Graham

Trove is great for finding photos and it was the Trove picture search I headed to recently looking for the home of George Hall Harman and his wife Rebecca Graham formally of James Street, Port Fairy. I knew the house no longer existed and with the help of a family history written by George and Rebecca’s granddaughter Edna Harman, I thought I had roughly found the location of the house while visiting Port Fairy in January 2014.

During the past year, more information was forthcoming when Mike Harman contacted me. Mike is my Nana Linda Hadden’s first cousin, both grandchildren of Reuben James Harman, a nephew of George Hall Harman. Mike passed on some of the work his sister Joan had done on the history of the Harmans and the information about George Hall Harman, caught my eye. Apparently, when Rebecca passed away in 1902, grieving George planted four Norfolk Pines in front of their home in James Street.

Armed with that knowledge while visiting Port Fairy in January, I headed to James Street. Port Fairy has many Norfolk Pines lining its streets but in the Harman’s block of James Street there are just four, all in a row and only a few doors up from where I previously visited. I thought if George did plant the trees those standing before me had to be “Rebecca’s trees.”

Once home, I went in search of an old photo of James Street. The State Library of Victoria’s (SLV) collection was the likely place to find one but instead of searching directly at the SLV site, I chose Trove, my preferred ‘search engine’. I seem to get better results when I search Trove, I like the filters that aid the search and I can tag my results or had them to one of my many lists. I searched for “James Street Port Fairy” and toward the top of the search results was a photo from the Lilian Isobel Powling collection at the SLV. It was of James Street from 1958 and it gave me more than I expected.

JAMES STREET, PORT FAIRY. Image courtesy of the State Library Collection. Photo by Isobel Powling, 1958. Image no. H2008.75/102 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/95700

The photo was looking right at the house that once stood behind the pines, presumably that of George and Rebecca Harman. The top of St. John’s Anglican Church is visible in the background.

I did take a photo from a similar angle to the 1958 version but a little further back.

Although it is hard to see, the top of the church is now obscured by pines and an electricity pole stands in the same spot as 1958.

Recently on the Victoria Genealogy Facebook group’s feed, there was a discussion about family stories becoming family “fact” so I would like to make sure Rebecca’s trees are more than a family story. I have a lot of Harman information from the Port Fairy Historical Society, but there is no information about the trees. The Port Fairy Gazette is a possibility, but my first step will be to confirm exactly where the Harman’s lived in James Street. However, I’m a little “Harmaned out” at the moment and would like to focus on some of my tree’s other branches, so in-depth research will have to wait for now.

George Hall Harman, born in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire in 1835, was the fifth child of Joseph Harman and Sarah Mulbury. His middle name “Hall” came from the maiden name of his paternal grandmother, Keiza Hall. The 1851 English Census shows 16-year-old George working as an errand boy and living at the home of local publican and farmer, William Dearman. The following year he saw his older brother James leave for Australia and two years later in 1854, he had his own opportunity to travel to Australia. With his two younger brothers, Jonathan and Reuben, they boarded the “Kate” at Southampton on 3 August 1854 bound for Sydney, arriving on November 7.

I lose track of George for several years until 1859 when he and brother James advertised land for sale, Boodcarra Farm at Port Fairy, then known as Belfast. The advertisement is listed in the Port Fairy/Belfast News Index 1859. In 1860, George married Rebecca Graham, the daughter of Thomas Graham and Margaret Paterson.

Compared to his brothers, George & Rebecca had a relatively small family of five children:

Walter Graham – Birth: 1862 in Port Fairy; Marriage: 1887 to Ann GRAY; Death: 1930 in Kyneton, Victoria.

Edith – Birth: 1865 in Byaduk; Death: 1866 in Byaduk

Thomas Charles – Birth: 1867 in Port Fairy; Marriage: 1900 to Elizabeth Margaret BUDGE; Death: 1954 in Victoria

Mary Helena – Birth: 1870 in Port Fairy; Marriage: 1911 to Samuel ROGERS; Death: 1920 in Sale, Victoria

Herbert George – Birth: 1878 in Port Fairy; Marriage: 1905 to Aimee Elizabeth HEAD; Death: 1955 in Wangaratta, Victoria

George and Rebecca began their married life in Port Fairy but moved to Byaduk with the other members of the Harman family around 1863. It appears that George preferred the seaside town and they returned to Port Fairy by 1867.

On a visit to Port Fairy, I called in at the Port Fairy Historical Society in the town’s former Court House. I noticed old portraits on a wall. Amongst the faces were George and Rebecca Harman. The Society has a copying service and I was able to arrange for copies to be sent.

George Hall HARMAN, Original held by Port Fairy Historical Society

Rebecca GRAHAM, Original held by Port Fairy Historical Society

From the photo of George, it is obvious he was a Mason. Turning to Trove, I was able to establish George was a member of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Odd Fellows(M.U.I.O.O.F.). I also found a lead to the possible origin of George’s photograph:

(1907, June 24). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 3 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved November 9, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page6026342

After Rebecca’s death in 1902, George remained in Port Fairy living in James, Gipps, and Sackville Streets. His occupation varied from “gardener” to “independent means”. He also spent time with his family as the 1914 Australian Electoral Roll shows, with him residing at the home of his daughter Mary and her husband Samuel Rogers in Wodonga. He also spent time with his son, Herbert in Wangaratta as this article about the Wangaratta Odd Fellows Lodge in The Argus suggests:

COUNTRY NEWS. (1923, August 29). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1956), p. 23. Retrieved November 9, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2007613

George passed away on September 14, 1931, at the ripe old age of 96. Only two of his children, Thomas and Herbert, were living at the time of his death.

Family Notices. (1931, September 16). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1956), p. 1. Retrieved November 9, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4411246

George was buried at the Port Fairy Cemetery with Rebecca and baby Edith.

Grave of George, Rebecca and Edith Harman, Port Fairy Cemetery

Headstone of George, Rebecca and Edith Harman, Port Fairy Cemetery

I often think of George and the 29 years after Rebecca’s death until his own. He saw the passing of his daughter and son and two granddaughters. Was it a lonely time or did his activities with the Odd Fellows and the visits to the homes of family members fill the void? I hope so because George was just a normal fellow who happened to be an Odd Fellow.