The Obituary of Dr Callaghan ~ Trove Tuesday

Most researchers are well aware of the benefits of a death notice and obituaries found in newspapers. A death notice is usually very brief providing minimal details such as the name of the deceased, date and location of funeral or burial. The following is an example of the death notice of Dr Joseph Callaghan who operated for many years in the Hawkesbury and who passed away in 1924.

Family Notices - Sydney Morning Herald 17 June 1924

On the other hand, an obituary provides a history of the deceased and listing all the good qualities of the person. It will include family details possibly parents, spouse and children. It can also include other relatives. It may provide information about deceased's occupation, place of work or business and associated hobbies and their involvement in the community. If you are lucky it may mention the period leading to the death and even the cause. The location of the cemetery, place of burial, and undertaker may also be mentioned. The length of the obituary will often depend on the popularity of the deceased. A selected few may include a portrait, like the following image of Dr Callaghan which appeared in his obituary in 1924. Photographs were more popular from in the 20th century.

Dr Callaghan as pictured in his 1924 obituary

Joseph Callaghan's lengthy obituary appeared in the Windsor & Richmond Gazette 20 June 1924 and provided over sixty unique pieces of information, that would be extremely valuable to both family and local historians. The main points were:

• Born in Ireland 

• Obtained his medical diploma in Ireland

• Migrated to Australia as a ship's surgeon in 1868 

• Settled at Rockhampton, Queensland and practiced there until 1875

• Came to Richmond in 1877 and practiced there for about five years

• Lived for about 12 months in Sydney, then returned to the Hawkesbury

• Settled in Windsor about 1884 where he practiced as a surgeon and physician  

• Sold his medical practice to Dr Arnold in 1920

• When he left in 1920 he was presented with a very fine illuminated address and a purse of nearly £100 

• Went to Sydney to spend the remainder of his days in 1920

• Loved horses and dogs, and bred some good specimens of both 

• Was a great horseman and frequently rode his own horses in races  

• At the gathering in the School of Arts many identities attended the presentation 

• He was a Justice of the Peace for 40 years and many years Licensing Magistrate

• Was 36 years medical officer to the Manchester Unity IOOF 

• Member of the Hawkesbury District Agricultural Association for 31 years and several times President 

• Was a committeeman of the Windsor School of Arts for 24 years and President on several occasions

• Foundation member and constant benefactor of the Hawkesbury Benevolent Society and Hospital

• 22 years on the Wilberforce Settlement Board 

• Trustee of the Windsor Savings Bank

• Deputy Sheriff; Government Medical Officer and visiting justice to the gaol

• Member of Hawkesbury Race Club for almost 50 years and President on different occasions. 

• His wife died in Windsor some years ago, and he never recovered from the blow

• Family included Reginald, Clendon, Clive, Oscar, Madeline, and Mrs. Boydell 

• Sons Reginald, Clive and Oscar served in WW1, Clendon served in the Boer War, tried to enlist again but was turned down. 

• Dr Callaghan died in Lane Cove

• Died aged of 78 years

• The funeral took place on Tuesday afternoon 17 June 1924 and buried in the Church of England portion of the Rookwood cemetery, alongside his wife. John Cherry (formerly rector at Pitt Town) and Rev. J. H. Wilcoxsen, (Lane Cove) officiated at the grave, and both clergyman extolled the great benevolence and high-minded qualities of the deceased doctor.

• The chief mourners were the four sons, his daughter Madeline Callaghan & nephew Mr. T. Dixon 

• Many people attended the funeral including many of his friends from the Hawkesbury including Messrs C. S. Icely, Charles Roberts, Brigadier-General Lamrock, G. G. Kiss, J R Hardie (Hawkesbury Race Club), Messrs J. W. Ross and A. J. Berckelman (Windsor Hospital), R. A. Pye, James Gosper, G. D. Wood. Brinsley Hall, John Tebbutt, J Tebbutt jun, J. Byram, Sidney Gosper, Alex Gough. J. T. Town, P. J. Chandler 

• Hawkesbury Race Club committee each sent a beautiful wreath. Flags at Windsor Fire Station and the Council Chambers were flown at half-mast

The above is an excellent example of why all references to deceased person should be followed up. Checking different issues of newspapers also can provide different variations of a story including that of Callaghan's obituary which appeared in the Hawkesbury Herald 19 June 1924.

Trove is an excellent source of digitised Australian newspapers. A considerable article, partially reproduced below, also records information about Dr Callaghan's death with a picture also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald 17 June 1924.

Hawkesbury Newspapers - Trove Tuesday

Newspapers are a wonderful source of information for both local and family history. Information located from newspapers is often unique and often not found in other sources. Hawkesbury newspapers, dating from the 1840s, are included on Trove, the National Library of Australia's digitised newspapers and sponsored by Hawkesbury Library Service.

• Australian, Windsor, Richmond & Hawkesbury Advertiser 1873 - 1899
• Hawkesbury Chronicle & Farmers Advocate 1881 - 1888
• Hawkesbury Courier & Agricultural & General Advertiser 1844 - 1846
• Hawkesbury Advocate 1899 - 1900
• Hawkesbury Herald 1902 - 1945
• Windsor & Richmond Gazette 1888 - 1955
• Windsor Express & Richmond Advertiser 1843 - 1844

Hawkesbury Courier and Agricultural and General Advertiser 11 July 1844, p. 1. 

The Windsor Express, was apparently the first permanent newspaper in the Hawkesbury, and first appeared on the 17 May 1843. This was almost 50 years after the Hawkesbury district was settled by Europeans. Geoffrey Amos Eagar produced the publication in his Printing Office located in George Street in Windsor. The newspaper only operated for about twelve months, with the last issue appearing on 9 May 1844.

Shortly after the Windsor Express became defunct, Eagar established another newspaper called Hawkesbury Courier and Agricultural and General Advertiser. The first issue appeared on the 11 July 1844 and operated until 1846. When the Hawkesbury Courier ceased publication, the Hawkesbury community had to wait for over a quarter of a century before another local newspaper was introduced. The Australian, Windsor, Richmond & Hawkesbury Advertiser was launched in 1873.

From that time until the present, the Hawkesbury district, has had a newspaper operating. The Windsor & Richmond Gazette was established in July 1888 by J. C. L. Fitzpatrick. The newspaper recently celebrated 125 years of operating. The most current issue dates from 21 December 1955.

Windsor and Richmond Gazette 21 July 1888 published 125 years ago. 

‘Billy the Bellman’ ~ Trove Tuesday

William O’Rooke or O’Rourke (c. 1835-1897) was known about the town of Windsor as ‘Billy the Bellman’ in the late 19th century, quite an interesting chap. William Rooke was born in Cambridgeshire, England in about 1835, the son of Henry & Rebecca Rooke. His parents had married in 1831 in Ickleton. In 1851 Henry was a servant working in a College in Dry Drayton in Cambridgeshire. William was 16 years old and was working as a waiter with his older brother Alfred and younger sister Emma. 

In 1857, William and Sarah migrated to Sydney onboard the “Washington Irving” William was a butcher and Sarah a housemaid.  Two years after arriving, Sarah Ann, married William Joseph Perkins 1829-1873, a carpenter, in 1859.  They first lived in the Queanbeyan area and by 1865 the couple lived in the Windsor district. 

William Rooke lived in Windsor from his arrival. Rooke was a well-known identity in the township of Windsor, and was the bellman. This occupation was described as someone who rings a bell, and sometimes known as a town crier. In 1863 he was recorded as living in Baker Street in Windsor.  He apparently owned land near McGraths Hill as well. This was sold for not paying rates by Windsor Municipal Council in 1932. One block was situated at Lot 3/5, Section 8, situate Livingstone, Garfield and Bismark streets, Killarney. There were three allotments with a total area 5 acres 1 rood 27 perches. The registered owner was listed as William Rooke. William did not marry nor did he have any children. 

He passed away on 28 July 1897 and was buried the same day at St Matthews Church of England Cemetery in Windsor. His informative obituary (below) appeared in the Windsor & Richmond Gazette on 31 July 1897. 

The obituary continued:

 His father was head gardener at one of the English Universities, and till within & short while ago the subject of this notice was in receipt of an annuity from the father's estate. That, we believe, was recently transferred to deceased's married sister (a Mrs Perkins) who resides in the metropolis. William O'Rourke first came to Windsor on a steamer owned by the late John Mitchell, which plied between Sydney and the Hawkesbury; on this boat he was employed for some time. Coming ashore, he opened a butchery in the shop now occupied by Mr Stearn, near the Hawkesbury Hotel. O'Rourke did well in business, and by dint of hard work and frugality he put by a considerable sum of money.  A cousin came from England, and lived with him for a while.  Billy it would appear, was his own banker. In an evil hour he left the business in charge of the new arrival during a brief absence. When he returned his "little pile" was gone. It was never known who took the money, but Billy had his suspicions, and freely expressed them. He sold out and from that time forward he seemed to do no good, and gradually became the Billy O’Rourke of late years. In 1870 he was cook and wards man at the Hawkesbury Benevolent Asylum, during the time that Mr J. T. Rowthorn was superintendent, Billy O'Rourke was a character in his way and the incidents of his life were many and varied. For many years he was a public functionary and a town institution-that is, he was the local bell man; as such he earned the sobriquet Billy the Bellman, and was the butt of street urchins. Whilst plying his vocation in the street, he frequently came into conflict with troops of small boys, but they generally had sufficient discretion to know when they had gone far enough; for though Billy could put up with a good deal in the way of chaff and banter, he came down hard when his dander was up. Keen rivalry existed between the deceased and another worthy (one Hobbs, he of the wooden leg) now an inmate of the Asylum, who once started business as opposition bellman. "Billy" regarded him as an interloper and a usurper, and some lively scenes were enacted between them. The deceased never married, and his only relative known is the sister referred to.

(First appeared in the Hawkesbury Crier – September 2012 pp. 19-20

References:
1851 Census UK. Class: HO107; Piece: 1760; Folio: 603; Page: 54; GSU roll: 193651-193652
State Records, Reel 2138, [4/4794]; Reel 2476, [4/4972]
Obituary. (1897, July 31). Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW: 1888 - 1954), p. 12. Retrieved August 26, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72552539 
IN THE EARLY DAYS. (1926, December 24). Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved September 2, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85953866 
Advertising. (1932, January 15). Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved September 2, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article86050908 
NSW Births, deaths & marriage index. Marriage 2811/1859

All England cricket team plays in Windsor - Trove Tuesday

As the cricket season prepares to launch, sports fanatics may be interested in the fact that an All-England cricket team played a game in Western Sydney in the 1880s. The newspapers of the day had a field day reporting on the Test series vs a Hawkesbury/Nepean team.

A tour to Australia by the All-England cricket team, was arranged in 1881 and the visiting team arrived in Sydney via America, late in the year. The tour, like many of the early tours, was renowned for its scandals, not unlike cricket today. The series drew tremendous crowds and the first Test Match, played over several days in Melbourne, notched up 46,500 spectators.  The overall series resulted in an Australian win 2-0. The Australian team was captained by William 'Billy' Murdoch 1854-1911 while the English team captain was Alfred Shaw.

The Second Test was played in Sydney on the 17th-18th & 20th-21st February and Australia won by 5 wickets. The following day after this Test, a one-day match was arranged between the All-England Eleven and 22 of the Hawkesbury and Nepean. On Wednesday 22 February 1882, “a special train conveyed the Eleven from Sydney, and the play took place on Mr. McQuade's ground at Fairfield." (Fairfield was the name of the property which also encompassed much of the Windsor Golf Course). “A wicket was made of concrete and carpeted, thus greatly adding to the comfort of the players. It was estimated that about 1000 persons were present to witness the play.” 

The local newspaper reported that the “arrangements were not well carried out, the public being allowed to parade inside the roped enclosure, to the annoyance of those who paid for admission to the reserved portion of the ground, and interfering vastly with the scorer. Mr. W. H. Hull captained the local team, Mr. Bodenham acted as umpire, and Mr. J. Coleman as scorer.”

The results were published as follows:

The Australian, Windsor, Richmond & Hawkesbury Advertiser 25 February 1882 p. 3. 

Retrieved September 3, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66359169

The concluding comment in the newspaper stated “it will thus be seen that our men did very well indeed, and we are informed by the All England team that they have met many worse twenty-twos than the Hawkesbury 22” which could be seen as a disparaging compliment.

A souvenir illustration of the English team appeared in the Town & Country Journal

Historic Australian newspapers can be found on Trove and browsing the pages reveal many wonderful sporting events from the past. 

Dangers of cigarette smoking - Trove Tuesday

In the 21st century we are very aware of the dangers of smoking cigarettes, however it is interesting to find in the digitised newspapers on Trove the many accounts of how dangerous the practise was. 

In the 1895 it was recorded in the Windsor & Richmond Gazette that an "eleven-year-old named Gilespie has gone hopelessly insane, at Warren, through excessive cigarette-smoking."

A few weeks later the topic was raised again, in the Gazette, this time discussing the situation in Windsor. Obviously smoking amongst teenage boys, was prevalent in the Hawkesbury.  

"Juvenile smokers are to be found by the score in Windsor, and on any night an observant person may see specimens of the mature infant idling at street corners, or swaggering along the street with cigarettes between their lips...it is asserted upon the very best scientific authority that cigarette-smoking is the worst and most distinctly injurious form of tobacco indulgence. This applies to adults as well as to children; but, of course men, stronger of nerve and more hardy of tissue, are better able to withstand the assaults of nicotine. Upon the young however, the habit of smoking in any form has the most pernicious influence. It is a danger, physically and morally. It stunts his growth, undermines his nervous system and incuicates in him selfish and slavish habits; it injures the sight, and when indulged to excess, it impairs and even destroys the intellect. Smoking injures the sight without question...In the streets of our town mere boys have frequently accosted passers by for matches wherewith to light their 'bumpers'. A firm snubbing would meet exigencies of this kind, and perhaps act as a slight deterrent. Consistent discouragement on the part of parents would mitigate the evil. Not only mothers and fathers, but all sensible people who have the interests of the juvenile population at heart, should do their utmost to put down this detestable and injurious habit of cigarette smoking among young boys."

THE SEDUCTIVE CIGARETTE pictured from the West Gippsland Gazette 21 Jan 1902, p. 8
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article68717796

Many of the articles refer to the appalling effect upon the nervous system and how smoking will stunt growth. 

An impressive warning from over a century ago ~ why didn't the community pay any attention?

Felton Mathew's Diary

Primary sources, such as diaries, are valuable historical sources. They provide helpful insights into a particular period in the past. Diaries are useful in adding substance to our research. One interesting diary is that of Felton Mathew 1801-1847.

Felton, a surveyor, arrived in NSW in 1829 to take up a position as Assistant Surveyor of Roads & Bridges. Shortly after his arrival he was joined by his cousin, Sarah Louise Mathew c1805-1890 and they were married on the 21 January 1832 in Sydney. The Mathew's resided in Windsor however Felton spent most of his time attending to his field work to the north and northwest of Sydney. His wife Sarah accompanied him on several of these expeditions and wrote most of entries in a series of diaries. Felton accompanied Captain Hobson to NZ as the acting surveyor general and kept a diary. The diary records key events relating to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. He also chose the site of Auckland as the proposed capital. Felton died en route to England in Peru on the 26 November 1847. 

The original diaries (total of 6) are held by the National Library of Australia  The diaries have been transcribed in the Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society and some excerpts were transcribed by Bruce Jones and were originally available to access on his web site which is no longer accessible. Fortunately the website was archived on Pandora on the National Library of Australia website. One volume, covering the NZ period in the 1840s, is held by the Museum of New Zealand. 

Here are a few samples from the diary:

Wednesday 20th [20 JAN 1830]

Left the Finger post and arrived at Wiseman's on the Hawkesbury. The leading features of the country are the same as in yesterday's march – ranges upon ranges of barren & unprofitable rock without an acre of land available for agricultural purposes. Approaching "Wiseman's" there are some pretty & romantic peeps of the Hawkesbury, winding through the valley; and there is the first good land I have seen in the Colony. It consists of prime but not extensive tracts of alluvial land; but it bears a miserably small proportion to the ranges of useless rock, which here rise perpendicularly to an immense height, clothed with timber & brush from base to summit & giving an irregularly wild & romantic affect to the Scenery. 

Saturday 23rd [23 JAN 1830]

Heavy rain at intervals throughout the day which has prevented our working in the field. Accompanied by McLeod & Larmer, crossed the River to Wiseman's to procure some corn &c – – Shot (at one shot) two birds of the Cockatoo Species – one of them ash-colour tinged with yellow about the head – throat canary colour – breast a dusky brown back & wings raven – tail consisting of twelve feathers two upper ones raven – 10 others the same colour, banded about the middle with broad bands of bright crimson-edged yellow … They were both of the same size & measured from tip to tip of the wings 3 feet 3 ins. & from beak to tail 19 ins.

Wisemans  Ferry Inn. Taken M. Nichols 2013.

Jany 27th–28th [27- 28 JAN 1830]

Finished Smith's and began measuring Rose's Farm Finished Rose's Farm – and returned to the Camp – from the difficulties I met with in measuring these two Farms, I was deterred from commencing Grono's which is of the same description and much more extensive:– fearing that if I remained to finish it, I should not reach the camp by the time the bullocks returned from Sydney, and should thereby occasion a delay which is contrary to the spirit of my instructions. Such would certainly have been the case – for the bullocks returned this night to our camp.

The following are excerpts compiled by Sarah Mathew, and are written in the first person of her husband, Felton and are called "Stray Leaves from the Journal of a Wanderer in Australia."

Janry 18th 1830 

We are now approaching the Hawkesbury and have had occasional peeps of this beautiful stream, and the fertile flats on its banks. We are not 50 miles from Sydney, yet we have travelled a country as wild, and a solitude as profound as if no human beings existed in these desolate Forests; or the enterprize and industry of the white man had never reached these shores. But now the scene changes, descending by a rocky and precipitous pass, and emerging from the Forest, the river appears some 50 feet below, winding round a point comparatively low, and the Farm and Inn called Wiseman's, judiciously placed in the bend of the river, on a fine alluvial flat, all in rich cultivation, affords quite a relief to the eye and mind, almost wearied with the monotony of chaotic rock and primeval Forest. But the whole scene is magnificent. ... The scenery is so magnificent, so wild; the actors in the scene such a contrast: the wide and rapid river, The heavy flat Ferry boat with our baggage is slowly crossing, and the gambols of the unwilling bullocks resisting the efforts of the men to coax them into the large Punt which is to be towed over by the boat are sufficiently ludicrous. Some of them are very refractory, and the shouting of the men, awakening echoes among the rocks, and disturbing the quiet solitude, altogether forms a picture as novel as striking to one as I stand on the bank of the river watching the scene. Our camp is now pitched in a romantic sequestered Glen on the Northern bank of the River. Open to the water, but shut in on all other sides by the same towering masses of rock and wood, which as the Glen rapidly narrows allmost meet at the head, leaving only a narrow rocky bed for a mountain torrent. The weather has been dull for some days, and the rain is now descending merrily. My tent being new is not yet water tight so I calculate on being rather damp ere morning. However it is much needed and wished for, and will do more good in an hour, than I shall in a year.

Note: spelling and grammar has been left, as is.

A Fatal Excursion ~ Trove Tuesday

Right from the very beginning convicts tried to escape from the Colony. They believed by heading off into the bush, they could walk to China. These ventures were mostly doomed as the escapees lacked the skills to survive in bush and were ill-prepared. The following melancholy tale was brought to mind after listening to a talk last week about the various escape attempts made by the inhabitants, unaware of their environment or their locality on a map. Early newspapers provide informative accounts of some of these attempts and although it might seem astounding to us in the 21st century, in the late 1790s and early 1800s, little was known about the geography of this continent, particularly the interior, and China could have been just a short stroll through the bush.

The following remarkable account of this 'Fatal Excursion' was published in the Sydney Gazette 26 June 1803 with details provided by John Place, apparently the only survivor. Place, "who now lies in a very weak state in Parramatta Hospital" tells "of an attempt made by him and three of his fellow prisoners, to escape from this Colony." The article continues:

"John PLACE declares that he, John COX, William KNIGHT and John PHILLIPS, all late of the Glatton (prisoners), formed a resolution on the road from Castle Hill to Hawkesbury, to attempt their escape. They formed this determination in consequence of having heard people say [moral below] on board the Glatton, and while at work at Castle Hill, that they could get to China, by which means they would obtain their liberty again; being all married men (excepting one) they were very anxious to return to their families. On the 7th May (three days after their arrival at Hawkesbury) they left Cornwallis-place, resolved  to pass the Mountains, and took with them only their week's rations, which they received on Saturday and consumed on the Wednesday following. After travelling for 17 days, in hopes of passing the Mountains, and despairing of accomplishing the object on which they set out, they resolved (if possible) to return. After they had eaten their provisions they found nothing to subsist on but wild-currants and sweet-tea leaves, and had been oppressed with hunger for 12 days. Before they set off to return, John Phillips left them to gather some berries, and they saw him no more; they heard him call several times, but could render him no assistance they being so reduced by hunger, and conclude he perished. Being asked in what direction they went, Place says, that they travelled the whole of the seventeen days with the sun on their right shoulder, and found great difficulty in ascending some of the Mountains, and also attempted to return by the direction of the sun. After travelling for upwards of Twenty-days, all (except Phillips) reached within five miles of Richmond-Hill, when William Knight, unable to proceed any further, lay down, where Place says he must have died. On the same day, Place and Cox made the river above Richmond Hill, and in attempting to cross the Fall the current carried them down. One was carried to one side of the river, and the other to the opposite side, with difficulty pulling themselves ashore by the branches of the trees. Cox had only his shirt and shoes on, Place saw him lain along the bank, where, being very weak, and the night extremely cold, he supposes he died. Place also lay down, despairing of life, and was found on the day following by a man, who with some of the natives was in quest of kangaroos : he was then too weak to walk alone, but was led by the natives to the nearest hut, where he remained all night; in the morning he was taken to Hawkesbury, and thence sent to the Hospital at Parramatta. 

None can read the above account without pitying the ignorance, and commiserating the sufferings of these deluded prisoners; and it is fervently to be hoped that the inconceivable hardships they have endured from hunger and cold, with the almost constant prospect of death before their eyes, will deter all other prisoners from either advising any of their companions, or from making a similar attempt themselves. It is well known, that those are not the only unfortunate men who have perished in this wild attempt, many others have never returned to relate the hardships they underwent, and must therefore have perished under every accumulation of misery by their rashness and folly. 

Place who appears to be the only survivor, resigned himself to despair and death, and was when found, within a few hours of eternity. He seems to have been preserved by a particular providence, to give the above awful admonition to all others who now do or shall in future, entertain any idea of regaining their liberty by a similar act, in which nothing but inevitable death must be the final event."

In December 1803 John Place was mentioned once more in the Sydney Gazette and again a few months later.  He absconded, along with two others (Edward Hill and Dick the Waggoner) trying to escape from the colony. They left the Hawkesbury hoping to cross the Mountains, but after about a month away returned Hill gave himself up at the Hawkesbury whilst Place went to Sydney. At the time of the article appearing in the newspaper, Dick was still at large. The journalist, as well as the officials, were dumbfounded that he had tried to escape a second time, they wrote: "From this circumstance it would be reasonable to conclude, that no man in existence had the hardihood to make a second experiment of this nature - a consideration, which together with undebilitated appearance of the prisoner, seemed strongly to sanction a supposition that the major part of his relation had been fabricated, and that he had concealed himself in a remote employ. The Bench, after serious consideration sentenced him to receive 500 Lashes."  

Convict arrow from the monument at Wisemans Ferry. Taken M. Nichols