Newsletter No. 49: May 2008

News

Dorothy passed away on 9th April 2008

Sadly our sister Dorothy passed away on 9th April 2008, Dorothy was born in Abbotsford on 5th March 1924 and her work was mainly secretarial but at a superior level. She often said her skills in the earlier days were good enough in shorthand, typing, and also bookkeeping to become a court reporter. Dorothy was also skilled in arts,crafts and painting. She was always adamant that she did not want to leave her home and her family were pleased that she was able to manage to stay on her own up to 2 weeks before she died, although with lots of family support , she achieved this goal, and all where happy she did. Her loves were playing the piano which she was very accomplished at. Her love and talent for music she passed on to her children,both Kevin & Brian played in bands which Brian still does and both Ann & Sharon have fine singing voices. Although Dorothy's memory was not good over the last year or so , a couple of the last times I called in at Gilbank Street she had much pleasure in playing a few tunes on the piano all from memory for me.

Dorothy had a gold card for half priced taxi fares which used daily ( sometimes several times a day) to travel to Edwards Street to do her shopping, have coffee and smoke at Buongiornos cafe, its rumoured that less cab drivers are now needed in the Reservoir area. Dorothy's last couple of weeks were spent in Palliative care at Austin Hospital.

The Turner family would like to express the appreciation to all those relatives who provided care and support to Dorothy and thank everyone for their kindness & prayers on her passing

Keith Lambert from Yorkshire called me recently asking me to pass on his and his families' condolences to all our family.

Wedding News

• Allison & Reg returned to Australia in April to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary , the function was held at Pennyroyal (near Lorne )many of their friends came including a couple from Canada, Perth and America, also Reg's mum, all our family and some of Pam & my family. The following day a group of 25 of us went to the MCG to see Carlton beat Collingwood and this made the weekend so much better.
• On 19th April Amanda White & Ben Collady were married in Noosa, the wedding was to be on the beach but rain prevented this but the wedding was still enjoyed by all. Incidentally Amanda is the last of Nanna & Granddads grand children to get married.
• Allison & Reg also went to Noosa and took the wedding photos and then they went back home to California via Sydney.

Maureen Robb

As you know Maureen Robb had an operation on her heart a couple of months ago so I thought it was time I found out how she is progressing because I knew she had a set back and returned to hospital. Well the good news is that she is getting back to normal even riding her exercise bike which she could not do prior to her operation, walking is also now on the agenda as part of her rehab, so keep it up Maureen and you will be able to go on those bike trips with your mum.

Rob and Clare's Adventure

By the time you get this newsletter Rob & Clare and of course Olive will have started their trip up Central Australia via Alice Springs to Darwin where they intend staying a month or two before travelling by the east coast back to Melbourne, they expect to travel about 6 months and then decide where to settle. "Where" is the question.

Ann Collins Art Exhibition

Ann Collins had an art exhibition at her new art studio in Wodonga featuring paintings on recycled doors, a report this will be in the next newsletter.Also more news on the Collins family,Andrew who runs a marketing company in Shanghi has been nominated for the award of young entrepreneur of the year in Australia, again results will be in the next newsletter. Congratuations to him for been nominated.

Another Birth

Congratulations also to Clare & Matt Wensor on the safe arrival of another baby boy, born on 11th May, his name is Ethan Leslie , weighed about 8 lb and was 51cm long, both mother & son doing well

Meet Your Ancestors: George Clarke part #2

This is the story of George Clarke, the maternal grandfather of George Stanley Wood, continued from the last WoodChips newsletter. To refresh your memory, George was born in the debaucherous town of Foleshill in Warwickshire in about 1847. He first worked in the local mill like most of the residents, and married a local girl, Emma in 1867.

In 1870, about three years after George and Emma married, the family including their two children moved about 60 km away from Foleshill to the town of Whittington in the neighbouring County Derby. George had possibly come here looking for work following the previously mentioned decline of the ribbon trade in Foleshill. On the night of the English census in 1871 they were staying with George's eldest sister Elizabeth and her family. George is listed as a labourer at the Iron Works, which would have been in nearby Staveley where his brother-in-law worked as a coal miner. The family stayed around this area for a while as their next two children were born locally - Nathaniel in Whittington and Emma in Staveley.

Sometime between 1878 and 1880 the family moved from Derby to Yorkshire, this time a move of about 100 km. At the time of the 1881 census, George was living with his family in Bolton In Bradford, Yorkshire. Their children Matilda and George were born there. This time he was working with the railway as a Foreman / Engine Cleaner — another job change!

At some time between 1883 and 1885 they again moved, though only a short distance to Saltaire, a village close to Shipley in Yorkshire. George and some of the members of his family were possibly working at the Saltaire Mill, as the Saltaire village was designed to accommodate the workers at the mill. This model village built by philanthropist Sir Titus Salt had running water and piped gas to the houses, and public wash rooms and no pubs — very advanced for that time and a big change from George's early days in Foleshill.

George's youngest two children, Lilly and Nelly were born in Saltaire. In 1891 his occupation is listed as Blacksmith's Striker. This occupation involved swinging the sledgehammer to strike for the blacksmith, attending fires and generally assisting the blacksmith. It is a tough job and such workers are usually strong hard working fellows. This was one of the most undesirable jobs in the workshop. A few years later, at the time of his daughter Mary's marriage in 1894 (our ancestor), he was listed as a fruiterer. Seven years later, in 1901, the family was still living in the same area. George had changed jobs again, this time he was working with his son George as a Fish Merchant. Even at 53 years old, he was hard at work. No records of his death have been found.

From these snippets of the life of George Clarke we get the impression of a hard working family man, who grew up in tough times often doing labour intensive jobs, who was prepared to move his family around in order to find work and feed his ever growing family.

Here is a list of George's occupations, as listed on various documents:

• 1861 - Ribbon Weaver
• 1868 - Iron Moulder
• 1871 - Labourer in Iron Works
• 1881 - Foreman engine Cleaner (Railway)
• 1891 - Blacksmith's Striker
• 1894 - Fruiterer
• 1901 - Fish Merchant (Employer)

A summary of his family:

George Clarke, b. abt 1848 in Foleshill, WAR, ENG, (son of Nathaniel Clarke and Mary Draycott). He married Emma Chatwin, married 24th Nov 1867 in Registry Office Foleshill, b. abt 1847 in Longford, Foleshill, WAR, ENG, (daughter of Joseph Chatwin and Mary Webster).

Children:

• Mary Elizabeth Clarke b. 24 Feb 1868 in Foleshill, WKS, ENG. She married Joseph Wood
• Edwin Harry Clarke, b. abt 1870 in Foleshill, WKS, ENG.
• Nathaniel Clarke, b. abt 1876 in Whittington, DBY, ENG.
• Emma Clarke, b. abt 1878 in Staveley, DBY, ENG.
• Matilda Clarke, b. abt 1880 in Bolton, YKS, ENG.
• George Clarke, b. abt 1883 in Bolton, YKS, ENG.
• Lily Clarke, b. abt 1885 in Saltaire, YKS, ENG.
• Nellie Clarke, b. abt 1888 in Saltaire, YKS, ENG

Written by Rob Wood, with the information coming from English census data, historical documents, and various internet sources of information about the time and places they lived

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