Margaret Roth (1892-1936) - Secretary of Berry Street Babies' Home

In my last post (read it here) I looked at the way foundlings or abandoned babies were named, and many of these little ones ended up at the Berry Street Babies' Home. Miss Margaret Roth was the secretary of this organization from 1928 until 1936, I thought it was an interesting role and I'd find out more about her and her family.

Her father, Louis Roth was born in Blankenese, in Germany, around 1860. He migrated to South Australia, and was naturalized there in September 1884; his occupation was on his naturalization papers was listed as a bookbinder. (1)  By March 1886, Louis had moved to Sale in Victoria and established himself as a Hairdresser and Perfumer in Raymond Street and advertised  his services in the local paper Haircutting in English, French, and German styles most carefully done. Shaving easily executed with agreeable refreshment. Shampooing, especially in hot weather, much recommended. (2) 

Louis the hairdresser

Gippsland Times, March 10, 1886 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article62271556

Two years later, the entrepreneurial Louis had branched out into selling stationery, tobacco, soaps and gifts and in the 1890s he had renamed his shop -  Louis Roth’s Fancy Goods Emporium. In December 1896, in an advertorial the local paper reported that - Mr Louis Roth, who has landed his importations of novelties from Germany and England, announces that he will keep his premises open until 10 o'clock every night up till Christmas. The display of Christmas goods at Mr Roth's is certainly a beautiful one. (3)

Louis' Fancy Goods Emporium

Gippsland Mercury, April 3, 1894 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article268336575

On March 11, 1890 Louis married 21 year-old Marguerite Elizabeth Bisson at the Lutheran Church in Melbourne, with the service conducted  by the Reverend Herman Herlitz; the occupation on his  marriage certificate was a bookseller. (4) Marguerite, who arrived in Melbourne on the Austral in 1888, had been born on November 14, 1868 in Liverpool in England, the daughter of Henri Charles  Bisson, a boat builder, and his wife Elizabeth;  Henri had been born at St Helier, on the island of Jersey. Marguerite had been baptized at  Our Lady of Reconciliation de La Salette, Liverpool, a Catholic Church, so it is interesting that she was married in a Lutheran Church. (5)

Louis and Margaret (as she was also called) had five children -  Margaret born in 1892 in Fitzroy; Louis, in 1893, in Sale; Ida, in 1896 in Sale; Nestor, 1898 in Sale and Freida Elsa, born in 1900 in  St Kilda. (6) During the family’s time in Sale, Louis was the bandmaster of the local German band; donated prizes to the pupils at the Wesleyan Methodist Sunday School; stood unsuccessfully for the local Council in 1895; and in 1897 proved his patriotism by presenting all his juvenile patrons in the hairdressing salon with a handsome gift to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.  In 1900, Louis sold the business and the family moved to Melbourne. (7)

In 1903, the Electoral Rolls show that he was a bookseller in Carlton; in 1906, still in Carlton, a stationer; in 1909 the Roths were living in Elsternwick and he was a commercial traveller and later an agent; by 1917 they had moved to Surrey Hills and Louis’ occupation was a Manufacturer’s Agent. (8) Louis died on September 27, 1922 at the age of 62 at his  home Maison Louie, 2 Grenville Street, Hampton.  His probate papers list yet another occupation, that of  leather manufacturer. (9)

Louis' obituary

Gippsland Times, October 2, 1922 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article62600012

His wife Margaret died  on August 18, 1946, also at Maison Louis, and her death notice said she was the loving gran of five. Her grandchildren were Margaret, Pamela and Nestor Roth, the children of her son Nestor; Lionel Glenn, the son of Ida and her husband, James Glenn and Gelda Watson, the daughter of Elsa and her husband, Francis John Watson. (10)

Now to their eldest daughter, Margaret, who was born on February 23, 1892 in Fitzroy.  (11) As noted in the Electoral Rolls, Margaret had a few administrative jobs such as a book-keeper and a clerk, and in 1915 had a short stint as a junior teacher; however in 1928 she became the Secretary of the Berry Street Babies’ Home also known as the Foundling Home. (12) Established in 1877 as the Victorian Infant Asylum, in 1881 it moved to a building in Berry Street in East Melbourne.  In 1913, they purchased a property in Beaconsfield, and operated a second facility there.  Berry Street looked after abandoned babies and babies whose mother had died or could no longer care for them as well as helping single mothers and training mother craft nurses. It was a charity entirely financed  through fundraising  and donations. (13)

The role of the Secretary was interesting and varied and Margaret often appeared in newspaper reports connected to the activities of the Babies' Home, for instance promoting their annual appeal for eggs or talking about children available for adoption. (14) One of her duties was to interview prospective parents who wanted to adopt the babies and The Herald reported in 1929 that Never a day passes without the honorary secretary, Miss Margaret Roth, interviewing someone who is keen on adopting a baby. (15)

In an interview in The Herald in 1933, Margaret explained further the adoption process -

"The adoption is really the simplest section of our work," continued Miss Roth, "I think there is an affinity between prospective foster parents and the children. Frequently, I have watched a woman walk into our nursery, and without a moment's hesitation say, "There is the baby I have been waiting for!" "Often that particular child is one of the most unattractive in our eyes!"

"When our babies visit the Royal Show each year, they sometimes find foster parents among the crowds that file past our stand. Then sometimes a woman will walk up to the nurse, saying, "Here is Arthur. Do you remember, I adopted him three years ago at the Show?"

"But our system of adoption is not as haphazard as it sounds. Foster parents are compelled to produce two testimonials - one from a clergyman or a doctor, the other from some prominent citizen. Then we visit their homes, after which there is no interference from hospital authorities." (16)

There was another interesting interview with Margaret published in 1934, which highlights the sad circumstances some little children found themselves in, but also shows how resilient children can be.

 
Two Little Orphan Twins In Need of a Home.
Who has a home for two little orphan twins, Margaret and Kathleen, aged 5? Margaret and Kathleen were taken to Berry Street Foundling Home when they were babies. Foster parents were found for them, and in their care they were kept until December, when the adopting mother died. Now they are back at the Foundling Hospital and Infants’ Home at Beaconsfield. Although they are perfectly happy, the secretary (Miss Margaret Roth) feels that, as they have been used to home life, it is advisable for them to be placed in a private home.

Both children are auburn haired, bright eyed and interested in every thing. Slightly bigger than Margaret, Kathleen is a sturdy youngster with a roundish face and soft hair with a slight wave. Margaret’s hair is darker with a decided wave. She has a smaller oval face which looks up wistfully and keenly.

"Both children are extremely attached to each other. They are loyal, affectionate, and most intelligent,” said Miss Roth. “They are both going to school and are in the kindergarten. The reports we have received from the school are that they are doing well and are very popular. We are most anxious to find homes for them, but would prefer the two to be taken into the one home, as I am afraid they would fret for each other’s company,” continued Miss Roth.

Persons interested should apply to Miss Roth at the Berry Street Found ling Home, East Melbourne, for particulars. (17)

Margaret and Kathleen, the orphan twins. 

Sun News-Pictorial, March 6, 1934 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article276648198

Margaret retired from the role in March 1936, due to ill health and died at the age of only 43 on September 8, 1936. (18) She is buried with her parents in a double grave in the Baptist section at the Brighton General Cemetery.  Interesting that they are buried in that section as Margaret (the mother) was baptized as a Catholic; she and Louis were married in a Lutheran Church and Margaret, (the daughter) was baptized Lutheran, but was received into the Anglican Church at St Peters Eastern Hill in Melbourne at the age of 33. (19) Clearly a very ecumenical family.

Before we finish we will look at the four other children of Louis and Margaret Roth. Louis Carl, the second child, was born on December 4, 1893, in Sale, and is commemorated on the family headstone, having died during World War One. Captain Louis Carl Roth, M.C., served with the 2nd Australian Pioneer Battalion and Died of Wounds on October 6, 1918. This was his short obituary -

Captain Louis Charles Roth, M.C., of the 2nd Pioneer Battalion, died in France on October 6. Captain Roth was born in 1894, and in peace time had been 2nd Lieutenant in the 46th Senior Cadets, Elsternwick. He was also in the Brighton Rifles. Captain Roth was twice mentioned by Sir Douglas Haig in despatches. He was a native of Sale, and served through the Gallipoli campaign, was wounded at Armentieres in 1916, and received shell shock at Ballecourt last May. He is an old Caulfield Grammarian and a past student of the Working Men's College. His Military Cross was gazetted last New Year's Day. (20)

Captain Louis Roth (1894-1918)

Image: Australian War Memorial  Photograph H06637

Margaret was clearly close to her brother and as late as 1933, fifteen years after his death, she inserted this In Memoriam notice for him, signed as Margey.

The Argus, October 6, 1933 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11698864

Ida was the third child on the family, born May 5, 1896 in Sale. She attended Melbourne High School and became a teacher starting her career in March 1914 at Elsternwick State School; she had various other appointments, including a stint at Clydebank, near her birthplace of Sale, and then resigned in April 1926 as she got married to James Martin Glenn; they had the one son, Lionel. Ida returned to the Education Department for a few years during World War Two, when married women were needed as teachers as so many men had enlisted.  Ida died December 16, 1981 and James September 2, 1972 and they are buried in the family grave with her parents and her sister Margaret.  (21)

Nestor was born on February 9, 1898 in Sale. He married Doris Margaret Werrett in 1924 and they had three children, Margaret, Pamela and Nesta.  Nestor, who was an accountant,  died on April 2, 1956 and is buried at Box Hill Cemetery, with his wife Doris, who died in 1977. (22) 

The last child of Louis and Margaret Roth was Frieda Elsa, born July 29, 1900 in  St Kilda. Elsa, as she was called, attended University High School, and began a teaching career with the Education Department in March 1919. (23) She was an actress involved with the Green and Tan Dramatic Club, an amateur organisation consisting entirely of old pupils or members of the staff of the University High School, the colors of which are green and tan, hence the name. (24) One review of their performances noted that Miss Elsa Roth, as Lady Tonbridge, exhibited fine dramatic feeling. (25) 

Elsa resigned in August 1923 to marry Francis John Watson, M.A., M.Sc., who became the head  of the Chemistry Department at Melbourne Technical College.  They had the one daughter, Gelda Frieda. Francis died in October 1945, and Elsa (who had remarried to Lowe Martin Hanstein) died on July 2, 1987, and was cremated at Springvale. Their daughter, Gelda, who died in 2021, is buried in the Roth family grave with her grandparents and her two aunts - Margaret and Ida.  (26)

Footnotes
(1) Naturalization papers at the National Archives of Australia  https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3182794
(2) Gippsland Times, March 10, 1886, see here. 

(3) Examples of his advertisements - Gippsland Times, April 16, 1888, see here; Gippsland Times, April 2, 1894, see here; Gippsland Mercury, April 3, 1894, see here;  Gippsland Times, December 14, 1896, see here.

(4) Roth/Bisson marriage certificate. 

(5) Unassisted passenger lists (1852-1923) at the Public Records Office of Victoria, VPRS 947; Marguerite's baptism record from Ancestry.com. - Liverpool, England, Catholic Baptisms, 1741-1919 and the 1881 British Isles Census Index

(6) Index to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.

(7) Gippsland Times, January 17, 1895, see here;  Gippsland Mercury, May 22, 1894, see here;  Gippsland Times, August 12, 1895, see here;  Gippsland Times, June 3, 1887, see here. Clearing sale -Gippsland Times, May 24, 1900, see here.

(8) Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com

(9) Louis - death notice - The Argus, September 29, 1922, see here; Will and Probates papers at the Public Records Office of Victoria, VPRS 7591.

(10) Margaret - death notice - The Argus,  August 19, 1946, see here.  

(11) Birth certificate

(12) Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com; This is the first reference I can find of Margaret being Secretary - The Age, July 12, 1928, see here.

(13) Berry Street - https://www.berrystreet.org.au/about-us/our-story/our-history

(14) The Herald, October 25, 1928, see here.

(15) The Herald, November 30, 1929, see here.

(16) The Herald, July 25, 1933, see here.

(17) Sun News-Pictorial, March 6, 1934, see here. 

(18) Margaret - Death notice - The Age, September 9, 1936, see here; Obituary - The Age, September 9, 1936, see here

(19) Margaret - Brighton Cemetorians database, https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/; From Ancestry.com -  Victoria, Australia, St. Peter's Eastern Hill, Baptisms, 1848-1915

(20) Louis - Attestation papers at the National Archives of Australia, see here  https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=11545851 ; 

Death notice - The Argus, November 30, 1918, see here; Obituary - The Herald, November 30, 1918, see here.

(21) Ida - Teacher Record Books at Public Records Office of Victoria, VPRS 13579;  Brighton Cemetorians database, https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/. Lionel is the only child of theirs listed in his grandmother's death notice - The Argus,  August 19, 1946, see here. 
(22) Nestor - death notice - The Argus, April 3, 1956, see here; Index to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com; Find a Grave - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123938728/nestor-roth 

(23) Elsa - Teacher Record Books at Public Records Office of Victoria, VPRS 13579.

(24) Hurstbridge Advertiser, June 20, 1924, see here; another mention of a performance -  The Argus, May 16, 1921, see here. 

(25) Hurstbridge Advertiser, June 20, 1924, see here. 

(26) Elsa - Teacher Record Books at Public Records Office of Victoria, VPRS 13579; The Herald, October 29, 1945, see here; The Argus, October 9, 1945, see here. SMCT database  - https://www.smct.org.au/ 

Brighton Cemetorians database, https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/ 

I can't find the date when Elsa married Lowe, but this is his and Elsa's death notice, which proves it - 

The Age, November 22, 1971, Page 16 from newspapers.com

The Age,  July 3, 1987, Page 24 from newspapers.com

Daughters of a Convict - Sarah Simonson (1864-1923), Isabella Grant (1867-1928) and Hannah Monash (1869-1931)

Sisters Sarah Simonson (1864-1923), Isabella Grant (1867-1928) and Hannah Monash (1869-1931) are buried at the Brighton General  Cemetery. They are the daughters of Moton Moss and Rebecca Alexander. I wrote about the sisters for the Brighton Cemetorians newsletter, The Cemetorian, and this is an extended version of that article. I came across this family as I have an interest in place names and World War One soldiers and wrote about the streets in St Kilda named after Crimean War battles and soldiers - streets such as Alma, Inkerman, Balaclava and Malakoff. And because I like the sound of the word Malakoff I wrote about the Great War soldiers who had enlisted from Malakoff Street in both St Kilda and Caulfield. I discovered that Sarah Simonson lived for a time at 17 Malakoff Street in Caulfield, had two sons who enlisted and that they were the nephews of General Sir John Monash; and then discovered that Isabella Grant lived with Sarah at 17 Malakoff Street and that her husband also served in the War. You can read this post here. 

We will start this story with the father of Sarah, Isabella and Hannah, Moton Moss - and who in various sources is sometimes called Martin and sometimes Morton.

In 1824, Moton Moss was sentenced to seven years transportation to Van Diemen’s Land for stealing two bags of seeds valued at eight shillings. He arrived on the Medway in December 1825. He served his time, returned to England, was charged with theft again and was transported again, on the Lotus, to Hobart arriving in May 1833. He received his certificate of freedom in 1839. (1)

Moton's obituary in The Herald, in June 1879 notes he was a well-known and old established colonist, with whose doings nearly everyone is familiar and that he was born in London on June 7, 1800. It makes no reference to his convict past, but that he arrived in Melbourne from Tasmania in 1852 opening a small drapery warehouse at the corner of Bourke and Elizabeth streets ... During the days of the diggings he carried on business with varied success, and afterwards left that place and went to Sydney, where, after remaining for a short time he returned  to the colony, and opened business as a merchant in 1861, which he carried on up to the time of his death. He dealt largely in mining shares, and was also interested in most of the Banking and Insurance Companies in Melbourne ... His presence at the various auction rooms in town was always a source of pleasantry to those engaged there, his humor and good nature never deserting him up to the last ... He is one of the largest city property holders here, and leaves a considerable amount of money to his widow and children, by whom his death was much regretted, although not altogether unexpected, he having reached the ripe age of 79 years. (2)

Dr Sue Silberberg in her book A Networked Community, notes that by the early 1860s Moton had acquired around 50 parcels of land in Carlton, East Melbourne, Fitzroy and South Melbourne. (3)  When he died in 1879 Moton still had substantial land holdings mainly vacant blocks in country towns - Wallan and Epping were two of them - as well as various urban properties such as the Wexford Arms Hotel in Lonsdale Street, the White Hotel in Nunawading, the Rose and Crown Hotel in Flemington Road, and shops and houses. (4)

Moton was married to Rebecca Abrahams, who had been born in London to Isaac and Susan (nee Levy) Alexander.  Rebecca had previously married Isaac Abrahams in Sydney in about 1846, when she was 17 years old. They had three sons - Isaac, Morris and Jacob. Her husband died when the boys were little, and she was still only 23 when she married Moton on July 23, 1853 at the Sydney Synagogue, with the service conducted by Rabbi Jacob Isaacs. (5)

Moton and Rebecca had four children. Their son David, was on September 28, 1857 at 119 Elizabeth Street and he died in Sydney in September 7, 1906. (6)  Their three daughters were - Sarah Maria, born on January 31, 1864 at 124 Collins Street; Isabella Deborah, born in April 1867 at 3 Alfred Place, Victoria Street, Carlton and Hannah Victoria on September 30, 1869, also at 3 Alfred Place. (7)

Hannah is the best known as she was the wife of General Sir John Monash, who needs no introduction. They had married at the Freemasons Hall in Collins Street on April 8, 1891 in a service, conducted by Rabbi Joseph Abrahams. Hannah was 21 and John was 25. They had one daughter Bertha on January 22, 1893. Hannah died on February 27, 1920 at her home Iona, in Toorak. Her service was conducted  by Rabbi Joseph Abrahams. (8)  Rabbi Abrahams had recently retired as the senior minister of the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and only two weeks before the funeral had addressed a large crowd at the Prahran Town Hall at a function held by the Jewish Community to welcome General Monash on his return from active service abroad. (9). Hannah is buried in a double grave at Brighton Cemetery,  with her husband, who died in October 8, 1931. (10)

Hannah Victoria Monash

Image: Monash University Archives

The middle sister, Isabella, married James Peter Grant, a Quantity Surveyor on July 13, 1901, when she was 34 and he was 27. They were married by the Registrar of Marriages, Edward Shattock, at his office in Ascot Vale. (11) The marriage was not successful and they separated some years later and there were no children. When James enlisted in the A.I.F at the age of 41 in April 1916, he was living in New South Wales and he listed his sister, Miss Mary Theresa Grant of Malvern, as his next of kin. James was wounded in action whilst fighting in France - a gunshot wound to the right leg, which led to amputation – and died as a result two days later on April 7, 1918.  After his death the issue arose as to who should receive his medals. There are a series of letters in his file at the National Archives of Australia from both women supporting their claim and finally in July 1921 the decision was made that his widow, Isabella, should receive the medals. I have written more about James Grant's war service in my Malakoff Street soldiers post, here. (12)

In the 1910s Isabella lived at various addresses in Prahran or St Kilda; but in the 1920s she was living at Belle Vista in Parliament Place, East Melbourne. This was an up-market boarding house, located in the Tasma Terrace buildings. Isabella died March 24, 1928, aged 60.  She was buried the next day at Brighton Cemetery and her funeral service was conducted by Rabbi Solomon M. Solomon,  of the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, who had conducted the funeral service of her brother-in-law, Max Simonson (more of whom later) (13) 

Rabbi Solomon died in March 1941 and The Argus had this short obituary-

Rev. Solomon Mark Solomon, who died yesterday at Hamilton Russell House, Alfred Hospital, aged 83 years, was chaplain-colonel of the Australian Militia Forces. His life was marked by many varied activities and for nearly half a century was secretary and assistant minister to the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation. He was also secretary of the Melbourne Jewish Friendly Society. The Boy Scout movement claimed much of his time, and for his services was presented with the gold award. For many years he was treasurer and trustee of Mintern Boys' Home, Frankston. He was a Freemason and a member of the Australia Natives Association. He leaves a widow, four daughters and three sons. (14)

Moton Moss died on June 12, 1879 and his wife Rebecca on July 24, 1882 at the age of 53, they are buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery. At the time of Rebecca's death the three daughters were still under the age of 21 and Rebecca’s will listed Abraham Loel and Dr Walter Balls Headley as  Executors of her Will and Trustees of her Estate. (15)  

Who were these men who were entrusted to look after 18-year old Sarah, 15-year old Isabella and 12-year old Hannah? 

Abraham Loel was a clothier of Bourke Street.  He was in partnership with Jacob Abraham Cantor and in 1877 they undertook renovations to their building as reported in The Herald -

As the city progresses and people regard the smaller and less ornamental buildings in the principal streets as eye-sores, it is interesting to note the improvements which are taking place, from time to time, in our street architecture. The latest improvement of this sort has been effected at the establishment of Messrs Cantor and Loel, clothiers and outfitters, in Bourke street, opposite the General Post Office. The firm have erected an additional storey to their establishment, which now comprises three, and ornamented the front of the building with a great "Crystal Palace" window, which is very attractive, Messrs. Cantor and Loel's establishment, which is now one of the finest in Bourke street, comprises, in its altered condition, a shop on the ground floor, well lighted, 100ft by 50ft, a room overhead of similar dimensions used as a show-room, and for cutting and fitting on garments; and a third storey, containing a room 40 feet square, used as a workshop. (16)  

The partnership, which also operated under the names of the Crystal Palace Clothing Company and the Beehive Clothing Company, split up in May 1888. Abraham Loel was a Freemason (as was Jacob Cantor) and at one time the Worshipful Master of the Lodge of Australia Felix No. 474. (17)  Mr Loel died in December 1910 and the Jewish Herald reported - Mr. Abraham Loel, an old colonist, and at one time prominently connected with the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, died on Monday last at the age of seventy-four years. Formerly well-to-do, misfortune over took him, and his declining days were passed in reduced circumstances, cheered however, by the sympathy of his co-religionists, by whom his kindly character was appreciated. (18) 

The other executor was Dr Walter Headley Balls. Dr Balls Headley trained as doctor in England, after his arrival in Australia worked in Queensland and then Melbourne where he was at the Womens' Hospital from 1878 until 1900. He was also a lecturer in obstetric medicine and diseases of women and children at the University of Melbourne and was considered to be the leading gynaecologist in Melbourne. (19) In 1905, Dr Balls Headley was elected as Grand Master of the Free and Accepted Masons of Victoria. He died in Canada in 1918. (20) 

It would be interesting to know why they were both selected to be the guardians of the three Moss sisters and executors of Rebecca's estate. I presume that Moton and Abraham Loel were connected through business. Loel and Balls Headley were both Freemasons, so there is that connection between them.  I have found no evidence that Moton Moss was a Freemason, even though his daughter Hannah was married at the Freemasons Hall, and John Monash was not a Freemason. (21)

One of the first duties of the Executors in October 1882 was to sell by auction Rebecca’s Most magnificent and unique assemblage of rare and valuable diamonds ever witnessed at one time in the history of the Colony – the advertisement itemises some of the individual pieces including flawless diamonds of eight to twelve carats and stones that had formed part of the diadems of Rajahs. (22) This collection along with Moton’s property portfolio certainly indicates that he made the most of his opportunities after his start in the country as a convict.  

Part of the advertisement for the sale of Rebecca Moss' Diamond collection

The Argus, October 18, 1882 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11556290

Another duty of Mr Loel and Dr Balls Headley was to give permission for Moton and Rebecca’s daughter, Sarah, to marry. She was 19 at the time and they are both listed on her marriage certificate as her guardians. Sarah married 32-year old, Max Michaelis Gabriel Simonson, on January 9, 1884 at the family home, Elsinore in Robe Street, St Kilda. The service was conducted by Rabbi Elias Blaubaum, of the St Kilda Hebrew Congregation. (23) Incidentally,  two days after the wedding, the valuable household furniture and effects of Elsinore sold at a public auction. (24).  I wonder where Isabella and Hannah lived then; perhaps with Sarah and Max.

 

Part of the Marriage Certificate of Sarah Moss and Max Simonson

Click on image to enlarge

Sarah's husband, Maximilian Simonson (but nearly always referred to as Max),  was a merchant and importer and he had been born in Christburg, West Prussia. He arrived in Victoria in June 1878, from London. He was naturalized in March 1894, when he was 42 years old. (25)

Part of Max Simonson's Naturalization file

National Archives of Australia

  https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1792995

Click on image to enlarge

Max and Sarah had six children all born in Brighton - 

Vera Amelie, born November 22, 1884 at Park Street, Middle Brighton; Karl Jacob born September 19, 1886 at Middle Brighton;  Leopold John  on July 2, 1888 at Karlvera, Church Street, Middle Brighton; Doris Belle on January 9, 1892 at Karlvera;  Eric Loudon, on January 23, 1894 at Kalvera and Paul William  on November 9, 1895 at Karlvera. There is more detail about their lives in  footnote (26)

Miss Vera Simonson, Sarah and Max's daughter, on her wedding day to Stephen Prowse, 

on August 6, 1913.

Punch, October 9, 1913 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article176550218

Eric and Paul both served in World War One and both also served as Aide de Camp (ADC) to their uncle, General Monash. I have written more about their military service in my Malakoff Street soldiers post, here.

Max Simonson died on September 30, 1920 at St Helen’s Licenced House, Woods Street, Preston. This was a hospital for mental cases, as reported in one newspaper. His Inquest noted that he had been admitted to St Helens in December 1915, and that he died of heart disease and disease of the brain and that he was 69 years old. His burial service was conducted by, as we know,  Rabbi Solomon M. Solomon.  Sarah Simonson died on September 4, 1923 at her home at 60 Coppin Street, East Malvern. Her funeral held two days later was conducted by Rabbi Israel Brodie of the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation. She is buried in a double grave at the Brighton Cemetery with her husband Max. (27)

This, then, is the story of the Moss sisters, who are a perfect examples of how having a father who was a transported convict was no barrier to marrying a respectable husband and making a successful life for themselves and their children. Moton is an example of how many convicts thrived in Australia after they had done their time. Having said that, transportation didn't always work out well for everyone.  George Moss, the brother of Moton, was also transported to Van Diemen's Land, in 1831. He along with seven others stole a boat from Port Arthur and managed to sail it all the way to Twofold Bay, near Eden, in New South Wales, where they were captured. George was sent to Norfolk Island after this and was shot and killed when he and others tried to steal another boat. (28)


Footnotes
(1) These are the names: Jewish lives in Australia, 1788-1850 by John S. Levi (Miegunyah Press, 2013), pp 622-623.

(2) The Herald, June 12, 1879, see here.

(3) Networked Community: Jewish Melbourne in the Nineteenth Century by Sue Silberberg (Melbourne University Press, 2020), p. 147.  It was footnote 46, on page 173 of Dr Silberberg's book which alerted me to Moton's entry in These are the names as Moton is called Martin/Morton in the book.

(4) Moton's Will and Probate papers at the Public Records Office of Victoria.

(5) Death certificate of Rebecca Moss; marriage certificate of Moton Moss and Rebecca Abrahams. For some reason the marriage certificate does not list their ages; so I have had to work back from the information on Rebecca's death certificate to get the other dates.

(6) David - Birth notice - The Age, September 29, 1857, see here; Death notice - The Argus, September 10, 1906, see here.

(7) Birth notices - Sarah - The Argus, February 1, 1864, see here; Isabella - The Argus, April 20, 1867, see here ; Hannah - The Argus, October 1, 1869, see here.

(8) Hannah - Marriage certificate and Death Certificate; General Monash's entry in Australian Dictionary of Biography https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/monash-sir-john-7618 

(9) Jewish Herald, July 11, 1919, see here; Jewish Herald, February 20, 1920, see here - ;

(10) Brighton Cemetorians database https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/ 

(11)  Isabella - Marriage certificate.

(12) James Peter Grant - (Service Number 2322) Service Record at the National Archives of Australia.

(13) Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com; Tasma Terrace - https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Womens-Melbourne-Walks-Part-2_B5_reducedsize.pdf Death Certificate of Isabella.

(14) The Argus, March 10, 1941, see here.

(15) The Herald, June 12, 1879, see here;  Death Certificate - Rebecca Moss; Rebecca's  Will and Probate papers at the Public Records Office of Victoria.

(16) The Herald, June 21, 1877, see here.

(17) The Argus, June 6, 1888, see here; Jewish Herald, December 12, 1884, see here.

(18) Jewish Herald, December 23, 1910, see here.

(19) Australian Dictionary of Biography entry - https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ballsheadley-walter-2926

(20) Weekly Times, January 7, 1905, see here.

(21) Ancestry.com has two databases - United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers, 1751-1921 and the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Ireland Membership Registers, 1733-1923. All Australian Lodges were connected to these two Grand Lodges and their membership registers are on-line. 

(22) The Argus, October 18, 1882, see here.

(23) Sarah - Wedding Certificate

(24) The Argus, January 8, 1884, see here.

(25) Naturalisation  papers at the National Archives of Australia - https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1792995

(26) Vera - Birth notice - The Argus, November 24, 1884, see here; Vera married Stephen Robert Prowse on August 6, 1913 - there is a report of the wedding in Punch, August 21, 1913, see here. Vera died in Caulfield on August 16, 1952 and is buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery - The Argus, August 18, 1952, see here.

Karl - Birth Notice - The Argus, September 20, 1886, see here;  Karl married Alice Christina Redfern in 1918; he died in 1964 in Toorak and was cremated at Springvale Cemetery.

Leopold -  Birth notice - The Argus, July 9, 1888, see here; Leopold married Grace Alice Zwar at the Broadford Presbyterian Church  - report Broadford Courier, October 25, 1912, see here. Leopold died in New South Wales in 1960.

Doris - The Argus, January 16, 1892, see here; Doris died in Caulfield on June 20, 1945 and is buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery - The Argus, June 22, 1945, see here.

Eric - The Argus, February 3, 1894, see here;  Eric married Olive Marjorie Jenkins September 17, 1923 at Scots Church in Collins Street - wedding report The Herald, September 18, 1923, see here; they were divorced in 1931 - see Divorce file at Public Records Office of Victoria   https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/88719579-F371-11E9-AE98-0DE8EADA793B?image=1  Eric died on July 17, 1954  and was cremated at Springvale Cemetery.  Death notice - The Herald, July 19, 1954, see here 

Paul - couldn't find a  birth notice; his birth comes from the Scotch College website https://portal.scotch.vic.edu.au/ww1/honour/simonsonPW.htm  Paul married Beatrice Fleming Inglis in London at the Registry Office,  on March 15, 1919. He died on March 31, 1966 and was cremated at Springvale Cemetery.

(27) Death Certificates of  Max and Sarah; Preston Leader, September 2, 1918, see here; Max's Inquest at the Public Records Office of Victoria https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/0DC74D0E-F1C4-11E9-AE98-316C163776B2?image=1;  Brighton Cemetorians database https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/

(28) These are the names: Jewish lives in Australia, 1788-1850, op. cit., p. 620.

Frances Louise Hall (nee Stapley), 1845-1934

Florence Louise Hall is buried with her husband James Hall and brother-in-law, Archibald Hall, in an unmarked grave in the Presbyterian section at the Brighton General Cemetery. (1) There are a number of mysteries which surround Florence, the first being that all her records in both Victoria and England list her first name as Frances - her baptism record, three marriage certificates, the shipping record for her arrival in Victoria; her husband and daughter's death certificate, thirty years of Victorian Electoral Rolls - she is called Frances. Then at her death in 1934 the newspaper death notice and her death certificate call her Florence. I do not have an explanation for this and in this post, looking at her life, we are going to call her Frances. 

Frances was born in 1845 in Surrey – both Clapham and Lambeth are listed variously as her birth place – to Stephen Stapley, a bricklayer, and his wife Caroline. Caroline’s surname was possibly Jones. Frances had at least three older sisters - Caroline, Eliza and Mary Ann. At the time of Frances’ christening the family was living in the Workhouse in Lambeth, a home for the destitute. (2)  Not an auspicious start in life. 

Baptism record of Frances Stapley, October 5, 1845 - she was listed as Fanny a common diminutive name for Frances. Note their address was the Workhouse. 

Source: London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1924 on Ancestry.com

Her father Stephen died the next year the cause of which, as reported in the London Daily News on May 4, 1846 was That the deceased died from the effects of a large quantity of ardent spirits taken inadvertently. (3) In the 1851 Census, the family is still living in Lambeth, with Caroline earning an income as a laundress. (4)

The Inquest into Stephen Stapley's death

London Daily News on May 4, 1846, p. 8 from newspapers.com

The next we can find of Frances is that in 1875 at the stated age of 28 she married Robert Holmes in Bengal in India. (5) The marriage record notes that she was a widow, although I can find no record of her first marriage. By 1880, Francis and Robert were back in England, living in Hackney in Middlesex and that was the year their daughter Flora Louise was born. The 1881 Census have the family living at 145 Dalston Lane in Hackney with two lodgers, including 24 year old Felix Rickard Werry. Robert's occupation was a Clerk in Compt Works - a clerical role of some description. (6)

Early in 1883 Robert Holmes died at the age of 40 (7) and on September 12th of that year, Frances married her lodger Felix, who was a lithographer. Their marriage certificate lists her age as 36, although she was really 38 – every so often it seems that Frances took a few years off her age! Felix was born in 1855 in Islington in Middlesex to William and Mary Ann (nee Rickard) Werry; William's occupation was a Gasometer Builder. (8)

Frances, Felix and little Flora migrated to Melbourne arriving in February 1885 on the Iberia. They made their home at 50 Clara Street, South Yarra. Sadly, Felix died of phithisis (consumption) at the age of only 32 on December 14, 1886 (9). That year he had exhibited a watercolour landscape at the Victorian Academy of Arts Exhibition. The reviewer from The Age mentioned the work in his report -   Among the more noticeable water colors are a delightful little sketch by Mr. Chas. D. Richardson, entitled Solitude, and a view on the river Lea, near Bronbourne, in England, by Felix Werry. (10)

The 1886 death certificate of Felix Werry. His wife was clearly called Frances and the informant was Henry Stapley step-son

Then tragedy struck again on June 2, 1893 when thirteen year old Flora died of the measles. Felix and Flora are both buried at St Kilda Cemetery; but of interest is that the informant on both certificates is Henry Stapley – noted as Felix’s step-son and Flora’s step-brother. (11) This is another mystery, he presumably must be Frances’ son but I have no other information about him.

Frances married again on May 8, 1897 to 28 year old James Semple Hall, a gardener who was born on January 5, 1870 in Windsor in Melbourne. Her stated age was 48, but she was really 52; the marriage certificate also says that she had five children of whom only one was still living, perhaps the aforementioned Henry. (12)

Frances Werry and James Hall death marriage certificate, 1897. As you can see she signed her name Frances. 

From 1905 Frances and James lived at 30 Malakoff Street, East St Kilda and from 1928 until 1934, they lived six doors down at 18 Malakoff Street. James' occupation was initially listed as a gardener, but from 1912 his occupation was mason's fixer. (13)  A mason fixer will actually travel to a job to both fit and lay already-prepared stone or cladding for buildings (as opposed to a banker mason who cuts the stone into blocks or whatever shapes are required). (14)

Frances died on May 3, 1934, and as we said before the newspaper death notice and the death certificate lists her name as Florence, and not Frances. The death certificate had her age as 84, but she was at least 88 years old; it also notes that she had no issue, but doesn’t tally with the information on her marriage certificate or the fact that we know she was the mother of Henry and  little Flora.  Frances was buried at Brighton General Cemetery as Florence Hall. (15)

Death notice of Frances/Florence Hall

The Argus, May 4, 1934 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10933417

 
James Hall did not remarry after Frances passed away. At the time of his death on August 18, 1943, he was 73 years old and living at 19 Larnook Street, Armadale. (16)  His brother Archibald, a bachelor, had died on July 14, 1920, with the stated age of 49. His address was 48 Chomley Street, Windsor and his occupation was a night porter. (17)  

James and Archibald were the sons of Archibald and Mary Ann (nee Semple) Hall. Archibald and Mary Ann had arrived from Renfrewshire, Scotland in February 1863 with two children, 3 year-old Agnes and one year-old Alexander; they then had seven more children - Robert (1863), Janet (1865), Jessie (1867), James (1870), Jane (1871), Isabella (1873) and Archibald (born on December 18, 1875, which actually only makes him 44 when he died) (18)

Also buried at the Brighton General Cemetery are three other children of Archibald and Mary Ann – Janet, died 5 days old in 1865; Agnes (died 1942) and her husband John Winbanks (died 1924); and Robert Semple Hall (died 1956) and his wife Mary (nee Meader, died 1945). Archibald and Mary Ann are buried at the St Kilda Cemetery. (19)

There is another mystery connected to Frances/Florence and that is that in August 1914 nineteen year old Arthur Hall of 30 Malakoff Street enlisted in the First AIF. He rose to the rank of Lance Corporal and in 1918 he was awarded the Military Medal and two Bars and then was wounded in the August - gun shot wound right leg, femur - and the leg was amputated. He finally returned to Australia in August 1919, five long years since he enlisted as a young man of 19. His next of kin was Frances Hall of the same address. As I cannot find any reference to Arthur’s birth, and Frances would have been 50 at the time of his birth, it appears that Frances and James adopted or fostered him. She is listed as his mother on his death certificate. Arthur died on June 10, 1961 and is buried at the Memorial Park in Cheltenham. (20) I have written more about Arthur and other First World War soldiers with a connection to Malakoff Street, here.

I feel for Frances, who was widowed twice and gave birth to five children, of whom only one it seems survived to adulthood and she deserves credit for looking after Arthur and raising him to be a man who served his country with distinction.

Footnotes:

(1) Brighton Cemetorians database https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/

(2) Ancestry.com - England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth and Death Indexes, 1837-1915; London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1924; England Census from 1841 and 1851.

(3) London Daily News on May 4, 1846, p. 8 from newspapers.com

(4) Ancestry.com - England Census 1851.

(5) Ancestry.com - India Select Marriages, 1792-1948

(6) Ancestry.com - England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth and Death Indexes, 1837-1915; England Census 1881.

(7) Ancestry.com - England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth and Death Indexes, 1837-1915

(8) Ancestry.com - London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1940

(9) Shipping Records Public Records Office of Victoria; Felix's Death certificate. Flora's surname was listed as Werry.

(10) The Age, April 3, 1886, see here.

(11) Flora and Felix's Death certificate. Flora's surname was listed as Werry. 

(12) Frances/James marriage certificate; James Birth certificate.

(13) Ancestry.com- Electoral Rolls

(14) https://mms-stone.com.au/stone-mason/information/what-are-the-different-types-of-stonemason

(15) Frances/Florence death certificate

(16) James' death certificate.

(17) Archibald's death certificate.

(18) Shipping Records Public Records Office of Victoria; Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Archibald Hall's birth certificate.

(19) Brighton Cemetorians database https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/; Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Find a Grave

(20) Arthur Hall – WW1 Enlistment papers at the National Archives of Australia

Joseph Antoine Deneys (1858-1924) of Dimboola

I came across this photograph of J. A. Deneys' store, in Dimboola, on the Museums Victoria website when I was looking for photos for the Lost Country Victoria Facebook page, and as it is a bit of an unusual surname, I thought I would do some research.

 Joseph Deneys with his wife Agnes, son Charles and daughter Elizabeth, c. 1905 outside their store in Dimboola. 

Museums Victoria https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/769750

The store was owned by Joseph Antoine Deneys, who died on December 8, 1924 at the age of 66, so we will start this post with his informative obituary in The Labor Call, to gain some background of his life –

Another Laborite Gone - The sudden passing away of Joseph Antonia De'neys came as a great shock to a large number of his old Victorian acquaintances and comrades. Joe Deneys, as he was familiarly termed, was born in Roubaix, France, and came to Australia in the early eighties. He worked at his trade, as a carpenter at Townsville and Charters Towers for several years. The comrade came to Melbourne in 1890, and then went to Warrnambool, where he followed the calling of his trade. In 1901 he started business as a news agent and tobacconist in Jeparit, and shortly afterwards he opened another similar business in Dimboola. It was through his pushfulness that the "Tocsin" (now the "Labor Call") became fairly well known throughout that part of Victoria. Our old friend had a very fine tenor voice, and he was never known to refuse to sing at any charitable or Labor gathering when asked. We extend our deepest sympathy to his widow and grown-up son and daughter. (1) The obituary has one mistake, Joseph went to Warracknabeal and not Warrnambool.  

As noted in his obituary, Joseph first lived in Queensland and it was there that he married his first wife Elizabeth Ann Ladd Goodliff on January 26, 1889 in Charters Towers. Elizabeth was the daughter of John and Mary (nee Scrivens) Goodliff and had been born in Hackney in London (2). Their daughter, Alice Maud was born on April 15, 1890, but she sadly only lived eleven weeks and died on July 8, 1890 at King Street, Charters Towers. (3) The couple then moved to Victoria where their son Charles was born in 1891 in Warracknabeal. Elizabeth died on July 26, 1898, aged 39, from heart disease and was buried at the Warracknabeal Cemetery. Her death certificate notes that she had been five years in Queensland and seven years in Victoria. (4)

After the death of Elizabeth, Joseph married Agnes Stewart Heatly on November 6, 1901, when she was 34 and he was 43. Their marriage certificate shows that he was 43 year-old storekeeper of Jeparit and Agnes a 34 year-old housekeeper from South Yarra. She had been born at Castlemaine to Charles and Elizabeth (nee McAuslan) Heatly; Charles worked for the Victorian Railways.  On May 23, 1896, Charles who was the Station Master at Hawksburn, was struck by a train whilst he was standing on the tracks between two platforms and died later in hospital; he was buried at St Kilda Cemetery. (5)

Joseph's birth place was listed on the marriage certificate as St Nicholas, Belgium, which differs from the obituary which was Roubaix, France. Roubaix was the name he gave to his house in Melbourne, so this  seems the more likely birth place. His father was Augustin Deneys, a Cabinet maker, and his mother Carlotta Von Mullum. Joseph became a naturalised British Subject in Queensland on October 31, 1887. (6)

I am going off on a tangent here, but the Minister who conducted the Presbyterian service was William Stothert Rolland, the father of the Very Reverend Sir Francis William Rolland - famous in Presbyterian circles for his mission work at the Smith of Dunesk Mission based at Beltana in South Australia and for helping the Reverend John Flynn launch the Australian Inland Mission (and Flynn later established the Royal Flying Doctor Service).  Francis Rolland was also a practical Chaplain with the AIF in World War One serving in Egypt, England and France, where he ministered to the men in the trenches. He was Principal at Geelong College and later the Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia. He also reorganized the training of Deaconesses, and the Deaconness Training College in Carlton was named Rolland House in his honour (where my aunty did her training to become a Deaconess). (7)

Back to Joseph and Agnes - they had two daughters - Elizabeth Ernestine (Bessie) born in 1902 at Jeparit and Angele, born in 1908 at Warracknabeal, who lived only six days. (8) From 1903, the family are listed in the Electoral rolls in Dimboola, where Joseph operated the store, as shown in the image at the start of this post, as well as taking up the profession of a photographer, which his son Charles also practiced (9)

One of Joseph Deneys' photographs - Clearing sale, Dimboola, c. 1910s. 

State Library of Victoria image H2008.27/1

Detail of his signature, on bottom right of the photo above.

State Library of Victoria image H2008.27/1

Joseph was very involved in the community life of Dimboola and surrounding area - a Provincial Grand Master of the Wimmera District Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows; Chairman of the Dimboola Progress Comittee; a member of the Western Wimmera Waterworks Trust; he organised a petition to have part of the Dimboola Shire annexed to the Wimmera Shire and put his name forward for pre-selection for the Labor Party in various elections. (10)

Joseph retired in 1922 and he and Agnes moved to Roubaix, 26 Norwood Road, Caulfield and this is where he died suddenly on December 8, 1924. Agnes continued living at the family home in Caulfield, until her death at a private hospital in Windsor on July 21, 1933. Agnes was well regarded as her five siblings, George, Bertha, Leah, Gilbert and Elsie inserted a lovely notice to their dearly beloved eldest sister after her death. Joseph and Agnes are buried together in the Presbyterian Section at the Brighton General Cemetery. (11)

Before we leave the Deneys well have a look at the lives of their two surviving children, Charles and Elizabeth. Charles married Emma May Forlington in 1912 and they had five children - Kenneth Charles (born 1913), Joseph Harold (1914), Elizabeth (1916), William Harry (1922) and Jack Fortington (?-2014). Charles was a photographer, based in Dimboola until the early 1940s when the Electoral Rolls list them at 139 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. Charles died in 1959, aged 68 and Emma in 1971, aged 79. They were both cremated at Springvale Crematorium and their ashes were interred there. (12).

As we said before, Charles was also a photographer and the State Library of Victoria has some of his photographs, one of which is shown below.

Lochiel Street, Dimboola. Photographer: Charles Deneys

State Library of Victoria image H2019.50/31. See others of Charles photographs here    http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/4181545

Joseph and Agnes' daughter Elizabeth, or Bessie as she was known, married James Frederick Rigby in 1926 and they had two daughters, Leonie and Claire. James was a clerk and the couple lived with Agnes at Roubaix, 26 Norwood Road, Caulfield;  Bessie inherited the property in 1933 after her mother's death. James died on September 13, 1979 aged 79 and Elizabeth on February 1, 1982 aged 79. They were both cremated at Springvale Crematorium and their ashes were interred there. (13)

We will finish this post off with this interesting observation about Joseph Deneys. In 1929, the Horsham Times published an article entitled After Many Years: A Visit to the Old Town, where Nathan F. Spielvogel (14) looked back at his time in Dimboola, which he left in 1905 and where he had been a school teacher, and he noted this about Joseph - Joe Deneys, ever ready to abuse the Capitalist. (15)

Footnotes 

(1) Labour Call, December 18, 1924, see here.
(2) Index to Queensland Births, Deaths and Marriages; information on Elizabeth's death certificate. 

(3) Index to Queensland Births, Deaths and Marriages; death notice of baby Alice - Northern Miner, July 10, 1890, see here.

(4) Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Elizabeth's death certificate.

(5) Deneys/Heatly marriage certificate; I found out about Charles Heatly's accident from - Rigg of the railways: stationmasters of the Victorian railways by Tom Rigg (published by the Author, 2001).  Charles Heatly - report of accident The Age, May 30, 1896, see here and death and funeral notice - The Argus, May 30, 1896, see here. 

(6) Deneys/Heatly marriage certificate. Natauralization - from his Grant of Probate Public Records Office of Victoria https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/46AD1A5B-F1F2-11E9-AE98-2DD3255274EB?image=7

(7) Geelong Grammar website - https://gnet.tgc.vic.edu.au/wiki/ROLLAND-The-Very-Rev-Sir-Francis-William-Kt-CMG-OBE-MC-MA-DD  Australian Dictionary of Biography https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/rolland-sir-francis-william-frank-8261 

(8)  Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages

(9) Electoral Rolls from Ancestry.com 

(10)  Ballarat Star, April 20, 1904, see here; Horsham Times, July 19, 1907, see here; Horsham Times, December 20, 1907, see here; Horsham Times, January 26, 1915, see here; Dimboola Banner, July 14, 1914, see here; Horsham Times, July 21, 1914, see here; Labour Call, July 14, 1921, see here. 

(11) Joseph - short obituary Horsham Times, December 12, 1924, see here; death notice - The Argus, December 9, 1924, see here. Agnes - death notice The Argus, July 22, 1933, see here, short obituary - Horsham Times, July 28, 1933, see here. Brighton Cemetorians database  https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/

(12) Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Electoral Rolls; Jack Deney's death notice   https://www.mytributes.com.au/notice/death-notices/deneys-jack-fortington/4844126/ ; Springvale Botanical Cemetery https://smct.org.au/our-locations/about-springvale-botanical-cemetery

(13) Index to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Springvale Botanical Cemetery https://smct.org.au/our-locations/about-springvale-botanical-cemetery 

Agnes Deneys Probate papers Public Records Office of Victoria  https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/E57EF78F-F576-11E9-AE98-EF468208D602?image=1

(14) Nathan Frederick Spielvogel - Nathan was listed in the Electoral Roll as a school teacher. He died in September 1956 - 

Nathan F. Spielvogel, historian of Ballarat, and former State School teacher, died this morning at his home. He was 84. Mr Spielvogel was prominent in local community life and founded the Ballarat Historical Society. He was the author of several books on travel and early Ballarat history, including the Eureka rebellion. Tomorrow evening, he was to have been elected president of the Historical Society for the 23rd year.  (The Argus, September 11, 1956, see here)

Mr. Nathan Spielvogel, who died this week, at an advanced age, was the very symbol of the old Ballarat Jewish Community. The late Mr. Spielvogel’s family was associated with that community from the very first, almost a century. (Australian Jewish News, September 14, 1956, see here). 

Australian Jewish Herald of September 14, 1956 had a longer obituary, see here.

In the December 14, 1956 issue of the Australian Jewish Herald (see here) there was this note about his work - The Australian Jewish Historical Society’s meeting on Thursday, December 20, will be devoted to an appreciation of the writings of Nathan F. Spielvogel, whose death in September last seemed to close an epoch in the history of the Australian Jewish community. As a teller of tales of Australian Jewish life - the only one of his period - his writings speak and breathe the atmosphere of an era that is fast slipping into the past.

(15) Horsham Times, June 11, 1929, see here

The Murphys of the Wharf Brewery and Kotupna and St Kilda

In 1891 and 1892 there were  newspapers reports on the largest hog farm in Australia - at Monomeith, near Koo Wee Rup. The enterprise was started by James Murphy, and in February 1890 he sold to the Waters - Thomas Beaumont Waters and his son of the same name; with young Thomas managing the business at Monomeith.  The Waters sold out in October 1892 and James Murphy repurchased the property. The Monomeith property was 606 acres on the Yallock Creek, part of Old Monomeith, the property once owned by John Mickle. Murphy had originally purchased the land when the 4,425 acre Monomeith Estate was subdivided and put up for auction on December 17, 1886. I wrote about this on  my Koo Wee Rup Swamp History blog, see here.  

James was the son of John Robert Murphy (1807-1891) and his wife Elizabeth Terry (1812-1882) and this is the family story.

Elizabeth Terry had arrived in Tasmania in October 1819 with her parents John and Martha Terry, who were free settlers, with her ten brothers and sisters and a servant.  She married John Robert Murphy on June 18, 1835 in the parish of New Norfolk in Tasmania. (1)

Marriage of John Murphy and Elizabeth Terry in 1835

Tasmanian Archives https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/RGD36-1-2/RGD36-1-2P213 

Three years after their marriage John and Elizabeth moved to Victoria, where they amassed a large amount of property;  John also established the Wharf Brewery in 1839 with his brother James, at the west end of Flinders Street. The Brewery was sold in 1861 to Albert Terry, Robert Murcutt and Robert Cunningham who owned the Victoria Brewery in Chapel Street, Prahran. (2)  Elizabeth died on April 21, 1882 and John died on August 4, 1891. John left an estate of £250,000, of which £240,000 was in real estate. (3)  John and Elizabeth are buried in a family grave at the Brighton General Cemetery (more of which later).

John Murphy's Wharf Brewery

Murphy's Brewery Offices, Melbourne, 1858. Photographer: Barnett Johnstone.

State Library of Victoria image H27175

This is John’s informative obituary from The Argus of November 28, 1891 -
The granting of probate to the will and codicil of the late John Robert Murphy, of Victoria House, St Kilda Road, on Thursday last, recalls the fact of the death of another of the early pioneers of Victoria. The deceased gentleman had attained the ripe age of 84. He was born in Dublin in the year 1807, and brought up to the business of a brewer. He emigrated to Tasmania in the year 1828, taking with him a not inconsiderable amount of capital, which enabled him under the then existing laws of that colony, to select an acre of land for every pound sterling he possessed. He availed himself of this right, and settled on the banks of the Tamar. In 1838 he crossed Bass's Straits, and on his arrival in what is now Victoria, but was then part of the colony of New South Wales he took up a run in the neighbourhood of Warrnambool, and stocked it with sheep. A pastoral life, however, did not long content him, and in 1839 he came up to Melbourne, where he built a brewery, and established a business which ultimately became the leading brewing business of the colony. He was a most liberal employer of labour, and his relations with those who were engaged with him were always of a cordial character, and his business turned out most successful. With great foresight and a strong reliance on the growing prosperity of Victoria he invested most of his savings in the purchase of city and suburban lands, which all proved to be investments of the first class. In 1850 he practically retired from business and went to Europe with the object of educating his family. He returned to the colony in 1870, and has since resided principally at Victoria House where he died on the 4th August last. He left three sons and four daughters surviving him as well as many grandchildren. Mr Murphy was a member of the Church of England, to the funds of which, as well as to those of several of the charities of the colony, he was a very liberal contributor, and almost in every case anonymously. (4)

As noted before, James, the son of John and Elizabeth, was at one time the owner of the largest Hog Farm in Australia at Monomeith. 

In June 1891 the Warragul Guardian published a two-part article under the headline - The Largest Hog Farm in Australia. Parts of the reports are reproduced here.
The largest pig breeding establishment in Australia is situated about a couple of miles from the Monomeith railway station in Gippsland, and is only 48 miles from Melbourne. Pig breeding and fattening on an extensive scale was started here some four years ago by Mr. Murphy, who continued long enough in the business to discover that the handsome profits which he had worked out on paper were not so easily realised in practice. Mr. Murphy was possessed of independent means, however, and although the neighbors alleged that he was more theoretical than practical in his knowledge of pigs, he must be credited with having formulated a system for breeding and fattening them on a large scale that may be taken as a model and guide in many respects by even the most experienced farmers.

He certainly spared no expense in adapting the farm to the purpose required, and if he found the system less profitable than he anticipated, the fault must have been in the management and not in the scheme itself. In any case Mr. Murphy, who from the first went into pig keeping as a hobby more than mere profit, and never gave the business the close personal attention it required, sold out after two years' experience to Messrs. Waters and Son, from the Wodonga district. (5)

In April 1892, The Australasian published another article on the farm and included these references to James Murphy - Mr. Murphy, besides erecting miles of pig-proof fencing, built many substantial pig-sties, with the necessary offices for storing and cooking the food for the pigs. An abundance of water is obtained from a well, and raised by a wind-mill pump to tanks, whence it is distributed to where it is required….All the fences I saw on Old Monomeith were made pig-proof by the addition of a strong wire netting with a 4in. mesh. Of this netting there are 10 miles put up on the property. It was imported by Mr. Murphy for the purpose of making pig-proof fences, and cost, landed in Melbourne, £33 per ton. (6)

James Murphy in 1872

Photographer: Thomas Foster Chuck. 

From the collection - The explorers and early colonists of Victoria. 

State Library of Victoria image H5056/626

James was born in 1843 in Victoria. On May 22, 1867, when he was 24, he married 18 year-old Margaret Fraser at her parent’s house at Tallygaroopna.  James' occupation was a Squatter, and his father's occupation was a Brewer; James’ address at the time of his marriage was Kotupna Station, which is east of Echuca. Margaret was the daughter of William and Mary (nee McIntosh) Fraser and William’s occupation on the couple’s wedding certificate was in common with his new son-in-law also a Squatter. (7)  

James and Margaret had five children. The first child, James Kotupna Murphy, was born in St Kilda on November 15, 1868, obviously named in honour of the family property. He trained as a solicitor and barrister and died on June 10,  1910 in England. (8)  

There were two other sons -  John Robert, who sadly committed suicide at his home in Balaclava Road, Caulfield on April 29, 1925 aged 55. The Herald had this short obituary -

News of the death of Mr. John Robert Murphy at Caulfield has been received with deep regret by those who knew him. Mr. Murphy used to race under the name of "J. M. Roberts," and owned such noted performers as Harpist, Orient, Blitz; Keyless, Nantuckett and Cornquist. He had been an invalid for several years. His Inquest found he had been suffering great pain, owing to advance stage of consumption. He left a  wife Josephine and at least one one child (9).  

The other son was William, who was born August 15, 1871; he tragically also committed suicide on October 7, 1928 at his house in Toward Street, Murrumbeena, where he lived with his wife Janet. He was 57 years of age and his Inquest noted he had been suffering from depression due to ill health and had threatened to take his life on other occasions. (10)  

James and Margaret's daughter, Margaret May, was born on March 26, 1873 at Kotupna. She married George Wilson Paxton on  March 29, 1899 at Christ Church St Kilda. Table Talk had this interesting report of the wedding - 

Yesterday (Wednesday) the nuptials of Miss Margaret Murphy, daughter of Mrs. Murphy, "Marina," Beaconsfield Parade, St. Kilda, with a George Selby Paxton, a well-known Melbourne bachelor and a member of a prominent family of South Yarra, were celebrated without any particular flourish of trumpets at St. Kilda. The bride is a tall, smart unaffected girl, who dresses simply; in fact, I have seldom seen her in any me but the tailor-made coat and skirt, and gem sailor. Mr. Paxton, too, shows a contempt for dandyism in his own person. In his case the fine feathers are not indispensable to the creation of a fine bird. The marriage of such a popular couple would have created some interest had they not taken the precaution to have it made known that they were opposed to ostentation, to the jingling of the wedding bells and the inevitable orange blossom parade.  The couple had one child, James, born in 1900. (11)

The following two notices published in The Argus on the same day, shows the sad reality of life for women in the past - the birth of a baby followed quickly by the death of the mother, in this case the birth of James and Margaret's fifth child on March 5, 1874 and Margaret's death on March 11, six days later. (12)

Sad family notices.

The Argus, March 20, 1874  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5866272

As the articles noted, for James Murphy the Monomeith property was a hobby, as he lived with his family at Marina, Beaconsfield Parade, in St Kilda. Marina was listed in the St Kilda Council Rate Books as being of 17 rooms; it was next to the Beaconsfield Hotel, which is on the corner of Cowderoy Street (13). James died in London on May 1, 1896, aged 53.  His probate papers list an estate of £83,000 which included real estate valued at £37,500, including the Monomeith land valued at £4,215 and the Marina property at £5,000. (14)

James is buried in the Murphy Family grave at the Brighton General Cemetery, along with his parents John and Elizabeth Murphy. Also in the grave are James' two sisters, Mary Martha, who died in 1925 aged 87 and Elizabeth, who died in 1932, aged 83.  As well, James' son William is also buried in the grave. James' other son John, who died in 1925 is buried in a separate grave at the same Cemetery with his wife Josephine. James' daughter, Margaret Paxton, who died on August 6, 1960 aged 87, was cremated at Springvale Crematorium. (15)

Marriage announcement of James Murphy and Jane Balcombe

The Argus, August 27, 1878 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5945802

After the death of his wife Margaret, James married for the second time on August 22, 1878 to 30 year-old Jane Emma Balcombe. At the time he was living in Terridgerie in the Coonamble / Coonabarabran region in New South Wales.  Jane was a Balcombe from The Briars, in Mornington, the daughter of Alexander and Emma (nee Reid) Balcombe. Her father, Alexander, was born on the island of St Helena, and his father William was a purveyor to Napoleon’s household, when he was in exile on the Island. Alexander was one of the earliest European land-owners on the Mornington Peninsula. Jane and James had the one son - Alexander Balcombe Murphy who was born in St Kilda on July 12, 1880. Jane Emma Murphy died September 23, 1924, aged 79, at her childhood home, The Briars. She is buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery. Her son Alexander was left a life interest in The Briars, which was then situated on 1,100 acres. (16)

Alexander married Gena Thompson in 1918; he died on October 29, 1935, aged 55 and The Argus had this short obituary - 

The death of Mr. Alexander Balcombe Murphy occurred yesterday at his home, The Briars, Mornington. Mr. Murphy, whose family had occupied The Briars for 90 years, was a well-known pastoralist of the district. He was aged 55 years, and was a grandson of John Robert Murphy, formerly of Victoria House, St. Kilda road, and also of Alexander Beatson Balcombe, both of whom were well-known early pioneers of Victoria. Mr. Murphy served with the Lincoln regiment in the Great War, and he was wounded severely at Suvla Bay. A widow and three daughters survive him. The funeral will leave the residence of his sister, Mrs. George Paxton, Orrong road, Toorak, at 2.30 p.m. to-day, for the Melbourne Crematorium, Fawkner.  (17)   Alexander's ashes are interred in the Murphy family grave at Brighton General Cemetery

Footnotes

(1) Terry family arrival in Tasmania  https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON13-1-1/CON13-1-1P250 and Murphy/Terry marriage https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/RGD36-1-2/RGD36-1-2P213 

(2) Deutsher, Keith M. The Breweries of Australia: a history (Lothian, 1999), p. 157.

(3) Elizabeth death notice - The Argus, April 24, 1882, see here; John death notice - The Age, August 5, 1891, see here;  Contents of will - The Australasian, November 28, 1891, see here.

(4) The Argus, November 28, 1891, see here.

(5) Warragul Guardian, June 12, 1891, see here and the Warragul Guardian, June 19, 1891, see here.

(6) The Australasian, April 2, 1892, see here.

(7) Murphy/Fraser Marriage certificate.

(8) James Kotupna Murphy birth notice - The Argus, November 19, 1868, see here; Nathalia Herald, April 10, 1896, see here; Probate Papers, Public Records Office of Victoria   https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/5E68B5AF-F1F6-11E9-AE98-9377D93F101B?image=1  His executors were his brothers William and Alexander - The Argus, August 19, 1910, see here.

(9) John Murphy - I cannot find any trace of his birth date or place. Obituary - The Herald, April 30, 1925, see here;  His Inquest at the Public Records Office of Victoria https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/8F59A43F-F1B2-11E9-AE98-51825D6727C5?image=1 and Probate papers 

https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/E1C822C1-F1F2-11E9-AE98-95E8718B3C77?image=1  Report - The Herald, May 6, 1925, see here.

(10) William Murphy - Birth date - Brighton Cemetorians database - https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/ 

His Inquest at the Public Records Office of Victoria - https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/1CF3A469-F1B3-11E9-AE98-630D9F22D93C?image=1  and Will and Probate papers https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/DCC4C707-F56B-11E9-AE98-DB7D572610E7?image=1 Report - The Age, October 8, 1928, see here.

(11) Margaret May birth - The Argus, April 2, 1873, see here; marriage report - Table Talk, March 31, 1899, see here; other wedding reports - The Australasian, April 15, 1899, see here and Prahran Telegraph, April 8, 1899, see here; death notice The Age, August 9, 1960, p.16.

(12) Notices - The Argus, March 20, 1874, see here;  Another death notice for  Margaret, which lists her father - North Eastern Ensign, March 24 1874,  see here

(13) Rate book on Ancestry.com; Sands McDougall Directories.

(14) James Murphy - Probate papers at the Public Records Office of Victoria  https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/49AB6496-F1E3-11E9-AE98-49BFDCE7E54B?image=1; James Murphy - family and estate information - The Australian Star, December 26, 1896, see here

(15) Brighton Cemetorians database https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/. Margaret Paxton death notice -The Age, August 9, 1960, p.16.

(16) Murphy/Balcombe marriage certificate; Murphy/Balcombe wedding notice - The Argus, August 26, 1878, see here; Alexander Murphy's Birth certificate;  Jane Emma Murphy death notice - The Argus, September 24, 1924, see here and  her Obituary Frankston & Somerville Standard, September 26, 1924, see here;  Jane Murphy's Will at the Public Records Office of Victoria https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/0D1AA1AD-F562-11E9-AE98-FD384DDD5A9F?image=1

 Alexander Balcombe entry – Australian Dictionary of Biography - https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/balcombe-alexander-beatson-2922; 

(17) Alexander Balcombe Murphy - engagement notice  - Punch, August 22, 1918, see here [I can't find the exact date of the wedding];  death notice - The Age, October 30, 1935, see here and obituary The Argus, October 30, 1935, see here.