Alden family of 'Little London', Tyabb

This delightful postcard of the Queen Victoria Memorial Gardens in Melbourne was sent to Mrs Alden, of 'Little London', Tyabb on August 5, 1913 from Mary Buckley.

Mary wrote - Dear Mrs Alden,

We arrived safe here. Uncle Jack met us at the station. We got here at ten past seven. We are just going out to look for work. I wonder how we shall get on? I don't think work and I will agree, somehow, after the pleasant time at Little London. I give my love to all, 

Yours affectionately, 

Mary Buckley

The Alden family settled in Tyabb in 1901. The family consisted of Albert, his wife Mary (nee Newcombe) and children Albert Allen, known as Bert and Ivy Mary. We are fortunate that Albert Alden was interviewed in the Weekly Times in 1913 (1), 1918 (2)  and 1933 (3) , so we have some interesting sources of information about the family.   Mr Alden had been on a family farm with his father and brothers at Surrey, 7½ miles from London Bridge. The farm grew both fruit and vegetables and twice  a week Albert took the produce into Covent Garden market.  However, due to the ill health of family members Albert and Mary decided to sell their interest in the family farm and move to Australia.

They purchased 150 acres at Tyabb, and called their property, Little London. The land was situated on a nice elevation within a mile of the Tyabb railway station.  The soil consisted of from 12 to 18 inches of friable loam on a substrata of congenial clay (4).  They paid just over £6 and acre for the land which had nine acres of apricot trees planted and the rest was was covered in tree and scrub.  The Aldens spent another £5 per acre to clear 60 acres to establish the orchard (5). It is hard to imagine Tyabb now in a state of natural bush with the original wildlife, but there was an account in the Mornington Standard in May 1902 of Mr Alden's encounter with this wildlife - Some little time ago Mr Alden secured a splendid specimen of iguana, which measured 6ft 3½ in length and 18in in girth. Having captured it in his own paddock he is justly proud of it, and it is now stuffed and preserved in all its naturalness (6).  I wonder what became of this example of the taxidermist's art?

Orchards, of course, take  a long time to establish themselves, thus in the early years the family grew vegetables for an income.  By 1913, the first interview in the Weekly Times, the Aldens were exporting 2,500 cases of fruit, mainly apples and sending another 500 cases to the Melbourne and interstate markets. Twenty years later, in 1933, it was reported that the Aldens during the past season, 3760 cases having been sent abroad, of which more than 3000 cases were apples of the Jonathan, Five Crown, Dunn's (or Munroe's Favorite) and Sturmer varieties, and the remainder Josephine, Packham's Triumph and Broompark pears (7). The Aldens were not the only orchardists who exported their fruit. Fresh produce was a large export earner for Australia at this time, the 1934 Commonwealth Year book reported that in 1932/33 the value of the fresh apples Australia exported to the United Kingdom was £1,676,525; to Germany it was £169, 631 and to Sweden £28,540 (8).

The Tyabb and Somerville area was well known fruit growing area and in the Weekly Times article from 1933 they reported There are about 125 growers within a three-miles radius of that centre [Tyabb], and the latest crop is estimated at 140,000 cases, of which approximately 85 per cent, was apples. Deliveries at the Tyabb co-operative trading and cool stores totalled 56,000 cases (9).

Tyabb Cool Store, c. 1915,  used by the Aldens and other local growers.
The cool store was officially opened April 21, 1914. It is now an Antiques centre.

Image: Somerville Tyabb and District Heritage Society

https://cv.vic.gov.au/stories/a-diverse-state/postcards-stories-from-the-mornington-peninsula/

The three Weekly Times articles go into great detail about the varieties planted and the farming methods adopted by the Aldens, but we wont go into that here, we will have a look at their personal and social life. From the start there are accounts in the local papers of the Alden family partaking in community activities. By 1904, Albert was the President of the Tyabb and Hastings Fruitgrowers Association (10) and in August 1911 he was elected to the Frankston and Hastings Shire Council, defeating the Shire President, Cr H.P. Woodhouse in a surprise result (11).  Arthur was Shire President in 1917 and 1929 (12) and he retired from the Council in 1938. This was the same year his wife Mary died on August 19, at the age of 80.  The local paper reported that Mrs. Alden was an old resident of the district, and was held in high esteem by a large circle of friends (13).  Arthur died June 1, 1951, aged 88.

Their daughter, Ivy Mary had married Arthur Edward Benton, of Clifton Park, Tyabb on September 23, 1915 at All Saints Church at Tyabb. It was a very pretty wedding and the church was beautifully decorated with white roses, double white stocks, lilies and marguerites, and, as the occasion was
favored with beautifully fine weather, a large assembly of relatives and friends turned out to witness the ceremony. The bride was given away by her father and was beautifully attired in white silk, orange blossom wreath, and veil, and carried a shower bouquet of white roses, double white stocks and asparagus fern (14). Arthur was also a farmer and an orchardist and the couple had five children, George, Irene, Len, Edna and Myrtle (15).  Ivy Mary died on June 25, 1962, aged 69.

Arthur and Mary's son, Bert, who was also an orchardist, became a local councillor when he was elected in September 1942. He had married Ruth Unthank (nee Foubister), a widow with one son, Eric, in 1937 (16).  Bert died December 7, 1966 aged 75.  Arthur, Mary, Bert and Ivy Mary are all buried at the Frankston Cemetery (17).

What do we know of Mary Buckley, who sent the original postcard to Mrs Alden after her pleasant time at Little London? Nothing, but I hope that she eventually found work which agreed with her.

Trove list: I have created a list of articles on Trove, connected to the Alden family, you can access it here.

Sources:
(1) Weekly Times April 19, 1913, see here.
(2) Weekly Times December 14, 1918, see here.
(3) Weekly Times September 16, 1933, see here.
(4) Weekly Times April 19, 1913, see here.
(5) Weekly Times April 19, 1913, see here.
(6) Mornington Standard March 10, 1902, see here.
(7) Weekly Times September 16, 1933, see here.
(8) Commonwealth Year Book, 1934.  Copies of the Year book have been digitised from 1908 to 2010 and are available on the Australian Bureau of Statistics website, here.
(9) Weekly Times September 16, 1933, see here.
(10) Mornington Standard, October 22, 1904, see here.
(11) Mornington Standard, August 26, 1911, see here.
(12) Frankston: Resort to City by Michael Jones (Allen & Unwin, 1989)
(13) Frankston & Somerville Standard, August 26, 1938, see here.
(14) Mornington Standard, October 9, 1915, see here.
(15) Children are listed in Arthur's death notice in The Argus of June 12, 1945, see here.
(16) Ruth's first husband Gordon Percy Unthank died July 22, 1932. His death notice was in The Argus July 23, 1932, see here.
(17) Frankston Cemetery has some on-line records  and there are also photos of Albert and Mary's grave; Bert and Ruth's grave and Ivy and Arthur Benton's grave    https://www.australiancemeteries.com.au/vic/frankston/frankston.htm

Discoverers of Port Phillip monument, Sims Street, Footscray

I came across the following in the 1957 book  Peeps into the Past: a book of  Melbourne  Curiosities by  Mary Maxwell (1) -  Remembered yesterday and forgotten today - that is the fate of an obelisk standing  a few yards off the Melbourne Road near the Footscray Swing bridge. Erected by  a patriotic group about  a quarter of  a century ago (the actual date of the unveiling and by whom are obscure) to mark the original junction of the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers, discovered by Charles Edward Grimes in 1803 and rediscovered by Batman in 1835, few people today are aware of its existence. The land was presented to the Old Pioneers' Memorial Fund by the Melbourne Harbour Trust as a site for an historic marking; the memorial was officially unveiled on Sunday, November 23, 1941. Details of a well-known ship which sailed Port Phillip Bay in those days may be found on the back of the monument.

The Discoverers of Port Phillip monument, Sims Street

Photo: Isaac Hermann February 2020

The memorial is in Sims Street, just where it passes under Footscray Road, and was erected in this location to mark the original junction of the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers. The route of the Yarra was altered by the construction of the Coode Canal (2) in 1886 and  you can see the original route of the Yarra in this map, taken from a 1938 Street Directory, below.

The memorial is just south of Sims Street and the 'new Melbourne and Footscray Road' intersection. You can see the old course of the Yarra - it says 'river practically abolished'

Morgan's Official Street Directory, 1938 21st edition

State Library of Victoria  http://digital.slv.vic.gov.au/R/?func=collections&collection_id=2982

The monument has two inscriptions    -

This monument has been erected to mark the original junction of the Yarra and the Maribyrnong Rivers which was near this spot. These rivers were originally discovered by Charles Howard Grimes in February 1803 and refound by John Batman in June 1835.

Photo: Isaac Hermann February 2020

Port Phillip was discovered by John Murray in the Lady Nelson in February 1802. The first vessel in Hobson's Bay was the Cumberland with Grimes the Surveyor. The first man o'war was the Calcutta at the end of the same year 1802. The first vessel to ascend the Yarra was John P. Fawkner's Enterprise.

Photo: Isaac Hermann February 2020

Miss Maxwell lists the date of the unveiling as November 23, 1941, in spite of the fact that she said the actual date of the unveiling and the by whom is obscure but never mind. I have found some newspaper reports of the unveiling and who attended the ceremony.

The memorial was unveiled by Mr A. D. MacKenzie, the Chairman of the Harbour Trust Commissioners, whilst the Hyde Street State School band sang Rule Britannia. The Argus reported on the unveiling - Mr Mackenzie said one of the first works carried out in Port Phillip was a wharf built by Capt. George Ward Cole. Mr Isaac Selby, secretary Old Pioneers' Memorial Fund, had wanted a site near the confluence of the Maribyrnong and Yarra rivers for the memorial, but port authorities had to visualise what the port was going to be 100 years hence. Eventually a new dock would be placed in that position, so the trust had found the present site for the memorial, where it was hoped it would be able to remain for ever. Mr Selby said the memorial was due to the generosity of Mr Allan Tye. Mr. Selby suggested that Mr. Mackenzie might make available an area of land round the memorial which might appropriately be named Rebecca Park, after Batman's little vessel. (3)

Mr Augustus Wolskel, President of the Victorian Historical Society; Mr John Gent; William Jacka, Mayor of the City of Footscray; Mr E. W. Mylrea and Miss Helen Baillie, Vice President of the Aboriginal Advancement League also are reported to have spoken (4).  The memorial was, as reported, donated by Allen Tye.

The memorial when it was first erected, you can see it is sitting on a base. I don't know when that was removed. 

The Age November 22, 1941 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/209807009?

We will have a look at the people listed above who were involved with the Memorial.
Helen Baillie   I was amazed that not only was a woman invited to speak but that she would have given a  speech with an Indigenous viewpoint (although Helen Baillie was not Indigenous). Helen Elizabeth Jacqueline Baillie was born February 17, 1893  to William and Mary (nee Fellows) Baillie. The birth was registered in Kettering, Northamptonshire. The family migrated to Australia and after finishing school in Melbourne, she undertook nurse training at the Essex County Hospital at Colchester from 1917 to 1920. From September 1921 Helen undertook a years training at the City of London Maternity Hospital (5).

Interesting insight into Helen Baillie's personality and work ethic from the UK & Ireland, Queen's Nursing Institute Roll of Nurses, 1891-1931 - Roll of Queen´s Nurses, Vol 29 (1922 - 1923) from Ancestry.

Helen returned to Australia in the 1930s and  it was during her sea journey that she became enthralled by the work of Mary Bennett, an internationally renowned activist on behalf of Australian Aboriginal people. In 1932, Baillie formed the Victorian Aboriginal Fellowship Group and became their Honorary Secretary. In 1933 she also became involved with the Victorian Aboriginal Group; a group with similar objectives to the Fellowship.  (The Australian Women's Register, see here) 

Helen Baillie became a member of other activist groups, including the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and the Council for Aboriginal Rights. In addition, Miss Baillie volunteered as a nurse for the Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War and also worked for the Spanish Relief Committee in Melbourne.  Miss Baillie died in 1970 at the age of 77. You can read more about Helen Baillie's life of Indigenous activism here on the City of Stonnington website.

John Gent  Town Clerk of the City of Footscray for 29 years. He was appointed in 1917 and retired in 1946. He died in 1966 at the age of 90 (6).

William Jacka  Mayor of the City of Footscray. Cr Jacka was the brother of Albert Jacka, V.C. Albert Jacka was also a Mayor of the City of St Kilda, and the first Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross medal in the First World War (read about him, here). William Jacka died in 1979, aged 81. The Jacka brothers grew up in Wedderburn, you can read more of their life in that town here.

A.D (Aubrey Duncan) Mackenzie  (1895-1962).  Civil engineer and Chairman of the Melbourne Harbour Trust. Read his Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, here.

Ernest Wallace Mylrea  Primary School teacher who was at one time at the Hyde Street State School in Footscray. He formed the Hyde Street School band. Mr Mylrea died August 19, 1943 at the age of 71 (7).

Isaac Selby  Secretary of the Old Pioneers Memorial Fund which promoted the study of history. He also led a campaign to save the Old Melbourne Cemetery from destruction and in 1924 wrote the book The Old Pioneers' Memorial History of Melbourne. You can read more about Isaac Selby's colourful life in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, here.

Augustus Woskel   Founded and was the first General Manager of the Phosphate Co-operative Company of Australia. He was also a keen historian, involved with the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and President from 1938 until 1942.  He died December 20, 1949 at the age of 82 (8).

Allen Tye  The memorial was donated by Allen Tye. Allen and his brother George, came to Australia from Canada in 1886. They established a company called Messrs Tye and Coy, Proprietary Limited whose big emporiums for the distribution of furniture, vehicles, motorcars etc., are distributed over the city and the principal suburbs (9).  Allen married Cecelia Sullivan in 1894 and they had no children. Allen died on January 16, 1948 at the age of 85 (10).

There is a later edition to the monument - a plaque erected in 1995. It reads - Historical  note 1995 -  When this monument was erected in 1941 it was believed that HMS Calcutta took on fresh water from the Yarra in November 1803. The Calcutta's log indicates that the ship only came as far north as Frankston, and took water from Kananook Creek.The first Man 'o War to enter Hobsons Bay was HMS Rattlesnake (Capt W. Hobson) on  29 September 1836.

1995 plaque, a later edition to the monument.

Photo: Isaac Hermann, February 2020

Acknowledgement - 
My fellow historian, Isaac Hermann, and I wanted to take some photographs of  the memorial. We drove down Sims Street, couldn't see it, drove back up and there it was in a small reserve, currently fenced off due to some infrastructure project. That was disappointing as I thought we would not get any good photos, however lucky for me Isaac decided to climb the fence, strictly in the interests of historical research, and the image (left) shows the difficulties he faced in taking the photos. Thanks, Isaac.

Trove list: 
I have created a list on Trove of articles and websites relating to the monument and people connected with it. You can access it here.

Sources:
(1) Peeps into the Past: a book of  Melbourne  Curiosities by  Mary Maxwell (Heinemann 1957, republished in 1960)
(2) Engineering Heritage Victoria history of the Coode Canal, see here.
(3) The Argus November 24, 1941, see here.
(4) Reports of who would be speaking or who did speak at the unveiling were in The Age, November 20, 1941, see here and The Argus November 24, 1941, see here.
(5) This information on Helen Baillie came from Ancestry - English Civil Registration Birth Index, UK and Ireland Nursing Registers and UK & Ireland, Queen's Nursing Institute Roll of Nurses, 1891-1931
(6) The Age April 2, 1946, see here.
(7) Williamstown Chronicle, August 27, 1943, see here.
(8) Encyclopedia of Australian Science, see here.
(9) The Herald, December 12, 1904, see here.
(10) Marriage and death notices published in various newspapers, they are in my Trove list, see here. Cecelia Tye died July 23, 1947.  I had originally thought that Allen Tye (1863-1948) was married to Carlotta Cadusch, but it was his nephew Allen Charles Tye (1891-1972) who was married to Carlotta. The Carlotta Tye Memorial Church in Selby was erected as a memorial to Carlotta by Allen. Allen was the son of Allen's brother George (1865-1934) who co-established Messrs Tye and Coy, Proprietary Limited. I am grateful to Lynne Bradley and Eileen Durdin of the Narre Warren & District Family History Group for clearing up the Tye family history. 

Mrs Julia Benjamin's Labor Office

This post, like others in this blog, started with a photo that I came across to put on the Lost Melbourne Facebook page - it's this great photo of  a row of horse and carts outside the Cobb & Co. coach office in Bourke Street in Melbourne. This area is now the Bourke Street Mall. The line-up of carts, the Cobb & Co coach lantern on the left and the Royal Mail Hotel which was established in the 1840s are all interesting. Then I noticed, at 62 Bourke Street,  Mrs Benjamin's Male and Female Labor Office - with the two signs - Employers  not charged until suited and Town & Country Orders supplied. I wondered who Mrs Benjamin was and this is what I found out.

 Bourke Street, Melbourne, south side between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets, looking east, 

Dec. 17 or 18, 1860.

State Library of Victoria Image H3044

We first meet Mrs Benjamim when she places advertisements in The Argus in January 1857. She has  a large and eligible selection of first-class Domestics, Housemaids, Cooks, Laundresses, Parlor and Nurse Maids, Needlewomen, Monthly women etc. She will also give satisfaction to employers and employed.

Mrs Benjamin's advertisement

The Argus  January 24, 1857 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article7143573

Mrs Benjamin was a regular advertiser in the papers and initially was located in Collins Street, but in 1860, the year the photo was taken, Mrs Benjamin moved to 62 Bourke Street.

Mrs Benjamin moves to Bourke Street

The Argus August 30, 1860 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5688901

It would appear that operating a Labor Office was  a very equal opportunity business as the paper has other advertisements from women operating the same type of business. In February 1860, The Argus had advertisements from not only Mrs Benjamin but Mrs Elderton, Mrs Main, Mrs Krom, Mrs Horn, Mrs McCormack, Mrs Byrne and Miss Currie (1).  Providing servants and other staff was a booming business in the Colony however at times employers railed against the type of person migrating to Victoria - loose London girls, or half-decayed male paupers were not suitable as servants, especially in rural areas (2).

One man wrote to the paper and said that he paid good wages  My wages are - man, £65; cook, £35; laundress £30; housemaid, £30; nurse, £25; under nurse £20. So you see I am not niggardly, every servant has a separate room, which is comfortably fitted up. The nurses, of course, sleep in the small children's rooms. However, he found that some servants were untrained, untidy, unsystematic and lazy (3).  In 1867, a letter to the paper said that - It is often said that a good servant is a treasure. This is quite true ; but, unfortunately, these treasures are, like angels visits, few and far between. The race seems to be rapidly dying out. In former times it used to be a master and a servant's boast that they had lived together for so many years ; and it was not unusual for generation after generation of servants to remain in the same families. But all this is changed now. The truth is that servants, especially female ones, fancy themselves above their position. In their own minds they think they are as good as their mistresses, if not better, and try to ape them in their dress and manners (4).

In 1859, Mrs Benjamin had some publicity in the papers when the talented Irish actress, Ellen Mortyn, died at her house. Miss Mortyn had been playing at the Theatre Royal in Melbourne and  three weeks before she died she had a rupture of  a blood vessel. Then on June 23 at five minutes to six o'clock she died in the house of Mrs Benjamin, the proprietress of a labor mart in Collins street. The cause of death was hemoptysis (coughing up of blood) and pthisis (pulmonary tuberculosis) (5).  Mrs Benjamin gave evidence that Miss Mortyn had lodged in my house in Collins Street. She had been with me for about ten months (6).

In 1861, the newspapers reported on a court case involving Mrs Benjamin and listed her first name as Julia, the first time I came across her given name. I later found she also listed herself as Julia in the 1865 Sands and McDougall Directory. The State Library of Victoria have digitised every fifth edition of these directories (1860, 1865, 1870 etc).

Mrs Benjamin's entry, 1860. 

Sands, Kenny & Co 's Commercial and General Melbourne Directory for 1860. 

State Library of Victoria https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/popular-digitised-collections

Mrs Benjamin's entry, 1865.

Sands and McDougall Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1865.

State Library of Victoria https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/popular-digitised-collections

Mrs Benjamin was charged with obtaining money under false pretences and the case was heard at the City Police Court in September 1861.  Mary O'Callaghan had paid Mrs Benjamin five shillings to obtain a job as a barmaid. She then paid her another 30 shillings which would be used to send her to the job at Beechworth at a hotel owned by a Mr Marshall. When Mary asked for a written contract, Mrs Benjamin kept putting her off. When Mary made enquiries she was told that no such person had a hotel in Beechworth, so Mary decided not to go. Evidence was given that a Mr Marshall had a hotel in Rutherglen and he had apparently used Mrs Benjamin's services before  and he needed to as the place was a good one for young girls to get married...seven or eight [had] married from the place.  In the end the Court dismissed the case against Mrs Benjamin, but said that she should return the 30 shillings, which she hadn't done and that Mary O'Callaghan should sue for her money in the other court.  This appears to me to have been an unsatisfactory outcome for Mary O'Callaghan (7).

Whether it was this court case or the trouble with supplying the right type of servant, by 1870 Mrs  Benjamin had changed the focus of her business and according to the Sands and McDougall Directory, she became a  a stay and corset maker although she still had  a 'servants' registry.'

Mrs Benjamin has a new career as a stay and corset maker.

Sands and McDougall Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1870.

State Library of Victoria https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/popular-digitised-collections

However, by 1875 Mrs Benjamin's business concentrated solely on stay making. 

Sands and McDougall Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1875.

State Library of Victoria https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/popular-digitised-collections

 

Sands and McDougall Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1880.

State Library of Victoria https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/popular-digitised-collections

I wanted to find some information about Mrs Benjamin's family life. There are two women named Julia Benjamin who died in Victoria between 1850 and 1920 - one was from Dimboola and the other from St Kilda (8).  I felt the St Kilda Julia was the most likely one, so I concentrated my research on her. 

Julia Benjamin was married to Benjamin Benjamin (not the Benjamin Benjamin who was Lord Mayor of Melbourne, received a Knighthood and was a member of the Legislative Council,  read about him here) - it was another Benjamin Benjamin.  Our Benjamin died July 21, 1889 at his house 23 Dalgety Street in St Kilda at the age of 63 (born c. 1826). His death certificate said he had been in the Colony of Victoria for 37 years, which is from 1852, that he had been married in London to Julia Marks. Their marriage was registered in last quarter of 1847 (9). Julia's death certificate says she died May 13, 1897 at the age of 72, born c. 1825,  and she had been in Victoria about 40 years (it was more likely 45 years.)  They are both buried at the St Kilda cemetery. 

Benjamin and Julia Benjamin's headstone on their grave at the St Kilda Cemetery. 

The headstone has lovely tributes to Benjamin and Julia -

Benjamin - a kind husband, an affectionate father and esteemed by all who knew him

Julia - an affectionate wife, a good and loving mother.

Photo: Isaac Hermann.

There were six children listed on the certificates (ages are from Julia's 1897 death certificate) -  Henry (47 years old), Rachael (46), Mark (45), Lizzie (43, listed as Elizabeth on Benjamin's certificate), Sarah (41) and Nelly (38, listed as Helen on Benjamin's  certificate). There was also another daughter between Sarah and Nelly - Caroline born in 1857 - but for some reason she is not listed on either parent's certificate (10).

When Julia died her assets according to her will included a house in Bond Street in Collingwood - described for Probate purposes as a six roomed brick house, building very much out of repair and scarcely habitable. It was valued at £170. She also had around £550 in debentures and money. Julia also had a third interest in the estate of her late husband, who had died without a will, this was a block of land in Smith Street in Collingwood, valued at £66 (11).

I still wondered if I had the right Julia Benjamin until I came across this listing (below) in the 1885 Sands McDougall Directory for Misses L. & N. Benjamin - anatomical and surgical belt, brace and prize stay makers - Lizzie and Nelly - following their mother's career as a stay maker. When I looked for advertisements in the newspapers they had been advertising their business since 1881.

Mrs Benjamin's daughters, Lizzie and Nelly, continue the family business.

Sands and McDougall Melbourne and Suburban Directory for 1885.

State Library of Victoria https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/popular-digitised-collections

Of the other children, Rachael married Albert Levi in 1869 and they lived  at Tranmere, 50 Dalgety Street in St Kilda. Their  family donated a summer house to the St Kilda Botanical Gardens in memory of their parents in 1928 (12)  and it was erected the next year. Their son, Joseph, was Mayor of St Kilda in 1924/1925. Rachael died in 1928.

Left: The summer house donated by the family of Rachael and Albert Levi at the St Kilda gardens. Photo: Isaac Hermann.

Sarah married Solomon Mirls, locomotive superintendent at the Victorian Railway who died in 1889 (13) and  she then married  Fredrick Blacker in 1894, and she died in 1930.

Lizzie married Albert Gordon in 1891 and died in 1926. Mark married Ellen Myers in 1904. He died November 12 1919, aged 65. There are no children listed in the death notice. A year later his wife Ellen and his sister Rachael placed In Memoriam notices in The Argus (14).  I have no other information about Henry and Nelly.


Left: The plaque from the Levi family summer house.
Photo: Isaac Hermann.

In the 1851 English Census (15) Benjamin's occupation is listed as a Clerk. When he died his occupation was listed as gentleman.  On Julia's death certificate she had no occupation listed even though she was an established entrepreneur and business woman, in a time when many women's lives focused entirely on domestic and family responsibilities. Even more remarkable was that when she established her Labor Office in 1857 she already had six children under seven years of age and then gave birth to her last child two years later.


Trove list -  I have created  a list of articles on Julia Benjamin. All articles I have referred to here, plus many more, are on the list, which you can access here.

References
(1) The Argus February 29, 1860, see here.
(2) Hamilton Spectator March 30, 1861, see here.
(3) The Argus January 19, 1863, see here.
(4) The Age February 19, 1867, see here.
(5) Geelong Advertiser June 24, 1859, see here.
(6) The Age June 25, 1859, see here.
(7)  The Argus September 10, 1861, see here and Leader September 14, 1861, see here.
(8) Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) Index https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history
(9) England & Wales Civil Registration Marriage Index on Ancestry.
(10) I found Caroline's birth listed in the Victorian BDM Index, but cannot find her death listed. One source on Ancestry database said she died in 1886, but doesn't list a source.
(11) Wills and Probate records at the Public Records Office of Victoria www.prov.vic.gov.au
(12) Prahran Telegraph December 21, 1928, see here.
(13) Leader January 4, 1890, see here.
(14) The Argus November 12, 1920, see here.
(15) 1851 England Census on Ancestry.

White Horse Hotel at Box Hill and Patrick Trainor

The White Horse Hotel was established by Patrick Trainor (c.1822-1888) in 1853 in what was then known as Nunawading, and later called Box Hill. The Hotel gave its name to Whitehorse Road, and much later (1994) the City of Whitehorse. As I have an interest in place names, I thought we would have  a look at the history of the hotel and the Trainor family. It's an eclectic look, I was inspired by the fact that I found the two photos of the hotel at the State Library - it was really the statue of the horse that caught my eye.

White Horse Hotel, Box Hill, c. 1933. Photographer: John Kinmont Moir

State Library of Victoria Image H4841b

Ivan Southall in his book A Tale of Box Hill (1) says that Patrick Trainor arrived in Melbourne in 1852  with his family (2) and in late 1853 Patrick acquired 90 acres of land at Nunawading and built  a hotel on the south east corner of what is now Whitehorse Road and Elgar Road (3). The Hotel was originally going to be called the Corduroy but once, while out riding he caught  a flash of silver through the trees, and it was a handsome stallion coming down the long hill from Melbourne way and Patrick remembered it in his heart thus called his hotel the White Horse Hotel (4). 

The Hotel was a two storey building and  Andrew Lemon in his history of Box Hill (5) says it was the only brick building in Nunawading until the 1880s (6).  At the time the Parish of Nundawading had a population of 254 (7) but  Patrick's hopes of success must have been bouyed by the fact that at the time Whitehorse Road was a contender for the main access route into Gippsland (8). 

The area grew and the Nunadwading Road Board was established on August 7, 1857 and in common with other areas the first meetings of the Board were held in a hotel, in this case the White Horse Hotel. Patrick Trainor was an inaugural member of the Road Board and also the treasurer. On September 9, 1858 £600 belonging to the Road Board was stolen from the White Horse Hotel. In spite of advertisements in the newspapers offering a £100 reward for information,  it was never recovered. There were of course suspicions that Patrick had taken the money himself.  In 1859, Patrick faced the  the Insolvent Court  (9) and was declared bankrupt and thus ended up losing the White Horse Hotel.

Patrick Trainor offers a reward for information about the robbery of Road Board funds.

The Argus September 14, 1858 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article7300972

The Hotel had a series of licensees after that and in 1888, Andrew Lemon says the hotel was extensively remodelled, the second storey was removed and the statute of the white horse added (10). Sadly for the licensee, Mr Graham, who had taken over the Hotel in July 1888 (11) and had undertaken  the  renovations the hotel burnt to the ground on March 25, 1895. The hotel was rebuilt, and is shown in the photo, below. 

White Horse Hotel, Box Hill, c. 1933. Photographer: John Kinmont Moir
State Library of Victoria Image H4841a

On New Years Day in 1921 (12) the hotel and all others in the area, closed its doors as the voters in the Shire of Nunawading had voted in the Local Option Poll for  No-License (13). The closed hotels did get compensation, in the case of the White Horse Hotel £700 for the owner and £150 for the licensee (14).  The Hotel was demolished in 1933, the Council acquired the horse and the porch from the hotel and they were erected in Whitehorse Road. In the 1980s the monument was removed and the statue of the horse is now located in the Box Hill Town Hall. There is a replica on Whitehorse Road, erected in 1986 (15).

The statue and the porch from the 1895 building

Image - A Tale of Box Hill: Day of the Forest by Ivan Southall ( Box Hill City Council, 1957)

The White Horse Hotel was immortalised in verse by C. J. Dennis - his poem was printed in The Herald in July 1933 (16) - Delicensed in 1921, the old White Horse Hotel, with its familiar carved sign, from 1853 the first changing place for Cobb & Co. coaches on the Lilydale run, is now to be torn down to make way for brick houses.   

In olden days the Old White Horse

Stood brave against the sky;

And ne'er a teamster shaped his course

To pass the good Inn by.

Far shone its lights o' winter nights

To beckon weary men;

By the long road where calm life flowed

It loomed a landmark then.

And many a right good yarn was spun

Mid pewter-pots agleam;

And many a friendship here begun

Grew riper as the team

Drew down the road its precious load

Of merchandise or mail,

And faced the ills of long, steep hills

To far-off Lilydale.

The tap-room rang to many a song,

While patient teams stood there;

And talk and laughter loud and long

Held nothing of despair;

For spoke they then, these bearded

men,

Of fortunes shining near —

Spoke with a grand faith in their land,

A faith that laughed at fear.

Gone are the days and gone the ways

Of easy, calm content;

Yet few supposed an epoch closed

The day the old inn went.

Now, past brick houses trim and cold,

The swift cars, speeding by,

Shall see no beacon as of old,

Shall see no brave White Horse stand

Patrick Trainor and his family

We will now have a look at the Trainor family. Mr Southall says that the family arrived, as assisted immigrants, in Victoria in 1852 with three children, including Emma Eugena who was born on the way out, on the Indian Ocean. He says they went out to 'Henty country' where Patrick's sponsor was, worked there for  a while, and then Patrick worked his way through the gold fields and then ended up at Nunawading (17). Dr Lemon says that after they left the Hotel the Trainors went to Colac and the Wimmera (18). 

I found a funeral notice for Mrs Trainor, who died in December 1854. I cannot find her death in the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriage Indexes so cannot apply for her death certificate , which would have told us her first  name.

The funeral notice of Mrs Trainor

The Argus December 18, 1854 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4801928

As Patrick was left with three children, I assumed he would have married again, and he did - on July 28, 1856 at Colac to Ellen Danaher. He was listed on the marriage certificate as a 36 year old hotel keeper of Nunawading and she was a 26 year old servant of Colac. The marriage certificate also says he had two living children and his parents were Hugh Trainor and Susannah Mullhearn and he was born in Monaghan in Ireland. 

I was hoping to find the names of his children, so went to the shipping records at the Public Records Office of Victoria and it lists the following arriving on the ship, Emma Eugenia in July 1852  - Patrick, 34 years old and Judith, 35 years old. Also listed are -  James 15 years; Mary 14 years; Matthew 7 years; Margaret 3 years; James no age listed; Mary no age listed and an unnamed infant.  Apart from the unnamed infant, who I presume is the baby born on the way to Victoria (who may or may not have been called Emma Eugenia after the ship) I do not know the relationship of the others to each other.

I bought Patrick's death certificate hoping that would list the names of the children. He died December 4, 1888 in St Arnaud at the age of 66. His occupation was listed as gatekeeper. The particulars of the first marriage are listed disappointingly as 'first marriage particulars unknown' and his children are listed as Susan 41 years old from his first marriage and then from his second marriage to Ellen - James, 30 years old; John 28; Catherine 25; Ellen 22 and Hugh 19 years of age. I then looked for information on his daughter Susan who was born about 1847 and found what is possibly her death in 1904 - her father is listed as Patrick and her mother as Catherine McKenzie - which doesn't fit with the Judith in the shipping record.

This is what we can confirm - Patrick was born in Monaghan in Ireland to Hugh Trainor and Susannah Mullhearn. We know his first wife died in December 1854, but cannot confirm her name. His marriage certificate confirms they had at least two children and his death certificate confirms one was called Susan. We know that he married Ellen Danaher on July 28, 1856 and they had five children together. We know he died in St Arnaud on December 4, 1888. We also know that he established the White Horse Hotel in 1853 and even though Patrick is long gone and his hotel is also long gone we are reminded of his life and hotel by the naming of Whitehorse Road and the City of Whitehorse.

Trove list - I have created  a list of articles connected to the White Horse Inn and Patrick Trainor, you can access it here.

Footnotes

(1) A Tale of Box Hill: Day of the Forest by Ivan Southall (Box Hill City Council, 1957)

(2) Southall, p. 20

(3) Southall, p. 21

(4) Southall, p. 21 & 23

(5) Box Hill by Andrew Lemon (Box Hill City Council & Lothian, 1978)

(6) Lemon, p. 16

(7) Lemon, p. 17

(8) Lemon, p.17

(9)  Lemon, p. 26 and various reports in the newspapers, see my Trove list, here.

(10) Lemon, p. 108

(11) The Argus, July 26 1888, see here. 

(12) Lemon, p. 148

(13) Lemon, p. 145-148

(14) The Argus, July 1, 1921, see here.

(15) http://www.picturevictoria.vic.gov.au/site/boxhill/BoxHill/9664.html

(16) The Herald, July 13, 1933, see here.

(17) Southall, p. 20 & 21

(18) Lemon, p. 26

Melbourne - Seventh City of the Empire

Melbourne:  seventh city of the Empire.  Artist: Percy Trompf

State Library of Victoria Image H2008.73/23. SLV dates this as c. 1930-c.1960

I came across this wonderful poster of the Manchester Unity Building and the Melbourne Town Hall, by chance on the State Library of Victoria website. It's a beautiful image, the Manchester Unity building is a jewel, it was designed by Marcus Barlow and officially opened in  1932.  I was interested in the 'Seventh City of the Empire' slogan. Why was it the seventh city? It refers to population.

I put the term into Trove and the first mention of Melbourne being the seventh city was in 1888. It was in a discussion as to whether the Borough of Port Melbourne should join the City of Melbourne, Melbourne was about the seventh city in the Empire at the present time, and if she got Port Melbourne she would be about the fourth or fifth. (1)  Which brings up the issue as to what constitutes Melbourne - in this case they are just referring to the City of Melbourne, but over the years I feel the term referred to Greater Melbourne.

In 1896 an article in the Herald said that as Melbourne was the seventh city that it should set an example to the world by closing all places of business on Saturday (2). The next year, 1897, the Weekly Times provided us with some more information on the status of Melbourne - Melbourne, in point of population, is the seventh city of the Empire. The six which stand before it are London, Calcutta, Bombay, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. If the cities of the whole world are included, Melbourne has to be content with twenty-fifth place (3).

By the end of the nineteenth century it seems that it was established that we were the seventh city of the Empire, but it wasn't always that. In 1887 we were the fifth amongst the Capital cities of the Empire according to a report in The Age (4) and in 1891 we were listed as the fifth or sixth in the world with this colonialist and racist proviso Setting aside the mere collections of native population in India, Melbourne is to-day the principal city of the empire outside of the mother islands, and having achieved that position, the task will now be to maintain it (5).

We went into the 1900s firmly in seventh place - by 1906 The Argus reported that our population of 515,350 was less then the following cities of the Empire -  London, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Sydney (6). Our seventh status was reported on in 1913 and 1927. However, there was one dissenting report in 1917 which put us at eighth spot behind London, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Sydney and Cairo (7).

In 1934, the centenary of Victoria' s European settlement  we were still the seventh city, but a few papers did honestly report that we were the seventh largest city in the Empire containing a white population (8).

The claim to be the seventh largest city was repeated in 1942 in reports of the centenary of the incorporation of the City of Melbourne. However,  a year later there were glowing reports that our status as the seventh city was based on pre-war populations and  by virtue of a great increase in population in the last two years, it might now rank as the fourth city in the Empire, with a population greater than that of Bombay, Glasgow or Birmingham (9). The last mention I can find of our status as the seventh city of the Empire is in 1953 (10).

I love this poster, although I understand that the status of Melbourne as the seventh largest city of the British Empire can only be valid if the population of 'non white' cities such as those in India are ignored or dismissed. It's not as if these population figures were hard to come by - even in 1911, the rural newspaper, Mildura Cultivator, had a very comprehensive list of  population figures of Australian and cities around the world. They listed the most populous cities of the British Empire (11)
Greater London - 7,252,963.
Calcutta - 1,031,206.
Bombay - 977,822.
Manchester, including Salford - 960,990.
Glasgow - 881,505.
Liverpool - 767,606.
Sydney - 617,102.
Melbourne - 591,830.
Birmingham - 570,113.
Montreal - 500,000.

The claim that Melbourne is the seventh city of the Empire is a product of the times and  I think we just need to enjoy the image and graphics of the poster, which has both the Victorian Railways logo and the City of Melbourne logo on it, so it was clearly produced by the Government for tourism purposes.

The artist, Percy Trompf (1902-1964), was  a commercial artist who produced many posters for the Australian National Travel Association and the Victorian Railways. He was born in Beaufort in Victoria, served in the Air Force in World War Two and while President of the Rotary Club of Camberwell he helped establish the Camberwell Art Show. You can read his entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, written by Kate Spearritt and Peter Spearritt, here.

As a postscript - the reference on this poster to Melbourne being the seventh city of the Empire reminds me of the claims over the past few years that Melbourne was the worlds 'most livable city', and I think it was Red Symons, back when he was on ABC radio, who said that Melbourne is the world's most self-congratulatory city and it clearly has been for at least 130 years.

Trove list - I have created a list of articles on Trove which have a reference to Melbourne being the Seventh City of the Empire, access it here.

Footnotes
(1) The Age May 29, 1888, see here.
(2) The Herald August 5, 1896, see here.
(3) Weekly Times February 13, 1897, see here.
(4) The Age June 18, 1887, see here.
(5) The Argus May 13, 1891, see here.
(6) The Argus May 1, 1906, see here.
(7) Corryong Courier, July 5 1917, see here.
(8) The Age July 19, 1934, see here.
(9) The Herald July 7, 1943, see here.
(10) The Age, January 9, 1953, see here.
(11) Mildura Cultivator, November 15, 1911, see here.

Albert Drayton's accident - an epic tale of survival and mateship

I bought a postcard of the Melbourne Fire Station, mainly because it was very pretty with the horse shoe of forget-me-not flowers. The post card is addressed to Alice Drayton, Jumbuk, Yinnar, Gippsland. The letter reads -
Dear Alice,
I must send you a few words and tell you that I am back in town now and very happy and busy. I stayed a days [sic] at Trafalgar and had a good with [sic] my uncle. I will send you my photo as soon as I get it taken. How is your brother Albert and all of you. Hope you are all well, as it leaves me. 
M. Blucher.

The message to Alice Drayton

Who were the Draytons? Alice and Albert were the children of  Robert and Mary Drayton. They had married in 1878 and had six children -

Mary Jane  - born 1879 and registered at Yea.  Died at King Parrot Creek in 1879 aged 10 days old.

Ada Caroline Brown - born 1881 at Yea.   Died in South Melbourne in 1883 aged 2 years old.

William Albert  - born in 1883 at Yea.  Married Matilda Henrietta Koenig in 1921. Albert died in Traralgon in 1960,  aged 77;   Matilda Henrietta died in 1979, aged 82. They are both buried at the Hazelwood Cemetery. Matilda was the daughter of John and Annie (nee Cameron) Koenig. John Koenig was born into a German Lutheran family at Harkaway, read about this here. He was also a pioneer of the Jumbuk area, read his obituary, here. 

Ellen Maud (known as Maud) - born 1884 at Yea. Maud married Peter James Jarvie in 1905. Peter was a Boer War Veteran, and sadly took his own life in 1915, at the age of 43, leaving Maud with five young children. Maud married Arthur Cecil Vere Pritchard in 1918; he died in 1936 aged 48. Maud died in Dandenong, in 1950 aged 66. 

Alice Mabel - born in 1887 at Yea.   Died in Dandenong in 1972, aged 85.

Caroline Anne  - born in 1889 at Reedy Creek.   Died in Prahran in 1971,  aged 82.

To finish off the genealogical information - Mary Drayton was born Mary Firth, the daughter of James Firth and Mary Loutett. She had been married in 1867  to James Duff and they had two boys - John Firth Duff born in 1868 and  James Duff, born in 1870. I don't have any information about the fate of James, Mary's husband, but I presume she was a widow when she married Robert Drayton. Mary died in Garfield, in 1925 at the age of 78; Robert also died at Garfield in 1927, aged 79.

The 1903 Electoral Roll has the family living at Yinnar and Robert is listed as a grazier and in the 1909 roll the family are listed at Jumbuk, the address on the postcard. The writer of the card, M. Blucher (of which more later) asks Alice - How is your brother Albert? As it turns out, we can find out how Albert was because on July 3, 1908, Albert had an accident which was reported on in the newspapers. It was an epic tale of survival, community spirit and mateship. The report, transcribed, below, is from the Morwell Advertiser, July 10, 1908 (see here)

Morwell Advertiser, July 10, 1908  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65871831?

THE JUMBUK ACCIDENT.

ALBERT DRAYTON CARRIED TO MORWELL. A JOURNEY OF 20 MILES.

As briefly mentioned in our last issue, Albert Drayton and William Langford met with a serious accident whilst engaged felling a huge tree in the hills. Langford, we are pleased to say, has almost recovered from injuries received, but Drayton, who was much more seriously hurt, is still in a critical condition, but is progressing as favorably as can be expected.

It appears that both men were felling a giant tree, about seven feet in diamater, for the purpose of split ting palings out of it. As is customary with these large trees, which enormous butts, a "landing" was fixed some twelve or fourteen feet from the ground. As a general rule these big trees begin to "crack" some minutes before they fall, and men on landings are thereby warned in ample time to reach the ground and stand clear. In this case the tree, which was about a mile from Drayton's home, gave practically no warning. This was due partly to the fact that the cuts on each side were put in above one another so that the tree would fall in a certain direction, and the tree was really cut through before it gave any warning of falling. A slight crack was heard, and on looking up the men saw that the tree was falling, and then jumped for their lives. In all probability they would have escaped injury, but for the fact that soon after starting to fall the tree crashed into the top of another, tree threw it back on the men. The head of the tree, which was broken off by the collision, came down where the men were standing, and it is a marvel they were not killed on the spot. Both men state that they fully expected to be killed, and can scarcely account for their escape, as huge limbs and large pieces of wood that came crashing down are strewn all over the ground where they were.

Langford believes that the axe handle which he held in both hands above his head saved him and partly turned off a limb that struck him on the head. Drayton fell once and on getting to his feet again was struck by a huge limb across the hips and pinned against another log. Fortunately Langford, who was in a very dazed and injured condition, was able with much difficulty to get the log off his mate, and call for help. Albert lay in a helpless state, but was quite conscious. His father, brother and sister were soon on the spot, and assisted by Langford, they carried him home on a mattress placed on a door. Dr M'Lean was summoned, but as the night was dark and roads bad, it was some hours after the accident before the doctor was able to treat the injured men. On examination, the doctor found that Langford had escaped with a few severe bruises and shock, but Drayton was badly crushed across the lower portion of back; the pelvis was broken, hip joint fractured, and he was otherwise seriously injured. 

Subsequently Dr McLean (Morwell) and Dr. McLean (Traralgon) held a consultation in
connection with the case, and it was resolved that the injured man should be carried on a stretcher into Morwell, being in too critical a condition to stand the journey in a vehicle. This meant a great undertaking as the distance to Morwell was twenty miles, and the road in a bad state. The recommendation was, however, no sooner made than there were ample volunteers for the arduous
task. A stretcher was procured from Morwell on Monday, and early on Tuesday morning practically all the men in Jumbuk and Jeeralang were at Drayton's home ready to render wholehearted service. 

Dr. McLean visited the patient on Monday and remained with him all night and prepared him for the journey next morning. A start was made at ten o'clock, there being nearly forty men present, and carrying the injured man in relays of six they set out on the trying journey. Steady rain was falling, and the road was muddy and slippery, but nevertheless splendid progress was made, the "team" being changed at frequent intervals. Dr. McLean accompanied the "caravan" most of the way as it was thought possible the injured man, may collapse during the way and the doctor's services would be required. Fortunately such was not the case, which was no doubt due to the great care exercised throughout the journey by the bearers of the stretcher. At Billy's Creek ford which was running strong, two of the strongest men took the stretcher, and with boots off, waded across the stream without a mishap.

The party arrived at Miss Townsend's private hospital, Morwell, at five o'clock, the journey having been accomplished in seven hours, which is considered excellent time considering the state of the country passed through. The men have to be congratulated upon their efforts and there is something about their actions that one might call "practical Christianity" that cannot be too highly commended. We understand that Drayton is now progressing favourably, and the doctor has every hope of his recovery. (Morwell Advertiser, July 10, 1908, see here)

We came across this postcard addressed to Albert Drayton, No. 1 Ward, Melbourne Hospital, City. It is just a classic postcard - the writing on the front at the bottom left says I believe this gum leaf came from Jumbuk - well I think it says that. Albert may have been in the hospital for further treatment related to his accident.

The postcard reads - Morwell 4-6-09 Was surprised to hear you had gone to town. Hope you will soon be quite well again. Am laid up myself with poisoned foot. Will be glad when over and I get about again. Sincerely yrs [yours] K. Sheen. There is a Kathleen Bertha Sheen listed at Morwell in the 1909 Electoral Roll.

The tale of Albert Drayton became part of the folklore of the area and the story was revived in 1942 in the Morwell Advertiser as part of their Harking Back column written by E.L. Vary, J.P. There is a description of the accident, along the lines of the report transcribed, above, and Mr Vary ends with
I cannot remember the names of all these men but amongst them were W. A. Young, Christie Kleine, Jim Duff, Geo. Firth and W. Gow. He, was taken to Miss Townsend's hospital, then situated in Commemcial Road, where he spent many months and now Albert, though not the powerful man he was, is like Johnnie Walker, "Still going strong," (Morwell Advertiser,  October 1, 1942, see here).  It is interesting to see the names of some of the men who helped Albert out - Jim Duff would be his half brother and George Firth is no doubt another relative, perhaps a cousin on his mother's side.

We know Albert married Matilda Koenig in 1921, I don't know if they had any children. Albert was involved in the Jumbuk Rifle Club, in fact he was stilling winning competitions at rifle clubs when he was 66 years old (see here).  According to the Electoral Rolls, they spent most of their married life on the farm in Jumbuk. They had the misfortune of having their hay shed, buggy shed, separator room and pig-stye destroyed by fire in 1922 (see here). As for Alice, she never married and by 1949 was living at 29 Scott Street in Dandenong with her sister Caroline. She must have kept the post card all her life, then after her death in 1972 it was obviously kept by someone else - maybe a niece or nephew until 2020 when it found it's way to EBay.

Who is M. Blucher, the writer of our postcard? The 1909 Electoral Rolls have a family of Bluchers living at Jumbuk that year - Augusta, Frederick, Herbert, John, John Jnr, Margaret Frances, Margaret Frances (she is listed twice) and Sophia. I believe our writer is almost certainly connected to this family. In 1908,  Jane and William Blucher (incorrectly spelt as Bloucher) were listed in the Electoral Roll at Trafalgar - he was  a farmer. William is possibly the uncle that the writer stayed with at Trafalgar. That's as close as I can get to identifying M. Blucher.

I have created  a list of articles on Trove on Albert Drayton, his accident and his family and connections, access it here.