Lilian's Tree

 My last post for Women's History Month is about my maternal great-grandmothers, Isabella and Maryanne. Both of these ladies were native born and were widowed young. Isabella Mary Ann Vaughan was born on 18 September 1847 at Domain Terrace, Sydney. Today the State Library of New South Wales stand on the spot but in 1847 it was a row of terrace houses. Isabella was the fourth child and second daughter for Henry Vaughan and Charlotte Chasmar. In October 1866 she married William Henry Martin and together they had nine children. William dies sometime between 1878 and her re-marriage in 1884, to August Jasper. It is through this marriage that she becomes my great-grandmother. Isabella and August had four children but only their eldest, Evelyn Maude reaches adulthood. She doesn't appear in the newspapers, other than her first marriage and then her death, on 29 October 1922. Isabella's legacy from her second marriage was 4 children, with three dying very young, 10 grandchildren, 2...

Eveline Maud JASPER, born 3 April 1885, died 4 October 1932.  Born at McDonaldtown, in Sydney, Eveline was the first child for Isabella Mary Ann VAUGHAN and August JASPER, her three younger siblings all died very young.  She married Arthur GALBRAITH on 30 December 1908, at St Stephen's, Newtown. They would have 10 children. But what of her childhood? I can assume that she attended Erskinville Public School, as it was the closest to her home. I know she was a dressmaker, Mum told me that. Did she work for a firm or do it from home? Questions that I have no answers for. I do know that she made her own wedding dress. Was much loved and missed by her children.  The photo, above was taken of a family outing to Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Her wedding day. Eveline's legacy; 10 children, who all lived to adulthood and married, 22 grandchildren and 35 great-grandchildren.

For Women’s' History Month, 2019 I pondered who I could celebrate?  My maternal grandmother and great-grandmother are my choice. Isabella Mary Ann Vaughan was born 18 September 1847 [1] , to Henry Vaughan and Charlotte Chasmar  and baptised on 3 October 1847, at St Philip's, Sydney. On 11 October 1866 [2] Isabella married William Martin, at St Andrews Church, Sydney and the marriage is announced in three Sydney papers.  William and Isabella have eight children between 1867 and 1879. Isabella is widowed, sometime after 1879. On 6 May 1883 [3] , at the Congregational Church, Glebe, Isabella re-married, to August Frederick Conrad Jasper. August and Isabella have four children, three of whom die. Eveline Maud Jasper was born on 3 April 1885 [4] at Sydney Street, Macdonaldtown, to August and Isabella.  On 30 December 1908 [5] , at St Stephen’s, Newtown, she marries Arthur Alfred Victor Galbraith.  They have 10 children, five of whom are still liv...

When we research our ancestors, we look at the certificates and see an address but what does it tell us?  Sometimes useful information, sometimes, not.  It doesn't tell us what the buiding was like, how many rooms, how much it was worth or who owned it. Interesting information, that would make that address more 'real' to us. With the advent of Google Street View, we can often see the street or house mentioned and this gives us something tangable, for our research but that is now, not back then. These past couple of weeks, I have been searching the City of Sydney, Rate Assessment Books and finding descriptions of some of the places my ancestors called home. (link to the City of Sydney website  https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/    look under the Learn tab) Now my great-grandmother, Isabella Mary Ann Jasper, nee Vaughan, was born in the Domain Terrace, in 1847. The Domain Terrace is still in use, today, it runs between the Mitchell Library and the State ...

Great-Grandma, I find your re-marriage and it is through this marriage that I make you mine. You marry Frederick August Conrad Jasper, from Detmold, Germany on 23 August 1884 * , at the Congregational Church, Glebe. Apart from you both living in Christie Street, Glebe, there is scant information on this marriage certificate, too. Frederick and yours first and only surviving child, a girl, Eveline Maud arrives 23 April 1885 * . She will become my Grandmother. Sadly I never knew her but her picture sits on my dressing table. It is on Eveline’s birth certificate that Frederick states; 2 males and 3 females, living per previous marriage on wife’s side. Why didn’t he name them, for me??? After Eveline, you have three more children; 1887, Lilly May, known as Lydia, she dies, aged 15 months, on 11 November 1888 * ; 1889, Violet Louisa, you too watch her die on 19 March 1891 * , she is just 16 months old;   1891, Walter Frederick, he makes it to 18 months but dies on...

Isabella is the fourth child and first surviving daughter of Henry and Charlotte and my Great-Grandma. Isabella (Isabel, on her baptism record * ), Mary Ann Vaughan, was baptised on 3 October 1847, at St Philips Church, Sydney, by William Cowper. Her date of birth is given as 18 September 1847, with Henry being listed as a Tailor. Great-Grandma, I next find your marriage to William Henry Martin, on the 11 October 1866 * , at St Andrews Church, Sydney. Your marriage certificate makes for very interesting reading, with there being no information about you, just your name, conjugal status and usual residence. William gives me a bit more detail, listing his occupation as a ships steward and his usual residence as Sydney. Your parents are still living, why didn’t you list them? I did notice that your sister, Louisa and your brother William are the witnesses, so you are still in touch with family. A search of births and the NSW BDM’s site gives me 10 children between 1864 and 1...