Amy Houston from Branches, Leaves & Pollen suggested the great idea of a Trove Tuesday theme.
Earlier this year I made a major, if rather confronting discovery in Trove.
We had always suspected that my great grandparents, Mary Agnes nee Morgan and John Adams were separated but it had never been spoken about.
Earlier research of the Victorian electoral rolls has shown they weren't living at the same residence for many years.
Mary and John were found to be living in the Essendon - Kensington area of Melbourne in the early years of their marriage but just a few years after the birth of their last child in 1906, John was no longer around. The last electoral roll I found them listed at the same residence was in 1909.
Then the Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918) became available in Trove. Wow, that set the ball rolling.
To date I have found 16 articles spanning the years 1913 to 1918.
My grandmother was their second last child, born in 1905. She and her younger brother were the children for whom their mother was seeking maintenance. It is any wonder my grandmother never spoke much about her parents:
Another Adelaide newspaper had much the same article but with slight differences.
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| "Arrears of Maintenance." The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918) 22 Nov 1917: 2 Edition: Morning. Web. 28 Aug 2012 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74604381>.
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| "FLEMINGTON POLICE COURT." The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918) 17 Jan 1918: 2 Edition: Morning. Web. 28 Aug 2012 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74604859>.
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| "Tuesday, March 26." The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918) 28 Mar 1918: 2 Edition: Morning. Web. 28 Aug 2012 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74605514>.
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| "Tuesday, April 23." The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918) 25 Apr 1918: 3 Edition: Morning. Web. 28 Aug 2012 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74605757>.
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| "Arrears of Maintenance." The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918) 23 May 1918: 6 Edition: Morning. Web. 28 Aug 2012 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74606022>.
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| "FLEMINGTON POLICE COURT." The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918) 11 Jul 1918: 2 Edition: Morning. Web. 28 Aug 2012 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74606540>.
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| "Tuesday, September 10." The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918) 12 Sep 1918: 3 Edition: Morning. Web. 28 Aug 2012 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74607127>.
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I haven't yet found if my great grandfather ever served any jail time or if there was further news coverage at later dates.
Thank you Trove for such a wonderful resource.
Wow indeed! That sounds like it was a very confronting find. We also have a wife deserter, but after reading her exploits in Trove, I believe it may have been in self-defence.
ReplyDeleteYes there are 2 sides to every story Fi.
DeleteA wonderful wealth of information and no wonder the children's childhood was never discussed. Sad.
ReplyDeleteMy father is a child of Marys or john but out of wedlock.. I know nothing that's been true,until now. I look exactly like Kathleen when she was younger and Jane Donnelly aka Mary alot.. I mean can anyone chat that knows Popeye aka Frank aka Edward Frances Donnelly aka Morgan and Adams alias.. my sister was named Patricia my name is Kim Craig baby Donnelly on my birth certificate
ReplyDeleteHi Kim, thanks for commenting.
DeleteI'm a little confused by who you mean in your message.
Please feel free to email me at geekaytay@gmail.com
Kim you should do an Ancestry.com.au DNA test, that will help us to determine our link
DeleteMy father or grandfather was Frank Adams sorry for confusion he's Nick named Popeye he served jail in ballarat. Edward frances donely he was known by my mum. A lady and my mum had words about my dad being her son's father at a pub called guiding star in Altona Melbourne Victoria, in front of me. Can someone fill in pieces
DeleteI think you are talking about a different person
Delete