Child falls from a carriage
I again discovered something tonight on the National Library of Australia’s digital newspaper archives.
Here is a story from The Argus (Melbourne) dated October 5, 1893:
An accident happened on the Colac railway this afternoon, between the Pettavel Road and Germantown stations. Violet Gorey, aged 3 and a half years, a daughter of Mr John Gorey, of Rathdown Street, Carlton, who was travelling with her mother in a second class carriage of the tram from Colac, fell out of the carriage through the door suddenly opening. She was playing with the handle of the door at the time. The train travelled nearly a mile before it was stopped, and went back. The child was found lying face down wards and unconscious. On arrival at Geelong, Dr Max Wall examined the child, and said that no bones were broken but that she was suffering from slight concussion of the brain. Mrs Gorey, with the child, proceeded to Melbourne by train shortly after 6 o’clock.
John Gorey was my great-grandfather Edward’s brother, meaning Violet was my grandfather’s cousin. (more…)
Top text correctors acknowledged
I’ve written before about the National Library of Australia’s wonderful digitisation program.
Hundreds of historic newspapers are having their pages converted to searchable electronic copies.
I’ve already used the resource for family history research.
The text appears garbled in most cases. Hence the NLA has asked volunteers to correct digital records as they discover them.
I’ve fixed up a few paragraphs; it’s rather time consuming.
Today I received this media release, which I’m reproducing in full out of admiration for the volunteers who have gone the extra mile: (more…)
Family history update
I haven’t done much offline genealogical research since 1999, but I occasionally browse online sources on public holidays, like today.
These sources are much more plentiful than they were 10 years ago and most didn’t exist in 1999.
Today I checked old digital copies of The Argus on the National Library’s archive. This is a wonderful resource. Some items I discovered:
- James Gorey (my great-great-grandfather) was an elector in South Bourke in 1856 who supported the successful candidate Sidney Ricardo to represent the “agricultural interests” of Heidelberg (now a suburb of Melbourne).
- James Gorey helped unsuccessfully to extinguish a fire at the Harvest Home Hotel, Boggy Creek, according to the Kyneton Guardian, reprinted in The Argus on March 3, 1874: http://ax.lv/15.
- Michael Gorey was the licensee of the Royal Mint Hotel, Little Lonsdale Street, in 1884 (http://ax.lv/16). I’m not sure if this is the eldest son of James Gorey (my great-grandfather’s brother), but I’ve never come across any other Michael Gorey in Victoria during this era. Little Lonsdale Street was Melbourne’s brothel precinct at that time.
I have also reactivated a Google Group for discussion and questions.
Billy Hughes
I’ve just finished reading “Billy Hughes” by Aneurin Hughes (not related). The sub-title is “Prime Minister and controversial founding father of the Australian Labor Party”.
It’s not a full biography and tries to paint a portrait of the man, rather than the politician. But Hughes lived for politics, becoming the longest serving elected member in the British Commonwealth.
I knew only a little about him and still feel there is much more to learn.
He has been demonised over the failed First World War conscription referendums, which split the Labor Party.
Most people remember Hughes for that and the photographs of him as an old man still serving in Canberra. (more…)
New photographic site
This is a picture of my great uncle Peter Wassenberg. He served in the Dutch Army in the 1930s.
The Dutch were neutral in the First World War, but Hitler wouldn’t let them claim that privilege in the second. The Netherlands were easily overrun in the early days of the war.
The fact they were riding horses while tanks rolled through the country might have had something to do with it. (more…)
Admella Festival
It’s unusual to commemorate the anniversary of a shipwreck, but as someone with an interest in history I’m strongly in favor of anything like that.
One hundred and fifty years ago today the SS Admella ran aground on Carpenters Reef near Mount Gambier.
Over the next eight days, 89 people lost their lives, but miraculously, about 24 survived, most of them hanging onto the wreck in raging winter seas. There was little food and no water and many acts of heroism.
The coast between here and Warrnambool is renowned for shipwrecks.
Having visited the Warrnambool Museum, it was explained there that ship’s captains were unable to accurately ascertain latitude in those days when the sun was not visible, which was the case most of the time in winter. (more…)
