2023 wrap up and a few book titles where Rookwood's inhabitant's appear

 

It's New Year's Eve so let's reflect on who has been revealed in Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries in 2023.

The year has been filled with many published blogs about people who chose a life of service helping others as well as those who chose not to; tragedies that were heartbreaking and secrets and scandals that shocked us.


A view of the Old Catholic section - author's own collection 

My most popular blog was the one devoted to Lucy Farrow, mother of John Villiers Farrow, Hollywood producer and film maker and grandmother of Mia Farrow. The next most popular was that of the murder of Leticia Frances Cavanagh and followed by the Banka ferry disaster and slaughter of innocents. You also liked the story of the "bad" mother of Macdonaldtown, Sarah Makin.

Henry Shiell, the City Coroner, was a popular read as was one about the secrets and scandals found in Section One of the Old Anglican Section.

It seems I will need to find more titillating material to engage you with - gladly accepted!

There were some dreadful tragedies such as the Valentines Day ferry disaster in 1938, the fateful fire at Lawler's Warehouse opposite Central Police Station in 1894 as well as the Redfern Rail disaster in the same year, links to the Titanic via the grave of William Murdock, the Keilawarra shipping disaster of 1886 and the senseless battles of Fromelles and Pozieres.

If you wish to re or re-read any of these blogs just click on the name tagged at the end of this blog

I have some extra ways to enhance this blog and more to be revealed during 2024.

 

As I promised I have added just a small list of books that mention and/or deal with those that call Rookwood "home"-

The Sleeping City – The Story of Rookwood Necropolis edited by David A Weston for the Society of Australian Genealogists (available via the Friends of Rookwood or at the offices at the Cemetery or failing that Abebooks)

Sydney Cemeteries - A Field Guide by Lisa Murray (also via the above or at all major booksellers)

Murder Misadventure and Miserable Ends – Tales from a Colonial Coroner’s Court by Catie Gilchrist (via the above and major booksellers)

Dead and Buried – A curious history of Sydney’s earliest burial grounds by Warren Fahey (via the above and major booksellers)

Celebrating 150 years of Rookwood Catholic Cemetery by Wendy Lewis (via the Friends of Rookwood or at the Catholic office)


Books listed above - author's own dog-eared collection.


Pathfinders – The history of Aboriginal trackers in NSW by Michael Bennett (via major booksellers)

Rebel Women who changed Australia by Susanna De Vries (via major booksellers)

An Uncommon Hangman – the life and deaths of Robert “Nosey Bob” Howard by Rachel Franks (via major booksellers)

Grave Tales – Stories not laid to Rest – Sydney Volume 1 by Helen Goltz and Chris Adams (major booksellers)


Books listed above - author's own collection.

Many more that I may have forgotten and a few more I will be referencing for upcoming blogs so I’m keeping those ones under wraps for the moment!

 

# Don’t forget to seek out these books at your local library or request they be purchased – I can vouch that every one that I have mentioned is a great source of interesting material #

 

There will be one more, smaller blog before I rev up for the full recommencement of Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries in 2024, and it will be published next week.

Without further ado I wish you all the very best for the coming year with health, wealth and happiness!

If you have any comments (or recommendations of books or subjects for 2024) please add them below or add them to the comments via the group Facebook page found at

rookwoodcemeterydiscoveries

Or send me a personal message at

lorainepunch@gmail.com

Until next week!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Mother for All!

Image
  As we approach Mother's Day here in Australia, let's reflect upon a mother who fought to make every mother's life better. A woman, who in times where men would drink their weekly wages, leaving almost nothing for his family to be fed and clothed on, fought hard to make a difference. EUPHEMIA BRIDGES BOWES Euphemia was born in Edinburgh Scotland in 1816, the daughter of Joseph Allen and his wife Eliza. She was self-educated, an activity rare for a young girl at the time, teaching herself both to read and write. She arrived in Sydney in 1838, classified as a "house servant ” and on the 13th of September 1842 she married John Bowes, a baker, with Wesleyan Methodist rites at Parramatta. John had arrived in Sydney the previous year and moved to Parramatta, where besides his everyday position, he continued his work as a Wesleyan lay teacher. They resided in Sydney before making a move to Wollongong in 1848 when John was accepted into the Ministry. Euphemia bore elev...
Read more

A close connection to the new King's name sake

Image
 It's been a tumultuous week and from the passing of Queen Elizabeth II it seemed only fitting to honour the life of a man calling Rookwood "home" who has astonishing connections to the British Royal Family. WRIOTHESLEY AUGUSTUS FITZROY  Wriothesley (perhaps it was shortened to Roy?) was born in Dublin Ireland on 11 July 1837 to Henry Fitzroy and his wife Jane Elisabeth nee Beauclerk. He was the second son in a family consisting of five siblings and rose to the rank of Captain in the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers. It is very likely he took part in the Lucknow uprising during the Indian Mutiny in 1857-1859.  Royal Welsh Fusiliers Cap Badge - Wikipedia Before I continue, I want to advise you of his family connections. Wriothesley's father Henry, was the son of the Reverend Henry Fitzroy. This Henry was the son of Augustus Henry Fitzroy the 3rd Duke of Grafton and his second wife, Elizabeth Wrottesley - no doubt where Wriothesley's name, albeit altered over the years, c...
Read more

Accidents do happen!

Image
 As you meander amongst the headstones in the older part of Rookwood there are many graves that mention -"accidently drowned, accidently killed etc." and it reminds us of a time when Occupational Health and Safety did not exist. Employment, especially the manual work that attracted a higher wage, came with many risks to health as well as and life and limb.  Today's blog is about a slightly different kind of accident, one still quite shocking but one that is a little more unusual. WILLIAM MOON  William Moon was born in Brightling Sussex England, on the 5th of November 1829, one of sixteen children to Jesse Moon and his wife Ann. Remarkably only two children died in infancy, the rest living to adulthood.   His father, Jesse, came to Australia with his family, his wife and eight children, as an assisted immigrant in 1839 onboard the vessel the Prince Regent. William was ten years of age, and the family settled into life in the Redfern area.  William married Ha...
Read more