26 May 2008

Former Premier exhumed

We arrived in South Australia to hear and read the extraordinary story about Charles Kingston, a colonial Premier and founder of Australia, being exhumed for a paternity test at the request of an Adelaide businessman.

Sounds like something out of Monty Python doesn’t it?

“The Attorney-General, Michael Atkinson, approved an application to exhume the body of Charles Cameron Kingston, one of the Fathers of Federation, as part of a paternity case,” the Adelaide Advertiser reports.

The bodies of two other people suspected of being Kingston’s illegitimate offspring also were exhumed. They are Genevieve Grey and AA “Bert” Edwards. Read more »

Tags: Australia, History, media, news, south australia
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4 May 2008

Alpine News

Cleaning up before a big move always reveals some nostalgic items. Today I came across CDs containing copies of the Alpine News.

This was a weekly newspaper that Juliet and I produced from our home in Porepunkah for six months from July 2002 to January 2003.

It circulated in the Bright area and reached a peak of 2400 copies when we also distributed free in Myrtleford. Read more »

Tags: Bright, History, newspapers, porepunkah
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22 February 2008

Mutilated corpse identified

English boffins have reportedly identified a 682-year-old mutilated corpse as the gay lover of King Edward II.

The remains, which bear the hallmarks of having been hung, drawn and quartered, are thought to be those of Sir Hugh Despenser the Younger, who was executed as a traitor in 1326.

Sir Hugh was a favorite of Edward, who some say was murdered and others say was exiled to Germany.

After Edward vacated the thrown his wife Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer governed until Edward and Isabella’s son Edward III seized power.

They really knew how to dish out punishment in the Middle Ages.

The unfortunate Sir Hugh was hanged and, while conscious, was castrated, disembowelled and then quartered before his head was displayed on London Bridge.

That’s one way to deal with your political opponents, I suppose. Sounds similar to Labor Party factional dealings.

Tags: History, news, wacky
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17 November 2007

Mary Gorey 1846-1914

This is the story of Mary Gorey, a daughter of my great-great grandparents James and Elizabeth Gorey and sister of my great grandfather Edward Gorey. The story is taken from a book published by Dr John Gorey in 1991.

Mary Gorey was born on March 5th, 1846, and according to family tradition, her life began in a tent at Templestowe. She was baptised in St Francis’ Church on October 19th with the family abode then recorded as “Idle Burgh (sic), parish of Buller (Bulleen)”.
Mary married John Olive who was born “Oliff” to John and Hannah nee Gilbert in Hobart on March 18th, 1819.

John senior and Hannah arrived in Tasmania aboard the Minerva on June 7, 1818 with a detachment of the 48th Regiment from which John senior was discharged in 1820.

Both John senior and Hannah are buried in Kyneton as are their daughters Mary (Rodgers) and Frances; their sons John and Daniel are buried at Malmsbury, and Charles at Woodend. Read more »

Tags: genealogy, History
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17 November 2007

James and Elizabeth Gorey

This is the story of my great-great grandparents James and Elizabeth Gorey, taken from a book published by Dr John Gorey in 1991:

Both James and Elizabeth were born in Co. Kilkenny Ireland, but there are no records to hand certifying the exact dates or places of their births.

At the time of James’ death, his parents were not known to his surviving family. However, Elizabeth’s parents were Edward Hanly and Elizabeth, nee Houlihan. Elizabeth’s maiden name was variously recorded as Hanley, Henley, Handley and Hanlon, but Hanly seems to have been the accepted usage.

Birth dates for James and Elizabeth derived from later records vary considerably. Those obtained from the ship’s passenger list of c1811 for James and c1814 for Elizabeth are probably the most reliable, but allowance needs to be given for the age requirements of the Bounty Immigration system which may have encouraged James to offer a younger age for himself. Read more »

Tags: genealogy, History
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12 June 2007

Edward Gorey 1849-1937

Edward Gorey was born in 1849 at Heidelberg where his father James leased a 97 acre farm with frontage to the Yarra River. His parents took Edward into St Francis’ Catholic Church, Lonsdale Street, for his baptism on November 12, 1849.

James bought land at Malmsbury in April 1855, and it seems the family moved there in 1857 or shortly after. Edward’s youngest brother William was born at Heidelberg on October 7, 1855 and died there on March 22, 1857.

Edward stayed with his parents and family for most of his early life and was described in the Victorian Post Office directory of 1868 as a farmer of Malmsbury, with D, J and M Gorey (probably his brothers Daniel, James and Michael).

He must have left home soon after however, because when he married Sophia Evans on February 11, 1874 in St Paul’s Church of England, Kyneton, he was referred to in the marriage registration as being a laborer of Redesdale.

Sophia’s father, James Evans, was a road building contractor, farmer and publican. He operated a hotel at Emberton near Barfold. It’s possible Edward worked for him.

James Evans left Emberton and selected a property at Rochester shortly after Edward and Sophia were married. Read more »

Tags: family, genealogy, History, Victoria, whroo
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1 June 2007

Slavery abolished

Slavery was abolished on June 1, 1862 in all United States possessions, according to Brainy History. That’s exactly 145 years ago. This was during the Civil War, so it was a symbolic but hollow gesture if the date is correct.

The slave trade in Britain was made illegal in 1802, backed by further legislation in 1807 and 1833. Royal Navy ships were vigilant in stopping the trade.

American history intrigues me. I often think the world could have been a much different place if events had transpired differently.

For instance, if the American colonies had remained British, how would the world look today? I think it would be a better place, although the USA itself would not exist as we know it. There would be separate English, French and Spanish speaking independent countries.

That in itself would have put the brakes on American domination, which largely occurred through the country’s abstinence from World War One until the death, so to speak. Europe and the British Dominions suffered while America profited.

Slavery had to be abolished and it’s a wonder it took the Americans so long to realise that. Whatever you think about British imperialism, in my mind they were the best colonists and the ones with the most altruistic world view.

If Australia had been settled by the Spanish, Dutch or French, for instance. we would be a much different country today, probably more like Argentina, South Africa or Mauritius.

Tags: History, soapbox
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1 June 2007

Whroo

This picture shows the Balaclava Mine at Whroo about 1858-59. The open-cut mine was prosperous for many years and a significant town was established around it.

My great-grandparents Edward and Sophia Gorey settled on a nearby farm at Angustown in the 1880s when the mine was in decline. Edward was later involved with a syndicate which tried, successfully for a time, to revive the mine. Read more »

Tags: family, genealogy, History, Victoria, whroo
2 comments


31 May 2007

Family tree online

I’ve uploaded family tree information to this section of my site. The default tree is Gorey. To get the Wassenberg tree, hover your mouse over Welcome or follow this link .

I’m using PhpGedView . It was very easy to install and upload the gedcom files. I’ll experiment with design tweaks and other features over the next few weeks.

I apologise to those people who were registered on the old site. They will need to re-register, I’m afraid. Registration is required to see the complete trees and make edits.

Tags: genealogy, History
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24 May 2007

Margaret Gorey

The life of great-aunt Margaret Elizabeth Gorey was sadly cut short in tragic circumstances.

Born at Corop on March 1, 1876, Margaret was the eldest child of Edward and Sophia Gorey. Soon after her birth she was taken to be baptised at the Catholic Church in Heathcote on April 16, 1876.

She was living with her parents and new brother Charles at Torrumbarry when she fell into a pot of boiling tea and subsequently died of burns.

A Coroner’s inquest was held, and the surviving statements provide a graphic account of the accident. Reports were published in the Rochester Express and the Riverine Herald. The Herald’s report was published on January 11, 1879 under a headline of “Scalded to death”.

“A terrible accident, which resulted fatally, occurred at Torrumbarry on Tuesday to a child named Margaret Elizabeth, aged two years and 10 months, daughter of Edward William and Sophia Gorey, of that place,” the paper reported.

“It appears from the evidence adduced at the inquest, that at about one o’clock on the day mentioned the men and others employed on the farm had been called to dinner; one of the men was in the act of bringing in a piece of timber about 10-feet long for the purpose of constructing a temporary seat, and in turning round one end of the timber was in danger of striking the little girl, who to avoid the blow walked backwards and fell into a boiler of scalding tea which had just been removed from the fire.

“The mother, drawn to the spot by the child’s screams, removed it on the instant. As may be imagined the injuries were of a frightful nature, extending from the back of the neck down to the thighs. Flour, the only remedy at hand, was applied and up to six o’clock the little sufferer appeared to be getting on very well, but at this period a change for the worse set in, and the parents determined to take her to a doctor at Echuca, a distance of 18 miles.

“They, however, had only reached Wharparilla, seven miles on the road, when the little girl was found to be dead. The inquest was held at Gregory’s Kyneton Hotel on Wednesday night by Mr R. Strickland, the district coroner, and a verdict of accidental death, in accordance with the evidence, was returned. Much sympathy is felt for the parents who untimely have been deprived of a pretty and interesting child.”

Margaret is buried at the Rochester Cemetery, Catholic section, site 43A. Her burial was number 187 out of more than 4000 at the cemetery.

I visited the grave in 1999 and left some flowers. I named my second daughter Margaret after her.

Tags: family, genealogy, History
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