The Story of Mary Ellen Connors.

Up to this point my blog posts have told the stories of many of my direct ancestors, but I've now hit brick walls along several of the family tree branches that reach back to the late 1700s.  I've found little information beyond names and possible dates of birth/death for particular direct ancestors as very few records have survived from those time periods, especially for my distant ancestors were not born into wealthy or privileged families!

As a result, I feel it's time to move on from my direct lineage to those in my extended family line.  It's a new beginning for my blog as I delve deeper into my family's history and explore the lives of others such as my grand and great aunts and uncles.

This particular post tells the story of my paternal Grandaunt, Mary Ellen Connors (1874 - 1947).  She was my paternal grandfather's eldest sister.

Our Common Ancestors are:  Thomas Edgar Connors and Susannah Fullagar Hukins -  my great grandparents and Mary Ellen's parents.

Mary Ellen was born in Gerringong, New South Wales (near Kiama) on the 24th of July 1874.

When Mary Ellen was born, her father Thomas Edgar Connors was aged 24 and her mother Susannah (known as Susan) Fullagar Hukins was aged 23.

Mary Ellen was the first of ten children, eight boys and two girls, born to Thomas and Susannah.

- John Edgar was born in 1876, when Mary Ellen was one year old.

- William Adolphus came along in 1878.

- George Thomas (my paternal grandfather) was born in 1880.  Mary Ellen would have been 5 years old by this time.

- Mary Ellen's one and only sister, Alice Adelaide, was born in 1882 when Mary Ellen was 8.

- James Alfred came along in 1884.

- Percy was born in 1886.

- Cyril Ernest came along in 1888.

- Frederick Augustus was born in 1890.

- Erice Sylvester was born in 1892 and Mary Ellen was 17 years old by this time.

The early years of Mary Ellen's life were spent on her parent's farm, in the area known as Far Meadow, near Berry in New South Wales.  Life for Mary Ellen on the family farm, as the eldest child and a female, would likely have been filled with endless hours of household duties and assisting her mother in the care-taking of all the younger children.  I imagine her day would have started quite early and there wouldn't have been much time for herself.

In the same year as her father bought a larger holding of around 94 acres, a dairy farm named 'Boughton Villa', close to the township of Berry, Mary Ellen gave birth to a daughter.  

Margaret Adelaide was born in December of 1897, when Mary Ellen was 23 years old.  At the time, Mary Ellen was unmarried and there was no father listed on her daughter's birth certificate.  It seems that Mary Ellen's parents, Thomas and Susan, made the decision to raise Margaret as if she was one of their own children, making it appear as if Mary Ellen and Margaret were sisters.

Indeed, a number of years later, on the death certificates of both Mary Ellen's parents, Margaret was listed as one of their surviving children.  She was, of course, actually their granddaughter.  I think Mary Ellen's parents wanted to protect her from possible negative attitudes from the community, and shield their granddaughter from the stigma of illegitimacy.

According to information gleaned from other descendants, Mary Ellen's siblings were unaware of the actual relationship between the two, and that appears to have remained the case for most of their lives.

Five years after the birth of her daughter, in May of 1904, Mary Ellen married John George Bates. 

Mary Ellen was 29 years old, but John George had not yet turned 21.  The consent of the local Justice of the Peace, Henry King, was needed to ensure the union could proceed.  This was recorded on Mary Ellen's and John George's marriage certificate.

Mary Ellen and John George married at St. Luke's Church in Berry, New South Wales.  They remained married for nearly 43 years until Mary Ellen passed away.  They went on to have a family of six children together.

Mary Ellen's life after marriage was filled with highs and lows. She would have left the family farm after marriage and set up a home with John.  It appears they moved into the township of Berry and lived there for a number of years between 1898 and 1915, before moving up to Queensland, where Mary Ellen's husband John had been born. 

Their son George Thomas Bates was born in Berry the same year they were married, 1904.  Mary Ellen was 30 years old.

Sadly, just two years later, in December of 1906, Mary Ellen's younger brother William Adolphus died at the young age of 28.  

He had been battling pulmonary tuberculosis for over three years but had slowly wasted away and died at home on the family farm.

Less than a month later, in January of 1907, Mary Ellen gave birth to her third child (her second to John) named William Alfred.  It seems Mary Ellen wanted to pay tribute to her deceased brother by naming her newborn William.

Article from Kiama Independent and 
Shoalhaven Advertiser 
Wed 16 Oct 1907 p2.

Just a mere nine months later, Mary Ellen lost another of her brothers.  James Alfred died in 1907 in dreadfully tragic circumstances.  

He suffered horrific burns in a fire at his place of employment and died a few hours later.  Sadly, the fire was a result of an accident caused by James himself.

The eldest of Mary Ellen's brothers, John Edgar, witnessed the event and tried in vain to save his brother.  This experience was to have a huge impact on John Edgar's life and he suffered terribly for his remaining years.  

Such a tragic event no doubt affected each and every one of the siblings in different ways.  I wonder how Mary Ellen coped with the news and the emotional toll it must have taken on everyone in the family?

In 1909 Mary Ellen and John's son James Erice was born.  Giving this son the second name of Erice is likely to have been related to the fact that Mary Ellen's youngest brother was named Erice.  It's such an unusual name, but was passed down in the family for a few more generations.

Death Notice - Shoalhaven News and
South Coast District Advertiser
Sat 3 Sept 1910 p4.

During the following year, Mary Ellen sadly lost both of her parents.  

Her mother, Susannah (known as Susan) died in May of 1910, having suffered from an attack of double pneumonia and pleurisy.  Mary Ellen's father Thomas then passed away in August, the victim of heart disease and dropsy.  They were both quite young too, which seems so unfair!  

Mother Susan was only 58 years old and father Thomas was only 60.  Mary Ellen must have been heartbroken.  She had lost two brothers and her parents within a period of just four years!  

It seems that Margaret Adelaide, Mary Ellen's first born daughter, came to live with her at this time.  Given that Margaret Adelaide was only aged 10 when the people she thought of as her parents both died, it would have seemed perfectly natural for Mary Ellen to step in and take Margaret into her home.  Did Mary Ellen tell anyone that Margaret was in fact her daughter, or did the family continue thinking Margaret was Mary Ellen's sister?

In the following year, 1911, Mary Ellen gave birth to another daughter and named her Mary Elisabeth Susannah.  The choice of Susannah was obviously a tribute to her late mother.  

Mary Ellen was now 36 years old, and it was around this time that she and John decided to move up to Queensland with their family, including Margaret.

Mary Ellen and John's fifth child was born in Brisbane, Queensland in August of 1915.  He was named Percy Frederick.  

By this time, WW1 had broken out and Australia had become part of the conflict.  Two of Mary Ellen's brothers headed off to war.  

Cyril Ernest Connors had enlisted in October of 1914 and was shipped off to war in October of 1915, not long after Mary Ellen had given birth to Percy.  

Mary Ellen's youngest brother, Erice Sylvester Connors, had enlisted in September of 1915 and was shipped of to fight in January of 1916.

At the time of his enlistment, Erice listed his address as 'Gotha Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland.'

He was actually living with Mary Ellen and her family and he listed Mary Ellen as his next-of-kin, so it sounds as if they were very close.

It's likely the Erice had moved to Brisbane at the same time as his sister, after the death of their parents.

1916 Electoral Record for Fortitude Valley, Brisbane

The 1916 Electoral Roll shows that Mary Ellen and her husband John George were living at 78 Gotha Street in Fortitude Valley,

and that Erice (known as Eric) was living with them.

Anzac Day procession through the streets of Brisbane, 1916 - John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland

I found this amazing postcard (sent by a soldier heading off to war) which shows a procession through the streets of Brisbane on Anzac Day in 1916.  Mary Ellen's brothers Erice and Cyril were already overseas fighting at this time, and I wonder if perhaps she (and her family) were somewhere in that crowd cheering on this battalion heading off to fight.

Sadly, Mary Ellen's youngest brother Erice Sylvester did not return home to Australia.  He was killed in action on the 30th of December 1916.  I wonder how long it took before Mary Ellen found out about the death of her youngest brother?   I have no doubt it would have been intensely distressing for her receiving the news, and of course then she would have agonized over the safety of her other brother Cyril who was still serving his country so far away.

 

When Mary Ellen gave birth to another son in November of 1917, he was named Cyril Ernest Bates, no doubt in honour of the brother who was still away fighting.  I do wonder if Mary Ellen had any knowledge of what had happened to her brother Cyril while he had been away? 

 

Would she have known that he had fought at Gallipoli with the 6th Light Horse, become ill with influenza and evacuated to Malta for six months before being sent to Egypt where he joined the Imperial Camel Corps?  Did the family find out that this unit saw some very heavy fighting and that Cyril had been wounded several times during this time?  It would have been an utter relief to find out that he had returned to Australia on leave in November of 1918, just as the war was ending.  Did the family meet up to celebrate his return?

Electoral Record 1921 Fortitude Valley, Brisbane

Electoral records show that by 1921, Mary Ellen and her family had moved from Fortitude Valley to Lamington Street, New Farm in Brisbane, much closer to the Brisbane River.  Mary Ellen was aged 47 by that time and her home would have been noisy and busy.

Her eldest son George Thomas was 17.  Son William Alfred was 14. Son James Erice was 12.  Daughter Mary was 10.  Son Percy Frederick was 6, and youngest son Cyril Ernest was 4 years old.

Electoral Record 1921 Fortitude Valley, Brisbane

Mary Ellen's first daughter Margaret Adelaide, now aged 23, was still living with them as well.  It also seems that another of Mary Ellen's brothers had moved to Brisbane around this time.

  

John Edgar, the brother who had witnessed his brother's tragic fiery accident, was working as a registered bookmaker in Brisbane, and his workplace would have been the Eagle Farm Racecourse situated at the nearby suburb of Eagle Farm.  He had fled from New South Wales, leaving his wife and young children behind.  In 1919 there had been a warrant issued for his arrest on charges of wife desertion.

I like to think that Mary Ellen was regarded more like a mother than a sister by her siblings.  Indeed, as the older sister and the eldest in the family, she most certainly would have played a mother-like role to all her brothers and her sister as they were growing up.  Had John Edgar moved closer to his older sister in his time of trouble because he knew she would show compassion and support?

 

Unfortunately though, John Edgar died just a few years later in January of 1923.  He suffered a grizzly death, committing suicide by slashing his own throat with a razor.  He had apparently become heavily addicted to drink and had found it hard to hold down a job.  What sadder footnote to his story could there be?  How the news of his death must have been devastating for all his family, including Mary Ellen!

Electoral Record 1925 Merthyr, Brisbane

Two years later, in 1925, Mary Ellen and her husband had moved to Hawthorne Street in New Farm.  It wasn't a big move, as Hawthorne Street was located off Lamington Street where their previous home had been.  I'm not entirely sure why Mary Ellen and her husband kept moving around, but I'm guessing they had originally been renting and as they grew older, perhaps they were then able to buy their own home.

Electoral Records 1928 Merthyr, Brisbane

The 1928 electoral records show that Mary Ellen, husband John George, and son William Alfred were still living in Hawthorne Street.  Mary Ellen was 54 years old by this time.  Her eldest son, George Thomas Bates, had left home and so had Mary Ellen's first daughter, Margaret Adelaide.  Margaret had married in 1927 and had moved to her own home with husband Frederick.

Mary Ellen and her husband John George Bates

I have little knowledge of Mary Ellen's life from the 1920s on.  Of course her children grew up and moved on with lives of their own during this time.  I'm sure though that they all remained close to their mother and father, and I have no doubt that Mary Ellen's life was filled with family events and celebrations.

At the age of  72, in July of 1947, Mary Ellen died in a Brisbane Hospital.  She had suffered from bronchial pneumonia and senility.  She was survived by her husband and all her children, but rather sadly by only three of her siblings.

  

Mary Ellen had already lost three of her brothers (two of them quite tragically) and her parents between the years of 1906 and 1923, but then her sister Alice Adelaide died in 1937, when Mary Ellen was 63 years old; and her brother Cyril Ernest had died during his war service (his second round of service) in 1942, when Mary Ellen was aged 67.

Mary Ellen was buried at the Nudgee Catholic Cemetery in Brisbane, Queensland.

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.

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.