Michael Kelly established a hotel in Pakenham, known as the Pakenham Hotel, on the west side of the Toomuc Creek in 1869 (1). From September 15, 1881, the hotel was operated by Eliza Fraser (2).
We can find out something about the Frasers from a Licence renewal hearing which took place in December 1882 at the Berwick Court and was reported in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal. Mrs Fraser had applied for the renewal of her licence for her hotel and billiard table. This was opposed by Sergeant McWilliams on the grounds that her house was so badly kept that it disturbed the quiet of the neighborhood, and that she had got a husband living with her, therefore was not a responsible person to hold a publicans' license, as she might be called away by her husband at any moment (3). She had also been fined for Sunday trading. Her hearing was postponed until January 5, 1883 and this was also reported in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal. At this hearing, Sergeant McWilliams said that the problems at the hotel were getting worse and that two months ago there was a drunken man lying outside covered with blood, apparently having been in a fight. Mrs. Fraser interfered, when Mr Fraser kicked her and gave her a blow in the face (4).
The Sergeant went on to give other evidence against Mrs Fraser -Some time ago, about 17th May, 1882, he was on duty in Berwick about nine or ten o'clock, when he was met by Mrs. Fraser in a great state of excitement, who rushed into his arms, exclaiming that she had run away from her husband, as she thought he was going to kill her. At his persuasions, on that occasion, she, after some trouble, returned home. Shortly after that she telegraphed down for the witness to come up to her hotel for the purpose of protecting her against the cruelties of her husband, which witness did. Afterwards she took out a summons before Mr. F. Call in Melbourne, binding her husband over to keep the peace towards her. He also said the outside buildings were in a very dilapidated condition, and what with its being surrounded by pigs and geese and other animals, it was in a most disgusting and beastly state (5).
Mrs Fraser's lawyer, Mr Gillott, appeared on her behalf and answered some of the allegations and said that she was dependent on the profits of the hotel for the support of herself and three children. Other information presented about Mrs Fraser included the following-
She had held a publican's licence for thirteen years; eleven years in Melbourne at the Inverness, Royal George, and Kirks Bazaar Hotels. There were twelve rooms in the Pakenham Hotel - Michael Kelly, the owner of the hotel, sworn, stated that if the license was granted he was prepared to put the hotel in proper order. The house had been continually licensed for the last fourteen years. The present applicant had been in it since 15th September 1881 (6).
Mr. Gillott made an able address, and after joining issue on all of the objections that had been raised, said the only tenable one was her unsatisfactory marital relations with her husband which was not misconduct on her part but her misfortune for which she should not be deprived of her only source of livelihood and thrown upon the world with only a few sticks of furniture to sell to enable her to commence life afresh (7). The Court granted her licence to keep the hotel for another year on the condition that it was better conducted and the building put in order. For some reason the licence for the billiard table was not granted.
The next few years the licence was renewed without an issue in her name, however at a hearing in June 1886, the licence was formally transferred from Alexander's name to Eliza's name (8). I am unsure how it could have previously renewed in Eliza's name if Alexander was the licensee.
John Dwyer took over as licensee of the hotel after Eliza’s death, according to a Berwick Licensing Court hearing, held on December 5, 1890 (16). The 1889/1890 Shire of Berwick Rate books list Eliza as the owner of the hotel, for some reasons in the previous three years she is not listed and in 1885/1886 she listed as renting the building from Michael Kelly, which means it was sometime in that date range that she purchased the building from Mr Kelly. I am unsure what happened after that - a property was listed in Eliza Fraser's name (either as Estate of or Executors of) up to the 1894/1895 Rate books, the address being Lot 1 Staughtons sub-division. I did not find John Dwyer listed in the Rate Books, so I have no information about other owners of the hotel property or the fate of the building.
Before we finish up we will have a look at Eliza's children - her first son, John James Ward, was born 1872 in Ballarat. He married Ellen Gertrude Rice in 1891 and, sadly, died April 12 1893 in his 21st year. John is buried in the same grave as his mother at the Pakenham Cemetery. Ellen applied for Probate on July 21, 1893 and the following information was listed - he was a grocer from Pakenham and they had two children - Bernard - 18 months old and John James - 2 months old. Ellen was living in Cowwar at the time. In 1897 she married Edgar Hawes. (17).
Eliza's middle son, Arthur Ward, was born in 1874 in Ballarat. Arthur enlisted in the First World War, on November 19, 1915 at the age of 42 (Service number 20154). His address was a miner and he lived at Donnybrook in Western Australia. Arthur Died of Wounds on April 17, 1918. His Next of Kin was his sister-in-law, Ellen Hawes of Cowwarr (18).
Arthur is listed on the Honour Board at St Patrick's Catholic School in Pakenham, so he obviously went to school there. There is more information on the St Patrick's Honour Board and other Great War Memorials in the Pakenham District on Patrick Ferry's website - A Century After the Guns Fell Silent Remembering the Pakenham District's WWI Diggers 1914-1918 http://www.pakenhamww1.com
Eliza's last son, Alexander Fraser, was born in Pakenham in 1879. This means that the Frasers were in Pakenham at least two years before they took over the licence of the Hotel in 1881, so I did some more research and found an article in The Herald about an Insolvency case brought against Alexander Fraser, farmer, of Pakenham. The article tell us that Alexander and Eliza had purchased 165 acres each in June 1878 and that my wife was possessed of and carried on business in the Royal George Hotel, Elizabeth street (19) - so this confirms that this couple are the same ones that held the hotel licence. It is likely that Alexander being declared bankrupt was the catalyst for Eliza Fraser going back into the hotel business.
I am unsure what happened to Alexander, there is an Alexander Fraser, an orchardist, listed in the Shire of Berwick Rate Books from 1910 to 1920 - he owned 85 acres at Gembrook South, later called Pakenham Upper. In 1915 he was the President of the Pakenham Fruitgrower's Association (17). His wife was listed in the Electoral Rolls at the time as Annie South Fraser, but I can't trace them after 1919 in the Electoral Roll. If this is him why didn't Arthur list him as his next of kin in his World War One Attestation papers? Also Alexander was not listed in the In Memoriam notice inserted by John and Arthur in 1891 for their mother. Did Alexander live with his father and they lost touch or became estranged? I don't know and also don't know what happened to Alexander Senior, either.
Eliza Fraser was a hard working woman, who had to cope with the death of her little girl and the tragic and unexpected death of her first husband which left her a widow with two young boys to look after. She had the misfortune that her second husband was a violent man. Eliza is a woman who should be admired for overcoming adversity and doing all she could to make a secure life for her three sons.
Trove list - I have created a list of newspaper articles on Trove on Eliza Fraser and her hotel and family, you can access it here.
Footnotes(1) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, January 10, 1883, see here. In the Licensing Board hearing, Michael Kelly, the owner of the Hotel said that the house had been continually licensed for the last fourteen years.
This is an expanded and updated version of a post, which I wrote and researched, which appears on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past
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