Wilson

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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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Family History – the story so far

Joseph Raynor:

Born:   2 November 1866 – Messina Sicily (no birth certificate to verify this)

Parents:  Joseph Raynor (Master Mariner), Rosa Cefaly  (no verification of parents names or Joseph’s name)

Arrived in Australia:  – circa 1897 (family oral history)

Naturalisation:  – 11 Jan 1899 – Supreme Court Townsville (register entry found only – no oath of allegiance – he would have signed –  exists)

Enrolled to vote:  24 Jan 1899 (not yet verified)

Insolvency:   17 June 1899

Married:  4 March 1905 – Mary Jane Smyth

Employment:   SS Bobby Towns (based in Townsville), Waterside Worker (member of Waterside Workers Federation)

Will written:   24 July 1923

Homes:  Initially lived on Palmer St South Townsville, prior to moving to McIlwraith St (1915-16) and later purchased a home 9 March 1927  (date listed in his Estate File held at Queensland Archives).  Possibly rented the same home he later purchased.

Age pension:  On the pension at the time of his death.

Died:   14 February 1937

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Mary Jane Raynor (nee Smyth)

Born:   10 April 1884, Knapp St, Townsville

Parents:  

John Smyth (born Edinburgh Scotland? circa 1846-47) died 14 December 1883

Isabella Smyth nee Shiels  born Strabane, Tyrone, Ireland circa 1847-50) died 12 April 1909

Family Tree:  Limited search conducted so far – no ancestors yet verified.

Arrived in Australia:  – Parents and older siblings arrived 1882 – SS Stirlingshire, disembarked at Townsville.

Married:  4 March 1905 – Joseph Raynor

Homes:     Appears to have grown up in Wills St, Townsville, prior to moving to South Townsville with Joseph

Died:   27 December 1956

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Abraham Wilson

Born:   27 June 1876, Portadown, Armagh, Ireland

Parents:  

Christopher Wilson:  Occupation Weaver, later Shipbuilder, born 1831, died circa late 1880s in Belfast in a Shipyard accident.

Catherine Wilson (nee McFall):  Born circa 1835, died 5 November 1922, at Dunwich Asylum in Queensland.

Family Tree search so far:

Most of Abraham siblings names are known, however there is one female unknown (deceased at the time of Catherine’s death) – the sibling was probably born before 1864, as this is the year Ireland Births commenced being registered (prior to this it is Parish Church records).  Parents of Christopher & Catherine not yet located, but surnames are known.

Christopher & Catherine married 14 March 1853 at Moyntaghs, Armagh Ireland.

Catherine’s father’s name was John McFall, and her mother (Mary Sturger) married a Thomas Bunting (after Catherine was born), and Catherine assumed the surname of Bunting.  Catherine had a half-sister, Ann Eliza, who also later married a Wilson – a Robert Wilson (not apparently related to Christopher Wilson)

Arrived in Australia:  – December 1891, SS Roma, disembarked Rockhampton.  Mother Catherine and Brother Robert also onboard.  Older brother  Thomas Andrew emigrated earlier, arriving Townsville on SS Dacca.

Married:  9 December 1908 – Emily Jane Coleman (Townsville)

Employment:   Painter, Signwriter – initially employed by a German resident in Rockhampton, then later the Ross River Meatworks. Other later employment in Townsville.

 

Homes:  Rockhampton, Oonoonaba (Fairfield), Ninth Avenue Railway Estate

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