Women Register for the Vote in NSW after 1902
No. 135 ISSN 1832-9803 May 2015 LIFE MEMBERS Terry Browne, Kay Browne, Nora Kevan, Robyn Byers, Frank Maskill EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President: .... Rex Toomey ...... 6582 7702 ...... [email protected] Vice-Pres: .... Diane Gillespie ...... 6582 2730 ...... [email protected] Treasurer: .... Clive Smith ...... 6586 0159 ...... [email protected] Secretary: .... Wendy Anson ...... 6582 1742 ...... [email protected] SUPPORT COMMITTEE Pauline Every ...... 6581 1559 ...... [email protected] May Watson ...... 6584 1939 ...... [email protected] Jennifer Mullin ...... 6584 5355 ...... [email protected] Sue Brindley ...... 6585 0035 ...... [email protected] AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY ~ 2014-2015 Acquisitions / Archives: ...... Clive Smith Footsteps: ...... Eugenia Rauch General Meetings Entry Roster: ...... May Watson Journals: ...... Diane Gillespie, Sue Brindley Library Roster: ...... Sue Brindley Membership: ...... Jennifer Mullin Minutes: ...... Wendy Anson Museum Heritage Group/InfoEmail: ...... Rex Toomey New Resources-processing: ...... Jennifer Mullin / Sue Brindley NSW&ACT Assoc. Delegate: ...... Clive Smith Publicity: ...... Pauline Every Public Officer: ...... Clive Smith Research Queries: ...... Team of four members Ryerson Index Transcribers: ...... Kay and Terry Browne Social Events / Speakers: ...... May Watson Website / Facebook: ...... Pauline Every SUPPORT GROUPS Family Tree Maker: ...... Clive / Jennifer / Sue Research Support Group: ...... Clive / Wendy / Jennifer RootsMagic Support Group: ...... Brian and Lin Panisset Writing Group ...... Noeline Kyle CURRENT PROJECT CO-ORDINATORS Bibliographical Data Base: ...... Rex Toomey PM Gaol Break-up ver.2: ...... Clive Smith Swimming Pool Tile Stories: ...... Yvonne Toomey 2015 NSW&ACT State Conference:…...... Jennifer Mullin
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Calendar of Meetings ...... 3 VALE – Ruth Margaret Stewart ...... 4 Member Groups ...... 4 From the President ...... 5 From the Editor ...... 6 Time Travellers ...... 6 Grace Emily Burrows ...... 7 Family History Holiday—Part I ...... 8 The Sad but Mysterious Fate of Ellen Jackson ...... 10 Female convicts, criminals and public servants: making women visible in the records ...... 13 Beth finds her Family—and attends a Family Reunion ...... 17 Women of Note ...... 17 Mercia (nee Hopkins) Hardy—a brisk, little woman ...... 18 Grandma, the Bible and ‘the-bird-on-the-bikkie-tin’ ...... 20 Assignment Lists ...... 22 The Computer Corner No. 39—Long Term Storage ...... 23 Publications for Sale ...... 24
CALENDAR OF MEETINGS Meeting dates for your diary (some may be subject to change) Thursdays Saturdays Wednesdays Committee Meetings Monthly Meetings Research Support Group 10.00am – 1.00pm 1.00-3.00pm 1.00pm – 3.00pm Meeting Room, Library Meeting Room, Library Technology Room, Library 30th April 9th May 13th May 4th June 13th June 17th June 2nd July 11th July 15th July 30th July 8th August 12th August 3rd September No meeting – NSW&ACT 23rd September (4th Wed) FH Conference Day 1st October 10th October 14th October 5th November 14th November 18th November 3rd December 12th December 16th December Port Macquarie Library, Grant Street Port Macquarie
FRONT COVER Elector’s Right received by Grace Emily Burrows in 1903 (read Grace’s story on page 7)
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VALE – RUTH MARGARET STEWART Kay Browne One of our earlier Family History Society members, Ruth Margaret Stewart, passed away on 19th January 2015. Her husband Max pre-deceased her in August 2013. Ruth was a quiet Society member and did not take an active role in her later years but she and Max always supported Society functions. They never missed the Christmas parties, the special seminars and any fund-raising occasions. While Ruth may not have taken on a working role she supported those who needed help. It was through her research that I became acquainted with Ruth. She joined the Society on 15th December 1988 and remained a member until June 2013. Before Terry and I left Port Macquarie in the late 1980s, I had been corresponding with Ruth because we were both researching the unusual family name of Rintoul/Rentoul. With this, she helped me with other contacts all over the world although we never made any connection. Most Rintouls were Scottish-based and mine were in London as early as 1800. We used to laugh about it and she would tell me to keep on trying! On the other side of our family history, when chatting with Ruth’s husband Max it came to light that he had Tasmanian relatives and… you guessed it! Max and Terry had a connection through the Hodgetts family. Ruth and Max had seven children and so our thoughts are with them, their families and Ruth’s extended family.
NEW MEMBERS Jennifer Mullin Name and Address Pauline Irving, Port Macquarie John McIntyre, Port Macquarie Joan Aiken, Kendall Betty Alexander, Port Macquarie Keith Aiken, Kendall Barry Alexander, Port Macquarie Christine Ingram, Port Macquarie
MEMBER GROUPS Family Tree Maker Support Group for Members is held on the last Wednesday afternoon of the odd months from 1 pm to 3 pm. The 2015 dates are: 27th May, 22nd July, 30th September and 25th November in the Meeting Room. If you have one, bring a laptop, but not essential. Small entry donation, cuppa available. RootsMagic Support Group for Members is held on the fourth Wednesday afternoon in the even months from 1.15 pm to 3.15 pm. The 2015 dates are: 24th June, 26th August and 28th October 2015 in the Library Meeting Room. Small entry donation, cuppa available. For further details of all groups, speakers and special events, please check the Society’s website.
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FROM THE PRESIDENT Rex Toomey I don’t know about you, but I am starting to get excited… Do you know what I am talking about? I am hoping that you do! Perhaps you are reading this President’s Report from Footsteps at the Monthly Meeting being held on Saturday the 9th May. If so, I calculate it will be 125 days until the State Conference begins in Port Macquarie (or 124 sleeps, if you will). “Ho hum,” you say. “It is just another meeting, or seminar, or something, and it will cost me money.” No, no, no. The State Conference is where we in Port Macquarie have the chance to improve our family history knowledge by a ‘quantum leap’. (I love bringing science into family research). We will have experts from all the important and useful areas of family history. They will be imparting their knowledge and some will even be providing us with a glimpse of what the future may hold. With family historians from all over the State descending upon our town, who knows what network connections you may establish. This Conference could be the key to solving that brick wall question. Besides the serious stuff, there will also be plenty of time to socialise and display some country hospitality. Here in Port Macquarie, we will be able to show off our town and all of the amazing places of the Hastings Valley. The Conference Dinner on Saturday evening the 12th September promises to be a night to remember. Finally, our hard-working Sub- committee is determined to make ‘our’ State Conference the best ever. In that regard, I believe it will be the one all the other State Conferences will be judged by in the future! So there you have it. Will you be someone who comes up to me on Monday 14th September and says, “I am so sorry I didn’t go to the Conference.” Remember, it has been twenty years since our last one and it may be another twenty years until our next one. Therefore, if you haven’t done so already, please consider coming along to the 2015 State Conference because I am sure you will not be disappointed. In this edition of Footsteps, you will find a number of articles written about women and their role in families and society. For many years, gender inequality has existed in our society and placed women in a difficult and demanding role. Fortunately, this is changing but not fast enough. One thing is for certain and that is women have a greater interest in family history than the men, as reflected in our membership statistics showing two out of three members are female. Finally with winter just around the corner, it is probably a good time for you to think about the best way to occupy the cooler months in relation to your family history. There are certainly plenty of new and interesting records continually coming to the major players of Ancestry and FindMyPast. Recently and without much fanfare, Ancestry released further years in their electoral roll section, although New South Wales still only commences in 1930. Don’t forget these resources are free to use at any of the libraries in the district, Port Macquarie, Wauchope and Laurieton.
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FROM THE EDITOR Eugenia Rauch There are many heroes in our family history stories, most of them not obvious. History focuses on the exploits of men—the explorers, the miners, the farmers, the politicians, the businessmen— and rarely does it speak of women, unless they were infamous, or give voice to women’s lives, enclosed as they were in the family home. My grandmother, Katie Clare, is one of my heroines—a brief paragraph may tell you why. From her parents’ grocery store in Sydney’s Surry Hills, she went to her first home as a married woman in 1925—a bachelor’s hut near the swamp land at the Maria River outside Kempsey. They later moved to Sydney and her husband Genie Clarke died in 1949. She remained a widow, raising seven children and working hard all of her life. She passed away in 1978, but not before she answered my questions about her early life. Finding the story of our women ancestors brings surprises, as the stories in this edition show us. So why not take time out to make it easier for seekers in the future. Starting with our publication Can You Remember? is a great help.
TIME TRAVELLERS Rex & Yvonne Toomey It’s like we are just travellers, drifting through the past, Searching for our families in times and places vast, Disappointment haunts our quest for those of whom we’re seeking, But now and then we catch a glimpse of them through shadows peeping. We cannot hope to understand how different were their times, Their desperate deeds to just survive that are no longer crimes, And others forced to leave their homes with hopefulness and grieving, With ne’er a chance to see again the land from which they’re leaving. A word or phrase can often be the clue to help our quest, And place us in ancestral lives but only as a guest, Then glimpse the times and misty scenes of strangely slower living, When much of all the joy in life came just from simply giving. When creased and dusty photographs forlornly hide the pain, Of tougher men who cleared the land to raise their stock and grain, Of women folk with fearful hearts who raised a son or daughter, Just to see them swallowed up by war and all its slaughter. To find that life was not so bad with only God to fear, No handouts from the government when kith and kin were near, With self-sufficient families across each generation, They left to us a country that is still a wondrous nation. At last us weary travellers now find our interest fanned, And history has now taught us to learn and understand, Those families are more than names in lists that we are keeping, They need to be in bright sunlight and not through shadows peeping.
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GRACE EMILY BURROWS Mary Carswell This is the story of my paternal aunt, my dad’s sister who never married but worked tirelessly for her community in Sydney and for the WWI War effort. She was a suffragette and was loved by all her family. Grace Emily Burrows was born on 12th October 1874, the daughter of Henry Burrows and Emily (Thurston) Burrows. She was their first born, although Henry had a previous family of eight children to his first wife, Grace Dickson. Grace Emily grew up with eight older siblings, and two younger sisters and three brothers. Her early education was at home with tutors, and then at the age of twelve years, she attended St Catherine’s School for Girls at Albion Street Waverley (founded 1856). After leaving school, she became a governess in various parts of N.S.W. At the age of twenty-nine in 1903, Grace registered for the right to vote, as women won that right in N.S.W. in 1902. Her certificate is dated 7th September 1903. It was at this time she decided to begin the Girls Realm Guild. The Guild began in London in 1900, and was formed with the aim to raise money to put into a Trust Fund, the interest to be used for scholarships for young ladies who had aspirations for education in professional fields of work and for one reason or another could not afford it, for example, artists, nurses, teachers, secretaries, clerks, etc. Grace was the founding Organising Secretary of the Girls Realm Guild in Sydney in 1903, and she held this position until her death in 1936. The first meeting was held in the Old Government House, now Cranbrook Private School. During WWI the Guild raised money for the Forces, and one achievement was enough money to buy a motorised ambulance for the Army. This was presented at the Victoria Barracks. Grace worked tirelessly as organising secretary and they had flower shows at the Town Hall, craft exhibitions and Grace Emily Burrows c1900 concerts. Grace was a suffragette. In 1910, she travelled overseas, mainly to attend the suffragette demonstration in London. She received a letter from Emily Pankhurst before she left, saying, “If you are arrested and sent to jail, I’ll see you are out in time to catch your ship home.” Grace later wrote: “Two suffragette raids occurred whilst I was in London. I saw much of them and was struck by the great comradeship existing in the ranks of the women, who were seeking enfranchisement. They held several breakfasts and lunches & I had the pleasure of
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meeting Lady Balfour, Mrs & Miss Pankhurst and many others, including Lady Stout from New Zealand and Lady Cockburn from South Australia, both keen suffragettes. “When I was asked to join the procession, I did so.” Grace carried a white flag with a blue map of Australia and numerous people asked her ‘what the funny blue thing was on the flag?’ After eight months abroad, Grace was welcomed home at a Guild meeting by Mrs Macarthur Onslow, Patron of the Guild. Grace held positions on other organisation: she was Vice President of the Professional Women’s Association, an executive of the National Council of Women’s Citizens Association, Committee Member for the conference on Infant and Children’s Welfare Guild in 1917 and Secretary of the Australian Massage Association. She continued to work tirelessly, raising money for the Guild’s Trust, until her sudden death on 4th September 1936. The Suffragette Deputation The Girls Realm Guild folded in 1976 and all monies left in the Badge worn by Grace Burrows at the 1910 Suffragette Trust were given to the University of N.S.W. for girls’ Conference and demonstration scholarships, which still exist today. in London Sources: N.S.W. B.D.M. records; Trove; family papers and photographs.
FAMILY HISTORY HOLIDAY—PART I Yvonne Davidson In June 2014, I took a trip overseas and spent over seven weeks in the U.K. Some of my trip was to visit two daughters who live over there, some was for just travelling and some was spent doing family history. My first stop was in Scotland where my husband came from. I called in at the Buchan Family History Centre in Peterhead, just down the coast from his home town where my youngest daughter lives. My grandmother-in-law was Barbara Gerrard Davidson, formerly Noble nee Milne and, going on the way children are named over there, it would seem that there is a Gerrard connection in the family. The people at the BFHC were most helpful considering I just turned up on their doorstep. I have now joined Scotland’s People and hope I can find out more through this society. After spending time in the Highlands and in the Outer Hebrides, I headed South to Bradford in Yorkshire. My paternal great-grandmother was born here and I had traced a lot of the family. Her paternal grandfather, Abraham Bairstow (my 3xgreat-grandfather), had owned a farm near Wibsey and Little Horton and there was a large family. Her maternal grandfather, Squire Stowell (my other 3xgreat-grandfather), had owned a mill until he was made insolvent. Before leaving Australia I had contacted the local history people and a lovely lady called Mary Twentyman (don’t you love it!) made arrangements to meet me and show me around. This was the most fabulous experience. Mary and her husband, Geoff, picked me up at my
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B&B at 10 a.m. and we went back to their place so she could show me some information they had. While there a research friend of Mary’s, Barbara, joined us and then we all set out on a tour of Bradford. This was where things got really exciting as, after driving around a few of the streets I knew were connected to the family, we went to the Bradford Tradesmen’s Homes built in the 1800s, rather like our retirement villages but these are small 2-storey terrace houses. To get there we drove through a rather dilapidated part of the town and went up this small lane to a parking area. What we found when we walked from the carpark was like a beautiful oasis. The terraces are set around a large quadrangle—there are lovely gardens outside each house, lawns and trees with seats scattered around in the centre of the quadrangle and a wide path between the house gardens and the lawns. The house I was interested in, No. 16, was where my Grandfather Stowell had lived with a daughter for several years until his death in 1876. When we arrived, the current tenant and possibly her daughter and husband were sitting on a bench outside in the sun. While I was trying to take a sneak photo, Mary spoke to these people and the next thing I knew the younger lady jumped up and insisted I went in to have a look around. She showed me the lounge, kitchen, laundry and small backyard where they can grow their own flowers or vegies. She wanted to take me upstairs but I thought that was too intrusive. I have since sent a Christmas card and calendar to the lady with copies of my photos. Later in the day, Mary showed me Stowell Mill Lane, named after my Grandfather as his mill was there. Then it was time for the Bairstow side. Our first stop was to see a lady, who owns and is living in one of the old farm cottages at Brownroyd Hill, which was the name of the farm but is now part of Bradford. It turned out she had a box file full of old documents which went right back to the 1850s. She had sorted them into date order and put pencil numbers on them to keep them in order. Needless to say, Mary and Barbara were very excited, and I think will be going back to see this lady again. In the 1990s I was in contact with a distant relative, and he gave me information on the Bairstows, including a copy of Abraham Bairstow’s Will relating to Brownroyd Hill Farm and a tithe map of the area. This man was related through his great-grandfather and my Bairstow 2xgreat- grandfather being brothers, so his information was very Chapel and No. 16 (open door on left) where Grandfather Stowell lived and died helpful especially as he
Footsteps Page 9 May 2015 was able to tell me that their mother’s name was Mary North, which confirmed my thoughts on my great-grandmother’s middle name of North. So Mary, Barbara and I walked up the street to see if we could find another cottage, that my distant relative had given me a photo of and which his cousin was living in. An enquiry of a local man led us down a lane and there it was just as it appeared in my photo—it actually overlooked the other cottages we’d been to. After our experience at the Tradesmen’s Homes, we knocked on the door of the cottage and a lady, Wendy Stephenson, answered. She was the daughter of my contact’s cousin (who had passed away four years ago). She invited us in for tea, showed us around the whole house and, I think, she was as amazed as I was. When I worked it out, we are cousins 4 times removed. Although the farm is no longer there, it was memorable to see what would appear to be six of the original cottages, two two-storey buildings and a possible farm building still in existence and being used after 250 years. It was very exciting for me.
THE SAD BUT MYSTERIOUS FATE OF ELLEN JACKSON Rex & Yvonne Toomey It is likely that Ellen Jackson realised the predicament in which she had now been placed. The small regional centre of Kempsey on the Macleay River in July 1873 could be a very lonely place without a husband bringing in an income to buy food and clothes for a growing family. The population of the area had grown significantly in the past twenty years from 657 to 4,9751. As expected in these regional areas, there were approximately ten men to every eight women2. Just twenty-six years of age, with three children aged eight, six and four, Ellen was now six months pregnant. She had married an ex-pat Yankee named Ezekiel Jackson on 14th February 18663. Even though she had been baptised in the Roman Catholic religion in the Macleay River district by Father Rigney on 14th October 18474, surprisingly she had been married by the district Registrar, William Thornton. Being only nineteen years old at the time, her father Michael Murray had to provide his written permission. It was not even a ‘rushed’ marriage because their first child, Clarence John Jackson, was born a respectable fourteen months after on 28th April 1867, and registered at Macleay River5. The big problem for Ellen was that her husband Ezekiel had just been arrested! Ezekiel Jackson was born 8th December 1837 in China, Maine, USA6. Prior to marrying Ellen, he had led a most colourful and interesting life. His name appeared on the USA Census Records for 1840 and 1850 as the son of Amos B. Jackson. Then out of the blue on 7th April 1861 in the English census, he is recorded as a twenty-four year old, able bodied seaman in the British Royal Navy, on the Bacchante in Esquimault Harbour, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada7. A short time later, he deserted the British Navy and took
______1 Historical Census and Colonial Data Archive. Available from:
______1 Inward passenger lists. Series 13278, Reels 399-560, 2001-2122, 2751. SRNSW. 2 The Sydney Morning Herald 21 November 1861, p.3b 3 NSW Police Gazettes. Series 10958, Reels 3129-3143, 3594-3606. SRNSW.
4Assisted immigrants to New South Wales, 1838-96, SRNSW : 4/4782-812: mFm 2135 p33-34 'Elizabeth' 5 1845 v62.2452 (SRNSW ARK Early Church Records). 6 The Sydney Morning Herald 10 February 1865, p.5f 7 NSW BDM 78/1867 (Reg. Sydney) & NSW BDM 1805/1867 (Reg. Sydney). 8Camperdown Cemetery Interment Register, SLNSW: mFm: No 15860. Footsteps Page 11 May 2015
Having to struggle with the death of her mother, sister and father, Ellen had more upheaval on 9th September 1873, when her husband Ezekiel was tried in the Port Macquarie Quarter Sessions, and found guilty of stealing £5 from John Sweeney. He was sentenced to eight months hard labour in Port Macquarie Gaol1. Whilst he was there, Ellen gave birth to a son, Michael Jackson, on 7th December 1873, but he sadly died nine days later from convulsions2. After leaving gaol, Ezekiel did not return home to Ellen, and a warrant was issued for unlawful desertion in August 18743. It is most likely that he had left Australia by this time as no other records mention his name until he arrives back in the USA, where he marries again and has another family. Meanwhile, Ellen is now left with few choices but to look for someone to help her survive and support her young family. That relationship resulted in another pregnancy but one with awful consequences. On 9th June 1875, Ellen nearly died after giving birth to triplets at Skillion Flat, about nine miles (fourteen kilometres) west of Kempsey. Two of the children, Elizabeth and George, died from ‘natural causes’ within five hours of birth4 and the other child may have been still born because there are no known records. The registering of stillborn births in New South Wales did not commence until 1935. An inquest was held and it was reported that had it not been ‘…for the kindness and humanity of Mrs. John Smith, who was accidentally passing at the time [of birth], the unfortunate woman’s life would have been sacrificed.’5 Now that Ellen’s sadness has been told, it is here that the mystery begins. Despite years of research and many incorrect certificates obtained, no trace of Ellen’s life has been found after this date. Perhaps she died and the death was not registered. Perhaps she left the State or the country looking for Ezekiel. Perhaps she even married the father of the triplets. It is just a classic example of a family history ‘brick wall’ where the solution is tantalisingly just out of our reach. There is still a lot more to this story and one day, we hope to discover her fate.
ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE TO THE EDITOR OF THE COLONIST Sydney, 12th February 1835 SIR,—Would it not be well to bring into public notice, the state and arrangement of the Female Factory at Parramatta, to which female convicts are generally accustomed to look, not so much as a place of punishment, as of relief from domestic servitude, and from which they usually return worse than they went? If the testimony of an inmate lately returned to her service is to be believed, twenty women employed nominally in breaking, or rather tapping at stones, produced in one day, only one barrow load of broken pieces. Yours respectfully, A SUBSCRIBER We are not aware of the circumstances connected with the internal management of the Factory to which a Subscriber alludes. We shall be glad however to be furnished with information by those who can afford it, as there cannot possibly be any desire on the part of the authorities to maintain any existing abuses in that establishment.—EDIT.
______1 NSW Police Gazettes. Series 10958, Reels 3129-3143, 3594-3606. SRNSW 2 NSW BDM 4926/1873 (Reg. Macleay River). 3 NSW Police Gazettes. Series 10958, Reels 3129-3143, 3594-3606. SRNSW. 1874p240 4 NSW BDM 7204 & 7205/1875 (Reg. Macleay River). 5 The Maitland Mercury 19 June 1875, p.6e (reprinted from the Macleay Herald) Footsteps Page 12 May 2015
FEMALE CONVICTS, CRIMINALS AND PUBLIC SERVANTS: MAKING WOMEN VISIBLE IN THE RECORDS Noeline Kyle One of the first questions I put to family historians in relation to names and the visibility or not of women ancestors, is for the researcher to think about where the life experiences of the woman you are researching appear in the records. I point to my three favourite sets of female characters as examples: convicts, criminals and public servants. These categories appear in the records simply because the government of the day was responsible for their accommodation, food and upkeep or, in the case of public servants, for salary, work conditions and other employment circumstances such as recruitment, job placement, promotion and, at times, dismissal and/or retirement. Convict women generally had the same legal and administrative practices attached to them as did men. However, for women convicts the context of daily life was very different. There are issues related to the Female Factories, pregnancy and childbirth, the care of children and the vulnerability of young women who were transported without any support. Many convict women would enter a relationship with a marine, free settler or another convict to survive. However, at least convict women are on the lists, and their lives, because they were prisoners appear in the records. With crime and criminality, women and murder are always a sensational topic, as the recent trials of Kathleen Folbigg and Kelli Lane and also the sad and dreadful case of Lindy Chamberlain showed us in the media…there are many historical examples…often we see images of the gun crazy or the beautiful knife wielding woman criminal…the reality is much more prosaic. Most women in the Jean Lee, source: Herald Sun, 8 June 2012. records of Australian prisons are there for more ordinary reasons—for minor crimes such as theft or petty larceny. Of course women did commit murder and robbery and other violent crimes, and often you find them as accessories to murder—as was the case of Jean Lee who, although she did play an active part in the crime she had no part in the actual killing, but as an accessory she was hanged. Jean Lee was the last women to be hanged in Victoria and Australia in 1951.1 Of course, if you find a woman who committed a crime there will be records. All prisoners were photographed as they entered prison, and these can be found at the relevant State archives.2 Similar photographic records are found in other countries. Many of these are now searchable online, for New South Wales see Gaol Photographs, c.1870-1930 at www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/indexes-online. A search of Trove should unearth press reports of arrests or court proceedings. Government gazettes, gaol records, court records and much more can provide information on this category of ancestor. ______1 Paul Wilson et al Jean Lee: the last women hanged in Australia, Random House Australia, Sydney, 1997. 2 R v Collins [1888] NSW Supreme Court, newspaper reports on this case are many, also see Colonial Case Law and other original documents (by Bruce Kercher) on the website: www.law.mq.edu.au/research/colonial_case_law/nsw/site/scnsw_home/ Footsteps Page 13 May 2015
Under the title public servant can be found women teachers, headmistresses, nurses, midwives, social and child welfare workers, postmistresses, administrators, superintendents and matron. Martha Betts, the matron of the Protestant Orphan School from 1851 to 1872 is a well known example. Other women to have held similar positions are Marion Clarke, matron of the Industrial School for Girls, Newcastle from November 1868 to March 1871, and Mary Ann Lucas, matron of the Louisa Collins, executed for the murder of her husband and same school from 1871 to 1874 when the last woman hanged in N.S.W. the Industrial School for Girls had moved to Cockatoo Island.1 The records for these women’s working lives can be found at New South Wales State Records (NSWSR) under a number of headings including the Royal Commission on Public Charities 1873-74 (NSW Legislative Assembly), Public Service Lists, Statistical Register of NSW, State Children’s Relief Board, Colonial Secretary Special Bundles and the records of the Industrial School for Girls. Education records, including the career details of women teachers, are an invaluable source and career details for teachers are found in all Australian state records offices. Not all records have survived for public or private schools. However, surviving administrative details as well as the pages of local newspapers for reports of school sporting events, arrival and/or departure of a teacher and correspondence about a family or an individual can provide useful details. Small bush schools are difficult to research but a check of administration files can yield important information at times. Letters to and from parents, teachers complaints to head office and applications by local residents for the establishment of a school can provide lists of local residents and their children and some reference to an individual life, see for New South Wales Schools and related records, 1876-1979 at www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/indexes-online. For women at work the questions I am most often asked, especially for teachers, midwives and nurses are: Where can I find out about their training? Is there information on the school/hospital? Are there pupil records? Or, my mother/father was a patient and I want to find out more about their stay in a hospital? Unfortunately very few records survive for pupils or for patients in institutions, but see Archives in Brief 76 – Pupil Records at NSWSR. Most of us do have a midwife or a nurse or a teacher in our ancestry and their records vary depending on whether they worked in the private sector or for the government or indeed for one of the churches. I cannot cover these here but you can check my history of women and education in New South Wales for information on all the categories of teachers, my recent book on Nurses and Midwives as well as Finding Florence.2 ______1 Noeline Kyle, Her natural destiny: women and education in New South Wales, New South Wales University Press, Sydney, 1986. Noeline Williamson, (previously Kyle), Reform or repression? Industrial and reformatory schools for girls in New South Wales, 1866 to 1910, BA Honours Thesis, University of Newcastle, 1979. 2 Noeline Kyle, Her natural destiny, op cit Noeline Kyle, R Lynette Russell & Jennifer Blundell, Nurses & Midwives in Australian history: a guide to historical sources, Footsteps Page 14 May 2015
Nurses and women teachers were the first group of women to work in the child and social welfare sector. Here they worked as supervisors of health and welfare in industrial and reformatory schools, in facilities for disabled children and in refuges for women and children and in, orphanages. For both nurses and teachers the notion that they had been mothers, or would be mothers, that they could naturally teach and care for young children, the sick, the disabled, or women and girls meant that their entry into the social welfare field was ensured.1 However, where these women ran into trouble was when they tried to move outside these accepted roles. One of the most interesting cases I found was that of Sarah Mary Cameron in her early 20s, (later Dame Mary Gilmore) Hynes, one of five women and seventeen men listed in a set of complaint files in the New South Wales Department of Public Instruction at NSWSR. Sarah was a teacher of botany but was employed at the Sydney Botanic Gardens when these complaints were aired. There were three public service board enquiries attached to her, all of which take on an air of comic melodrama as her aggrieved male superiors and colleagues are described as desperately scurrying around the flower boxes defending their special domain. The following quote is from her immediate superior, a Mr Betche, who believed she had a bad temper and that: She is such an aggressive women. She cannot take anything quietly. She must have her say, and I will not listen. This is a constant source of trouble. If I say I will not listen to her disturbances and complaints, she forces me to listen. I told Mr Maiden, and she was forbidden to enter my room, so that I could have quiet. I say I will not dispute with her, and she comes knocking at the door. I do not want her in my room, because if she comes in at any time with any of her complaints I cannot get rid of her. I told her to leave me alone, to leave my room, and she would not. I have said if she would not go away I would call the Director.2 One of the problems in this case, at least for her male work colleagues, was that Sarah Hynes was highly educated and articulate. She already had a science degree when she arrived in Australia and she had a Bachelor of Arts (Zoology) from the University of Sydney. Sarah conducted her own case during the inquiries and her questions are straightforward and at time, forceful. Of course Sarah Hynes did not have a hope of winning her case. She had thirty-nine charges detailed against her which included: insulting conduct toward her superiors, disobedience, eavesdropping at the Directors room, prying in the directors room, loudly abusing poor Mr
Unlock the Past, St Agnes, SA, 2015. Noeline Kyle, Finding Florence, Maude, Matilda, Rose: Researching and writing women into family history, Unlock the Past, St Agnes, SA, 2013. 1 Mary Cameron (later Dame Mary Gilmore) a pupil teacher and teacher for the NSW Department of Public Instruction 1882- 1895, source: W. H. Wilde, Courage a grace: a biography of Dame Mary Gilmore, Melbourne University Press, 1988. 2 Noeline Kyle, ‘Sarah Hynes and the ‘Hibiscus Episode’: a policy of keeping women teachers in their place,’ in Dr N. J. Kyle ed Women as educators in nineteenth century Australia, Occasional Papers No 1, School of Learning Studies, University of Wollongong, 1988, pp.1-12. Footsteps Page 15 May 2015
Betche, untruthfulness, frittering time, unreliability, prevarication, distorting conversations, inventing situations, habitually wasting time, neglect of duties, accumulation of rubbish, incompetence in her knowledge of botany, and habitually raising the question that she is independent of Mr Betche and the list goes on. At the end of the inquiries Sarah was found to be insubordinate, fined two weeks’ salary and transferred to the Department of Public Instruction as a teacher of botany. As a matter of interest Sarah Hynes became a well-loved and well respected teacher and she ended her days at St Georges Girls School in Sydney South. The professions of medicine and law presented inflexible and insurmountable barriers to women’s entry. Dr Dagmar Berne, was the first and only female student to enrol at the University of Sydney in medicine in 1885. The Vice Chancellor at the time stated that no woman would graduate in medicine while he was in that position. Dagmar was never allowed to practice in any Sydney Hospital and did her further training in London, and then worked briefly in private practice in Sydney. She died very young at thirty-four, after a long struggle to train and work in the profession she loved.1 In the end it is useful to remember a few principles when researching and writing about your women ancestors. Firstly, women wage their wars from the back row, often quietly and can be overlooked as leaders and shapers of society. Even when married and burdened with children Dr Dagmar Berne and domestic duties a woman worked outside with her Source: M. Hutton Neve, husband on the farm and in the shop. She was a volunteer This mad folly at her church and in her community. Secondly, we need to think about women in the past not just as mothers and wives (although this will be their primary experience) but as unique in their own right. Their lives were as complex, contradictory and as conflicted as any other. Try to map this as fully as you can. As family historians we are in a unique position to research, record and write about our women ancestors who were brave enough to live the most extraordinary lives. The least we can do is include their stories more vividly, in more detail, and more precisely in our family histories.2
Writing Support Group A new support group, to be conducted by member Dr Noeline Kyle, will begin on the first Wednesday afternoon of May, and monthly thereafter, from 1pm to 3pm. Currently all places are filled for this year. The session details will be planned at the first meeting by the group.
______1 M. Hutton Neve, This mad folly: the history of Australia’s pioneer women doctors, Library of Australian History, Sydney, 1980. 2 All photographs in the Female Convicts article were provided by Dr Noeline Kyle. Footsteps Page 16 May 2015
BETH FINDS HER FAMILY—AND ATTENDS A FAMILY REUNION Jennifer Mullun In my quest to find out about the lovely lady in the photo, my article in February 2015 Footsteps was read by Val Leet, the Secretary of Tamworth & District Family History Group. She recognised the name and contacted Margaret Ashford in Lambton, N.S.W. Margaret is Beth’s first cousin! Margaret and I had goosebumps as we talked, and realised that Beth now had a family. Margaret was organising a family reunion in Scone on 14th March, and we arranged to meet, so that Beth could also attend. It turns out that Beth’s parents moved from Lismore to Tamworth. We think that my Mum would have bought the frames at a garage sale when her father, Kenneth, moved into Moonby House, a retirement home. And Beth? She married in Lismore in September 1954. I discovered a newspaper article about her marriage, with a photograph of her! However, when I searched for her in the Electoral Rolls, I found her husband at the address, but not Beth. Further research revealed her death in 1957 in Sydney. At the Reunion, Margaret unveiled the photograph of Beth. Keith Ibbertson, Margaret’s cousin, confirmed that it was Margaret Ashford and Keith Ibbertson at the Ashford definitely Beth in the portrait. He was the Reunion with Beth’s portrait only one of those at the Reunion who (Photo with permission) actually knew her.
WOMEN OF NOTE Australian Dictionary of Biography Gertrude Mary Melville (1884-1959), housewife and politician, was born on 7th October 1884 at Hamilton Saw Mills, Port Macquarie, second child of native-born parents John Joseph Day, sawyer, and his wife Mary Ann, née Dunbar. Reads Gertrude’s story at: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/melville-gertrude-mary-11106
Ida Cohen (1867-1970), charity worker, was born on 27th August 1867 at Tamworth, eldest child of native-born parents Nathan Cohen, stock and station agent, and his wife Esther, née Solomon. Nathan and his siblings—including twin brothers Henry and George—had been born at Port Macquarie. Read Ida’s story at: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cohen-ida-9777
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MERCIA (NEE HOPKINS) HARDY—A BRISK, LITTLE WOMAN Joy-Elaine Lewis Whilst recently researching an ancestor through the National Library of Australia’s Trove archival website, I chanced upon a newspaper article about a person from an entirely different family line which made fascinating reading. Delving further I made some quite astounding discoveries into this unknown connection to my father, and like any aspiring good history-detective, I followed the clues left by their imprinted footsteps. Gradually, I was rewarded with an insight into their life and times which, in turn, added a new dimension to my father’s story. I highly recommend this ‘treasure trove’ of information, but be prepared for some shocks and surprises! It was the name Hardy that first caught my attention—the maiden name of my father’s mother, Eva Beatrice Hardy [1881-1951]. The Newcastle Morning Herald & Miners Advocate newspaper of 7th February 1895 reported in its Municipal news section that the returning officer for the Lambton Council was Alderman George E. Hardy. This person was indeed the eldest brother of Eva, George Edward Hardy [1864-1936], and I was to discover that he had led a very interesting and fulfilling life, both privately and publicly. His lengthy obituary and funeral notice attest to these facts. I was able to unlock a wealth of information about him and his wife by entering their respective names in the search bar of the Trove website, then double-checking with the NSW BDM site records. There happened to be many news articles on him—he was three times Lord Mayor of Lambton Council, and many times a councillor; he was a Lake Macquarie Shire Councillor for quite a number of years and was the Shire Chairman on several occasions. He died while in office. There was a huge funeral cortege in his honour attended by many dignitaries of the region. However, it is his wife, Mercia Myfield (nee Hopkins), who provides a glimpse into an even more interesting and enlightening era for females of such strong and contentious personality as she possessed. From newspaper reporting, she was a milliner and owned a millinery shop prior to her marriage in 1886. She was a high-profile person who seemed to attract a lot of controversy, and she demonstrated great courage and fortitude as she confronted the status quo of the patriarchal society of that time. Carrington Hotel Together with her husband, she owned the Carrington Hotel and a number of shops which were on the corner of Nelson and Tyrell Streets in Wallsend. In 1923 a fire severely damaged these properties but she was astute enough to have insurance cover for the losses. It is believed she also had other property investments in the area.1 As Lady Mayoress of the Lambton Council, she was exposed to the politics of public life and its social expectations as well. In 1922 she nominated as a lady candidate for the Wallsend Council. The Newcastle Sun newspaper of 27th November 1922 headlined its article 'Lady ______1 Norm Barney Collection, University of Newcastle, with permission Footsteps Page 18 May 2015
Candidate – Standing For Council – Wallsend Live-Wire Will Shake Things Up'. The article then declares: Wallsend has the distinction of nominating the only female candidate for municipal honours in this district. She is the third woman to be nominated throughout the State for the coming elections. She is Mrs Mercy [sic] Hardy ... ‘Wallsend wants shaking up’ she said when asked about her policy. She asserted that people come to her and say Wallsend is dead but ‘that is only because the people are dead themselves’. She intends to ‘stir things up’ ... ‘people want to make money without working for it ... progress is my watchword and if elected I intend to do my best to make council liven up ... look at the lighting system we have she says, scornfully pointing to the gas lamps in the street. This is one of the oldest established towns in the State yet look at other smaller villages who already have electric lighting. I think I can do as good as – if not better than – most of the aldermen in the council.' Her final comments of the interview read: Women should take a more active part in the country and its affairs ... had they interested themselves in public matters in the past the country would have been in a better position today. The newspaper reporter’s summation was: 'She is a brisk, little woman and is full of business.' She was not elected. There was then a change in residence to the Boolaroo and Speers Point area of Lake Macquarie where her husband was duly elected to the Shire Council. They embarked on various property investment projects with most of the business conducted by Mercia herself. She was relentless in her Speers Point, looking from Hardy’s Hill over Lake Macquarie pursuit of business interests—buying and developing large tracts of land overlooking the Lake which would become known as 'Hardy’s Hill'. She also owned houses and storerooms in the area and proved to be a shrewd landlady. Even after her husband’s death, she was followed by controversy, which so often happens when a high-profile person is successful. Gradually, with the health problems of old age, her business interests were sold off and she ended her days at her daughter’s home in Sydney. Feisty to the end, she leaves a remarkable legacy, not only for her family but for all females of her generation and those thereafter. Vale Mercia (nee Hopkins) Hardy—that 'brisk, little woman'—an entrepreneurial trailblazer.1
______1 Another Trove revelation...the uncle of Councillor George Edward Hardy, Thomas Hardy [1830-1884] and his wife Jane (nee Falcus) Hardy [1833-1896] owned the Glasgow Arms Hotel in Carrington (then known as Bullock Island) and the Blue Bell Inn (now the site of the Newcastle City Carpark) during the 1880s. After the death of her husband in 1884, Jane remained the licensee of the Glasgow Arms, and retained the licence even after her second husband Arthur Gower died. Another feisty female publican in the extended family vault! I would be most interested to hear from anyone researching the family lines of Hardy/Hopkins and Millgate/Dewhurst who lived in the Newcastle NSW region. Footsteps Page 19 May 2015
GRANDMA, THE BIBLE AND ‘THE-BIRD-ON-THE-BIKKIE-TIN’ Helen Lewis Family history research can unearth fascinating insights which support long-told family stories, highlight extraordinary coincidences, and shed light on people whose lives demonstrate enormous strength and courage in adversity. All this happened to my sister and me, after we became custodians of the 150-year old Sanders Family Bible last year. The discovery of a bird’s feather inside the Bible reminded us of stories about a family parrot, like the Arnott’s Biscuits ‘bird-on-the-bikkie-tin’. We also had a photo of our Grandma as a baby, captioned as being ‘brought up on Milk Arrowroot biscuits’. Like hounds on a scent trail, we were off and running! More family stories were uncovered which revealed our maternal grandmother not only had connections with the Sanders Family Bible and Arnott’s Biscuits, but also was a woman who showed incredible fortitude of spirit. Our story starts on the western outskirts of Newcastle N.S.W. In 1886 Nicholas Sanders [1842-1921], a coal- miner from Durham England, arrived as a Government- assisted immigrant to be employed in the coal mines at Pittown (now known as Wallsend). His wife Isabella (Isabell) Hodgson [1844-1915] and their children followed, bringing with them a large and beautifully gilded Bible. They were devout Methodists and family life revolved around the Church and its teachings. Living close by the mine pits and railway line, life was hard, but families shared produce, neighbours kept watch over one another and helped in times of need. Nicholas and Isabell were the first Sanders in our family to migrate to Australia, and were the grandparents of our Grandma Isabella (Isabel) Hodgson Sanders [1905-1980].
In 1904 Grandma’s father, Stephen Hodgson Sanders [1880- Sanders Family Bible, 1945], married Margaret Buxton [1882-1936]. She was a published 1864 daughter of Welsh immigrant miner John Buxton [1843- 1912] and his wife Catherine Humphreys [1851-1899] who had migrated from Wales with her parents. Stephen and Margaret had eight children, born between 1904 and 1924. Stephen worked at several jobs to earn extra money to provide well for his family. He was a keen gardener, so the huge vegetable patch supplied abundant crops for meals. The family owned two cows, dogs, chooks and a couple of pet birds, including a parrot (just like ‘the bird-on-the-bikkie-tin’). Stephen generously shared with others, especially during the Great Depression. Margaret could neither read nor write but she was a competent homemaker, an excellent cook, played the piano and had a beautiful singing voice. She could sing hymns and recite Bible verses from memory, and she ensured that all her children attended school and learnt important practical skills. Despite suffering a stroke which caused blindness, Margaret remained steadfast to her religion. This fortitude of spirit and strength of character were instilled in all her children.
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Isabel (our Grandma), born in 1905, was a chubby healthy baby. As a seven-month old she was one of the lucky winners selected by Arnott’s Biscuits to be included in their Living Pictures advertising campaign for ‘Milk Arrowroot’ biscuits. Her photo appeared in several 1906 newspapers—a proud moment for her parents, as thousands of entries were submitted each year. With her mother’s training, Isabel became an excellent cook and competent domestic caregiver, as well as an accomplished pianist and organist. Isabel was later the official organist at both Wallsend Methodist Churches, as well as the housekeeper at the parsonage for the minister and his family. Isabel inherited the beautiful rich Welsh tone of voice, and she was a popular performer at church, Isabel Hodgson Sanders, family events and community functions. From her father she aged seven months would learn how to wisely manage her money and how to garden successfully. With black wavy hair, sparkling deep-blue eyes and a charming smile, Isabel was sure to attract the attention of many male suitors. She met her husband-to-be, Ernest Albert Hardes [1901-1930], at one of the many parties held at his parents’ house at Marylands, near Wallsend. His parents, William Richard Hardes [1867-1952] and Sarah Ann Manning [1876- 1965], owned a large dairy farm which supplied milk to the local area. Isabel and Ernest married in 1924 and four children quickly followed: Rita Isabella, Elva (our mother), Ernest Albert junior and Norma Margaret. Tragedy struck the family soon after when Ernest Albert, aged only twenty-nine, died suddenly from acute gangrenous appendicitis. The shock affected Isabel for the rest of her life and she became more devoutly religious as a result. She rejected other offers of marriage which could have alleviated her financial problems—a life of hardship was endured, especially during the years of the Great Depression. She worked at several menial jobs to provide for her young children. All the children received a strict and religious up- bringing but also a good education. They followed her example of self-sufficiency and independence with deep respect for the family unit and strong reverence for the Methodist Church teachings. Isabel continued as the church organist until she suffered a debilitating stroke at the age of forty-nine which left her paralysed on one side of the body. Despite this disability, and another tragedy in 1957 when her eldest daughter died after surgery, she remained resolute in her religious beliefs. Isabel moved from her Wallsend home in 1968, and for Isabel Hodgson Sanders, 1961 the last twelve years of her life resided at the Methodist aged-care facility ‘Annesley House’ in Mayfield. Isabel died there, a week after her 75th birthday. It is ironic that her connection with the Arnott’s Biscuits family would come ‘full-circle’– from her baby photo in Arnott’s 1906 advertising promotions for ‘Milk Arrowroot’ biscuits to her death in the former grand
Footsteps Page 21 May 2015 mansion ‘Arnott Holme’ of devout Methodist William Arnott, the founder of the famous Arnott’s Biscuits brand. My sister and I were also born into the strict Methodist religion and have strong memories of Bible studies and regular attendance at Church and Sunday School. We also recall the Sanders Family Bible taking pride of place in Grandma’s house. We too were raised on those famous Arnott’s ‘Milk Arrowroot’ and ‘Sao’ biscuits—vividly and fondly remembering that ‘bird-on-the-bikkie-tin’ hiding in Mum’s and Grandma’s kitchen cupboards. The story shared here gives an insight into the lives of those ancestors, who through their resilience and determination to overcome whatever hardships they had to endure, have created the privileged lifestyle that our generation enjoys today. We dedicate this story to our grandmother Isabel Hodgson (nee Sanders) Hardes [1905-1980], and also our mother Elva (nee Hardes) Lewis [1925-2005]. They loved us and encouraged us, and have created who we are today. Postscript: The Sanders Family Bible was donated recently to the University of Newcastle Library’s Cultural Collections for safe keeping and to be accessible to other family members and the wider community. We are interested to hear from anyone researching the family lines of Sanders, Buxton, Humphreys and Hardes, Manning who lived in the Newcastle region.
ASSIGNMENT LISTS Eugenia Rauch Lists were published in the early Sydney newspapers containing the names and sponsors of emigrants. I’ve found familial connections this way as relatives sponsored cousins and siblings. Returns printed were: all convicts assigned for each quarter, giving the name of the convict and location of the person or company the convict was assigned to; absconded convicts including a description of them; a change in locations when they were moved about. My apologies if you already know this— it’s just that I recently found details of convicts (not relatives) that I’ve been researching. I didn’t search Trove newspapers for their names—I gave up on finding them this way a long time ago. I searched for the ship name instead. ‘Once a convict, always a convict’ seems to be a good adage as everything about them was related back to the ship name that they arrived on. I searched for Eliza 5 because one convict came on the fifth voyage of the Eliza. It didn’t matter that I left out the brackets around the (5) (the usual way it’s written on documents. There were many other Eliza voyages listed. I found some men whose names came up three or four times for various events, such as absconding, ticket of leave and certificate of freedom. It’s also a good way to find people that came on the same ship. Of course, if your convict served his time and did not transgress the laws in any way, you may only find the ticket of leave and conditional pardons. These examples come from the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser in the 1830s.
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THE COMPUTER CORNER NO. 39—LONG TERM STORAGE Information for Family Historians using Computers ~ Rex Toomey There is one constant in life and that is ‘nothing lasts forever’. Even the pyramids which are over four thousand years old have suffered from the ravages of time! Therefore, what can be done when the technology to read computer files continues to evolve and change? When personal computers first came into vogue in the early 1980s, data was stored on magnetic tape. There is probably no computer equipment left in the world today that could read those tapes. Since then computer storage media has come and gone, such as floppy disks (shrinking from 8”, 5¼” to 3½”). Currently, hard disk drives (HDD), Solid State Drives (SSD), Compact Disks (CD) and Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) and Blu-ray Disks (BD) are being used, but will they last? Family historians need to know the best format to store their data and where should it be stored. Unfortunately there is no one specific answer, because ‘nothing lasts forever’. First, let’s start with word processing documents. The best format would be plain text (ASCII in a TXT file) but that would be quite boring with all formatting lost. The best solution appears to be file formats that everyone uses, mainly DOC, DOCX, PDF and HTML. If possible, all files should be saved in more than one format. It is important to avoid file formats that are proprietary, in case that company goes out of business! For audio (voice) and music files, the suggestion is to use MP3 and WAV file formats which appear to be quite widespread. Because family historians work with many image files, the selection of the image file format is very important. Currently there are dozens of different image file formats but the consensus is that images should be saved as either JPG or PNG. The term JPG (or JPEG) is an acronym for the Joint Photographic Experts Group, which created the standard. The term PNG is the acronym for Portable Network Graphic. In the past there have been patent cases involving JPG images but these appear to have been resolved. On the other hand, the PNG format was created as an improved, non-patented file format, and is reported to be the most used on the Internet. Many people prefer to use ‘.jpg’ because it has been around for many years and is widely used. Finally, video file formats are a real problem because there are no standards. A file format that plays on one device may not play on another and the best solution is to burn the video files to video DVDs or Blu-ray discs which look after compatibility. There is of course one final question: on what type of media should these files be saved? Obviously, they are initially kept on the storage system of the device in use—desktop, laptop, tablet—which may be a HDD or SSD. At present, long term storage of all file types on CD and DVD disks or external HDDs seem to be acceptable with the proviso that multiple copies should be held and then re-copied to the same media every few years. However, many experts are now suggesting Cloud (internet) Service storage as the best option as either a direct copy or a backup service such as Carbonite, Crashplan or Backblaze. In conclusion, the future is unknown and what may be the ‘flavour of the month’ now will certainly be different in ten years’ time. Having said that, can somebody please explain the recent retro interest in vinyl music disks? Footsteps Page 23 May 2015
PUBLICATIONS FOR SALE Port Macquarie & Districts Family History Society Inc. Member Normal Publication Name Weight Price Price Church of St Thomas Port Macquarie $27 $30 905g Baptisms, Marriages and Burials (B&W) Can You Remember? Memory Joggers for writing a Life $2.50 $3 35g Story (16 pages, B&W) Starting Your Family History $2.50 $3 30g (14 pages, A5 booklet) Pedigree Chart & Family Group Sheets $2.50 $3 30g (11 Sheets/A5 booklet) Certificates of Freedom Records for PM Convicts: $27 $30 440g Runaways, Robbers & Incorrigible Rogues (Book) Certificates of Freedom Records for PM Convicts: $18 $20 n/a Runaways, Robbers & Incorrigible Rogues (CD-ROM) Port Macquarie Index to Colonial Secretary’s Papers $10 $15 n/a 1796-1825 (CD-ROM) Harvesting the Hastings – Farming Families $27 $30 n/a (CD-ROM in colour) Sydney Gaol Records for Port Macquarie Convicts April $27 $30 n/a 1821-1826 (CD-ROM) General Cemetery Port Macquarie – Transcriptions & $27 $30 n/a Images (CD-ROM) Only 10 left Port Macquarie & Districts Cemeteries, Cremations & $27 $30 n/a Memorials (CD-ROM) Only 1 left NB: All CD-ROM purchases include postage Postage charges must be added to the cost of the items purchased. When ordering several books, calculate the total weight and use the table below to calculate postage amount. For ALL overseas rates, please contact the Secretary (see page 2). Postage Australia Wide Up to 250g (Large letter) $3.00 Holds one book only 250g to 500g (Large letter) $5.00 Over 500g (Prepaid satchel) $15.00 Holds several books
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FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH The Society will undertake family history research for an initial fee of $20, which includes up to 10 photocopies, a written report, a list of records used, entry in Footsteps (where appropriate) and suggestions of other resources. There will be an additional $15 per hour for further research. Please include all details of relevant information and sources already researched when making an enquiry. Please include a business size, stamped, self-addressed envelope to: The Research Officer, PO Box 1359, Port Macquarie NSW 2444. For further details, please contact the Research Officer at: [email protected] INFOEMAIL Our Society newsletter, InfoEmail, is emailed on a regular basis to members who have provided an email address. Remember to keep your email address up to date so you do not miss out. Email us if you are not receiving the InfoEmail. No email address, but use a computer? InfoEmails are available on our website to download and read.
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RESEARCH ASSISTANCE General assistance with Family History—local, Australian and overseas—is available for members and non-members in the Local Studies Room at the Port Macquarie Library. Our Volunteers are on duty to help on most Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10am to 3pm, with a break over Christmas. RESEARCH SUPPORT GROUP The Research Support Group for members is held from 1pm to 3pm on the Wednesday after the General Meeting, in the Technology Room. A focus topic, following on from the General meeting demonstration, is followed by general family history assistance. Entry by small donation, cuppa provided.
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PORT MACQUARIE & DISTRICTS FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY INC. PO Box 1359 Port Macquarie NSW 2444 Website: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nswpmfhs/ Email: [email protected]
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We are pleased to be: An Affiliated Society of the Royal Australian Historical Society
A Committee Member Society of the NSW & ACT Association of Family History Societies
JOURNAL ARTICLES Yvonne Davidson's great article about her family history trip through Great Britain triggered the theme for our August 2015 Footsteps edition—Family History Travels. Do you have a story to tell about the places you travelled to in the hope of finding family information? Please send contributions before the deadline of 23rd June 2015 because notice of the AGM goes out with the August edition and must be sent early. The name of every person contributing an article will go into the draw for a $20 voucher to be selected at our August 2015 General Meeting. To contribute to Footsteps, send an email to the Editor at [email protected] or the Secretary at [email protected] with the subject ‘Footsteps Article’ together with the title of the article. The Editor will confirm receipt of your article. Please indicate whether you are the author, and your relationship to the people in the article. If material is copied, ensure that permission is given and provide the source of the information. The PMDFHS is not focussed solely on Port Macquarie, so we welcome historical stories about people from other locations. The views expressed by authors and contributors to this Journal are not necessarily those of the Society. All articles and items in this Journal are subject to copyright unless otherwise indicated. No portion of this Journal may be reproduced without the written permission of the Society.
Footsteps Page 27 May 2015