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the family of james belcher of waterford, ireland - University of ...

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58 APPENDIX A. SEARCH FOR A FAMILY<br />

shortly afterwards leaving Sarah responsible for <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong>. A kind neighbourJohnFurlonghelped<strong>the</strong>mandeventuallymarriedSarah.<br />

Thechildren<br />

were brought up Protestant. William eventually came to Euroa and began<br />

farming <strong>the</strong>re, taking up land and marrying Ellen Jamieson. Aunt Mary<br />

Wheatley, a widow, lived with her daughter Lucy in Williamstown. Nobody<br />

knew anything about Sarah Furlong and her <strong>family</strong>, but <strong>the</strong>re was an<br />

“Auntie” Lou somewhere, possibly at Guildford near Castlemaine.<br />

I did not take an interest in <strong>the</strong> Belcher History again until 1953, when an old<br />

notebook <strong>of</strong> my fa<strong>the</strong>r’s was found with <strong>the</strong> following cryptic entries:<br />

Col. Belcher Mrs. Porter Aunt May Cow<br />

Miss Rayson<br />

Floyd<br />

G G Fa<strong>the</strong>r 1 son John Belcher<br />

John Belcher 3 daughters Eliza Fleming<br />

(Edward Belcher Klondyke)<br />

G Fa<strong>the</strong>r John Belcher<br />

1 son Bill<br />

3 daughters<br />

Sarah Mrs. Furlong<br />

Eliza Died in Infancy<br />

Mary Ann Mrs. Wheatley<br />

John Belcher<br />

Drowned in Loddon 71 years ago on 1 June 40 years 2 months<br />

Later research proved <strong>the</strong>se notes remarkably accurate, even if very brief and<br />

somewhat confusing, and it is believed that my fa<strong>the</strong>r had received <strong>the</strong> information<br />

from his aunt Mary Wheatley in 1934. The apparent allusion to “Aunt May Cow”,<br />

seems to be to “Aunt Mary’s Cousins”, by name “Porta” and “Floyd”.<br />

I slowly continued research over <strong>the</strong> following years, as information became available<br />

from Victoria Archives, or from <strong>the</strong> registrar <strong>of</strong> Births, Deaths and Marriages,<br />

or from various o<strong>the</strong>r indexes and sources, being distracted from time to time with<br />

<strong>the</strong> families <strong>of</strong> my o<strong>the</strong>r ancestors, Jamiesons and Cunnings on my fa<strong>the</strong>rs side, and<br />

Whites and Innells and Sterlings on my mo<strong>the</strong>rs. This 150th Anniversary seemed a<br />

good time to put toge<strong>the</strong>r as much <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> information as I and o<strong>the</strong>rs had collected<br />

over <strong>the</strong> years. Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong> legends were verified, some still remain only legends,<br />

and many o<strong>the</strong>r questions have been raised by <strong>the</strong> investigation. Like most<br />

<strong>family</strong> historians, I regret that some 50 or so years ago, I did not interview all <strong>the</strong><br />

oldest members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong> to obtain <strong>the</strong>ir stories and <strong>the</strong>ir knowledge, nor did I<br />

start to collect photographs <strong>of</strong> people or <strong>of</strong> places with connections with <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong>.

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