Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries

 I was reading recently that the Australian author Kate Grenville has been short-listed for the Women's Prize for her novel about her grandmother, Dolly Maunder. Congratulations Kate! If you don't know about Kate, she is the author of a number of books but I would suggest her best known is "The Secret River" which details the early colonial story of her ancestors on her maternal side and made into a successful TV series. Many years ago, I had the occasion to speak with Kate and mentioned that her paternal side of the family was just as fascinating as her mother’s and as such this week's blog is about her great grandfather. ALBAN GEE Alban was born in Dukinfield, Cheshire, England in October 1847, the fourth child from eight of Ira and Ann (nee Wilde). Ira trained as a mechanic at the hands of his father but became the Manager of the firm of Messrs. John McCall and Co., who owned the largest meat preserving establishment in England. It was with that firm that...

 As we head towards another Anzac Day where we reflect upon the sacrifices made by others for us to be able to live the life we do in Australia, I can't help but think of those who spent time in conflicts only to return home and die in a case of somewhat serendipity. Today's blog honours such a person. WILBERT NUGENT BERG Wilbert was born in Braidwood NSW near Canberra on the 15 th  of May 1896, the second son to Walter and Ellen. The family are noted as living in Glebe by 1910, where Walter is listed as a postmaster, a position he held until he retired. Wilbert and his brother Martin joined up to fight for King and Country on the 9 th  of February 1915 with service numbers 1132 and 1134 respectively. Martin was over 21 years of age, but Wilbert was just 18 but with 3 years military service, 1 year serving with the 29 th  Australian Rifles and was listed as a butcher, his brother as a Civil Servant. After training, Wilbert married Mildred Nellie Phillips like...

  Today's blog pays tribute to a Master of Architecture whose name has been forgotten somewhat in the pages of time. Many of his creations still stand proudly. JOHN FRANCIS HENNESSY (SNR) John was born on the 21st of April 1853 in Leeds England, the son of Bryan Hennessy and his wife, Ellen who had moved to Leeds from Cork in Ireland. The family were relatively well off as they could boast a domestic servant in a subsequent census. After passing the Oxford senior local examination in 1868, John was articulated to William Perkin & Son, architects and surveyors of Leeds. He completed his articles in 1875 and won a three-year studentship at the Royal Institute of British Architects which allowed him to study in London under the tutorage of many distinguished architects of the day. William Burges, a leading figure in Gothic revival, was obviously a strong influence as that style became Hennessy's trademark. After six month's study in Spain, he worked in leading archit...

 Today's blog is the follow up I promised when I wrote about Nina Eva Vida Jones - the racing car driver (click on the tag of her name to read that blog). I said that she came from a family that included Matthew Harris and his father John (and more) that originated in this country from the early days of the colony. THE HARRIS FAMILY (pre Nina Eva Vida Jones nee Harris) Nina was the daughter of William Henry Harris and Susan Mary Newton Clarke, both parents of Irish descent. William came to Australia with his parents John and Nancy Ann and was the youngest of six children. John, a merchant, had inherited wealth from his uncle, a well renown early Colonial, and migrated to this country to manage his legacy. That uncle was John Harris, a member of the NSW Corps, appointed a surgeon who arrived in the Colony with the ill-fated Second Fleet in 1790. The Second Fleet consisted of three ships where convicts were mistreated, rations were poor and sickness rife with over 25% dying o...

 Last week's blog was formed from a glance at a beautifully carved monument. This week's blog is following on from that same idea. The headstone is very close to last week's one and quite unique in its design. The families from which the people buried there came from were prominent ones from the earliest days of the colony. DAVID HENRY DUNLOP David, the eldest child of David Dunlop (Snr) and Eliza Hamilton was born in Londonderry Northern Ireland on 12 May 1794. He joined his parents, and 3 siblings onboard the 'Superb' arriving in Botany Bay on 26 February 1838. David Snr, although a bookseller in Ireland, was appointed a Magistrate in Penrith for a short time before being appointed to the position of Police Magistrate and Protector of Aborigines in Wollombi NSW in 1839, a position he held for ten years. He was the youngest son of Captain William Dunlop who had lost his life in the Irish Rebellion of ’98. Eliza, his wife, was the daughter of Solomon Hamilton, Supre...