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)

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.