Alice Morgan's Sunday trading prosecution

 

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article269386670

Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds,Vic. 1888-1900), Thursday 22 February 1900, page 3

Essendon Police Court.

MONDAY, 19IH FEBRUARY. Before Messrs. Davies, Hollick and Wilson, J's.P. LICENSING PROSECUTION

Sub-inspector Irvine charged Alice Mogan, of the Cross Keys Hotel, North Essendon, with having the bar door open on Sunday. 

Mr McFarlane appeared for defendant, who he said was too unwell to attend. He produced a doctor's certificate and pleaded not guilty. 

Sub-inspector Irvine, who prosecuted, said he would like an adjournment unless Mr McFarlane would plead guilt as he did not like ex parte cases. 

The bench decided to go on. 

Senior-constable Hickey of Collingwood,-gave evidence, on Sunday, 4th inst. he visited defendant's hotel, at North Essendon, at 10 30 a.m., and saw the bar door open and five glasses on the counter. Subsequently at 12.30 he called again, and found the same door open and two extra glasses and a syphon on the counter. The licensee's: daughter was in the parlour with a man from Essendon. 

To Mr. McFarlane: On his first visit he went all round the rooms. Went to the north end of the house to a bedroom behind the bar, and found Mrs. Morgan with her daughter. Went through the bedroom to a door leading to the bar, which was open. It was secured by a small bolt. He could not say Sunday trading was carried on through Mrs. Morgan's bedroom, but it might have been through another door. 

To Sub-inspector Irviue: The licensee's daughter could have carried drinks through Mrs. Morgan's bedroom to another room. 

Re-examined by Mr. McFarlane: There were no signs of Sunday tradings in the parlours. Constable Roxby, who was with Sergeant Hickey on the date named, corroborated. 

To Mr. McFarlane: Last witness did not insist upon going through the bedroom. The senior-constable remarked he was being delayed. 

To Sub Inspector Irvine: They did not know there was a sick lady in the bedroom in question, which had been a bar parlour. 

For the defence Mr. McFarlane said he would prove the room had been used as a bedroom for the past two years. The offence was only a technical one, as the bar door, which was not used as such was only secured with a bolt instead of a lock, as provided by the Act. 

Agnes Morgan gave evidence she was daughter of defendant. On Sunday, 4th, the two constables came at 10.30 by the front door, where a girl admitted them and they knocked at her mother's door, who was dressing at the time. They camc in and went to the bar door leading from the bedroom, which had a button on it, and opened the door going into the bar. There were some glasses on the counter but they had been used the previous night. There had been no Sunday trading that day. 

To Sub-inspector Irvine: The beer glasses were there from Saturday night. The bottle of gin, which was not there on the first occasion, and the two empty glasses and syphon on she could not say for what time they were there. 

Mary Daly, an emloyé of the defendant, admitted the constables and told them the licensee was ill in bed. The had previously tried the bar door, which was locked. They then went to Mrs. Morgan's bedroom and opened the door going through. When they came the second time the bar door was fastened with a lock. The door had fallen, therefore from the outside it appeared to be open. 

To Sub-Inspector Irvine: The door was locked on the second occation the police came. She locked it herself, and had the key in her pocket. Mr McFarlane said the offence was merely a technical one, and after hearing the evidence he hoped the bench, if they did fine, would recommend a remission of the penalty. 

A fine of £5 was imposed, with 7s. 10d. costs.

**************

Two months  later on 30th of April 1900, Agnes Morgan, youngest daughter of Alice Morgan, the Licensee, died at the Hotel.  According to the death certificate signed by Dr. Sutherland cause of death was Multiple Neuritis for 10 weeks and Cardiac Syncope.

Another two months later on the 11th of June Alice Morgan lost her eldest son, Francis Edward Morgan to Phthisis Pulmonalis, later more commonly known as Tuberculosis, and exhaustion with duration of one year and signed by Dr Dickinson.

Alice Morgan 1900 License prosecution or persecution?

In a re-visit to our wonderful resource Trove  this morning, I found yet another Licensing Prosecution for my 3rd great-grandmother, Alice Morgan at the Cross Keys Hotel.

Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Tuesday 20 February 1900, page 7

---

LICENSING PROSECUTIONS.

At the Footscray Police Court yesterday, before Mr. Keogh, P.M., Messrs. D. Mitchell, J. Cuming, and J. M'Phee, J.P.'s, Florence Horan, licensee of the Junction Hotel, at the intersection of Bunbury and Whitehall streets, was proceeded against by Inspector M'Gann with a dual breach of Section 129 of the Licensing Act, which forbids the acceptance for spirituous liquors of any pay-ment except money. Mr. Field Barrett appeared for the defence. On January 22 and February 9, a girl, aged nine, member of a family resi-dent in Bunbury-street, took to defendant's hotel each time a glass dish, which she gave to the licensee, who on the first occasion supplied the
girl with beer, on the second occasion with rum. The defence was that the articles were purchased by the defendant. Mr. Keogh, P.M., in an-nouncing his decision, said that in the opinion of the Bench the case had been fully proven, and the defendant would be fined £2, with 10/ costs, in the first instance. In the second case, in which practically the facts were the same, Mr. Keogh offered the opinion that the case was very gross, and inflicted the maximum of £10. Application was made for time to pay, which was acceded to. In the first instance a week was allowed, and in the second six weeks.
At the Essendon Police Court yesterday, before Messrs. Davies, Hollick, and Wilson, J.P.'s, Alice Morgan, of the Cross Keys Hotel, North Essen-don, was charged with having her bar door open
on Sunday, 4th inst. Sub-inspector Irvine prose-cuted, and Mr. C. J. M'Farlane appeared for the defence. On the date named the police on Sun-day duty visited the hotel. They gained admit-tance to the bar door in question through the licensee's bedroom, and found it only secured by a button, another door leading to the bar, which was the only one used for that purpose, being se-curely locked. The defence was that the offence was only a technical one, and since a proper lock, as provided by the act, had been placed in the
door. A fine of £5, with 7/10 costs, was im-posed.

LICENSING PROSECUTIONS. (1900, February 20). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 7. Retrieved May 11, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9049652

My Irish Catholic Family

My paternal great-great-grandfather, JOHN MORGAN was born in 1829 at Derrynoose, Armagh, Ireland

His parents were Alexander MORGAN and Ann LENNON.

John was baptised on the 30 June 1829 at Derrynoose.

Sponsors were James LENNON and Mary MORGAN.

John died on the 24 Feb 1880 at the Cross Keys Hotel, Essendon, Victoria, Australia

Cause of death - Chronic alcoholism

Buried Melbourne General Cemetery

Denomination - Roman Catholic
There was a Cross Keys road not far from John's home town of Derrynoose in Armagh.


Cross Keys:  A common sign in Christian heraldry, referring to St. Peter, to whom Jesus said: "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven".  The papal arms show crossed keys.
Click here for more information on Cross Keys coat of arms of the Holy See.

John married Margaret Alice Kelly on the 30th of June 1858 at St. Francis Church, Melbourne, Victoria.

St, Francis Church, Melbourne [picture] / printed from stone by Thos Ham.

Thomas Ham 1821-1870, lithographer.

http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/108235

MARGARET "ALICE" KELLY was born in 1834 Tipperary, Ireland

Parents - Cornelius KELLY and Mary MULLOUGHNEY/MOLOUGHNEY
Cornelius KELLY was a farmer who leased house, land, and office from Matthew Penefather at Fussough, Tipperary until about 1851.

Mary KELLY nee MOLOUGHNEY mother of Margaret "Alice" KELLY

Alice died on the 30 Sept 1904 at the 

Cross Keys Hotel, Essendon, Victoria, Australia

Photo courtesy of Coburg Historical Society.

Margaret "Alice" MORGAN nee KELLY
Photo courtesy of her 3rd great-granddaughter,
the late Brigid SIMPSON, nee LAVIN, of New Zealand

Margaret "Alice" Kelly
Baptised 10 Dec 1834, Dualla, Sponsors were Laurence Mockler and Judith Dwyer (vicc Judith Mulloughney) which I am told means "standing in for"   So it seems that Judith Dwyer was standing in for Judith Mulloughney.

Alice's father's death may have been the reason for her migrating to Australia some time in the early 1850s.  I have not yet found any information on her mother, Mary nee Moloughney, so I don't know where the younger boys lived between their father's death and their migration to Australia in 1858.

Michael Kelly
Baptised 18 Sep 1836, Dualla, Sponsors were Patrick Molloughney, Mary Mahony
He arrived in Australia in about 1897 only six months before his death of TB.
Did he go to South Africa directly from Ireland or, like his brothers, did he come to Australia first and then head to South Africa?

Edmond Kelly
Baptised 16 Sep 1838, Dualla, Sponsors were Thomas Ryan, Julia Kelly.
No further information found as yet on Edmond Kelly.

John Kelly 
Baptised 20 Jun 1840, Newpark, Sponsors were William Mahony, Mary Ryan.   He married Mary ANN FRANCIS.  John died in 1905 at Yackandandah, Victoria

Thomas Kelly
Baptised 1 Jan 1843, Dualla, Sponsors were Thomas Quinlan, Catherine Mulloughny. Thomas emigrated to New Zealand in 1861. He married Juliana BASSETT. Thomas's New Zealand death certificate was the only way I found out the name of the townland in Tipperary that the KELLY'S came from.

William Kelly
6 Jan 1846, Dualla, Sponsors were Michael Kelly, Mary Ryan.  William died at Longreach, Queensland in 1899, a miner and a bachelor.

The three younger brothers arrived in Australia on the 15th June 1858 on board the ship Rising Sun.
They had arrived just in time for their older sister's wedding on the 30th of June that same year.

John's age was given as 15 or 16
Thomas was age 13
William age 12

Alice and some of her other family members are buried Melbourne General Cemetery

Photo courtesy of Chel Indikt (member of a Facebook genealogy group)

The Morgan family grave is at the Melbourne General Cemetery.

Roman Catholic, Section F, Grave C53 C54

MORGAN

Erected by

Alice

in memory of her beloved husband

John MORGAN

died at Essendon

24 Feb 1880

age 48 yrs

also their second daughter

Alice

died 5 Nov 1872

age 6 yrs

also

Michael KELLY

died at Essendon

19 Apr 1898

age 59 yrs

also their dearly beloved youngest daughter

Agnes Mary Magdelen MORGAN

died at Essendon

30 Apr 1900

age 24 yrs

also their son

Francis

died at Essendon

11 Jun 1900 age 40 yrs

also the beloved mother of above

Alice MORGAN

died at Essendon

30 Sep 1904

age 69 yrs. 

J Hanson (stonemason)

John and Alice's 2nd son, Alexander MORGAN, was found to be in New Zealand along with Thomas KELLY, another of Alice's brothers.

Alice's brother, John KELLY, was found to be in Gippsland at around the time of John Morgan's death in 1880.

John Morgan had arrived in Australia on the ship Calliance on the 31st of December 1855 along with his 2 sisters, Margaret and Bridget.

John's occupation was listed as Agricultural Labourer and he was sponsored by a Mr. Dodd of Campbellfield.

Bridget (21 yrs) and Margaret  (19 yrs) both Farm Servants were sponsored by a Mrs. Morgan of Flinders Lane who was named as their sister in law.   This sister in law may well have been Mary Ellen Morgan, nee Hayes, who was married to a Felix Morgan.

The name Felix was used as a middle name for John Morgan's youngest son so it most likely was a family name along with Francis.
According to another family researcher, Phil Morgan, Felix may have been known as Patrick as this nicknaming went on in future generations.  We can find no baptism record for Felix but there is one for a Patrick in 1827 which, within reason, fits with Felix documented age in Australia and his immigration record.

Felix (25 yrs) Agricultural Labourer,  and Mary (24 yrs) possibly arrived on the ship Truro in January 1854 - they were sponsored by a Mrs. Vivian of Hawthorn. Felix and Patrick may have been either the same person or if brothers, Patrick may have remained in Ireland.

******  

Bridget Morgan was baptised at Derrynoose, Armagh on the 1st of February 1833.
Sponsors were Bernard and Ann  BARKA (sic) - (Church baptism record)
Bridget married a Bernard Clark in Victoria in 1859.
They had 2 children at Inglewood, Victoria.
Margaret born 1861
Peter born 1863.
Bridget died in 1863, perhaps from complications of childbirth.

******

Margaret Morgan married a Thomas Gaffney at Inglewood on the 24th of September 1863.
They had 7 children, of which the last 3 were known to be born at Euroa in Victoria.  Margaret died on the 31st of March 1912 at Collingwood in Victoria.
The Gaffneys are also buried at Melbourne General Cemetery.
I found no baptism record for Margaret.
Hopefully one day more information or a DNA match will come to light.

******

In both John and Margaret's Victorian certificates Alexander Morgan's occupation is Farmer.

There is also a baptism record for Patrick Morgan at Derrynoose on the 1st of February 1827.  Parents Alexander Morgan and Nancy Lennon.
Sponsors were Bernard Morgan and Rose McGeough.  I haven't found further information on Patrick unless of course, he is actually Felix.
(The joys of genealogy)

On the 8th of December 1846 an Ann Morgan was baptised, daughter of Alick Morgan and Nancy Lennon. Sponsors were Ann and Francis Morgan.

Imagine my excitement after doing an autosomal DNA test with FamilyTreeDNA and finding Dad and I matched at the right amount of shared centimorgans to be 3rd cousins and 3rd cousins once removed with Kathleen and her cousin Marcella who were descendants of Ann Morgan from Armagh.  Ann emigrated to the United States of America in 1865.
We all also share a DNA match with Shirley and her daughter Shaun who are descendants of a Margaret Morgan also of Keady Parish, Armagh. Margaret may well be a first cousin of John Morgan.  Unless of course, I am totally wrong about the Margaret who came to Australia being John's sister.

Photo of Ann is courtesy of her 3xgreat grandson, David Kurtz.

On the 27th of September 1869 Ann married John Courtney in Pennsylvania.  They went on to have six children and lived their lives at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Death notice from the Mellon family history collection.

John and Alice's children Francis Edward Morgan and Agnes Margaret Morgan who both died in 1900. Photos from LAVIN family collection.

John and Alice's eldest son Francis was born 1860 at Hawstead.
He had two daughters with the char-woman of the Cross Keys Hotel in 1879 and 1881.
He married Emily BENNETTO in 1886 and they had a son and a daughter.
DNA matches with descendants of Francis Edward Morgan confirm our relationships and paper trail.

Alexander Morgan, second eldest son of John and Alice.
Photo from LAVIN family collection.

Alexander was born in 1862 at Moonee Ponds.  He joined his maternal Uncle, Thomas KELLY in New Zealand where he married Lavinia STUART.
He worked for many years as accountant for the New Zealand Treasury Department.

Alexander's daughter, Mary Agnes MORGAN became a very much loved sister with the Roman Catholic Order of the Society of the Sacred Heart.

This photo was amongst Alexander Morgan's collection.  It shows a group of men at an unknown location.  The closest man in the photo is the Archbishop of Victoria, Daniel Mannix

Family friend of the Morgan's was Father Patrick Loughnan of St. Roch's

My great grandmother,  Mary Agnes Adams nee Morgan,
eldest daughter of John and Alice Morgan.
Photo from LAVIN family collection.

John Felix Morgan, youngest son of John and Alice.
Photo from LAVIN family collection. John tragically drowned in the Cross Keys Hotel water tank in 1907.  His widow, Margaret nee O'MEARA carried on as the final licensee of the original Cross Keys Hotel.  They had no children.

I found one Alexander Morgan at Rowan, Derrynoose in the Griffiths Valuation for Ireland and a death record for 1870 in the Parish of Keady.

Derrynoose RC church is included in Parish of Keady.

Also in that Parish was the death of an Agness Morgan in 1869.

© Copyright Dean Molyneaux and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Derrynoose Roman Catholic Church, Armagh, Ireland

I cannot confirm if this Alexander and Agness Morgan are my ancestors though. 

This post is my contribution to Alexandra Daw's 

#NFHM Blogging Challenge Week 1 - Poor Man's Orange

Suburban publican fined

Margaret Morgan, nee O'Meara, licensee of the Cross Keys Hotel, North Essendon was found guilty.

Margaret O’Meara MORGAN

Margaret O’MEARA was the daughter of Patrick  O’MEARA and Jane (nee ROWAN). 

She was born at Sandridge, (now known as Port Melbourne), Victoria in 1870 and married my great grand uncle, John Felix MORGAN in 1898.

John’s parents, John MORGAN senior and Alice nee KELLY, had been owners/licensees of the Hotel since 1871 and as both his parents were deceased John was the licensee. 

They had no children and John tragically drowned in the water tank at the Cross Keys Hotel, Essendon North, in 1907. The Hotel license then reverted to his widow Margaret.

After her husband’s death, Margaret and her friend Mary Ellen (Molly) DALY together ran the hotel for a further 20 years. 

Once retired they lived together at 27 Bulla Road.

Margaret died at the age of 68 years on the 25th of January 1938.

I had found her death and funeral notices in Trove  along with the advertisement for the sale of her estate.

Advertising (1938, February 26). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 3. 

from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206742563

According to her Will from the Public Records Office of Victoria,

VPRS 28/P3, unit 3047;
VPRS 7591/P2, unit 1031

Margaret named her property “Margsdale” and it was valued at 700 pounds.

Executors were her brother Michael James O’MEARA, her cousin Gerald Fitzgerald and her brother in law Thomas Stephen Burke. Thomas was the husband of Margaret’s sister Grace but he had predeceased her so was no longer an executor.

Beneficiaries were her niece, Mary Burke 100 pounds and a friend Thomas David KELLY of Duffy Street North Essendon received 50 pounds.

After the remainder of her estate was sold the proceeds were to go in 6 equal shares to her brothers Michael James O’MEARA and Christopher O’MEARA and her sisters Mary Josephine TIGHE and Grace BURKE.

The division of the remaining 2 shares was a bit confusing but essentially they were bequeathed to her cousin Gerald Fitzgerald “to use at such time as he may see fit for maintenance or otherwise for the benefit or advantage of my brother James O’MEARA and my friend Mary Helen DALY”

Her Trustees were directed to “employ the firm of Fitzgerald and Fitzgerald of Market St, Melbourne as Solicitors to the estate”

My favourite place to research is now known as Moonee Valley - 52 Ancestors - Week 38

The theme for week 38 is a favourite place to research. 

My favourite place to research would have to be what is now known as Moonee Valley which comprises the North-Western suburbs of Melbourne listed below.
Thanks to assistance from my dad's cousin and his wife Ray and Margaret GOODWIN, Lenore FROST and the Essendon Historical Society I have had many fruitful hours of research.
My paternal ancestors lived for many years in the suburbs highlighted. 
Some of the other suburbs did not exist back then.

• Aberfeldie
• Airport West
• Ascot Vale  my great grandmother Mary ADAMS nee MORGAN lived here during WW1
• Avondale Heights
• Essendon
• Essendon North
• Essendon West
• Flemington  my great-great-grandfather George ADAMS lived here ca 1903 to 1921
• Kensington  my grandmother, Brenda ADAMS  born here 1905
• Keilor East
• Moonee Ponds my great grandmother, Mary ADAMS nee MORGAN born here 1864.
• Niddrie
• Strathmore (originally North Essendon) my 3xgreat grandparents John MORGAN and Alice nee KELLY owned the original Cross Keys Hotel here from 1871 until Alice's death in 1904 when the hotel passed to her son John Felix MORGAN.
• Strathmore Heights
• Travancore

52 Ancestors Challenge 
  by Amy Johnson Crow at "No Story Too Small"

52 Ancestors Week 25 - The Old Homestead

There isn't any "Old Homestead" in my family that I know of. 

The closest place I could think of was the Hotel owned by my paternal Irish great-great grandparents, John MORGAN and Alice nee KELLY.

Old Photo of the Cross Keys Hotel, Firebrace Street (now Pascoe Vale Road)
North Essendon.
This photo is in the Coburg Historical Society Collection

North Essendon was formerly known as Hawstead and was in the Parish of Doutta Galla, County of Bourke.
The details of original ownership are a bit confusing, but basically it seems that John Morgan purchased the block of land from Crown Grantee, William Jones, on the 10th of October 1859 for ₤81.
Then John Morgan apparently sold the land to a John Calvert on May 29th 1860 and it was later conveyed to William Bergin in 1862.  John Morgan was first recorded as licensee in 1871 so I'm not sure what, if any, buildings were on the land before that.  Perhaps a house? Nor have I found out when the Morgan family bought back the land.
Finding Folio and volume numbers for the original land titles is proving elusive.  None are listed on the Wills of the Morgan family even though the Hotel was left to surviving family members.  Still searching.

A descendant of William Bergin has told me that the Bergins lived next door to the Cross Keys Hotel for 40 years and her great grandmother, Catherine Bergin married a James Power and they lived in a house on the corner, where the car park is today, until around 1907.
The surnames Bergin and Power crop up in the families history with a Nicholas Bergin (son of William) witnessing Michael Kelly's Will in 1898 and a Fred Power witnessed John Morgan's Will which was written in 1879. 
On a visit to the existing Cross Keys Hotel in Essendon in about 2005, I was told by the then owner that they thought the old Hotel actually stood on the opposite corner where the Strathmore railway station is now.
I didn't think this was the case though because when I checked the old map on the website of the State Library Victoria it shows the name Jones on the same section of land as the Hotel currently stands.

I have since been told it was not the Cross Keys Hotel on the opposite corner but another hotel.

"The owner of the Cross Keys was right about an old hotel being across Pascoe Vale Road from the Cross Keys but wrong about assuming that it was the original Cross Keys. It was on the site of Melfort Avenue,the block at Hawstead granted to John Haslett. Ellen Haslitt, National Hotel, Moonee Ponds. Granted. 
(P.6, Argus, 16-4-1856.)
Sam Merrifield's Annals of Essendon had an entry circa 1888 about a fellow called Robinson who apparently had just bought the hotel and was advertising some sort of race (bike?) to promote his hotel which he must have renamed as the Melfort. 

http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/101979  
Title: Township and suburban allotments at Essendon & Hawstead in the Parish of Doutta Galla, County of Bourke [cartographic material] / lithographed at the Public Lands Office, Melbourne ; Oct 8th 1858 T. Ham, Lith.

Below is a wonderful description of the area from an article in the Australasian newspaper in 1898

• JOHN MORGAN would have been about 40 years old when he first held the license for the Hotel in 1871
• After John's death in 1880, his wife, MARGARET (ALICE) KELLY who was known as Alice, held the license until her death in 1904. In 1880 she would have been around 46 years old.
• The license then passed to her son JOHN FELIX MORGAN then aged 34. John tragically drowned in a water tank at the hotel in 1907.

• The Hotel then passed to his wife MARGARET MORGAN NEE O'MEARA.  Margaret was licensee in 1917 when she was prosecuted for opening the Hotel door in prohibited hours. Margaret died in 1937.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A transcription of an article in the Argus newspaper on 5th Feb 1929 states that the Hotel was to be demolished.  
The actual newspaper copy is quite hard to read so I have transcribed it below.

"An old landmark, the Cross Keys Hotel at North Essendon, has been demolished.  This hotel was the first built North of Melbourne and was owned by the Morgan family for more than 70 years.  It stood on the old Sydney road, which was one of the busiest roads in the days of the gold fever.The diggers passing to and from the gold fields spent their money freely and buckets were used as tills and safes. There being no local banking facilities in those days, great difficulties were experienced in finding any safe place in which to keep the cash until the gold escort came to transfer it to the bank in town. Bushrangers threatened to raid the hotel but it was known that John Morgan was well armed and a straight shot and no raid was ever made. Today the Cross Keys is the property of the Misses Raynor who have had a modern residential hotel erected on the site of the historic old Inn".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The newly built Cross Keys Hotel still operates in the same position today.  I visited there about ten years ago and the owner at the time gave me the following photos.  

None of the people have yet been identified.

  52 Ancestors Challenge 
  by Amy Johnson Crow at "No Story Too Small"

52 Ancestors week 18 - Where There's a Will

Where there's a Will there is usually a dispute.

I downloaded the will of my great great grandmother, Alice Morgan, several years ago.  

It was fairly straightforward.

"This is the Last Will and Testament of me Alice Morgan of the Cross Keys Hotel Firebrace street North Essendon in the Colony of Victoria Widow.
I revoke all Wills heretofore made by me.  I appoint my son John Morgan sole Executor and Trustee hereof.
I give devise and bequeath my freehold estate at Firebrace Street North Essendon aforesaid together with the said Hotel and premises erected thereon and the goodwill and license thereof and all the household furniture plate linen utensils and effects therein (excepting my piano which I hereby bequeath unto my daughter Mary Adams) and all other my real estate whatsoever and wheresoever situate unto my said son John Morgan his heirs and assigns absolutely
I bequeath the sum of ten pounds unto Mary Daly at present residing with me.  The rest residue and remainder of my personal estate I bequeath unto my said son John Morgan his heirs and assigns upon trust to convert the same into money and to hold the proceeds in trust for my sons Alexander Morgan the said John Morgan and my said daughter Mary Adams in equal shares and proportions.  In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of August One thousand nine hundred .....
Signed by the said Alice Morgan as and for her last Will and Testament in the presence of us present at the same time who at her request in her presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto set our hands as witnesses
signed by 
D M Burns
David Michael Burns of Firebrace St. Nth Melbourne in the said State.  Railway employee.
and

Michael Mornane of 125 Queen St. Melbourne in the said State.  Solicitor.

But .....

Recently I received letters that were in the possession of Alice Morgan's son, Alexander, who had moved to New Zealand.  Alexander was an accountant for the New Zealand Treasury Department.
These letters revealed disputes over Alice Morgan's Will.

1.  Mary Daly was a lifelong friend of Margaret (Maggie) Morgan, nee O'meara.  Maggie was the wife of the executor of the will, John Morgan.  Mary Daly seems to have been a carer for Alice Morgan.  
Mary was not happy with her bequest of ten pounds. 

Transcribed:

"Cross Keys 
5-10-04

Dear Alick

I received your letter and we were glad to hear that you are all well.  Mary has been up three times since mothers death, they are all well.  Maggie wrote to Aunt Kelly in answer to her letter after our trouble when she invited her over but I do not know if she will be able to go yet.  I know the change would do her the world of good as she has been quite run down.

Dear Alick you will see by the enclosed copy of a claim by Molly Daly against the estate of mothers that she is not at all satisfied with the small amount mother left her namely £10.

Dear Alick Mary & I have decided to give her £10 each along with the £10 which mother has mentioned to be given to her in the will.  If you are agreeable to her the same amount - £10 will you cable to me at once so as affairs can be fixed up at once as they cannot be whilst this claim is unsettled

Molly has consented on consideration of our proposal to accept £30 with the £10 of mothers making £40 & to sign to that affect having no further claims on the estate.  She is still here but is thinking of going to West Australia when her clain is satisfied.

Her solicitor is J. FitzGerald Collins Street City as Jack was not too well Dear Alick I penned these few lines at his dictation.

I will now conclude with love to all from all as Mary & Jack is most anxious to get this claim settled so as each can get their own.  Trusting you will not delay in replying your decision to me.

I remain your affectionate sister
Maggie Morgan
John Morgan"

2. Mary Adams nee Morgan, my great grandmother and the eldest daughter of Alice, disputed which piano she was to receive. The letters revealed that there were two pianos, an old one and a newer one.

John Morgan wrote again to his brother in New Zealand:

Jan 28 1906

Dear Alec

Enclosed you will find an approximate statement of how the estate stands and of what it consisted of but I must point out to you that this statement does not include Mary Dalys' claim to which you have had a copy.  There is also another matter namely the piano - Mary Adams does not agree as to which piano was left to her and it will probably be settled by the court unless she takes the one which I think was intended for her and if she takes the matter to court the expenses will have to be borne by the Estate and that will decrease the amount accordingly.
My dear brother I am very sorry you did not accede to my wishes in letter date 5th of November 1904 at first and settle Mary Dalys' claim for the forty pounds and save this trouble and extra expense as she intends to sue for the full amount.
As you must know she can get many of the neighbours as witnesses as to her services and nursing of Mother for many years  I have already advance Mary Adams the sum of £39-17/6 out of the Estate which is all I am going to give her pending the decision of the Court re the claims namely M. Dalys' & the piano.
I have had the advice of three solicitors as to Mary Dalys' claim and they all say that they think she would get the full amount claimed.

I remain 
your affectionate brother
John Morgan

Addition that I am fairly certain goes with this letter.

Dear Alec
I forgot to mention to you that I wrote finally to Mary re the piano over a week ago & she promised to let me have her decision the following night But I have not seen or heard since
Yours affect Brother

John Morgan.

I don't know what the final outcome over the piano was but it seems that Mary Daly eventually settled on an agreed amount. 

  52 Ancestors Challenge 
  by Amy Johnson Crow at "No Story Too Small"