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. 

Our Christopher Rowland- a convict?

When I first starting researching my family history I heard a family story that Aunty Edith told that there was a convict in the family. It didn't take long to find out that Catherine Rowland's father was Christopher Rowland, and there was a convict called Christopher Rowland. What I wasn't so sure about for many years, was whether this convict was actually 'our' Christopher Rowland.

Somebody told me you needed to find something like a ticket-of-leave number on a wedding registration to prove a convict link. I never found that, but in 2020 lockdown I believe I have discovered a compelling trail of evidence that shows our Christopher was indeed a convict.

Christopher Rowland was tried and convicted for ‘stolen copper’ on 30 July, 1834, in Cork City, Ireland. He was aged 25, could read and write, and was married with two male children. He was a gardener’s labourer, and farm-labourer. He was sentenced to seven years, and was transported from Ireland on the ship “Hero” that arrived in New South Wales on 31 August, 1835.

He was granted a ticket of leave, No 39/2105, on 11 November 1839, and he was allowed to remain in the district of Braidwood. Braidwood is a town located on the Kings Highway linking Canberra with Batemans Bay. It is approximately 200 kilometres south west of Sydney, 60 kilometres inland from the coast, and fifty-five from Canberra.

When I first found this ticket of leave, I doubted this convict could be the same Christopher Rowland who married Margaret Barnall in 1843, as Braidwood is a long way from Melbourne.


However, I then found two more documents that showed how Christopher Rowland the convict was able to move to Melbourne in 1840.

Christopher Rowland was granted a Ticket of Leave Passport, No 40/186 in May 1840, and he was “allowed to proceed to Port Phillip in the employ of J Hawdon Esq for twelve months”, on the recommendation of J Hawdon Esq.


Joseph Hawdon, the employer of Christopher Rowland, had an article published about him in the Australian Dictionary of Biography in 1966. He first settled near Bateman’s Bay in 1834. In 1836 he began overlanding cattle to Port Philip (Melbourne). In about 1839 “He now made his headquarters in Melbourne, where he lived on his property, Banyule, at Heidelberg.”

So with the ticket-of-leave passport recommended by Joseph Hawdon, Christopher Rowland the convict was able to move from Braidwood, NSW, to Heidelberg, Melbourne, in 1840.

I have not found another Christopher Rowland in the area, and I think it is highly likely that this Christopher Rowland, the convict, is indeed the father of Catherine Rowland, whose abode at her birth in 1845 was Heidelberg.


References:
-Convict details originally obtained from Auckland Public Library, AO Fiche #714, Printed indents 1835 (X637) P118-119 
 
-Hawdon, Joseph (1813-1871) by Alan Gross, published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1 (MUP), 1966

-Biographical Database of Australia- images of ticket of leave (1839)and ticket of leave passport (1840)


 

Margaret Arbuckle

Margaret Arbuckle is my 2X great-grandmother, the mother of Catherine Lalor (nee Rowland.)

She was born in Strabane, Co Tyrone, Ireland, in January 1815, and she had a twin sister Hannah. Their parents were William Arbuckle, a publican (c1790-c1833) and Sarah STEVENSON (c1790-1833.)

There were at least three other known Arbuckle sisters: Mary Ann (1826), Ann (1832) and Sarah (1833). Sarah Stevenson died 24 December 1833 following the birth of her daughter Sarah, and family tradition relates that their father William died soon afterwards, leaving the five girls as orphans.

At some stage Margaret married Thomas BARNHILL, who was the landlord of the property that her twin sister Hannah was living in, at Longrow, on the Derry Rd in Backfence townland. (This is near the modern border with Co Donegal.)

Thomas and Margaret had one son, Robert Barnhill, born 1838.

Margaret arrived in Melbourne as a passenger on the Marquis of Bute in 1841. She was listed as an unmarried female, a house-servant, aged 24. She was said to follow the Protestant religion, could read (but not write), and was from Co Tyrone.

Margaret’s sister Hannah, with her husband George Hunter, and two sons, William and Robert, also arrived in Melbourne in 1841 on the Marquis of Bute. Robert was not their child, he was probably the son of the ‘unmarried’ Margaret. He was listed as being aged 4. He is a half-brother to Catherine  and Margaret Jane Rowland. (And I have some DNA matches to his descendants.)

Margaret Arbuckle married Christopher Rowland in Melbourne on 6 April 1843. Her name was listed as Margaret Barnall, widow. She signed the declaration with an X (her mark), which showed she could not write.

Catherine Rowland, their first child, was baptised on 20 December 1845, in the Parish of St James, Melbourne. Her father was described as a gardener, and the family abode was Heidelberg.

Their second daughter, Isabella was born on 22 March 1853 in East Brighton, Melbourne but died as a young child. She was buried in 1860, aged 7 years old, in the Kyneton General Cemetery.
The third daughter was Margaret Jane, who was born on 13 June 1856 in  East Brighton, Melbourne.

Margaret Arbuckle died at Green Hill on 27 August 1861 of consumption. She was buried in the cemetery at Kyneton, Victoria with Isabella. Her surviving offspring were Catherine aged 16 years, and Margaret Jane aged 4 years. She had lived in Victoria for twenty years.

Catherine Rowland, South Beach

Catherine Rowland with child thought to be Eileen Hamilton

Catherine ROWLAND was born on 26 August 1845, in Heidelberg, Melbourne, the first child for Christopher ROWLAND and Margaret ARBUCKLE (‘Barnall’). She was later baptised at St James Church, Melbourne.

Her father Christopher was from Co Cork, and had been transported to Australia as a convict in 1835. Her mother Margaret was from Strabane in Co Tyrone, and she was one of several women of the Arbuckle family who emigrated to Australia.

Catherine had a sister Margaret Jane Rowland, born in 1856 in East Brighton, Melbourne. She also had another younger sister, Isabella, born in 1853. However, Isabella died young in 1860 and is buried in the Kyneton General Cemetery, together with her mother Margaret. Catherine also had a half-brother, Robert Barnhill, who was born in Strabane.

It appears that sometime around early 1871, Catherine crossed the Tasman and ended up in Greymouth. On 14th September 1871, she married James LALOR in the Roman Catholic Chapel. A marriage notice appeared in the Grey River Argus, in which she was described as a native of Victoria.

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

Catherine’s sister, Margaret Jane, was listed on the Victorian Children’s Register: her father Christopher had deserted and her mother Margaret had died. She was discharged in 1872, to her sister, Mrs J Lalor (Catherine Rowland) in Greymouth on the West Coast, per the Albion S.S.

Whereas for her husband James Lalor there were many references in the local newspapers, for Catherine, as a woman, there were few. 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. And sadly, she 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.

Catherine was left a widow in 1916 when her husband James Lalor died.

Catherine herself died on 3rd January 1934 at South Beach. She was said to have been in New Zealand for 62 years. She was buried in the (Karoro) Cemetery at Greymouth in a plot she shares with her husband and two grandchildren.

Her death was reported in the Auckland Weekly News, where she was described as ‘one of the pioneers of the West Coast’.

I have two important acknowledgements to make:
1) Much of the information about the Rowland family in Australia, and the Arbuckle relatives in both Australia and Ireland, has been researched by Mr Len Swindley of Melbourne. He has extensive knowledge of the various Arbuckle siblings and spouses that came to Australia.
2) Lois Guyatt who is a descendant of Catherine's sister, Margaret Jane Rowland, gave me a lot of my initial Rowland family information.

James Lalor- South Beach

LALOR, James - some key facts

James LALOR was born in Co Kilkenny, Ireland, c1837-1838, to John and Mary Lalor.

He was in Bendigo when the Eureka Stockade riots took place in Ballarat (in 1854) and was described as a ‘distant relation’ of Peter Lalor who was prominent in the rebellion.  According to his obituary, he was a butcher in Melbourne, and was a manager in Mr Pettie’s large butchery shop for several years.

In his obituary it also says that he sailed in the ship ‘Lightning’ and followed the early gold rushes at Addison’s Flat on the West Coast, but never met with much success there. (Gold was discovered at Addison’s Flat in May, 1867.)

By 1871 he was living in the Greymouth district, and on 14th September 1871, he married Catherine ROWLAND in the Roman Catholic Chapel, Greymouth. He was described as a bachelor and a miner, with a stated ‘length of residence’ of 2½ years. A marriage notice appeared in the Grey River Argus.

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.

James mined for gold at South Beach. On the Westland electoral roll of 1911, James Lalor, of Paroa, is listed as a miner, and in 1914 on the Westland supplementary roll he is listed as “6182 Lalor James, senr. South Beach, miner.”

In April 1883 James is listed as one of four men applying for a lease of 8 acres of land at South Beach, for a period of 15 years, to be worked by ground sluicing. The company formed was to be called “The Rising Sun Gold-mining Company”. One of the other company members was Robert Delaney, who had been named as a witness at James Lalor’s wedding 12 years earlier.

James Lalor was clearly accustomed to public speaking, and many references can be found to him in ‘Papers Past’, performing varied public roles. A second, more detailed account of his life has many of these references attached.

James Lalor was confident when taking a public stand for the rights of miners. In 1886 when a public meeting was held about leasing of South Beach lands, James Lalor was one of those involved in the discussions, and he proposed a motion “That a petition be presented to the Waste Lands Board, and a copy forwarded to the Honorable the Minister of Mines, showing that by the sale or leasing of any land within the Paroa district that the miners would suffer severely, inasmuch as their very costly dams and water-races would become valueless, which should be viewed as a calamity to be averted.”

In his later years James also became a 'Parliamentary Messenger'. An article in 1901 in New Zealand Free Lance described him in favourable terms, noting that among the messengers in the recent session of the House of Representatives ‘there was one at least who bore a historic name and is a blood relation to two men who have achieved celebrity'. The writer told us that James Lalor was a modest man: 'Yet, Mr James Lalor, who came up from Greymouth to wear the livery of Parliament and who has just got back to the Coast this week to resume his avocation as a gold miner could boast of his family connections if he were not far too modest a man to say anything about himself at all.'  The writer then said that James Lalor was a ‘full cousin’ of the celebrated Irish orator, Richard Lalor Sheil.

In 1992, my aunty, Edith Lemon (nee Lalor), showed me where the old residence of James and Catherine Lalor stood at South Beach. It was rather derelict, but had clearly been a rather grand villa in its time. I am told that it is no longer standing.

James Lalor died at South Beach on 3 October 1916, of malignant disease of the throat. In the Argus he was described as ‘well and favourably known throughout the West Coast’  and a ‘true and devoted father’. On October 5th, Catherine Lalor invited friends to attend the funeral for her late husband James, leaving from her residence at South Beach for the Greymouth Cemetery.

He is buried in Karoro Cemetery in Greymouth, together with his wife Catherine, and two grandchildren who died as infants.

Compiled by Margaret Riordan, great- granddaughter of James Lalor snr, 
27 March 2020

I have various documents and references to the facts listed above, but my footnotes didn't come through on the cut and paste to the blog. Here they are, included as pictures. 

Lalor-Rowland family- South Beach

It looks like I might well end up at home with time on my hands as coronavirus spreads. I am going to use at least some of the time to make some of my genealogy info more "user friendly" for others. I'm starting with my maternal-paternal line- the Lalor-Rowland family, who lived at South Beach near Greymouth.

Here's a pic of the introductory page, before I get into more detailed info. (There are a couple of pics on the title page, so it's not as bland as this seems...)

James Lalor- origins?

I have written before on this blog about my maternal great-grandfather, James Lalor. And I also blogged a little info about him that I discovered in the parliamentary journal New Zealand Free Lance in 1901.

More recently I found an obituary for him that gave more facts about his life that I hadn't known before. He had come to Melbourne at quite a young age, and was a butcher there, soon managing Mr Pettie's large butchery shop. He then sailed in the ship Lightning for New Zealand. He followed the early rushes at Addison's Flat but met with little success.

He was appointed a messenger at Parliament, and filled that position for fourteen years, receiving an address and letter from Sir Joseph Ward when he retired. He was a keen follower of the trotting world, and owned a couple of horses.

His obituary states that he came from Kilkenny, and that was 79 years old at his death in 1916. I know only a few other things about his origins. His father was John Lalor, and his mother was "Mary" but I don't know her maiden name. From the Free Lance article I learned that he was a distant cousin of Peter Lalor of Eureka Stockade fame, and a 'full cousin' of the famous orator Richard Lalor Shiel. It seems clear from various newspaper entries that James Lalor was a clever speaker himself, both literate and educated.

The old Lalor homestead at South Beach, Greymouth, on the West Coast.

 

Photo

 taken 1992

Emboldened by recent success in working out where exactly my Riordan ancestors came from in Co Limerick, I feel I should now put some effort into working out where exactly James Lalor came from. However, for Patrick Riordan, I knew the surnames of both his parents, and I had a townland, Curraheen. I also knew whereabouts in Co Limerick some of his cousins hailed from.
I expect that a search for James Lalor's origins will be more difficult, and since he was possibly born around 1837, his birth is likely not included in parish records. His full cousin Richard Lalor Shiel seemed to be more based in Waterford, which would indicate our James' family was perhaps based more in the south of the county of Kilkenny. But then I think that Peter Lalor, his 'distant' cousin was from Abbyleix, just over the northern border of Co Kilkenny in Co Laois. I will spend some time searching, but this might be a 'brick wall'. Will blog again if one day I learn more.