#52Ancestors - Week 38 - Favourite Place

Week 38 (September 17-23) – Favorite Place: What has been  your favorite place to research? Which ancestor came from there?

There are a few places that have played pivotal roles in my family's history - Sunderland, Glasgow, Stirling, East Preston, Falmouth, Chorley (what you've never heard of that place? I haven't written about that family yet), but today on facebook, my cousin Jeannette posted an article from the Huffington Post that linked to the just released Oral History of Millers Point, Sydney recorded by the City of Sydney local council. One of the Oral History recordings is of my Aunty Janet and my cousin Cathie - talking about their memories of living and working at the "Point".

I can't say I have done any research of Millers Point - it's just always been part of Australia's story and also part of my family's Australian story - it's where my family settled when they first arrived. Until just a few months ago, someone from my family lived there in an unbroken connection of over 60 years.

The settlement of Millers Point began in the early 1800s - and you can find thousands of images of the Point in the collection of the New South Wales State Library - such as this one of the Palisade Hotel:

Why pick this photo over any of the others? It's because of the houses to the left of the "pub"

Here is a more recent image:

And here are some family photos from about 1959/1960 of the same location

Our grandmother Maureen Dobson/Farley walking with her eldest grandchild, Cathie, along the path to the terrace houses beside the Palisade Hotel.

Notice Maureen's shoes - they seem to be what we now know as "ugg boots". Seems our grandmother could have been a fashionista :)

Continuing the walk:
Maureen Dobson with Cathie outside what seems to be the Abraham Mott Hall
Mary Pauline Farley with Cathie with Munn Street Millers Point behind them and High Street down the left side of the photo

Andy Farley and Janet Martin with their daughter Cathie outside the Palisade Hotel 

The view from the other direction

Andy Farley outside the Palisade Hotel

The Palisade Hotel - a famous landmark in Sydney for 100 years, but also a place where my family lived and socialised:

#52Ancestors - Week 37 - Large Family

Week 37 (September 10-16) – Large Family. Did you know that all 10 of the most common birthdays are in September? (If you’re a chart geek like me, check out this heat map of birth date frequencies.) So let’s feature an ancestor who had a large family or who was a member of a large family.

I have 3 families in my tree who each had at least 15 children:

• Joseph (Joel) Martin and Elizabeth Speirs
• John Edward Farley and Phoebe Bowlden
• Emanuel Defty and Sarah Frances Richardson

George Charleston also had 15 children, but with 2 wives

I've written about Joseph Martin and Elizabeth Speirs before, so this week it is the turn of John Farley and Phoebe Bowlden.

John Edward Farley, born in 1875 was the son of Jack (John) Farley and Sarah Jane Weller. He is my great grandfather's brother.

Phoebe Bowlden, born about 1879 was the daughter of Samuel Head and Susannah Boulden.

They married about 1897 in Sussex England

After he left school, John was a Baker's Boy, but as an adult he was a Bricklayer and then a Plasterer.

John and Phoebe's children were, as listed in the 1911 census;

• Alice Elizabeth Farley - she married George Paige
• John Charles Farley - he died at about age 9
• William James Farley - he married Mercy Akines
• George Frederick Farley - he married Kate Sayers
• Emily Florence Farley - she married Harold G Winder
• Norah May Farley - she died at about age 21
• Harold Herbert Farley - he married Gladys Robbins
• Stanley Farley - he married Dorothy White
• Christopher Farley - he married Gladys Louisa Soper

1911 census - daughter Norah was living with Phoebe's parents for this census

The next 6 children came after the 1911 census:

• Sidney E Farley - he married Margaret Clarke
• Edith Farley - she died about age 10
• Bertie Farley - he died about age 20
• Douglas Farley - he married Elsie Hollands
• Mary Annie Farley - it seems she never married
• Horace Ernest Farley - he married Stella White

I don't have a lot of information on John and Phoebe, but I found them in this newspaper article from the Sussex Agricultural Express from September 30, 1898 - this certainly would have given them something to talk about for some time.

The last thing I came across for John and Phoebe was an article about Phoebe's Funeral:

John died January 15, 1927 of Pulmonary Tuberculosis and as the article above says, Phoebe 10 years later in 1937

#52Ancestors - Week 36 - Working for a Living

Week 36 (September 3-9) – Working for a Living: September 7 is Labor Day in the United States. Write about an ancestor and his or her occupation.

Here I am again, a week late with my blog post.

While September 3 - 9 was Labor Day in the USA, it isn't Labour Day here in New South Wales until October 5th. However, September 7th was Father's Day. So to combine those dates, this week I am going to talk about my Dad - who for most of his working life was a Marine Cook. 

He started his career in the kitchens of various vessels involved in World War 2

Dad's ships during World War 2

Dad on a break - likely during World War 2 - photo provided by Carol Martin

I can remember my Dad in his white singlets, white t-shirts, white apron and checked pants. I can picture his knives - and I remember once visiting him on a ship and looking through the kitchen. The main thing I remember about the ship is the smell of diesel fuel - that made a lasting impression - even as I write, I can still smell it. The following picture was taken in 1973 - and is likely around the time of my visit.

Cooking

Dad didn't cook much when he was at home. Apart from being on a break, Mum told us it was because we (me, my sister and brother - though it was probably mainly me) offended him when we were little. He was used to cooking for grown men, and when he tried to cook for us as young children we wouldn't eat what he cooked because it was too spicy. As we got older we never really could convince Dad to cook for us - though he did start cooking a little on weekends when Mum went back to work (when he was home, of course - he was often away "on the ships")

One thing I didn't really know, was what was actually involved in being a Marine Cook (apart from cooking), so I looked up the current course requirements from our Technical and Further Education (TAFE) colleges to fill out my knowledge. Dad's role was obviously more complex than I imagined, the following list is for entry level participants doing a Certificate III in Maritime Operations (Marine Cookery), Dad was, usually, a Chief Cook and had much higher level cooking skills:

• Provide first aid
• Follow vessel security procedures
• Observe personal safety and social responsibility
• Prevent and fight fires on board a vessel
• Survive at sea in the event of vessel abandonment

In his survival suit

• Prepare simple dishes
• Produce dishes using basic methods of cookery
• Use cookery skills effectively
• Clean kitchen premises and equipment
• Provide service to customers
• Use hygienic practices for food safety
• Maintain the quality of perishable items
• Participate in safe work practices
• Control stock

Paperwork