"I Remember" Five Dock

A few months back, I had an email message out of the blue from Joanne Saad, a mural artist. Joanne had been commissioned by the Council of Canada Bay to create a mural of old Five Dock in Fred Kelly Place, just off Great North Rd, Five Dock. As a result of seeing this blog and some of my posts about my family's history of living in Five Dock, Joanne requested a few photos from me about this time. The end product is absolutely fantastic. Joanne has created a wonderful mural depicting many, many scenes and memories from old Five Dock days, including an image of my family (parents and grandparents) sitting on a lounge at their home in Five Dock in about 1957. My mother, Margaret Northcote, went along to the launch last Thursday and, as one of the guests of honour being depicted in the mural, was interviewed and photographed with the mural (see photo above). Thank you, Joanne, for honouring our family in this way; my parents, Carew and Margaret Northcote, and my grandparents, Leo and Nellie Northcote.

Lastly, read about the launch in these online news articles:
Mural embraces community and livens Fred Kelly Place

Mural, 'I remember' by Joanne Saad

Fred Kelly Place Mural, Five Dock

More photos of the mural

Oh, Carole! Thanks for bringing this ghost to life

After 21 years of searching for information about my elusive great-grandfather, who used at least ten different first names, the researcher, Carole Riley, has finally shone extra light on some of the previously missing parts of his life. In a way she has brought his ghost to life by providing more evidence of his existence to add to my previous clues. Despite his use of many first names (George Bede, Henry, Walter Stafford and Harry), I have come to think of him as William Walter NORTHCOTE or Walter William NORTHCOTE.

Carole found his arrival in Australia on the unassisted immigration records that listed passengers arriving in Melbourne in 1864. Because all of the records and stories I had heard about him referred to his life in NSW, I hadn’t considered that he may have arrived in Melbourne. It took Carole’s unique view to consider research avenues that I hadn’t.

Carole also did some searching through rural NSW electoral rolls and found him listed on three of these rolls. These records match up with other records I have about the births of his seven sons throughout the midwest of NSW. He certainly covered some ground in his time: being born in Exeter in Devon, England, he died way out in western NSW in the town of Bourke. In his short life of 46 years or so, he lived and worked in Orange, Warren, Dubbo, Bingara, Bodangara, Wellington, Girilambone and Nevertire. He certainly seemed never to tire of travelling around!

As well as the information mentioned in this blog, Carole has also suggested a number of other leads and resources for me to follow up. Her experience and research skills certainly helped me break through a bit of this 21 year old brick wall. Oh, Carole! Thanks for bringing this ghost to life.

I’d happily recommend Carole’s services, here are her contact details:

Email: carole@heritagegenealogy.com.au

Website: www.heritagegenealogy.com.au

Blog: www.nswgenealogy.com.au/blog

Claims of aristocracy ... hidden by an early death

I'm sure that many families have stories about earlier links to aristocracy. While some of these are more than likely made up of storylines that have been stretched and enhanced by the years, I'm sure that some of these stories contain a small kernel of truth. Whether or not the following story is one of these or not, I still can't tell.

My great-grandfather, my father's father's father, was known by various names throughout his life of 45 years. He was born in 1843, supposedly in Exeter, Devon in the south west of England. Some of the first names he used between 1843 and 1888, when he died, included:

• Walter
• Walter William
• Walter Henry
• William
• William Walter
• William Walter John
• Walter John
• Walter Stafford

Despite his creativity when it came to his first name, Walter William, as I have come to refer to him in my research, always kept his surname consistent: Northcote.

According to my father and my grandfather, and other family stories, Walter William Northcote always claimed links to the Earls of Iddlesleigh in Devon. He promised that he would reveal a big secret about his family in England before he died. He even joked with friends and family during his life that his wife in Australia should be known as "Lady Northcote". Unfortunately for both his family at the time and for his descendants today, Walter William died in 1888 before he could reveal this so-called secret. He died in the far west NSW town of Bourke. He left a wife, Margaret Northcote (nee Riley) and nine sons, seven from Walter William and two from Margaret's previous marriage.

As you can imagine, many family stories have been considered as explanations for his arrival in Australia in about 1866. Many believe he was a remittance man, being sent to Australia to save his family's reputation from some deed he had committed in his homeland of England. Although much supposition exists about his life and his background, one thing is for sure, the way in which he named his seven sons certainly suggests links, or at least knowledge of, the Northcotes in the UK. Here are his sons' names:

• Walter John Northcote (1871 – 1954)
• William Montgomery Northcote (1875 – 1933)
• Alfred Joseph Northcote (1876 – 1961)
• Aloysius Carew Standish Northcote (1879 – 1937)
• Percival Ernest Phil Northcote (1881 – 1958)
• Arthur Francis Northcote (1884 – 1960)
• Leo Bertie Bede or George Bede Northcote (1887-1970)

We have a photograph that is thought to be him. He is dressed in a bandmaster's uniform and some members of the family believe the photograph was taken in Bourke or another western NSW town where his sons where born (either Dubbo, Bondangora, Warren or Girilambone).

So, whether or not Walter William Northcote descended from the English aristocracy is still a mystery. One thing is for sure, he certainly was creative with his use of first names throughout his life. I really don't mind if our family is related to an aristocratic family or not but what I would dearly love to find out is which Northcote family Walter William descended from in England. This link to the UK has yet to be established, despite much research since 1990 conducted by me and many other family members. His death certificate records his father's name as William Northcote, a bookkeeper, but is mother was stated as "unknown". That is about the extent of our knowledge of Walter William's link to his family in England.

If any of these names or any part of this story sounds familiar to you, I'd love to hear from you. Please email me at maria.seddon@gmail.com.

What were they really like?

Are you like me ... wondering what your ancestors were really like? I love the experience of collecting dates, photos of old houses, names of people, names of places and old wrinkly papers and photos. All of these facts, figures and photos are fascinating. However, I can't help but wonder and imagine what the lives of my ancestors were like between and beyond the records they have left. Were they happy? Were they generous? Were they kind to their neighbours? What were their worries? What were their regrets and their joys? What did they like to do if they ever had spare time? What did their voices sound like? What did they laugh about?

From my experience of researching my wonderful family's history, I often get the most exciting information from unexpected places. Recently, my Mum and I were searching random phrases and old addresses on the internet. "Type in 13 York St, Forest Lodge," said Mum, remembering the address her first home as a child in Sydney. Her first few years of life were spent in this small terrace house in inner Sydney with her parents and her paternal grandparents, the Walters family. Apparently, her grandmother, Margaret Walters (nee Fleming) was known to spend most of her pension money on my Mum, her only grand-daughter at the time. This old lady would spend hours and hours looking after her small grand-daughter on the tiny front verandah of this terrace house.

Photo of the house in 2010

After typing in the old address where the Walters family lived from the late 1930s, we found a little snippet of information - it may not sound much to others but to us it was very touching. It was a notice on page 1 of the Sydney Morning Herald on Friday 30 December 1932. Obviously the family had been shopping at the David Jones store a few days before, probably in the city. They had found a purse in the store and took the trouble to put an advertisement in the paper in an attempt to reunite the purse with its owner.







Mum and I both smiled when we found this tiny treasure in the form of a newspaper clipping. "So, they were honest!" It's funny how a small discovery like this can extend your understanding of people who are long gone. Their deeds live on in many ways. Of course, we'll never know if the owners ever contacted the Walters family to claim their lost purse but what we do know is that the Walters family took the trouble to attempt to find the owners.



Margaret (nee Fleming) and John Walters lived at 13 Forest Lodge from about 1909 until the late 1930s. Margaret was known to walk to the tram station to meet her husband on his way home from work and they would walk back home, hand-in-hand, to 13 York St, Forest Lodge, like a couple of sweethearts. They were my mother's father's parents, my great-grandparents.

Getting my hands on original records

Last Tuesday, I made the effort to get out to the Western Sydney Records Centre where so many original family history records from NSW are stored. I had been meaning to get there for many years. Of course, I didn't leave enough time to see all the records I had hoped to access on my wishlist, but I did get to see quite a few. After applying for a "reader's ticket", the staff at the centre described the process I needed to follow to access the records. It felt like I was in an old-fashioned government office with so many forms to fill in with pencils but the staff were all very helpful and knowledgeable.

The highlight of my visit was touching (with gloves on) the original bankruptcy records that documented the financial problems that my great grandfather (1886) and my great grandmother (1890) experienced in Bourke, NSW.

My great grandfather used several names during his life in Australia but he chose to use the name Walter Stafford Northcote for his bankruptcy records. He was also known as Walter William Northcote, William Walter Northcote and George Bede Northcote at various stages of his adult life. The online index entry of his bankruptcy records led me to finding these original records at Kingswood.

The bankruptcy records record how he owed sums of money to various people. He claimed:

"I attribute my insolvency to the following reasons:

(a) Pressure of creditors

(b) Inability to obtain permanent employment"

Sadly, his only property of any value was listed as "wearing apparel" valued at £2. At the time of his bankruptcy, he was responsible for his wife, Margaret, his 7 sons and 2 step-sons. It must have been a desperate measure to file for bankruptcy, especially as he lived in such a small town in western NSW where, I imagine, it would be difficult to hide such financial problems.

Seeing and touching these records brought his plight to life for me. I could see the records, touch them and experience their musty, dusty smells. I was touching and seeing the papers that my ancestors touched and saw. Also, I was able to see his handwriting and his signature:

For some reason, I was pleased to see the flourish at the end of his signature. Somehow I was able to interpret this flourish as a bit of self-esteem at a difficult time. However, I could be wrong!

Two years later, poor Walter died in 1888, leaving his wife to care for 9 sons, one of which was my grandfather, Leo Bertie Bede Northcote, who had only just been born the year before in 1887. As you can imagine, Margaret Northcote, nee Riley, experienced very difficult times.

In 1890, Margaret herself claimed bankruptcy and the original records of this bankruptcy were also available to look at, touch and smell at the Western Records Centre at Kingswood. I found the index to Margaret's bankruptcy online but seeing the original records at Kingswood was a much richer experience that seeing the plain old index entry.

Again, it was very sad to read about Margaret's financial difficulties. This is how she explained the cause of her bankruptcy:

"I am a widow with 9 nine children. It is my housekeeping expenses that has caused my bankruptcy."

She signed her name a few times throughout the document.

Seeing her original signature was both touching and useful. I could then match her signature on this document with other documents I have, such as an early marriage church record from 1866 when she was living in Orange, NSW and known by her maiden name, Margaret Riely.

Seeing and reading through these bankruptcy records highlights how difficult times in the past were for some of our ancestors. No doubt the severe depression that Australia experienced in the 1890s made this time even more difficult financially. I can only guess that such a depression was felt strongly in rural NSW.

The round-trip from home to Kingswood for me took about 4 hours. Despite the distance, I'd recommend visiting this centre to other family historians. The two hour trip to get there was well spent, anticipating all the records I was able to find. The two hour trip to get home was also well spent, contemplating the records I had just seen. It's worth the effort.

Lost at sea and lost in the records

John and Mary Butler (nee Fitzpatrick) were married in 1851 in Rathdowney, County Clare, Ireland. They had eight children: Michael born in 1851, Margaret Anne born about 1855, Thomas Butler born in 1861, Maria born in 1862, Mary born in 1863, John born in 1864, Patrick James born in 1864 and Ellen Josephine born in 1868.

Although we don't know a lot about the Butler family's life in Ireland, we do know that something caused six of John and Mary Butler's eight children to immigrate to Australia in the 1870s and 1880s. Michael was the first of the family to move to Australia in 1878. He arrived in Sydney on the Earl Dalhousie in 1878 and married Catherine Crawford, another passenger on the same ship, one year later in Sydney in 1879. Michael then sponsored his sister, Margaret Anne, to immigrate two years later. Margaret arrived in Sydney on the Norval in 1880.

Michael's passenger records show that Michael could not read or write when he arrived in Sydney but Margaret's records show that she was literate. Somehow, Michael and Margaret must have communicated with their family remaining in County Clare. As a result, more of Michael and Margaret's brothers and sisters decided to migrate to Australia.

Maria arrived a couple of years after Margaret on the Forfarshire in 1882, and Patrick and Thomas arrived together, soon after, on the Selkirkshire in 1884. Ellen Josephine was thought to have arrived in Townsville on the Merkara in 1885.

Although we don't yet have any official records, many people in the family were told that Mary Butler (nee Fitzpatrick), the mother of the eight Butler children, also travelled to Australia around about the time that one of her younger daughters left Ireland. However, when she arrived here, she didn't like Australia and decided to sail to the US to live with other Butler relatives who had recently imigrated from Ireland. It is believed that the ship she was travelling on never reached the US and that she was lost at sea. This story has been passed down through a number of the family branches but we are still searching for records of her arrival in and her departure from Australia.

Mary Fitzpatrick, photo courtesy of Keith Perry

Where's the titanic?

Years ago, one of my great-uncles was known for taking off from home and staying away for weeks or months at a time. While he was away, he would often run up gambling debts and the loan sharks would visit his wife, Lizzie, who was waiting at home for her husband to return.

Lizzie got sick of these men visiting her, asking for money to repay her husband's loans. On one occasion, yet another debt collector visited her home, again asking for money and asking to know the whereabouts of her missing husband. Lizzie responded with a classic response that has lasted in the family memory long after her death. In exasperation, she told him, "He's up a shark's arse, looking for the titanic!"

An irreverent but pretty funny saying!