Indice dei contenuti per Edition 25, 2023 in Traces

Lieutenant Hugo Throssell was the first Western Australian to receive a Victoria Cross in World War I. Unknown to the current generation of the college community, his infantry sword was hiding in plain sight in a vault in the Wesley College archive. When it was uncovered, staff quickly realised that the find was significant, and were delighted to recover such a meaningful object in 2023 – Wesley College’s centenary year. The story of the sword and how it came to be in Wesley College’s possession is as fascinating as the Throssell family. Born in 1884, Hugo was the youngest son of George Throssell, the second Premier of Western Australia. Hugo was later married to Katharine Susannah Prichard, famous author and founding member of the Communist Party of Australia. Hugo was…

A series of contemporarily typical events led to the stand-off that took place in the grounds of Richmond House: an insult had been given, offence had been taken, and there had been a determination by each man to assert his honour and stand on a principle. Negotiating the dispute between newspaper editor William Nairne Clarke and his adversarial challenger, merchant George French Johnson, to a swift, bloodless conclusion was the responsibility of their respective ‘seconds’, William Temple Graham and Thomas Newte Yule. A written apology and a handshake should certainly suffice. Customarily, Doctor Thomas Harrison stood at a distance, his eyes averted from the illegal proceedings lest the matter be brought before the courts and he be both implicated and able to provide witness testimony. By 7.20 am, however, with peace…

This rotary iron was made by the Hurley Machine Company in the United States between 1910 and 1918, and was used in Terang, Victoria, by the Terang Laundry. When the laundry could no longer afford the repayments on the iron, it was given to the manager of McDonald Brothers Stock and Station agency in Terang because he and his wife had eight children. This iron was donated to Museums Victoria by one of those children, who recalled that her mother enjoyed using this industrial machine for ironing table cloths, clothes and sheets as it made the task more efficient. The female children would assist with the ironing, too. This iron was housed in the washhouse at the back of the property, except in winter when it was carried into the…

Working at Hill End Historic Site is like no other job I’ve ever had. There is never a dull moment, and the work is so varied. I count myself very lucky to have the opportunity to assist in the conservation of an amazing part of Australian culture. The Hill End story Hill End Historic Site covers 134 hectares and protects buildings, outlying goldmine sites and ruins from the mid-19th-century gold rush era. Payable quantities of gold were unearthed in Hill End in 1851, prompting an influx of thousands of people. There were three periods of gold prospecting: alluvial mining from 1851–1870; reef mining from 1871–1874 and 1908–1924; and, more recently, Vertex Minerals has recommenced working over previously mined areas to extract remnant gold. By the end of 1872 and at…

Broken Hill’s World Heritage List bid The government has announced plans to nominate an iconic Broken Hill structure to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Broken Hill Trades Hall is well known for being the first building in the nation to be union-owned and-operated. It is now owned by the Broken Hill Trades Trust, and is home to a collection of significant cultural materials – including sporting memorabilia and materials used for strikes. ‘The iconic hall has been a symbol of the labour movement for over 100 years, and was crucial in the fight for workers’ rights after the mining boom in western New South Wales during the late 1800s,’ says the Hon. Penny Sharpe, New South Wales Minister for Environment and Minister for Heritage. ‘It is…

Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes was a British army officer who emigrated to Australia in 1834 upon his appointment as Collector of Customs for the Colony of New South Wales. My research into Gibbes’s life was featured in Traces, December 2020, including my discovery that his mother was the English actress known simply as ‘Mrs Gibbs’. This discovery opened a Pandora’s box of information about the colonel; however, there were still many unanswered questions about Gibbes, including the allegation that he was a bigamist. This was bluntly stated as fact in 2007 by British genealogist Anthony J. Camp in Royal Mistresses and Bastards, and the justification is clear to see. John Gibbes married Elizabeth Davis in London on 25 May 1814 at St Andrew, Holborn, and together they had eight…

As the final resting place of long-departed ancestors, cemeteries often hold plenty of historical information that can help family historians with their research. By exploring headstones, epitaphs, and the design and location of a gravesite, you can unlock a wealth of information about your ancestors – from basic life details, to unique stories and cultural connections. Foundational information Gravesites usually reveal basic information about those buried there – birth and death dates, names, and relationships (which you may already know before heading out on your cemetery sleuthing trip). Headstones usually include the full birth name of the deceased, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, a nickname or a woman’s maiden name. Birth and death dates can help you confirm your existing research or narrow down your searches when you have an…

When Europeans arrived in Australia, they were introduced to many species of animals that they hadn’t previously encountered. One Australian creature looked similar to the rats of Southern Asia, called ‘pandikokku’ in the Indian Telugu language, which roughly translates to ‘pig rat’. Europeans gave the Australian animal the same name. Over time, the word changed, and the small marsupial became known as the bandicoot. As early as the 1820s, the word ‘bandicoot’ was used only in an indirect reference to the animal. An idiom was one of the earliest examples in historical newspapers. On 9 January 1828, Patrick Moore appeared before the Sydney Police Court charged with violently assaulting his wife. He had been living in Australia for several years, while his wife remained in Ireland. When she arrived, she…

Topics include, but are not limited to: • Ancestor stories • Historical research and news • Research tips • Character studies • Historical building profiles • Antiques, collections and preservation • Personal heirlooms. Please note that all article submissions and pitches will be reviewed by the editor. The editor reserves the right to reject submissions. Articles are between 1000 and 1200 words (except personal heirloom submissions, which are 100–200 words). If imagery is available, it must be high resolution (300dpi). Send your submissions and pitches to eden.cox@executivemedia.com.au…

Then In 1848, one year after Melbourne was declared a city, Augustine friar James Goold was appointed the first bishop of Melbourne. Goold quickly began negotiations with the government for the right to the five acres of land on Eastern Hill, located in the heart of Melbourne, to build a church. He had visions of a grand cathedral that would not only serve as a place of worship for Melbourne’s growing Catholic population, but would also be a symbol of the Catholic Church’s influence and standing in the region. After a three-year negotiation, the site was granted to the Roman Catholic Church, and the foundation stone of the cathedral was laid in 1858 by Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Bordeaux, during his visit to Australia. St Patrick’s was designed by English…

Although they now sit abandoned, a network of fortresses once guarded Australia’s coastline. This ring of stone, steel and concrete bunkers was primarily designed to defend our major port cities against hostile warships. Stretching from Point Nepean to Port Moresby, their construction usually followed periods of international tension, from the 1850s Crimean War and 1870s Anglo-Russian crises, to marauding German vessels during World War I and ongoing fear of Japan’s naval prowess. By the mid 1930s, a new bunker building program was underway. Prompted by the rise of militarism in Italy, Germany and Japan, a series of three-year development plans expanded Australia’s naval, aerial and military capabilities. Aimed at rebuilding from the depths of the Great Depression, the federal government allocated millions of pounds to modern defence equipment and infrastructure.…

On special occasions, my extended family would gather together at Gran and Pop’s to celebrate. There was always plenty of laughter and fun, and Aunty Sally was always the loudest in the room. Before she passed away at the age of 83, Sally wrote about growing up in Melbourne in the 1930s and ’40s. This is her story. I was born in Cheltenham, Victoria, on 25 July 1930 to Minnie and William Evans. I was the youngest of 12 children: three boys and nine girls. My name was Thelma Gwen, but my eldest brother nicknamed me Sally as a baby, and it stuck with me (actually, I prefer it). Memories of my childhood in Cheltenham are very vague; my elder sisters and brothers told me what it was like. As…

MyHeritage Canada • Alberta, Edmonton Burials: 97,350 records. France • 1911 France Census: 18,143,989 records • 1931 France Census: 19,150,300 records. Greece • Asia Minor Refugees, 1914–1923: 976,969 records. New Zealand • Wellington City Burials: 185,902 records. United Kingdom • British Armed Forces Soldiers’ Wills: 251,239 records • England, Durham, Stockton-on-Tees Burials: 106,781 records • England and Wales, Hearth Tax, 1662–1674: 284,675 records • Scotland, Mental Health Records, 1858–1921: 198,890 records • United Kingdom and Allies, International Bomber Command Losses, 1936–1968: 163,083 records. United States • Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Manifests, 1848–1891: 599,985 records • Massachusetts, Berkshire, North Adams Births, 1850–1906: 77,332 records • Nebraska, Deaths, 1900–1955: 620,784 records • New York, Marriages, 1908–1935: 3,972,241 records • Oklahoma, 1890 Territorial Census: 57,422 records • Texas, Marriages, 1837–1965: 1,291,069 records. Visit www.myheritage.com.…