The Mystery of David Mulholland and Eliza Jane McCrae

One of my favourite (and most frustrating) family mysteries is that of David Mulholland and Eliza Jane McCrae.  Both were born in Ireland and emigrated to Australia, settling in the area around Bright, Victoria.

David Mulholland was born in Ireland sometime around 1830 and emigrated to Australia around 1860.  These details are only approximate, taken from the details in his death notice and cemetery headstone.  He married Eliza Jane McCrae, although no marriage record for the two has been found, either in Australia or Ireland.  For many of their children details are sketchy – most were never registered at birth, some died registered under their mother’s name, others under their father’s name.  For some the only details come from their cemetery records, as no other records seem to exist.

The death notice for David Mulholland reads “Mulholland.  On the 10^th April, at his late residence, Eurobin, David Mulholland aged 71 years, after a short illness.  Father of E.M., D.M., M.M., J.M., P.M., J.M., H.M.  Interred in Bright Cemetery Saturday 12^th inst.  Beloved by all who knew him.  A colonist of 42 years.”  This death notice was published in the Argus 15^th April 1902, the Australian 19 April 1902 and the Leader 19 April 1902.

The initials refer only to his surviving children – Ellen (Stoddart), David, Mary (Pape), Jane, Pricilla (Cark), James and Henry.  His wife Eliza is not mentioned, although she still lives.  All these children are also mentioned in David’s will, with the married names of daughters Ellen, Mary and Pricilla also included in the document.

David was buried in Bright Cemetery, 1F, Presbyterian, plot 35.  In the same or neighbouring plots are the following :

• Mulholland, Elizabeth Jane 85 years  Died 30/10/1925  Daughter of James McCrae and Mary
• Mulholland, Henry 4 years 8 months Died 29/1/1872 Son of David Mulholland and Eliza Jane McCrae
• Mulholland, Margaret 10 years Died 5/9/1885 Daughter of David Mulholland and Eliza Jane McCrae
• Mulholland, Margaret Jane 6 years Died 2/2/1872 Daughter of David Mulholland and Eliza Jane McCrae
• Mulholland, Samuel Thomas 4 months Died 29/4/1879 Son of David Mulholland and Eliza Jane McCrae
• Mulholland, Thomas 14 months Died 15/2/1872 Son of David Mulholland and Eliza Jane McCrae
• Mulholland, Thomas 10 days Died 26/1/1887 Son of David Mulholland and Eliza Jane McCrae

From the details that I have, I can conclude David Mulholland and Eliza Jane (or Elizabeth) McCrae had the following children :

1. Ellen born 1862.  No birth record.  Married James Stoddart 1886.  Died 1905 – on her death certificate father David Mulholland mother Ellen (unknown), no place of birth given.  Her initials are included in David’s death notice and she is included in his will.
2. David born 1863.  No birth record.  Died 1951 - on his death certificate father David Mulholland mother Elizabeth Jane (McCrae), born in Eurobin.  His initials are included in David’s death notice and he is included in his will.
3. Margaret Jane born 1865.  No birth record.  Died 1872 - death record is under the surname McCrae, mother Eliza Jane McCrae, father unknown.  Buried in Bright Cemetery under the surname Mulholland.
4. Henry born 1867.  No birth or death record.  Died 1872 - buried in Bright Cemetery under the surname Mulholland.
5.  Mary born 1869.  No birth record.  Married John Pape.  Died in 1950 - on her death certificate father David Mulholland mother Eliza Jane (unknown), born in Eurobin.  Her initials are included in David’s death notice and she is included in his will.
6. Thomas born 1870.  No birth record.  Died in 1872 - death record is under the surname McCrae, mother Eliza Jane McCrae, father unknown.  Buried in Bright Cemetery under the surname Mulholland.
7. Jane born 1872.  No birth record.  Never married.  Died in 1948 - on her death certificate father David Mulholland mother Elizabeth (McCrae), born in Eurobin.  Her initials are included in David’s death notice and she is included in his will.
8. Margaret born 1874.  No birth record.  Died in 1885 - on her death certificate father David Mulholland mother Eliza Jane (McCrae), born in Eurobin.  Buried in Bright Cemetery under the surname Mulholland.
9. Pricilla born 1877.  No birth record.  Married James Clark.  Died 1976 - on her death certificate father David Mulholland mother Eliza Jane (McCrae), born in Eurobin.  Her initials are included in David’s death notice and she is included in his will.
10. Samuel Thomas born 1879.  No birth or death record.  Buried in Bright Cemetery under the surname Mulholland.
11. James born 1879.  Registered in 1880 (he was born 30 December 1879) born in Eurobin.  Died in 1970 - on his death certificate father David Mulholland mother Eliza Jane (McCrae), born in Eurobin.  His initials are included in David’s death notice and he is included in his will.
12. Henry born 1883.  Registered in 1883, born in Eurobin.  Died in 1966 - on his death certificate father David Mulholland mother Eliza Jane (McCrae), born in Eurobin.  His initials are included in David’s death notice and he is included in his will.
13. Thomas born 1887.  No birth or death record.  Died 1887 - buried in Bright Cemetery under the surname Mulholland.

I have also checked New South Wales records but found nothing.  I am descended from child no 9, Pricilla Veronica, who married James Nicholas Clark.  Anyone out there descended from David Mulholland and Eliza Jane McCrae, I’m interested in hearing from you and swapping information.

New Newspaper Titles Coming to Trove

I always get excited to hear about new resources about to become available on the free Trove site.  Below are some of the upcoming additions.

Newspaper titles are listed by state/territory and then alphabetically by title. These titles have been funded for digitisation by various contributors which are indicated in square brackets after the title name.

NSW

• Albury Banner (1881-1896); [Albury & District Historical Society; NSW State Government Regional Cultural Fund]
• Border Morning Mail (1938-1942); [Albury & District Historical Society; NSW State Government Regional Cultural Fund]
• Daily Express (Wagga Wagga: 1919-1929); [Wagga Wagga & District Historical
• Mosman, Neutral and Middle Harbour Resident (1904-1907); [Mosman Historical Society]

QLD

• Toowoomba Chronicle (Sept. 1917-Sept. 1922); [State Library of Queensland]
• Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette (Oct 1922-Dec 1933); [State Library of Queensland]

SA

• Messenger (1951-1954) [State Library of South Australia]
• Port Augusta & Stirling Illustrated News (Feb.-Aug. 1901) [State Library of South Australia]
• Portonian (1871-1873) [State Library of South Australia]

VIC

• Elmore Standard (1882-1905);[Bendigo Regional Genealogical Society]
• Great Southern Advocate (1907-1913; 1919-1926); [Korumburra & District Historical Society]
• Richmond Guardian (1907-1909;1915-1916) [Rhett Bartlett]

WA

• The Fremantle Advocate (Aug 1926 - Jan 1942); [Fremantle Library]

International

• A Voz de Timor (1965-1975) [Canberra Friends of Dili and the National Library of Australia]

Week 52 - Resolution - 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Although at times I doubted it, I have managed to complete the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.  Along the way I have revisited many areas of my research, taken closer looks at several ancestors, and reflected on the discoveries I have made. Now it is time to look at the final prompt, resolution.
For me, resolution is not just the end of the challenge but also looking to the future, to my plans for my research in the coming year.  And my resolutions are :

• to keep blogging, even if I can't think of much to say.  This blog helps to keep me focused on my research and all the marvelous developments in genealogy - the new resources and books available, the new records I can access.
• to keep researching, because family history is never something you can sit back and announce is 'done'.  There is always new paths to explore, newly available records to search, new relatives to share information with.  And we constantly make new history to pass down to the generations to come.
• to contact more of my DNA matches, something I did when I first tested but have not followed up as well as I should.  New DNA matches appear all the time as more people do DNA tests, and this is an area I need to pay more attention to.
• to celebrate the successes, both large and small.  Sometimes I focus too much on the brick wall in my research, the searches that revealed nothing, the records that have been lost, the DNA matches I have reached out to who have not replied.  I need to focus more on the positives - the new records I have found, new details gleaned, the various 'cousins' who have responded to my emails and shared information.

Finally, a huge thank you to Amy Johnson Crow, who created this challenge and issued the prompts throughout the year.  I've greatly enjoyed it and have found it extremely worthwhile.  Thanks Amy.

Week 51 - Nice - 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

After reflecting on naughty ancestors in the last 52 Weeks post, this time I'm reflecting on the nice.  The 'Nice' ancestors frequently receive less publicity than their 'Naughty' counterparts, going about their lives quietly and without fuss.  Frequently they leave fewer records behind them to detail their lives than those who were 'naughty' - no court records, no prison sentences, fewer articles in the newspapers covering their deeds. Sometimes finding their footprints in history can be considerably harder, with their deeds not trumpeted to the world.

One such unsung ancestor was my great-uncle David James Clark.  It was only a few years ago, well after his death, that I discovered he was quite devoted to public service and volunteering, and in 1979 he was awarded an Order of Australia for his community service.

After service in the militia between the wars and in the army during World War 2, where he achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, David returned to Melbourne and lived out his life in Brighton and Cheltenham.  He became heavily involved in volunteer work, especially after his retirement, and was notably devoted to his former school, Brighton Primary.

An unsung hero indeed.

WDYTYA Magazine

The latest issue of Who Do You Think You Are magazine is now available free online for Campaspe Library members via our subscription to RB Digital eMagazines.

Inside this month's issue

• 50 websites to watch
  Our exclusive annual report reveals the crucial record releases coming online for family historians in 2019
• Child's play
  Janet Few shares some top tips on getting the children in your family interested in family history
• Nonconformist family
  How to find your ancestors' records outside the established church
• All at she
  The women who dressed as men to sail the seas
• Reader story
  How a DNA test unlocked the mystery of Amelia Thorogood's father's parents
• Plus...
  The best websites for researching your surname; finding your ancestors in temperance pledges; the history of shoemaking, and much more...

Week 50 - Naughty - 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

As we approach Christmas, this week's topic of Naughty and next week's Nice seem apt.
"Naughty" brings to mind my disappointment at finding I have no convict ancestors.  In a perhaps uniquely Australian perspective, we tend to celebrate our convict ancestors as the founders of our nation, sent against their will to an unfamiliar land on the other side of the world for often fairly trivial offences.  As I have researched my ancestors I looked in vain for a convict, but found none - all my ancestors chose Australia as their home, rather than having it chosen for them.

My lack of convict ancestors does not mean there are no black sheep lurking on the limbs of my family tree.  Two of my ancestors, William Mothersole and James Cocksedge (they were brothers-in-law as well as friends and drinking companions) both has several convictions for being drunk and disorderly, and both spent time in prison when they were unable to pay the fines their behavior accrued. 

Bury and Norwich Post, 22 September 1863

 From the newspaper reports of their exploits, William Mothersole was frequently the ringleader of their misbehavior and neither learned the 'error of their ways'.  Surely a trial for their wives and families.

Week 49 - Winter - 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Winter, just as we are entering the Australian summer, seems a little out of place, but winter still holds a number of special memories.

The scent of woodsmoke reminds me of childhood winters with a blazing wood fire in our living room.  The rest of the house was unheated, and I can remember many winter nights quickly diving under multiple blankets and shivering until the bed warmed up.  Getting up to run to the bathroom in the middle of the night was cruel, as our toilet was out on the back verandah and freezing cold during the winter months.  Thinking back it makes me appreciate my central heating and ensuite bathroom I enjoy today.

While snow was unheard of in the area where we lived, heavy frosts in midwinter turned the landscape white.  My grandmother taught me to knit as a child and for many winters I enjoyed gloves, scarves and hats I had made myself.  They also made excellent presents for family and friends and as my knitting became better the patterns grew steadily more complex.

My first visit to the snowfields as a child is another special winter memory - a rare holiday spent building snowmen, trying to ski and playing in the snow.  I quickly found that my knitted gloves were useless in a snowy environment, quickly becoming sodden and cold.  Snow deeper than my boots was also an unwelcome discovery.