as Muldowney.  Margaret's marriage certificate however, had her mother's maiden name recorded as Muldowney. Her daughter Elizabeth's death certificate had her mother's maiden name recorded as Downey, but Elizabeth's marriage certificate had her mother's maiden name recorded as Muldowney just like Margaret!

The assumption I have gone with is - her maiden name was anglicised a little when she was living in Scotland and England, but then once she was settled into her life in Australia, her family started using what may have been the original spelling of her maiden name in Ireland when she was a child.

The Story of Susan Muldowney / Downey or Downie

This post tells the story of my maternal Great Great Grandmother Susan Muldowney / Downey or Downie   (c.1842/1844-1919).  

The records I've found during my research on Susan have her maiden name recorded as:

 

- 'Downie' on her marriage record, 

- 'Downey' on many of her children's birth certificates and on two of her daughter's (my grandmother's and grand aunt's) death certificates, and 

-'Muldowney' on a daughter's (my grandmother's) marriage certificate, as well as several of her children's death certificates.

I've not yet been able to track down a birth or baptism record to see which of these alternatives might be closest to her actual family name.  It's still a bit of a brick wall for me at this point.

Her age recorded on her death certificate and cemetery headstone indicates her birth would have been in 1850.  Her age as recorded on her record of marriage indicates she would have been born in 1843.  The age that was recorded on the passenger list when she emigrated indicated she would have been born about 1849.  Ages recorded on census records indicate she could have been born in 1844 or 1842.  All of this leads to the most likely birth date being in the early to mid 1840s! 

Place of birth is recorded on her death certificate as Roscommon in Ireland.  That of course would have been information provided by her son Thomas, and may not have been totally correct.  So far, I have been unable to find a Susan Muldowney, Downey or Downie born in Roscommon in the early to mid 1840s.

Details on her marriage record do include the names of her father and mother though, and this information would have been given by Susan herself.  So I can state that Susan's father was Patrick Downey (as recorded on the record of marriage, although his surname was spelt Downie) and her mother's name was Elizabeth Reynolds.

I can only really pick up Susan's story from the time around her marriage.  She had apparently left Ireland and moved to Scotland, sometime before 1865. I'm making the quantum leap in assuming she moved to Scotland with her mother, father and perhaps siblings in the 1850s-60s.  This might have been because her father was in need of work and had left Ireland in the hope of a better life.

Susan married in January 1865.  Her husband was Michael Farrell.  As can be seen in the Hawick Marriage Register above, they applied to be married on the 25th of January 1865, and were subsequently married on the 27th of January in Hawick, Roxburghshire in Scotland.

 

The details on the marriage certificate, seen above, really intrigue me.

Wool factory in Hawick c.1870

At the time of her marriage, Susan's occupation was that of wool factory worker.

Hawick at that time was the centre of a thriving woollen manufacturing industry, and there would have been plenty of work available for Irish immigrants.

It's highly likely however that the workers were very poorly paid, worked long hours, and lived in rather terrible conditions. Was Susan's working life in the wool factory as hard as I imagine?



Susan was living at an address named '2 Back Row' in Hawick, which doesn't sound all that fancy! Both of her parents were listed as deceased, which makes me wonder whether she might have been living with other family members or lodging with strangers, who might have been fellow workers!

Her age is recorded as 22, which is information Susan would have given herself, so perhaps 1842 was her real birth year.  Given that both her parents were deceased by 1865, it's likely marriage to Michael would have been a more attractive proposition than continuing to live with relatives or lodging in what was likely very cramped conditions, and trying to support herself on a wool factory worker's wage!  It may have been true love though and she might have been eager to begin a new life with the man she loved.

Susan and husband Michael went on to have nine children over the next 21 years, but the beginning of their life together saw them leave Hawick in Scotland not long after they were married, and move to England.  Susan gave birth to her first daughter in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, in the county of Tyne and Wear in north-east England.

Margaret (my great grandmother) was born in 1865, when Susan might have been aged 23.
Thomas was born in 1868.
Michael was born in 1869.

The birthplace for these two boys was recorded as 'East Field Cottages' in Holmside, County Durham, so Susan and her family had left Newcastle a couple of years after the birth of their first child.  It seems that Susan and her husband Michael were moving quite a bit, and I'm assuming they were searching for work with the promise of better pay and conditions.

Census Record 1871 for the Civil Parish of Holmside, District 1 Lanchester, Durham, England

The Census records of 1871 shows Susan, her husband Michael and family living in Holmside, in the district of Lanchester, County Durham.  Susan was recorded as being 27 years old, Michael was aged 30 and the children's ages were - Margaret 5 years old, Thomas was aged 3 and Michael was only 1.

Not only was Susan caring for three young children, but there was also a lodger and her three small children living in the same house.  So No. 30 Hinde House had a total of nine people living there, 3 adults and 6 children all under the age of 6!  Given that Michael was working as a 'Coke Worker', I doubt that Hinde House was a sumptuous palace, so the conditions would have been cramped and no doubt challenging.

Later that same year, in 1871, daughter Helen Ann (known as Ann or Annie) was born in the district of Lanchester, County Durham. 
Then daughter Elizabeth was born in 1873 in the district of Tanfield, County Durham.

Sadly, Susan lost her second born son Michael, shortly before the birth of Elizabeth.  Michael died of scarlet fever at the age of 3, in  May of 1873.

Susan gave birth to another son just a couple of years later, in 1875, and also named him Michael.
Patrick Joseph was born in 1877.
James was born in 1880.
Michael, Patrick and James were all born in the district of Tanfield, County Durham.

Census Record 1881 for the Civil Parish of Tanfield, in District 1 Lanchester, Durham, England

The Census record of 1881 shows the family living at Havana Street in Tanfield. Susan was listed as aged 39 with no occupation.  Husband Michael was aged 41, and his occupation was listed as 'Coke Drawer'.  Son Thomas was aged 13 and was working as a 'Screener' at a colliery.  Helen Ann was aged 9, Elizabeth was 7, Michael was 5, Patrick was 3; and they were all listed as 'scholars' so they were attending school.  Baby James was 8 months old.

There was also a boarder living with the family of eight.  Daughter Margaret, the eldest child (my Great Grandmother) was at that time working as a domestic servant and living elsewhere in Durham.

Up until this point, I think Susan and her family were living very much "hand-to-mouth" as the saying goes, and it seems that Susan had been taking in lodgers for over ten years to help with the payment of rent and perhaps to help put food on the table.  Her husband Michael and son Thomas were working at rather low-paid, tough jobs and her eldest daughter was also out working at the age of 15. All of this paints the picture of a family in poverty and hardship.

Life continued on much the same for Susan, for another six years until 1887.  In March of 1887, Susan gave birth to her last child, Matthew Felix.  Considering it had been over six years since James had been born, perhaps Susan had lost a baby or perhaps more than one in the intervening period; or perhaps Matthew was an expected surprise after Susan and Michael had thought their family had stopped growing.

'Cheybassa'

Not long after the birth of Matthew, Susan and some of her family boarded the ship 'Cheybassa' to emigrate.  It's likely Susan and her husband had been planning to emigrate for a while, and having another child at this point was most probably unplanned!

Susan, her husband Michael, along with their children Thomas aged 18, Elizabeth aged 12, Michael aged 10, Patrick aged 8, James aged 5 and baby Matthew (incorrectly listed as Michael) only aged 4 months, left London on August the 10th 1887 headed for Australia. Susan's two eldest daughters, Margaret and Helen, had already emigrated in 1886.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to find out any details about the trip of the 'Cheybassa' from London to Townsville in late 1887, other than the fact that the ship arrived safely in the port of Townsville on the 28th of September after a six-week voyage, and then sailed on to Brisbane.

Susan and her family disembarked in Townsville and would have taken a train out to Charters Towers where they met up with their two daughters who had been working there for over a year.  Charters Towers was to be Susan's home into her 40s and then onwards for the rest of her long life.

Australian Electoral Roll records show that she lived in a house on Bridge Street in Charters Towers from at least 1903 onwards, but I'm not entirely sure where the family was living before this.  Susan's children of course grew older, began working and then began moving on with their own lives.

Her eldest daughter Margaret married in 1892, just five years after Susan had arrived in Australia.  Margaret lived in Charters Towers until at least around 1915.

Thomas, Susan's eldest son, began working as a miner soon after they had arrived in Charters Towers.  He remained unmarried, and continued to live at home with his parents for quite some time.

Daughter Helen married in 1890, only three years after Susan had arrived in Charters Towers.  Whilst Helen and her husband lived in Charters Towers for a number of years, they did eventually move away.

Daughter Elizabeth married in 1897 and moved away further north with her husband almost immediately after their marriage.

Son Michael worked as a labourer for most of his life.  He married in 1901 and remained in Charters Towers.

Son Patrick worked as a miner, like his brother Thomas.

Son James married in 1905.  Son Matthew remained living at home with his parents until his early 20s.

Tragedy was to strike Susan's extended family in the years 1903, 1904 and 1905.  Three of Susan's grandchildren died during this time and were all quite young.  Granddaughter Eileen died shortly after her birth.  Granddaughter Myreen died just before she turned 2.  Grandson Edward died in a drowning accident when he was 8 years old.  As a grandmother myself, I can understand the absolute heartache that Susan must have suffered experiencing her grandchildren dying so young, and how she must have keenly felt the suffering of their mothers.

Unfortunately the latter years of Susan's life were to be filled with further anxiety and sorrow.


In 1916 her three youngest sons enlisted and were shipped off to war very quickly. 

Patrick was aged 38, and headed off to fight in France and Belgium.









                                   James was 36.  He fought in France.

Matthew was 29 and fought in France and Belgium.









Susan was by now in her 70s and no doubt held grave fears for the safety of her boys.  Sadly, only two of these sons were to return home, and neither of them were in the best of health.

Patrick had been killed in action on the 20th of September 1917.  This must have broken Susan's husband's heart as he died just two months later.  I can only imagine that Susan herself would have been completely devastated with the loss of a son and a husband in such a short time.  She and Michael had been married for 52 years.

Both of Susan's two other sons who had gone to war, returned home to Australia the following year, in early 1918.  James had been shipped home, after having been hospitalised in England for many months with a serious medical condition. Matthew was sent home in early 1918 as well.  He had suffered two broken legs in a serious accident in France. 

Sadly, another of Susan's sons died just eight months later.  Michael died in July of 1918.

Susan herself passed away six months after that.

Susan's death certificate states that she died of broncho-pneumonia and heart failure, and was also suffering senility at this time.  Perhaps she had not been totally aware of what had occurred since the outbreak of war in 1915, and was unable to remember the loss of her sons and her husband!

She was survived by six of her children.

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.