Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries

 On the 10th of July 1901, people were astonished to read in their afternoon newspaper edition that a massive fire had broken out at the Hordern's Palace Emporium Haymarket. The main buildings had been destroyed with damages estimated at £1,000,000. The tragic news received was that 5 employees had lost their lives.  *Warning: graphic details are contained herein* THE HORDERN PALACE EMPORIUM FIRE OF 1901 Before I expand on the tragic incident, let me quickly touch on the origins of the firm. It began as a drapery business of Mrs. Ann (Anthony) Hordern in 1823 which eventually moved to Melbourne in 1839 but their sons Anthony II and Lebbeus returned in 1844 to set up their own drapery firm in George Street. The business moved to larger premises in the Haymarket in 1856 and by the time Anthony II's sons, Anthony III and Samuel joined the business in 1869 the firm was called Anthony Hordern & Sons. During the 1870's the company purchased several surrounding buildings and r

 As we approach Police Remembrance Day, let's take the time to reflect on the dangers of enforcing the law and remember those who have died in the line of duty. Today's blog honours the short Police career of a young 22-year-old man who died just as life was starting for him. LIONEL GEORGE GUISE Lionel was the only son of Lionel Guise (Snr) and his wife in 1916, born in Parkes in the central west of NSW. He joined the NSW Police Force on the 22nd of November 1937 and was sworn in on the 21st January 1938. In early 1939 Lionel was as serving out of Newtown Police Station. Lionel George Guise in Police uniform - from photo on find-a-grave.  On the evening of the 26th of February 1939, Lionel, in plain clothes, and another officer, Sergeant Werner, were patrolling the Newtown area when they received notification of a possible break and enter offence occurring in nearby Marion Street. When attending the scene, the Police stopped their vehicle beside a truck which they were

 Today's blog is about a poet and war reporter who married a woman born during a time of extreme anguish in her family. It relates to a previous blog that had a shocking event at its core. KENNETH SLESSOR  Kenneth was born Kenneth Adolphe Schloesser in Orange NSW to Robert and Ella. As a young lad, he lived in England for a while and upon return to Australia visited the mines of NSW with his father who was a Jewish Mining engineer whose own father and grandfather had been distinguished musicians in Germany. Robert changed the family surname to "Slessor" on the 14th of November 1914, just after the outbreak of WW1. Kenneth's father encouraged him to appreciate music, food and books and instilled in him a European sense of sophistication. A voracious reader and writer, his first publication was in 1917, a dramatic monologue spoken by a "digger" remembering Sydney Harbour and Manly Beach, appearing in "The Bulletin." Kenneth joined the Sun new

 Over the years I have had the privilege of being the recipient of family information from people who follow me. Every one of those pieces of information contain pure "gold" and I have shared some of the stories of those people on this page. I'll advise of how to find them towards the end of today's blog. A few months back I heard from a woman who was seeking advice as to where her ancestor was buried in Rookwood and advised me that he died at the ripe old age of 107! Well, I had to go down the rabbit hole on that one. The ancestor was found, and this is his story as passed down and reported upon. RICHARD JAMES SMITH Richard was born on the 10th of December 1796 in Wiltshire England to John Smith and his wife Mary nee Bird. He was the fourth child of a total of nine and by the date of his birth two of his siblings had already died. The family were farmers like many other relatives, however some entered the Army and Richard joined them. He enlisted in the 50th Re

 I walk past many, many monuments in various parts of Rookwood and often take a photo of one that catches my eye with the intention of researching the person/s who lie beneath it. Unfortunately time being what it is, I often run out of it and many of these "finds" remain in my photo album (sometimes forgotten I have to admit). Not today....a random reference was brought to my attention, I found the photo and started "digging" - well so to speak. This is what I found. WILLIAM JOHN STEPHENS William was born in July 1829 in Levens, Westmorland, England to the Reverend William Stephens, the vicar of Levens, and his wife Alicia. He was the eldest child with nine siblings and descended from a long line of vicars. William was a bright student, won many prizes and was school captain. He was a scholar at the Queen's College, Oxford gaining a B.A in 1852 and an M.A. in 1855. William gained first class honours in the classics, became a fellow of his college, a lecturer