Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries

Bonjour dames et gentilhommes, welcome to this week's Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries blog with a French feel!! For this week and the next there will be a nod to French heritage or association in these blogs. So, as I munch on a croissant and play Edith Piaf on full volume, I wish to present my first French born person who made Australia their home. FRANCOIS HYPOLITE DUPAIN Francois was born @ 1809 in the St Herage area southeast of Paris and nearer in distance to Lyon. I am unable to find much about his early years, but it is documented that he married Ann Hunt the daughter of a farmer in February 1848 at St James' Paddington, London. His marriage certificate states he was a bachelor and a pastry cook, his father, Jacques, a baker. Croissant - Wikipedia It seems that the Dupain’s arrived sometime in Sydney after their marriage as their first child, George, was born in Sydney in 1850 but they returned to England where their second child, Marie, was born in Oxfordshire i...

Last weekend I watched the reinternment of Matthews Flinders in the church in Donnington, Lincolnshire, England, his hometown, over 200 years after his death and original burial in north London. How could there be a connection with Rookwood you may ask, well that is the subject of this week's blog; it begins with this man.... CAPTAIN GAVIN (GUY) HAMILTON Gavin or Guy as he was colloquially known was born on the 5th of October 1760 in Kilbride, Lanark, Scotland to John Hamilton and Elizabeth (nee Anderson). He was the second son of their union. His early details are a little sketchy but we know he married Betsey prior to 1794 and was in India as his son, John Guy, was born in Calcutta. I am surmising that Gavin was in the Navy at the time posted to that continent. The fledgling colony was having great difficulty from the time of the First Fleet in 1788 to provide food and provisions for all. Most of the time, those in charge anxiously awaited the next fleet of convict ship...

  We are soon to commemorate the 108th anniversary of the Battle of Fromelles on the 19th of July and I wish to pay homage to all those that lost their lives. Today I will honour a local young man who displayed great courage, indicative of the thousands who took part. THOMAS PATRICK ELLIOTT Thomas was the eldest son of eleven children of Thomas Murray Elliott and his wife Mary Ellen and born in January 1894. All the sons were encouraged to have military service and Thomas enrolled as a Cadet at the Royal Military College in Duntroon in 1912. Thomas's potential impressed his superiors, and he was destined to succeed but his academic and sporting achievements were cut short due to the start of WW1. He enlisted on the 3rd of November 1914, at which time the family were living in Lidcombe very close to the cemetery and embarked with the 2nd contingent on the 20th of December that year as a temporary Captain. He fought at Gallipoli with the 7th Light Horse and was evacuated to Malta...

  On many occasions where a family is financially prosperous, a scandal is never far from the surface. Today's blog comes to you with scandals galore and an attempted murder.... I guess I have your interest... CHARLES CAMPBELL, HIS FATHER ROBERT CAMPBELL JUNIOR, HIS HALF BROTHER ROBERT TERTIUS CAMPBELL AND HIS NIECE FLORENCE BRAVO Charles Campbell was born on the 8 th of March 1843 the fourth child to Robert Campbell Junior and his common law wife, Isabella McDonald nee Donnell and was baptised at St Scots Church Sydney with his mother’s married surname. I couldn’t find a great deal of information about Charles but can confirm he was a builder and had served three times as Mayor of Paddington in the years from 1878-1888 and when not serving the community in that capacity he took an active part in the development of that district. He married Betsy Higham in 1867 and they went on to have nine children. He died at his home in Paddington on the 18th of November 1915 and w...