Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries

  Today's blog had its roots in an old home obscured by large trees in the inner Sydney suburb of Ashfield. It was, and still is, a large house with a long cast iron columns along the ground floor verandah while the first-floor verandah has timber posts with fretwork balustrades. It stands on a large allotment in Bland Street, surrounded by mature camphor laurel, Lilly Pilly and cabbage palm trees to name just a few. I used to pass the property daily walking to the train station, heading to work in the CBD but this was decades ago. I recently revisited the area and decided to put my curiosity to rest and dig into the history of "Lynngrove" formerly "Falconshaw" and some of it's occupants. What a treasure trove I found! ALEXANDER JAMES RALSTON Alexander was born in Launceston Tasmania in April 1833 into the large family of Gavan and Emily Ann Ralston. He left the island and headed to Melbourne whilst a young man and was a member of a large business fi...

 When I attended my grand niece's 4th birthday celebration recently, little did I know I was standing on the grounds of the former estate owned by the, allegedly, richest man in Ashfield who also founded Canterbury Racecourse and lived in one of the largest mansions in the area but who also happens to call Rookwood 'home". FREDERICK CLISSOLD Frederick was born in 1831 in Gloucestershire England to John, a farm labourer, and Sarah. The family arrived on the "Layton" in January 1838, a ship plagued by a measles epidemic that took the life of his younger sister. The family settled in the inner city suburb of Glebe and more children followed.  Frederick Clissold - ancestry.com public access John found work at the Robert Cooper distillery and Frederick was educated at Grantham House Academy near his home. John left the distillery and set up as a fellmonger, a person dealing with removing wool from sheepskins, in the Blackwattle Swamp area. Frederick joined the busines...