e-Muster August 2012 - Central Coast Family History Society Inc.

e-Muster 

The The The Official Official Journal 

Journal 

Of Of the 

the 

Central Central Coast 

Coast 

Family Family History History Society Society Inc. 

Inc. 

Number Number 3 3 August August 2012 

2012

Central Central Coast Coast Coast Family Family History History Society Society Inc Inc. Inc 

Patrons: Laurie Maher, Mayor of Gosford Council 

Chris Holstein MP State Member for Gosford 

Deborah O’Neill MP Federal Member for Robertson 

Members of NSW & ACT Ass. of F.H.S. - A.F.F.H.O. & F.F.H.S. United Kingdom 

Executive: 

President Jon Fearon 02 4323 1849 

Vice President Kay Radford 02 4344 6512 

Secretary Marlene Bailey 02 4384 7913 

Treasurer Yvonne Potts 02 4341 4591 

CENTRE MANAGER Kay Radford 02 43245164 

Assigned Duties 

Bookstall Co-ordinator Barry Porter 02 4324 5164 

Bookstall meeting helper Warwick Forrest 

Bus Trips & Tours, Marlene Davidson 

CD Publications Coordinator Wallace Russell 

Education Officer Margaret Ertner 

Grant Applications Marlene Davidson 

Guest Speakers Jon Fearon 

Housekeeping Jenny Richmond 

IT and Computer Network Kimberley Martin 

LDS Film Hire Kay Rawnsley 

Librarian Yvonne Potts 

Librarian’s Assistant Ena Middleton 

Membership Secretary Wendy Condon 02 4388 2517 

Members’ Research Surnames Index Kay Radford temporary 

e-Muster Editor Kay Radford 

Pelican Press Editor Kay Radford 

Muster Proofreading Rene Jamison & Margaret Ertner 

Nic Nac Stall Rosemary Wiltshire 

Overseas Book Monitor Heather Sushames 

Property Officer Jon Fearon 

Publication Projects Kay Radford 

Public Officer Secretary Marlene Bailey 

Publicity & Advertising Warwick Forrest 

Raffle Organiser Bennie Campbell, Carol Evans 

Catering Margaret Ertner 

Research Officer Margaret Morters 02 4388 5876 

Roster Contact Research Centre Manager or Team Leaders 

Unrelated Certificates Kay Rawnsley 

Web Page Administrator Kay Radford 

Welfare & Hospital Visits Rene Jamison 

MEMBERSHIP ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION GST INCLUDED 

JOINING FEE $5.00 SINGLE $45.00 JOINT $62.00

e-Muster 

Number 3 August 2012 

First Published April 1983 

Official Journal of the Central Coast Family History Society Inc 

No article or item from this Journal may be reproduced without 

the written permission of the Society. 

The new e-Muster is published to our website 3 times a year - April, August, and 

December. The Society does not hold itself responsible for statements made or opinions 

expressed by advertisers or authors of articles appearing in The Muster. 

© Central Coast Family History Society Inc. 2008 

Research Centre: No. 8 Russell Drysdale Street, East Gosford 

Phone: 02 4324 5164 

P.O. Box 4090, East Gosford NSW Fax Number 4344 6512 

Home Page: www.centralcoastfhs.org.au 

The Editor: kayken1@bigpond.com 

Editorial .............................................. 1 

President’s Piece .......................... 2-3 

New Members ................................... 3 

CCFHS Events-information for 

members....................................... 4-12 

Finding Bridget ....................... 13-14 

The Hall Seat ............................ 15-16 

Who Planted the Trees ....... 17-18 

Nursing in the 1930s ........... 19-20 

Bishop and Amateur Genealogist 

....................................................... 21-22 

Lost Family Member on Census 

Record ............................................... 22 

The Past Meets the Present – The 

life and death of Christiana Nicol 

Williams ..................................... 23-25 

FamilySearch Films ...................... 25 

A Sydney Suicide .................... 26-27 

Lisarow Cemetery ......................... 27 

Sapphire Gems ........................ 28-30 

What a Bumper Issue April the 

2012 e-Muster was .............. 31-32 

A Letter to Mary from Karys 

- Part 1 ................................ 33-34

Journal of the Central Coast Family History Society Inc. 

EDITORIAL 

Rhonda Cetta-Hoye wrote what a bumper issue our last e-Muster was. 

Well this issue is just as good with a variety of stories one The Hall Seat by 

Warwick Forrest inspired by our Speaker in July. 

Margaret Ertner leads us on a merry old chase using reference material in 

our Library and a trip to the Mitchell in Sydney. 

I welcome new contributors, Warwick Forrest, Julie Aitchison (does anyone 

have any early photos of Umina?), Carolyn Elwin, Carolyn Kingsmill, Trish 

Michael and June Dawson, I thank my stallwarts, Margaret Ertner, Heather 

Sushames, Marlene Davidson and Karys Fearon 

Sorry Karys I didn’t have room for your complete story this issue but we will 

continue it in December. 

After a long time I managed to find an interesting tit bit when going back 

through an old folder looking for something else, as you do! This information 

could be handy for Northumberland and Durham researchers. 

I have had a few problems producing this edition and found the need to 

retype most of it over again. Please contributors just send your copy along 

without Word editing by someone else. Discuss it with anyone before 

sending it on, but please do not add any hidden formatting which can cause 

me stress. 

This Muster has taken me all day to prepare for the final proofreading when 

it should only take a couple of hours. 

Kay Radford - Editor 

Muster Muster Cover: Our Cottage 

Page Page No: No: 1 The Muster – August August 2012 2012 


The Muster – August 20 2012 20 2012 

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PRESIDENT’S PIECE 

It’s great to be able to travel overseas and, despite the jet-lag on our return, 

we can rely on modern aircraft to get us to the other side of the world much 

more quickly than our first journeys there forty-six years ago when the 

mode of travel was a slow boat! In case you hadn’t missed us, Karys and I 

have just spent ten weeks based at our son’s flat in London but with side 

trips to many counties and three nearby countries. 

The main purpose was twofold: to do some holiday sightseeing and to 

continue investigating the more difficult parts of the family tree. As we 

visited Archives Centres, Registry Offices and Family History Societies we 

realised just how privileged we all are here on the Central Coast to be served 

and helped by the hard working team at our Centre. Our facilities here are 

top class and as you know are being added to all the time. Do try to get to the 

Centre as often as you can and discover what is available, even in this Age of 

the Internet. Your society really is at the cutting edge of family history 

research. 

Being on the go for ten weeks makes the selection of highlights none too 

easy. As tourists we loved the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the Thames (no 

rain where we were, near the start) and were amazed at the presentation at 

the new Titanic Museum in Belfast. If you are ever in London, do some of the 

London Walks, two-hour guided adventures into the culture and history of 

parts of the city that many visitors never see. We did ten of them and only 

wished we could have fitted in a lot more. 

We explored Plymouth and Portsmouth in some cold sunshine and spent a 

memorable week in the Faroe Islands where the sun did shine, and set at 

11.20 pm, and where the eighteen islands are connected by undersea 

tunnels and ferries. In London we saw two West End shows, Les Miserables 

and The Mousetrap and joined the crowd to watch Henry V at The Globe 

Theatre. We were blown away by the breathtaking beauty of Bacharach, a 

village on the Rhine, where we had two nights’ accommodation, travelling to 

and fro on local trains from Cologne to Mainz. 

Our family history forays in England and Ireland are too numerous to 

mention here so we hope to cover the findings and methods at meetings in 

the months ahead. On the subject of meetings we are looking for speakers 

for September and November this year. Unfortunately for us we have missed 

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some of the great talks you have heard. We do, of course, want to continue 

the high standard you are used to. Suggestions please. 

State Conference is soon upon us, at Gymea this year. Are you going to be 

there? Jon 

NEW MEMBERS SINCE THE August Muster 2008 

We wish to extend a very warm welcome to our 23 new members. We hope 

they have many happy researching and social hours with us. Please 

remember to lodge your Members’ Interest Surnames with Kirsten Hawkes 

for inclusion on the Website. 

1807 BROMLEY Marie 1818 REMINGTON Brett 

1808 PELLOW Len 1819 DUNCAN June 

1809 BORSTEL Joan (rejoin) 1820 STEEN Barbara 

1810 THOMPSON Belinda 1821 RANDAZZO Wendy 

1811 BUTLER Chloe Renee 1822 CAMPBELL Jeanette 

1812 CHERYL Fay 1823J CROOK Ian and Sue 

1813J HOURIGAN Peter and Susan 1824 GIBBENS Jane 

1814 WALKER Thomas James 1825 LYTTLETON Mary 

1815 ROSS Kelly 1826J BAXTER Colleen and Karen 

1816 JONES Alan 1827 EVERSHED Barbara 

1817 McTEARE Susam 

SCOTTISH RESEARCHER 

Please update the contact 

email address for Jean Gibb, 

in Falkirk, Stirling, Scotland. 

Jeans business cards are 

available from the research 

centre. 

The Muster – August ugust 2012 2012 



12 


CCFHS EVENTS AND INFORMATION FOR MEMBERS 

COMPUTER USERS GROUP – Bi-monthly meetings. 

For Team Leaders and the Committee only 

On Saturday 11 th August – Google Drive. How to set up a Google Drive and 

send home your research results to your home computer, no need to use a 

flash drive or the print at the centre. 

The spin-off of this workshop will be that Team Leaders and several others 

will be able assist members with creating and using their own Google Drive. 

ADVANCED FAMILY TREE MAKER with Ken Clark 

September 8 th – Registration is necessary and limited to 12 – see website for 

further updates and information. Fee $5 per session payable on booking 

INTRODUCTION TO FAMILY TREE MAKER with Ken Clark 

November 10 th – Registration is necessary and limited to 12 – see website 

for further updates and information. Fee $5 per session payable on booking. 

WRITERS WORKSHOP 

The 2012 workshop has now concluded. In February 2012 the books will be 

open again for registration. Keep an eye on the website for further 

information. 

CENTRAL REGISTRATION 

The final six months courses and workshops are on the notice board in the 

kitchen. Please make sure you check it out when you are in the Centre. Add 

your name if you wish to attend any of the courses or workshops and pay 

the appropriate fee to secure your place. 

LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS – ORIENTATION WORKSHOPS with 

Margaret Ertner 

Two dates are now available for the above workshops. 

Monday 27 th August at the Research Centre start 12.30pm to 2pm (away 

before the school rush) 

Saturday 20 th October at the Research Centre start 12.30pm to 2pm. 

Page No: 4

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These sessions will concentrate on the new society intranet network 

Pelicanet, using MYOB Retail Manager and the EFTPOS machine. Not sure 

how to use the Canon Digital Scanner Printer? Then this is the time to learn. 

Place your name on the list on the noticeboard or ring the centre to book in. 

BEGINNERS’ BASICS with Margaret Ertner 

This course is structured to help new and old members find their way 

around the library collection and the online resources in the Centre. 

Course 2 

Three weeks – non-consecutive Saturdays, 17 th and 24 th November (skip 

week for the annual Christmas party) then the final session will be held on 

Saturday 8 th December. 

Venue: Multifunction room at the Research Centre 

Time: 12.30 pm til 2pm 

Fee: $20 for members and $25 for non-members – Tutorial booklet included. 

Limited to the first 20 bookings made accompanied by the full course fee. 

CENTRE WILL CONTINUE TO BE CLOSED ON MONDAYS 

As announced previously the centre is now closed for research on Mondays. 

We will still accept membership fees, course bookings and bookstall 

purchases. 

e-JOURNALS 

The following Societies.Groups etc. are now sending their journals and 

newsletters via email. I have downloaded them and placed them on to 

Pelicanet and are available for you to read on C1-C4 and C7 – C10. 

How? From the desktop select the pelican logo, then select e- 

Journals. 

The latest society to join the e-journal list is Richmond-Tweed Family 

History Society Inc. 

The list grows steadily every month so please make sure you keep checking 

back if you cannot find a hard copy in the Journal Basket. 

The Muster – August ugust 2012 



12 


DIARY NOTES – August – December 2012 

Please make a note in your diary or on your mobile 

telephone of the Society events for the next six months. 

AUGUST 

Saturday 4 th Members’ Meeting – Lions Community Hall 

rear of Research Centre. 

Annie Clarke - North Head Rock Inscriptions 

See Speaker profiles 

Saturday 11 th Special Google Drive meeting 

For Team Leaders and Committee only booked out. 

SEPTEMBER 

Saturday 1 st Members’ Meeting – Lions Community Hall 

Rear of Research Centre 

What My Research has uncovered this year. 

Presentation by Society members. 

Saturday 8 th Advanced Family Tree Maker with Ken Clark 

Research Centre – Arrive 12.30pm for 1pm start. 

Names on list - $5 on booking. 

Week end NSW & ACT Association of Family History Societies Inc 

14-16 th Annual Conference to be hosted by Botany Bay Family 

History Society at Tradies 

OCTOBER 

Saturday 6 th Members’ Meeting – Lions Community Hall 


Andrew Kfoury – Paramedic – more details to follow. 

Saturday 13 th Computer Users’ Group – I am waiting for confirmation from 

the facilitator for this workshop. Please check out the 

website 

Saturday 20 th Library Assistants Orientation Workshop 12.30pm for 1pm 

Page No: 6



NOVEMBER 

Saturday 3 rd Members’ Meeting – Lions Community Hall 


Andrew Matthew Kelly – see speakers profile. 

Saturday 10 th Family Tree Maker for Beginners with Ken Clark 

Arrive 12.30pm for 1pm start. Names on list - $5 on booking. 

Saturday 17 th Begins a three day Beginners Basic Workshop with Margaret 

Ertner. See page 5 for full details 

DECEMBER 

Saturday 1 st Christmas Party – Bookings and pre-payment necessary. 

More details as the event gets closer. Keep your eye on the 

website please. 

Saturday 8 th Final day of the Beginners Basics workshop. 

RESEARCH CENTRE CLOSURE 

The research Centre will close for the holiday break from 

Saturday 15 th December 2012 

and will re-open on Tuesday 30 th January at 9.30am 

As usual special arrangements can be made for members who wish to read 

films or who would like to use the centre without assistance. 

Please contact the Research Centre Manager for further information. 

RECIPROCAL RESEARCH AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER SOCIETIES. 

The following societies/groups have agreed to participate: 

Blue Mountains Family History Society Inc 

Coffs Harbour Family History Society 

Richmond-Tweed Family History Society Inc 

Wagga Wagga & District Family History Society Inc 

Wyong Family History Group Inc. 



MEMBERSHIP FEES 2013 

The Muster – August 20 2012 20 12 


Annual Membership Fees for 2013 will be: 

Single Membership $45.00 

Joint Membership $62.00 

Joining Fee $ 5.00 

The modest increase in membership fees is the first increase in four years 

and is necessary to enable the Society to continue to provide the range of 

services and support to members. The new fees will apply to membership 

renewals and new memberships from 1 November 2012. 

Among recent benefits for members, the Society has 

• Replaced 12 computers in the Research Centre with new models with 

increased speed and capacity 

• Installed a new modem to improve Internet access to our computers 

and members’ laptops 

• Provided free access to several new programs, such as Find My Past all 

sites, British Newspaper Archives, and The Genealogist 

• Established our own Intranet – Pelicanet – to provide direct in-house 

access to many resources without the need to find and load individual 

CDs 

• Installed new, sturdy work tables and a large projection screen in the 

Research Centre to enable the Society to conduct in-house educational 

workshops for members, reducing the costs of external venue hire. 

• Purchased a new projector for talks and courses. 

The Management Committee has decided to proceed immediately with the 

purchase of the new ScanPro2000 Multipurpose Scanner, which is a 

significant investment. As well, the Society is also meeting increased 

operating costs, such as electricity, insurance, rental and printing. 

The Committee 

Visit u-tube for demos on this equipment 

ScanPro2000 

Page No: 8



SPEAKERS PROFILES 

4th August: Annie Clarke, North Head Rock Inscriptions. 

Annie is the co-ordinator for the Heritage Studies program 

which is an undergraduate major in the Faculty of Arts and 

Social Sciences. She currently teaches the four units of study 

in Heritage Studies at the University of Sydney. 

The Indigenous Archaeology of Northern Australia, focusing on Eastern 

Arnhem Land. The art and archaeology of cross-cultural interactions. 

Community-based archaeology and heritage. Collecting studies, specifically 

focusing on the role of Indigenous agency in the formation of Museum 

collections and the relationships between popular collecting and private 

museums 

Annie has a longstanding research interest in the archaeology and rock art of 

cross-cultural interactions based on field research on Groote Eylandt and in 

eastern Arnhem Land. Her research is situated within a community-based 

approach to archaeology. Annie has recently begun a new research program 

which is concerned with Collecting Studies, specifically focusing on the role 

of Indigenous agency in the formation of Museum collections and on the 

relationships between popular collecting and private museums 

1st September: Presentations by Society Members What My Research has 

uncovered this year. List of presenters will be placed on the website 

6th October: Andrew Kfoury, Paramedic – more details to follow. One of our 

members has previously heard Andrew speak. On that occasion he gave an 

insight into the history of the Ambulance Service of New south Wales. He told 

what signs and symptoms to look for in regard to heart attack , etc., and how 

to perform CPR. It was a very interesting and informative presentation. At 

this stage we do not know exactly what he has in mind for us, but imagine it 

would be on similar lines. Given the ages of our members I feel it should be 

of interest to them. 





3rd November: Matthew Kelly – Archaeologist. Archaeology in Sydney over 

the past 20 years. 

Matthew Kelly is a historical archaeologist with wide 

ranging excavation and survey experience both here 

and in Europe. In addition to his appointment as 

Archaeological Advisor to the NSW Heritage Office in 

1992, Matthew was a member of the team which 

produced the Parramatta Historical Archaeological 

Landscape Management Project (PHALMS), a key 

archaeological planning tool for the CBD of Parramatta. 

He has been associated with most major historical 

archaeological excavations in Australia since the 1990s, 

including Dickson’s Mill; First Government House site; 

Cumberland Street, The Rocks; Palais Royale site, 

Newcastle; and Eora Creek, Papua New Guinea. His 

overseas experience includes archaeological research projects in Portugal, 

Luxembourg and Austria and archaeological surveys at Christmas Island. 

Jon Fearon-President 

WANTED – IRISH ANCESTOR 

I’ve been tracing my family history for about 26 years now and it can be very 

frustrating hearing people find Irish people by the bus load. 

Some don’t even seem as if they want any more…. 

“I’ve got 6” one lady boasted!! Another had 5. I stop listening after a while 

because I’m just green with envy. 

Well, all I want is to find ONE Irish ancestor….I can’t give a rational 

explanation as why I have the desire to have an Irish ancestor but perhaps 

it’s because my name is Irish and I was born on 17 th March – St Patrick’s Day 

and have always had a love of everything Irish…..you’d think it was in my 

genes …but NO!!! 

So if anyone has a surplus of Irish ancestors then draw up the adoption 

papers and I’d be happy to take one off your hands. 

I promise to give them a good home….. 

Trish Michael (very tongue in cheek) - Member 1163 

Page No: 10 

10



SPEAKERS CORNER with Warwick Forrest 

(A note on guest speakers at recent meetings) 

7 th April 2012 Pam Williams - Reunited after 25 years; 

Lindsay Watts – Over the mountains, and Sue Breckenridge 

– Birmingham beginnings. 

Although this was Easter Saturday, many members attended and took the 

opportunity to hear the stories of three of our members. Not only were we 

interested to hear the special stories from their family histories, we also 

learned from their research 

experiences. 

5 th May 2012 G Karskens - The early years of the settlement of the colony of 

Sydney. 

Grace Karskens' entertained and informed her audience on the lost world of 

Sydney’s Rocks district. Grace displayed her skill to combine her knowledge 

of history and archaeology in writing The Rocks: Life in Early Sydney which 

won the 1998 NSW Premier’s Award for Local and Regional History. 

2 nd June 2012 Dr. Greg de Moore - Tom Wills: His Spectacular Rise and Fall 

Dr Greg de Moore is a delightful individual and such a story teller. His 

biography of Tom Wills was inspired by the uncovering an old psychiatric 

record. Greg kept the 60 odd audience thoroughly intrigued for well over an 

hour and a half. If we didn’t know before about Tom Wills we certainly knew 

after Greg’s talk, and wondered why we hadn’t heard of him before. 

We have purchased a copy of Greg’s book on Tom Wills and it will be 

available to borrow from the library in a couple of weeks. 

7 th July 2012 Janis Wilton – Family Objects 

Janis Wilton is a public and oral historian based at the University of New 

England where she coordinated and teaches local, family and applied history 

courses. Janis gave us much to think about as she illustrated the value of 

recognising family objects to add colour to the history of family members. 

Such simple things as grandma’s “magic” toaster that enthralled a young 




12 


grandson or more complex floor plans showing the location of furniture. 

Janis encouraged us to make sure we had photos of at least the significant 

items in the home, in their home context, particularly as the time to leave the 

house approaches. 

TRANSCRIPTION AGENTS 

Don’t forget transcriptions of birth, death and marriage records are available 

in NSW and only NSW. The accredited Agents are: 

Email joy@joymurrin.com.au 

Marilyn Rowan – marilynr@marbract.com.au 

Laurie Turtle – lturtle@iprimus.com.au 

We do not recommend our members use commercial businesses who 

advertise on the internet for fast delivery. Stick with the ones you know you 

can trust. 

Page No: 12 12 

12



FINDING BRIDGET! 

I’m sure we all have that ancestor for whom we just can’t find that elusive 

piece of evidence for a birth, death or a marriage. You know the feeling. You 

keep searching the NSWBDM website hoping that miraculously the name is 

going to jump out at you to no avail. No amount of wildcard searching or 

trying spelling variants produces anything. Brickwall! 

My maternal great grandmother was one of these until I was directed to use 

the Index to the Microform Collection of the Society of Australian 

Genealogists 1990. This is an index to the Church and Parish Registers for 

New South Wales that are on microfilm held at the Mitchell Library in 

Sydney. It is affectionately called the “blue book”. 

Shamefully, it took me another four years to follow up this advice. I tagged 

along on one of Marlene’s recent State Library tours. After a great morning 

being shown the resources and equipment now set up for the serious family 

historians at State Library and with the hunger pangs satisfied at their 

wonderful “Trim” restaurant, Marlene and I decided to spend the afternoon 

in the Mitchell Library. 

I have to say I wasn’t too hopeful of finding anything having already spent 

about 20 years of various searches to find the baptism and hopefully birth of 

great grandmother Bridget WYCHE. The other problem I faced was that the 

surname for her three older siblings had been variously recorded as 

VOYAGE, VOIGE AND VOIAGE! It must have come about by the combination 

of the Lancashire accent and the hearing of the Irish priest. 

Not to be deterred and armed with the information from the “blue book” I 

located the film in the Mitchell. I just had to find the Parish record for St 

Nicholas of Myra at Penrith and search around the year 1855 as all my 

previous information indicated this was her birth year. 

Have you ever been in the Mitchell Library and had that “Eureka” moment. 

You know what I mean, then, when I say I just wanted to shout out “I found 

her”! There on the page was her baptism and birthdate; baptised April 1855, 

born 15 February 1855 to parents Peter VOYAGE and Bridget HARTNET. 

Another VOYAGE in the family! Luckily for me each entry has had the 

mother’s maiden name and that confirmed I had the correct entry. 




12 


Not satisfied with this find, I wanted to know why couldn’t I find her on 

NSWBDM if she was in the Parish register? At the suggestion of Kay Radford, 

I checked the two preceding entries on this page Isaac GARLICK and Owen 

STAPLETON to see if they appeared on NSWBDM. This would either alert me 

to the fact that the whole page had been lost between parish and Registrar 

or just my Bridget had been missed. Interestingly the two preceding entries 

are listed on NSWBDM. So what happened to Bridget? Now armed with the 

Volume number for the 1855 entries of these two boys in Penrith, I searched 

the films we have of pre-1856 Baptisms Marriages and Burials. 

The boys’ entries were for March 1855 and knowing Bridget was baptised in 

April, I searched for her entry. Alas! There was a note saying “No entries for 

April”. The entries were for March and 

then May definitely nothing for April. 

So the page had either been lost or 

misplaced. Of course, if the Registry 

was using this register to transcribe 

the baptisms, it explained why Bridget 

does not appear on the NSWBDM 

website. 

I now have a copy of her baptism 

confirming her birthdate as well. 

Always follow up advice, especially if it 

is from someone who has already done 

the research the hard way…..preinternet. 

Google doesn’t have all the 

answers! 

Margaret Ertner - Member No. 1252 

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR 

I have decied to change the font used in The e-Muster. From this issue I have 

used one of the default Windows fonts CAMBRIA (16pt) which reads very 

clearly and looks great. Just one more thing I should remind our budding 

story tellers. When composing your family stories please remember that all 

SURNAMES should be displayed as capital letters. Grabs the attention of the 

reader! 


14



THE HALL SEAT 

The short entrance from our front door opens into a wider area and there 

stands the hall seat. Let me tell you something of its history and how it came 

to be there. 

My grandfather, Alfred White, my mother’s father, was a cabinet maker. 

Alfred married Mary Louisa in 1902 and they moved to Lismore on the NSW 

north coast. Here Alfred worked for a furniture manufacturer as foreman 

cabinet maker, and it was at Lismore that my mother, Leonie, was born in 

1905. 

Time passed. By the 1920’s the family had moved to Sydney, my mother’s 

older sister had graduated from teachers college and was teaching in 

western NSW. Leonie was the remaining daughter so was natural she, then 

in her early 20’s, would assume the role of carer for her invalid mother. 

Clearly Alfred loved his daughter and greatly appreciated the sacrifice she 

was required to make. Though he was no longer in the trade, Alfred drew on 

all his skill as a cabinet maker to make for Leonie a hall seat, to be used as a 

glory box for her trousseau. By the time Mother and Dad married in 1931 

the hall seat was well stocked with linen and other items required by the 

newlywed couple. 

Mother and Dad moved from their initial North Sydney apartment to a larger 

flat at Greenwich when the first of four sons was born. I was born there in 

1936, the second son. The family moved on to Sutherland to begin a new life 

following the strains of the post-Depression years; on then to Cronulla, 

possible for more affordable accommodation, back to a different house in 

Sutherland to start yet again to build a life after the difficult years of WW II, 

then to the Canberra suburb of Yarralumla when Dad was transferred to 

open a branch office for his insurance firm, and then to the nearby suburb of 

Farrer when Dad retired. Mother moved back to Sydney and into a 

retirement village after Dad died in 1985. 

The hall seat, the first item of furniture to be moved into their first home in 

1931, had travelled faithfully across the miles and the years. Inevitably, the 

time came for Mother to move to a nursing home where space for personal 

items was limited. As is the way, her sons and their wives selected special 

items. I selected the hall seat, so let me tell you why. 




12 


Let us go back to 1942-44, the middle years of the war, when we were living 

at South Cronulla. For much of this time Dad was in the air force and was 

away from home, including time in New Guinea. Times were tough. I 

remember the black-out curtains, the windows of my bedroom were 

covered with heavy brown paper painted black so no lights could be seen by 

enemy bombers; during the day and at night with the lights out, I could open 

the windows and watch the navy ships pass by at sea, probably en route 

from Sydney to the Navy base at Jervis Bay. I remember the tank-traps along 

the beach front, large triangular prisms of concrete placed to obstruct any 

attempts by an invading enemy to come ashore. I remember the slit trenches 

dug in the school playground in zig-zag fashion so that, as we were told, 

even if a bomb landed in the zig part those of us in the zag part might not be 

killed. And so when the time came to select special items from our earlier 

life, I remembered that as a small boy of about seven or eight years, climbing 

onto the hall seat which became, only partly in play, my safe haven from 

pirates, alligators, burglars and what-ever else might threaten. 

Mother was pleased to let me have the hall seat because she understood its 

significance for me. Though sad to let go this piece, made with love by her 

father and part of her life for more than 70 years, she knew it would 

continue to be cared for. It is only now as I think back that I understand 

what this inanimate but 

constant life-time 

companion must have 

meant to my mother. 

Warwick Forrest – 

Member 1552 

[Note: This story was prompted by the talk given by Janis Wilton at our July 

monthly meeting, on the importance of objects in the stories of our families.] 


16



WHO PLANTED THE TREES 

In 1955 my family moved to Umina, to Sydney Avenue which was lined with 

tall pine trees. They were cut down in the 1960s. When I retired I went to 

Gosford City Library, asked to see the file on Ocean Beach/Umina, I was sure 

I would find out who had planted the trees. What I found was a copy of a real 

estate map from 1918, a newspaper article about a supermarket opening in 

the 1960s and an article about the progress association! There was not a 

single photo, any copies of newspaper reports of happenings, nothing about 

the surf club, Eric Worrell’s Reptile Park or any of the people who had lived 

in Ocean Beach/Umina during the last 110 years. 

On that day I resolved to research and document the history and heritage of 

Ocean Beach/Umina. I want it to be a tribute to the many families who 

settled the town, their struggles to survive the depression, and the resilience 

of the people who survived at least one bush fire every year, floods and 

drought. I have found a lot of information so far. 

People arrived at Woy Woy in the 1900s and asked where the surf was. They 

were told at “the ocean beach” the name stayed until 1921 when the 

postmaster at Ocean Beach changed it to Umina. Then in the 1980s the post 

office decided on Umina Beach as the official name. The locals use which 

ever name they prefer. 

The community in the 20s, 30s and 40s was made up of several hundred 

permanent residents. For six months of the year from October to Easter the 

town was flooded with holiday makers. They stayed in one of the several 

guest houses or alternatively pitched tents in the camping area on the beach 

front. Many of the local residents would move into cabins on the back of 

their blocks and rent their houses out for the season. 

In January 1922 the townsfolk started the first 

Surf Life Saving Club on the Central Coast. 

Eric Worrell’s world renowned Reptile Park 

originated in Umina, supplied I might add by 

the children of the town. Eric would pay the 

children to collect snakes, spiders and lizards 

for his establishment. 




12 


Charles Jerreris STAPLES worked tirelessly for the town and Surf Club. He 

was the inaugural president of the surf club, also the first President of the 

new breakaway Woy Woy Council that was formed in 1928, yet there isn’t a 

tribute to him on the Peninsula. 

One of the foundation members of the surf club was also an AIF soldier who 

landed at Gallipoli on 25 th April 1915. His story is one of dedication to his 

country and fellow man. 

Rev. Manfred RUPP, known as the “The Orchard Man” was the Anglican 

Minister for Umina in the 1930s. He oversaw the building of the Church Hall 

in Umina in 1934, and then came the hard part of the procedure, paying back 

the 180 pounds it cost to build. 

My search continues, I am always on the lookout for any photographs, 

newspaper clippings and family histories that relate to Ocean Beach/Umina 

from 1900 to 1960. If anyone can help me with information please email me 

at julieaitch@bigpond.com. 

P.S. I did find out who planted the trees, it was Charles Raymond Stanfield 

STAPLES, Real Estate Agent of Woy Woy and father of Charles Jefferis 

STAPLES. 

I joined the Central Coast Family History Society 18 months ago, since then I 

have received much support from other members. I belong to the Writers’ 

Workshop, which I find very informative as well as a great forum to swap 

ideas and views on the best way to express myself with the written word. 

Julie Aitchison – Member 1697 

ROTARY RAFFLE – Last year we were able to raise $4,000.00 from the 

sale of tickets in the huge Rotary Raffle. Proceeds to go to the new 

ScanPro2000. 

We have finally ordered the equipment but the price has increased from 

$12,000 to just over $14.000 since we first decided to purchase. This year 

we would like to break our record. All we need to do is sell the tickets, there 

is no cost to us for every dollar we sell we receive that dollar back. It’s a no 

brainer. Tickets will be available in the coming months and you will be sent 

out (5) tickets to buy yourself or sell to friends. If you cannot sell the tickets 

PLEASE RETURN THEM TO THE MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY otherwise we 

receive a penalty. 


18



NURSING IN THE 1930s 

I recorded much of Mum’s oral history some years ago and thought some of 

you might enjoy her quirky nursing tales. Much of it is written in her ‘voice’ 

as she related it to me. 

My mother Dorothy Mary Chappell was born in 1914 and in 1932 she 

undertook nursing training in The Princess Elizabeth of York Hospital in 

Shadwell, London, England. 

Nursing was so different then and bears little resemblance to many of the 

nursing practices today. There was no technology to speak of and no 

antibiotics to fight infection. The focus of care was mainly on prevention 

rather than cure I think. Surgical gloves were only worn in the operating 

theatres and were quite clumsy compared to the surgical gloves today. They 

weren’t worn for ward work at all. We had to scrub our hands with a 

nailbrush and soap and then soak them in Perchloride of Mercury. This was 

meant to ensure some degree of sterility but it did nothing for your hands I 

can tell you. 

“Our uniforms were long blue and white striped dresses with a stiff starched 

collar, attached to the dress with a collar stud. The continual washing and 

starching made the edges of these collars like a razor blade. We rubbed soap 

on them to prevent our necks chafing but I always had a red mark there when I 

got changed. The dresses also had long sleeves with detachable stiff starched 

cuffs. We took them off when we were working and our rolled up sleeves were 

covered with a sort of frill so it all looked neat and tidy. We also wore big 

white starched aprons and starched hats to complete the outfit. 

We weren’t paid until we qualified and even then the wages were very poor. 

We had to pay for training, uniform, books and accommodation. We all had to 

live in the Nurses Home with a great many restrictions and a lot of supervision. 

There were no separate study blocks and we often had to attend lectures after 

coming off night duty. We worked very long hours and there were no parttime 

positions at all. We had to work six weeks of night duty at a stretch with 

only a day and a night off at the end of it before resuming day duty. I don’t 

think I’ve ever been so tired in my life. 

Mum undertook her midwifery training in The British Hospital for Mothers 





and Babies in Woolwich, London where she remained on staff for a number of 

years. This was a maternity hospital in Samuel Street, Woolwich and was 

created from the amalgamation in 1915 of the Home for Mothers and Babies 

(established 1905) with the British Lying-In Hospital, Holborn. In 1922 Queen 

Mary officially opened the hospital's new buildings. 

Part of our midwifery training was done in the community and we had a sister 

who supervised our work. We went out on bicycles both night and day to 

deliver babies in the home and this could be quite an education in itself. My 

area covered the Woolwich docks and I often had to deliver a baby in the 

middle of a great big flea-ridden, feather bed. Bed bugs were also abundant 

and in some places there were bugs dropping down from the ceiling as well. 

When we returned to the hospitals from these deliveries we had to go through 

a back entrance into a basement, strip off and clean up before going back into 

the main hospital. 

Families often offered us a cup of tea when the delivery was over. Sister Kard 

my supervisor said we should always accept this hospitality so I drank with my 

left hand because I thought that side of the cup might be a bit cleaner. One day 

I was in a particularly filthy house and the new mother beamed at me from her 

bed and said ‘…cor nurse, you’re just like me 

drinking out that side of the cup’!!! 

I think it’s a good thing that nursing has 

changed in so many ways and looking back 

we had to be so particular over really silly 

things. Sister would inspect the ward and if 

one bed was a few inches out of line with 

another we were ticked off. The corners of 

the bedspreads had to be perfect and woe 

betide you if a patient had put a wrinkle in 

the bedding before ward round!” 

The working conditions for nurses 

continued to improve over the years and my 

mother continued her nursing career as a Health Visitor until she retired in 

1975 

Carolyn Elwin – Member 1729 

Page No: 20 

20



BISHOP AND AMATEUR GENEALOGIST 

I wrote about Bishop Shute BARRINGTON many years ago in The Muster and 

thought it might be well worth repeating as it supports the importance not 

only of viewing a primary record, but if you have a baptism which took place 

in Durham or Northumberland from 1797 to 1812 then like me you might be 

lucky enough to prove something that has been bugging you and finally 

proves your research. 

1797 BISHOP SHUTE BARRINGTON ENTRIES 

Bishop Shute Barrington was the bishop of 

Durham and Northumberland and also an 

amateur genealogist. He asked that all parish 

registers in Northumberland and Durham be 

kept in great detail. Here's a typical Bishop Shute 

BARRINGTON baptism entry from Gainford 

parish register: 

1805 - Margaret Chapman, born November 18, 

1804, baptised March 31st 1805. Second 

daughter of John Chapman of Headlam, 

schoolmaster, (son of George Chapman) native of Lartington in the parish of 

Romaldkirk, Yorkshire, by his wife Mary Robinson (daughter of William 

Robinson) native of West Rounton, Yorkshire. 

Bishop Shute BARRINGTON entries affect only Northumberland and Durham 

for the years 1797 - 1812 but, offer valuable information and are worth 

looking for, even if your ancestor was born outside these dates. Look for the 

birth records of a sibling. 

I needed to prove that my third great grandfather James MAYERS was born 

in Staffordshire although he was living in Burslem, Newcastle upon Tyne, 

Northumberland as early as 1808. Back in June 2003 I was in England and 

happened to meet a lady in Newcastle at the Tyne and Wear Archives whom 

I befriended in the short hour or so we were there. 

We continued corresponding when I came home and she found the following 

entry and sent me a copy of the original entry together with the full 

explanation of Bishop BARRINGTON and his request to the parishes. 




12 


The entry read: Joseph Mayers, born April 12 1808, baptised May 22 first son 

of James Mayers potter native of Burslem, Stafford by his wife Susanna 

daughter of Joseph Simpson potter of this chapelry. 

I had previously found the only marriage for a James MAYERS to a Susanna 

SIMPSON taking place in Stoke on Trent, so it seems that Susanna for some 

reason was in Staffordshire, met James, they married then moved down to 

Newcastle prior to the birth of first son Joseph (Simpson added later) 

MAYERS. 

It confirmed the masses of research I had accumulated in Staffordshire and 

supported the family settling in Northumberland. 

It has been almost thirty years since this search began; perhaps with the 

plethora of information being released today I still might find Susanna’s 

father Thomas and eventually find out who was Susanna’s mother. 

Kay Radford – Member 530L 

LOST FAMILY MEMBER ON CENSUS RECORD 

Have you tried to find a family member you KNOW has to be on the census 

record, but all attempts to locate him/her have failed? 

What I did know was that her name was Mary Sawyer, she was born in York 

in 1848 and married in Scarborough in 1872. She had worked as a servant 

in 1861 census north York but Ancestry could not find her no matter how 

many name variations I tried. 

Finally, I omitted name altogether, put in birth details and residence in 1871 

and that she was a servant. 

There she was!! A sewing maid at Oliver’s Mount Boy’s school, Scarborough 

which was a different Scarborough address from that recorded on her 

marriage certificate the year later. Her name? Mary SAWGER! 

Thus, be even more creative and see what may be revealed!! 

Karys Fearon - Member 1216J 


22



THE PAST MEETS THE PRESENT 

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF CHRISTIANA NICOL WILLIAMS 

It’s a lonely grave, with a sad story to tell. Located in the bush surrounding 

an opulent tourist resort, it seems out of time and place - a poignant 

reminder of our colonial past amidst the modernity and luxury of the 

present. It is the grave of my ancestor, Christiana Nicol WILLIAMS. 

It is a handsome grave with both a tall headstone and a small footstone and 

although faded by the ravages of time and weather the inscription reads: 

Sacred to the Memory of Christiana Nicol Williams 

Who was born July 9 1842 and died November 12 1879 

Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death 

I will fear no evil for Thou art with me. [1] 

Christiana was my great Aunt. Her 

father, George NICOL, arrived in 

Australia aboard the Alfred in 

1839, with his wife Ellen. They 

were assisted emigrants from 

Scotland, brought out to the new 

country by Captain FLINT. Their 

first child, Mary, was born on the 

passage to Australia. 

The family settled in the 

Campbelltown area where Christiana was born on 9 th July 1842. In about 

1856, George purchased a subdivided acreage near Appin, part of an original 

land grant from Governor MACQUARIE, and named it Netherdale. By all 

accounts George was a successful farmer and Christiana grew up in relative 

comfort with her ten siblings. On the 23 Feb 1867 Christiana married Henry 

WILLIAMS, son of Luke WILLIAMS and Ann PARRY at the Appin home. [2] 

In the year of their marriage, Henry WILLIAMS took up the conditional 

purchase of 100 acres of land at Wolgan Valley, near Lithgow, and there he 

brought his new bride. [3] 




12 


Henry and Christiana were pioneers in the valley. They felled trees and 

cleared the bush and built themselves a small home. Henry established a 

dairy farm and Christiana helped to milk the cows and churn the butter and 

cheese. Conditions were primitive and life would have been very difficult 

especially in winter. It must have been quite a shock for Christiana, after the 

comfort of her family home at Appin. [4] 

On that lonely farm, deep in the Wolgan Valley, Christiana gave birth to 

seven children, probably without any assistance. Tragically, she died on 12 th 

November 1879 giving birth to her seventh child, a daughter who was given 

her name. She was only thirty-seven. The family was shattered by her early 

death, the newborn being cared for by her grandparents. What happened to 

the other children is sadly unknown, as Henry would have been unable to 

care for them on his own. 

Christiana was buried in the cemetery near the small timber Anglican 

Church in the valley. Her heartbroken husband erected a handsome 

tombstone in memory of his beloved wife. There is no longer any evidence of 

that church, but the isolated grave of Christiana remains as a stark reminder 

of the struggles of the early settlers of the valley. 

Undisturbed for some 130 years, the story of Christiana and her lonely grave 

became part of the local folklore. Then, in 2005 the Emirates Hotel Chain put 

forth a proposal to build a six star, eco-friendly International Resort in that 

spectacular valley. On the site was the grave of Christiana Nicol WILLIAMS. 

During the planning stages, there was ongoing community consultation that 

included meetings with residents, conservationists, Federal, State and Local 

Governments, heritage groups, indigenous leaders and local businesses. [5] 

Members of the public and stakeholders were encouraged to view the 

concept plan and a map was sought showing the location of Christiana ‘s 

gravesite, in relation to the development. It was noted that a planned feral 

fence would block off access to Donkey Mountain and also close off access to 

“the historic (1879) grave site of Christiana WILLIAMS.” [6] 

The luxurious resort was approved in May 2006, but one of the many 

conditions was the preservation of the original homestead buildings and 

Christiana’s grave. Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa opened to great fanfare in 

2009. It is a gated resort and access is only available to staff and paying 


24



guests. Sadly the grave is therefore “out of bounds” to the general public, but 

a key to a gate in the feral fence was provided to a family descendant to 

enable access to the grave. 

One day I will locate that key, obtain access to the site and stand by that 

lonely grave. I will close my eyes, open my heart and imagine the life and 

times of my pioneer great Aunt. I will stand in the present and absorb the 

ghosts of the past. 

The grave is listed with the New South Wales Cemeteries Index under 

“lonely graves.” http://austcemindex.com/cemeteries.php?state=NSW 

Carolyn Kingsmill – Member 1724 

End Notes: 

[1]"Bakers, Bishops and Bushrangers" Robert J Williams, 2003, p.99 

[2]"Bakers, Bishops and Bushrangers" Robert J Williams, 2003,p.58 

[3] Winchester, F, 1982; Wolgan Valley, cited in Lithgow District Historical Society’s Occasional Paper No. 51, p.3 

[4] "Bakers, Bishops and Bushrangers" Robert J Williams, 2003, p.97 

[5] Lithgow Mercury, 19 Nov 2005 

[6] www.planning.nsw.gov.au/asp/pdf/05_0079_major_project_assessment_emirates.pdf 

FAMILYSEARCH FILMS IN THE CENTRE 

The following is a list of films that are at present in the centre and are 

available for viewing unless the member who ordered the film is using it. 

FILM NUMBER AREA DUE BACK 

989743 Parochial Registers 

Boyle 1792-1991, Roscommon 

1 September 2012 

1542151 Parish Registers Sutton Bridge, 1 September 2012 

Lincoln, Marriages & Burials 

1841-1937 plus Sutton St 

1041385 

Edmund & Sutton St James 

Parish Registers Kilmarnock, 1 September 2012 

Ayr, SCT BDM 1687-1820 

1041388 Parish Registers Kilmarnock, 1 September 2012 

Ayr, SCT bdm 1829-1893 

1849305 Bishops Transcripts, Fingal, 1 September 2012 

YKS. 1662-1868 




12 


A SYDNEY SUICIDE 

Years ago I found that a Tasmanian great aunt had died in November 1901 

in Sydney and I sent for her death certificate. Much to my surprise I found 

that she had committed suicide so looked up the Sydney Morning Herald 

around that date to see if there was any mention of it. 

Sure enough, I found an article “Strange death of a Woman Suffocated by 

Charcoal Fumes.” 

It appears Mary Anne who was a spinster dressmaker aged 40 living in 

Annandale, had not been seen for some days by neighbors but when they 

smelt a peculiar odour coming from her house, they contacted the local 

police. When the constable entered the house he found Mary Anne‘s body in 

the bedroom lying across a bed with her head hanging over the side. Two 

kerosene tins containing a quantity of half-burnt wood and charcoal were 

directly beneath it. On the floor beside the tins he found a bag containing 

some charcoal, a small fire shovel, and a pair of tongs, whilst on a table 

nearby were several letters addressed to persons of the same name as 

deceased in Tasmania. 

I made enquiries at the local police station about the letters (much to their 

surprise some 80 years later!) and was told they didn’t think they would 

have been kept. Not knowing where else to turn, I forgot about them over 

the years. 

Last week I found one of them printed on the TROVE site under the heading 

“Suicide in Sydney, a Peculiar Letter.” Apparently the Adelaide Advertiser 

had picked up the gruesome story and printed it on November 14 1901 and 

also printed one of the letters which was addressed to Mary Anne’s brother 

in Tasmania. 

The context of the letter does not make much sense to me, I think she could 

have been a little deranged when she wrote it, but on the other hand, 

perhaps what she said about her family was very meaningful to her brother, 

that is something I will never know. 


26



TROVE is a marvellous source as they include items from 

newspapers all over the country and you just might find the 

unexpected as I did when I put the surname in. Who would have thought I 

would find a missing 1901 Sydney letter in an Adelaide newspaper! 

Heather Sushames - Life Member 651L 

LISAROW CEMETERY 

This photograph is of Joan 

CONVERY and her sister Grace 

ALCHIN taken at St. John's 

Church Cemetery, Lisarow. 

Joan, and her husband John, who 

live nearby, have been 

voluntarily caring for the 

cemetery for 30 years. 

Unfortunately due to their age 

and ill health, they are unable to 

continue this work and are deeply saddened by the current state of neglect. 

This historic site is the last resting place of many members of our early 

pioneer families and is rapidly being overtaken by the surrounding bush; 

many headstones are barely visible amongst the undergrowth and rubbish. 

If nothing is done to restore the cemetery it will eventually share the fate of 

Brady’s Gully Cemetery and just disappear. 

Joan and Grace have made a detailed plan of the cemetery showing the 

position of all graves including those unmarked. 

This document is of great value to local historians and is on display at our 

centre. 

June Dawson – Member 389 




12 


SAPPHIRE GEMS 

What priceless gems of historic information were found in the shipping 

records of the Sapphire which arrived in Sydney on 24 th May 1859, with 286 

passengers. On board were 21 married couples, 232 singles and 15 children 

under 12 years. All these with the crew on the 749 ton vessel with a draft of 

18 feet and lower deck dimensions of 150x25.6 feet. Yes, State Records has a 

folder about 5cm thick, NRS 5328, item no 9/6278, with information about 

this voyage. 

Initially it was simply a search for any mention of the COYLE family, Daniel a 

labourer & Catherine aged 35 with children Mary aged 12, Catherine 9, 

Dominick 5 and Hugh just 2. Their native place was Gweedore. Most 

passengers came from the Roman Catholic parishes of Gweedore and 

Cloughaneely in north west Donegal. The COYLES arrived under the 

sponsorship of the Donegal Relief Fund. They were transferred on 30 th May 

to Maitland with 21 others. 

While searching for the COYLES, one couldn’t help glancing at the other 

documents. The greatest bulk was the blue pages detailing where 

immigrants gained employment. Most were hired at the Sydney Immigration 

office on salaries up to 40 pounds per annum and employed in both city and 

country districts. Fortunately their employers name was also included. 

Twenty eight left the ship without entering into these formal engagements 

but their place of disposal was noted. Sadly the comment for James CURRAN 

read, ‘a certified lunatic to be removed to the asylum’. The male crew was 

named and ages ranged from 14-56 years. Four pages of medicines were 

listed but no mention if they were actually on board or dispensed. The 

School Master’s report on each pupil included their grades and 

improvement. 

It appears it was not all smooth sailing. A page lists ten items Worthy of 

comment from the Journal . On February 9 th & 21 st irregular serving of stores 

and the loose manner in which water was served were noted. On 23 rd the 

Captain was noted as addicted to spirit drinking and on March 13 th he was 

meddling with girls. Water quality, shortage and 3 missing casks was 

predominant in the other notes. Imagine the panic on 22 nd April when it was 

noted ‘Discovery of shortage of water on board’ and still 32 days from 

Sydney. The surgeons report states that from the 77 th day out water was 


28



rationed and he did the dispensing because of the inefficiency of the third 

mate. Nothing was sold except tobacco and divine service not performed as 

all the emigrants were of the Roman Catholic persuasion. He also replaced 

the inefficient Matron with Grace FERRY and appointed twelve constables 

from the passengers including Daniel and Andrew COYLE with Edward 

COYLE doing hospital duties. Another report tallies beds, bedding and 

utensils. Unfortunately time did not permit me to read the 20 or so, tightly 

hand written pages of a report. Another day to catch up with that. 

At home, the mention of the Donegal Relief Fund reminded me of my visit to 

that county and the visit to the Glenveigh Information Centre which showed 

the impact of the changed land tenure on the tenant farmers at that time. 

Wishing to refresh my memory I Googled Donegal Relief Fund and found 

many pages of information. 1 

Last year, well known Irish researcher and lecturer, Dr. Richard REID, senior 

curator at the National Museum, was responsible for that wonderful Irish 

display. Thankfully, we Irish descendants who missed it, can now see it on 

Flickr. 2 The 78 Donegal photographs and captions bring times past into real 

focus. Dr. REID reminds us.. 

North Donegal was not an area before 1859 of significant emigration to 

Sydney and the Fund became the sponsor of the individual emigrants. These 

were to be selected by their agent in Donegal, Mr. Scot DURBIN. By late 1858, 

Father John McENCROE in Sydney, the main organiser of the Fund, had 

deposited enough at the NSW Immigration Office at Hyde Park Barracks, to 

bring out 900 more people from North Donegal. That represented a deposit of 

3,600 Pounds, all money collected at public meetings and by collectors in New 

South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The first wave of these north 

Donegal/Sydney emigrants left from the Cloughaneely and Gweedore area in 

1859, well before the Derryveagh evictions and as the result of a quite different 

set of circumstances in that area. 3 

Much has also been recorded in the Freemans Journal. Unfortunately my 

Irish folk came on the Adam Lodge and little has been saved of this 1841 

voyage. 

1 Donegal Relief Fund (Sydney) & Donegal Celtic Relief Fund (Melbourne) 

Bill Spillane, 53 B Isaac St, Peakhurst NSW 2210 

2 Flickr, Donegal Relief Fund, Richard Reid, Senior Curator, National Museum of Australia 




12 


Two thoughts as I ponder my day at State Archives. 

Why do we complain about cramped conditions in modern day planes that 

reduce travel time from months to hours only? 

Is new always better? I used a digital camera and USB to record information 

written with pen and ink on paper pages. How will we access our family 

history a hundred years hence? Will technology be as reliable and easily 

accessible as those paper records? So many of the records we prize as family 

historians are now only available in digitised formats. What impact will this 

weeks announcement that newspapers are being digitized have on our 

family history research? 

Makes one realise how important documenting and printing family history is 

to future generations. Keep up the good work, while you can. 

Marlene Davidson – Member 327 


30



WHAT A BUMPER ISSUE APRIL THE 2012 e-Muster WAS. 

I can't believe all the in depth histories being shared and I know why, we 

certainly live a different life to our Ancestors. They would not have had the 

time, resources and money for searches we do now. They were trying to 

survive as best they could; recording would have been a low priority. The 

written word in some cases of our very early ancestors was non-existent, or 

was in a different language. 

My grandfather used to take letters he received from family in Italy to an 

Italian speaking Priest at Riverview Collage for translation and the priest 

would dispatch a reply. Did he ever leave a nice bundle of those letters? Of 

course not, who would be interested. Ancestors often hid the fact that they 

could neither read nor write and used the services of the clergy. 

When I hit a brick wall in my research I'd say, "Why isn't there a big fat old 

bible with cracking leather cover, falling apart but still readable with my 

family history in it?" 

Well in a way there was, many women called their Common Sense Cooking 

Book their bible. Here was a pile of yellowing B.M.D. notices attached with a 

straight sewing pin to the inside of Mum's edition of the same. As kids when 

there was an important family event, out would come the cookery book and 

the latest newspaper clipping would be added. 

It wasn't until I inherited the cook book that I realized this was the 

equivalent of a big, fat old bible. 

No longer do I lament during research that I have hit that inevitable brick 

wall. These days I say "Thank God our families didn't hand stories to us on a 

platter." 

If they had, imagine there would be no Family History Societies. We would 

not have made such wonderful friends through Genealogy. We certainly 

would not have the shock of skeletons emerging from those cupboards, not 

to be confused with those "Coming out of the closet” or the politically correct 

term of young and gay was a single gentleman uncle and his room mate who 

shared a house for fifty years were most definitely happy and very Gay. 




12 


We screamed with laughter at my Dad when sharing the long held secret of a 

distant Uncle to whom everyone referred to "As a little delicate " apparently 

when annoyed with some one he would recite "If they dropped a doily I 

wouldn't bend a knee to retrieve it for them " this disclosure was not unlike 

"Topsy we were all Growed up ". 

We would not have the excitement of finding, meeting and befriending 

"Rellies" we didn't know we had. Or worse still finding out their existence 

only to discover they had departed this earth a few months previously, you 

know the old adage. "Oh! You should have been here yesterday ". 

And the best bit is uncovering scandals and finding out our ancestors were 

human and lived dangerously in some cases. Yes we had a "Bag Man "in the 

family. It is such fun to find an Aunt who was placed on a pedestal by all and 

sundry was really a flapper with a hidden past. 

Tattoos are certainly nothing new. The crude rough anchors, stars and 

Mother with a heart permanently penned in detail which our convicts 

sported, trends and interest wanes and surfaces again through the years. 

Wars bring back the tattoos, then they miss one or two generations and back 

they come. My own paternal grandmother raged against tattoos, after her 

death in 1951 it was revealed she had a black Lacey butterfly tattooed on the 

back of her right shoulder, Go Nanna! 

Boy we feel so superior and bursting with excitement when we discover the 

key to our research. We think we will ring that cousin who always think they 

know everything, we look at the clock and it is 3 a.m. We would never ring at 

that hour and we wait until 5:30a.m. 

Should we ever feel guilty at unveiling long held secrets? Discretion, is a 

standard rule used by most, however when someone says "If God wanted us 

to fly He would have given us wings." Well my profound theory is. 

"If God wanted us to do Family History He would have given us computers 

and CCFH Volunteers " He has and we do. 

Rhonda Cetta-Hoye - Member 1307 

NB: Bag Man: A person who goes around collecting ill gotten money from 

various illegal venues for the crime bosses. 


32

Dear Mary, 



A LETTER TO MARY from Karys Fearon 

I would love to know about you and your family but unfortunately the 

Irish Catholic records are limited and what remains is not freely accessible. 

Added to the difficulty is the variety of ways to spell your name! Tyrrell 

seems fairly straight forward but there are variations such as Tyrell, Tyrrell, 

Tyrall, Turrel, Turrell, Tarrell, Tarel, Terril and even Tynnel and Tyzzell! 

I know you 

were born in 

Edenderry as 

stated in the church record for your wedding to Thomas Donegan on 6 th 

November, 1837. You had a brother Edward who married Rose Davy on 5 th 

August 1844 and Thomas was a witness. We assume this was your husband 

but the record spells his name differently. The spelling variations apply to 

the Donegan name also! In this particular entry the spelling is Donacon but 

on other records in the same register have Donehan, Donghan, Doonahan, 

Doonican, Dounigan, Dunican, Doneghan, Dunnegan, Donahon. Thomas had 

possible siblings named Rohy, Bess and Mary appearing in the register as 

sponsors. The comment is made in Ireland by everyone that this is not an 

Irish name but Scottish. 

I do have access to photos of church records which have helped 

enormously from both Edenderry and Daingean in County Offaly where you 

were born. (Of course, you knew the county was called Kings then and 

Daingean was Philipstown 

but with the south 

separating from Northern 

Ireland, all connection with 

England was quickly 

changed!) These photos 

were taken during personal 

visits by my husband Jon 

and me in 2008 and my 

sister Maureen and husband 

Peter in 2010. When looking at these records the variation in spelling is 

very obvious and several witnesses with the same surname give the 

suggestion that they may be your siblings or Thomas’s or at least a relative. 




12 


Your children, those born in Edenderry, were James, 1838, Susan, 

1840, Peter 1841, Mary Maria, my great grandmother, 1844 who died in 

Australia in 1930, William 1845 and Thomas 1851. Then you all moved to 

Philipstown (Daingean) where Elizabeth was born in 1854 and Ann and 

Ellen in 1858. I wonder if Ann and Ellen were only baptised in 1858 for 

convenience or was it because they were really twins? Somewhere during 

those years two other children were born, Daniel and Kathleen. There are 

gaps in the spaces between your children allowing for either these two to fit 

in or where you may have had miscarriages or pregnancy losses that were 

not recorded in the church registers. 

By 1845 you had at least five children and perhaps Daniel and Kathleen 

were born between William in 1845 and Thomas in 1851. These were the 

years of the incredible blight, a fungal disease affecting the potato crops all 

over Ireland that impacted heavily on the whole country. Famine and 

disease were rife with devastating hardship to say the least and huge loss of 

life. The blight was present all across Europe though it was only in Ireland 

that its consequences were so drastic. Although the potato constituted a 

very important component of the Irish diet it was not the only source of 

nutrition available in the Irish countryside. It was the continued, and even 

increased, exportation of corn during the famine years that intensified the 

consequences. You did well to survive those years although we can’t 

imagine living with no food, no contraception and nothing in the way of 

medical care or wisdom. These too were the years when vast numbers of 

the Irish emigrated to Liverpool, Glasgow, United States of America and even 

as far away as Australia. How many of your children died, were sick or sent 

away to other places we do not know. Did any end up in the Work Houses 

later and what were the circumstances that led to at least Kathleen and Mary 

Maria emigrating? 

Assuming you were born around 1811, and given that you died of 

Bronchitis and were recorded as 69 on the death records supplied from 

Tullamore Historical Centre, you were well into your 40s when you had the 

last three recorded female births. The twin pregnancy is therefore not 

unusual when conceived at the end of one’s fertile years. 

Of your children, I do know that Mary Maria was sent to Australia in 1864, 

Daniel moved to Cork (city or County?) and worked as a jeweller, Kathleen 

emigrated to America and William remained single and carried on Thomas’s 

boot-making business in Daingean after you both had died. In my own 

research, I have not found any records of either Daniel or Kathleen 


34



particularly, not even their birth dates. For all the other children, I have not 

looked too much further in the registers to see if any of them died but if they 

were, perchance, in the Edenderry Union Workhouse or moved to another 

county, we would have little chance to find them! 

Daniel was obviously very significant in your daughter Mary Maria’s 

life because he sent her many special gifts including jewellery and kid gloves 

when she was in Australia. My mother remembered how important and 

special Daniel was because of the many stories told to her by Mary Maria in 

her growing up years. Because the shipping records show that she left 

Ireland from Mitchelstown in Cork County, I wonder if she was boarding 

there because her brother was working in that town? There is a strong 

possibility that this may be a clue to Daniel’s whereabouts. Had she been 

working in Mitchelstown, or worse, in the Union Workhouse under the Poor 

Law Commission? 

My mother’s memory recalls Mary Maria’s stories of how significant 

Ireland was to her and therefore there was only Ireland and Sydney in 

Mother’s understanding of the world around her! Mary Maria was 20 when 

she arrived in Brisbane Australia and probably remained quite homesick for 

the rest of her life it would seem, because of the impact her stories had on 

my mother. 

Shipping records show Mary Maria’s home place as 

Mitchelstown so perhaps she travelled to Cobh to join the 

Montmorency as an assisted passenger to Moreton Bay, 

Australia, via Liverpool, Lancashire. Or was the ship’s port of 

departure actually Liverpool and a different vessel took the 

passengers from Cobh to Liverpool to join the 

Montmorency? The records seem to indicate Liverpool as 

Montmorencyy 

the point of actual departure for that vessel. Mother’s story 

was that your Mary Maria came from Philipstown, although we know from 

Birth Register records in the Catholic Church in Edenderry that she was 

born in Edenderry. Mother always said that Mary Maria travelled with her 

sister Susan. That part of the story remains a mystery to us too because 

there is no Susan either as a Donegan or Keo(u)gh on the same passenger 

list. There is a Mary Keogh 33, however, who comes from Ardmoyle, 

Limerick on the same ship. Was this in fact a sister-in-law whose brother 

was married to her sister Susan? Unfortunately we cannot prove anything 

so far from investigated records and may never know! To be continued 



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