Poking around in the past

Friday, 1 January 2016

Leaving

Margaret stood silently with her sister Anne gazing in awe at the hulking ship rising and falling gently at its mooring on the Liverpool quayside. Margaret’s hand trembled as she reached out to grasp her sister’s in a gesture designed to reassure, herself or her sister, she was not really sure.

The ‘Marion’ was the largest vessel she had ever set eyes on. A huge ship so different from the compact Steamer on the crossing from Dublin to Liverpool. Three huge masts soared heavenward and the proud bow sprit pointed toward the harbour entrance, follow me to South Australia, it beckoned. If Margaret closed her eyes she could just about see the square rigged sails straining in the wind carrying her away from the dirty over crowded wharf across a beautiful deep blue ocean she had only ever seen in pictures. Of course she knew this was only her imagination at work and she quickly crossed her fingers to hold the day dream like a wish.

A sudden push from behind broke the spell of her musings, ‘move along Ladies, steerage boarding that way’ pointed a uniformed arm and a deep gravelly voice, before it and its owner, disappeared in the opposite direction. Following the direction, Margaret and Anne pushed their way through the throng of other young men and women to the bottom of the gangway, fears forgotten for the moment in the overpowering excitement of the jostling crowd.

Bibliography

‘Immigrants to South Australia, (UK, assisted passage) 1847-1886’, 2014, The Ships List, http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/marion1854.shtml accessed 3 December 2015 ‘Liverpool and emigration in the 19^th and 20^th centuries’ information sheet 64, 2008, National Museums Liverpool, http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/archive/sheet/64 accessed 3 December 2015

‘Southward Bound’ Resource package, n.d., S. A. Maritime Museum, http://education.maritime.history.sa.gov.au/docs/southwardbound.pdf accessed 3 December 2015

Laurence Samuel Borg, aka Lorry, Pro, Grumpa.

Laurence Samuel Borg was my Grandfather. My Mum's Dad and a major part of my life after the death of my own father when I was just a small child. At this point in time I was eighteen months old, and along with my mother, we returned to the heart of her family. For many years "Grumpa" was the only father figure I knew.

Family photograph c. mid 1980's

The Laurence Borg I knew was a vastly different man to the stories and remembrances told by his own children. He was first and foremost a family man, a manual labourer, hard working and uncompromising in his views and attitudes. My Mum, Aunt and Uncles retell stories of hardship and tough love that would not be viewed favourably in today's world, born predominantly from his own tough childhood. But from my perspective as a child, he and my Gran were the centre of my small world. Always around, in the garden, going on outings to the city, around the kitchen table with family and friends and holidays together. He enjoyed a bet on the ponies and he was gruff and grumpy (hence the name Grumpa!) and was forever threatening to trade my Gran in for a twenty-one year old! Yes he was tough, but there was always the underlying sense of love, acceptance and support. However as I matured I could sense the hard man he would have been and did in fact have a number of run ins with him as a teenager, outraged by his archaic views on many topics. There are many aspects of Laurence's early years that are still a mystery and many conflicting stories and events recalled by various family members. The following facts try to piece together the life and times of a man that had a great influence on my life and someone that I still miss greatly everyday.

Laurence Samuel Borg was born on the 27th March 1919 in Broken Hill, New South Wales, the eldest son of Elizabeth Louisa May and Giuseppe Vincenzo Paolo (Joseph) Borg. The marriage of his parents six months prior to his birth could be an indicator of the life he was about to embark upon. Within eighteen months, and now residing in Knightsbridge ( Leabrook) Adelaide, South Australia, the birth of Laurence's younger brother Joseph Michael Borg on the 21 August 1920, completed the family.

Laurence and Joseph Borg c.1921

The Sands and McDougall directories for South Australia indicate that the family probably lived at the same address in Knightsbridge until at least 1924. By 1926, however the family appear to be living at 601 Spencer Street, West Melbourne, Victoria. Both parents Elizabeth and Joseph are listed in the electoral rolls for this address in both 1926 and 1927. The following photograph supports the theory that the family are all together at this point in time.

St. Mary's, W. Melb., 1st grade, 1926

Laurence's recollections of this period of his life include stories of roaming the docks of Port Melbourne, parental neglect and loose living by his mother.
It is not clear how long the family remained in Victoria, but by 1930 Laurence's parents are living at separate addresses in Broken Hill, New South Wales and Laurence is attending Broken Hill Technical School. It appears that in this period Laurence has gone to live with his great Aunt, Elizabeth Ellen Larsen and her husband Oscar.

Elizabeth Larsen is the Aunt of Laurence's Mother and by this time is on her third marriage. She has no children of her own and during this period, Laurence is found to be known by the surname of Larsen. Elizabeth Larsen had moved several times in her life between Adelaide and Broken Hill and the next record we find of Laurence is a leaving certificate from Broken Hill Technical School at the end of 1930 and his subsequent enrolment at Scotts Bottom Public School in South Australia at the start of the 1931 school year. Elizabeth Larsen is the person enrolling Laurence and they are living in the hundred of Noarlunga at the time. Laurence often spoke of living with an old Tatar of an Aunt in the Cherry Gardens area and told a stories about sleep walking waking in the brambles and blackberry bushes on the property.

Laurence completes his education at Scotts Bottom and at the end of 1933 and receives a letter of recommendation from his former teacher E. C. Moore in 1934.

Letter of recommendation Scott's Bottom Public School, E. C. Moore 1934

It is an assumption that Laurence started his working life at this point, however, oral family history relates stories of him being in the Sisters of St Joseph orphanage at Largs Bay until his mother retrieved him when he was old enough to work. I have not yet arranged to view the orphanage records so it will be interesting to see if this adds up with other records.

By the time of the outbreak of World War II, Laurence is living at 27 King Street, Alberton, South Australia and is employed as a Labourer by W.K Thomson, David Street, Queensberry, South Australia. Further research shows this to be a Kapok and Flock manufacturing business providing stuffing for automobile seats. The actual address differs between the three different sources I have located however I believe the factory would have been located at a site that is now Davidson Ave, Hendon, South Australia today.

To be continued.....

Tuesday, 29 December 2015

Lillian

As the back door slammed shut Lil slumped into the nearest chair. Tears of humiliation and regret continued to flow down her cheeks. Her arms sprawled across the kitchen table her head resting listlessly against the crook of her arm. She just didn’t have the energy to make them stop. She had known this day was coming, it was inevitable, but the reality of facing Bert had been pushed to the background when he was so far away.

What did people expect from her anyway? She was young and lively and had been alone for the last four years. Encouraged into marriage when she was little more than a child, Bert had been a demanding older husband. At the time it had seemed like such an adventure, she felt so grown up. The reality of family life had set in soon enough though, little money and four babies in six years had kept her so busy, and it was a guilty sense of relief when Bert left for Europe.
A sudden nudge brought Lil out of her mournful reveries. Sitting up and wiping her face on the apron stretched across her swollen belly she heaved herself to the sink and filled the kettle. Events were out of her control now and she would just have to make the best of things. As she gently rubbed her tummy a new resolve coursed through her. Olaf would stand by her, she knew.‘Pull yourself together girl,’ she mused, there’s no going back now.

Sunday, 1 November 2015

Mary Burke

Mary Burke (my great great great grandmother) was living in the townland of Ballyspellan, County Kilkenny, Ireland when her third child, a daughter, Margaret Mary MacEvoy (my great great grandmother) was baptised on the 16th June 1833.

Mary was married to Martin MacEvoy at a time and place unknown. Other children of this union are:

Elizabeth MacEvoy, baptised 14th January 1830, and

Anne MacEvoy, baptized 29 March 1832.

All three girls were baptised in the Roman Catholic church in the District of Johnstown, Kilkenny, Ireland. Sponsors of the girls and presumably family, friends or neighbours of Mary and Martin include:
Edmund Burk, Ellen Shortall, Martin Neal, Mary MacEvoy and Elizabeth (Betty) Kavanagh.

I was unable to locate any further children for Mary and Martin after Margaret's birth in 1833. I suspect that Mary has died at some unknown time prior to 1840 when Martin MacEvoy married for a second time.

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Anna Elisabet Hauk

Anna Elisabet Hauk was difficult to find. When following the tennets of family history research the idea is to trace backward through the generations. In following this method my first clue to her identity came from the birth certificate of her son Olaf Johan Carlstom. In this Swedish record her maiden surname is recorded as HAHN.

Extract from Swedish birth record Olaf Johan Carlström 22nd April 1891

The next clue to her identity was from Olaf's Application for Certificate of Naturalization in 1939, stating that the nationality of his mother prior to her marriage was Swedish.

Extract from the Application for Certificate of Naturalization made by John Olaf Carlstrom in 1939

Using this information I was unable to find any trace of her until I finally paid to look at the Swedish census records. These records show her name as Carlstrom nee Hauk, finally giving me the clues I needed to find more about her birth, life and death.

Anna Elisabet Hauk was born on the 21st of April 1859 in Reus Bohmen Tyskland (now Czech Republic). I have been unble to find record of this town and suspect that a translation error has been made at some point. Unfortunately without this information it is impossible at this point to find an original birth record.

Anna arrived in Sweden from her home in Carlsbad, Bohemia ( now Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic) on the 25th of March 1882 and took up residence in Lissma Stockholm. On the 4th of May 1882 Anna marries Nils Olsson Karlström, a Tanner, in Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.
The marriage was approved by Anna's brother Shoemaker Johan Hauk and her mother, Innkeeper and widow Maria Hauk, both residents of Carlsbad Bohemia. Anna and Nils return to live in Halmstad, Halland, Sweden where Nils had been living since 1877.

On the 11th February 1883, their first child, Emmy Maria Karlström is born in Halmstad. Her birth is closely followed by the birth of a second daughter Eleonora Anna Katartina Karlström on the 22nd June 1884.

At some point prior to 1890 the family move to Helsingborg, Skåne, Sweden. The Swedish census of 1890 show the family living at Qvarnen 11, Helsingborg and Nils is now employed as a Baker. It is here in the following year that their next child, a son, Olaf Johan Carlström is born on the 22nd of Arpil 1891.

On the 1st of October 1892, Anna loses her husband Nils to a fatal accident, leaving her widowed with 3 children. It is not known how she supported her family during this time, living in several locations in Helsingborg over the next few years.

John Erik Carlstrom, German birth record, Charlottensburg 23rd Oct 1897

In 1897 Anna travels to Germany where she gives birth to a son John Erik Karlström in Charlottensburg, Berlin on the 5th of October that year. No Father’s name is given in the birth record and there is no record of Anna travelling to Germany in this period. The child is not seen on the 1900 Swedish census nor does he appear to have been bought up as part of the family. John Erik shows up in Stockholm records in 1922 and has some military history in Sweden from about 1917.

In 1898 the family move to Kristinehall 8 in Helsingborg. It is during this period that Anna marries for a second time to Jöns Assarsson, a Music Teacher nine years her junior, on the 22^nd April 1900. This marriage produces a daughter Sonja Assarsson, born on the 3^rd of October 1900.

Anna lives the rest of her life in Helsingborg. Her eldest daughter Emmy, also stays in or around Helsingborg. The next daughter Eleonora moves to Stockholm and Olaf Johan emigrates to Australia. Sonja's movements are not known at this stage. Records also show John Erik spending some time in Helsingborg in the late 1920's. It would be interesting to know if he knew his Mother.

Nya Krykogatan, Helsingborg. Personal photograph of the author.

Anna dies on the 23rd of January 1937 of Heart and Kidney disease. On the 30th January she is buried in the Nya Krykogatan (New Cemetery), Helsingborg, in the family grave of her son in law Bror Gotthard Elversson.