The lot of the spinster

Great Aunt Kate

The term spinster was used from the 14th century to denote a woman who used a handheld spindle to spin linen or wool. By the 17th century, it had become a legal term denoting an unmarried woman and it is this legal use of the term found in property transfers of the 20th century.

Clip from Certificate of Title, SA Land register Vol 1164, folio 75

Catherine Mary Horgan, a paternal great aunt was named as "spinster of Linwood" when she acquired property in the town of Riverton, South Australia in 1941.

The Horgan siblings c. 1940 Catherine (Kate) Tom and Jack, Andrew is seated

Catherine, or Kate as she was known, was the fourth child born to John Horgan and Honora O'Leary in 1872 and the eldest surviving daughter. Older brothers Thomas and Andrew were young lads aged 6 and 3 when Kate arrived. She was followed by John (known as Jack) in 1875, Johanna in 1877, and Honora (known as Nora) in 1878.

Kate's early years on the farm would have been busy with household chores allocated to the children as they grew. The shock of her father's death when she was only 11 years old propelled the boys into taking responsibility for the farmwork so any yard work such as looking after the chickens and vegetable gardening would probably have fallen to her. As the eldest daughter, she would also have had responsibility for helping her now widowed mother with the younger ones.

It was not until Kate was 34 in 1906 that the first marriage in the family occurred. Her elder brother Andrew wed in February of that year. By then her mother was 65 and with the help of Kate and Johanna was cooking, washing, and cleaning for the men of the house. Youngest sister Nora had taken up a teaching role and by 1909 had married John McInerney.

After 1909 the household on the farm at Linwood comprised of Honora the mother, Tom and Jack, Kate and Johanna. In 1918 there is one mention in the newspapers of an accident which we can understand involved Kate. It is probable that she was staying for quite a while with her younger sister Nora (McInerney) who had just given birth to her fifth child.

 Kate was driving a sulky as detailed in this report.

1918 'SERIOUS SULKY ACCIDENT.',
The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), 30 May, p. 6. , viewed 12 Dec 2021,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60358398

It was unlikely to be the younger sister Johanna as her health was poor. She died after a long illness in 1926. Her elderly mother Honora, devasted by her daughter's death lasted only one more year and was also buried at St John's with her husband and daughter.

Ben Arnold on the binder at Horgan's Linwood farm c.1940

Kate, Tom and Jack remained on the farm until 1941 but the work was too hard for the aging brothers so the Arnold brothers had taken over the farmwork.  Tom was approaching 75 when the property transfer to Kate in Riverton occurred in August of 1941. By September he had passed on. Kate and Jack moved to Riverton to Moorhouse Terrace. I do not know if Tom lived there or if he had been moved into the hospital. Kate cared for John but unfortunately, he also died in the following year at the relatively young age of 67.

Brother Andrew moved back to the farm at Linwood with his sons Eddie and Joe. Kate's youngest sister Nora, whose husband John McInerney had died in 1948, moved into Moorhouse Tce. with Kate. Kate's McInerney nieces cared for her in later years.

Riverton house

After a lifetime of caring for others, Catherine Mary Horgan died on June 24, 1956. She was laid to rest alongside her parents and brothers in the St John's Cemetery outside Kapunda.

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin

Closing in on the Bennetts

The O'Dea Album

These photos are from my grandmother's album and provided a puzzle now solved. My DNA results indicate that I am related to a descendant of this Clement Bennett and I have now to worked out how he was related to my maternal grandmother Georgina Ellen Bennett (O'Dea). He was her nephew.

Monnie and Clem as they were labelled in the album, were the children of John Raymond Bennett and his wife Margaret Bridget Healy. This couple had married in Hamley Bridge in January of 1918. when they were both 23 years old. John Raymond's father is listed as a George Bennett. 

This is gt-grandfather George Bennett, father to Mary Olive, Georgina, James and Ronald.

If John Raymond Bennett was 23 when he married in 1918 that suggests the birth year of 1895. 

I have been unable to find a birth record for John Raymond Bennett in NSW, Vic or SA just as I have been unable to find a birth record for grandmother Georgina but indeed her father was George Bennett. Her elder sister Mary Olive was born in Broken Hill, NSW in 1888 where grandmother also claimed to have been born in 1890. 

By 1892 George Bennett and his wife Bridget Kelly were living in South Australia as their son James George David is recorded as born at Goodwood. Could John Raymond have also been born there and his birth unregistered? The Bennetts are next recorded in Edithburgh where another son Albert Ronald Victor (known as Ron) was born in 1902. Another move was made away from Edithburgh possibly before the birth of Mary Olive's son William Rose in 1904.

Mary Olive and Georgina both married Hamley Bridge men in the following years. That John Raymond was also married in Hamley Bridge, suggests a relationship.

Five children were born to John Raymond Bennett (c 1895 - 1962) and Margaret Healy 

Francis James - b. 9 November 1918 - d. 24 Nov 2012 - I have found no evidence of a marriage record for Francis

Joseph - b. 13 Jan 1921 - died just 2 days later

Vincent John - b. 30 Dec 1921 - died in Woomera, S.A. on 24 Apr 1968 as a single man

Monica - b. 11 Jan 1924 - 10 November 2023

Clement Ronald - b. 2 Oct 1925 - d.16 November 1997

Monica and Clem

Monnie and Clem Bennett as titled below the photos

Monica Bennett married Stanley Whittenbury in 1948. 

BENNETT—WHITTENBURY. —The marriage of Monica, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Bennett, Hamley Bridge, and Stanley H. B, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Whittenbury, Short street, Wayville, will be solemnised at St. Mary's Church, Hamley Bridge, at 10.30 a.m. on January 3, 1948. Reception at Dublin Hotel.

Clement Ronald Bennett married Elizabeth Cant in 1949

CANT—BENNETT. — The marriage of Elizabeth D. (Bette), daughter of the late Mr. G. and Mrs. S. G. Cant, to Clement R., youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Bennett, both of Hamley Bridge, will be solemnised at St. Marys Church, Hamley Bridge, on Saturday, August 27, at 7 p.m.

Clement died in 1997 and is buried with his wife in the Bremer Road cemetery in Murray Bridge, South Australia. Their headstone can be viewed here at Find a Grave.

One of my DNA matches at 176 centimorgans on Ancestry is a grandchild of Clement and Elizabeth. Clement and my mother were first cousins that certainly explains the presence of those photos in my grandmother's album. 

If you are a descendant of either Clement or Monica I am happy to send you copies of these photos at a higher resolution. 

Now (2024) with several descendants of both Monica and Clem identified by DNA matches there is no doubt that John Raymond was Georgina's brother and son of George Bennett and Bridget Helen (sometimes Ellen) Kelly. 

Post updated June 2024

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1948 'Family Notices', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), 1 January, p. 8. , viewed 29 Nov 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43750613

1949 'Family Notices', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), 20 August, p. 20. , viewed 29 Nov 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36682306

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin

Inquest into fatal accident

Was the horse guilty?

Horse and Spring cart, approx 1890. https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+42348

David O'Leary, a brother of great grandmother Honora (O'Leary) Horgan, had celebrated his marriage to Mary Johanna Bannon in St Patrick's Church in Adelaide in 1874 and by 1878 they were living near Stockport, South Australia, with their two small children, Andrew Joseph and Anne Catherine later known as "Cissie."

The cart in the picture above may have been similar to the one that Mary Johanna took to do her shopping on that fateful day in May of 1878. On returning home she lost control. She must have suffered in great pain from her injuries for the five hours leading up to her death.

An inquest into the accident was held the next day, as reported here in the South Australian Register.

FATAL ACCIDENT— On Thursday, May 2, Mr. Jas. Elliott, J.P., held an inquest at Stockport on the body of Mary Johannah O'Leary, who died from the effects of a vehicle accident on the previous day. Mr. J. H. Williams acted as Foreman. 

Henry L. Tuck, Baptist Minister, stated that about 10 o'clock on Tuesday morning he saw the deceased pass his house in a spring-cart. About half-past 11 hearing a vehicle approach, and thinking it was a friend coming to his house, he sent one of his children to see. She came running into the room and exclaimed

 "It's Mrs. O'Leary, and she has upset her cart and is lying on the ground."

He immediately ran out and found the horse plunging in the shafts. He sought to assist Mrs. O'Leary, who was lying insensible within three or four feet of the point of the shafts. He tried to get her out of the reach of the cart in case the horse should again plunge. He drew her back, and she then appeared to become conscious and said 'I am dying.' 

Mrs. Tuck and the children assisted, and deceased was taken into the house. Immediately telegraphed for Dr. Renner, who arrived about 3 o'clock. There was a cornerpost near where the accident happened. The earth was raised round it, and it appeared as if the cartwheel had mounted to the top of the post, which was about 3 feet high. He knew the horse to be a quiet one, and Mrs. O'Leary to be of temperate habits. Felt sure the cart did not fall on her, but the horse was plunging in dangerous proximity to her. 

Dr. Renner deposed to attending deceased from Kapunda. He found that a number of her ribs were broken to pieces. Her face was very black, and he at once concluded that her left lung was lacerated by the broken ribs, and that a quantity of blood was in the cavity of the chest. She died about 5 o'clock without stating anything as to the cause of the accident. Judged from appearances that the horse had trodden on deceased's side. Death resulted from the injuries. 

David O'Leary, farmer, Stockport, husband of deceased, said on seeing her after the accident, she said she was afraid that in turning the corner she pulled the wrong rein. She was about 30 years of age, and he was quite satisfied that the mishap was purely accidental. The Jury returned a verdict that deceased died from injuries received through the capsizing of a cart. (1)

Conflicting dates

Immigration:

Johanna Bannon arrived in South Australia in 1866 aboard the "Charlotte Gladstone." She was listed as age 24, a teacher from Tipperary. 

Baptism:

A baptism record on the 9 March 1841 in the Roscrea parish of Tipperary has Johanna's parents listed as Dan Bannon and Ann Fogarty. This would imply that Johanna had just turned 25 when she boarded the "Charlotte Gladstone" in March of 1866. She would have indeed been 24 when the proposed list for embarkment was prepared.

Marriage:

Although she listed her age as 24 in 1874 when she married, it is more likely that she was 33. Her father on her marriage record is listed as Daniel Bannon.

Her husband David has listed his age on the marriage record as 27, but as he was born in South Australia in 1843 that also was incorrect. He was 31. 

Occupation:

In  husband David's obituary in 1937 there is reference to his wife as having "conducted a Catholic school after her arrival in South Australia, first at Salisbury and later on in Adelaide"(2).

In her son Andrew's obituary in 1941 there is also a referral to her appointment as a teacher shortly after her arrival in 1866.

 His mother, formerly Miss Mary Johanna Bannon, was born in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, and received an excellent education at the local convent school, which fitted her admirably for the position she had to undertake on her arrival in South, Australia, where she was appointed by the V. Rev. M. Ryan, V.G., as teacher in charge of the Salisbury Catholic school in about 1867. (3)

Death:

The tombstone lists her as 30 years of age, but the death registration lists her age as 32. A confusion of ages indeed, but her listing on immigration as a 24 year old teacher and subsequent reference to it in the two obituaries implies that her age at death was more likely to have been 37. 

A confusion of ages indeed!

1. 1878 'CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES IN GERMANY.', South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), 6 May, p. 5. , viewed 02 Nov 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article42996239

2. 1937 'OBITUARY', Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), 15 October, p. 10. , viewed 27 Sep 2023, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167703748

3. 1941 'Mr. A. J. O'Leary, late of Salisbury.', Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), 24 October, p. 11. , viewed 27 Sep 2023, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167771778

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin

Breaking the fast from the wagon

One Sunday Morning

Picture the scene in 1914/1915 about the time this photo was taken. 

After an early start and a bumpy ride across dusty dirt roads accompanied by the steady clip clop of the horses hooves, arrival at a small stone church provided a welcome reprieve. This trip was made each Sunday morning come rain, hail or shine. The cool candle-lit interior of the church was an oasis of calm.  The weather may have been kind on this day as long shadows show. Rainy wet winter weather was not so forgiving for this weekly trip.

The Horgan family shown here were devout Catholics and in order to partake of Communion at weekly Mass on a Sunday morning, the adults would have fasted from midnight on Saturday. After the service, which could last for up to an hour, a welcome cup of tea was served from the back of the wagon most likely with some food to break their fast. It was an opportunity for the two families, one from the farm south of Tarlee and the other from the farm at Alma, to catch up with their kinsfolk.

The youngest boy with his back to us is my uncle Joe, Joseph Andrew Horgan born in April of 1910. He was a man of very small stature so while he may not look like 4 or 5-year-old he does appear to be wearing breeches.

The young boy whose face we see is my father Edward John Horgan born in May of 1908. He is sandwiched between his grandmother, Hanora Horgan and his father Andrew. Andrew, along with his wife Elizabeth and children Hanora Mary (known as Mary), Edward known as Eddie, and Joseph known as Joe, lived at Alma on the farm bequeathed to Elizabeth in her father's will.

Hanora (Hanorah) Horgan lived with her four unmarried adult children on the farm at Linwood.

Behind Hanora we can see the sleeve of another person's dress, possibly Elizabeth standing slightly behind her son.

Inscription on the back of the photo, in the handwriting of Joe Horgan

Sunday Mass was an important event in the lives of the farming families, not just from the religious point of view but it also provided the opportunity to catch up with families, friends and relatives. Each Sunday these families made their way to either the Catholic church at Hamley Bridge or Sts John and Paul Catholic church at Tarlee. 

This very faded photo has been enhanced and colorised using the MyHeritage photo tools.

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin

At the Altar

O'Dea-Maddigan 

The wedding of my mother's youngest brother, Ronald Patrick O'Dea, known as Pat, was reported in the Southern Cross newspaper in 1944. Unfortunately, I do not have a wedding photo of this couple.

Pat and Thelma had announced their engagement in June of 1943.

My mother must have travelled from Tarlee to Port Lincoln for this wedding as my eldest sister Monica Horgan is mentioned as hanging a horseshoe over the bride's arm as she left the church.

The Wedding

ON Saturday, March 25, at St. Mary's, Port Adelaide, the marriage of Thelma Ellen, younger daughter of L. G. and the late James Maddigan, of.Canning Street, Yatala, to Patrick, youngest son of Mrs. G. E. and the late Patrick O'Dea, of Port Lincoln, was celebrated with Nuptial Mass by the V. Rev. Prior Meehan, assisted by Fr. McLean.

The charming bride entered the church on the arm of her brother, Denis, to the strains of the Wedding March, wearing a gown of magnolia satin and chantilly lace, which merged from the centre-back into a flowing train. The long embroidered silk-net veil was held in place by a top-knot of frangipanni. Her sheaf was of gladioli, pale pink carnations and rose buds. She was attended by her sister Vera, frocked in a blue dinner gown with silver-beaded bodice with accessories en suite, and wearing a beige picture hat and carrying a sheaf of pink gladioli. The mothers of the bride and bridegroom looked very smart in black, with autumn oned shoulder sprays; As the bride left the church, a horseshoe was hung over her arm by little Monica Horgan. The organ was played by Miss Vera Dowd, and solos were rendered by Miss Linda Wald and Mr. Mick O'Dea, brother of the bridegroom.

The bride was the past president of the Alberton J.C.W.L. and Children of Mary. The bridegroom has been an active executive member of the C.Y.M.S. for many years. At the reception, well-wishers from the two societies and relatives and friends from Port Lincoln, Peterborough, Linwood, Tailem Bend, Pinnaroo and Negalla (Vic.), gathered in a happy convivial atmosphere.

As a travelling frock the bride chose a blue french-morocain frock with pintucked bodice, black tailored coat, and black accessories. Her small chic hat perfected the smartness of. her ensemble. The happy couple are spending their honeymoon at Murray Bridge.

1944 'At the Altar O'Dea—Maddigan', Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), 31 March, p. 9. , http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167780909

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin

What's in a nickname?

Where are we here?

The photo above is of Hamley Bridge in South Australia in 1926, the home of Queenie and Coley. They lived in Barry Street, Hamley Bridge.

But who were they and why the nicknames?

My aunt's photo album included several photos with these names written below. In Australia we are often noted for shortening names or giving nicknames such as Bluey to someone with red hair, Paddy for Patrick, Mick for Michael, or attributing nicknames associated with a person's occupation.

The Kane (Kain) family from County Clare had arrived in South Australia aboard the "Lady Ann" in October of 1857. Martin and Catherine came with 5 children and were sponsored by F.H Dutton who already held land in South Australia. In 1860 another son named Colman (Coleman) was born.

This Colman Kain was to become my mother's uncle, Uncle Coley. He was married to Bridget O'Dea, my grandfather's eldest sister in February of 1891. By the end of the 1890s Bridget and Coleman Kain had six boys. 

What delight they must have expressed when daughter Maria was born in July of 1901. Her birth was followed by yet another son, James, born in 1904.

Imagine the household, 7 boys and just the one little girl. There can be little surprise then that she became known as the little queen of that household, Queenie Kain.

Here she is with a pet dog. I think she looks to be about 9 or 10 years old so possibly taken about 1910-11.   

Thanks to family historian Jenny who has pointed out in the comments below the likelihood of this photo being a decade later, perhaps the early 1920s, due to the dress style and the stylish wristwatch. 

My mother Hannah and her older sisters Mary and Margaret O'Dea must have been delighted to have a slightly older female first cousin when they moved to Hamley Bridge with their mother Georgina O'Dea in 1923.

Coleman Kain and his daughter Maria
Inscription under original photo - Uncle Coleman and Queenie Kain

This one of Queenie was probably taken on the same day and in the same position. The dress, the hat and the background are similar, estimated 1925.

This last photo has Michael O'Dea, Colman Kain and his son Patrick Kain. Michael and Colman were brothers-in-law. Note the inscription below. Uncle Mick, Uncle Coley and Paddy Kain. Uncle Coley must have been an affectionate term used by the O'Dea girls and their brothers.

The unfortunate damage in the album is where unsuccessful attempts have been made by others to remove some of the photos.

Deaths

What heartbreak her parents must have suffered when their precious Queenie died in the North Adelaide Hospital in November of 1928. She was only 27. 

Colman Kain died just four years later in 1932 with Bridget's death recorded in 1936. A recent request from a Kain descendant has encouraged me to revisit this album. These appear to be the only Kain photographs included but there are many more early Hamley Bridge residents to come in future posts.

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References

Arrival of the Lady Ann SA Archives, 
https://archives.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/documentstore/passengerlists/1857/GRG35_48_1_57-11_Lady%20Ann.pdf

Marriage of Colman Joseph Kain and Bridget Elizabeth O'Dea. 1891 'Family Notices."The Advertiser"  (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), 21 February, p. 4 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26772482

Birth of Maria Kain  

Surname: KAIN Given Names: Maria Immaculate Date of Birth: 02-Jul-1901 Gender: F Father: Colman KAIN Mother: Bridget Elizabeth ODEA Birth Residence: Hamley Bridge District: Gilbert Book/Page: 679/355 

Death of Maria Kain
1928 'Family Notices', The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), 13 November, p. 8.  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article53603925

Death of Colman Kain
1932 'Family Notices.', Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), 28 January, p. 35  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90909787

Death of Bridget Kain
1936 'Family Notices.', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), 21 September, p. 10
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48180341 

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin

A flexible use of age

The Patrick and Mary Galvin conundrum

What were they thinking? Were they so desperate to leave Ireland that truth would hinder that opportunity?

My husband's 3x gt grandparents Patrick Galvin and Mary Regan had married in Kinvara Parish in County Galway, Ireland in 1832 (1) but on their application to emigrate in 1863 they listed their ages as 44 and 40, to be accompanied by Sally (Sarah) 13, Catherine 12, and Margaret aged 6. 

Something obviously wrong here, as that marriage date would mean that Mary was only 8 or 9 and Patrick only 12 or 13 when they married in 1832!

Times in County Galway were tough. The great famine had decimated the population in the Kinvara parish. In 1841 there were 255 folk living in 44 houses but by 1861 there were only 107 people left in the 22 houses that were still standing. (2) 

Multiple deaths were recorded in the nearby workhouses through the famine years. Patrick and Mary must have been very anxious about the future for their children. It looked grim, and the encouragement to emigrate would have been fuelled by those who wrote letters back to friends and neighbours offering to provide sponsorship. 

So how can we know the ages are incorrect on their application and the ship's papers? We need to examine some other documents and some data associated with the children listed here.

Taking a step back to 1862

Michael Galvin had emigrated to Sydney in 1862 with his sister Bridget on the Lady Milton. A Mary Galvin had provided the deposit for them. 

• Michael's baptismal record in 1833 shows him as the son of Patrick Galvin and Mary Regan of the Kinvara/Kinvarra parish.(4)
•  In the ship's register Michael was listed as being from Kinvara, County Galway and he nominated his trade as baker (5). This is later verified through other early NSW records and a 1968 memoir written by his grandson John Michael Galvin. This Michael Galvin, my husband's gt-gt-grandfather, was about 28/29 when he arrived on the Lady Miilton though he claimed to be 24. 

So could the Galvins, Patrick and Mary and children, who arrived in South Australia on the Morning Star a year later in 1863 be his parents and sisters?

Back in Kinvara parish, County Galway

In the Kinvara parish records, baptisms are listed for four other children born to Patrick Galvin and Mary Regan, one of whom we assume died early. 

Ann is listed as baptised at the end of 1835 and Margaret in 1856. 

The first named Catherine was baptised in 1846. It was quite a common practice to reuse a name if one child had died. The Catherine with her parents on the ship Morning Star was born in 1849.

I had dismissed this family as being Michael's parents due to the ages shown on the immigration papers. Recently I was contacted by another Galvin descendant who is a skilled researcher now resident in London. Together we traded emails and built up the scenario through family documents, newspaper snippets and some family lore, which although not always correct, did point us in the right direction. 

John Maher's generosity in sharing his research has led us to conclude that we have now identified the Morning Star arrivals as Michael's parents and sisters. So the Galvins were in South Australia from 1863. Thanks John!

The documents with the deciding details

• A family memoir written by John Michael Galvin in 1968 provides details about his father, John Patrick Galvin and grandfather Michael Galvin along with another of Michael's sisters Mary, (Sister Mary Philomena) of the Josephite nuns.
• The Adelaide hospital admission registers shows Patrick, Mary and daughter Margaret who all arrived on the Morning Star, admitted in various years and provide a different range of ages for Patrick and Mary. (6)
• Death certificates provide more realistic ages but even then we cannot be certain of their accuracy as no records for Patrick's or Mary's birth are available.
• Patrick died in Adelaide hospital on 2nd April 1871 aged 62 - makes his birth year 1808/9 which is realistic for an 1832 marriage. This means he was about 54 not 44 when he immigrated just 8 years earlier.
• Mary died 15th June 1892 aged 78  - makes her birth year 1813/14 which is realistic for an 1832 marriage. This means she was about 49 not 40 when she immigrated 29 years earlier.
• Daughter Margaret died in Adelaide hospital aged 15 on 13 March 1872 - just 9 years after her arrival as a 6 year old.

Sarah, listed as Sally aged 13 on the Morning Star next appears in records as Sarah Galvin aged 18 in September of 1865 when she married Henry Anderson in St Patrick's church in Adelaide. She was possibly 15 rather than 13 when she arrived with her parents. This may well have have been a shipboard romance as Henry Anderson also arrived on the Morning Star. Sarah died in 1886. 

We will probably never know the reason for the mis-reporting of ages, but could it be that age was seen as a barrier to immigration or was it just a general fuzziness about dates compared to our current day need for accurate details?

There is gap in the baptismal registers for the years 1837 - 1843 in Kinvara parish, so accurate birth years for Mary, Bridget and Sarah are unknown.

What is known about these 3 sisters

Mary (Sister Mary Philomena) 

When and where did she arrive? 

• The Sisters of St Joseph's Archives have Mary in their records as arriving on the Morning Star with her parents in 1863.
• She is not in the arrival list on the Morning Star. We do know she was one of the young women to join Mary McKillop in 1868. Her sister Catherine (b.1849) also joined the fledgling group of nuns but left after several years. Catherine's is a longer story waiting to be told. Catherine died in 1908.
• A Mary Galvin had paid a deposit for Michael's and Bridget's immigration to New South Wales back in 1862. This suggests that Mary had already arrived in Australia.

Yes, she was the daughter of this Patrick and Mary and sister to Michael who had arrived in Sydney in 1862. She and Michael's wife Bridget Crotty, whom he married in 1865 were well known to each other. Mary Galvin was a witness at their wedding. 

Mary died on Jul 27 1924  after a long career in the Sisters of St Joseph and was buried in the Gore Hill cemetery the following day. From her age on the death registration it appears that she was born in 1842.

Bridget

In John Michael Galvin's 1968 memoir, he mentions that his grandfather Michael "arrived with sister Ann who then went to Adelaide and married a cousin".(7) We now know from the arrivals into Sydney on the Lady Milton in 1862 that the sister was Bridget, not Ann.

In the South Australian marriage records for 1866 there is a 20 year old Bridget who married James Galvin. The surname listed for Bridget is Regan (this was her mother's maiden name) so this is our Bridget Galvin who arrived listed as a 16 year old with Michael in 1862. 

In Ireland dispensation could have been obtained for marrying 3rd or 4th cousins, so perhaps it was easier to forgo that process and use Bridget's mother's surname. Another use of a half truth to achieve a desired outcome.

Bridget and husband James Bernard Galvin have only four of their many children listed in the South Australian birth index. On three of these records where the mother's maiden name is listed, she is named as Bridget Galvin not Regan, on the other one the mother's maiden name is not recorded. In 1908, Bridget's and James' daughter Martha, married John McCarron. She is seen listed in the 1924 funeral notice for her Aunt, Sister Mary Philomena.

Bridget died in 1923 her age given as 77.

Ann

Ann's baptism appears in the Kinvara parish register in 29 December 1835. 

On her marriage to Daniel Macaulay in February of 1873 in New South Wales, she is noted as being 30 but was really 37. It was not uncommon if a woman was older than a man that she claimed to be younger than her true age. 

Ann (mentioned in John Michael's memoir) is noted here in this death notice in 1900  by her sister Catherine, the then Mrs Harry Anderson.

MACAULAY. —September 3, of pneumonia, Annie, dearly beloved wife of Captain Daniel Macaulay, of S.S. Palmerston, aged 63 years, eldest daughter of Patrick and Mary Galvin, Kinvarah, county Galway Ireland, and much loved sister of Mrs. Harry Anderson, late of the Osborne Hotel, Woolloomooloo Bay, R.I. P. Adelaide papers please copy.(8)

Again a slight confusion of ages as Ann (Annie) would have been 64 having been baptised in 1835. Could this have been the Anne Galvin from County Galway who arrived in South Australia on the Nimroud in 1856 listed as an 18 year old rather than 21 or did she arrive in Sydney?

Perhaps Mary arrived in Sydney earlier than the others, I have not yet found any records to support that theory. Chain migration was a common practice where one member of a family or a fellow member of a parish paid the deposit for others to emigrate. 

A flexible use of ages obviously also assisted! 

Family research often leaves one with more questions than answers but cooperation via online contacts can yield rich results. If you are a descendant of this Galvin family, I would be delighted to hear from you.

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1. Kinvara parish register, Marriages | Microfilm 02442 / 14 National Library of Ireland https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634188#page/36/mode/1up

2. Census of Ireland 1861 : Part I, Area, Population, and Number of Houses, by Townlands and Electoral Divisions Provinces of Ulster and Connaught https://archive.org/details/op1248751-1001/page/n390/mode/1up

3. 1863 Morning Star Passenger list  https://archives.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/documentstore/passengerlists/1863/GRG35_48_1_63-1_Morning%20Star.pdf

4.  Kinvara parish register, Baptisms | Microfilm 02442 / 14 National Library of Ireland https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634188#page/14/mode/1up

5 1862 Lady Milton passenger list, State Records NSW, 

NRS5316/4_4796/Lady Milton_28 Jun 1862/ p.11 https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5316/4_4796/Lady%20Milton_28%20Jun%201862/4_479600209.jpg&No=11

6. GRG 78/49 Admission registers - Adelaide Hospital, later Royal Adelaide Hospital https://archives.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/public/images/F%20-%20L_1.pdf

7. 1968, Galvin, John Michael, The Galvin Family: Over 100 years in Australia. Family held papers.

8. 1900 'Family Notices', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 6 September, p. 1. , , http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14334468

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin

A Message from the Sea

HMAT A73 Commonwealth
 https://alh-research.tripod.com/ships_lh.htm

The Kain brothers - World War I

It was 21 September 1916 when John and Martin Kain boarded the transport ship HMAT Commonwealth in Adelaide bound for the war raging in Europe.

These two brothers, the middle sons of Coleman and Bridget Kain, had been born and raised in the small town of Hamley Bridge in country South Australia. John had enlisted in Adelaide just a few weeks earlier on August 4th with Martin enlisting one week later. Now a scant 5 weeks later they were off to war with the 32nd Battalion, 9th Reinforcement.

John was a farm labourer, 21 years and 2 months old and elder brother Martin a blacksmith at age 22. They were leaving behind a large extended family in the surrounding district. Their immediate family comprising parents, 2 older brothers, 2 younger brothers and a sister must all have worried as they farewelled these young men.

While aboard the ship John (Jack) wrote to his parents and decided on an unusual delivery method. The Register newspaper reported:

A MESSAGE FROM THE SEA.

 

John and Martin Kain, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Coleman Kain, of Hamley Bridge, embarked for England in September last, and when approaching Western Australia John threw overboard a bottle containing the following message. —

 'On board ship. Dear Parents— Just a few lines, hoping they will find you all well. Every one on board is fine. It is nice and calm. We saw six whales this morning. We expect to sight land to-day and be in the west tomorrow. September 25. — Jack Kain. Please send this home.' 

The following letter explains when the bottle was picked up: — 'January 19, 1917. Point Malcolm. Dear Sir — The enclosed letter was found in a bottle at Cape Paisley, Western Australia, by Mr. W. A. Matthews, of Thomas River. I have great pleasure in forwarding your son's letter to you.— Yours sincerely. W. H. Vincent, Point Malcolm (via Albany), W.A.' 

Notwithstanding the meagre clue from the note, the letter reached Mr. Kain on February 19. Australia is an extensive country, the name of Kain is, very common, and the wonder is the postal authorities were able to find the right parents.

Martin Kain

John Francis Kain

WWI Service

The ship arrived in Plymouth, England and they disembarked on the 14th November. By Jan 21st John and Martin were in France where the 32nd battalion were engaged in battle in those muddy, unforgiving Somme fields and ridges.

Martin was severely wounded in October of 1917 resulting in the amputation of his left leg.

John's medical records show he suffered from tonsillitis and spent two weeks in hospital with influenza in November 1917.  In July of 1918 he was wounded  and invalided to Reading Hospital.

Martin returned to Australia on the Dunluce and was welcomed back to Hamley Bridge on the 14th March 1918.

HONORING SOLDIERS.

On Thursday morning at Hamley Bridge when the train arrived from Adelaide a number of the townspeople assembled on the platform gave a hearty welcome home to Private M. Kain. About two years ago Private M. Kain and his brother enlisted. After a short time in England they were sent to France, where Private M. Kain was wounded in October last. An amputation of one leg was found necessary.

Having welcomed home one injured son, now in August of 1918 the family were anxiously awaiting news about John. 

Bridget, his mother, wrote to the Red Cross seeking help. 

By September 12th a reply had been received that he was in Reading Hospital and had been shot in the leg but his condition was satisfactory. John returned to Australia on the ship Aeneas in January 1919.

John Francis Kain died in 1956. 

Martin Kain died at age 46 in 1940.

The ravages of war affected so many families. These Kain brothers are my first cousins once removed, my mother's first cousins. We remember them for their service on ANZAC Day. Lest we forget.

---

1917 'A MESSAGE FROM THE SEA.', The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), 22 February, p. 8. , viewed 24 Apr 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59893874

1918 'HONORING SOLDIERS.', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), 18 March, p. 8. , viewed 24 Apr 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5536488

South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau 1916 - 1919,  John Francis Kain, SLSA record number: SRG 76/1/2754   https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/soldier/john-francis-kain

South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau 1916 - 1919, Martin Kain, SLSA record number: 

SRG 76/1/4646 https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/soldier/martin-kain

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin

Spooky or interesting?

This week MyHeritage has released a new feature that brings animation to old photos. Here are my maternal gt. gt. grandparents, John O'Dea (1834 - 1922) and Maria Crowley (1841 - 1929). They met and married in South Australia after each had migrated from Ireland.

We do not have a date for this photo but estimate it may have been taken in the mid to late 1890s. A 1913 photo shows them looking much older than this.

First a comparison, the enhanced photo from the sepia tones to black and white.

Here the magic occurs. the animation tool brings their faces to life. You may need to press the play button twice for each animation to load.

John O'Dea

Maria Crowley (O'Dea)

What do you think?  Do we get to know them better through animation?

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin

Tennis in the spotlight

Mary and Ed Horgan September 1927

Tennis group at Alma, South Australia 1927

Back: Edward J Horgan, Francis J Smyth (known as Frank)

Front: Hanora Mary Horgan (known as Mary) Parker Hogan, Margaret Mary Smyth (known as Mary)

photo enhanced and colourised at MyHeritage

As the Australian Open Tennis tournament gets underway in Melbourne I find it interesting to look back at my family's days of playing tennis. From our own family albums come these two photos, both taken at Alma in September of 1927.

On perusing the editions of digitised newspapers there are many mentions of my father Edward John Horgan and his siblings Hanora Mary and Joseph Andrew playing in tennis matches and tournaments in the nineteen twenties and thirties.

Many of the small towns in the area had tennis clubs and the results of matches were regularly published. This Horgan family were mentioned in matches between 1925 and 1936 for Alma Tennis club, Hamley Bridge Catholic club and Tarlee Catholic club. As well as playing tennis they attended Tennis balls and dances held variously to raise money for the club.

1925

"On Wednesday evening the members of the Tennis Club arranged a euchre and dance, which proved enjoyable as well as augmenting the tennis funds that are being added to with the object of laying down another asphalt court."

1925 'DISTRICT NEWS.', The Wooroora Producer (Balaklava, SA : 1909 - 1940),

16 July, p. 3. , viewed 09 Feb 2021,

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207139646

Ouch, asphalt courts - yet these were the most common tennis courts in the towns at the time. With limited rainfall in the lower north area of South Australia, lawn tennis was rarely a feasible option. Hard rolled dirt courts provided variable bounce and so skill, speed and sometimes good luck played chance with the games result.
Joseph Andrew Horgan, my father's brother was of short stature at about 4 ft 11 in. but he developed a very mean slice. Here he is playing tennis at his McInerney cousins' farm near Riverton.

Joe Horgan - tennis at Olive Farm Riverton
photo courtesy McInerney family

Other early photos shared from the McInerney family albums show the previous generation of Horgans also on the court at Olive Farm. In this one Eddie and Joe look as if they have been playing or are ready for tennis but their aunt, Kate Horgan and uncles John McInerney, Tom and Jack (John) Horgan appear dressed to be spectators rather than players.

Mid 1930s tennis group at McInerney Olive Farm, Riverton, South Australia

Standing: Tom O'Leary, Kate Horgan, John McInerney, Mr Bosch, Vin McInerney, Tom Horgan, Frank McInerney, Eddie Horgan, Jack Horgan.

Front: Bernie McInerney, Joe Horgan, Mary McInerney, Vi Doecke

1960s tennis at the farm
Some time after we moved from the old farmhouse to the new in 1959, my father built a hard packed tennis court next to the house. Here we learnt to play tennis with those heavy wooden racquets of the day. Sunday afternoons were often tennis afternoons and Uncle Joe managed to keep us running with his well placed sliced shots. Some of my siblings went on to play for the local Tarlee Tennis Club while we younger ones had the opportunity to try out for tennis teams at boarding school. My skill level however, never reached that of my father and uncle.

Other articles mentioning the tennis related activities of Mary, Eddie and Joe Horgan in the 1920s and 1930s

Alma versus the Woods club
1926 'DISTRICT NEWS.', The Wooroora Producer (Balaklava, SA : 1909 - 1940), 8 April, p. 4. , viewed 09 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207140470

Alma versus Hamley Bridge at Stockport
1927 'TENNIS.', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), 23 March, p. 20. , viewed 09 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73655863

E Horgan attends the Alma Tennis Ball
1927 'ALMA TENNIS BALL.', Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), 10 September, p. 73. , viewed 09 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90076648

Riverton Catholic Tennis club v. Tarlee Catholic Club
1930 'S.A. CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION.', Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), 19 December, p. 19. , viewed 09 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167051800

Match between Riverton (Good Shepherd) and the Tarlee (SS. John and Paul) Catholic Clubs
1931 'RIVERTON v. TARLEE.', Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), 20 February, p. 18. , viewed 09 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167052764

Eddie and Joe in the final of the Men's doubles
1931 'CATHOLIC TOURNAMENT AT RIVERTON.', Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), 20 March, p. 22. , viewed 09 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167053260

Eddie plays in singles and doubles
1931 'TARLEE AND RIVERTON v. MINTARO.', Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), 2 April, p. 18. , viewed 09 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167053495

Joe and his first cousin Mary Smyth win the mixed doubles
1932 'CATHOLIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT AT RIVERTON.', Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), 11 March, p. 18. , viewed 09 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167059421

An early defeat for the Horgan brothers in the men's doubles
1933 'RIVERTON TENNIS CLUB.', Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), 24 February, p. 15. , viewed 09 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167694429

Balaklava. — Balaklava Catholic lost to Hamley Bridge
1936 1936 'TENNIS', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), 5 February, p. 9. , viewed 09 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74158435

In the Hamley Bridge Catholic team
1936 'SEVENHILL.', Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), 27 March, p. 7. , viewed 09 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167077747


This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin

Looking for Margaret

Australia Day 2021 - the Irish ancestors

I'm reflecting on those ancestors who migrated to Australia and am grateful for their journeys to this land. On checking my research I find that I had not identified when gt-grandmother Margaret Byrne arrived in Australia, but first a recap of what I do know.

From Ireland to South Australia

1840 Andrew O'Leary and his wife Catherine Burke, gt.gt. g-parents with gt-grandmother Honora and 3 other children, arrived in South Australia aboard the "Mary Dugdale" from County Cork. 

1852 Johanna Horgan (born Fitzgerald), gt-gt-grandmother widow with three sons arrived in South Australia aboard the "China". John Horgan, one of those sons and a gt-grandfather, was 19 when he arrived. He married Honora O'Leary. The Horgans came from County Kerry.

1854 Patrick and Mary O’Dea gt-gt-grandparents arrived in S.A. from County Clare with 2 sons and 2 daughters. Their son, gt grandfather John was about 20 when they arrived.

1859 Edward Smyth, another gt.-grandfather from County Westmeath was aboard the "North" when it docked in Port Adelaide on January 28th, 1859. He had followed his younger brother the Rev. John Smyth to South Australia.

1862 Maria Crowley, gt-grandmother from County Tipperary arrived on the "Henry Fernie" in Melbourne and journeyed to South Australia to meet up with her brothers. She married John O'Dea in 1863.

1879 Bridget Kelly, gt-grandmother from Limerick was 17 when she arrived in Adelaide aboard the "Trevelyan." Aboard the same ship was a George Bennett aged 22 but I have yet no evidence to determine if this was the George Bennett she married at Teetulpa in 1887.

On February 6th, 1862 Edward Smyth married Margaret Byrne in St John's near Kapunda. He is listed as 38 years old and she is 27. This puts Margaret's birth date about 1835. European settlers arrived in South Australia in 1836 so she was not born in the colony. On the marriage record she is listed as being a Housekeeper rather than as a spinster which suggests she was working to earn a living rather than living with her family. Her father is listed as Peter but none of the Peter Byrnes who immigrated to South Aust were old enough to be her father.

On further searching through ships' records I identified several Margaret Byrnes. The most likely candidate is the Margaret Byrne who was 17 when she arrived on the "Marshall Bennett" in 1852. On that ship there was a large contingent of single Irish girls. I then searched the Ireland Catholic baptism records for a Margaret Byrne born around 1835 with a father named Peter. There is only one in 1835 and two in 1833.

In St Andrew's Parish, Dublin City there is a Margaret Byrne baptised on 23 February 1835 with parents Peter and Mary Byrne. Could this possibly be gt-grandmother Margaret Byrne? Her death record has her as age 75 in May of 1907 which would give a birth date of 1832/33. So I'm still looking for Margaret, but am thankful to those 12 ancestors who travelled from Ireland to make Australia home.

Where did they come from?

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin