William MUSSON boat photo on Belfast Styx river - Sepia Saturday

My photo for this week's Sepia Saturday theme is of my great-great-grandfather, William MUSSON (centre), taken at Belfast, on the Styx river which runs along the northern boundary of Christchurch, New Zealand.

Written on the back of the photo was "from right Lester Clarke, William Musson"

The photographer was F. W. Hulme, Avon photographer, 21 Byron St, Sydenham, Christchurch, New Zealand. 

William MUSSON migrated to New Zealand from Leicestershire, England in 1861.

On the 7th of November, 1865 at Rangiora Parish Church, William married Catherine MUNTON nee BIRD, the widow of his friend, Thomas MUNTON.

Catherine and William MUSSON are buried in the Belfast cemetery.
Catherine died age 76 in 1904. 

William in 1917 at the age of 85 years.

They were survived by two daughters and two sons. 

The youngest son, James Christopher MUSSON, was my great grandfather.

There are more very similar photos by F.W. Hulme at Canterbury photography blog

Read more No 341 Sepia Saturday posts HERE

St Roch's school hall Glen Iris - Trove Tuesday

Further to my post of July 20

 St. Roch's Glen Iris - Sepia Saturday 

is this Trove Tuesday post regarding the new school hall and Reverend Father Patrick Loughnan.

Dhurringile mansion - Sepia Saturday #340

This week's Sepia Saturday theme is picture postcards.

I have a picture postcard of the Dhurringile mansion from my grandmother's photo album.

My maternal grandparents Archie and Daisy FLEMING lived there for a couple of years. 

My grandfather was employed to teach the boys farming.

You can read more about the mansion HERE

 An excerpt:

"In 1947, Dhurringile was purchased by the Presbyterian Church for use as a home for immigrants boys from the United Kingdom whose fathers had died during the war. The intention was to train the boys in farming methods to prepare them for employment. By this time the homestead was in a deteriorating condition and substantial repairs and alterations were needed. The Dhurringile Rural Training Farm did not open until 13 June 1951. Life in the home was spartan, difficulties were encountered in recruiting boys from Scotland and the scheme had limited success. The Commonwealth Government continued to provide increasing financial support to the home in accordance with an immigration policy to promote British migration, but difficulties persisted and a decision was made in 1964 to close the Dhurringile Rural Training Farm."

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St. Roch's Glen Iris - Sepia Saturday

My large brick building for this Sepia Saturday post (On Wedndesday!) isn't a bingo hall or a picture palace but a school hall.

Letters, photos, and documents I received from a third cousin in New Zealand included this certificate acknowledging a donation of one pound for the purchase of bricks for the new St Roch's school hall at Glen Iris, a suburb of Melbourne.

The letters were to Mrs. Lavinia MORGAN wife of Alexander MORGAN, my great grand uncle, who died in 1929.  One of their daughters, Mary Agnes MORGAN (1898-1987) was a Catholic Nun who "made her profession" at Melbourne about 1928. 

Perhaps this donation was in his memory.

After reading through other letters to New Zealand from Nora and  May Ursula Tobin who were maternal aunts of the Parish Priest, Patrick LOUGHNAN it appears the family may have become friends through Mary Agnes MORGAN.

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Mary Agnes ADAMS - Trove Tuesday

My paternal great-grandmother Mary Agnes ADAMS nee MORGAN

was born on the 17th of October 1864 at Moonee Ponds, Victoria.

She was the third child and eldest daughter of John MORGAN and Alice nee KELLY who were owners/licensees of the original Cross Keys Hotel at Essendon.

Mary married John ADAMS on the 7th of November 1887 at Essendon but they later separated and had been through a rather acrimonious maintenance battle which I covered in another Trove Tuesday post in 2012.

I was very thankful when the Melbourne Age newspaper became available in Trove as that seems to be have been where my grandmother's family put their notices.

Mary Agnes ADAMS died on the 24th of August 1933 at her home at 10 Molesworth Street North Melbourne.

  

 

John TAYLOR and his wife Mary Ann nee TANNAHILL - Trove Tuesday

John and Mary Ann TAYLOR were my husband's paternal great-grandparents.

John was born in 1855 in Preston, Lancashire, England to parents Henry Elkanah TAYLOR and Mary Ann nee DURHAM

Mary Ann was born in 1859 at Creswick, Victoria to parents Andrew TANNAHILL and Elizabeth WATSON.

John and Mary Ann married at Creswick, Victoria on the 6th of September 1875.  They had eleven children, some died in infancy and some died before their parents.

Sadly, at the age of 71 years, Mary Ann suffered a nasty accident which caused her death.

John reached a grand age of 90 years and had been living with his son Jack.

Some years ago in an email, I received the wonderful digital photo below from another family researcher which was taken at John and Mary Ann's 50th wedding anniversary which would have been in 1925.  Unfortunately silly me did not label the photo in my computer file and have since changed computer and email program so I no longer have a record of who gave it to me.

I am hoping if I post the photo here that person may see it and contact me.

I am fairly sure my husband's grandparents, Henry Elkanah TAYLOR and Margaret nee DUNCAN,  are far left in the back row.

Henry Elkanah TAYLOR and his wife Mary Ann nee DURHAM - Trove Tuesday

My husband's great-great-grandparents came to Australia from Lancashire, England and settled at Ballarat, Victoria.

Henry Elkanah TAYLOR had married Mary Ann DURHAM in England on the 21st of June 1846.

They had six children.  So far I only have further details on two sons, my husband's great-grandfather, John and his brother William.

John and William both named sons Henry Elkanah TAYLOR.

Mary died at Clark's Hill, Victoria on the 4th of October 1903

Henry died on the 11th of April 1910 at Peel Street, Ballarat.