The Story of The Only Marcellas - Marcella Therese O'Donnell and Marcella May Brown

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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?

Bowen Independent, Friday Dec 12 1947 p5

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.

Class Photo of 1947 - Marcella in the back row, far left.

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.

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.

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. 

Northern Star, Lismore, Sat Dec 22, 1923 p9

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.

The Story of Morgan Joseph O'Brien

This post tells the rather poignant and intriguing story of my great grandmother's second husband ... Morgan Joseph O'Brien  (1866-1931).

Obviously Morgan is not a direct ancestor or blood relative, but I do feel the need to share his story, or at least as much of his story as I have uncovered so far.  It left me with a profound feeling of loss and despair, and a fervent wish that this cycle did not continue for others in his family.

Morgan was born in late 1866 in County Tipperary, Ireland.  He was the eldest son of his father Michael O'Brien, then aged 26, and his mother Catherine Cahill, then aged 17.

Map showing location of Rodus in County Tipperary

Morgan was baptised in December of 1866 in the townland of Rodus, in the civil parish of Emly and the Catholic Parish of Cashel & Emly, within County Tipperary.  

County Tipperary

After the birth of Morgan, his parents went on to have another eight children born in Ireland.

Ellen was born in 1868.

Thomas came along in 1869 when Morgan was aged 3.

Mary was born in 1871.

Daniel was born in 1872.

Denis joined the family in 1874.

Michael was born in 1877.  Morgan was now 11 years old.

Catherine came along in 1880.

Hannah was born in 1882, when Morgan was 15 years old.

I wonder what sort of older brother Morgan was?  By the time he was 16 he had four brothers and four sisters.  I imagine he would have shouldered quite a lot of responsibility from a very early age.  It seems likely he lived an impoverished childhood as his parents made the decision in 1884 to leave their home country, and travel halfway around the world to Australia.

All eleven members of the O'Brien family were listed as passengers aboard the ship Duke of Devonshire that departed Plymouth in England on the 20th of May, 1884.  The family left the ship on June 25th in Brisbane, and then made their way to Toowoomba.

 

Morgan Joseph was 17 years old when he arrived in Australia.  Once his family had reached Toowoomba, it seems likely he would have started searching for work immediately.  I have found no evidence as yet that can shed light on exactly what type of work Morgan found at that time, but it's likely he would have been doing any sort of labouring work he could find.

Another brother was born not long after the family had arrived.  John Cahill O'Brien came along in August of 1884, when Morgan was aged 17.  Sadly, just three years later, Morgan lost one of his other brothers.  Daniel O'Brien died just before Christmas in 1887.  He was only 15 at the time, and Morgan was aged 21.

In April of 1895, Morgan married Bridget O'Donnell nee Burke, when he was 28 years old.  Bridget, my great grandmother, was 44.  The ages recorded on the marriage certificate were not correct.  

Bridget had also emigrated from Ireland to Australia back in 1883 (the year before Morgan had left Ireland with his family) and had been married to my great grandfather for ten years until he died in early 1893. 

Morgan, upon his marriage to my great grandmother, became the stepfather of Kate O'Donnell (then aged 10), my grandfather James O'Donnell (then aged 7), Mary Margaret O'Donnell (then aged 4) and Maurice Patrick O'Donnell (then aged 2).  Instant large family ... and all the commitments that come with that!  

My great grandmother has become the licensed victualler of the Free Selectors Hotel in June of 1894, after losing her first husband.  Just a couple of months after her second marriage, in June of 1895, there was an application made to transfer the licence to her second husband, Morgan Joseph O'Brien. Bridget was expecting a baby by this time, so perhaps that was the catalyst for the decision to transfer the licence to her new husband, Morgan.

It turned out though that Morgan was not the most reliable or skilled hotel keeper. Just one month later, in July 1895, he was appearing in court on a charge of supplying a child with liquor!!  Things were not going well!

Morgan became a father at the age of 29, with the birth of his son Morgan Joseph in January of 1896.  

Then just a couple months later, in March 1896, Morgan applied to have the victualler licence for the Free Selectors Hotel transferred back to Bridget.

At this point in the story, things appear to be going from not so good to not so very good at all.  

According to information gleaned from descendants of Morgan's parents, it was around this time that Morgan's father, Michael, had a fall from his horse and suffered a significant head injury.  There appeared to be a subsequent impact to his reasoning abilities and mental capacity.  According to family folklore "he was not quite right after this!"

In May of 1897 I found a small entry in the Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser stating that Michael O'Brien had appeared before the court charged with attempted suicide.  This is very likely to have been Morgan's father as the entry states the man was 60 years old, which is a match to the age Morgan's father would have been at this time.

I have not yet found any information to indicate what the outcome of his charge was, but it's likely Morgan's father spent some time in gaol.  Just a few months after his father had appeared in court, Morgan was also up on charges.

At this stage, things are really not going well for Morgan.  I wonder if he was able to pay the fine or ended up spending 24 hours in gaol?

Morgan's father, Michael O'Brien, was by now in a very bad way.  He decided he would return to visit Ireland, on his own, for a while and then come back to Australia.  Obviously the loss of his homeland had left a profound impact and in the depths of his despair, he felt the need to return home.  What followed was a peculiar turn of events though.  One day he was there, in Toowoomba, and the next he had gone.  He made no further contact with any of the family, and no-one was sure if he actually did indeed manage to leave Australia at all.  He didn't return to Toowoomba though, so he literally vanished into thin air.  

On top of all that, Morgan's mother Catherine died in 1899, at the rather young age of 50.  She had obviously been deeply affected by everything that had happened.

From 1897 to 1925, Morgan himself then appears to have disappeared.  

Electoral Roll for Toowoomba in 1905, showing the large O'Brien clan

Whilst his wife and siblings appear on the Electoral Rolls of 1903, 1905 and 1906 for the town of Toowoomba, Morgan doesn't appear at all.  His name doesn't appear on any records until 1925.  Where was he for the intervening 27 years? 

I doubt I will ever find definitive definitive evidence of his whereabouts during that period, but a clue did turn up on the Deceased Estate Files for a Morgan O'Brien, that I think was this particular Morgan.  I'll share this bit of information later on in this post.

If Morgan did indeed leave his family, I can only imagine the effect this would have had on his only son, and his wife, my great grandmother, and his step children, including my grandfather.  Sadly, Morgan's story didn't have a wonderful ending.  I finally found him in the 1925 Electoral Roll record for the electorate of Coorparoo, in the electoral division of Moreton, Queensland.

Morgan was living at the Pensioner's Camp on Ipswich Road in Brisbane. He would have been 59 years old at this time.

He was still there in 1928, at the age of 62.

What was this 'pensioner's camp' where Morgan was to spend his twilight years?

Here's a glimpse ...

This is what a typical abode looked like, from the outside.  Dwellings were erected using whatever material could be found and most would have had exactly this ramshackle look.  At the very least though, it was shelter!

This is what it might have look like inside, although I think the indoors of a single gentlemen's abode would have been far less appealing to the eye.

In a newspaper article published in the Daily Mail in July of 1924, the author painted a picture of the pensioner's camp ...

"Hidden from the view of the Brisbane community ... is a colony formed between twenty and thirty old age pensioners.  Most of them are living on a reserve; a scattered few on private land.  No rent is asked from these men.  They merely obtain a permit from the council or the owner of the private land. 

There are certain conditions to be fulfilled, principally in regard to the burning of all refuse, and the places are under police supervision, a visit being paid to them by an officer of the law about once a month.

The habitations of these men are almost as varied as their characters and ways, and the truth of 'necessity being the mother of invention' is well borne out in their constructions and equipment.

A number of men are in tents still, but most of them have made some sort of a shack for themselves.  Some of them are covered wholly with flattened out kerosene tins nailed neatly together.  The material has been recovered from rubbish heaps or pits.  The huts are mostly square, or nearly so in shape, with flat roofs, so from a distance they resemble large packing cases".

The following article, published in 1928, paints a vivid picture.

So it appears Morgan was living along in a community of old age pensioners who made shelters out of whatever they could scavenge.  The non-contributory aged pension was first paid by the Commonwealth Government here in Australia back in 1909, but only to those Australians who were 65 and over.  As Morgan was not yet aged 65 when he was living in the pensioner's camp, it's likely Morgan set up home with others he knew who were receiving the pension.

Sadly, it looks like Morgan passed away in early 1931 at the age of 64, alone in a hospital in Annerley, Brisbane.  His death certificate was completed by a doctor and a nurse, and interestingly, whilst it contained correct information about his parents' names and his place of birth, there were no details of his marriage or mention of his son.  In fact, the certificate stated that Morgan was not married.

That leads me to believe that Morgan and Bridget had separated way back in the late 1890s, and it's likely Morgan was never seen by his son, his step-children, or his siblings very much after that, if at all!  I'm guessing history repeated itself and he did exactly what his father had done ... disappeared into thin air!

I also uncovered a record on the New South Wales Index to Deceased Estate Files for a Morgan O'Brien who died in Annerley in 1931.  It seems in all likelihood, that the Morgan listed on this record would have been my great grandmother's second husband.

A final piece of the story ... this record lists Morgan's occupation as 'retired miner'.  

That would make sense and explain why he disappeared from all the official records for that 27 year time period I had mentioned previously.  I'm supposing he travelled around quite a bit looking for work as a miner wherever he could find it, and it looks like he moved interstate as well.  The record above shows that Morgan had a tiny sum of money saved, but it appears it was never passed on to family.  I'm left with a feeling of heavy regret that Morgan seems to have missed out on so much family love and support for around half his lifetime.

  

Gravesite of Morgan Joseph O'Brien at the Toowong Cemetery.
The gravesite is located at Portion 27, Section 11, Grave 10
(as indicated by the yellow markers)

Morgan Joseph O'Brien was buried at the Toowong Cemetery at Toowong, Queensland, Australia.  Sadly, his gravesite remains unmarked.

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.

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.