Ann Webb, wife, mother & Convict

 Women have been so often written out of history, even death notices do not give their name sometimes.  They are often referred to as Mrs John Smith or relic of Mr. John Smith.  Ann Webb (as she was born) is even referred to in this way on her grave, although she does have her married name.

Godfrey Lonsdale Stettler & Rugby League

Get ready to delve into the sporting life of Godfrey Lonsdale Stettler, better known as Gordon or Lon throughout his rugby league career. But why were these his nicknames? It turns out that his father, Godfrey Stettler, was a well-known competitive runner in Parramatta and shared the same name as his son. Godfrey Jr.'s father also played grade cricket and rugby for the Parramatta football team back in the day when there was no rugby league competition.

The Zealey brothers from Sevenoaks

Let me tell you a fascinating story about my Great Great Uncle, Sydney Charles Zealey,and his brothers whose roots go back to the charming town of Sevenoaks in Kent, England. Located just 35 miles south-east of London, Sevenoaks has a rich history dating back to the 13th century, when it became an important market town thanks to its strategic location on the route from London to Dartford.

One of the most iconic landmarks in Sevenoaks is the magnificent Knole House, a stunning 100-acre estate built by Archbishop Bourchier in 1456. The property was later seized by Henry VII and gifted to Queen Elizabeth I's cousin, Thomas Sackville. Today, Knole House is a beloved attraction that draws visitors from far and wide.

But the real reason I hold Sevenoaks dear to my heart is its association with cricket. You see, the Vine cricket ground in Sevenoaks is believed to be the oldest cricket ground in the world, dating back to a match played on its hallowed turf in 1734. As a cricket fan, it fills me with pride to know that my ancestor hailed from such a historic town. From the bustling market to the prestigious Sevenoaks School, Sevenoaks is a town that's steeped in heritage and charm, and one that will always hold a special place in my heart.

 Cricket at Sevenoaks 1960

Sidney William Colyer - a very bad boy.

 Sidney Colyer is not actually on my tree, he is the grandfather of one of my inlaws, but he has proved a bit of an elusive character.  Recently I found the grave information of his 2nd wife, and that led me to track down Sidney and confirm I had the right Sidney.  Oh my, he was certainly well known to Sydney police!

John Littleboy and Ann Fenn

 John Littleboy married Anne Fenn on 29th January 1803 at St John the Baptist Church, Hillingdon, Middlesex, England.  They are my 5 times great grandparents.

Hillingdon is a suburban area within the London Borough of Hillingdon, situated 14.2 miles (22.8 km) west of Charing Cross. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex that originally included the market town of Uxbridge. The church of St John the Baptist stands at the top of Hillingdon Hill, at its junction with Royal Lane. It was built in 1629, replacing an earlier building deemed to have become unsafe. In 1846, the architect George Gilbert Scott was asked to design an extension, after the increasing population meant the church was becoming too cramped. This extension was completed between 1847 and 1848 by the Fassnidge builders from Uxbridge. The barrel roof of the chancel was renovated in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Elizabeth II. In 1964, a vestry was built on the north-eastern side of the church.[8] On 8 November 1940, a bomb fell on the south side of the church, damaging many of the windows on the south and east sides of the church. The windows were repaired following the end of the Second World War.  Below are two photos, one a sketch of the church in the 1600's and one much more recent.

William Stettler in the Aust. National Archives

  Recently we decided to head to Canberra to see a fabulous art exhibition that included Van Gogh's Sunflowers.  What a fabulous painting it is, it illuminates the room!  At the same time I wanted to find out why William Stettler was court marshalled in WW2.

The real Stalag Xlll

Stalag 13 was on the outskirts of Hammelburg, about 50 miles (80 km) east of Frankfurt. During World War I, the camp was used to house Allied prisoners of war. In the summer of 1940, the southern end of the camp was prepared for prisoners of war from the enlisted ranks. The camp was called Stammlager XIII C, or Stalag XIII C for short, and wooden barracks were built to house POWs of a variety of nationalities.

Map of location of Stalag 13

The Strange Story of George Henry Sandwell and his Conjical Rights

George Henry Sandwell sued his wife Elizabeth for "RESTITUTION OF CONJICAL RIGHTS", but that was in the early 1900's and we should begin at the beginning.

George was the son of William Danton Sandwell and Mary Clark, one of twelve children.  His birth was registered in the last quarter of 1849 at Thanet, Kent, but all later documents list his place of birth as Ramsgate Kent.  Thanet was most likely the district, and Ramsgate the town.  By the age of 21 he was a Baptist Minister according the the census, and was living with the West family  He seems to have been living in the town as Mr West was a draper in Queen Street (now Cliff St) Ramsgate, 2 doors up from the Lord Nelson Inn, and next door to a Grocer on one side and a boot maker on the other.  This is the only information I found about the Lord Nelson Inn:

One year later, in 1872 he married Emily Johnson.  Emily appears to have been born in Russia, and I have not found her parents.  Her age is uncertain as she is listed in various documents as being born anywhere from 1848 to 1853

By the 1881 census George and Emily had two children and were living in Hillingdon, Middlesex, but both the children were born in Ipswich Suffock and as their daughter was just 1 they must have moved to Hillingdon in the year before the census.  George is listed as an Minister of Independent means.

Sometime in the next ten years the family moved to Canada, this time with another daughter born in England.  George is listed in the 1891 Canadian Census as living in York Ontario as a minister, his wife possibly born in Russia and her father born in Russia.  Six years later the family seems to have moved back to the UK  arriving on the St Paul in march 1897 at Southampton, but without their son Bernard.

On Ancestry I found this picture of George from his time as a minister in New England:

In July of 1897 George and his son Bernard (Bert) are listed on the Lucania traveling back from New York, George is listed as a minister and Bert as a student, so it appears Bernard must have continued studying in the US.  (Or perhaps came from Canada via the US, or the family moved to the US after Canada at some time?).

In 1898, just 2 years later, Emily died, and is registered as living in Essex at the time, She and George had been married 26 years.  In 1900 George married again, this time to Elizabeth Farley, daughter of Ebenezer (a Baptist Minister)  and Eliza Farley.  Elizabeth was three years younger than George, and it was her first marrige when she was 48 years old, which was unusual in those days.  In 1901 George and Elizabeth were living with three servants in Essex England, things must not have gone well however as by 1906 George was petitioning for the restitution of his conjugal rights.

According to the documents I found the matter appears to have begun in Dec 1906, by January 1907 his wife was appealing.  The registrar gave the parties two extensions of time, and then a letter was sent in March 1907 to both parties asking for documentation of adultery so that it could be inspected by his the other.  Something must have been forthcoming, as by the 19th of March an order is issued that the matter be heard by a special jury.  More documents were submitted, then on 28th May 1907 there is an order that the cause be struck off the list.

The petition states that they were lawfully married, lived together as husband and wife, then on or about 3rd October 1903 Elizabeth "withdrew from cohabitation" with George, without any just cause.  She "kept away from him and refused, and still refuses him his conjugal rights."   In the petition, George asks for his rights and for his wife to pay costs.

Elizabeth then accuses George of bringing the action "for the purpose of obtaining an annuity by her for the petitioner or otherwise securing monetary payments to him"  She states she cannot live in Leystone (their home) due to her health.

George goes on to state that he wrote to her (calling her Bessie) asking her to come home and reinstate his rights, and stating he has visited her in Italy and Switzerland during the previous 3 years but she still remains absent.  Quote:"I must therefore insist on my right as your husband and ask you to return to your home and duty".  He goes on to say that the "circumstances that hastened your departure have long since passed away" and that "if the house is too small for you" he is prepared to obtain a larger one.  He says "Surely it is possible for us to start afresh and realise some degree of happiness together".

Reading between the lines George seems to have come up wanting as a husband, I wonder if George not only had his eye on another women but also Elizabeth's money.

Apparently Elizabeth replied to the letter that she had received his "second letter of threat" (in Geneva) and she declines to discuss the matter, but is placing it in the hands of her solicitors.  (I think I am beginning to like Elizabeth!)  Sadly that is all I know from these documents, if I go to London again I think I will try to track the file down and see what happened.

It seems that they may have never divorced, but Elizabeth was a wealthy woman and she stayed in Switzerland, dying in 1927.  Her probate states she left no money to George, but to her brother and solicitor the huge sum of PDS 54,697.17.3d  (that is over 3 million pounds in today's money). 

Click here to view some of the legal documents.


By the 1911 census George is living, retired, with his daughter Vera and his son Arnold in Woodford Green, Essex.  Arnold was born in the United States in about 1893 and is a journalist.  One of his other sons Bernard settled in Canada, he was also a journalist and became Professor of Economics at McGill University.  He was a theater critic and editor of Saturday Night and an eminent Canadian author.  Meanwhile George appears to have travelled to and from Canada quite often.

George Henry Sandwell died on 15th July 1938 and his death was registered as London, his probate was valued at PDS 268.4.4d.  Considerably less that his wife!

The story throws up a few questions, particularly where did Elizabeth get all this money from?  It seems from her father who died in 1894 leaving PDS 86,699.14.10d to be devided amongst Elizabth, her brother Joseph and a William Roff.  But where did a Baptist minister get so much money?

Documents about Elizabeth and George Sandwell

Court Documents 1905-1908

George HenrySandwell vs Eliabeth Sandwell (Farley)

Major Henry Blackshaw 1836 - 1907

A crack shot of the NSW colony.

He eyed the mark that was 600 yards away and aimed his rifle carefully, taking his time.

The crowd went silent, but Henry knew that he was going to win the prize and slowly squeezed  the trigger.  A cheer went up as the crowd watching the competition cheered for one of their favorites.  Sure enough it was a bulls eye, after all, Henry was the crack shot of the Goulburn Volunteer Regiment.   A Captain at the time, Henry beat two of his Sergeants to win in the wind and rain on a cold day in August.

It was 1884, and he was competing for money at the Goulburn Volunteer Rifle Association Annual Event.     Two years after winning the Event at Goulburn he competed in London and won the 1886 Windmill contest in an event at Wimbledon.  He shot over 200 and 500 yards, and won a Martini-Henry rifle and 25 PDS.

A Martini Henry Rifle like the one that Henry won.

 

In the 1850's the provision of responsible government to the colonies led to increased responsibility and self-reliance, and volunteer infantry units were formed. These were unpaid positions and men were required to provide their own uniforms, although the government furnished them with arms and ammunition. Goulburn was the first inland city to form its own unit.

Henry was just  7 years old when he immigrated from Scropton, Derbyshire, England to Australia.  His father John was the brewer at Goulburn Brewery for a period in the 1800's, his mother was born Mary Slater and they married in 1825 at Broughton Church, Derbershire, England.

The church where Henry's parents were married as it is today.

Henry was educated at the St Saviours Church of England School, and served an apprenticeship as a saddler to Mr. T. Musgrave.  He operated his own saddlery business in Goulburn for 20 years.  In the 1872 Postal Directory, he is listed at Auburn Street.  Some investigation reveals that the saddlery business had some interesting history. 

Henry married Mary McKinlay in Goulburn in 1858, and they had 13 children in total, living in Goulburn all their married life.

In 1869, when the volunteer regiment was formed, Henry was one of the founding members.  By 1900 he was the President of the Association.  When he retired he was given the  honorary rank of Major, and with permission to wear the Uniform of the regiment by the Governor, and received the Queens decoration for long service in 1895.  Henry clearly had a competitive spirit, he won many footraces when he was in his 20's, played cricket,  and then went on to shoot competitively, winning many contests.

The Queens medal presented to Henry in 1895.

Henry's wife, Mary, died in 1889, and in 1891 he married Sarah Jane Bushell.  They had one child together, Henrietta Louise Jane Blackshaw, born in 1893.  Not much is known of Sarah, other than her birth in 1850 at Kurrajong, NSW.  This made her 41 when she married  Henry who was then 55 years old.

In 1901 Goulburn was flooded, and 460 points of rain fell in 24 hours, as a result the Mulwaree River overflowed.   The family took refuge in large pine trees near the house, which was almost completely covered by water.  Fortunately they were rescued, but it was a very close thing, particularly as they had seven young children.

One of the reports of the rescue of Henry Blackshaw and his family during the 1901 flooding of Goulburn.

Henry died on 6th January, 1907 and was buried at Saint Saviours Anglican Cemetery, Goulburn, NSW.  Sarah died in 1936 and she and Mary are both buried at the same Cemetery.  Henry's funeral was very well attended, and (along with other newspapers)  the Goulburn Herald contained an obituary. 

 A final point - Henry kept a diary, and excerpts were published in 1907 just after his death.  Presumably someone in his family has the diary, it would be very interesting indeed to read.

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More Information? If you are researching

Major Henry Blackshaw, Mary McKinlay or Sarah Jane Bushell

 and would like the sources for this story, 

please contact me or comment below.  I would be happy to collaborate with you.

Immigration aboard the "Britton"

The Goulburn Saddlery

Mary McKinlay

Obituary of Major Henry Blackshaw.

From the Diary of Major Henry Blackshaw

Alexander Urquhart C1858 - 1941

 Alexander married two sisters.

As I drove past the house in Peakhurst for the umpteenth time, I wondered again when did Alexander Urquhart come to Australia?

I have been searching for the answer to that question for some time.  So far there is no result, partly because Urquhart is actually quite a common name.  There are Urquhart's from Scotland and Urquhart's from England who immigrated here in the 1800's, and I cannot sort them out.

The first I know of Alexander for sure is when he married Hannah Maria HOOLE  in Orange, NSW, AUS in 1885.   Hannah and her sister Sarah Ellen HOOLE  where servant girls from Sheffield, Yorkshire, England who immigrated to Australia in 1884, aboard the Texan.

Alexander and Hannah had one son, James Alexander Urquhart, who was born at Orange.  Sadly, two years after James was born, and after only 3 years of marriage, Hannah died, aged just 24 years.  At this time the family seem to be living at St Peters, NSW.

This is one of the odd questions about this family - what is the connection to Orange?  Why did Hannah die in St Peters?

It seems likely that Hannah's sister Sarah jumped into the gap left by Hannah's death, because 5 years later, in 1891, Alexander married Sarah at Orange NSW.  I have not been able to find out anything about the family in Orange, or why they were there.  They went on to have seven more children, and that is where the story gets interesting for me.  Edith was born in Forbes, then the rest of the children were born in the Sydney area.

By 1930, we can see from the NSW Electoral Rolls, that Alexander, Sarah with two children,  Edith, and David, were all living in a house in Bonds Road, Peakhurst, NSW.  Alexander, who by this time is aged 64, is listed as a Tailor  "Home duties" is listed as the occupation for the girls, and then David, who is a moulder.

By 1933, Alexander has no occupation, and is living with Sarah, and his daughters Edith, Marjorie (all home duties) and  Mary Jane who is a dressmaker.  Mary Jane was a dressmaker up until at least 1980 when she was 69 years old.  By this time they were living in Romilly Street, Peakhurst.

The house they lived in is not far from me and  I have been past it many times.  I wonder if the girls ran the dressmaking business from the house?  It seems likely as this was quite common in those days. I can just imagine the parade of ladies in hats and brides-to-be coming and going for fittings. What were the fashions like in 1933?  These examples from the Australian Womens Weekly give us some idea of what they may have been making.

1933 cover showing an good example of a typical bridal gown of the day.

 They must have made a living at dressmaking, as this seems the only profession they had.

This is what the house looks like today:

12 Romily Street, Peakhurst where the family lived.  This is a typical fibro house, although bigger than most, that was built in the area, built Circa 1920.

Alexander died in 1941, aged 83, and was cremated and interned  at Woronora Cemetery with his second wife Sarah who died 12 years later.  His daughters continued to live and work in the Peakhurst house until at least 1980.

The cremation memorials of Alexander and Sarah Urquhart.

Who Alexander Urquhart's parents were, where he was born, how he cam to Australia are all unsolved mysteries in my family history to be solved at some later date.

============================================

More Information? If you are researching

Alexander Urquhart, Hannah Hoole or Sarah Hoole

 and would like the sources for this story, 

please contact me or comment below.  I would be happy to collaborate with you.

Fashion in 1933

Urquhart family in the NSW electoral rolls

Sarah Ellen Hoole 1866-1953

Hannah Maria Hoole 1864-1888