Month: March 2013

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George Coleman – 14 Feb 1855 – 4 Sep 1943

George Coleman was the father of Emily Wilson.

George & Jane Coleman(?)

Note:  I have not confirmed the identify of the above, but I believe it is a photo of George and Jane Coleman on their wedding day.

George was born at Wilty and Birks, Shalbourne, England.  His parents were Thomas and Ann Coleman.

George married Jane Wiltshire 12 May 1880 in her home town of Vernham Dean.  They emigrated to Australia soon after, arriving by the time of their first child’s birth (Emily) on 8 May 1881.

George’s occupation was listed as labourer throughout his life.  However, on moving to Australia, 1880-1881, he was a drover at Wyandotte Station, near Cardwell Queensland, where he lived with Jane and his children.  By 1908, George, Jane and children had moved to South Townsville, living at 10 Fifth Avenue.

George outlived Jane by 21 years, eventually passing away 5 September 1943, in Townsville.

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Emily Jane Wilson (nee Coleman) 8 May 1881 – 7 Nov 1969

Emily was born at Wyandotte Station, near Cardwell in Queensland, in 1881.  She was the eldest child of George and Jane Coleman (nee Wiltshire).  There were ten children in total though the second eldest, Elizabeth, died in infancy (3 months old), and another daughter died at 4 years of age.

On living at Wyandotte Station, Emily later recalled that when her father was away droving, her mother would keep a rifle handy in case of trouble with the local aboriginals.  The aboriginals were known to throw spears at white settlers in the area, and Emily’s mother  would fire a shot or two to scare the aboriginals if they approached the house.

Emily was engaged to a man with the occupation of ‘ringer’, but he died before the wedding.  She later married Abraham Wilson at the Stoke St Church (Methodist) in Townsville, on 9 December 1908. One of Emily’s younger brothers, Fred, was one of the witnesses to sign the marriage certificate.

At the time, Emily was living in Fifth Avenue, South Townsville, with her parents.   After marriage, she moved, with Abraham to Railway Estate.

Emily and Abraham had five children.  Emily was known to be overly protective of her eldest son, according to her daughter-in-law.  When her son got married, Emily worried her daughter-in-law would not be able to look after him properly.

in later years Emily possibly suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, though it was not diagnosed, probably because Alzheimers was still relatively unknown.

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Abraham Wilson (Obituary) – Townsville Daily Bulletin – 1969 (date u/k)

Abraham Wilson’s obituary appeared in the Townsville (Bulletin?) on (date?)

It read:

Abraham Wilson died in Townsville on May 27 at the age of 92.  He was born in Northern Ireland in 1876 and arrived in Australia at Rockhampton in 1892, on the ship S.S. Roma.  He came to Townsville in 1901.  He lived at Oonoonba during cyclone Leonta, working in the tin shop at Ross River Meatworks.

He married Emily Jane Coleman of South Townsville, in 1908, taking up residence at Railway Estate, living there until his retirement to Pallarenda, Townsville in 1965.

Having been taught painting trade, while in Rockhampton, by a German resident there, worked as such in and around Townsville for approximately 40 years.  He was noted for his ability in paint colour mixing, signwriting, house painting, coach painting and lining of same, graining of altars in churches, gold leaf lettering and landscape paintings in oil.  Oldtimers alive to-day who knew him refer to him as one of the best in his day in his profession.

He was respected by all who knew him.  He loved band music, playing in the Wesleyan Band in Townsville, and with a circus band in Rockhampton as a side drummer.  He also played clarinet and accordion.  He was a keen fisherman for many years on and around Townsville’s Harbour breakwaters and enjoyed talking of his experiences as such.  His means of transport to and from wherever he wished to go, be it work or fishing, throughout his life in Townsville, were his legs only.  He was a non-drinker and non-smoker.

He is survived by his wife and sons Henry, Edward, William, Gordon and daughter Lillian (Mrs J. Hatton), all of Townsville.

 

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Flood was nothing like the old days……

Newspaper article – Townsville Bulletin (date 1990?)

Flood waters - nothing like the old days

(Note – this is not a good scan of the newspaper article – anyone having the original – could you please scan a very high resolution version and email to me so I can update this – thx).  Also – the details of the Townsville Daily Bulletin article (date, page), so that I can reference this.

The article stated:

Ed recalls 2m of raging water

Saturday’s flooding reminded Railway Estate pensioner Mr Ed Wilson of the 1946 flood when he had to swim up Doorey St against a strong current.

Mr Wilson, 78, said last weekend’s flood was minor compared to the 1946 downpour, when he braved 2m of raging water.

“I lived where the Stephensen family’s house is across the road now and had to swim to my parents’ property on the corner of Doorey St and Ninth Ave to get a primus stove,” Mr Wilson said.

“I got the primus all right but the kerosene fuel container floated away.

“On Saturday there was a lot of stormwater but in 1946 the river broke its banks.”

In 1917 Mr Wilson helped his father Abraham build a humpy on the site of his present home.

Old-timers from Railway Estate still remember the humpy, and Mr Wilson has  a painting of it.

“The painting was done by the late Mr Jack O’Brien who wrote a history of it on the back, he said.

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March 1946 – Townsville Floods

At the time of the 1946 floods in Townsville, Mary Jane Raynor and some of her children, were living in McIlwraith St (which was flooded).  Abraham and Emily were living in their home on the corner of Ninth Ave and Doorey St, Railway Estate.  Their children were grown up and all had left home (except perhaps their daughter?), all children were living nearby in either Railway Estate or South Townsville.

Abraham and Emily’s home was flooded.  Lillian (daughter) described what happened:

“In 1946, flood waters flowed through the windows, over her mother’s sewing machine and the stove.  Cracks between the sheets of tin were filled with silt.  They had stretcher beds, mattresses, dining table, and chairs stacked high.  Her father had put his painter’s planks underneath the roof where there was no ceiling and piled things on top.

Lillian worked long hours removing crockery from the mud. “Lots of it was broken,” she remembered.”

 

 

 

 

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1900s post directories and electoral rolls

I discovered that the City and State Libraries hold various subscriptions to family research sites and hold many CD-ROMs on various areas of family historry/geneology.  As a library member I booked myself into the NT Library to use one of the research computers there.

I  thought I would check out the electoral rolls and post directories to see where everyone (ancestors) were living in early 1900s.  I am curious about a couple of moves:  When George Coleman and family moved from Wyandotte Station to South Townsville, and when/why Abraham Wilson moved from Rockhampton to Townsville in 1901.

1900 was pre-federation, and perhaps only land owners were allowed to vote (as I believe was the case).

Electoral Roll (1900):

Coleman, George:  Freehold Fifth Avenue South Townsville

Parker J. r.o:  Wyandotte Station  (not a relative, just curious who was living there after the Colemans moved from Wyandotte Station  to Townsville)

No Wilson family members listed anywhere in Queensland.

‘Post directory’ 1903: 

– George Coleman  – 5th Avenue South Townsville

– Abraham Wilson – Fairfield Townsville.

Electoral Roll 1903:

Coleman, George – Fifth Avenue Townsville

Coleman, Jane – Fifth Avenue Townsville

Coleman, Emily Jane – Fifth Avenue Townsville

Wilson, Abraham, Fairfield, Stewart Creek

Wilson, Catherine, Fairfield, Stewart Creek.

Possible relative:  Wilson, Roberts, Stewart’s Creek Penal Establishment.

Wilson, Thomas Andrew, ‘Pleystowe’ Walkerston (Herbert division)

Wilson, Fredericka, ‘Pleystowe’ Walkerston (Herbert divison)

Wilson, Ann Eliza (half-sister Catherine):   74 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley QLD (possible mis-numbering, should have been 714 Brunswick St)

Wilson, Eliza – 716 Brunswick St

Wilson Robert – 714 Brunswick St

Wilson, Walter – 716 Brunswick St.

Note Ann Eliza was not married to Abraham’s brother Robert, but a different Robert who appears coincidentally to have had the same surname (Wilson).   . Ann and Robert possibly had son Walter, who married Eliza.  Or, Ann & Robert had two children Eliza and Walter, who lived next to them in Brunswick St Fortitude Valley.

 

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Robert Wilson (6 June 1866 – 5 November 1915)

Robert Wilson was the brother of Abraham Wilson.

He was an unknown in the family tree till a few weeks ago.  There is a family photo which has on the back ‘Thomas or Bob’ Wilson.  Dad mentioned he thought there was a Robert Wilson in the family somewhere as his brother (my Uncle) was named after him.  Dad also thought he might have come to Australia with the ‘rest of the family’ (no one has confirmed who all the family members were who emigrated here).  I figured if he came to Australia, he came to Queensland, and probably settled and died here.  However,  I would not have identified him in the Queensland BDM records if it had not had been for the discovery of Ann Eliza Wilson’s relationship to Catherine, via the death certificate, and later finding the name of Ann Eliza’s father – a Thomas Bunting.    Robert’s death certificate had listed his mother’s maiden name as Bunton, so it would have been impossible to link his relationship to Abraham without knowing about Ann Eliza.

Robert lived in Armagh Ireland, before emigrating to Australia, in Dec 1891, on SS Roma.  He had free passage, listed as age 20 years and his place of origin was listed as Armagh.  He travelled with his mother, Catherine, and younger brother Abraham.

He died in Mackay, Queensland on 5 November 1915.  He was not married, nor had any children.

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Catherine Wilson – McFall, Bunting, Bunten or Bunton?

Catherine Wilson was married to Christopher Wilson and they were the parents of Abraham Wilson.

When I first viewed Catherine Wilson’s death certificate, I saw that the informant was a Ann Eliza Wilson (Half-sister).  Was this a mistake?  Surely this was a daughter-in-law or sister-in-law – how could Catherine’s sister also be a Wilson?

So after some digging I found the answer.

After checking on the QLD Births, Deaths, Marriages website, in the historical section, I found Ann’s death listed in 1940.  Her father was listed as ‘Bunting’.

I had also looked up the death certificates for Abraham’s two brothers – Thomas and Robert.  Both listed Catherine’s maiden name is listed as ‘Bunten’ or ‘Bunton’.  However, Abraham Wilson’s birth certificate clearly lists Catherine’s maiden name as McFall.  So how did the mix up in names come about?

Piecing the jigsaw pieces together, I released relationships are:

John McFall and Mary Sturger were the parents of Catherine Wilson

John McFall died, and Mary Sturger married a Thomas Bunting.  Bunting and Mary were the parents of Ann Eliza.

Catherine must have adopted the surname of Thomas Bunting in earlier life (possibly to cover not being seen as illegitimate?)

This would explain Thomas and Robert thinking their Mother’s maiden name was Bunten – they may not have been aware of the re-marriage.

 

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Smyth Family – Emigration to Australia

John and Isabella Smyth (or Smith), and family, arrived in Townsville 7 November 1882, via an assisted passenger immigration program. The Vessel was Stirlingshire, and it departed Glasgow, Scotland 10 August 1882.

The Smith (or Smyth) family listing in the Passenger list was:

Smith, John – 33 years
Smith, Isabella – 33 years
Smith, Martha – 6 years
Smith Margt (short for Margaret) – 3 years

Smith Annabella – 1 year
Smith, Eliza, Inf.

Mary Jane Smith, future wife of Joseph Raynor, was not yet born.

Review of the passenger list extract states:   ‘Mr Robinson, Townsville, milkman’ – possibly he sponsored the emigration?

Another issue I just noticed – I’ve been wondering how Isabella fared when John died just over a year after arrival in Townsville.  On the passenger list is a family of Simpsons – might be a coincidence – but could the family be related ie. the father (who is listed age 29) -is possibly the brother of Isabella.  I will check this out as a possibility.

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John & Isabella Smyth (nee Shields) – Children

 

 Martha Graham Smith

b.   5 Aug 1875, in Strabane, Tyrone, Ireland

m.  10 Apr 1895, Hugh Alexander (Hughie Shanks)  (QLD Archives B95/001992)

d.   12 Jan 1949   (QLD Archives 1949/000931)

Margaret Smith

b.   11 June 1878, in Knockmoyle, Tyrone, Ireland

m.  30 Oct 1901, John (Jack) Story (QLD Archives 01/002379)

d.  8 Aug 1956 (QLD Archives 1956/B015092)

Isabella Smith (known as Annabella  or Annie) 

b.  1881  (birth place unknown)

m.  5 Jun 1912, Thomas Erskine  (QLD Archives 12/003660)

d.   23 Dec 1937

Eliza Smith

b.  1882  (birth place unknown)

m.  never married

d.   12 Apr 1922

Mary Jane Smith

b.  10 April 1884 (Knapp St, Townsville)

m.  4 Mar 05  Joseph Raynor (St James Cathedral Townsville)

d.   27 Dec 1956 (Townsville)

There were also 2 deceased children – 1 Male, 1 Female