This post tells the story of two family members named 'Marcella'.
It's a name that doesn't turn up very often in my family tree and belongs to a group I've created and named - The Lonely First Names Club! Anyone researching their family tree knows that there are a few first names that are not very common at all in the various branches of the family.
In fact, my own first name - Bernadette - only appears twice in my family tree. There's me, and there's Bernadette O'Donnell, my 2nd cousin once removed. My father's Christian name - Bede - only appears twice as well. Obviously there's my Dad, Bede William Connors and then there's also Bede Anthony Connors, my 1st cousin twice removed. It's interesting how some first names just lose favour in the family and become the odd ones in a long, long list.
So far, my genealogy research has produced a list of 2,476 individuals and amongst that list, only two women were ever given the first name 'Marcella'. One was a great aunt, on the paternal Brown side of my family, and one was an aunt on my maternal O'Donnell side.
Marcella Therese O'Donnell (1934 - 1961).
My maternal Aunt, Marcella Therese O'Donnell, was born in late 1934, in Queensland.
At the time of her birth, her father James O'Donnell was aged 47 and her mother, Sarah McCane, was 40 years old. Marcella Therese was born into a family of six children, one sister and five brothers.
Edmond James had been born in 1922.
Margaret Brigid (my mother) came along in 1923.
Maurice Owen (Morrie) was born in 1925.
John Joseph (Jack) was born in 1926.
James Thomas (Jim) was born in 1928.
Edward Martin (Eddie) was born in 1931.
Her younger brother was born three years after Marcella's birth, in 1937, expanding the number of siblings to seven.
At the time of Marcella's birth, the family were living on the family farm near Guthalungra, close to Armstrong Creek and the Kyburra railway station.
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Family Portrait of the O'Donnell / McCane / Bidgood family -
taken in 1935 on Marcella's grandparents' property at Molongle Creek, near Gumlu |
This photo, taken in 1935, shows Marcella as a baby, being held by her mother (my grandmother) Sarah O'Donnell nee McCane. All the children circled in dark blue are Marcella's brothers and her only sister. These are my maternal uncles and my mother.
Baby Marcella, sitting on her mother's lap, is surrounded by her close family, including her uncles, aunts, cousins and her grandmother (sitting in the cane chair). This was a close knit family and Marcella would have spent all her formative years with this clan.
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Marcella (the toddler being held by her big brother) with her brothers and only sister,
on the family farm c.1935-1936 |
Life on the family farm would have been busy, and no doubt Marcella would have had her fair share of jobs about the place during her childhood years. Her parents, James and Sarah, made the heart-breaking decision to walk off the farm in the mid 1940s, and move into the nearby town of Bowen.
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| O'Donnell Family, after the move from the farm into Bowen c.1942-1943 |
This photo was taken sometime around 1943, soon after the move from the farm to a rented house on Richmond Road in Bowen. Marcella is seated between her mother Sarah and father James. She would have been aged 8-9.
Marcella's teenage years were lived in the small town of Bowen, and her life would have been filled with school, church and community events. I've found a few articles from the local newspaper that give a bit of a glimpse into her life during the 1940s and 1950s.
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Wedding Notice - Bowen Independent, Fri June 4 1943, p2 |
In 1943, when she was 8 years old, Marcella was the flower girl at the wedding of Ernest Bidgood to Maureen Foley, at St Mary's Church in Bowen.
Ernest Bidgood was the brother-in-law of Marcella's Aunty Susan, and the occasion would have been an important event for the family.
This article, taken from the Bowen Independent, dated June 4th 1943, stated:
"The little flower girl, Marcella O'Donnell, in her early Victorian frock of blue silk net, headdress to tone, and carrying a glorious basket of flowers, completed a rather delightful picture."
I wonder what that "early Victorian frock" looked like?
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Bowen Independent, Friday Dec 12 1947 p5
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In 1947 Marcella, then aged 13, was mentioned again in the local newspaper.
At the "annual breaking up day" for the pupils of St Mary's School in Bowen, Marcella was a prize winner. The article doesn't state what the prize was for though. Perhaps it was an academic prize, or a prize for being a winner in the various competitions held that day, including races, dancing, and community singing!
I particularly love the description of the last day of school given in this newspaper article!
Each class had decorated their classroom and the class table set up for the delicious refreshments. The children "all wore very original jazz caps" I'm not entirely sure what that meant!
After the completion of the various competitions, the pupils all gathered together and were presented with an "artistically printed religious picture".
The Priest gave a short speech, reminding all the pupils "of the gratitude they owed to their devoted teachers", "congratulating them on the year's hard work" and wishing them a "pleasant holiday."
In the same article there is mention of a St Mary's Convent School annual report that includes the names of pupils who gained certificates in the "Practical and Theoretical Examinations conducted by the Australian Music Examinations Board."
Marcella's name is amongst them. She had completed the Grade V11 piano exams, indicating she was quite an accomplished piano player.
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| Class Photo of 1947 - Marcella in the back row, far left. |
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Bowen Independent, Friday 21st July 1950, p4 |
By mid-1950, Marcella was attending Stella Maris College in Bowen and once more her name appeared in the local newspaper.
Marcella had completed the National Business College of Sydney's Commercial Examinations for typewriting, shorthand and bookkeeping.
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Bowen Independent, Friday July 11th 1952, p5 |
Two years later, in 1952, at the age of 18, Marcella made her debut. A debutante ball was a significant event in the life of a young lady in the 1950s.
Historically, it had been an English tradition - a rite of passage - to formally present young ladies of marriageable age to society, but I think by the 1950s, it was seen more as a very special social occasion for people who otherwise had very few similar opportunities or experiences.
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| Marcella Therese O'Donnell attending her Debutante Ball in 1952. |
In 1954 Marcella went on holiday with two friends. This made news not only in the local newspaper of Bowen, but also in the newspaper of the larger city of Townsville, to the north.
The reason Marcella's planned trip apparently made the news in the Townsville Daily Bulletin was because her holiday coincided with the first Australian visit by Queen Elizabeth, and Marcella was to be in Sydney on the day of the Queen's visit!
I wonder if Marcella got close enough to actually see the Queen and Prince Phillip?
Interestingly, the Queen did visit Townsville a couple of months later, in March of 1954.
Was Marcella also an observer for that visit as well?
In January of the following year, 1955, Marcella's name was once more appearing in the
Townsville Daily Bulletin.
Under the heading 'Bowen Gossip', there was a short paragraph mentioning Marcella's departure from Bowen to work at her new job in Townsville. She would have been aged 20.
"Members of the Port Denison Sailing Club gathered to farewell Miss Marcella O'Donnell and presented her with a brush and comb set in appreciation of her work in the interest of the club.
Miss O'Donnell left on Friday for Townsville, where she has accepted a position."
I wonder what her new job in Townsville was?
By 1958 however, the electoral records show that Marcella was back living and working in Bowen.
She was living with her parents, James and Sarah, and siblings, James (Jim), John Joseph (Jack) and Margaret (my mother); and working as a shop assistant. At this time Marcella would have been 24 years old.
In 1960, Marcella married at the age of 25.
She wed Geoffrey James Webber at St Mary's Church in Bowen. Sadly, Marcella did not enjoy a long married life with Geoff. In April of 1961, eight months after her wedding, Marcella passed away at the age of 26.
The cause of death was recorded as congestive heart failure, rheumatic carditis and mitral stenosis.
Heartbreakingly, Marcella was around seven months pregnant at the time.
When Marcella was quite young, she had suffered with rheumatic fever. This had apparently caused permanent damage to her heart.
Tragically, towards the end of her first pregnancy, it seems her damaged heart could not go on any longer.
Her obituary tells the story of a wonderful person, taken too soon.
Marcella Therese was buried in the Bowen Cemetery.
Her only sister Margaret Brigid Connors nee O'Donnell (my mother) was buried beside her in 1968, and Marcella's mother, Sarah O'Donnell nee McCane (my grandmother) was buried beside my mother in 1970. It's comforting to know that the three women in the family will remain close forever.
Marcella May Brown (1892 - 1973).
My paternal Grandaunt, Marcella May Brown, was known as 'Marcy' throughout her adult life. She was the youngest of my grandmother Grace's three sisters.
Marcella May (known as Marcy) was born in July of 1892 in the small township of Bexhill, North Lismore, in New South Wales. At the time of her birth, her father Richard Joseph (Gordon) Brown was aged 31 and her mother, Ellen Cusack, was 30 years old.
She was the youngest of four daughters born to Richard and Ellen. Her oldest sister Grace Olive Brown (my grandmother) was aged 7 when Marcella was born. Sister Lillian Ruth was 5, and sister Elsie Myrtle was 2.
The girls spent their childhood and teenage years growing up in Lismore, where the family name 'Brown' was well-known and respected. Their parents were heavily involved in the Lismore community life and no doubt the girls would have experienced many community events and gatherings.
In 1906 Marcella, then aged 14, would have attended the wedding of her oldest sister Grace (my grandmother) to George Thomas Connors at St Mary's Church in Lismore, and the wedding of her sister Lillian to James Alfred Connors (the brother of George).
During the following year 1907, no doubt Marcella would have been overjoyed to meet her two new nieces. Her sister Grace had given birth to a daughter Beryl Agnes Connors, and sister Lillian had given birth to Lorna May Grace Connors.
Tragically though, Marcella's sister Lillian became a widow not long after the birth of her daughter. Lillian's husband, James Alfred, died in a devastating accident at his workplace. He suffered terrible burns in a fire and though he lingered for a couple of hours afterwards, he didn't recover. Such a gruesome incident must have impacted terribly on all family members, including Marcella who was only aged 15 at the time.
A year later, in November of 1908, widowed Lillian married again. Marcella now had a new brother-in-law named Gerald O'Donnell. She also had a new nephew, as her oldest sister Grace had given birth to a son named Colin Vincent Connors.
At the age of 17, in 1909, Marcella would have attended her sister Elsie's wedding to Sidney Harris, and then celebrated the birth of her new niece Eileen Gladys Harris the following year. In April of 1911, her oldest sister Grace gave birth to her second son, Thomas Richard Connors.
Sadly, in 1911 Marcella's sister Lillian died. After re-marrying in 1908, Lillian had lost her newborn son, Roger O'Donnell, in 1909; and then she had passed away less than two weeks after giving birth to her daughter Lillian Margaret O'Donnell. Whilst the birth itself apparently went well, Lillian then contracted pneumonia and deteriorated quickly. At the time Marcella was only 19 years old. I don't quite know how Marcella coped with all these tragedies in her family while still in her teenage years.
I have little knowledge of what happened in Marcella's life in the twelve years between the ages of 19 and 31, other than a few facts about events in her surviving sisters' lives.
Her oldest sister Grace gave birth to another five children, George Thomas Jr., Christina Grace, Olga May, Leo and Marguerite. Sadly, both Leo and Marguerite died soon after birth. Sister Elsie gave birth to her son Sidney. Marcella herself seems to have remained living with her mother and father during these years.
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| Northern Star, Lismore, Sat Dec 22, 1923 p9 |
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| Marcella May (centre) on her wedding day, standing beside her husband Alfred (on the left). |
In December of 1923 Marcella, aged 31, married Alfred Loring Tyler, aged 39, at St. Patrick's Church in Wardell, New South Wales. Her bridesmaid was her niece (the first born daughter of her deceased sister Lillian). Such was a beautiful gesture!
Unfortunately there was no long married life for Marcella May. She and Alfred (known as Alf) were married for only four and a half years, as Alfred was admitted to hospital in July of 1928, suffering from pneumonia, and died three days later.
During those short years of marriage, Marcella and Alfred had three children. Joan Aileen Ellen was born in 1924. John Francis (known as Jack) came along in 1926, and Norma Maureen was born in 1928, just a month and a half before the death of Alfred.
So in July of 1928 Marcella became a widow with three children. Daughter Aileen was almost 4, John aged 2, and Norma, only a month and a half old. How did she cope after the death of her husband? How did she support her young family? Whilst I'm not entirely sure I have the correct facts, I think that it was her husband's family, the Tylers, who stepped in to help her at this time.
Marcella May never re-married and worked hard for many, many years in order to support and provide for her children. By the time Marcella was 70, in the early 1960s, she had moved to Queensland, seemingly to be closer to her adult children.
By 1963, she was living in the Brisbane suburb of Graceville, with her daughter Norma and son-in-law Robert. By 1972, they were all living in the suburb of Corinda, and this is where Marcella May died in July of 1973 at the age of 80.
Marcella May was buried beside her husband in the Wardell Catholic Cemetery in Ballina Shire, New South Wales.
That completes the stories of the only two women in my family tree christened Marcella. Born 42 years apart, in different states, on different branches of the family tree, but linked for all time by the name Marcella.
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.
