Lilian's Tree

Thomas Joseph Abberton born 26 June 1910 [1] , died 29 February 1944 [2] . A short live with much tragedy.   Thomas was the only child of Thomas Abberton and his second wife Mary Naughton.   I have yet to find out what happened to Mary, a mystery to solve but Thomas Snr died 5 May 1914 [3] , leaving Thomas Jnr an orphan. I do know that he was in touch with is half-siblings as both his sister and brother were listed as next-of-kin, on his records. What little information I have about Thomas, is that he worked on a farm in the Forbes area of New South Wales. The only photo, I have, shows him being a larrikin. He enlists on 31 May 1940 [4] and is sent to Ceylon, where he is stationed until April 1942.   He returns to Australia for a short period before being sent to New Guinea. Thomas dies from disease in February 1944 and is buried in the Bomama War Cemetery, New Guinea. He is commemorated on panel 36 East, Roll of Honour, Australia War Memorial. ...

Thomas Joseph Abberton was born 30 March 1865 [i] , the elder of twins, at Mummel, near Goulburn. The other twin was a girl, Francis Maria. Their parents were Thomas Abberton and Mary Torpy. Thomas Joseph was their second son and eighth child. I don’t know anything about his childhood but can assume that as the school was located on what had been Abberton land that he would have attended, sometimes. He would probably have worked on the family farm and maybe helped in the post office, that his parents ran. I do know that his future wife, Louisa Nicolls, was appointed teacher of Mummel School in 1885 [ii] and that this is where they would have met. Thomas and Louisa married 1 January 1890. [iii] They had seven children, Fredrick Thomas 1891-1935, Sidney Michael 1892-1928, Marianne Clara 1894-1975, Matthew Henry 1896-1958, Leslie John 1898-1917 WW1, William Patrick 1900-1978 and Michael 1903-1903. Louisa also died in 1903 [iv] , just after Michael. In 1904 Thomas w...

Today, 30 March is the birthday of my Grandfather, Thomas Joseph Abberton, who was born in 1865. Thomas was the elder born of twins to Thomas and Mary Abberton of Mummel. He was their 8th child, with his twin sister Francis Maria being number 9. They were also Mary's 3rd set of twins. Thomas Snr was a farmer and also ran the Post Office at Mummel.  Not much is known about Thomas Jnr until his marriage to Louisa Nicolls on 1 January 1890 in the Catholic Church at Mummel. Louisa was the school teacher at Mummel and Thomas gave his occupation as farmer's son. I know from his children's birth certificates that Thomas moved his family around, with Berrima, Moss Vale, Woodhill, Cowra, Goulburn, Wollongong and Sydney being given. His occupations are also varied miner, carter for wine and spirit merchant and publican are just what I have found.  It is through the children that I next find Thomas and it is not a happy find. Thomas is in the Police Gazettes for desertion...