Maria Catterina Margherita Scetrini di Giovanni Beneda

 I was delighted to discover recently that the parish records for Corippo, Ticino, Southern Switzerland, have now been digitised from the parish microfilm that you used to be able to get in Family History Centres a long time back. Back then I ordered in the Corippo microfilm and wrote down as many 'likely' entries as I could, but it wasn't possible to get many images copied and printed. I will now be able to go through the parish records at a much more leisurely pace, and take screen shots as I wish...

Just as a sample of what is available, here is the 1839 baptism record of Maria Catterina Margherita Scetrini di Giovanni Beneda. She was the first sister born to Giuseppe Scettrini, my great-great-grandfather, who was born in 1835.

A rough translation follows:

Maria Catterina Margherita Scetrini di Giovanni Beneda
In the year of our Lord 1839, on the 25^th day of February, Father John (priest?) of Locarno (by licence?) have baptised an infant (?) born of John Scetrini and Joanna Scilacci, legitimately (married?), and the name given was Maria Catherina Margherita.
Godparents were Antonius Scilacci (son Gugliermus?? not sure) and Joanna Maria wife of Joseph Codoni, all of Corippo.

It's found on Page 68 of the Family Search microfilm at:  https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSTT-D335-B?view=explore&groupId=M9MH-J1C&grid=on

Notice how the surname here is Scettrini di Giovanni Beneda. There were so many Scettrini families in Corippo that they were sometimes distinguished by a ‘nickname’- in this case Beneda for our Scettrini line. Giovanni is the father of Maria Catterina Margherita, and also of our Giuseppe. In some later entries, the surname is rendered Scetrini-Beneda, or even just Beneda.

 

Scettrini is the spelling used in Ticino today. In the registers/census etc in the 1800s, various spellings are used- depending on whether the entry is in Latin or Italian; and if in Latin, what case of the word is being used. I'm grateful for the three years of Latin I did in high school that has helped me to work out many of the parish entries.

Catherine Rowland- Summary

 I have decided that 2025 needs to be a year of summarising and sharing much of my genealogy information, starting off with my eight great-grandparents. I have recently been busy finding out as much as I could about my Arbuckle and Heneberry lines in Victoria, so thought my first summary should be about my great-grandmother Catherine Lalor née Rowland, whose mother was an Arbuckle. But I realise she has already been paid some attention paid via this blog. (I wrote about her here already.) So this blog post just has a few points.

This is the way Catherine and I are connected:

It is quite tricky finding out more about a woman in the mid-late 1800s, and early 1900s. Just as a basic, you have to remember to use their husband's initial in any search of old newspapers etc. (This shouldn't surprise me- my mother was always addressed as Mrs JK Riordan, and even after she was widowed she had to make a determined effort to reclaim Mrs KH Riordan.)

However, here are a few things about Catherine Rowland, my great-grandmother, from my summary:

Catherine Rowland was baptised on 20 December 1845 at St James Church, Melbourne. Her father was described as a gardener, and the family was living in Heidelberg.

 

Catherine had two younger sisters. Isabella was born in 1853 but sadly she died of Diphtheria aged only 7, on 1 May 1860, near Kyneton. She is buried in the Kyneton General Cemetery, where her mother Margaret was also buried just 15 months later. Margaret suffered from consumption (Phthisis Pulmonalis) for 12 months, dying in August 1861. 

 

Catherine’s youngest sister, Margaret Jane Rowland, was born in 1856, so was only four years old when their mother died. Margaret was later listed on the Victorian Children’s Register, and was admitted to care in 1867 as a result of neglect. Her father Christopher had deserted sometime after her mother Margaret had died. She was discharged on 21 November 1872, to her sister, Mrs J Lalor (Catherine Rowland) in Greymouth on the West Coast, per the Albion S.S.

 

It appears that sometime in early 1871, Catherine crossed the Tasman and ended up in Greymouth. On 14^th September 1871, she married James LALOR in the Roman Catholic Chapel. In their ‘Intentions to Marry’ form, she was described as a spinster who dwelled in the Greymouth District. Her stated ‘length of residence’ was possibly 8 months, but I found the entry hard to decipher. A marriage notice appeared in the Grey River Argus, 18 Sep 1871 in which she was described as a native of Victoria.

 

 

Catherine and James had six children. Their first daughter, Margaret Jane, was born 22 August 1872, while they were residing at South Beach, and subsequent children were named John, Mary, Robert, James and Thomas.

 

In a very sad instance of family news, Catherine was recorded as the one looking after a grandchild, Evelyn Schroeder, in 1903, when the toddler went missing and was found drowned in Nelson Creek nearby.

 

From the electoral rolls, we can see that Catherine lived for many years at South Beach- possibly her entire time since marriage.
In the 1899 West Coast (Grey) roll, she is listed as “Lalor, Catherine, South Beach, housekeeper, residential”

In the 1914 West Coast (Westland) roll, she is listed as “Lalor, Catherine, South Beach, married.”

In the 1928 West Coast (Westland) roll, she is listed as “Lalor, Catherine, South Beach, Greymouth, widow.”

Catherine was left a widow on 3 October 1916 when her husband James Lalor died of throat cancer. All their children were still living at that date, four males and two females. 

 

Catherine herself died on 3^rd January 1934 at South Beach of  sudden myocardial failure. (In the causes of death on her death registration it is also noted that she had a leg amputated due to ‘senile gangrene’ two years previously.) She was said to have been in New Zealand for 62 years.

Trying to find out more about Catherine Lalor née Rowland in newspapers has not led to many finds. In 1915 there was a euchre and dance evening at South Beach for which she contributed some beautiful handwork as a prize. She donated 2s6d to an X-Ray Fund in 1920.

 

** On 2 November 1928 in the Grey River Argus, it was recorded that: “Mrs J. Lalor, senr., of South Beach, has received word of the death of her sister Mrs E. Bradley, at Auckland.”

Mention of Catherine Lalor happened a few times in the military records for her son Thomas Patrick Lalor. When he enlisted for war service, he listed his mother as “Kate Lalor”, born in Melbourne, Australia, and resident in NZ for 45 years. In September 1917 when he was in Featherston Camp, he was in the hospital with influenza and Mrs J Lalor, (Mother), Greymouth, was listed as the person to contact in case of necessity.

---

Hannah Hunter née Arbuckle

My great-great-grandmother Margaret Rowland née Arbuckle had a twin sister Hannah. Both were born in 1815 in Strabane, Co Tyrone. I've been told this by Len Swindley from Australia, who has been to Belfast and Strabane to research, but haven't sighted the source material myself.

Hannah and Margaret both emigrated to Australia in 1841 on the Marquis de Bute which arrived in Port Phillip, Melbourne, on 30 November 1841, aged 26. On the passenger list Hannah is in a family group with her husband George Hunter, 28, a Smith; William, her son 6, and Robert, her son, 4. Twin sister, Margaret Arbuckle is on the same ship as a single woman, though she was married and had a son, Robert Barnhill.

Hannah and George Hunter had at least ten children. A few of them died relatively young, but many lived to marry and have numerous children themselves, so Hannah left an abundance of descendants in Australia.

Hannah died on 21 July 1887 at her residence, Carlisle St, Auburn, Hawthorn Victoria, aged 72 yrs and 6 months. In her death notice in the Argus (23 July 1887) it states that she had been a colonist for 46 years, and was the loved wife of George Hunter. She was buried in the Boroondara Cemetery, (Kew), Victoria.

Hannah was buried in a plot with her youngest son, George, in the Church of England section, C1055. The inscription reads: "In memory of George the beloved youngest son of George and Hannah Hunter who died 10 March 1884 aged 27 years Also Hannah Beloved wife of George Hunter Died 21st July 1887, aged 72 years Also George Hunter Husband of the above Died 21st June 1889, aged 77". I am thankful to JKGE who took several photos of the grave for me and uploaded them to the FindAGrave website. 

Probate was granted on 18 August 1887 to William Hunter and RM Gyton. Hannah's real and personal estate was left to her husband during his life. After his death, fifty pounds was left to her grandson George Albert Hunter, and the rest of the estate was left to her children William Hunter, Thomas Hunter, Margaret Murray, Martha Younger, Isabella Ardagh, Elizabeth Dungan and Annie Gyton, in equal shares. 

I haven't so far attempted to 'flesh out' the life of Hannah Hunter. Perhaps some gems lie on the Trove newspaper website, though women tend not to be reported on in the papers of the time. If you are a descendant with some stories of her life, please feel free to leave a comment on this blog. 

Catherine Rowland- my West Coast great-grandmother

Sometimes when doing your family history, questions come to mind that are 'wonderings' that you are unlikely to find an answer for. One such question for me is: "Why did Catherine travel across the Tasman from Victoria to Greymouth on the West Coast, as a young single woman?"

Catherine Rowland was born on 26 August 1845 to Christopher Rowland and Margaret Arbuckle, in Heidelberg, Victoria, and baptised in St James Church, Melbourne. Two more children were born in East Brighton, Melbourne, including Margaret Jane, the youngest, who also came to New Zealand later. Sadly their mother Margaret died in 1861 of consumption, and was buried in Kyneton, Victoria.  Margaret was only 16 years old at the time (and Margaret Jane only four.)

What happened to Catherine in the intervening years is unclear, but she married James Lalor on 14 September 1871 in the Roman Catholic Chapel, Greymouth. Not much information was collected for marriage documents in NZ at that time and we can only glean a few facts. In her 'intentions to marry' document held at National Archives (NZ) she was said to be a spinster of full age, and although it is not clearly legible, her length of residence appears to be 8 months. This would make it possible that she crossed the Tasman in early 1871, with the caveat that 'length of residence' could have been interpreted as in the district, or in New Zealand.

Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 981. 18 September 1871

 

 

The only other document that we have that gives an indication about when Catherine might have arrived in NZ is her death registration. She lived a good long life in South Beach, Greymouth, until she died aged 83 of sudden myocardial failure on 3 January 1934. She was said to have been in NZ for 62 years, and this would give a time of arrival around 1871-2.

These two dates are consistent, and it seems that she did in fact arrive in New Zealand not many months before her marriage in September 1871. (Shipping records between Melbourne and Greymouth of the time are hard to come by.)

So the questions remain, did she cross alone as such a young woman? Or was she with a friend? Did she know someone in Greymouth, or did she just make the crossing in the hope that a better life existed for her away from Victoria? It is unlikely I will find answers, but it is still a nice thing to wonder about. 

Catherine Rowland (Lalor) with a child (thought to be Eileen Hamilton)

Darfield Visit

 Today it was time for a trip out to Darfield and Charing Cross. First I went to the cemetery by the Catholic Church, where a quartet of headstones are there for my Riordan-Burke family. Mary Burke was the first one buried there, after she died of consumption when only 29 years old. Her mother Ann Philp (Burke) and her Uncle John Burke) died within months of each other in 1895. Patrick Riordan, Mary’s husband, died in 1911. 

Next I visited the Darfield Cenotaph, which carries the name of James Riordan, my great-uncle, who died of wounds received in the Battle of the Somme. 

The last visit for the afternoon was to Charing Cross where the Riordan farm used to be. Patrick raised sheep and grew crops, and it seems like similar uses of the land are still in place. But today there were large irrigators also in use. 

Burke Family Gathering

 Yesterday some of my Burke Family whanau had a gathering in Christchurch- a very enjoyable day. The first item for the morning was at Sydenham Cemetery where we had a blessing for a memorial plaque for Martin Burke- my 2x-great-grandfather. He doesn't seem to have ever had a headstone, and a group of us decided that it might be a good idea to erect one. Fr Simon Eccleton was the priest who came along to perform the blessing, a very special thing. He said he often does blessings for the month's mind at cemeteries, but for someone who died over a 100 years ago was a first for him!

Some of us then headed to Lyttelton and took a short cruise across to Quail Island. I appreciated being on the harbour to mark the day when everyone disembarked from the Mermaid, 160 years ago.

Next stop was at the Gondola, which gave a superb view down to the harbour, and also to parts of the Bridle Path that they had to climb over to reach Christchurch itself.

We finished the evening with a wonderful meal celebration with about 44 cousins. I particularly enjoyed meeting up with a couple of Riordan second cousins who I had never met before, and there was a group of Burtons there whose mother had helped me get started on genealogy many years ago. All round, it was a very special and satisfying day, getting to know a large group of whanau I hadn't met before.

Annie Riordan- Sr Majella

 The youngest child of Patrick Riordan and Mary Burke was Annie Riordan, who was just a baby when her mother Mary died of consumption. Sadly, Annie acquired it from her mother, though she lived to be 19 before she went quickly downhill with it.

Annie was reputedly very musical, and in Papers Past there are numerous references to her when at high school for passing music exams (piano and harp) and for singing in concerts. At high school in 1974 I had the lead female solo in a musical, and afterwards some nuns were telling me how much my voice reminded them of this nun who was my relative. It was only when I began doing genealogy quite some time later that I found out the nun in question was my great-aunt Annie Riordan, and that she had died in 1911. The nuns who told me the story about her singing voice could never have heard it, they must have just heard the tradition amongst the congregation about her voice.

I am presently in Christchurch for a Burke family gathering, and took the opportunity to go to Linwood Cemetery to update my photos of Annie's grave, in the plot ( Block 40, Plot 99C) of the Mission Sisters, RNDM (Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions.) Her name in the convent was Sr Majella. The plot used to have a tall cross on it, atop a base with the sister's names on it. These names were solely their names in religion, and just the date of death was recorded. Now the cross lays flat over the plots, and there are plaques that carry the names and birth and death dates of each nun. Their family names are included along with their religious names.

Here are a few photos from how the plot looks now.