Grandad’s Postcards – Dominican Convent, Tamworth

Dominican Convent, Tamworth Abt. 1908

These lovely old black and white postcards are of the Dominican Convent in Tamworth which was built between 1880 and 1882, the year both of my grandparents – Edward Thomas Bailey & Ines Maude Smith – were born.  It was of a free gothic style.  The Nuns lived on the ground and first floors, with the third floor acting as a dormitory for boarders.

Extensions were made to the building in 1903 – 1904.  During the 1970’s the condition of the school deteriorated and the school was closed.  The land was sold for the development of the current day K-mart complex.  In the 1980’s the Heritage Council put in place a Conservation Order for the Convent, the Chapel & the Fence.

The building has served our community in a number of different ways over the years and currently houses the Tamworth Regional Conservatorium of Music.

 

Dominican Convent, Tamworth

I have no way of knowing if the convent was used by any of my relatives, but I do know that, as the family were not Catholic, it is unlikely.  I just love the architecture of the buildings though.  During the late 1960’s I went to the Convent 2 days a week for piano and singing lessons, and remember the rooms well.  The Nun’s were very strict, the music rooms were quite small: furnished with an overhead light, piano and stool only. 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2011/09/09/3314546.htm

https://www.thecon.com.au/History-Of-Our-Building

TROVE Tuesday – It Happened in Tamworth in 1908 – The Show Must Go On

Last Tuesday I explored the devastating flood that raged through Tamworth in Mid March of 1908. 

Tamworth Show

The local show was set down for the following week, however much damage was done to the local showground.  It was due to the efforts of the show committee, the council and the community that the show did in fact go ahead.

I think this shows an amazing resilience of spirit – the true blue country “let’s get it done” attitude.

I imagine that my grandfather, Edward Bailey, may have taken my grandmother Ines Maude Smith, on a date to visit the show.  Perhaps my grandmother had an entry in the jam making or cake section!  I suspect that granma’s shoes would have been covered in mud by the time they had seen all the exhibits though!

Tamworth Show Goes Ahead

Sources:

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14919616

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article192057642

 

#52Ancestors – The Old Homestead

Our old home was torn down about 17 years ago!

So, this week I’m not going to write about an ancestors old farmhouse sitting in the middle of a paddock in country New South Wales that I have no personal memory of.  Instead I am going to write about our family home that sat on a small poultry farm on the outskirts of Sydney’s western suburbs. My parents Madeleine Ines and Ronald Norman Di Salvia had been in the home on Bogalara Road, Toongabbie for approximately 60 years when, after their deaths, the family sold the old place which sat on a quarter acre block by that time.

I have just a few vague memories of the farm itself.  As the urban sprawl crept towards dad and mum’s land dad decided it was a good time to subdivide, but I was still quite little at the time.  I can still visualise the chook sheds, dad’s workshop, our cubby house, the huge swing in the back yard, the aviary and Daisy the cow, with fond but dimming memories.  But I can see every corner, veranda (of which there were 3), sink and gorgeously decorated ceiling of the house that sat on our land.  The house was not very pretty to look at.  In fact over the years the house had been added onto a number of times and as far as I know it was my parents that added the final section, a back veranda/laundry and bedroom, in 1953.  Each addition came with it’s own look or style, so in our home not everything matched and not every floor was level.

The lounge room sat in the centre of the house and was the only sitting room inside but it had a doorway with a stone step – the original front door, and a window in one wall that lead into a bedroom – just two of the unique aspects left by an earlier addition.  The kitchen and dining area was one long room and hours were spent with my sisters and brother playing, fighting, washing up – did I mention fighting, and setting the table in this area.  To me, this room held the one “constant” of our home as in all the years I new my mum she had a blue and grey kitchen.  The shades may have changed over the years but the colour combination never did!

58 Bogalara Road – Kitchen

So many memories, but I think the strongest memory I have of that old place was of the day that I cleaned through the house for the very last time.  I finished the cleaning by washing the floors of the kitchen and dining room late in the afternoon, when the sun hung low in the sky and soft warm light poured directly into the room.  The place was ready to be sold and the thought swamped me.  As I stood on the side veranda looking through the French doors into the room the tears welled up and it’s hard to describe the lump that stuck in my throat and made it hard to breath.  I didn’t realise at the time that this would be the last time I would ever see the place.

A lady up the road bought our old place, but had plans of her own which didn’t included living in our quirky old home.  After tearing it down she put up a huge brick box that, to me, had no character at all. I think I have only ever driven past the place once or twice since I last walked out the front gate, because the “box” intrudes on my memories.

58 Bogalara Road – Side & Back

#52Ancestors – Family Misfortune

Sometimes misfortune seems to follow some people doggedly throughout their lives.  Other times  though, a person can actually bring misfortune upon themselves, and others, through their own actions & choices……….

Joseph Smith, my 2 x g grandfather, was convicted of theft in St.Helier in September 1836, and it wasn’t the first time he had been in trouble with the law, only six months before he had been publicly flogged and imprisoned.  He was transported to Australia arriving aboard the Emma Eugenia on 9 Feb 1838 and was assigned to the Hunter Valley area.

Things were looking up for Joseph though.  He was granted a ticket of leave on 18 Mar 1846 and was given a conditional pardon on 3 Sept 1850.   Twelve years after arrival he was free to become whatever type of man he wanted to be.  Just 8 months after obtaining his pardon he married 26 year old Catherine Bradshaw and 6 children followed in quick succession between 1852 and 1866.

I don’t know what drove Joseph to drink or whether it had been a problem all his life, but he was drinking heavily.  In the following 20 years the family moved around a bit but then finally settled in Tamworth, New South Wales.  It wasn’t a happy home.  The afternoon before Joseph died at the hands of his eldest son William Henry Smith he had indulged in a large amount of liquor.  An argument had broken out between Joseph and his daughter-in-law Mary Ann nee: Horton – William’s wife.  The argument spilled out onto the footpath in Bligh Street, Tamworth where Joseph was seen by witnesses to be “man-handling” Mary Ann.  As it happens, William was walking home from work and as he neared his parents home he saw his father mistreating his wife.

At about the same time Joseph’s wife Catherine arrived home in a horse drawn cart from the hospital where she had received treatment to an arm which was badly hurt in an accident of some kind, and which was in a sling.   Catherine tried to stop the argument between Joseph and Mary Ann without success so, as William ran toward his his father he picked up a rock and pelted it at him, hitting him in the head.

The subsequent autopsy showed much damage to Joseph’s body due to alcohol, however the cause of death was due to the injury to his head so William Henry Smith was charged with the manslaughter of his father.  An inquest was held at which many witnesses spoke of Joseph’s long-term anger problems and alcohol abuse.

The one stroke of luck in this sorry tale is that William Henry Smith was acquitted of the manslaughter charge, however perhaps the damage to William Henry had already been done.  Whilst William Henry and his wife Mary Ann lived in Tamworth and went on to have 8 children something drove him to take his own life by the self administering of poison on 13 Feb 1913. I could be that William Henry was tired of being sick as it was reported at the time that he had Brights Disease – (kidney prolembs).   

The misfortunes and bad choices made by Joseph seem to have smashed into the lives of his wife Catherine and his eldest son William Henry, with disastrous results.  Instead of Joseph taking the opportunity of a fresh start with a clean slate he chose to let his past destroy him by drinking heavily and abusing his family.  Unfortunately for William Henry, Joseph’s choice to drink heavily and assault Mary Ann that day also meant that he spent time in jail (however short) and on top of his illness it all became too much for him to cope with.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

 

Sources:

TROVE Tuesday – It Happened in Tamworth in 1908 – A Great Flood

Flood At Tamworth 1

Edward Bailey & Ines Maude Smith, were my grandparents and they were just three months out from their wedding when they experienced the largest flood ever seen in Tamworth to that point.  The Peel River, which flows through the middle of town and separates north & east Tamworth from south and west Tamworth, broke it’s banks in a

Flood at Tamworth 2

number of places due to the heavy rains received in the previous three days.  The total rainfall between Friday night and the Monday was 5 inches!  In March of 1908 Tamworth had received almost a fifth of it’s yearly rain in just 3 days.

Flood At Tamworth 3

It would have been impossible to reach my grandmothers family home from Tamworth, as it was west of the Brisbane street bridge which went under water and was severely damaged.  The businesses in Peel street were badly damaged and water was waist high.

How would the heavy rains have affected my grandmother’s family?  Trips to town were probably only done once every couple of weeks, but if the planned trip to town to purchase home staples was interrupted by the flood then I can see that my grandmother Ines would have been helping her mother to prepare meals out of what was available, doing without when required.  Large numbers of dead livestock would have had potential to create the possibility of outbreaks of disease.  Clean drinking water may have been an issue. 

Man Lost in Flood

The losses suffered by the farming community was severe.  There was of course a fatality during this flood – Richard Ponsonby drowned and I have no way of knowing if my grandparents knew this man, although they were only a little older than Richard was.

I find it interesting though, that the Peel river was still breaking it’s banks in the mid to late 1960’s.  I remember wading through knee high water to get into stores in the main street of Tamworth when I was about twelve years old, even though a new bridge had been built in the mid ‘60’s to replace the original bridge built in 1882.

These days the Tamworth CBD is relatively safe from major flooding due largely to the amount of infrastructure works carried out by our local council.  Levies have been placed along a good proportion of the river bed which have proven to effectively hold the water back from the main street.  Tamworth still has a problem with flooding in low lying areas, namely the sports fields and some parts of the Taminda Commercial Area and it still can be “cut in half” during flood times at Thibaults corner. 

The cost of the 1908 flood to both the town and the area was substantial  – it amounted to 1.35 million Australian dollars in today’s currency.  (2017 inflation calculator).

Damage at Tamworth

Sources:  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article125689184

 

 

Finding Cousin Caroline

Cousin Caroline & I

Sometimes life just throws a surprise at you that makes your heart sing!! I have been trying to make contact with my cousin Caroline for quite some many years but the problem was that I could never remember her married surname, and she lived somewhere in New Zealand, but I didn’t know where.  I looked on Ancestry.com to see if I could pick her name in any Bailey family tree that I could find as her maiden name was all I had to go on.  I messaged countless people and although I got many nice replies, no-one could help me.

Well yesterday, right out of the blue, the Pastor of a local church here in Tamworth messaged me on Facebook, to let me know that Caroline, along with her husband George, had been to see him and was looking for me!  I haven’t seen Caroline since I was about 12 years old and she was nearly 17 – I think – and the last time we spoke was in the early 1990’s but we lost contact. I was super excited to to speak with her yesterday morning and asked her over to my home straight away.

Yesterday afternoon we had a fantastic catch-up.  We spent a number of hours chatting and laughing and of course going over family history – adding names, dates and tales to the family tree.  She had brought with her a couple of little family treasures that she thought I might like to have, and I was so deeply touched that she would want to pass them on to me.

Clarence Edward and Betty Bailey nee: Sinden
4 Aug 1946

Firstly, a wedding photograph of her mum and dad, my uncle Clarry and Aunty Betty which I had never seen before.  Clarence Edward Bailey married his second wife Betty Sinden on 4 Aug 1947 in Glebe, New South Wales and they went on to have my 4 cousins – William Terrance Bailey (Bill), Caroline Ann Bailey, Michael Harold Bailey (Mick) and Peter Charles Bailey (Pete).  As children they lived not far from us in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales.

Edward & Ines Bailey nee: Smith – 1908

The second item was a stunning wedding photo of my grandparents Edward Thomas and Ines Maude Bailey nee: Smith.  I had seen a black and white photo of this picture, but never the original sepia wedding photo.  I need to have it framed so it can be preserved for future generations.

Cadet Record Book of Clarence Edward Bailey – 31 Oct 1925

Then there was a book in an original envelope outlining when Clarence Edward Bailey joined the Junior Cadets in 1925 at the age of 14 years, and was subsequently discharged as medically unfit (a story for another day) in February of 1928.  This was between WW1 and WW2 of course, so this has opened up a whole new area of research for me!

Address Book of Mrs E. T. Bailey – Ines Maude Bailey nee: Smith

And finally, a tiny address book belonging to my grandmother Ines Maude Bailey nee: Smith.  As I gently turned the discoloured pages I was stunned to find the addresses of many of the people that I have written about on my blog over the years.

Thankyou Caroline, I am so very glad you contacted me on your flying visit through Tamworth – for many reasons, but mostly so that we could finally reconnect after all these years.  It was such a joy to see and talk with you again.

TROVE Tuesday – It Happened in Tamworth in 1908 – The Amputation

I can imagine that as my grandmother, Ines Maude Smith, read this article in the newspaper on Tuesday March 10th she would have felt awful for young Ambrose.   Of course it is entirely possible that, had this incident occurred today Ambrose may still have lost his arm, but there is also the distinct possibility that it may have been saved.  Unfortunately, the loss of an arm would have made Ambrose’s life very difficult, although not impossible.  Prosthetic limbs were available at the time, although they were expensive.

Anyone would agree that medical treatment has come a long way in the 110 years since 1908.  Many simple treatments have now changed and we benefit greatly from those changes.  For instance, the treatment of burns victims has a substantially higher survival rate these days, modern dental practices allow us to keep our teeth instead of having them ripped out, and current hygiene practices ensure we don’t die from infection at anywhere near the rate that we used to.

The modern treatment of gynaecological, reproductive and birthing problems has led to a significantly increased lifespan for women.  I often wondered why my grandmother only went on to have two children when many families of the time were still having at least 1/2 doz. children, and I’ve entertained the thought that there may have been some sort of medical problem that prevented further pregnancies – I will never know.

Sources:

nla.news-article238097246

#52Ancestors – Uncle Mick’s Lucky Break

Francis (Mick) Allsopp

My Uncle Mick (Francis Allsopp) had a lucky break in his older age thanks to a local Tamworth Club. 

After Uncle Mick had lost his wife in 1997 in Sydney he decided to move back to Tamworth purchasing a house a few doors up from his sister Lola Gwen Preston nee: Allsopp.  He’d made improvements to the house and joined Lola and Ted on numerous occasions for morning tea, family get-togethers and Sunday roast lunches when he decided to broaden his social activities.

Uncle Mick, Lola and Ted started to go to the raffles at the Wests Diggers Club on a Thursday night where they would enjoy a few drinks and the company of some good friends.  Mick, along with Lola and Ted, would also visit the South Tamworth Bowling Club where he was known to be very lucky with his raffle tickets, and he was always quite a lucky Bingo player at the Senior Citizens meetings.

One Thursday early in March of 2006 Uncle Mick went to the Wests Diggers Club members draw and was dumbfounded when he actually won the draw of $10,000.00.  Ripples of excitement were felt right through the family as we were all so happy that such luck and good fortune should fall upon so gentle and sweet natured a man.  The local newspaper, The Northern Daily Leader, printed an article on Uncle Mick’s win on Tuesday 14 March, 2006 and he received many calls of good wishes from everyone he knew.

Good luck could not have tapped on the shoulders of a kinder more loving family man – my Uncle Mick.

TROVE Tuesday – It Happened in Tamworth in 1908 – The Public Bath

What would my grandparents have thought of a public bath establishment being built in their town?  I don’t know a great deal about my grandmother, Ines Maude Bailey nee: Smith, as she had passed away before I was born, but I do know that she loved the theatre, and that she was a devout Christian woman.  I’m thinking that the thought of swimming in public may not have appealed to her.  I wonder if the special committee was in fact formed, and was there support or an outcry from the local community as a whole?  I will have to keep a look out for any mention of a public bath in Tamworth throughout my research of 1908.

Swimsuit worn by women prior to 1910, when the suit became more fitted to the female body

There was apparently a local Swimming Club (for gentlemen only) which met a couple of days a week and which was opened in March of 1886 however, it seems that ladies would have to suffer the heat in their long sleeve shirts and low hemmed skirts for many years to come.

Personally, I have very fond memories of walking from my home to the local baths and swimming with my sisters and friends.  In our hot summer temperatures the baths were a godsend.  I also remember walking home with my sisters and being hot all over again!

 

Sources:

http://www.tamworthamateurswimmingclub.co.uk/?page_id=4

nla.news-page10909757

nla.news-article238097246

#52Ancestors – Strong of Mind & Body

This weeks #52Ancestors topic threw me a little as, taken literally, it would be hard to know who was strong enough to “leap tall buildings”, and who wasn’t.  But then I took a closer look at the women of our family and came to the conclusion that my husbands 3 x great grandmother, Sophia Chipp who was born in the Colony in 1803, must have been a very strong woman indeed. This woman would have not survived long at all if it had not been for a “steel like” constitution!

Sophia Chipp’s Marriage Certificate

Sophia married William Thompson, a convict, by Banns at just 16 years of age on 9 Oct 1819 in Liverpool, New South Wales.  She was just a child herself when she delivered the first of her 20 children a year later in August  1820, a little girl named Mary.  Women in the very early 1800’s looked upon motherhood as their destiny and their duty, but childbirth during this period was always a fearful and dangerous time for women.  Mortality rates were very high – for both mother’s and babies, with the most common killers being prolonged labour, infection and excessive bleeding.  We don’t know why this first little girl died on the same day she was born but the death of their first child must have been very difficult for Sophia.

Sophia delivered two more healthy daughters – Jane in 1821 and Susannah in 1823, and then in 1824 she accomplished something amazing for the time.  Sophia’s first set of twins Maria and Thomas were born healthy and survived at a time in history when prenatal care was non-existent, and when midwifery care relied upon family or friends who had experience with birthing their own children.  It is unlikely that Sophia had a midwife that had any experience at all with the birthing of twins.  By the time Sophia was 20 years old she had four children under the age of 4, yet she was not only physically strong enough to cope with the multiple births but mentally strong enough to cope with the demanding life of mothering.

And the children kept coming ….. and dying..…!  1825 saw the birth and death of a baby girl – Ellen, and then a year or so later in 1826 Sophia yet again gave birth to a set of twins.  The second set of twins did not survive though, and in fact the sex and names were never recorded, however we do know that the twins were buried in Seven Hills, New South Wales.  Sophia must have been strong physically to have recuperated from childbirth and the loss of a number of children so quickly because about 18 months later in 1828 she had a little girl – also named Sophia – quickly followed by 3 boys,  William b. 1830, Robert b. 1831 and John b. 1833.

In 1835 Sophia delivered her 3rd set of twins in Sydney, New South Wales and again the twins died.  Again the sex and names of these dear little babes is not known.  Four more children followed with rapid predictability: Edward b. 1837, Mary Ann b. 1839, James b. 1840 and Charles b. 1843 only by this point the family were moving around the southern part of the state.  Her strength must have been second to none!  Raising children, supporting her husband – the washing, cooking, cleaning, the mourning & the moving!!

Then in 1844 Sophia delivered yet another set of twins, her fourth.  These  little boys were born and died un-named in Bredbo, New South Wales.

So, Sophia had had 20 children in 24 years which included 4 sets of twins, and she was still just 40 years old herself.  Physically she must have been as strong as an ox, but she must have been even stronger mentally I think.  The hardship and dangers of childbirth were just part of what she faced.  During this time women were expected to “put up” with the associated pain of childbirth which was seen as a “woman’s cross to bear” as the use of painkillers such as Opium (Laudanum) was unusual to the point it was almost non-existent.  Also, what mental scars did losing so many children leave, did she remember each and every tiny little face?

Sophia’s death is not recorded and there is speculation that she may have passed away after the birth of her last set of twins.  Some though believe that she may have survived that birth and lived another few years perhaps dying in 1850.  At the very oldest option she would have been only about 46 years old at the time of her death – a tragically short life for a woman who suffered such physical and mental pain, yet survived all.

 

 

Sources:

“A New Beginning – The Story of Three First Fleeters and Descendants” by the Jane Langley Descendants Association, pages 565 – 566

http://adelaidia.sa.gov.au/subjects/19th-century-childbirth