Matrilineal Monday - The Ladies of the McGregor Family

Every now and then,  all family tree researchers come across a small item, whether it be a letter, photo, postcard or newspaper clipping that opens the door to some  new and exciting family links. This was my fortune a couple of weeks, when visiting an Aunt.  We were comparing notes on our family tree, and she gave me a copy of the photo (above)  of Margaret and James McGregor surrounded by their children, spouses and grandchildren. 

Margaret McPherson married James McGregor on 23 June 1859, at the Presbyterian Church,  Jinglemoney, NSW. Margaret and James had a large family of three boys and nine girls.   How amazing was it to have access to this photo of the family which has each member of the family identified.

I spent the whole of our 4 hour trip home from my Aunt's place (luckily my husband was happy to drive) searching on my Ipad, and filling in gaps on my online family tree.  This picture gave me so many clues, most importantly the married names of the McGregor women.

This new stream of information has opened the door to my next project for The Other Half of My Tree - stories of my female ancestors, and over the next few weeks I shall attempt to write about each of the McGregor sisters.

Edna Hazel Palin 1910-1957, Life in the Mining Town of Broken Hill

Edna Hazel Palin

 My maternal grandmother Edna Hazel Palin was born on the 14 April 1910 in the mining town of Broken Hill. At the turn of the twentieth century Broken Hill had a population of around 27,500 people and was one of the largest commercial centres in New South Wales.

A thriving mining town, Broken Hill, "achieving notoriety for two reasons - strikes and dust storms". In a typical dust storm, the town would be enveloped in dense clouds of choking red sand which penetrated almost every building. Machines became clogged, canvas blinds shredded  and outhouses knocked flat. In one severe storm it was reported that ‘some lanes were blocked by outhouses which had blown across the roadway’.

My grandmother's  parents were Charles Henry Palin (1851-1957) and Eliza Golding (1872-1951). Hazel's parents and their young daughter Thelma moved from Port Pirie, South Australia sometime between 1905 and 1907.

It is quite possible their decision to come to Broken Hill was to provide for support the wife and children of Thomas Palin (Charles's elder brother) who was killed in an accident when he was caught between two rail trucks in 1905. Charles was a carpenter by trade, he was also a strong supporter of the unions and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, (masonic fellowship).

Broken Hill 1905

Life for the miners in Broken Hill was difficult and they worked long hours. 1909, the year before Hazel was born, saw the unions set up picket lines in their quest for better working conditions.  This was a violent time in Broken Hill with clashes between the companies and miners. However after several months of striking the miners went back to work on the same pay rate and hours (48 hours a week).

After the family moved to Broken Hill Hazel's (as she was known) elder brother Alfred was born in 1907, and followed by Hazel in 1910. Thelma, Alfred and Hazel went to school North Commercial Public School. Hazel and her brother, Alfred, (or Alf) enjoyed music, Hazel studying piano and Alf the violin at the Convent of Mercy. In later years, Alf went on to play violin with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

 An article in the Barrier Miner, Thursday 28 April 1921 describes Hazel Palin as part of a group of 6C girls who performed admirably the operetta "Soot and the Fairies".  Hazel had the part of "Lady Hairbrush". (One has to wonder, what this part involved).

When Hazel finished primary school, she continued with her music lessons and studied shorthand, typing and english at the Convent Commercial School. At the age of 17 she completed her education at the commercial school and used her skills in typing and shorthand  to take up the position as a clerk in one of the local businesses. 

Hazel's daughter Maureen remembers her mother as being  "a very good pianist who could play classical pieces very well.  She often played for friends and family gatherings and many singsongs when the family gathered around the piano lounge room."  The 1930 NSW census shows that Hazel and her parents were living at 137 Brazil Street, Broken Hill. 

Three years later Hazel, who was described as a petite young lady, who was just over 5 foot tall with dark wavy hair, met and married Roy Clarence Herbert.  Roy was a young laborer who had moved to Broken Hill from the copper mining town of Burra, SA and they were married at the Methodist Manse on 24 July 1929. The young couple started married life living with Hazel's parents, Charles and Eliza in Brazil Street (1930 NSW Census).

My Memories of Nanna (Christina Carriage, Shepherd nee Lee)

Nanna (Back LHS) with family and grandchildren on the Front Verandah

 This is the final bog on the life of Christina Sterland Carriage (Shepherd nee Lee).  The period from the 1950’s through to when she passed away in 1984 is the time when her children left home, married and had children of their own. 

 What is special for this part of her story  is that I am able include  my own perspective and personal experience.  I don’t think I can pinpoint my first memory of Nanna, though it must have been from a Christmas holiday early in my childhood.  Every year our family would pack up our car and make the trek to Milton for three weeks holiday, staying with Nanna and Pop or in a rented house nearby.

 I remember her as being a tall lean lady, kind, but someone who would take no nonsense.  As a small child I delighted in being in her company and would volunteer to go to Church with her in the evenings for that special one on one time (and of course to be shown off to all her church buddies as “Malcolm’s” eldest girl). As a teenager, I loved to curl up on on the old sofa in her cosy kitchen, with one of her crochet rugs over my legs and read one of the many books from her book shelf.

Christina Carraige -Matron of Honour at the Masonic Ball

Well, before I stray too far a must get  back to the story.  The last blog finished with Christina’s eldest son, Malcolm, joining the air force and being sent to Darwin for active service..  Fortunately, the war was very close to ending and he was soon back into civilian life.  Over the next few years her three eldest children  (Leo was still quite young) left home, married and had children.  

With the house empty, Nanna took in borders to help cover expenses and these borders became part of her extended family.  Lionel (Pop) continued to work at the sawmills  and had a small home business where he sharpened saws and axes.  Their life was uncomplicated, with Nanna involved in the church and Pop was a member of the local Masonic Lodge.    With a little more time on their hands they took up golf and became members of the local Mollymook Golf Club.

As I mentioned early, my strongest memories of Nanna were at Christmas time.  All the family, would come to stay in Nanna’s house (until there was too many of us).  Children would be bunked on divans, or in beds together, (topping and tailing).  We spent hours playing in the garden, pinching Pop’s strawberries and feasting on the plums from their big plum tree.  It became a family tradition for all the cousins to put on a Christmas Holiday Concert, where we would stage a number of short skits, dances and songs on Nanna’s front verandah.  All the neighbours would be invited, and charged a silver coin for the honour of sitting on one of the rickety chairs set up on the front lawn.  Then, the next day, to our delight Nanna would take us up to buy ice cream with the takings from the concert.

Christmas Day in Nanna's house was something to behold.  During previous week we would have all helped her make the Christmas pudding.  She would buy a brand new plastic bucket to mix it in and all the grandchildren would take turns in stirring for good luck.  Then on Christmas day, the kitchen would be a buzz with all the adults sharing in the preparation of the meal (and punch) under Nanna's direction.  When it came to sitting everyone down for the hot meal a hierarchy of age was enforced.  Adults at the dining table, and then the grandchildren, depending on their age would sit at the side table, card table, ironing board (on low setting) or high chair.  What a sight to see!!!! Then when it finally came time to have the pudding Nanna would serve it with steaming hot custard and she would slip silver sixpences into each of the childrens bowls. Then when cents came into circulation, we would have to hand the sixpences back after the meal so they could be saved for next Christmas.

Nursing a new Great grandchild

The late 1970- 1980’s saw another changing of the guard with her grandchildren turning 21, getting married and having children of their own.  Nanna delighted in these family occasions and watched over the brood with a critical eye.  I can remember if there was a sad family event such as a funeral she would have a small glass of brandy for medical purposes and if it was a time for celebrations she was quite partial to a glass or two of that “nice bubbly wine”.

 Teenie (Christina) and Lionel retired and continued life in the quiet town of Milton.  Their son Leo and his family settled in the district and were of great support to them in their later years.  Then in 1982 Lionel became very ill and passed away on the 10 February 1982.  Teenie continued to live on her own in their family home. Then on a sunny morning, two years later on the 15 April, 1984 while sweeping her front path she passed away at the age of 82.  As I reflect, on her life and all that she had experienced am glad that I have been able to share a little of her story. 

 

Christina Part Two - Letters from a troubled time.

Malcolm Michael (Mack) Shepherd

Braidwood Dispatch, January 1932


"We regret to record the death of Malcolm Michael Shepherd which occurred at Nelligen on Wednesday at 7.30 a.m.  Sometime back Mr Shepherd met with a severe accident while engaged in his bush work, a tree falling on his head.  Since then he has been incapacitated from work, never really getting over the accident.  He leaves a wife and three children and was 37 years of age.  The funeral took place at Nelligen yesterday."

This is where we left the story of Christina Shepherd (nee Lee).  Looking over a number of old letters that were sent to her at this time, made me realise that the months after Mack's accident were a time fraught with sadness and difficulty.  Caring for her three young children and a husband who had changed since his accident.  Some of the excerpts of these letters are:


 13 January 1932

"Teenie, dear I hope you are feeling better by this as I heard nothing of the sad end until Monday, it came a great shock.  When I heard no more, I began to think he was better.  Never mind my dear, God in his Mercy will look to you and the little ones.  Mac was always a good old quiet fellow, and it is to be hoped he is at rest."


17 January 1932

"Well  I hope you are feeling well and the children after your sad loss, I know Teany it is hard to say cheer up for you, I know the feeling you will have for some time but my dear try and look on the bright side as you always did when poor Mack was sick. I think he suffered a lot Teany for what we did not know and God knew best in the end."

Mona and Christina (nee Lee)

Faced with the task of caring for three children on her own Christina had to make some hard decisions.  Her eldest son Malcolm (my father) at the age of 6 went to live with Christina's mother Catherine Lee on the family farm at Nelligen, and Christina and the two younger children Colin (4 years old) and Nancy (18 months) moved to the small coastal town of Milton to care for her sister Mona who was not wel1 (1933 NSW Census shows her to be living at Princes Highway, Milton, NSW).  One has to wonder how she would have managed in these difficult economic times without the support of her family.

Among the collection of letters is one from Christina to her Solicitor in Sydney, in this letter she has written justifying her expenditure of some of the assurance money.

8 February 1933

"I am sorry I have delayed in answering your letters re administration.  I have been away and your letter took a little longer to reach me, and I have been called away on sickness a couple of times, or I would have attended to this sooner.  The money from the savings bank I used for extra clothing for the children and myself.  There will be 10/- bank expenses and 5'- for cheque book to deduct that leaves 111 pounds and 10 shillings now in the bank.  Trusting this will be correct,  I am yours faithfully, C.S.Shepherd."

The  1936 NSW Census show that Christina was again living with her sister Mona and her husband on the Princes Highway Milton, helping to care for her ailing sister and her young family as well as her own children.  From stories told to me by my father, I know that he was still living on "Acacia Farm", Nelligen with his grandmother while his mother and younger brother and sister lived in Milton. 

However, 1936 proved to be a year of change for the Christina. A new person came into her life and the family was able to all be together again.

Christina Sterland Lee

What better place to start the stories of the women in my family tree than with my grandmothers. This is a photo of my Nanna, on my fathers side of the family, when she was about five or six.  It is taken from a school photo, at Nelligen School.  Nelligen is a small settlement on the Clyde River on the South Coast of New South Wales.

I have many childhood memories of Christmas time gatherings at my Nanna's house in Milton where all the cousins, aunts and uncles would gather for the annual festivities in Nanna and Pop's old wooden house.  The kitchen would be a hive of activity, with Nanna making the traditional Christmas pudding in huge bowl and all the children taking turns to stir the pudding for luck.

Christina Sterland Lee was born on 29 May 1901, in the small trading town of Nelligen, on the banks of the Clyde River. She was the daughter of George William Lee (1859-1936) and Catherine McGregor (1866-1945). Christina or Teenie as she was called by her friends was the fourth child and first daughter in a family.  She had  four brothers and four sisters.  At the time of her birth her family lived in 27 Vincent St Nelligen (NSW 1901 Census) .  The children were not short of company with their cousins living  in two houses next door.  (These were the families of her father’s brothers Thomas and Albert Lee).



Nelligen 1908

Her grandfather Thomas George Lee (1832-1936) was born in Clerkenwell, St James, Islington, England and came to Australia in the early 1850’s.  He was one of the earlier settlers in the Nelligen District and for many years ran the local store, that was a major supplier of goods to the local district and over the Clyde Mountain to the Braidwood district.

While Christina was still at school her family moved to “Acacia Farm”  about 8 kms north of Nelligen on the Clyde River.  The farmhouse was surrounded by fruit trees and the family grew vegetables and raised cattle.  This farmhouse was to see many family gatherings and reunions over the next eighty years.  I remember visiting the farm as a small child, when it has been passed on to Christina’s younger brother George Alexander Lee (better known as Jordie). 

Three of  the Lee boys  (Clyde, James and Norman) moved to Sydney and joined the police force and her sisters married and lived locally.  In 1923, at the age of 22 Christina met and married Malcolm Michael Shepherd  a returned WWI soldier,  whose family had been involved in carrier business between Nelligen and Braidwood since the early 1860’s.  Their first child Muriel passed away when she was 11 months old.  Three more children, Malcolm, Colin and Nancy followed and the family settled into the district. 

However, Christina’s happy family life was soon to take a unhappy turn.   In March 1931 her husband Malcolm was knocked down and seriously injured by a tree.  He survived the accident but didn’t fully recover, passing away at the age of 40 in the January of the following year.

TIMBER-GETTER HURT, The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 13 March 1931

While hauling logs to Backhouse's Benandarah mill, Malcolm M. Shepherd was knocked down by a rebounding sapling. He was taken to Moruya Hospital in a serious condition

In the very difficult economic times of the early 1930’s Christina was left with three small children to raise on her own.