Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries

 There's no other store like David Jones and it seems that for the Jones family there is no other Cemetery than Rookwood – well for almost all of the immediate family that is. Although David Jones may not be a "forgotten" Australian, it only seems fitting to remember the man who founded Australia's premier Department store now celebrating it's 185th anniversary - the actual anniversary was last week on 24th May. Today's blog lists a little about the man himself and prominent members of his family including those that took the reins of the company. THE DAVID JONES DYNASTY David Jones was born in March 1793 in Wales, the son of Thomas Jones, a farmer and his wife Nancy. Aged 15 he left home and was apprenticed to a grocer in Carmarthen. At 18 he was offered and accepted the management of a general store in Wales and in 1813 married Catherine Hughes who died a year later in childbirth. He married Elizabeth Williams in 1822 who also departed life young fou...

  Many people lie in Rookwood the victims of tragic life ending events. Some died alone, others were one of a significant number who also called time at the same event. There are many who were victims of rail disasters; ironically a public transport system that revolutionized the tyranny of distance and was a boon for people and goods movement. Today I will focus on an event that occurred on the 31st of October 1894. THE REDFERN RAIL DISASTER. On Wednesday October 31, 1894, the train stations along the western Sydney line were full of commuters, mainly males, heading to their places of employment either in the CBD or outer suburbs and trains ran one after the other within minutes. A commuter train from Strathfield that ran through Ashfield on the fast line prior to 9.30am was proceeding along as usual until just as it was reaching the signal-box above Redfern Station when it collided with the Southern train heading for Goulburn departing from platform 6. The suburban train ...