New South Wales

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Australia: NSW – West Wallsend Cemetery Turns 125

The link below is to an article reporting on the 125th birthday of West Wallsend Cemetery.

For more visit:
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/3145806/west-wallsend-cemetery-tour-for-125th-anniversary/

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Australia: NSW – Maitland’s Jewish Cemetery

The link below is to an article that reports on efforts to save the Jewish cemetery in Maitland.

For more visit:
http://www.insidehistory.com.au/2014/03/saving-maitlands-jewish-cemetery/

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App Explores Sydney’s Irish history

The link below is to an article that takes a look at an app that explores the Irish history of Sydney.

For more visit:
http://www.insidehistory.com.au/2014/03/new-app-explores-sydneys-irish-history/

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News: State Records NSW Open Day 2013

The link below is to an article reporting on the upcoming open day for State Records NSW – it is to be held on the 30th August 2013.

For more visit:
http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/news/open-day-2013

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Photos: Grandparents Trip to Sydney

I have been working on various family archives recently and today photo archiving has been at the heart of what I have been doing. Sadly, most of the photos belonging to my mother’s parents have very little in the way of information attached to them in any manner whatsoever. There are no dates mentioned, very little in the way of location information, etc. The best descriptions I have for some of the photos are marked on the various envelopes that photos have been stored in – ‘west,’ ‘south’ and so on.

The photos in this post are clearly of Sydney and the envelope they were stored in marks them as ‘Opera House Trip.’ These photos are easily identified, being of major landmarks in my state’s capital city – Sydney. However, the photos have no indication of dates, which is disappointing. If I would have to guess I’d suggest the 1960s or 1970s. If you think you are able to hazard a useful guess at the date these photos were taken, please leave your thoughts in the comments.

One of the photos shows people walking through an area at the Opera House. In the photo there are four people in the front half of the photo – my grandmother is the woman on the right of this grouping of people, carrying a handbag.

Sydney Opera House  

 

ABOVE: Photos of the Sydney Opera House

ABOVE: Sydney Harbour Bridge

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NABIAC/FAILFORD CEMETERY VISIT

I have been to the Nabiac/Failford Cemetery now, but failed to photograph all of the headstones in the cemetery. I will need to return in the next couple of days to complete the project. I will probably also visit the Bulahdelah Cemetery and photograph the headstones there.

I probably still have about one fifth to one quarter of the cemetery to photograph. I have come across a number of headstones that I recognize from my family history research, which is the main reason for taking the photographs.

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OFF TO NABIAC CEMETERY

Sometime this week I’ll be heading to the cemetery near Nabiac, just south of Taree on the Pacific Highway. I believe the cemetery is located at Failford to the north of Nabiac.

What is the point of this particular trip to Nabiac? It will be same goal as that for the weekend (just passed) trip to the Coolongolook Cemetery – that is, to photograph the headstones in the cemetery for my family history research.

Following the trip to Nabiac I’ll probably pop up to Tinonee and visit my brother and his family.

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VISIT TO COOLONGOLOOK CEMETERY

Yesterday I visited the Coolongolook Cemetery, which is to the north of Bulahdelah and south of Nabiac and Taree on the Pacific Highway, in New South Wales, Australia. I did this to photograph the headstones in the cemetery for future reference as I continue to research my family history.

 

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 ABOVE: Coolongolook Cemetery Sign

 

I would have taken about 200 photographs during my visit and these will be added to my database of cemeteries and headstones that I am developing as part of my family history research. Eventually I hope to be able to cross reference the headstones with what is known of family in my family history research. It would be great to be able to have a photograph of the headstone marking the final resting place of those in my family tree. That is the goal anyhow, as well as being able to glean any additional information that I can to assist me in compiling my family history.

Eventually I also hope to have the photographs of Coolongolook Cemetery and the headstones contained therein on my family – online history site.

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BULAHDELAH PIONEER AND CALVINIST

My Fourth Great Grand Uncle, Thomas Blanch, was born on the 4th December 1809 in Rolvenden, Kent, England. He died on the 3rd July 1892 at Bulahdelah, NSW, Australia. He was the second child and son of my Fifth Great Grandfather, Edward Blanch (1785-1860) and Fifth Great Grandmother Maria Blanch nee Ashdown (1789-1837).

Thomas Blanch was nothing special in vocational terms, being a simple labourer. He was literate and a Calvinist (thereby being a spiritual ancestor of mine so to speak).

On the 24th April 1830 in Rolvenden he married Hannah Austin, who was born on the 30th November 1815, Rolvenden. Hannah was the daughter of John Austin and Ann Austin nee Moon. Hannah died on the 8th July 1879 in Newcastle. Together they had 17 children.

There was a major economic depression in England during the 1820’s and this was a determining factor in the Blanch family decision to emigrate to Australia in 1837. On the 25th March 1838, Thomas Blanch with his family and three brothers left for Australia from Gravesend aboard the ‘Westminster.’

On the 26th June 1838 the ‘Westminster’ reached Sydney, following a voyage in which Hannah had given birth to a fifth child, David. The previous children were Jane, Thomas, John Thomas and Caroline. Following David would come Joseph, Eliza, Sarah Ann, Harriet, Emma, Amelia, Peter George, Isabella, Emily, Stephen, Mary Ann and Hannah Maria.

Thomas was a carpenter, farm labourer and wheelwright. He had been sponsored to come to Australia by J. B. Bettington of Sydney at a salary of 28 pounds per annum. However, it seems he never actually worked for Bettington, rather becoming an employee for George Mosman at his Raymond Terrace property known as ‘Burrowl.’ He was to work on this property for some twenty years. He also worked as a mailman between Raymond Terrace and Dungog.

In 1858 Thomas selected a forty five acre parcel of land on the Myall River where Bulahdelah now stands and where I currently live. He built a hotel here known as the ‘Plough Inn.’ The inn was first licensed in 1866. In June 1871 his son Joseph was given the inn. In May 1872 Thomas took up ‘The Forster Hotel’ license at Forster which he owned until 1878.

Thomas and Hannah then retired to Newcastle and lived at The Junction. Sadly Hannah died the following year on the 8th July 1879, aged 64. Hannah was buried in the cemetery at the Newcastle Cathedral.

Following the death of his wife, Thomas returned to Bulahdelah and on the 24th July 1880, he married Elizabeth Stanborough (nee Morris), who was born in 1835. She was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Morris. Elizabeth died in East Maitland on the 11th August 1889. They had no children together, though Elizabeth had six children to her late husband, Frederick Stanborough (who had died in 1876).

Following the death of Elizabeth, Thomas lived for a further three years at Bulahdelah with his son Joseph. On the 3rd July 1892, Thomas died and was buried in the Bulahdelah Cemetery. He was 82 years old. A stained glass window was placed in the Anglican Church in his memory. The Anglican Church at Bulahdelah had been built on land that Thomas had donated.

 

Headstone of the Grave of Thomas Blanch in Bulahdelah Cemetery

Headstone of the Grave of Thomas Blanch in Bulahdelah Cemetery