Ann PHILP- from Scotland

Ann Philp is my one great-great-grandparent from Scotland. She was born around 1840, in Ceres, Fife, (estimated from the 1851 census), though we have not been able to find her baptism entry.




She married Martin Burke, (originally from Co Mayo in Ireland), in February 1861, in Perth, with her residence at the time given as Abernethy. Her parents are named on her marriage entry as Thomas Philp, ploughman, and Isabella Philp, whose maiden name was Nicholson. From the 1851 census we find that Thomas Philp was born in Strathmiglo, and Isabella Nicholson was born in Ceres.

(copied from microfilm in FHC)

 Ann was the sixth child in a family that had 10 children that we know of, some of whom we know were born in Ceres, Fife, others in Dunbog, Fife, and the youngest, Fanny (Euphemia) was born in Abernethy. Ann was said to be 11 in the 1851 census, and a scholar. When her mother Isabella died in Abernethy in 1855, Ann was listed amongst her children, and was said to be 15.

By the time of the 1861 census, Ann had married Martin Burke. However, rather than appearing in the Burke household in the census, she is listed as being in Abernethy with her father Thomas, as housekeeper at the Balvaird Cot House. Her youngest sister Euphemia is also there, aged 12, as well as another female child, Isabella Forrester aged 10. (I don’t know how/if Isabella fits into the family at this stage.)

The following year, on 21 August 1862, Ann Philp became a mother, with her firstborn child being Mary Burke, my great-grandmother. The young family were living in the Parish of Inchture at this time.

Mary Burke was just a young child when the family of three embarked for Canterbury in New Zealand, and they arrived in the port of Lyttelton on the ship Mermaid, in February 1864. From the newspaper account of the voyage we read that:- During the voyage the passengers had the benefit of fine weather nearly all the way out, and, in their own language, “there was scarce one evening but they could dance on deck.” 

Ann gave birth to two more children in New Zealand. Ann Burke was born in December 1864, and a son Thomas was born in 1866.

The family were living in Burnham when Ann Philp died in March 1895, aged 53 years old. Her death entry says she died of cancer of the liver. However, her brother-in-law John Burke died just two months earlier of a cause also said to be cancer of the liver, so we must wonder whether in fact there was some infectious cause.

Ann was buried in the Darfield Catholic Cemetery in a group of four family graves, near her daughter Mary, her brother-in-law John Burke, and Mary’s husband Patrick Riordan. The four graves are amongst the oldest in the cemetery.

I’d like to acknowledge the help Maggie Gaffney (third cousin) has given me in my research about the Philp family, especially by sharing the 1851 census and the 1855 death entry for Isabella Philp nee Nicholson.

Jeremiah Malone, junior

The youngest child, and youngest son, of Jeremiah Malone and Margaret Riordan, was named Jeremiah. He was born in 1882 according to evidence from the Ballyhea Parish register, though I haven't been able to find his birth in civil registration.
In the 1901 census, Jeremiah is described as a farmer's son, aged 19, living with his parents and four other siblings. He was able to read and write.
On 13 September 1910, Jeremiah married Catherine Crowley in Clonakilty, Co Cork. (Clonakilty is in south-west Cork near the coast, quite far from Ballyhea.) Their marriage registration is available on the website for Irish civil registration.

By the time of the 1911 census Jeremiah was living in Main St, Rathkeale with his wife Catherine. He was a horticultural instructor.

Jeremiah and Catherine had a daughter Margaret (known as Peggy), born in June 1911. Three further siblings have been found: Michael James (1913),  Bridget (1915), and Mary Catherine (1919).

Peggy married a Brennan, and continued to live in Rathkeale where she brought up her family, and Aunty Mary Riordan (her first cousin) told me about her so I could visit her in the early 1980s. Michael James (Mick)  emigrated to Australia and his wife also came from Rathkeale. Bridget died young, aged just 24, of pulmonary tuberculosis. Mary Kate emigrated to the USA, her husband’s locality.

Jeremiah Malone died aged 52 on 9 October 1935 in Rathkeale, after suffering for four days from influenza and pneumonia. His death was registered by his daughter Mary Kate.

Malone family of Ballinadrideen

My grandmother, Margaret Malone, was born in the townland of Ballinadrideen, not far south of Charleville, in Co Cork.

Her parents were Jeremiah Malone and Margaret Riordan.

Jeremiah Malone was born about 1826, in Co Cork.

Margaret Riordan was baptised on 12 June 1843 in Ballylanders Parish, Co Limerick, named as Peggy on her baptism record. Her parents were John Riordan and Bridget Quane. She is a sibling of Patrick Riordan who farmed at Charing Cross in Canterbury, NZ.

Jeremiah and Margaret had eight children we know of: Bridget (1868), John (1869), Maurice (1871), Mary (1874), Margaret (1876), Patrick (1877), Nano (1879),  and Jeremiah (1882). Bridget, Margaret and Patrick all emigrated to New Zealand.

In the 1901 census, Jeremiah and Margaret were both still living, and five of their children were still at home, unmarried, in Ballinadrideen. Jeremiah is described as a farmer.

In the longer version of the census, we see that all except the younger two children spoke both Irish and English.

In the New Zealand Tablet, 6 October 1904, there is a death notice for Margaret Malone in Ballinadrideen. It was inserted by her ‘loving son and daughters, Patrick, Bridget and Maggie Malone, Charing Cross.” (Although the date of death appears to be July 11th here, on civil registration it is said to be 27th June.) She was aged 60.

Jeremiah Malone died just over two years later, on 22 July 1906, aged 80.  Probate was granted to Maurice Malone (his son), for a sum of Effects, £143, 5s.

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...)