Showing posts with label immigrant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label immigrant. Show all posts

Thursday, 17 October 2024

The Story of James O'Donnell (Daniel) / Memories ... October 18

This is the story of my maternal Great Grand Uncle, James O'Donnell (Daniel)  1867 - 1908.

Our common ancestors are:   John O'Donnell (Daniel) and Catherine (Kitty) Joy.

I'm publishing this rather brief story on the anniversary of James's passing.


In Remembrance

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)


Photo shared by my maternal 2nd cousin Brigid McGrath


  • James was born in August 1867 at the family farm in Killonerry, County Kilkenny, Ireland.  He had entered the world at a time of transition for his family.  The O'Donnells had seen their Gaelic surname "anglicized" to Daniel, reflecting the broader cultural shifts under British rule.

  • James was baptised the very next day.  The record shows the family name "Daniel", though a clerical error recorded his mother's maiden name as "Fay" instead of "Joy."  Such mistakes are not uncommon, as the handwriting on the old original documents could be hard to read.


  • James was the tenth of thirteen children born to John and Catherine (known as Kitty), so he grew up in a bustling household of siblings.

  • He was known as 'Jim' to his family and friends throughout his lifetime. 

  • James's large family experienced its share of sorrow.  Tragically, when James was only 3 years old, his younger brother Thomas died in infancy.  Then, when James was 12, his older sister Ellen also died,  at the tender age of 14.  These early experiences of grief would have shaped James's understanding of life's fragility and uncertainty.

  • As the O'Donnell (Daniel) children matured, life on the family farm would have become increasingly difficult.  The farm, though providing a basic livelihood, would not have been able to support the growing household indefinitely.  Like so many families in rural Ireland during that period, emigration became a necessity rather than a choice.

  • James, along with several of his siblings, left Ireland in search of better opportunities abroad. 

  • I have found it very difficult to pinpoint the exact year that James left Ireland, but I do know for certain he emigrated to the U.S.A.  

  • It does seem that the O'Donnell (Daniel) children who did leave Ireland, did so after the death of their mother in 1882.  James was only aged 14 at that time however, so it seems likely he left in the late 1880s, when he was in his early 20s.  

The mass exodus of Irish immigrants to the U.S. during this time makes it very difficult to trace specific individuals, particularly with the name James O'Donnell (or Daniel), which appeared frequently in emigration records.

I have spent considerable time scouring through U.S. Irish passenger lists and naturalization records but have found these sources to be scant on details other than - name, country of origin and port of departure.  These few details can in no way pinpoint the exact person you are researching, especially given the huge numbers of people who have exactly the same name.  

  • There is one record however that shows my particular James O'Donnell was definitely living in New York in 1905.


  • According to the 1905 New York State census, James was living as a boarder with his sister Mary (known affectionately as Minnie) and her husband James although their surname was recorded as 'Londrigan' when it should have read 'Lonergan'.  They resided at No. 59 Vandam Street in Lower Manhattan, a bustling immigrant neighbourhood.
  • The census record includes information about the number of years in the U.S. and in that column it had been recorded that James had been in that states for 18 years.  That indicates (if the information is correct) that he had arrived around 1887.

  • By then, James was aged 38.  His occupation was listed as "Day Labourer."  Life as a labourer in New York at that time was reputedly very tough, with meagre wages.  Day labourers often lived on the edge of poverty, relying on daily work to survive.

  • Family lore tells of very different circumstances in the early years of James's life in New York, during his 20s.  He apparently did very well in the U.S. initially.  He worked as a carpenter and carpenters were in big demand.  At some point after his arrival in New York, James sent a beautiful gold watch back to his family in Ireland.  This gesture of love and connection speaks to his generosity and desire to stay linked to his roots.  Remarkably, this watch remains in the possession of a family member to this day, a treasured keepsake that represents both James's success and his sacrifices.




According to my second cousin:  "James did not just send the gold watch, but also a gold ring to the family in Killonerry.  He is also credited with paying for the erection of the Celtic Cross O'Donnell family headstone in the old Owning Cemetery, where his mother and father and other family members are buried." 
















  • Sadly it seems, James's fortunes did not hold steady.  By his late 30s, he was living with his sister and her family, perhaps an indication that work had become scarce or that his health had begun to decline.  Life in New York could be unforgiving, and it seems that whatever initial success James may have had was fleeting.

  • Unfortunately, James's life came to an untimely end in 1908 when he passed away at the age of 41.  


  • I did find a record for my James O'Donnell on the Extracted Death Index for New York, 1862-1948, (with the names of his parents John O'Donnell and Catherine Joy) which then led me to his death certificate.

  • Details on James's death certificate tell that he had been ill for some time and had been a patient at Belleview (correctly spelling is Bellevue) Hospital in Manhattan for nearly a month.  His previous address was listed as 776 Greenwich Street in New York, which was different to the address listed in the 1905 census.  Perhaps he had moved out of his sister's home or had they all moved elsewhere together?   James's occupation was listed as labourer.  

  • There was a section on the death certificate that recorded the length of time he had been in the U.S. and whoever completed the record listed 20 years as that period of time.  That indicates an arrival year as 1888, close to the year indicated on that 1905 census.  I think it's probably correct to say James arrived in the U.S. in either 1887 or 1888, when he would have been aged either 20 or 21. 


  • A death notice for James appeared in local newspapers, but there were no details other than his name.

Photo shared by my maternal 2nd cousin Doreen Powers

  • James was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens, New York, where his sister Minnie, her husband and other Lonergan relatives would later be laid to rest.  Their shared burial plot is marked only by a modest headstone inscribed with the Lonergan surname, a simple and quiet tribute to their lives.

  • Though much of James's life remains a mystery, his story is one of resilience.  He was part of a generation of Irish emigrants who left behind everything familiar to seek new lives in foreign lands.  His legacy, although modest, lives on through the stories passed down by family, the small headstone in Queens, and the gold watch that still holds the echoes of a life's journey from Killonerry to New York.

Tuesday, 6 February 2024

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!


Monday, 5 February 2024

Memories ... February 6

Anniversary of a Birthday  

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)


Today is the anniversary of the birthday of my Great Great Grandfather, Henry Johnson Brown.

I have written a longer, more detailed post about Henry previously (those who are interested, please follow this link: The Story of Henry Johnson Brown  )  ...

but for this 'Memories' post, I will shorten his story considerably to just include the more important events in his life.

Whitehaven, by the sea, in England


  • Henry was born in 1820 in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England.

  • His parents were Henry Johnson Brown and Eleanor Gowan.

  • When Henry was born his father Henry was aged 38, and his mother Eleanor was 30.

  • Henry was the third of five children born to Henry (Snr.) and Eleanor.

Assisted Immigrant List

  • At the age of 20 Henry emigrated to Australia.  He and his younger sister Sarah came as bounty immigrants aboard The Royal Consort in 1840.

  • Back in England, Henry had worked as a printer but on arrival in Australia, he found employment with Clark Irving on Ellengowan Station in 1841.

  • Henry then went on to obtain work as a cook on Ward Stephen's Runnymede Station. 


  • He met Caroline Browning, an English immigrant, while working at Runnymede and they were married in 1846.

  • There was a considerable age difference between the spouses ... Henry was 25 and Caroline was 15.

  • They went on to have 12 children over a twenty-year period.

  • In early 1849, Henry and Caroline left Runnymede Station and found work at neighbouring Lismore Station with William Wilson for a little while.  

  • They did not stay long at Lismore Station however.  Between the end of 1849 and the end of 1850, Henry and Caroline had moved to several areas including Stanthorpe (which as the time was part of New South Wales) where Henry worked on Maryland Station as a watchman.  He was also working as a part-time hawker.

  • By the end of 1850 they had returned to the Richmond River area and Henry began work at Bald Hill (later known as Bexhill) as a timber cutter and dealer.

  • Timber cutting was notoriously hard, dangerous work and the lifestyle associated with this work was also difficult.  Henry and his family, like others at the Bald Hill camp, had to live in huts or tents without basic amenities.

  • Henry lost interest in this life and became interested in becoming a timber dealer.  He had taken his family back to the Lismore area by 1852 and had set up a saw pit on the river back, engaging men to work with him.

  • He purchased logs, milled them and then sold the timber locally as well as out of the district.

  • Henry built a home for his family and a few years later, around 1854, extended it into Lismore's first hotel named the Cedar Squarers' Arms.


  • He obtained a liquor licence but continued working as a timber merchant.




  • Henry became the proud owner of several more blocks of land in the town of Lismore, before debt problems raised their ugly head in 1867.

  • Tragically, Henry died quite suddenly in 1868, aged 48, before his insolvency case could be settled.


  • Most of the land Henry had bought was lost to creditors, and his family was left in rather dire circumstances.

Friday, 6 October 2023

Memories ... October 6

 In Remembrance

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)


Today is the anniversary of  the passing of my maternal Great-Grand Aunt, Elizabeth Farrell  1873-1934.

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


  • Born in England in 1873 to Irish-born parents, Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney (Downey).

  • She was the fifth of nine siblings, although only eight would survive into their adult years.

  • Elizabeth grew up in the harsh environment of colliery houses in coal-mining towns like Tanfield, Stanley and Lanchester in the Durham area of north-east England.

  • In 1886 Elizabeth's older sisters, Margaret (my great grandmother) and Helen Ann left England for the vast unknown of Australia, and the remainder of the family - Elizabeth's parents, Elizabeth and her four brothers - followed in 1887.

  • Elizabeth emigrated to Australia with her family when she was 14 years old, arriving in Townsville, Queensland in September of 1887.

  • She travelled with her family on to Charters Towers where her two older sisters had been living and working since they left England.

Frank Edwin Shaw




  • At the age of 23, Elizabeth married Frank Edwin Shaw who was also an English immigrant, hailing from Yorkshire.













Elizabeth and her five children


  • Elizabeth and Frank went on to have a family of six children, although only five would live past their infancy.


"Brucelee" homestead at Goondi, Innisfail, Queensland


  • They lived on the family property known as "Brucelee" at Goondi, which was on the outskirts of Innisfail, northern Queensland.

  • Elizabeth and Frank were married for 29 years until Frank passed away in 1926.

  • Elizabeth died just eight years later in 1934, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst Sydney, when she was 61 years old.

  • She is buried at the Waverley Cemetery in Bronte, Sydney, New South Wales.

I have written a longer post with many more details about Elizabeth's life journey from the industrial heartland of England to the tropical landscapes of northern Queensland.  For those who are interested, follow this link:  The Story of Elizabeth Farrell


Thursday, 5 October 2023

The Story of Elizabeth Farrell

Photo shared by my second cousin once removed
Jamie Gordon


This is the story of my maternal Great Grand Aunt, Elizabeth Farrell  (1873-1934).  




Our Common Ancestors are:   Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney (Downey) - my 2x great grandparents and Elizabeth's parents.



Elizabeth's story began on July 10th 1873 when she was born in Oakey's Houses in Tanfield, Durham, England.  Oakey's Houses were rows of small, rather humble, colliery houses, owned by the owners of the coal mines and coke works in the Durham Coalfield area of north-eastern England.  These houses were built specifically to provide housing for the workers and their families, but it was substandard housing.  Families often lived in cramped one-room cottages, quite inadequate for housing large families, and the harsh living conditions became a breeding ground for disease and ill-health.

Elizabeth's parents had both been born in Ireland, but had moved to England looking for work.  Elizabeth's father was Michael Farrell and her mother was Susan Muldowney (sometimes recorded as Downey).   

Elizabeth was the fifth of nine children born to Michael and Susan.  Before her birth:

Elizabeth's oldest sister, Margaret (my great grandmother), had been born in 1865.

Elizabeth's oldest brother, Thomas, came along in 1868.

Another brother, Michael, was born in 1870.

Another sister, Helen Ann, was born in 1871.

Sadly, Elizabeth's older brother Michael died in June of 1873, aged 3, just a month before Elizabeth was born.


Elizabeth was born in 1873 and she would have been born at the colliery house where the family were living in at the time.  It was quite the humble beginning to life!

Another brother was born in 1876 and was also named Michael, most likely to honour the memory of her other brother named Michael who had died. 

A younger brother named Patrick came along in 1877.

Yet another younger brother named James was born in 1880.



The census taken the following year, in 1881, shows that the Farrell family, father Michael, mother Susan, Elizabeth and her siblings, Thomas, Helen Ann, Michael, Patrick and James were all now living in a house on Havannah Street, in Tanfield.  They had moved from the Oakey's Houses, a few streets away, and there was also a boarder living with the family.   

Elizabeth's older sister Margaret (my great grandmother) was living and working as a domestic servant in a house located at the "better end" of Havannah Street at this time.  While she wasn't living too far away, it's unlikely Elizabeth would have seen very much of her oldest sister. 

In 1886 Elizabeth's sisters, Margaret and Helen Ann, left England and emigrated to Australia.  

The remainder of the family, including Elizabeth, continued living in the Durham area until 1887. I can only imagine the pain and heartbreak Elizabeth would have felt watching her only sisters leave home to travel to the other side of the world!

The youngest of Elizabeth's siblings, a brother named Matthew Felix, was then born in March of 1887.  Elizabeth was 13 years old at the time, and life was about to change significantly.

By August of 1887, the family had travelled to London where they boarded the 'Cheybassa' and embarked on the life-changing journey to Australia.  They arrived in Townsville, Queensland on October 4th and headed to Charters Towers where Elizabeth's older sisters were living.   Elizabeth was 14 years old when she arrived in Australia.

After Elizabeth, her parents and her brothers had arrived in Charters Towers, there must have been an emotional and joyous reunion with Elizabeth's older sisters.  The whole family was together again!

Elizabeth's sisters continued their work as domestic servants.  Elizabeth's father and oldest brother began working in the gold mines. Charters Towers was experiencing a heightened phase of prosperity throughout the 1880s, with the discovery of rich new gold deposits, so there were employment opportunities aplenty at this time.  I think all the working members of the Farrell family would have enjoyed the change in their fortunes, even though they were still working class.  Their living conditions would have improved immensely!

The 1890s saw a few more changes for the Farrell family.  All of the girls in the family married and began new lives of their own.  

Elizabeth's older sister, Helen Ann, married in 1890 and gave birth to nine children over the next nineteen years.  Sadly, one of her daughters died when she was only a few days old.

Elizabeth's oldest sister, Margaret, married in 1892 and went on to have seven children over the following fifteen years.  Tragically, her son Edward died in a drowning accident when he was only 8 years old.

Elizabeth would have been there at the weddings of both her older sisters and no doubt present at some of her nieces and nephews' births.


Image from "The History of Queensland: its people and its industries"
compiled by Matt. J. Fox, published 1919-1923




Ten years after arriving in Australia, on the 26th of January 1897, Elizabeth married Frank Edwin Shaw.  




















Information gleaned from their marriage certificate shows that Elizabeth was 23 years old and Frank was 26.


They married in Charters Towers at Saint Columba's Church.


Frank Edwin Shaw was also an English immigrant, like Elizabeth, but he had been born in Yorkshire, England.


Frank's residence was listed as Geraldton, which was in north Queensland.  In 1911 the town was then named Innisfail (to avoid confusion with Geraldton in Western Australia!).


Shortly after their marriage, Elizabeth left Charters Towers to begin her married life much further north in Queensland.


Elizabeth was the first of the siblings to move away from Charters Towers, so it must have been quite a wrench for her knowing that she would not see her parents, older sisters and her brothers for some time, or indeed, if at all!


From 1899, Elizabeth and her husband Frank resided in the Geraldton (later known as Innisfail) area, a coastal region about 250 miles north-east of Charters Towers.  This is where they established their family home and raised their family.

Elizabeth and Frank went on to have six children over the next eleven years.  Elizabeth's death certificate indicated that she gave birth to three sons and three daughters, but I have only been able to find the records for two sons.

Frank Warren was born in 1899.

Mary Evelyn Downey came along in 1901.

Margaret Hilda (known as Hilda) was born in 1905.  She was the only child born in Charters Towers.  I'm not entirely sure why Elizabeth was back in Charters Towers at this time.  It's possible she had travelled there for the wedding of her brother James.

Dorothy Alma was born in 1907.

Edwin Gilbert, their last child, came along in 1909 when Elizabeth was 35 years old.

Elizabeth's husband had become very well known in the community by this time, working as a mercantile store manager.  He was a prominent figure, becoming Shire Councillor in 1908 and then holding the office of Shire Chairman in 1913.  Elizabeth, her husband and her children would have likely lived a comfortable life, filled with family, social and community engagements.

Photo shared by my second cousin once removed
Jamie Gordon

This photo was likely taken sometime around 1911 and shows Elizabeth with her children:
Frank Warren is standing at the back.  Mary Evelyn Downey is seated in front of her older brother.
Margaret is seated in front of Mary.  Dorothy is the little girl sitting on the seat with her mother, and Edwin is the little boy standing on the seat next to his mother.  Elizabeth would have been 37 years old at the time.

1911 saw the unfolding of a very tragic event for Elizabeth's sister Helen Ann, and shows clearly that Elizabeth remained very close to her mother and sisters despite the distances between them.  Helen Ann's husband perished when the S.S.Yongala sunk off Townsville in March of 1911.  He was returning home to Cairns to be with his family after he received news that a cyclone had hit the city and his family were possibly homeless.  He boarded the Yongala hoping all was well, but he never reached Cairns to find out whether his wife and children were safe and sound.  Elizabeth's sister Helen Ann was left widowed at a young age and her eight children were now fatherless.

Two short newspaper items appeared in the April 26th edition of the 1911 Cairns Post which shows that Helen Ann received the much needed emotional support of her close family - her mother and her sisters. 


Mrs. M. Farrell was Elizabeth's mother Susan, who was in her late 60s and still lived in Charters Towers.  It would have taken a couple of days to travel by train from Charters Towers to Cairns and would have been an exhausting trip for an elderly woman.  Obviously though Susan was determined to be with her daughter after such a devastating loss.



Elizabeth (Mrs. F. E. Shaw) and her older sister Margaret (Mrs. Owen McCane) had joined their mother and travelled to Cairns to be with their sister.  It's heartwarming to know that nothing in Elizabeth's life at this time was more important than to join her mother and oldest sister while they spent time with Helen Ann during her grief.  That's a sign of an immensely strong family bond.


Australian Electoral Roll 1912

From 1899 to around 1915, Elizabeth and her husband Frank were living on Rankin Street in Geraldton (later named Innisfail).  Frank was earning a very good living as a store manager, while Elizabeth was the homemaker, raising their growing family.


Photo shared by my second cousin once removed
Jamie Gordon

This photo, showing four of Elizabeth's children, her three daughters and youngest son, was likely taken at the family home on Rankin Street.

During the years from mid 1914 to the end of 1918, the Great War had embroiled most of the world, including Australia, in international conflict.  It also cast its shadow over Elizabeth's life.

Three of Elizabeth's younger brothers, James, Matthew (bottom left) and Patrick (bottom right) all enlisted and went on to serve overseas during the war.  


James returned home safely in 1919.


Tragically, brother Patrick was killed in action in late 1917 while serving in France, and never returned home.


Matthew, wounded in the war, did return home in 1918, but succumbed to heart failure just four years later.





Elizabeth was mentioned in the death notice of her brother, Patrick. 

"Killed in action .... (the) dearly beloved brother of Mrs. F. E. Shaw ..."



Meanwhile Elizabeth lost her father, Michael Farrell just a month after Patrick's death in 1917.

Another of Elizabeth's younger brothers, also named Michael (after his father), was slighter older than the three brothers who served and did not go off to fight.  He died unexpectedly and tragically though in mid 1918.  




Once again, Elizabeth was mentioned in the death notice of her brother Michael as Mrs. F. E. Shaw.



Elizabeth's mother passed away just six months later.  So in the period of less than two years Elizabeth had lost both her parents and two of her younger brothers.  These trials tested Elizabeth's resolve but her strong Catholic faith carried her through these dark days.

In the midst of all this turmoil, things had changed for Elizabeth.  An excerpt taken from a section all about Elizabeth's husband Frank in  "The History of Queensland, its people & industries" Vol. 111 (compiled by Matt. J. Fox and published  between 1919-1923) states:

"towards the latter part of the period (1914) he acquired interests in the sugar industry.  So as to be free to personally supervise these interests and others of the same nature then recently acquired, he relinquished his managerial duties in commercial life and entered upon the personal administration of 'Brucelee', where he has since resided as one of the prominent sugar producers of the district.  Some time after the purchase of this property he enlarged the sphere of his operation in the industry, buying 'Stockton', the oldest clearing on the river."

   


So, as evidenced in the 1917 Australia Electoral Roll, Elizabeth, her husband Frank and their children had moved and were now living on the family property near Goondi, which was on the outskirts of Innisfail.  Elizabeth's husband Frank's occupation was now 'farmer' as he had taken over the running of two large cane farms.

Goondi was riverside land that wrapped around the southern side of an elbow-shaped bend in the Johnstone River.  It was very flat land and used predominantly for the growing of sugar cane at that time. 

Image from "The History of Queensland: its people and its industries"
compiled by Matt. J. Fox, published 1919-1923


The family property known as "Brucelee" (pictured above) is where Elizabeth lived out the remainder of her married life as a farmer's wife. 

This property was listed in the Australian Electoral Rolls as being located at Goondi, however I have recently been informed by my second cousin once removed Mary Ann (a granddaughter of Elizabeth's) that:


"The farm supplied cane to the Goondi Mill, but wasn't in the Goondi township. The farmhouse was on top of a hill that overlooked the North Johnstone River. As long as I can remember it was called Shaw's Corner, but that name may have come much later."


In October of 1926, tragedy struck again when Elizabeth's husband Frank died at the age of 55.  He passed away while in Brisbane and was buried at the Toowong Cemetery.  Elizabeth was 53 years old at the time.



The 1934 Australian Electoral Roll shows that Elizabeth, aged 60, carried on living on the family property near Goondi after her husband's death, and she continued to run the farm.  

Further information shared recently by my second cousin once removed (Elizabeth's granddaughter):

"She (Elizabeth) was a very strong-minded woman and ran the farm when Frank was sick and after he died.  My father, Edwin Gilbert, was called home from boarding school to help run the farm after his father died. His brother Warren (Frank Warren) was already managing the farm at Stockton."


Sadly, it was not long after this that Elizabeth, who had been ill for quite some time suffering from arteriosclerosis (the medical term for hardening of the small arteries) travelled interstate, to Sydney in New South Wales.  She stayed there for several weeks undergoing treatment and was never to return to her home.  Elizabeth went in for an operation, likely for cholelithiasis (gallstones) which she was also suffering, and unfortunately, she did not survive the surgery.  She passed away just after her 61st birthday while in hospital in Sydney.



Her death certificate lists both arteriosclerosis and cholelithiasis as causes of death.


Johnstone River Advocate & Innisfail News, Tues 9 Oct 1934 p5

Catholic Freeman's Journal, Thurs 22 Nov 1934, p29





Elizabeth was buried at the Waverley Cemetery at Bronte in New South Wales.   



She was survived by her children and her two older sisters.



Interestingly, the probate of Elizabeth's will was granted in early 1935, but only to her sons and the amounts were quite sizeable - property worth £21,257 and money amounting to £15,551.  I guess the practice of leaving property and wealth to the male descendants was still common in the early 1930s. 


Family Anecdotes:

From my second cousin once removed, Mary Ann:
"She (Elizabeth) was on the first committee of the Innisfail Country Women's Association. 
Interesting that my grandmother (the future mother-in-law of Elizabeth's son Edwin) was one of the vice presidents on that same committee. That was in December 1926. 

 

From my second cousin once removed Jonathan:
"A First Nations woman worked as housekeeper in the Shaw household. When Mrs. Shaw (Elizabeth) died she walked to Ingham and turned up at daughter Dorothy’s house, saying she now worked there!"

Another bit of information shared by my second cousin once removed Mary Ann:
"She (Elizabeth) used to holiday a lot during the slack season (from December to March). Armidale with Mary in 1918;  Tasmania was another destination with one of the girls and Edwin in 1932. Sydney and Brisbane have also been mentioned."

This led me off on a search for any mention in the local newspaper about trips Elizabeth might have taken.  I had to use her married name for this search as it was the custom to back then to identify married women with the name of their husband.  I found quite a few trips taken by Mrs. F. E. Shaw or Mrs. Shaw:


In 1917 Elizabeth travelled with her husband and children to the Palm Islands, which is a journey of around 180 miles south and it's likely they would have first travelled north to Cairns, and then boarded a steamship to travel down the coast.



In 1918 Elizabeth and her daughter Mary travelled to Armidale in New South Wales, which is over 1200 miles away from their home in Innisfail.  They definitely did travel by steamship first as it's stated in the newspaper item - they "left by the Lass o'Gowrie" - which was an iron steamship that regularly travelled up and down the coast of Queensland with passenger and cargo trade.


The following newspaper items show that Elizabeth travelled quite a number of times and for lengthy periods of time in the 1930s ....


November 1930:   She travelled with her daughter Mary to Tasmania, a state that is over 2000 miles away, where they spent several months.




May 1933:  She travelled by steamer with her daughter Hilda to spend a few months "in the south".  There are no more details about specifically where they went "in the south" though, and there's a whole lot of countryside south of Innisfail and Queensland!!!



November 1933:  Elizabeth had obviously returned from her trip away to "the south" and was heading off once more.  This time she was travelling with her daughter Mary to Stanthorpe, which is around 1000 miles south of Innisfail but still in the state of Queensland.  They more likely travelled by train this time.




April 1934:  Elizabeth was returning to Innisfail with her daughters Hilda and Dorothy after they had travelled by steamship to Cairns.  Cairns is only around 55 miles to the north of Innisfail, so this particular trip would have been a short one.  


Sadly, this was to be one of the last trips Elizabeth would make, apart from her trip to Sydney for treatment in October 1934.  That was her final trip.




 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.