Sarah Osborne - Watson

I really like the fact that my great-great grandmother wrote down information about her family.  It makes me think that I'm like her - she would have used a family history program, had it been available! I've already written a post about her - Clara Watson/Furnsby - but this post is about her mother!

Sarah Osborne was born on 12 August 1829 in Lowestoft. Her parents were Martha Gibbs and Thomas Osborne.

Martha and Thomas married on 25 April 1822 in Oulton, Norfolk.  They soon moved to Lowestoft and appear to have stayed there for the rest of their lives.  According to Parish records, they had six children baptised of which Sarah was their second eldest child. 

Sarah worked as a dressmaker.  Sarah had received a basic education as she could sign her own name at her wedding.  Her father, Thomas, died on 28 June 1853, age 54.

On 25 October 1859, Sarah Osborne married Alfred Watson at the Parish Church in Lowestoft witnessed by Sarah’s sister, Mary Ann and her husband George Clark.   Alfred was not a Suffolk native.  He was born in Brixton, Surrey on 19 March 1828, coming to Lowestoft in the 1850s.  He was a carpenter. He was also able to sign his name at his marriage to Sarah

Sarah had seven children: all the details of their births and deaths are known up to the early 1900s because Sarah’s daughter Clara Elizabeth wrote the information down, presumably so she wouldn’t forget!  Her children were:

·      Mary Ann – born 12 August 1860;

·      Clara Elizabeth – born 13 September 1861;

·      Emma Sarah – born on 18 March 1863, died on 13 April 1867;

·      Alfred Thomas - the only son and he also died young –born on 13 September 1864 and died on 13 January 1866;

·      Hannah – born 1 October 1866;

·      Ellen – born 13 July 1868; and

·      Frances – born 30 May 1871.

The names of children in families at this time would often follow a particular pattern.  Sarah and Alfred did not follow such a pattern.  Their first daughter was named after one of Sarah's sister - which was also Alfred's mother's name.  The second daughter's middle name was another of Sarah's sister's names.

With the exception of Emma, all Sarah’s children were baptised in St Peter's Lowestoft.  St Peter's was built in 1833.  Unfortunately in 1974 this large, stately, 140 year old church was demolished as the congregation had decreased to such a size as was unsustainable.  A block of units designed for elderly people were built on the site. It is not known why Emma was baptised at the Free Church, Lowestoft.

In the 1861 Census, Sarah, Albert and infant daughter Mary Ann were living in Raglan Street (the exact number in the street was not recorded).  Sarah's younger sister, Elizabeth, was living with the family at this time.  In 1871, Sarah, Albert and their four daughters were living at 57 Raglan Street. 

Sarah’s mother, Martha, died on 23 November 1878, aged 79.  Both Sarah’s parents are buried in the Churchyard of St Margaret’s, Lowestoft. Their names have not been recorded in a recent register, probably indicating that the headstone was part of the graveyard that was demolished when the Church was extended.

In 1881, the family was still living at 57 Raglan Street – with their five daughters.

By 1891, just Ellen was living with Sarah and Alfred, and they had moved to 13 Raglan Street: 

·      Mary Ann had married and lived in Lowestoft with her husband and three daughters;

·      Clara Elizabeth had married, emigrated to Australia with her husband and, in 1891, was about to have her third child;

·      Hannah had also married and was living in Lowestoft – she did not have any children; and

·      Frances – it is not known why she wasn’t with her family at the 1891 Census.  She died late in 1891 - on 21 December - age 20.

Sarah lived her whole life in Lowestoft.  She died on 22 February 1897 aged 68.  Her daughter Mary Ann died later that year, leaving three young daughters.  Alfred Watson died five years later on 11 June 1902 aged 74.  Both are buried in Lowestoft Cemetery.

Sarah Osborne - Watson

Relationship to SNR = Great, great, great, great grandmother

Ellen Porter (Ellen Haines)

I have a slightly obsessive personality.  Scary really – more for my family than myself!  Anyway, I was doing some research a few days ago and was re-reading an article on the death of Rev Frederick Hibberd in 1908 and realised that there was a statement about the relationship of Rev Dr Thomas Porter to the Dixson family “Dr. Porter delivered an eloquent panegyric. His wife was a sister of Dr. S. Dixson and Mr. Hugh Dixson.”  How could I have missed this before!!!  So (seeing I am easily distracted) I immediately began to research Dr Thomas Porter and his family to verify the connection.  However, Dr Porter’s wife was not a Dixson.  I simply read the article incorrectly.  The writer was making a statement about Dr Porter and then immediately went back to discussing Frederick Hibberd – whose wife was a sister of Dr. S. Dixson and Mr Hugh Dixson. 

But as I’ve now researched the family of Ellen and Thomas Porter, I thought I’d share it!  Now you may have noticed that this entry is actually titled Ellen Porter.  That’s because I will always have a slight gender bias in these matters, practicing positive discrimination really, and so I’ve decided to write this entry about Ellen rather than her husband!   Oh, I should also point out, that Dr Porter was obviously a close friend of the Dixson and Hibberd families – it was the Baptist connection.  At Dr Porter’s funeral it was specifically noted that “The Dixson Trust was represented by…”

Ellen Haines was christened in Alderbury, Wiltshire on 31 January 1841.  She was the youngest child of Elizabeth (nee Dredge) and Job Haines, who at 38 and 40 respectively already had a number of children.  Elizabeth was Job’s second wife and there were also children from his first marriage.  The 1851 Census shows Ellen living with her parents and two older brothers in Downton, Salisbury.  Soon after, they must have decided to leave England.  On 30 December 1854, Job, Elizabeth, and three of their children (Charles, 16; Elizabeth 14; and Ellen 13) arrived in Melbourne on the Tudor. 

Two years later, Ellen’s older – but rather young – sister, married John Herbert in the Rehobeth Baptist Chapel, on Regent Street in Collingwood, Melbourne. 

On 30 October 1859, 18 year old Ellen married 21 year old Thomas Porter, also at the Rehobeth Baptist Chapel.  Thomas was the elder of two sons of Thomas and Eliza Porter – Irish immigrants who had come to Australia in 1840.

Ellen appears to have had a wonderful life with Thomas.  They went to California, where Thomas studied to be a doctor.  On their return, Thomas decided he’d rather be a Minister and his first parish was in the then rural area of Doncaster, Melbourne.  They went to Adelaide, where he was the Minister of Hindmarsh Church of Christ.  Then they went to the USA for another eight years.  In around 1881 they moved back to Victoria and Thomas became a Minister in the Baptist Church – at the George Street, Fitzroy Baptist Church, followed by Ballarat Baptist. In 1894 they moved to Sydney where Thomas became Minister of the Petersham Baptist.  Thomas would have had many dealings with Frederick Hibberd, Frederick Harry and Hugh Dixson as they were all heavily involved in the Baptist Union of NSW.  Thomas was the President of the Union in 1902 - the year after Frederick Harry had been.  

Thomas retired from full time ministry in 1907, but would make himself available for interim ministries – essentially in Sydney but also in Goulburn, NSW and Ballarat, Victoria.  They had four daughters and three sons (who reached adulthood) plus a number of grandchildren.  There is evidence of relatively frequent visits to the USA – in 1897 Ellen went without George (two of their sons were living there!).  

On 19 December 1927, Thomas died rather unexpectedly (which is a nice thing when you are 89).  Their two sons in the USA were unable to return for the funeral, but the youngest son obviously visited after his father death, because he then died at his mother’s house on 21 January 1928.  It must have been a relatively difficult time for Ellen.  On 31 August 1928 – not even a year after her husband – Ellen died at their home at 5 Coronation Avenue, Petersham.    

Relationship to SNR = friend of Great-great-great grandparents

Clara Margaret Woolley

Although Clara died in 1972 when I had not yet turned 5, I have very strong memories of my dear, beloved Auntie Buzzie (a great-aunt of mine!).  These memories are intertwined with those of her two sisters, and maybe that is why my memories are so strong – three old ladies can do that!  Auntie Buzzie was different to her two sisters.  She was quieter, softer and somehow more loveable.  I, apparently, could do no wrong in her eyes.  If we happened to be at the shops, she would want to buy me something.  I, apparently, always chose Band-Aids (oh, what a collection I would have had if this occurred now in the days of designer Band-Aids).  I do remember being disappointed when she bought an “assorted shapes” pack of Band-Aids, because they weren’t the ones that I liked…  However, I digress, because this is a story about Clara.

Clara Margaret Woolley was the first child of Clara Elizabeth Furnsby and Robert John Woolley.  She was born on 10 December 1906 in Balmain, Sydney.  Robert owned the butchers shop on the corner of Victoria Road and Darling Street, Rozelle.  Soon after her birth the family moved to 5 Day Street, Balmain.  Clara was soon joined by Elizabeth, Robert and Lorna.  Then on 18 January 1918 Clara’s youngest sibling, Thomas Osborne, was born.  He died on 30 December 1919 and this appears to be the catalyst for the bitter breakdown in the marriage of Clara Elizabeth and Robert.  The next few years were rather tumultuous for the family.  Eventually Clara and her sisters moved with their mother to a house in Rose Bay.  Robert, or Bobby, as he was known, went to boarding school – paid for by his father – and so they only saw him during school holidays. 

Clara worked as a stenographer but her passion was singing.  She had earned a scholarship to the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney to study dramatic soprano.  While she was good, she wasn’t astounding, and so she couldn’t earn a living through her singing.  Instead she sung in Church (she was a committed Methodist), at recitals and any other opportunity she could find.  A few years ago I discovered that she liked to sing 'A Perfect Day'.  So I purchased the music and always think of Aunty Buzzie when I sing it!

She had a number of boyfriends, but her mother had particularly high standards for any potential husbands and so her relationships didn’t go very far.  Her two younger sisters met and eventually married but Clara stayed with her mother.   She became an aunt for the first time when she was 34 and, loving children as she did, she also loved being an aunt.  Any photo of her with young children shows a very happy person - and a generally happy child as well.   When she was 42 she married James McDonald and they lived with her mother.  He was a Scottish man who had come to Australia after the war.  There is actually footage of him disembarking from the ship, and it is often played when there happens to be a story about the large numbers of people coming to Australia after World War II.  I think the marriage was relatively happy.  James was a relatively heavy drinker, but he wasn't abusive.  Clara's mother was not happy about the marriage.  She was replaced as number one in her daughter's life!  She was so unhappy that she changed her will - redirecting her assets from her children, to her grandchildren, with the proviso that her house was available for Clara until she died.  

Clara's mother died in late 1966.  While she loved her mother, I often wonder if she was slightly relieved that she could 'live her own life' now.  Hard to know, because she was such a generous person, she may not have thought about it like that!  Her husband James died in November 1969.  She wasn't really alone, because she had two sisters she was very close to.   Indeed, one of her sisters' husbands had died in February 1967 and so the two women lived together for some time.  

Clara, as stated above, died in 1972.  She had just lost weight, was feeling great and had lots of things she wanted to do.  I remember driving to her house in Vaucluse while my mother had to go through the house.  I didn't like it very much because I knew we had lost a great person (that being said, my grandmother and my other great aunt were wonderful people to have in my life - and both of them lived until they were over 100!  Which also means it wasn't really fair that she died at 65!).  

People like Clara deserve to be remembered!

Clara holding her great-neice, with her two sisters

Relationship to SNR = Great-great Aunt

Ellen Carne

On 13 May 1854 at 29B Granby Street, Stoke Dameral (now an inner suburb of Plymouth, England), Ellen Carne was born.  She was the fifth child of Jane (nee Baker) and William John Carne.  One of the children had recently died and Ellen was named after this child.  She didn’t spend long in Stoke Dameral.  In January 1855 the young family set sail for Australia.  William John Carne was a mason – as was his father – and had presumably been enticed to Australia for work.  The family settled in Melbourne and a further four children were born.  Next door lived William’s brother, John Carne, and the two families were close (John Carne's family had also lived next door to the family when they were in Stoke Dameral).  

On Christmas day in 1865 some of the children went to Merri Creek, Northcote.  Ellen’s older brother William and his cousin Samuel were playing in the creek when they got into difficulty.  Ellen’s eldest brother went in to help the two boys, while George, Ellen’s cousin, ran to get help.  By the time assistance arrived, the three boys had disappeared and their bodies were found later in the day.  It is not known if Ellen was at the creek with her siblings.  This must have been a very difficult time for Ellen’s family…

When Ellen was 20 years old, she married Albert Samuel Joyce.  They married at her parents' home in Bedford Street, Collingwood on 5 January 1875.  Albert was a plumber and, like Ellen, had migrated to Melbourne as a young child with his family.  Ellen and Albert had eight children, the first child was born in late 1875: two of their daughters died as young children (in 1883 and 1890); the eldest son, William Frederick died (in 1898) when he was 20 (See entry for William Frederick Joyce).

Ellen's eldest daughter, Ellen Jane, married George Henry Green in 1898.  Ellen became a grandmother in 1900.  The photo below is of Albert Clifford Green with his mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.  Quite an unusual feat in the early 1900s. 

Ellen Jane had a second son in 1904 but sadly died when she was 30 in 1905.

Her widower, George Henry Green, then married Emily Joyce – Ellen’s second daughter – in 1906, so Emily raised her sister's children plus they had one son together. 

Ellen and Albert lived in Stanley Street, Collingwood, before moving to 166 McKean Street, Collingwood and then to Beulah, George Street, Fitzroy.  Albert’s plumbing business was quite successful and they were financially comfortable.  Their youngest three children, Clarice Rose, Albert Charles and Leslie Samuel all married and had their own families.  Albert and Leslie both joined the newly formed Australian Public Service, much to the disappointment of Albert who wanted them to join his plumbing business. 

On 19 October 1927, Albert Samuel Joyce died.  Ellen continued to keep busy with visits to her family – her four children and 17 grandchildren – and she enjoyed a form of knitting called ‘tacking’.  One of her grandchildren remembers trying to help her out of the rocking chair she had on her deck.  Unfortunately Ellen then fell on top of her – over the years she had become a rather large woman - and her granddaughter felt quite squashed!

Ellen died on 7 August 1943 at the age of 89. 

Relationship to SNR = Great, great grandmother

Matilda Walpole

Brighton, Sussex is a lovely beach town on the southern coast of England.  Until the mid 18th Century Brighthelmston was a fishing village, but development of Georgian terraces along the beachfront and the patronage of the Prince Regent after his first visit to the town in 1783, the village because known at the fashionable resort of Brighton.   It was in the bustling town that Matilda Walpole was born in 1819. It is the very fact that it was a growing town that makes further investigation into exactly who Matilda was so difficult (there were so many churches!).  

On 11 January 1836, at the tender age of 18, she married Augustus Richard Hollebone - who had a rather impressive name and was twelve years her senior!  Eighteen months later, she and Augustus Richard left Plymouth, England on board the Andromache bound for Sydney, Australia.  

The Andromache was 468 tons (old measure), 35 metres long and about 10 metres wide at her broadest point. In Greek mythology, Andromache is portrayed by Homer as the epitome of the perfect wife.  I suspect that Matilda was also being a perfect wife by agreeing to the journey at this particular time!  She was seven months pregnant with her first child when the vessel departed.  Now, various members of my family tend to get seasick - including myself - and I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it must have been to get into the boat with over 200 other people KNOWING that you were going to give birth for the first time before you left the boat!  And for that alone, Matilda has my profound respect!

As third class passengers, Matilda and Augustus do not have their names recorded in the basic information about this trip, but, interestingly, the Rev Joseph Walpole and his wife were also passengers.  I have tried to determine if there is a connection, but with no success (both have a father called John?).

Matilda's first child, Augustus John Hollebone, was born almost exactly halfway into the trip - on 17 August 1837.  I just hope it wasn't a rough sea that day!

The Andromache arrived in Sydney, Australia on 31 October 1837.  Augustus, Sarah and baby Augustus were the first of my ancestors to set foot in Australia.  (If only they had sailed a few months earlier, Augustus may have been the first to be born in Australia - but that "honour" went to young Augustus' son-in-law!)

Matilda and Augustus 'settled' in Sydney and had a further six children: Eliza (1840), Charlotte Elizabeth (1843), Mary Ann Matilda (1845), Henry (1849), Elizabeth Catherine (1852) and Isabella Frances (1855).  The fact that three of these names had Eliza/Elizabeth in them (and all but Mary survived childhood) leads me to think that perhaps Matilda's mother had been called Elizabeth.  Something to discover one day!

Augustus was a tinsmith, but he tried a number of other positions as well.  One of Augustus's more interesting jobs, was as the first postmaster of the new Balmain Post Office!   Someone sent me a newspaper article about it!

On 26 January 1866 at William Street, Redfern, Matilda died.  She was 47 years old and the memory of her good nature has been passed down from generation to generation.  The younger children were cared for by their older siblings.  For unknown reasons Augustus Richard was estranged from the family by the time he died - just over ten years later.

Matilda means 'mighty in battle', and many would say that life for most women in the 1800s was a battle.  I think she did pretty well!

In 2004, members of the Hollebone family decided to honour our 'first Australian family' by putting the Hollebone name onto the Immigration Wall at Darling Harbour.  There was some discussion about what name to put.  We finally agreed to simply put 'Hollebone Family'.   

Relationship to SNR = Great, great, great, great grandmother

Jane Heard - 1824 to 1882

Some of her story...

On 15 August 1824, Catherine and John Heard baptised their new baby daughter in the Parish Church at Dolton, Devon, England.   She was their eighth child (although one daughter had already died as a child) and was their last - Catherine was 42.   Jane grew up in Dolton, which is a small village, in the south west of England. A very normal, little Devon village!

On 7 March 1846 she married John Spicer, a bootmaker, in the Parish Church.  John had been living in Dolton with his parents for a number of years.  He had just turned 22 and she was 21.  Over the next 15 years she gave birth to at least nine children, including one set of twins.  Six of these children survived childhood.   The two eldest children were baptised in Dolton; then more children were baptised in Devonport, 70 kilometres south, on the coast, and finally some children were baptised in Winkleigh, 10 kilometres from Dolton.   So Jane and John appear to have been zipping up and down Devon!  But ultimately spending more time on the south coast.  John Spicer died in 1870, when he was 46, at Stoke Damerel, a few kilometres from Devonport.  1870 was also significant because Jane became a grandmother – her eldest son and his wife had a daughter named Elizabeth Jane.    

This period was also interesting - decisions were made to leave England for the sunny shores of Australia. George, Jane’s second child, was the first to leave – on the True Briton, which sailed in January 1871.  William (the eldest son) and Henry (the surviving twin) were next to leave – along with William’s wife (also Jane) and baby Elizabeth - in October 1871 on the Colonial Empire.   Finally, in September 1873, Jane left England for Australia on the Somersetshire with her three remaining children:  John (the 3^rd son), age 22; Edwin, age 15 and Emily, age 12.  They all arrived as unassisted passengers.  This means that the government did not pay for their fares.

It’s hard to imagine what Jane was thinking when she arrived in her new country.  She was a 50 year old widow and still had dependent children.  It is possible that her sons supported her.  It doesn’t appear that any of her siblings were in Australia – although at least one cousin had also come to Australia. 

Maria Ashplant, Jane’s cousin, had arrived in 1859 with her husband and son.  They also went to Victoria.  However, before Jane had even left England, Maria died.  She was struck by lightning while working in the paddock near her home.  In any case, Jane must have met Maria’s husband, John Milton, who was farming.  On 26 October 1875 Jane and John married at Runnymede, a little village north east of Bendigo.  It’s impossible to know what happened to Jane from this time until her death in Melbourne on 16 September 1882, when she was 58.   John Milton appears to have remained in rural Victoria.  Potentially they were not living together as Jane died in Melbourne and didn’t have a gravestone on her death – she’s a mention on her son’s gravestone but he didn’t die until 1915.  

I called this some of her story, because I believe that the information unknown could be a lot more interesting that the known.  What was Jane’s childhood like?  What happened to Jane's parents?  Why did Jane and John Spicer keep moving?  How well did Jane know Maria Ashplant?  Did Jane and John Milton stay together?  Was Jane happy? 

[Relationship to SNR =  great, great, grandmother]