Ancestral Places Geneameme

August 11, 2017 / Merron Riddiford / 2 Comments

Yes, I did say in my last post I’m on the move so the chances of me posting in the next month were slim. Just after finishing that post, I read a new post from Alona at the Lonetester blog inviting geneabloggers to take part in a geneameme with the theme, Ancestral Places. The instructions…How many ancestral places can you name using the letters of the alphabet? I couldn’t resist because one of my favourite things about family history is the places my ancestors lived. Finding out more about those locations helps us learn more about them it’s a great way to brush up on geography general knowledge. I’ve listed the main places my direct ancestors resided and added links to earlier posts about some of the families. If I included 2 x great uncle George Diwell, I could have had a J for Jeparit or 4 x great uncle William Reed, a Y for Yulecart but I managed a place for most letters:

A

Almurta, Victoria, Australia – Combridge

Ararat, Victoria, Australia – Bishop

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England – Cooke, Lane, Piddington, Riddiford

ARARAT, VICTORIA

B

Ballarat, Victoria, Australia – Gamble, Harman, Riddiford

Bass, Victoria, Australia – Combridge, Hunt, White

Bisham, Berkshire, England – Buckland

Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, England – Cooke, King, Richardson

Brighton, Sussex, England – Hughes

Broadstairs, Kent, England – Culmer, Jarman, Pettman, White

Byaduk, Victoria, Australia – Bishop, Harman

BYADUK, VICTORIA

C

Casterton, Victoria, Australia – Diwell, Jelly

Cavendish, Victoria, Australia – Hadden, Mortimer

Charlton, Wiltshire, England – Young

Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, England – Chapel, Kirkin, Parsons

Clapham, London, England – Webb

Clerkenwell, London, England – Riddiford

Colac, Victoria, Australia – Gamble, Hodgins

Cuddington, Buckinghamshire, England – Lawrence, Piddington, Riddiford, Timberlake, Wall

CAVENDISH, VICTORIA

D

Dover, Kent, England – Trewin

Drumgooland, County Down, Ireland – Jelly

E

East Lothian, Scotland – Calder, Warden

Edmonton, London, England – Riddiford

F

Fenny Stratford, Buckinghamshire, England – Cooke, Riddiford

Fermanagh County, Ireland – Brackin, Hodgins

Frant, Sussex, England – Diwell, Sinnock

G

Geelong, Victoria, Australia – Combridge

Gladsmuir, East Lothian, Scotland – Dobson, Hadden, Kinnaird, Neilson

Glen Alvie, Victoria, Australia – Combridge

Grantville, Victoria, Australia – Combridge, Hunt, White

GEELONG, VICTORIA

H

Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, England – Riddiford

Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland – Dobson, Hadden

Hamilton, Victoria, Australia – Diwell, Gamble, Hadden

Hulme, Lancashire, England – Jelly

HAMILTON, VICTORIA

I

Ireland – Beaty, Irwin

Islington, London, England – Kirkin

J

K

Kingswood, Gloucestershire, England – Riddiford, Trotman

L

Lambeth, London, England – Kirkin, Riddiford, Webb

Leytonstone, London, England – Riddiford

Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland – Hadden

Lower Winchendon, Buckinghamshire, England – Lawrence

M

Macarthur, Victoria, Australia – Bishop

Macclesfield, Cheshire, England – Law, Shaw

Manchester, Lancashire, England – Shaw

Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, England – Harman, Mulberry

Merino, Victoria, Australia – Diwell

MERINO c1880 Image courtesy of the State Library of South Australia. Image no. B 21766/113 http://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+21766/113

N

Newington, London, England – Turner

Norfolk, England – Baker, Thurling

North Nibley, Gloucestershire, England – Riddiford, Trotman

O

Oldham, Lancashire, England – Riddiford

Ontario, Canada – Riddiford

P

Poplar, London, England – Hunt, Jewell

Port Fairy, Victoria, Australia – Harman

Portland, Victoria, Australia – Diwell, Harman

PORT FAIRY, VICTORIA

Q

Queensferry, Victoria, Australia – Combridge

SAWMILL NEAR QUEENSFERY, VICTORIA c1880. Photographer: Fred Kruger. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria.

R

Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, England – Combridge

Reading, Berkshire, England – Druce, Mortimer

Rotherfield, Sussex, England – Diwell, Sinnock

Rotherhithe, London, England – Webb

S

Smeaton, Victoria, Australia – Riddiford

St. Peters, Kent, England – Jarman

Steiglitz, Victoria, Australia – Combridge

ANDERSON’S MILL, SMEATON. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria

T

Thanet, Kent, England – Culmer, Jarman, Trewin, White

Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England

Tipperary County, Ireland – Barry

Tonbridge, Kent, England – Lawrence

Tudeley, Kent, England – Lawrence

U

Uley, Gloucestershire, England – Riddiford

V

Victoria

W

Water Eaton, Buckinghamshire, England – Cooke, Goodman

Weymouth, Dorset, England – Bishop

Whaddon, Cambridgeshire, England – Read/Reed, Waymant

White Waltham, Berkshire, England – Buckland, Mortimer, Sharp

Wonthaggi, Victoria, Australia – Combridge

Woolwich, London, England – Kirkin

Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire, England – Riddiford

Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England – Riddiford

WONTHAGGI, VICTORIA 1925. Image courtesy of the State Library of South Australia. Image no. B 61788/85http://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+61788/85

X

Y

Z

Trove Tuesday – Hometown News

August 9, 2016August 9, 2016 / Merron Riddiford / 5 Comments

It was a chance discovery while searching the fifteen or so years of the Hamilton Spectator available at Trove. There in the search results was an article from 1910. That wasn’t expected when only the WW1 years and the decade 1870-9 were available. Curious, I tried a search of “Harman” and the result was dozens of articles from the 1880s to 1910. Trove had surprised me adding a further three decades of Specs and I couldn’t have been happier. Since that day a couple of months ago, I have searched, tagged and found out an incredible amount of new detail about my Hamilton district families. Also, surnames, street names and locations bring such a sense of familiarity when reading my hometown newspaper, even issues from 100 hundred years before I was a resident.

One of the first items of interest I found was an obituary for my gggg grandfather Joseph Harman from 1893. His son James converted to Methodism around 1851 while still in England. Joseph, entrenched in the Church of England, didn’t share his son’s enthusiasm for Methodism. However, when the Harmans moved to Byaduk in 1863, the first church built was Wesleyan Methodist and James Harman, by then a Local Preacher, was one of the forces behind the church. Joseph had little choice but go along to Methodist services, but as soon as a Presbyterian Church was built at Byaduk eighteen years later, he made that church his Sunday morning destination. There were no family loyalties when it came to Joseph’s faith. It would seem that although the new church wasn’t Church of England, it was more to his liking than the teachings of John Wesley. Granted the Presbyterian Church was less than a mile down the road from his home but the Methodist church was only that distance again further on.

“Items of news.” Hamilton Spectator (Vic. : 1870 – 1918) 30 March 1893: <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article225177127>.

Also found was a rare obituary for a female family member. Although it doesn’t tell me much about my ggg grandmother Sarah Hughes‘ life, the 400 mourners at her funeral tells me something of the sort of person she was.

“Items of News.” Hamilton Spectator (Vic. : 1870 – 1918) 23 May 1885: <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article225661135>.

There are also some great articles about Sarah’s husband James Bishop but I’ll save those for a post just about him because he was a character.

Something I enjoy reading in old newspapers is the seemingly mundane day-to-day goings on in a town. Of course, it’s even better when a story includes a family member. Like the time in 1899 when my gg grandfather Richard Diwell of Hamilton complained about the night soil man.

“HAMILTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.” Hamilton Spectator (Vic. : 1870 – 1918) 14 October 1899: 2 (SUPPLEMENT TO THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR). .

The night soil man Frederick Malster was given the right of reply after the investigation into Richard’s complaint.

“HAMILTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.” Hamilton Spectator (Vic. : 1870 – 1918) 28 October 1899: 2 (SUPPLEMENT TO THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR). .

One of the best finds so far were a number of sketches included in a Hamilton Spectator supplement in 1888. The Spec had the sketches of businesses and scenes of Hamilton made by a Ballarat company. Sketches such as these give us a chance to see how things have changed…

CORNER OF GRAY & THOMPSON STREETS IN 1888. Hamilton Spectator (Vic. : 1870 – 1918) 17 April 1888: 2 (SUPPLEMENT TO THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR).

THE PRESENT VIEW OF THE CORNER OF GRAY & THOMPSON STREETS.

And how other things have barely changed at all…

HAMILTON SPECTATOR IN 1888. “VIEW OF HAMILTON VICTORIA.” Hamilton Spectator (Vic. : 1870 – 1918) 17 April 1888: 1 (SUPPLEMENT TO THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR).

THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR AS IS IT TODAY.

Hamilton Old Cemetery – Finding Family

July 27, 2015June 6, 2017 / Merron Riddiford / 10 Comments

In 1850, Henry Wade, the surveyor for the Portland district, completed a plan of the township of Hamilton, then known as The Grange. He was under instruction from Robert Hoddle, the head of the Melbourne Survey Office. Hoddle requested Wade set aside eight acres for a cemetery. Wade surveyed a site on the then Wannon Road, later known as Coleraine Road. That site became the Hamilton Cemetery but is now more commonly known as the Hamilton Old Cemetery after the first burial at the Hamilton Lawn Cemetery in February 1970. Some burials occurred at the old cemetery after that time, but generally with existing graves.

Of the cemeteries I have visited in the Western District, the Hamilton Old Cemetery is the one closest to my heart. The following grave is the one that first took me there. The time of my first visit is unclear but maybe as a toddler. I’m not sure who I even went with. Maybe my Nana or my great auntie Rosie, both daughters of Thomas and Sarah Hadden. Both Nana and Auntie Rosie took me to the cemetery many times as a child.

The visits to the cemetery were a regular Sunday ritual. If I heard Nana say, “Those flowers would be nice for the cemetery”, I knew the camellias or the dahlias were in bloom and a cemetery visit was impending. Of course, there were also the visits on significant dates. Nana and Auntie Rosie would weed the plot and put fresh flowers in the vases and I would fill the vases with water at a nearby tap. The vases in the photo (above) have been with the grave since the beginning as Mum remembers them when she was a child visiting the grave. And now my son, a fourth generation descendant, has visited the grave of his gg grandparents Thomas and Sarah.

Thomas Hadden was born in Cavendish in 1879, a son of a Scottish immigrant while Sarah was born Sarah Elizabeth Harman at Byaduk. Her mother, Lizzie Bishop, passed away when Sarah was seven and she and her two siblings were raised by their father Reuben and step-mother Emma Lorden. Thomas Hadden and Sarah Harman married in 1904 at Byaduk. They raised seven children in a small house on Coleraine Road, their first-born Lucy Angelina in 1905.

THOMAS HADDEN & SARAH HARMAN

Both Sarah and Tom passed away in their sixties. Tom in 1943 aged sixty-four and Sarah in 1948 aged sixty-five, both still relatively young.

When I was ten, there was another grave to visit at the cemetery, that of my great Uncle Len Hadden. We probably visited it before that, but it’s not in my memory. My great-aunt Jessie was buried in 1969, but I was one-year-old and don’t remember her, but I do remember Uncle Len.

Arthur Leonard Hadden (below), better known as Len, was the second child and oldest son of Thomas and Sarah. He was born in February 1907 at Hamilton. Len attended the Hamilton State school and became a butcher.

Len married Jessie McPhail in October 1928 at Hamilton. Jessie was born at Tahara to Archibald McPhail and Jessie Wilson in 1905. Jessie and Len had four boys.

ARTHUR LEONARD HADDEN & JESSIE McPHAIL

Visiting Uncle Len at his home on Port Fairy Road, Hamilton during the 1970s was memorable. Then a widower, he was in his mid-sixties but he seemed very old to me. I recall he always had the newspaper open on the table and the radio going, the racing station I think, and he didn’t talk much to me, not in the way his younger brother Bill did anyway. Uncle Len had an ankle biting silky terrier called Scruffy I was a bit scared of and a talking cockatoo. Most memorable was his outdoor dunny, the only one I had seen at the time, and I can still recall the smell which was probably phenyle.

From the Hadden’s, the next of my family graves are those I discovered when I began researching my family history. As a child, I had no idea there were others in the cemetery related to me. Little did I know my great-grandmother Sarah Harman’s great-uncle and aunt William Reed and Sarah Burgin were there and not too far away either.

William Reed and Sarah Burgin were the subjects of my post The Muddy Creek Reeds. There you can read about William’s early life in Cambridgeshire and later as a husband and father living at Muddy Creek.

Also buried there is Edna Alice Ford, a grand-daughter of William and Sarah. Her parents were Martha Reed and James Ernest Ford and she was their fourth born. There is also William Reed Jnr, the eldest child of William Reed and Sarah Burgin. Dying aged eighty-six, William never married.

Not far away is the grave of another of William and Sarah’s children, Sarah Ann Reed (below). She married William Kirkwood of Buckley’s Swamp in 1903. They settled at Buckley’s Swamp and raised a family of at least seven children. I have several more photos of Kirkwood graves and I will feature those in a future post on the Hamilton Cemetery.

There are more of the Reed family graves to photograph including William and Sarah’s daughter and mother of Alice Edna Ford, Martha Reed and her husband James Ford. Also daughter Eliza Reed and her husband James Clayton and her sister Alice Reed and Alice’s husband Henry Brewis. Williams and Sarah’s son, Albert Reed and his wife Elilias Patman are also buried in the cemetery.

Nearby the grave of William and Sarah is the last resting place of Sarah’s parents Richard Burgin and Eliza Addinsall. They were from Lincolnshire and arrived at Geelong aboard the Joshua in 1854. Accompanying them were their children, Richard Jnr, Sarah, William and baby Hannah. According to the passenger list, they were heading to nearby Batesford, the home of relatives. They eventually made their way further west and were in the Hamilton district by 1858 when their daughter Eliza was born. They settled at Muddy Creek, a small settlement just south of Hamilton with a large Methodist population.

Devout Wesleyans, the Burgins attended the Muddy Creek Methodist Chuch. That is where the Burgin, Reed, Harman connection all began. My ggg grandfather was a local preacher and in the early 1860s, before he settled his family at what would become Byaduk, Muddy Creek was their nearest church. James’ wife Susan Reed was a sister of William, who arrived in the district from England as a single man and settled around Muddy Creek. Sarah and William met, possibly at church, married and the rest is history.

The first burial in the Burgin plot was Eliza Burgin Jnr who passed away in 1874 aged sixteen. Her mother Eliza followed in 1883 aged sixty-six then father Richard who passed away in 1888 aged seventy-eight.

“The Horsham Times.” The Horsham Times (Vic. : 1882 – 1954) 8 Jun 1888:<http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72883526>.

The last burial was, Hannah Burgin who never married and passed away in 1923 aged seventy.

Still close by is the grave of Sarah Harman’s 1st cousin 1 x removed, Jessie Harman. Jessie, of Byaduk, was the daughter of Reuben Harman and Elizabeth Oliver and married Hamilton man, Walter Greed in 1898.

Walter’s parents, John Weaver Greed and Emma Grinter started an undertaking business in Hamilton in 1861. Around 1890, it was taken over by Walter’s younger brother Frank after the death of their father. It became known as F.Greed & Sons and today the descendants of John and Emma run the business on the site where the business began 154 years ago.

Walter was the nephew of Abraham Greed a Hamilton coachmaker and at one time, Mayor. When he finished school, Walter went to work with his uncle in the coach building trade. After their marriage, Jessie and Walter lived at 21 Stephen Street (below), with not only their children, Vera and Arthur, but at times, Jessie’s mother and two sisters, Beatrice and Sarah.

Jessie and Walter’s son Arthur married Evelyn Sack around 1928 at the Hamilton Baptist Church, just a couple of blocks from the Greed home.

“SOCIAL.” The Horsham Times (Vic. : 1882 – 1954) 22 Jun 1928:<http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72628020>.

FORMER BAPTIST CHURCH, HAMILTON

Evelyn was born in Shepparton, but her family moved to Hamilton soon after and her father Frederick Sack operated a jewellers and optician business in Gray Street. The family lived at 46 Martin Street.

“Advertising.” Hamilton Spectator (Vic. : 1870 – 1873; 1914 – 1918) 8 Jun 1918 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119502851>.

Arthur Greed worked in the materials and curtain department in Miller’s store also in Gray Street. After he and Evelyn married, they lived at 20 Stephen Street, across the road from Arthur’s parents. In their later years, Arthur and Evelyn retired to Portland. They passed away within three months of each other in 1993.

We now make our way to the opposite end of the cemetery to the Diwell plot. On my last visit, I found another Diwell grave along the way.

I’ll have to use the cemetery records to find out who it belongs to, however, I have narrowed it down to possibly being Jonathan Richard Diwell, born at Hamilton in 1919 and who died in Hamilton in 1928. He was the son of William Diwell and Vita Gleeson and grandson of Richard Diwell and Elizabeth Jelly, buried in the next featured grave.

This grave is the most ornate of my family graves at the cemetery, the final resting place of my gg grandparents, Richard Diwell and Elizabeth Jelly and four of their children.

You can read more about Richard and Elizabeth in the posts Elizabeth Ann Jelly and Another What the Dickens Moment.

Buried with them are four children including the baby Elizabeth gave birth to in 1900, with both dying as a result. Also Richard and Elizabeth’s seventh child, Ernest Richard. He died in 1939 aged forty-eight after accidentally drinking spirits of salt.

The grave is looking a little worse for wear.

There are still several Diwell related headstones to get photos of. They include Richard and Anne’s three young granddaughters, Hilda, Linda and Margaret the daughters of Margaret Ann Diwell and her husband Frederick Coustley. There are also Richard’s sister Margaret Ann McClintock and her daughter Martha Emily McClintock and another daughter Mary Crawford McClintock who married John Blackney.

Since my collection of Hamilton Old cemetery photos is close to 200, this is not the last post on the cemetery. Next, a tour of some of the graves of those who shaped Hamilton.

SOURCES

Garden, Donald S. (Donald Stuart) and Hamilton (Vic.). Council Hamilton, a Western District history. City of Hamilton in conjunction with Hargreen, North Melbourne, 1984, p38.

Hamilton History Centre Driving Tour

Gardner, Margaret & Heffernan, Val & Hamilton History Centre (2007). Exploring Hamilton : mini histories for drive no. 1. Hamilton History Centre, Hamilton, Vic, p15.

Victoria. Register of Assisted Immigrants from the United Kingdom. Microfiche VPRS 14. Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria, sourced from Ancestry.com.au

©Merron Riddiford 2015. The use of the content and images in this post is according to Western District Families’ Creative Commons License

Trove Tuesday – Christmas Music

December 10, 2013December 20, 2023 / Merron Riddiford / Leave a comment

The Hamilton Brass Band has played a big part in lives of some of my family members, especially the Diwell and Gamble families, and there are still descendants of those families in the band today. Another family member, Frederick Hughes the husband of my ggg aunt Martha Harman was a long-standing leader of the Hamilton Brass Band.

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I would share this little snippet found at Trove, from the Hamilton Spectator of December 22, 1917. An annual tradition for the band, was to play on “Kennan’s corner”, (the corner of Gray and Thompson Street) on Christmas Eve. Freddie Hughes, a Hamilton jeweller, was band leader. Interesting not a Christmas Carol in sight on the program.

CHRISTMAS MUSIC. (1917, December 22). Hamilton Spectator (Vic. : 1914 – 1918), p. 4. Retrieved December 9, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119860771

Band music is my blood, so I just had to find a rendition of one of the pieces on the play list, “Sunshine of Your Smile”, to take me to Kennan’s Corner, Christmas Eve, 1917.

Sweet Daisy

October 20, 2013July 7, 2023 / Merron Riddiford / 3 Comments

Do you have a favourite Australian genealogy record? For me, it’s the Electoral Rolls. When they first became available at Ancestry, I spent hours finding addresses, checking Google maps, finding occupations, spouses and unusual living arrangements.

That’s when I came to grow fond of a little branch of my Diwell family. The head of the family was Thomas Edward Diwell, my 3 x great uncle, and his wife, Mary Jane Pretlove. Thomas, a blacksmith, was the son of the first Diwell arrivals to the Western District, William Diwell and Margaret Ann Turner. He was born at Casterton in 1864 while Mary Jane Pretlove was born at Sandford in 1870. Thomas and Mary Jane married at Sandford in 1899 with their first child, William, born at Casterton in 1890.

CASTERTON c1886. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/460848

Then Thomas took his family further than any of his family had been before within Australia and moved to Balranald in south-west New South Wales where they remained for some years. Nine children were born in Balranald, including a set of twins. Sadly they lost two children, including one of the twins. In 1913, their eldest daughter Florence married at Balranald.

Around 1914, some of the family moved back to the Western District. Thomas and Mary Jane were living in Kennedy Street, Hamilton with Thomas working as a blacksmith. Another daughter, Eva Muriel, was born at Hamilton. Eldest son William was at Dartmoor, also working as a blacksmith.

At some point before 1919, Mary Jane and some of the children moved to Carlton, while Thomas seems to have travelled for work, listed at Donald and Beenak on the 1919 Electoral Rolls. But not everyone was living together. Third child, Daisy Isabel, aged 26, was working as a packer and living at 171 Drummond Street Carlton, older brother William, a returned serviceman, was a student and living at 53 Barkley Street Carlton and mother Mary Jane, presumably with the younger children, was at 203 Drummond Street, Carlton.

By 1924, the family had moved to 134 Johnston Street, Fitzroy (below), during a colourful period in that suburb’s history. Thomas Diweel was, according to the Electoral Rolls, not in Melbourne, but instead living at Beenak in the Warburton area at least until 1928. He reappeared on the Electoral Roll with the family in 1931, by which time they had moved next door to 132 Johnston Street Fitzroy (below).

132 & 134 JOHNSTON STREET, FITZROY. Image courtesy of the Committee for Urban Action (Melbourne, Vic.) collection at the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/332252

So here was a family, used to living in an isolated country town, now residing in Melbourne’s bustling and bursting inner north, renowned for slums and crime. That alone captured my interest. But what really attracted me to the family, particularly Daisy, other than her lovely name, was her occupation on the Electoral Rolls was “confectioner”. Taking that clue, I found MacRobertson Chocolates had a factory in Fitzroy, just down the road from the Diwells, so there was a strong possibility Daisy worked there, making some of my favourites, including Freddo Frogs and Cherry Ripes. Even sweeter. I put Daisy away for a while…until recently.

A new discovery, an article from Adelaide’s Daily Herald, has me liking Daisy even more because Daisy fought for workers’ rights, particularly female workers, with her involvement with the Female Confectioners Union.

The Victorian Branch of the Female Confectioners Union, formed in 1916, met for their annual conference in February 1921, the subject of the Daily Herald‘s article. Mr E.H.A Smith, the union secretary, reported on the progress the union had made during the previous six months. Wages had increased, eight days paid leave achieved and, in just six months, the union had increased in number by 474, with most of the women employed in confectionery manufacturing being paid members.

Mr Smith then passed on his congratulations to the leaders of the union, pointing out the unselfish work done by Margaret Wearne, the general secretary and Daisy Diwell, the treasurer, two pioneers of the union.

“Miss Diwell has the distinction of being the union’s first shop president and her achievements in securing new members during the early stages of the union have been remarkable“

CONFECTIONERS MAKE PROGRESS. (1921, February 9). Daily Herald (Adelaide, SA : 1910 – 1924), p. 7. Retrieved October 5, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107251855

http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/32336

PACKING CHOCOLATES, MACROBERTSON’S FACTORY c1910-1940. Image Courtesy of State Library of Victoria. Image No. H2003.101/82 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/32336

By the end of 1921, the female confectioners had achieved another pay increase.

Confectioners’ Wages. (1921, December 13). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), p. 9. Retrieved October 3, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4613994

Naturally, after that find, I had to keep digging. Some bits and pieces came up, but finally, I found a recent essay, “A fine and self-reliant group of women”: Women’s leadership in the female confectioners union” by Cathy Brigden (2013). From that, I found out a lot more about Daisy. She did work at MacRobertsons and had been there since at least 1918. Also, when living at 171 Drummond Street, Carlton, she was boarding at the home of two of her co-workers and union members, Elsie and Maud Hood and their parents.

Brigden’s study revealed, the three girls, Daisy, Elsie and Maud came to the fore as leaders of the union in 1918, tirelessly recruiting other girls to the union and Daisy became treasurer. It was, however, that dedication that contributed to the failure of Daisy’s health and in 1921 it forced her resignation from her union role.

http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/32448

TOFFEE CUTTING LINE & PACKING, MACROBERTSON’S FACTORY. Image Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image No. H2003.101/105 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/32448

Despite not being a union official, it does seem Daisy kept working at MacRobertsons with her occupation listed as confectioner up until the 1943 Electoral Roll, four years before her death. Since her last change of address was for the 1928 Electoral roll, I can only assume she was a confectioner up until that time, but it is unlikely she took the trouble to update her occupation on the Electoral rolls when she had no need to update her address.

Since the Electoral Rolls have been available up until 1980 on Ancestry, I have been wary of assuming a person remained in their listed occupation when they did not move their residence. I realised this when I saw my mother’s entries on the 1977 and 1980 rolls. In 1977 she was a teacher and in 1980, again a teacher. However, she left teaching around 77/78, and was a business proprietor in 1980, but did not change address between 1972 and 1995. Therefore if I were to check the Electoral Rolls beyond 1980, Mum is probably listed as a teacher up until 1995 when she had to change her address details with the Electoral Office. That’s likely to confuse a genealogist in the future.

Daisy died in Fitzroy in 1947 aged 54. She never married and predeceased her mother Mary Jane, by seven years. Thomas passed away in 1932 and Mary Jane continued to live at 132 Johnston Street, Fitzroy with her daughter Margaret, also a confectionery worker.

So who or what was MacRobertsons? In 1880, MacRobertsons had humble beginnings in the family bathroom in Fitzroy, of Ballarat-born Macpherson Robertson, then aged 21. The business grew from a small bathroom to the huge factory where Daisy worked. Everything at the factory was white and it was known as “White City”. The factory workers wore white. the buildings were white, the delivery horses were white and even Macpherson Robertson wore white.

HORSE-DRAWN DELIVERY VANS OUTSIDE MACROBERTSON’S FACTORY. Image Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image no. H2003.101/256 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/32436

The factory was self-sufficient with even the chocolate boxes produced there.

MACROBERTSON CHOCOLATE BOXES. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/32429

Robertson was a father figure to his staff, had an interest in their welfare and supported the Female Confectioners Union. In 1921, he authored a book, A Young Man and a Nail Can: An Industrial Romance. MacRobertsons introduced fairy floss and chewing gum to Australia and by 1923, the business had grown to 2000 employees earning a total sum of £350,00 per annum and the profits were flowing.

“OLD GOLD.”. (1923, March 9). The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 – 1950), p. 3 Edition: THIRD EDITION. Retrieved October 3, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article77897193

As I read about Macpherson Robertson, I kept thinking, “Didn’t Roald Dahl write about this guy?”. Then I found an article by Kirstin Masters, entitled Australia’s Willy Wonka: From Home Candy-Making to Confectionery Magnate. Say no more.

WONDERLAND OF INDUSTRY. (1925, April 15). The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 – 1929), p. 10. Retrieved October 9, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63710202

PACKING TRAYS OF CHOCOLATES AT MACROBERTSONS. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/32249

SORTING CHOCOLATES AT MACROBERTSONS. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/32370

PACKAGING LINE AT MACROBERTSONS. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/417436

THE PACKAGING LINE AT MACROBERTSONS. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/32370

Now that I have found this latest information about Daisy, it has opened up a whole new line of research. Just for starters, there are four archive boxes of minutes, copies of the “Women’s Clarion“, the union’s journal, and photographs held by the University of Melbourne Archives. There is a multitude of histories about MacRobertsons and the man behind the brand, so I’ll be reading everything I can from that respect.

I would like to know more about the two residences, 132 and 134 Johnston Street, Fitzroy where members of the family resided for at least 33 years. I wish the Electoral Rolls were more Census like because I’m interested in who, other than the Diwell family, may have lived at the two homes over the course of three decades. Also, how long did father Thomas live and work near Warburton and did Daisy’s sister Margaret have any involvement with the union during her time as a confectioner? Finally, my interest in Carlton and Fitzroy during the 1910s, 20s and 30s has grown and I will do more reading about the two suburbs to learn more about the life of Daisy and the Diwell family.

Until the next update on sweet Daisy, here are some wonderful advertisements for my favourite MacRobertson’s products, from the Australian Women’s Weekly.

Advertising. (1939, March 25). The Australian Women’s Weekly (1933 – 1982), p. 30. Retrieved October 3, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51271083

Advertising. (1958, August 6). The Australian Women’s Weekly (1933 – 1982), p. 16. Retrieved October 5, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51776246

Brigden, Cathy (2013-05). “A fine and self-reliant group of women”: Women’s leadership in the female confectioners union. In Labour History. (104), 49-64.

The Victorian Heritage Database

May 18, 2013March 6, 2021 / Merron Riddiford / 5 Comments

On May 5, I attended Day 2 of the Victorian Association of Family History Organisation (VAFHO) conference in Ballarat. It was a great day with some wonderful speakers and I regret I couldn’t make it the first day.

The first keynote speaker was Lisa Gervasoni, a town planner dedicated to Heritage conservation and a member of the Daylesford & District Historical Society, among other things. She gave a great talk about using Google Maps to help with family history research and then showed us the usefulness of the Victorian Heritage Database (VHD). Timely, as I had considered a post about the VHD as I think it is a valuable resource for those researching families from Victoria.

The Victorian Heritage Database is a collection of Heritage places and precincts in Victoria including Heritage studies completed by local councils around the state.

While writing Passing of the Pioneer posts, if I see a property name in an obituary, I head straight to the VHD. If the property is on the database, most times I can find more about the obit’s subject. There is always a history of the building, property, etc offering a wealth of information

In May Passing of the Pioneers, one obituary belonged to Mary Laidlaw (nee Learmonth). She and her husband David lived at Eildon” in Hamilton. A search found information about the house, the architects Ussher and Kemp, and the Napier Club purchasing the building in 1939, the year of Mary’s death. Not only was I able to expand on the obituary, I learnt something of a house that it is a Hamilton landmark and has intrigued me since childhood.

“EILDON”, HAMILTON

The VHD was useful when I researched The Parisian, the 1911 Melbourne Cup winner because his owner John Kirby lived at “Mt Koroite Station” opposite Coleraine Racecourse. On the VHD entry for “Mt Koroite” I found out more about John and even what he did with his winnings from the Melbourne Cup.

The VHD is useful when researching a cemetery and I have used it for cemetery related posts. There are photos of headstones and the Byaduk Cemetery entry even has a photo of Jonathon Harman’s headstone. A short history of the town is given and a history of the cemetery, early burials, and notable “residents” and more.

I have searched property names and town names, but not surnames and Lisa’s talk made me realise I should. Individuals may be listed as builders of a property or a labourer on a station. My search of towns had found some references to my family members but I thought for the purpose of this post I would search specific family names.

None of my family were owners of large holdings or houses but the Diwell family were bricklayers and George Jelly was a builder, so maybe there was a chance.

When searching the VHD, use the “Advanced Search” form (below). It will give you more results than the “Simple” search.

VHD Advanced Search form http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/#advanced;user

There are plenty of options to narrow down a search, but I only used the field “with all of the words“.

An entry on the database will include the location, statement of significance, history and description of the building or otherwise. There is a Google Maps link with both the aerial view and Street View and most times there is a photo or photos.

Now for my results. I did find entries I had seen before when searching towns, but there were some new things. What all the results show is the different ways your family members can be found at the Victorian Heritage Database.

HADDEN

My search started with the Haddens on my mother’s maternal line. I had two relevant matches. The first was about a Bills Horse Trough, in the Lions Park on the Glenelg Highway at Glenthompson installed in the 1920s.

A BILLS HORSE TROUGH (Portland Gardens)

While the horse trough had nothing to do with a Hadden, the entry has a history of the site, previously a blacksmith shop run by Donald Ross. The other blacksmiths that operated in the town are named including the shop of Harold James Hadden, my 2nd cousin 1 x removed.

Buggies outside blacksmith’s shop. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria – Elliot collection. http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/42869

I knew Harold was a blacksmith and that he lived in Glenthompson during that time period, but I didn’t know he ran his own blacksmith shop.

Another entry under “Hadden” was found on a previous search of “Cavendish” and is about gg uncle William Hadden, son of William Hadden and Mary Mortimer. In 1913, he purchased the Cavendish Cobb & Co Depot and Stables (below) and the adjacent property on the corner of Hamilton Road and Scott Street, Cavendish. The 1914 Electoral Roll lists William’s occupation as a blacksmith, useful with a Cobb & Co depot. However, in 1915, the train came to Cavendish taking passengers away from Cobb & Co.

By 1919, William was living at Kiata near Nhill in the Mallee, running the Kiata Hotel. I am not sure if he had sold the Cobb & Co depot by that time but he never returned to Cavendish and died in Geelong in 1927.

HARMAN

A “Harman” search brought up not a building but a roadside Memorial plantation at Byaduk, sadly in poor condition. The trees, planted in memory of the Byaduk soldiers that served during WW2, have not been maintained over the years. My 1st cousin 3 x removed and grandson of James and Susan Harman, Leonard Roy Harman, was killed during the war as was another Byaduk man A.R.McNair. The Southern Grampians Shire Heritage study on this site reported that much of the significance and integrity of the site had been lost.

The Memorial planting was the only “Harman” reference found until I did a “Byaduk” search. Then I discovered that a search of “Harman” did not bring up any references to “Harman’s”. This was after I read the report about the Byaduk General Store ruins. The general store is thought to have opened around 1863 when another early shop opened, Joseph Harman’s, bootmaking shop.

DIWELL

I then turned to Mum’s paternal side and searched the Diwells.

Surprisingly the result took me back to Cavendish, a town I never thought they had links to. However, I found my gg uncle William Diwell, a bricklayer, was the contractor that built the Cavendish Memorial Hall in 1920.

It was no surprise William Diwell was a bricklayer. The following entries are about his father and grandfathers, all bricklayers or builders.

Firstly, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Merino. Builders Northcott and Diwell built the church in 1868. That would be ggg grandfather William Diwell and I am assuming Northcott is George Northcott of Merino. George owned Merino’s Commercial Hotel (below) and the Cobb & Co Station. From the VHD I discovered they received £126/15/- for the job and that they had also built the Merino Free Library and the Mechanics Institute.

COMMERCIAL HOTEL, MERINO 1880 Image Courtesy of the State Library of South Australia http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/22000/B21766_112.htm

The next Diwell match was for the Sandford Mechanics Hall (below). I knew from a transcript of the booklet, Back to Sandford Centenary: 1957 on the Glenelg and Wannon Pioneers site, William Diwell senior had a link to the building of the Mechanics Hall but only that he suggested that it be made of brick and not wood. The VHD shed a little more light on a conversation that took place between William and the committee secretary J.S. Anderson in 1864, but in doing so, it leaves me questioning the entry

From the Back to Sandford booklet,I knew that William ran into Mr Anderson on the Casterton Road. Anderson told William of the plans to call for a tender for the building of a wooden hall. William suggested a brick building and that Mr Anderson should take the idea to the committee before advertising. The committee thought it was a great idea and they called for tenders for a brick hall.

Turning to the VHD, the report continues on from the above story but cites rate book entries from 1863 that Richard Diwell of Casterton was a brickmaker or bricklayer. Richard was my gg-grandfather and he was nine in 1863. It continued with the story that William suggested Anderson go back to the committee, but added that William had a proposal, maybe an offer of funding. The committee agreed to the unknown proposal and the tender process began. The tender was won by James McCormack.

The thing is, the hall was not built until 1885, 19 years after William Diwell met Mr Anderson on the Casterton Road. William had been dead 14 years. So he could hardly be credited for a brick hall, surely. Also, why is Richard Diwell mentioned? Did they mean William or was Richard involved later when the hall was built when, as a 30-year-old bricklayer, it was more realistic?

JELLY

I found entries for George Jelly, my ggg grandfather, and father-in-law of Richard Diwell. George built the Anglican Rectory (below) in Henty Street Casterton in 1887.

CASTERTON ANGLICAN RECTORY c1890. Image courtesy of the Museums Victoria Collections https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/769228

What particularly interested me came from a spontaneous search I did for the variation “George Jellie”. It brought up the Coleraine Anglican Church. The history of the church referred to the original structure built in 1853 by Casterton contractor, George Jellie. My George Jelly did not arrive in Victoria until 1855 aboard the Athelate with his wife Jane and daughter, Mary. According to his obituary, they first went to Murndal at Tahara, run by Samuel Pratt Winter, and then on to Casterton. George and Jane’s firstborn child in Australia was my gg-grandmother, Elizabeth Ann Jelly at Casterton in 1856.

That beggars the questions, was there a George Jellie, contractor of Casterton in 1853, or did the first building at the Coleraine Anglican Church not get constructed until around 1856 by which time George Jelly had arrived in the town? More research is needed on that one.

George’s obituary credits him for building the Casterton Mechanics Institute also, however that building is not on the VHD.

——————————————————–

While the Victorian Heritage Database is full of useful information, I do wrestle with it on occasions as it takes on a mind of its own. I use a Firefox browser and I think it doesn’t agree with the database. I have tested Chrome and it seems a lot happier. Another problem I occasionally have is when clicking on a link to VHD from Google or Western District Families. I get a message that my session has ended. If that happens, page back and click again and it will come up.

More on Lisa Gervasoni. Lisa has over 300,000 photos on Flickr and they are also found with a Trove search. Lisa’s photos of landmarks and war memorials, often come up in my searches of Western Victorian towns. When I have wanted to see what something in the Western District looks like, Lisa’s great photos have been there. Thank you, Lisa.

More on the VAFHO conference. It was great to finally meet in person, Liz Pidgeon from the Yarra Plenty Regional Library and Infolass blog, who I have known on social media for some time. I also met Craige from the Mortlake Historical Society. You should check out the great Facebook page he is running for the society.

Gardeners in My Family

April 8, 2013April 8, 2013 / Merron Riddiford / 2 Comments

It was the Afternoons program on 774 ABC Melbourne that got me thinking about my gardening pedigree. Presenter Richard Stubbs asked listeners how they came to take up gardening. Was it passed on from someone else?

I grew up in a gardener’s house and remember constant talk of Spring and Autumn annuals, Marigolds, Petunias, Camellias, Dahlias, the constant moving of sprinklers and manure.

When Nana came to live with us in the late 1970s, the garden talk doubled and if my Great Auntie Rosie came to visit, well. Auntie Rosie was Nana’s sister and they had other siblings that were keen gardeners too.

One was my great-uncle Bill Hadde n. Visiting his garden was special. I remember fish ponds, orchids and a large television antenna tower that I had an urge to climb every time I went there.

This is a lovely photo of Uncle Bill as young man in his parent’s backyard at 78 Coleraine Road, Hamilton, planting seed in neat rows with help from his niece, Margaret. It was about 1934.

I too lived at 78 Coleraine Road. Mum and Dad lived there when they first arrived in Hamilton after their marriage in 1967. I came along in March 1968 and we lived there for about a year after my birth. I wish I had have been older to remember the house, which was later pulled down, as that was the family home of my great grandparents, Thomas Hadden and Sarah Harman and where Nana and her brothers and sisters grew up. Four generations lived in that house.

I showed Mum the photo of the backyard at 78 Coleraine Road and she was able to tell me more about it. She said there was still a fence across the backyard when we there but it is was then made from chook wire. Auntie Rosie had lived there before us and she kept chooks. After the photo, cherry plum and blood plum trees were planted and an apple tree, seen in the photo, was still there 33 years later.

Uncle Bill had his own home built after returning from WW2. It was at 80 Coleraine Road, next door to his parents.

The photo above, shows Mum and Nana, on the left, and Mum’s cousin Norma, right, in the front yard of Uncle Bill and Auntie Bess. Although a reasonably new house, Uncle Bill already had an established garden and neat concrete and lawn driveway. He later added a garage and sheds at the end of the driveway.

Alma, another of Nana’s sisters was also a green thumb. When I visited her a few years ago, when she was in her late 90s, I was amazed at her beautiful potted cyclamen on her back porch. Despite almost no vision, she tended them with care. She was often found pottering around the garden that she knew so well and was able to move around nimbly.

Advertising. (1876, July 21). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 3 Edition: EVENINGS.. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63316883

Before Nana came to live with us, she and my grandfather, Bill Gamble lived in Ballarat and I have great memories of visiting their house. The backyard was small but the space was well used . Bill grew espalier apples, among other things, and had a shed with three sections lining the back fence. From my memory, the left section was a fernery, the middle a utility shed that held grain to feed the occupants in the third section, the chooks. I did like to admire the maiden hair ferns and their cool, soft foliage, and the feed shed where I dipped my hands into oats in a large wooden barrel. But I did not go in the chook shed.

Advertising. (1936, July 30). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 1 Edition: EVENING.. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64273334

When I checked my memory against mum’s she told me the left side of the shed was interchangeable, depending on her father’s interest at the time. He used to have budgies too and I can now remember budgie boxes in that part of the shed and attached to the fence. She couldn’t remember the maiden hair ferns, but her father did grow Pelargoniums at one point. That must have run in the family, as the following is a photo of one of Mum’s Pelargoniums.

The next photo was taken looking across the Gamble backyard. We have several photos taken from this angle. It must have been the “photo spot”. Nana (centre) is flanked by Bill’s aunt, Jane Diwell and a friend of Jane’s from Geelong. In the front is my Uncle Peter. Hopefully the photo shoot did not go on too long as there may have been an accident.

Of interest here is the espalier apple tree on the fence, the concrete garden edging my grandfather put in himself, the sack of oats and the Bergenia or “Elephant’s Ears” along the toilet wall. Mum used to call them “toilet flowers”.

Auntie Shirley, Bill’s sister is also a keen gardener. We visited her in the past year and her garden was beautiful, a result of much hard work on her part. She is now in her 80s.

My grandfather, Auntie Shirl and Auntie Jane were descended from a keen gardener, Richard Diwell, Jane’s father. Richard was a member of the Hamilton Horticulture Society. His specialty was chrysanthemums. The society often attended shows in nearby towns and the following item is from 1896 when the Hamilton growers headed to Portland to show of their blooms. Richard won three prizes in his class.

Portland Horticultural Society. (1896, May 1). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 3 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63635528

The chrysanthemums exhibited by the Hamilton growers were impressive, some a little too impressive for an amateur show.

Portland Horticultural Society. (1896, May 1). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 3 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63635528

Richard also liked ferns and apparently had a fernery. He was a keen photographer too, and this is one of the photos we have that he “staged” and took himself with a camera timer. A selection of plants are in the foreground including a maidenhair fern.

Richard & Elizabeth Diwell and family

A garden photo that interests me is from the backyard of Richard’s daughter, Edith Diwell, my great-grandmother. The photo is of three of her sons, including Grandfather Bill on the left. This was either at a house in Mt Napier Road, Hamilton or Skene Street, Hamilton. Either way, they would have only been in the house a short time before the photo was taken, so the garden layout was not the work of Edith. However, it still gives an example of a 1920s backyard. There is a vegetable garden, with wooden edging and the boys are standing in front of a Yucca. A fruit tree stands in the background.

My paternal side of the family, the Riddifords, did not have the same influence on my love of gardening. Dad has never grown anything. Well, at least that’s what I thought. Mum told me how he thought cauliflowers could be a profitable venture, sometime around 1967, and planted them in the backyard at 78 Coleraine Road. Turns out there was little market for his produce and that was the end of his gardening days. We probably ate cauliflower with white sauce for some time afterwards.

Dad’s father, Percy Riddiford, did like to garden. It was not until recent years that I came to know how much.

Prior to her death, my Grandma, Mavis, gave me a binder of Your Garden magazines collected by Grandpa. I knew he liked roses as they lined the perimeter of their front yard, but I didn’t realise his passion went as far as buying gardening magazines. It just happened that the year the magazines were from was 1968, the year I was born.

I did enjoy visiting Grandma and Grandpa’s in Ballarat. A sign, “The Riddifords” hung proudly on the letterbox. A terrace garden was at the back of the steep block. Three large steps led to the top of the terrace and I recall that as a small child, I would haul myself up the steps and teeter on the top to look across neighbouring backyards to see Sovereign Hill in its infancy, sprouting up on a nearby hill. I would cry out that I could see the “historical park”.

I recently drove past Grandma and Grandpa’s old house to see if Grandpa’s roses were still there. I do remember them there, but look old and gnarly, not the many years ago. They are now gone, but suckers grow were the roses were. A little reminder of Grandpa.

‘My gardening history started in a rented house, but now with a home of my own, more passion is imparted. In the 13 years we have lived here, I have gardened through a 10 year drought, dogs, goats, child and recently a plant shredding hail storm. Inspired by Edna Walling and dispirited by Mother Nature and her creatures.

My garden is probably not at the point I would like it, but it has changed over the years thanks, I suppose, to the drought. I started with a range of cottage perennials, including some unusual varieties, but full water restrictions (no mains watering) did not help many of those thirsty English plants. Anything that survived I have planted more of, and more natives and succulents have come in.

One of my favourite plants is the Aquilegia or “Granny Bonnet’. It was also a favourite of Nana’s.

One day my “Zephirine Drouhin” roses will cover the arch they grow beside. But every year, just as the juicy new shoots show, two white creatures manage to break into my garden and indulge in one of their favourite delicacies.

and

Are We To Have More Fragrant Roses. (1930, September 5). Advertiser (Hurstbridge, Vic. : 1922 – 1939), p. 8. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57763452

The Sedum is an underrated plant and one that dates back to 19th century Australian gardens. It transforms itself throughout the year giving ongoing variety in its form and it can cope with dry weather. I have filled my borders with different varieties and they never disappoint. The following description of the Sedum is from 1911.

NOTES. (1911, March 25). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), p. 5. Retrieved April 6, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15231478

Advertising. (1894, August 17). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 4 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved March 29, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65395732

If you would like to get an idea of how your ancestors’ gardens may have looked or you would like to recreate a garden from earlier times, Cottage Gardens in Australia by Peter Cuffley is a beautiful book and an excellent resource for studying Australian gardens right back to Colonial days.

Ship Mates

February 7, 2013January 8, 2019 / Merron Riddiford / 7 Comments

The Casterton Historical Society newsletters, as featured in Nifty Newsletters, ran a series of extracts from the book Tales of Casterton: the Waines murder and other stories by Jack Gorman. In the September 2005 issue, Part 1 of the story stated that convicted murderer George Waines arrived in Victoria aboard the Duke of Richmond.

This is a particularly interesting find as my ggg grandmother, Margaret Diwell, who appeared as a witness at George’s murder trial, also arrived on the Duke of Richmond, along with her husband William. This answers the question has to how she came to know the Waines, other than the fact they lived reasonably close together.

I have a database of Duke of Richmond arrivals and I did a search but no George Waines. I then went to an online passenger list of the Duke of Richmond that I often refer back to. No George Waines.

So a-Troving I went. An article from the Bendigo Advertiser, reporting on the hanging of Waines, supported his arrival on the Duke of Richmond. But there seems to have been a case of mistaken identity Waines was keen to amend before his death.

EXECUTION OF THE CONVICT WAINES. (1860, July 18). Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 – 1918), p. 3. Retrieved February 3, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87945170

I did find a George Waines in the Australian Convict Transportation Registers(1791-1868). Convicted in Warwickshire, he left England for Tasmania in 1843.

Back to the Duke of Richmond passenger list. George’s wife was Jane so I thought I would look at first names instead of surnames. Sure enough, there was a George and Jane Whainer both aged 29 from Yorkshire. George’s age matches his birth date of 1823, but Yorkshire? Both the Casterton Historical Society Newsletter and the article above, state George was born in Dorset, England, with the Bendigo Advertiser narrowing it down to Sherborne.

Back to Trove and look what I found:

POPULATION OF THE GOLDFIELDS. (1860, October 22). Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 – 1918), p. 3. Retrieved February 3, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87947401

George was from Sherburn, Yorkshire, Sherburn as opposed to Sherborne, Dorset. This and the claim George “was one of the most notorious poachers in the district” helps support something I found on the England and Wales, Criminal Registers (1791-1892). In 1849, George Waines of Yorkshire was sentenced to three months imprisonment on a charge of larceny. Maybe he wasn’t as squeaky clean as he wanted people to believe. No matter the impression he tried to project, nothing could save him from the gallows.

Using FreeBDM I found a marriage of George Waines in 1847, registered in the Scarborough district of Yorkshire. From the same Volume, there are two Janes, Jane Winter and Jane Jewett.

That settled, back to the original aim of my post, the friendship between Margaret Diwell and the Waines, particularly Jane. So it seems they met on the Duke of Richmond, the same ship another set of ggg grandparents sailed on, James and Susan Harman. The Diwells spent around five years in Portland after arrival, then they went to Casterton in 1858. The CHS newsletter says that once in Casterton, the Diwells lived close to both the Waines and the Hunts. As the Hunts purchased land off George Waines in 1856 at Casterton, the Waines must have arrived in town before the Diwells.

It sounds like Jane Waines would have been a good friend. The CHS newsletter describes her as “a comely woman, a vivacious personality full of joy and fun…”. George was not described in such a favourable way, although he did hold Jane in high regard.

EXECUTION OF THE CONVICT WAINES. (1860, July 18). Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 – 1918), p. 3. Retrieved February 4, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87945170

Of course, I did wonder what happened to Jane after George’s death. George had thoughts about what she should do.

THE CASTERTON MURDER. (1860, April 30). The South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1858 – 1889), p. 3. Retrieved February 6, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1204764

On the Victorian Marriage Index, a Jane Waines married Thomas James Brooks in 1861. From there I lose her. I can not find a death record for either Jane or a Thomas James Brooks that I can definitely say is them. I can’t get a lead on the town Jane lived in so that is making it hard to search for her at Trove. I wonder if she stayed on in Casterton? Did Margaret Diwell see her again? Did Margaret and Jane’s relationship falter during the trial period, given Margaret also knew Mrs Hunt well. So many questions.

As the Harmans were also on the Duke of Richmond, I have a picture in my mind of James Harman back in 1860, then at Muddy Creek, looking up from his paper of choice, maybe the Hamilton Spectator and Grange District Advertiser and remarking “Do you remember the Waines and the Diwells from the ship, Susan?”

This post was part three of a series of posts about the Casterton Murders. You can read the first two parts on the following links:

Part 1: Witness for the Prosecution

Part 2: Witness for the Prosecution – New Findings

Portland Pioneer Women’s Book of Remembrance

January 31, 2013March 21, 2020 / Merron Riddiford / 10 Comments

The obituary of Sarah Jane Wadmore in the January Passing of the Pioneers prompted me to find out more about a booklet she co-authored for the Portland Centenary in 1934, the Portland Pioneer Women’s Book of Remembrance. I had previously read about it in newspaper reports from around the time.

Pioneer Women of Portland. (1934, May 24). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 3 Edition: EVENING.. Retrieved January 29, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64285807

A Google search led me to the State Library of Victoria website and it was pleasing to see it has been digitised and is available online. I was even more pleased that ggg grandmother Margaret Ann Diwell (nee Turner) was among the pioneering women of Portland as well as some of those I have featured in Passing of the Pioneers.

The booklet begins with a forward from Alice Frances Moss, a pioneer of women’s rights. She was the first President of the National Council of Women of Australia and Chair of the Victorian Women’s Centenary Council.

After an offering of appreciation to pioneer women, there is the story of Mrs Stephen George Henty, the first European woman at Portland, to whom the booklet was dedicated. She is often called Mrs Stephen George Henty, but let us call her Jane (Pace).

“OBITUARY” The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, 14 February 1906

There are the recollections of Mrs George Godwin Crouch (Marianne Trangmar) spanning from 1840 to 1917. Then, a list of “Worthy Pioneers” compiled by Sarah Jane Wadmore. Included is one of my favourites, Rebecca Kittson (Mrs William Lightbody) and Mrs Fawthrop, Jane Rosevear, wife of Captain James Fawthrop the lifeboat captain.

Following is the story of Mrs Richard Charlton Hedditch and further on, a letter she wrote on Christmas Day 1848, to her parents in England. Another woman often referred to by her husband’s name, she was Rachel Forward Read.

After some local poetry comes “Belles and Beauties of the Early Days”. Those included are Misses Henty, Learmonth, Trangmar and Herbertson.

Finally is a list of Portland’s Pioneering Women with women living in Portland prior to 1864 eligible. That’s where I found Margaret. The Diwells lived in Portland for about five years from the time of their arrival on the Duke of Richmond in 1852.

Margaret appears as Mrs William Diwell and her daughter-in-law, Frances Webb, is also listed as Mrs William Diwell. Frances just scraped in as she was born in Portland in 1863 to John Webb and Margaret Smith, also listed. This is a useful list as some entries have notes and maiden names.

The oldest pioneer women, recognised separately, include Marion Nunn Jones, Emma Holmes, and Anne Beglan.

The photographs in the booklet are of Mrs Jane Henty, Mrs Marianne Crouch, Mrs Janet Laurie, Sarah Jane Wadmore and Mrs Rachel Hedditch.

The booklet also comes as an Archive CD book available from the Genealogical Society of Victoria.

Online book – Portland Pioneer Women’s Book of Remembrance

Pack Up Your Troubles

January 17, 2013April 13, 2018 / Merron Riddiford / 10 Comments

They should have known something when I suggested we go to Nelson for a few days. Like last year when we travelled to Portland, I had found a destination that would covertly satisfy some of my family history needs while still appealing to the other family members.

Back in April, I received an email from Daryl Povey from the Glenelg & Wannon Settlers site. Daryl had been at the Digby Hall for ANZAC day and spoke to an old school friend, Doug. Doug had purchased a property near Digby some time ago and had found an army issue backpack hanging on a door in the house. It was in good condition and had the name Pte E. H. Gamble written on it. Daryl knew of my Gamble link and asked me if E.H. was a relative. He most certainly was, he was my great-uncle, Ernest Hiram Gamble

Ernest Hiram Gamble was born in 1915 at Hamilton, the third son of Joseph Henry Gamble and Edith Diwell. My grandfather, William Henry, was the oldest son and was four years older than Ern.

The following photo is L: Ern, Norm, Bill (my grandfather). This is one of my favourite Gamble photos.

There is a lot in the photo. The boy’s shoes – aren’t they great? The boy’s jackets – All different and probably all from different sources, but still Edith ensured her boys looked smart. The garden – I have an interest in Australian gardening history and the photo offers a glimpse into a 1920s backyard. The smiles – it is heartening to see this picture taken in the early 1920s. The boys look so happy and pleased to be together.

In the years earlier, the boys went through a period of separation. Joseph and Edith moved from Hamilton to Moonee Ponds for a short time, living not far from Josephs’ brother Albert. My grandfather and possibly some of the other children spent some time in Ballarat. He even appears on the Macarthur Street State School records. The family returned to Hamilton in the early 1920s and three more children were born. Life was tough at times but Edith, with her happy spirit, kept them smiling.

In 1940, Ernest married Jean Lillian Watts and they moved to Mt Gambier. Ern had worked as a grocer in Hamilton with Moran & Cato Pty Ltd a leading Australian grocery chain of the time and he transferred to their Mt. Gambier store. A keen musician, a love passed through the Diwell line, Ern got involved with local dances playing with his friend Colin McKinnon. The duo also performed in Amateur Hours such as the following at Mt Gambier in 1942.

Last Amateur Hour on Tuesday. (1942, October 24). Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA : 1861 – 1954), p. 3. Retrieved January 15, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article78118758

Advertising. (1942, October 24). Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA : 1861 – 1954), p. 5. Retrieved January 15, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article78118780

On April 22, 1942, aged 27, Ern enlisted at Mt Gambier for service in WW2. An appointment was made with The Arthur Studio in Mt. Gambier for a photo session for posterity.

Image courtesy of the State Library of South Australia. BRG 347/4359 http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/arthur/04500/BRG347_4359.htm

Ern’s work place gave him a send off and he set off to Adelaide for training in early October 1942.

Presentation to Staff Member. (1942, October 3). Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA : 1861 – 1954), p. 1. Retrieved January 13, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article78117772A month later, Ern was given leave to spend time with Jean before his posting.

PERSONAL. (1942, November 12). Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA : 1861 – 1954), p. 1. Retrieved January 15, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article78119426

At the time of his discharge, Ern was a corporal with the 1st Australian Base Ordnance Depot that, from what I can work out, was in Brisbane. By the end of the war there was an Ordnance Depot at Bandiana in Victoria and I have found this referred to as the 1st Ordnance Depot. The role of the Ordnance Corps is detailed below:

Men Wanted For Militia.—No. 7. (1940, August 6). The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 – 1954), p. 4. Retrieved January 17, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article40949865

After the war, Ern and Jean welcomed a son, John Ernest. They were living in Melbourne by that time.

This is another lovely Gamble photo. Here Edith, surrounded by her family, and with a big smile, looks so proud. Ern is back right and my grandfather, back left. This was from a series of photos taken on a day the family managed to all come together from Melbourne, Ballarat and beyond. My mum and Ern’s son John were only toddlers, so I think it may have been around 1948 and Edith was living at 18 Skene Street, Hamilton.

In 1960, Ern passed away at McKinnon, aged only 44. Jean died in 1971 aged 54 and the following year, only child John passed away, aged 26.

So that was it, I had decided. We were off to Nelson with its great fishing and oh, did I mention we would just happen to pass right by Doug’s house on the way?

We met up with Doug and his wonderful farm dogs. What a great bloke Doug is, realising the backpack might hold some special family meaning and for looking after it until the day he may find some one who knew Pte E. H. Gamble.

For over 60 years, Ern’s backpack hung on a door in a farmhouse, waiting for its owner to return. The story of how it came to be there is not yet clear. The house was previously owned by Ronald Mabbitt, a Digby man. He passed away in 2005. Ron did enlist in WW2, and when discharged he was with the 2/32 Australian Infantry Battalion. Maybe their paths crossed during the war or maybe Ron was a musician. Ron must have thought a lot of Ern to keep his backpack so long, hoping one day his friend may return.

Thank you to Daryl Povey for contacting me and passing on Doug’s details. Your help is always appreciated.

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©Merron Riddiford 2015. The use of the content and images in this post is according to Western District Families’ Creative Commons License

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