Grandfather Leo, where were you born? Finding Leo's birthplace with the help of land records

For as long as I can remember, I have known that my paternal grandfather, Leo Bertie Bede NORTHCOTE, was born in Bourke, a town that's located about 800km north-west of Sydney.

Leo Bertie Bede NORTHCOTE 1887-1970

However, I've always found it difficult to find out exactly where he was born in Bourke. The answers would be partially found in my long-held family history files and partially helped along by the information I learned last weekend about how to use land records for family history research purposes from Carol Liston at the Central Coast Regional Seminar.

To start with, I gathered up a few clues about my grandfather's birthplace.

Clue no. 1: Leo's birth certificate

Leo's birth certificate records his birthplace as Tudor St, Bourke.

Source: Extract from Leo NORTHCOTE's NSW birth certificate no. 16549/1887

Clue no. 2: Leo's father's death certificate

Sadly, Leo's father, William Walter NORTHCOTE, died when Leo was only about 11 months old. William Walter NORTHCOTE's death certificate shows that he died in Tudor St, Bourke. So, it seems that the family's home was located in Tudor St, Bourke.

Source: Extract from William Walter NORTHCOTE's NSW death certificate no. 07333/1888

Believed to be William Walter NORTHCOTE 1843-1888

Clue no. 3: Information from my Dad

On Tuesday 8 May 2001, my Dad, Carew Joseph Trevor NORTHCOTE, placed a blogpost online, inviting others to share information about our ancestors who lived for a while in Bourke during the 1880s through to the early 1900s. Dad specifically mentioned the family as living in Tudor St, Bourke.

"The Mother moved back to Orange with some of the children in 1890, leaving some of the older children behind living in the family home in Tudor Stree Bourke."

The information Dad provided about our ancestors in this blog also aligns with the information I remember him telling me verbally about our family's time in Bourke.

Tudor St, Bourke (Photography: Maria Northcote 2012

Tudor St, Bourke (Photography: Maria Northcote 2012

Clue no. 4: Reviewing bankruptcy records

A few years ago, I managed to get copies of my great-grandfather's 1886 bankruptcy records from when he lived in Bourke by visiting the NSW State Archives at Kingswood in western Sydney. I reviewed the pages of these bankruptcy records in search for my great-grandfather's address at the time of the bankruptcy.

Unfortunately, the bankruptcy didn't include his actual address but I did find a clue in these records about where the NORTHCOTE family lived in Bourke in 1886. William Walter NORTHCOTE's bankruptcy records recorded that he owed rent to someone in Bourke named E. A. WEBB who, I have assumed, was probably the owner of the house in which the NORTHCOTE family were living at the time.

Source: Extract from William Walter NORTHCOTE's bankruptcy records, Bourke 1886

Gathering up the clues: Next steps

The four clues above about where the NORTHCOTEs were living in the late 1880s, suggest that the NORTHCOTEs were living in Tudor St in Bourke and they were renting their home from a person called E. A. Webb.

However, to get a more specific answer to exactly where they were living in Tudor Street, I had to dig into the land records and use some of the searching ideas that I learned about last weekend from Carol Liston at the Central Coast Regional Seminar.

Step 1: Finding details of Bourke on the GNB

Carol Liston suggested starting research into locations by accessing the Geographical Names Board site. I accessed this site to find out information about the town of Bourke in north-western NSW - including the parish and county names in which Bourke is located.

On this site, I first went to the Place Name Search and entered "Bourke". The results of this search showed that the town of Bourke is located in the Parish of Bourke in the County of Cowper.

Step 2: Finding old maps of Bourke on the HLRV

Next, I used the information found in my GNB (Geographical Names Board) search to search the Historical Land Records Viewer (HLRV) in an attempt to find some old maps of Bourke. As Carol Liston showed last weekend, many old maps include details of land owners, landmarks and even, in some cases, names of tenants.

When I looked up the old maps available for the town of Bourke, I found a map that was dated 1927 but it was based on maps from earlier days, and many of the map markings were dated 1880, 1886 and 1889. So, it seems that although the map was updated in 1927, much of the early information from the 1880s formed the basis of this third edition map of the town of Bourke.

Source: Extract from the third edition of the TOWN OF BOURKE map, 1927, File Name: wl_tnBourke.jp2 from HLRV

Although some of the land-owners' names were difficult to see, I went searching for the name "E. A. WEBB", the person who my great-grandfather owed rent, as noted in his 1886 bankruptcy records. I was in luck. I found at least five town blocks that were labelled with E. A. WEBB's name - one in Tarcoom St, two in Darling St (in the next street, parallel to Tudor St) and two in Tudor St. Since many of my other records mentioned Tudor St as being the location of the NORTHCOTE family home, I have made a guess that the home they lived in was located at one of these properties: either Lot 15 or Lot 16 Tudor St, Bourke, as indicated on the map below.

Source: Extract from the third edition of the TOWN OF BOURKE map, 1927, File Name: wl_tnBourke.jp2 from HLRV

Step 3: Finding the land deeds on the HLRV

Using the information on the 1927 third edition of the map of the Town of Bourke, I found out the Volume and Folio ("vol and fol") reference numbers for lot no. 15 and no. 16 Tudor St Bourke:

Section 37, Lot 15, Volume 562, Folio 193

Section 37, Lot 16, Volume 562, Folio 194

Source: Extract from the third edition of the TOWN OF BOURKE map, 1927, File Name: wl_tnBourke.jp2 from HLRV

I was then able to search, using the vol-fol numbers to find the sale deeds for these two lots. I found that a man called Edward Augustus WEBB, a senior constable, purchased these two blocks for £21 (lot no. 15) and £22 (lot no. 16) on 20 April 1881. Here are some excerpts from the land deeds.

Lot no. 15, Volume 562, Folio 193:

Lot no. 16, Volume 562, Folio 194:

Step 4: Google maps and street view

Next, of course, I wondered what this street looks like today, so I went into Google Maps. Although the numbering system is now different, I estimated that the current block numbers 32 and 34 line up with the old lots 15 and 16.

Source: Extract from the third edition of the TOWN OF BOURKE map, 1927, File Name: wl_tnBourke.jp2 from HLRV

Source: Google Maps, accessed 7 March 2023

I also lined up the above maps with the Allhomes.com.au website's aerial photograph of this section of Tudor St:

Source: Allhomes.com.au

Step 5: SIX maps

To double-check my estimation of where the old lots 15 and 16 Tudor St were located in relation to the current numbering system on Tudor St, I accessed the NSW SIX (Spatial Information Exchange) maps site to find out the DP numbers as well as the old lot numbers and the new numbers for the houses on Tudor St, Bourke.

Above and below: 32 Tudor St (Lot 16), Bourke

Above and below: 34 Tudor St (Lot 15), Bourke

In conclusion ...

So, I now think that my grandfather was born and my great-grandfather died at either 32 or 34 Tudor St, Bourke.

Great-grandmothers and great-great grandmothers GO, GO, GO to the 1903 polling booth

On the occasion of International Women's Day 2023, I would like to honour my four great-grandmothers who registered to vote for the first time 120 years ago. Their names were:

• Catherine CARRICK - she registered with her married name, Catherine KINGSBURY
• Margaret FLEMING - she registered with her original name as she was not yet married in 1903
• Margaret BUTLER - she registered with her married name, Margaret KENELLEY
• Margaret RILEY - she registered with her married name, Margaret NORTHCOTE

I am so proud of all of my four great-grandmothers who all registered to vote in 1903, along with about 80,000 other women in Australia, following the law that was passed the year before in 1902 to allow "all" women to vote who were aged 21 years and over.  Clearly this law was not inclusive of all women, it allowed some women to vote. Although it was a great step forward for equality, the law didn't include First Nations people and this is one of the most awful aspects of this law.

Then, in the 1903 election, many women did actually vote, including my four great-grandmothers. They were permitted to enrol on the "Roll of Persons entitled to Vote under the Commonwealth Franchise Act of 1902".

Imagine how excited I was when I started looking up the 1903 electoral rolls to find out which, if any, of my great-grandmothers registered to vote for the 1903 federal election ... 

Catherine KINGSBURY, nee CARRICK (1876-1912)

First, I found my mother's mother's mother, Catherine KINGSBURY (nee CARRICK). She registered to vote at the Rozelle polling place, as part of the Dalley Division of electoral areas. She registered with her married name, Catherine KINGSBURY. She had married James Walter KINGSBURY three years earlier at St Patrick's Catholic Church at Church Hill in The Rocks, Sydney.

I found it very touching to note that she attended the same polling place at Rozelle as her mother, my great-great grandmother, Catherine CARRICK (nee HIGGINS), and three of her four siblings: Annie STAPLES (nee CARRICK), Thomas CARRICK and Patrick Joseph CARRICK. They all registered to vote at the same polling place. I couldn't find her eldest sister, Mary Ann McLISTER (nee CARRICK), but maybe she voted at another polling place. Her father, Thomas CARRICK, had died just two years earlier; otherwise, I'm sure he would have joined his daughter and wife at the polling place.

Here is a record of Catherine KINGSBURY (nee CARRICK), my great grandmother on my mother's mother's side of the family, on the Australian Electoral Roll in 1903. She is listed just above her husband, James Walter KINGSBURY.

Source: Excerpt from: NSW Electoral Roll 1903, Dalley Division, Rozelle

Catherine KINGSBURY (nee CARRICK)

Catherine voted alongside her mother, Catherine CARRICK (nee HIGGINS) and her sister, Annie (aka Hanorah) STAPLES (nee CARRICK):

Catherine CARRICK (nee HIGGINS)

Annie STAPLES (nee CARRICK)

Margaret FLEMING (1866-1939)

Secondly, I found my mother's father's mother, Margaret FLEMING on the electoral rolle who registered to vote with her original surname as she was not married in 1903 (she married John Joseph WALTERS in 1904 at St Benedict's Catholic Church at Chippendale). She registered to vote at the Phillip polling place, as part of the Western Sydney Division within NSW electoral zones.

Like Catherine CARRICK, my great-grandmother on my mother's mother's side of the family, Margaret FLEMING also went to the polling place with her mother, Ellen FLEMING (nee TORPY); they were both registered on the same page of the electoral roll.

Here is a record of Margaret FLEMING, my great grandmother on my mother's father's side of the family, on the Australian Electoral Roll in 1903. She is listed just a few rows under her mother's name, Ellen FLEMING.

Source: Excerpt from: NSW Electoral Roll 1903, West Sydney Division, Phillip

Margaret WALTERS (nee FLEMING)

Margaret KENELLEY, nee BUTLER (1853-1946)

After finding two of my four great-grandmothers on the 1903 electoral roll, as well as their mothers (my great-great grandmothers), I was very keen to keep searching for my other two great-grandmothers. Hopefully, I could find my remaining two great-grandmothers on the electoral roll.

Thirdly, I found my father's mother's mother, Margaret KENELLEY (nee BUTLER) on the 1903 electoral roll. She registered with her married name, Margaret KENELLEY. She had married William Joseph KENELLEY thirteen years earlier at St Augustine's Catholic Church in Balmain. Margaret registered to vote at the Drummoyne polling place, as part of the Parkes Division within NSW electoral zones.

Here is a record of Margaret KENELLEY (nee BUTLER), my great grandmother on my father's mother's side of the family, on the Australian Electoral Roll in 1903. For some reason, her husband does not seem to be registered on this electoral roll.

Source: Excerpt from: NSW Electoral Roll 1903, Parkes Division, Drummoyne

Margaret KENELLEY (nee BUTLER)

Margaret NORTHCOTE, nee RILEY (1843-1927)

Now, I just had one great-grandmother to find in the electoral rolls and I wasn't disappointed.

After finding three of my four great-grandmothers on the 1903 electoral roll, I was delighted to find my father's father's mother, Margaret NORTHCOTE (nee RILEY) on the 1903 electoral roll. She registered with her married name, Margaret NORTHCOTE. Margaret registered to vote at the East Orange polling place, as part of the Canobolas  Division within NSW electoral zones.

Here is a record of Margaret NORTHCOTE (nee RILEY), my great grandmother on my father's father's side of the family, on the Australian Electoral Roll in 1903. 

Source: Excerpt from: NSW Electoral Roll 1903, Canobolas Division, East Orange

Margaret NORTHCOTE (nee RILEY)

I suppose that, for the first time in the history of Australian electoral rolls, the following key was required at the bottom of each page:

So, the descendants of these four women can be pleased to know that their female ancestors didn't drag their feet when it came time to vote. No doubt, they had the members of the Womanhood Suffrage League of NSW supporting them, along with many other women and men who had campaigned before them for the right to vote.

Source: Women's Suffrage in Australia (Wikipedia)

Sadly, it would not be for many decades later that everyone of eligible age in Australia, including First Nations people, would be permitted to vote.