Organising the records

This series of posts focuses on an A-Z theme for April in 2025. I have chosen events that occurred On This Day in April of years in the past. These events are recorded and organised in my genealogy database. 

On this day - 17th April

1912 - Birth: Hannah Olive O'DEA, Pinnaroo, South Australia, Australia
My dear mother's birthday. She was born 113 years ago today. I have written extensively about my mother on this blog, but realise that April was an important month for her in several ways. 

Born 1912, 17th April
Married 6th April 1937
Her mothers birthday 21 April, also Joe’s birthday, my father’s brother

She liked to be organised no matter the occasion. In her birthday book she recorded not only birthdays but also deaths. She also pasted newspaper clippings inside the covers. This has been a useful source of dates for the births of my cousins and my 25 nieces and nephews. 

Cover of Mum's birthday book

1942 - Burial: John HORGAN, Kapunda, South Australia, Australia - a grandfather’s brother, my grand uncle.

The need to recognise and honour the dead has never changed.

In the past funerals were organised with no delay. A standard Requiem Mass for Catholics, with participants dressed in formal, usually black attire would have been arranged by telephoning the priest, the funeral director and the newspaper. Funerals were generally simpler than they are nowadays.

Nowadays we have time to make plans for a funeral considering the wishes expressed before death, the needs of the living, the preparation of services, eulogies and catering where needed. 

This notice appeared in the evening paper on the day that John died. 

HORGAN.-Requiem Mass for the Repose of the Soul of the late Mr. JOHN HORGAN will be Celebrated in the Church of the Good Shepherd, Riverton, at 8.30 a.m. on FRIDAY, and the Funeral will Leave the Church at 1.30p.m. for the St John's Cemetery, Kapunda.
O. COLMER, Undertaker. Phone 41. Riverton.

I recently visited the cemetery to view the restored stone that lists John, his brother Thomas and sister Kate.

Tombstone _ Horgan photo taken 7 March 2025

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

Hands through the years

Image by Avelino Calvar Martinez from Pixabay

I started seeing my own hands mirror those of my mother when I was in my late fifties.

Her time worn hands showed signs of wear and reflected the care she had for her family.

When her hands were young they toiled in the yard gathering eggs and tending vegetables. As she grew her hands mixed the batter for cakes and shaped biscuits for baking.

Skills were added to those hands as they stretched across piano keys and held needles for the stitching and mending of clothes.

We will probably never know when she learned the rhythm of the knitting needles. Did her maiden aunts Hannah and Margaret O’Dea teach her, or was this a skill passed on through her mother Georgina?

Each crinkle could tell a story of babies nurtured, washing done in hot harsh conditions and lines flapping with heavy wet burdens in the depths of cold winters. Hot irons warmed on the log stove were held steady to press those wrinkled garments.

Rooms swept, floors washed and polished, waste carried outside; the tasks those hands undertook multiplied through the years.

Those arthritic swollen knuckles in mature years still managed to write letters and cards to families and friends. They were expert at manipulating Scrabble tiles and managing the wrappings on favourite sweet treats.

Those gentle hands nurtured me through my childhood, held me in hugs, dried my tears. Alongside her I learnt many of those skills and now my hands remind me of her.

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

Ten years ago

Finally at rest. 

10 years ago at age 101, our mother closed her eyes on 27 June 2013 for the last time. 

Two of her seven living children were by her side. Days later we all gathered for her final farewell.

From Ngallo to Hamley Bridge, Alma to Bumbunga, “Pine Creek” Linwood, Tarlee and Riverton, her years were lived on farms and in small rural towns in South Australia.

Toasty warm fires yielded fluffy sponges, fruity cakes and sometimes sticky toffee treats for fetes.  

Bubbling pans of fruit produced tasty jams and preserves.

Steaming coppers and weighty irons produced wrinkle free clothes.

Busy hands patched hole ridden clothes and sheets. Sock darning filled any spare moments.

Late night dressmaking clothed her daughters. Men’s work clothes were mended, patched and repatched, shirt collars turned.

Such were the everyday tasks of our busy mother. Later years brought modern appliances, conveniences and leisure time to fill with hobbies and enjoy the grandchildren.

Throughout the years, those both lean and plentiful, my parents were sustained by their faith.

Mum, we miss you and are grateful for all you did for us.

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

Hannah's friends in Hamley Bridge

Back row L to R: 1. Ollie Casaretto, 2. Monnie Cavanagh, 3. Kath Button, 4. Hannah O'Dea
Front row L to R: 5. Mary Doyle, 6. Grace O'Riley, 7. Jean Dudley and 8. Bridge Barry
in the front: 9. Nora Carrigg

This photo is from the O'Dea family album, South Australia which covers some years between 1907 - 1950.

The photo above would have been taken about 1922/23 when my mother Hannah O'Dea was 10 or 11 years old. She is in the back row on the far right. Perhaps these were classmates at the convent school that my mother attended in Hamley Bridge.

I uploaded this photo to MyHeritage and used the enhancement and colorisation tools to get some idea of how these girls may have looked one hundred years ago. The names under the photo have been transcribed as they were recorded below the photo in the album. 

 

Along with the photo enhancement above I also chose to download the enhanced photo of my mother's face, seen here below.

Hannah O'Dea about 1922/23
face enhanced on MyHeritage

Who were the girls?

Given the location of Hamley Bridge, South Australia and the apparent similarity of one or two years in age, I have searched for some birth dates as listed below.

1. Olive Eileen Casaretto -  my mother's first cousin was born in Hamley Bridge on 1 July 1913 to Daniel Joseph Casaretto and Mary Olive Bennett

2. A Margaret Monica Cavanagh was born 4 May 1911 to William Patrick Cavanagh and Mary Margaret Flaherty in Quorn SA. 

3. Kathleen Marie Caroline Button was born in Hamley Bridge on 11 Oct 1913 to George Theodore Button and Marie Theresa Sullivan

4. My mother Hannah O'Dea was born in Pinnaroo, SA on 17 April 1912. Her mother Georgina Bennett and family moved to Hamley Bridge in 1921 after the death of her father Patrick John O'Dea.

5. Mary Doyle  there are two possibilities here

i) Mary Doyle born in Hamley Bridge on 21st June 1913 to Thomas Laurence Doyle and Mary Cecelia Chambers OR

ii) Mary Cathrine Doyle  born near Hamley Bridge to Edward Doyle and Eliza Ann Thompson on 21 August 1913

6. Grace O'Riley - Grace's parents were William Thomas O'Riley and Honor O'Brien. Her birth was recorded in Hamley Bridge on 20 June 1914

7. Thelma Jean Dudley was born in Hamley Bridge on 29 April 1914 to parents George Dudley and Bertha May Toppelmann.

8. Bridget Maria Barry was born to Johanna Ryan and Thomas Barry in Hamley Bridge on 7 September 1912.

9. Honora Mary Carrigg was born on 14 September 1915 to James Patrick Carrigg and Ellen Mary Comerford in Hamley Bridge.

Nora Carrigg remained one of Mum's good friends and was a bridesmaid at her wedding in 1937.

Do you recognise any of these girls?

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

Hannah at Semaphore

Hannah at Semaphore

My mother at the beach

This photo from the O'Dea family photo album is labelled Hannah at Semaphore.

In 1923 Georgina Ellen O'Dea had moved to Hamley Bridge after the death of her husband in 1919. Her third daughter Hannah was 11 at the time of the move.

Two years later there is a report in the Port Adelaide News of a picnic to Semaphore beach. Could it be this picnic that my mother was attending? There is no date on the photo but is it possible that she is about 13 here?

COUNTRY PICNICS AT SEMAPHORE

The Midland District annual picnic, which embraced residents from Tarlee, Saddleworth, Riverton, Stockport, and Hamley Bridge; was held at Semaphore on Saturday. This was the fifteenth annual picnic, from the Midland District, and it is claimed that the district was the first country district to organise an annual picnic to the seaside.

It originated as a combined picnic of the Sunday schools of the district, Mr. D. L. Striibling, then of Tarlee, and now of Henley. Beach, being responsible for the innovation. Two or three hundred persons attended the first picnic, which, year by year, has gathered popularity, until on Saturday fully 1,700 adults and children participated, and two very long trains were necessary to convey them to the beach. Oh arrival at Semaphore they were welcomed by the Mayor of Port Adelaide, who informed the committee that the beach officer would do all in his power to make the visit an enjoyable one for them. 

After the previous day's downpour model picnicking conditions prevailed. Many of the visitors availed themselves of the opportunities given for sea bathing, while others found enjoyment among the beach amusements or in talking with city friends who had come to Semaphore to spend the day with them. The president of the central committee was Mr. E. A. Gray (Riverton) and the secretary, Mr. J. O. Taylor (Tarlee). The secretaries of the committees of the various centres were:—Riverton, Mr. E. A. Gray; Stockport, Mr. G. H. Weste; Hamley Bridge, Mr. H. N. Ellis; Saddleworth, Mr C. H. Roberts; Tarlee, Mr. J. O. Taylor. 

 1925 'OUR MAGAZINE SECTION', Port Adelaide News (SA :1913 - 1933), 13 February, p. 1. (OUR MAGAZINE SECTION), viewed 01 Oct 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article212958143



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

Skills and Crafts of a Farmer’s wife

Memories of Mum’s work, skills and hobbies

Hannah Horgan (1912-2013) on the back veranda of her last house at
6 Kelly St, Riverton, South Australia

It is now three years since my mother Hannah died but she left us with many fond memories and a variety of skills. The work of a farmer’s wife encompasses a broad range of tasks often not associated with a stay-at-home wife and mother.
Here’s a quick review of some of the tasks my mother undertook and taught to her children.

Farmyard related

Eggs: Seated on the veranda surrounding the farm house we washed and packed dozens of eggs manually. A damp cloth was used to wipe the surface of any soiled egg. These were then packed carefully into layers in the egg crates used to send them to market. Layer upon layer were added as they were cleaned, then came the sighs of relief when the wooden crate was sealed for collection.

Fowls: Who else would teach you how to pluck and dress a dead chicken but your mother? I’m sure she was pleased to share this onerous task with her children so that we could all enjoy the chicken dinners to follow. The heavy kettle was boiled then poured over the dead bird. Plucking the feathers had to be done quickly while the bird was warm. Ooh, that wet bird smell, then inserting one’s hand to remove the innards. I’m glad this is a skill I no longer need!

Milk, Cream and Butter :  The fresh milk from the cows which some of my siblings had to milk, came to the kitchen still warm. The cream separator ensured we had a constant supply of fresh delicious cream. Yes, the separator had to be disassembled and every part scrubbed and cleaned – she taught all of us how to do that. We learnt how to make cream into butter and how to cook delicious rice puddings and many other dishes using the fresh and not so fresh dairy products, no food ever to be wasted.

Meat processing: The mutton killed for family consumption was delivered to the kitchen in it’s newly killed state. Mum would use every small skerrick of meat, cutting away the fat and turning the scrag ends into mince. We all took turns turning the handle of the mincer. We learnt all the parts of the beast and what meat was suited best for which meals.

The meat mincer
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AFleischwolf-zerlegt.jpg

Indoor hobbies and skills

Sewing: A necessary skill for a woman with seven children. There were sheets to be patched and collars on shirts to be unpicked and turned. Men’s work trousers from the paddock often needed patching in the knees to “make them last.” The first sewing machine I remember was a treadle Singer. Mum sewed many of our clothes late at night when we were in bed. She taught us to sew both by hand and on the machine. We learnt by making doll’s clothes from leftover scraps and did the hand stitching required to finish items. One of my sisters remembers a new dress made for Tarlee school picnic day. She loved to climb trees and the carefully sewn new dress returned home dirty and scruffy.

1982 knitted by Nana

Knitting: Before the days of cheap clothing hand knitted items were treasured. Old jumpers were unpicked and re-knitted into new items. Mum knitted woollen socks for my father and in later years many woollen toys for her grandchildren. Several of her grandchildren will remember these striped woollen jumpers knitted with love. She taught her daughters to knit and crochet.

Crafts: As we grew up and Mum had a little more time she joined the C.W.A. ( Country Womens' Association) Each month’s meeting concentrated on new learning or a new skill. We saw woven baskets made, knitted and covered coat hangers, recycled cards made into boxes of every shape and size. The crocheted toilet roll cover sat for many years on the cistern. Who could forget the snowman that appeared every hot summer Christmas made with quilting wadding covering a large Milo tin? When Mum moved from her house into hospital care, there were many remnants of craft and sewing materials in her cupboards and drawers recalling many happy hours spent crafting a wide range of goodies.

Thanks Mum for the skills and passion for learning new things that you passed on to me.

An April wedding 1937

The recent digitisation of the South Australian Catholic Weekly paper 'The Southern Cross' has provided access to this description of the wedding of my parents, Edward John Horgan and Hannah Olive O'Dea and provided me with another reason to display their wedding photo once more.

1937 'SOLEMNISED AT HAMLEY BRIDGE.', 
Southern Cross(Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), 
7 May, p. 15,
 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167701486

SOLEMNISED AT HAMLEY BRIDGE.

 O'Dea—Horgan Wedding.

St. Mary's Church, Hamley Bridge, was the scene of a pretty wedding on Tuesday, April 6, when Hannah Olive, youngest daughter of Mrs. G. E. O'Dea, Hamley Bridge, was married to Edward John, eldest son of Mr. A. J. Horgan, Alma. The Nuptial Mass was celebrated by Rev. Father R. Farrelly, P.P., assisted by Rev. Fathers E. Smyth (cousin of the bridegroom) , and A. Noone P.P. (Riverton). 

The bride, who entered the church on the arm of her eldest brother, Jack, looked charming in a white matalasse frock, bodice made with a high peaked neckline, fastened in front with a spray of orange blossom, and long tight-fitting sleeves, with points over the wrists. The skirt, fitting slimly to the knees, merged into a train. She wore a long tulle veil (lent by Mrs. D. Healy), held in place with a coronet of orange blossom. She carried an ivory prayer book.

 The bridesmaids (Misses Nora Carrigg and Mary O'Neill) wore dainty frocks of pink organdie net over satin, made with tight-fitting bodices, short puffed sleeves, and very full skirts with taffeta trimmings. They both wore halo hats and shoes to match and carried posies of pink carnations.

 Messrs. Joe Horgan (brother of the bridegroom) was best man, and Frank Mclnerney (cousin of the bride groom) groomsman.

St. Mary's choir rendered St. Cecilia's Mass, accompanied by Mrs. J. Shanahan (violin). During the signing of the register Miss Laura Murphy sang "Ave Maria." Miss Mary Doyle presided at the organ.

The bride travelled in a navy costume worn with navy accessories.

Golden Wedding Celebration

Fifty years later in April 1987 Eddie and Hannah renewed their vows and celebrated with their seven children, their spouses and the 27 grandchildren.

Eddie and Hannah Horgan 

50 years later  - April 1987

Edward John Horgan 1908 - 1992 and Hannah Olive O'Dea 1912 -2013

Married: 6 April 1937

A significant date

My mother's birthday

Hannah O'Dea (est. mid 1930s)

On April 17th, 1912 my mother Hannah Olive O'Dea was born in Pinnaroo, South Australia to Patrick John O'Dea and Georgina Ellen O'Dea (born Bennett).

Today is the first anniversary of her birthday since her death at the age of 101 on June 27th, 2013. I am sure my six siblings, some of their children and maybe some of the cousins will be remembering her fondly today by whatever name they called her - Mum, Nana, Nana Hannah, Aunty Nan.

She married Edward John Horgan in 1937 and her focus in life was always her family and her faith. She left behind 7 children and their spouses, 27 grandchildren and 31 great grandchildren.

Birthdays were always an opportunity to gather all the family together, catch up on news and events in children's lives and of course celebrate with a cake big enough to share.
Mum was incredibly good at remembering all the birthdays and always made sure she had a suitable card to send. Many shopping expeditions included the purchase of birthday cards for others. From her box of cards she could retrieve an appropriate greeting for most people and most occasions and with her small birthday book always nearby, she recorded births as well as deaths.

She saved the cards received and over the years they kept many a child entertained as we cut and re-purposed them into tags, decorative boxes or simply used them to decorate pages of school or craft work. Discarded envelopes and the backs of cards were used for shopping lists with stamps being saved "for the Missions."

There will be no cards today, but we have many fond memories of birthdays past. Happy Birthday, Mum.

Cutting the cake at 70 in 1982

Cutting the cake at 80 in 1992

2004 with great grandson - 7th generation Horgan in South Australia

Hannah Horgan (seated)
2012 Celebrating 100 years with friends Marie N, Vera H, Avis P. and Carmel Mc.
Riverton Hospital, South Australia

My parents' wedding 1937

This beautiful photo was taken on my parents' wedding day, April 6th 1937. 

Edward John Horgan was 29 and Hannah Olive O'Dea almost 25. 

They were married in St Mary's Catholic Church, Hamley Bridge, South Australia.

.
The story relating to this day was retold to a granddaughter in 1992. So here are my mother's words:

I met Edward Horgan at a St. Patrick’s night ball and he asked Mum if he could take me home.  He kissed me goodnight at the gate and later told me that that was when he put his brand on me!

Growing up seemed like a long process, but suddenly I found myself in adulthood.  Teenage years had gone and that meant that I must accept responsibility for the rest of my life.  At this stage, my thoughts were with settling down.  I had met the man of my dreams and after a few years – on the 9th of July, 1935 – I became engaged to Eddie.  I set about planning my future with a farmer husband.

1935 'Family Notices.', Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), 11 July, p. 25,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92317823

To leave my home and friends in a country town and move to an isolated farm seemed a big step for me.  I pondered over it for almost two years before deciding upon a wedding date.  I had other things to think about, too.  As my future husband’s mother had died a few years prior to this time, he (Eddie), his father and his brother, Joe, had lived on the farm with a housekeeper to care for them.  How could I take the job of an experienced housekeeper?  I realised that I must take on her position, as Eddie managed the farm for his aged father.

We planned our wedding for the 6th of April, 1937, and the day arrived bright and sunny.  I had a busy morning dressing at our home with two of my great friends, Mary O’Neill and Norah Carrigg, who were my bridesmaids.  We set out for St. Mary’s Church, Hamley Bridge for the ten o’clock Nuptial Mass, where Father Farrelly, our local parish priest, was celebrant.  My eldest brother, Jack, walked me up the aisle and presented me to Eddie, who was assisted by his brother Joe and a cousin, Frank McInerney.

My dear mother must have been so tired out after all the preparation she did for us.  Our Aunts, Uncles, cousins and many friends celebrated with us after Mass at the Hamley Bridge Institute.  ‘Twas mid afternoon before we set out for Gawler with the wedding party to have photos taken by Marchants, the photographer. 

From Gawler, Eddie and I boarded a train to begin our honeymoon.  After arriving in Adelaide, we booked in at the Grosvenor Hotel, opposite the Adelaide Railway Station.  We had breakfast the next morning and then boarded a train again for Murray Bridge.  We spent a week at the Bridgeport Hotel, and then the following week at the Mt. Barker Hotel, where I celebrated my 25th birthday.
We arrived at the Alma farm about two weeks after our marriage to take up our new life.


After Mum died at age 101 in June 2013, we found among her effects a postcard of the Bridgeport Hotel. A memento of a very special time.