Broggy/brophy/callanan/Callaghan

NOT FAMOUS - JUST BATTLERS

THE DESCENDANTS OF 

     MICHAEL AND CATHERINE CALLAGHAN
      MARGARET AND WILLIAM BAKER
      CATHERINE AND PETER MULLENS/EVERITT SUMMONS
      JOHN AND MARY CALLAGHAN 
      MARY JANE AND WILLIAM HENRY STEPHENS

AUTHOR’S NOTES

Many of us have come to know of such people as Governor Arthur Phillip, John Oxley, Sir Thomas Mitchell and Allan Cunningham; just to mention a few names associated with the growth of this great country we call Australia. Sadly though, if we were asked who our own relatives were and what part they played in giving us a chance to be here, for some of us even recalling as far back as our grandparents may leave us wondering.

I found it rather sad that those who struggled against so many odds, enabling us to make this great country our home, should be forgotten so quickly. Many of our forebears may not have been famous or recorded in the history books like those aforementioned, but many were battlers and should not be forgotten. Some things we may wish to forget, for what ever reason, but none of us are perfect and surely our children and their children’s children should have the opportunity to know their heritage.

This thought was highlighted after my reading Brian Andrew’s history of Catherine and Donald McDonald, which gave me a wonderful insight into my grandmother’s mother, grandmother and great -grandfathers histories. I was then determined to record more of that history by covering my mother’s, father’s, family, ‘The Callaghans’. Inspiration is one thing, but when it came to reality, I had no idea that the compiling and recording of such information would turn out to be the task that it did. I could never lay claim to all the credit as so many people, including family members, contributed in some way. To all of you, I thank you very much.

Complete accuracy was something I found impossible, but every effort was made to come as close as possible. You may have to forgive misspelling of some names. It has never been intended on my part to deliberately pry into the personal affairs of any family members during my research and in this respect I hope I have used discretion and recorded only information that was freely and generously given.

To research such material has meant calling on many family members and asking them to recall many memories or search out old photos and memorabilia. I am grateful so many had preserved so much. Also the records of many institutions such as the Department of Births, Deaths & Marriages of Queensland and New South Wales, the Archives of Queensland and New South Wales along with the history groups, Museums, Libraries and authors of other books all provided valuable historical information.

For those of you whom I have never met, please allow me to tell you something of myself. I am the great, great, grandson of Michael and Catherine Callaghan and a descendant of their 10th child, William Callaghan. William married Violet Maud Hughes and their first child William John Callaghan was my grandfather. William John married Thelma Sewell and their second daughter Isabell Leyvone Callaghan is my mother. I was born Mervyn John Webster in Goondiwindi, Queensland, in 1953 to Mervyn Lawrence and Isabell Leyvone Webster [Nee Calaghan]. I was given my father’s first name and my grandfather’s second name. My father worked all of his working life for the Commonwealth Banking Corporation and therefore we moved continually, living in various Queensland towns as he reached out for promotion.

They included Gympie, Ayr, Bowen, Stanthorpe, Maryborough, Roma and Toowoomba. I also spent some time in Rabaul, New Britain. My wife, Christine Mary Edwards, was a Roma girl and the daughter of Vince and Mary Edwards. Our four children include Shane Christian, Amanda Megan, Meagan Marie and Nathan Lee. Since 1978 I worked in the Electricity Industry as an Electrical Line Worker in the towns of Roma, Warialda and Goondiwindi. I spent seven years researching material on our family and much of that period was in Goondiwindi, a town long associated with the Callaghan family. In 1994 health problems led to my moving to Bargara and it was here I completed our family history.

I hope I have preserved the history of those family members who have now gone and that each of you will continue to keep some record of your present families, so future generations can look back on their heritage.

Mervyn John Webster

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     Life in Britain in the eighteenth century was hard and crime was rife. An economic revolution had begun, land was being enclosed and new industrial towns were coming into being. The population was increasing with most people facing dirt, disease, poverty, lack of education and lack of proper police protection. Cities swarmed with thieves and pickpockets, while in the countryside the roads were menaced by highwaymen and footpads [highwaymen on foot]. Some people even hero worshipped certain highwaymen. Laws were extremely harsh with serious offenders hanged in public e.g. on the Middlesex gallows at Tyburn, London and many were transported.

     The American War of Independence stopped the flow of convicts to America which bought a large hulk problem, as anticipating victory, the English passed a Hulks Act where a number of unseaworthy ships were moored on the Thames River and convicts imprisoned on them. The loss of her colony now meant great overcrowding of convicts and new measures had to be taken.

Eleven ships:

2 kings ships [The Sirius and the Supply]

6 convict ships [The Alexander, The Charlotte, The Friendship, The Lady Penrhyn, The Prince of Wales and The Scarborough]

3 store ships [The Borrowdale, The Fishburn and The Golden Grove] set sail for the new colony.

   On board were 1400 people. The Captain Governor General and his staff of nine. 160 Royal Marines, in four companies, under 51 officers and N.C.Os., together with 27 marine wives and 19 seamen, 443 seamen, 568 male and 191 female convicts with 13 children.

     On the 13th May, 1787 they set sail for Botany Bay. This was to be the answer to the problem in Britain. As Botany Bay proved an unsuitable site, on the 26th of January, 1788, a new site of Sydney Cove was found and a small ceremony held on shore. This was the beginning of a new life in a new country.

Captain Arthur Phillip                       1788 - 1792
Major Francis Grose                         1792 - 1794
Captain William Patterson/Caretaker   1794 - 1795
John Hunter                                   1795 - 1800
Philip Gidley King                             1800 - 1806
William Bligh                                   1806 - 1808
Major George Johnston                     Jan - July 1808
Rum Rebellion
Major Joseph Fovequx July                1808 - Jan 1809
Colonel William Patterson                  Jan 1809 - Dec 1809
Lachlan Macquarie                          1810 - 1821
Thomas Makdougall Brisbane             1821 - 1825
William Stewart/ Acting Governor       1825
Governor Ralph Darling                     1825 - 1831

    In this time the colony had struggled from survival to new adventures as shipbuilding, sealing, whaling, coal mining, timber felling and the growing of wool. Macqaurie had opened the way for five new towns in 1810. Pitt Town, Castlereagh, Wilberforce, Richmond, and Windsor to act as points of refuge from previous threats of flooding. Macquarie improved the road to Paramatta and by 1818 a road lay across the Blue Mountains to the new inland town of Bathurst. He limited expansion to the west and encouraged the settlement of the fertile Hunter Valley and in 1817 he opened up the Illawarra District to the south.

      But in time as the confined coastal strip could not confine the sudden explosion of the colony and like governors before him he continued to support the exploration and mapping of the continent. Men such as George Evans, John Perry, John Oxley, Allan Cunningham, Henry Dangar and sir Thomas Mitchell all would play a part in opening up new country into which Michael and Catherine would live their lives.

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     My first hope had been to trace our ancestry back to our first Australians, that is Michael’s parents, the Callaghans. Upon finding Michael’s death certificate though, details would throw a spanner in the works and eventually research would show how a string of events would change our family name and present a whole new outlook to my research.

     Michael Callaghan’s death certificate revealed that Callaghan was his step-father’s name and that his father’s name was John Brofield. His mother’s name unknown. This led to my looking not for the surname Callaghan as our first ancestor, but for a man by the name of John Brofield. Research of all Australian phone books revealed no such surname as Brofield and all the birth, death and marriage micro-fiche records revealed no such surname either.

     Upon researching the publication ‘General Return of Convicts in New South Wales - 1837,’ the name John Brofield did appear. He was then 34 years of age and was transported to Sydney Cove on the ship ‘Asia’.

     He was tried in Ireland in 1824 at Maryboro and was assigned to a Thomas J Hawkins at Bathurst.

Cover of the Publication 
‘General Return of Convicts in New South Wales 1837.’

       Extract from the page showing the entry of John Brofield.

     The New South Wales Archives were able to procure the ship indents for the ship ‘Asia’, which left County Cork on its 3rd voyage with Thos. F. Stead as its master and transported 189 male convicts to Sydney Cove and arrived on the 21st February 1825.

     A research of convict names aboard revealed no one by the name of John Brofield, but a man the same age and by the name of John Brophy was tried in the same town. This man was tried in Maryboro, Ireland on the 5th of August, 1824 and sentenced to life. His native place was Queens County and he was a Shoemaker by trade. He was 21 years of age at sentencing, 5 feet 2 and a half inches [1.59m] with freckled complexion, dark brown hair and dark hazel eyes. Remarks show him as very good and assigned to a J.James of Sydney.

Indent of the ship ‘Asia’ arriving Sydney on the 21st February 1825

     The entry for John Brophy can be seen towards the end of the page and second from the bottom.

     The publication ‘Special Report on Surnames in Ireland’ shows no surname such as Brofield, but does show Brophy and families bearing that surname living in Queens County.

     Three years later the 1828 census of New South Wales shows a John Brophy, who arrived by the ship ‘Asia’, residing on the Phoenix Hulk Sydney.

The Publication
"Census of New South Wales
November 1828.

Page showing the entry of John Brophy in the 1828 Census.

     Accepting now that Brophy was John’s surname, I spent some years gathering all the information I could find on the man and came up with a large amount of material. Unfortunately all this information did not reveal how this man could have been the father of our Michael Callaghan or how future events led to Michael’s mother [whose name was shown as unknown] remarrying and therefore having a step-father by the name of Callaghan.

    With Brophy being Michael’s fathers probable surname I then looked for a birth record for a Michael Brophy. Records showed only one Michael Brophy being born in Sydney in 1839 to a William and Mary [Nee White] Brophy, but I wasn’t looking for a William, so dismissed the idea. After some years of not being able to put the pieces together I mentioned my plight to a friend who tried her hand on the CD.ROM containing records of the New South Wales Pioneers Index dating from 1788 to 1888.  You learn to try all options after a while and one option proved successful.  Michael was in fact the son of William and Mary Brophy and would go on to have a step father, John, after the death of his father William. His step-father’s surname was Callanan and after his death the surname would take on many variations of spelling and Mary would in fact have four partners in life.

     This rather complicated series of events, revealed that William and Mary were in fact Michael’s parents and our first Australian ancestors. With regard to various surnames, recording errors would be a major factor in the unraveling of our families rather unique history. The following record will, I believe, help explain our families origins and give us all the opportunity to look back through time and meet some of our family members. I must say though, I cannot present this record with a view to it being 100 per cent accurate. I can only present our story in conjunction with the various materials I gathered and hope you find it enlightening.

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BIRTH DETAILS: *

Name..................................................................... William Broggy

Date....................................................................... 1805

Place..................................................................... Ireland [Limerick?]

Sex....................................................................... Male

Name.................................................................... Broggy?

Profession..............................................................

Age.......................................................................

Name....................................................................

Age.......................................................................

Birthplace...............................................................

* Details taken from various documents.

     My previous notes explain the line of research I followed to trace Michael Callaghan’s natural parents after finding out that Callaghan was his step-father’s name. John Brofield mentioned on Michael’s death certificate, led us to the surname Brophy, but a lot of research eventually revealed that William Brophy was indeed his father and Mary White was his mother. The irony is though, that William’s surname in Ireland was in fact different again, being Broggy. How all this came about will be revealed as we go along, but first let’s start with William’s story.

     William Broggy was an Irish Catholic and was born in approximately 1804/5 as he was placed before the bar in 1828 at the age of 24 years, which brought about his being transported to the Colony of New South Wales.

     Though many of the Irish records were burnt in the siege of Dublin Castle, available records reveal that the Irish County of Limerick was William’s place of birth and that his trade was that of seaman and also a farm hand. [Records taken from Indents of the convict ship ‘Governor Ready’.]

     Life was hard in Ireland and famine was a way of life and it appears that William fell victim to the judicial system for stealing a pig at 24 years of age and therefore sent before the bench and tried in Limerick on the 13th march 1828 and sentenced to seven years servitude.

1829 - Arrived Sydney in ‘Governor Ready’

     William’s servitude was to be carried out in the colony of New South Wales and he would make the journey upon the ‘Governor Ready’, which sailed from Cork on the 21st of September 1828, under the Captaincy of John Young and reached Sydney on the 16th of January 1829.

     His name was listed on the ship’s indents under Broggy.  William was five feet two and a half inches [1.59 meters] and had dark brown hair. The record shows him assigned to an Elizabeth Pitt of Richmond in Cumberland County.

   Ship Indents showing William Broggy listed second from the bottom.

      The Governor of Australia at the time of William’s arrival in the colony of New South Wales was Governor Ralph Darling, who served from 1825 to 1831. Governor Darling was having trouble with squatters moving outside the settled districts taking up land and squatting.

     These included runaway convicts and emancipists and others who ‘squatted’ illegally in the bush, erecting bark huts and trying to eke out a living from farming, distilling sly grog and sometimes even making raids on neighboring herds and flocks.

Governor Ralph Darling 1825-31

     In 1929 Governor Darling defined the limits of occupation beyond which no one could go. A boundary line was drawn on a map around Sydney and divided into nineteen counties. Darling’s term as Governor General finished in 1831 and Patrick Lindesay became the acting Governor until Richard Bourke took up office in 1831 and remained there until 1837.

     In earlier years the idea of a joint stock adventure was recommended to develop fine wool growing in New South Wales and encourage settlers to open up new country. This finally led to the development of the Australian Agricultural Company and exploration to find suitable country to establish such ventures. By 1832 three estates had been established. One within the boundaries of the nineteen counties and two outside on unsettled land in the Liverpool Plains.

     By 1836 many squatters occupied land outside the nineteen counties and Governor Bourke had to address himself to the problem. He realized that is was impossible to stop squatting, but had to control it. The Crown Lands Occupation Act was passed through the Legislative Council. Under the act, squatters, who were of good character, could purchase a license for ten pounds per year, which would allow them to graze over as much land as they needed.

The "Nineteen Counties" and the unsettled districts beyond, showing the three estates
of the Australian Agricultural Company after the agreement off 1832.

     William had been assigned to an Elizabeth Pitt, who was the daughter of Captain Thomas and Hannah Laycock. She would marry Thomas Matcham Pitt in 1813 and bore him four children. Thomas died in 1821 leaving her three properties. Nelson Farm [100 acres] in the district of Mulgrave, Hawwkesbury River, Neslon and Bronte Farm [300 acres] on the western branch of South Creek, a tributary of the Hawkesbury River and Trafalgar [100 acres] at Richmond Hill. After Thomas’ death Elizabeth ran the properties and lived in a defacto relationship with her Overseer William Scott and bore him four children as well until her death in 1835. Elizabeth employed several convicts and William was obviously one of them. William obtained a Ticket of Leave in 1833, but was finally granted a Certificate of Freedom in September of 1835. The documents still showed his name as William Broggy.

     William entered into a relationship with a Mary White, though no record can be found of their applying for marriage banns. A son Michael was born on the 11th of April,1839, in the county of Cumberland. He was baptised on the 17th of May 1840 by the Catholic minister, Joseph Platt. The birth was registered in Sydney in the parish of St James and now showed William’s surname as Brophy and Mary White his mother. In 1843 William and Mary again had a child, this time a daughter, but the parish is not stated. They called their daughter Margaret Brophy.

     Records then showed that William Brophy died in 1844, though details on the death certificate are very limited . His age is shown as 40 years, which fits in with the age of William Broggy. The ship, ‘Governor Ready’ was recorded as to how the person arrived in the colony. Tying Brophy to Broggy. No wife or children are recorded, which may be in holding with the theory that he and Mary did not have marriage banns. 

     As initially mentioned, the ‘Governor Ready’s’ ships indents show no record of a William Brophy, but that of a William Broggy. I have concluded that William Broggy and William Brophy were one and the same.

     Records then go on to show that Mary White then entered into another relationship and married on the 1st of July 1846 in the West Maitland District, Co. Northumberland. She married a man by the name of John Callanan and Witnesses to the wedding were Hugh and Margaret Cavanagh and the Minister was J.T. Lynch. It is interesting to note that documents show Mary registering her maiden name of White which may give credence to the fact that she had lived in a de facto relationship with William Brophy. Mary and John Callanan were to have their first daughter born to them on the 16th of April 1847 in the West Maitland Parish, Co. Northumberland and they named her Catherine. She was baptized on the 5th of September 1847 and the Minister was J.T. Lynch.

     The family, it would seem, would move further North and records indicate that in 1849 a son was born in Singleton and he too would take on his father’s name of John. In 1852 records indicate that their second daughter, Mary Jane, was born at Frazer’s Ck. on the Liverpool Plains.

     Records are a bit sketchy as to what happened to the family in the late 1850’s, but the only record I could find showed that it would appear that John Callinan died of Bronchitis in the Murrurrundi District on the 22nd April, 1858. He was a farmer in the Blandford area and fifty five years of age. John was of Irish extract, though strangely enough there is no record of any marriage details or children to the marriage on the death certificate.

     The rest of the family were now living around Wallabdah in 1859 as Micahel’s marriage certificate indicates he was a labourer in the area and was married in Murrurrundi in February of that year and Margaret his sister was also married there in September of the same year. It would appear that Michael and Margaret were now using variations of their step-father’s name. Michael’s wedding certificate records the surname of Calnan, while Margaret’s certificate shows the surname Callain. In fact the surname in Michael’s case would have many spelling variations over the next few years showing variations such as, Calahan, Calnen, Callighan and finally Callaghan.

    Mary, was also living in the Wallbadah District as she would enter into a third relationship when she married a Shepherd by the name of John Hearn on the 12th of November 1860. Her surname is shown as Calanan on the certificate. John Nash was the officiating Minister and witnesses to the wedding were Bernard Regan and Bridget Jordon. Mary’s daughter to John Callanan, Catherine, was also living in the Wallabadah District as she married a Peter Mullens there in 1866. Peter had a brother John, who married Jane Dona and John and Jane were witnesses at both Peter and Catherine’s wedding and some years earlier at Michael and his wife’s wedding as well. Michael and his wife would in fact in later years name one of their sons, Peter Mullens Callaghan

   Though I have no record of what happened to John Hearn it would appear that Mary was in a position to remarry again on the 16th of November, 1872 and married a Shepherd by the name of James Caffery at Moonbi. The Minister was one Michael Foran and witnesses to the wedding were, William Mclveen and Charlotte Pearse. Mary eventually passed away in Wallabadah on the 30th of August 1893 from senile decay, aged 84 years. Though the story is a little complicated at times it reflects the struggle of families in those early pioneering days and it gives us some idea who Michael’s mother, father and step-father’s, full sister, half-sister's and half-brother were. On the following pages I shall give you some information on the history of Mary’s children, but the bulk of the findings are on Michael’s family. The above helps us to understand Michael’s origins and explains how his family surname started as Brophy, though eventually became Callaghan.

Chris Webster Standing at the Gates of Wallabadah Cemetry

[1] MICHAEL CALLAGHAN

Name..................................................................... Michael Brophy

Date...................................................................... 11th April 1839

Place..................................................................... Sydney, Parish St James, County Cumberland

Name.................................................................... William Brophy

Profession.............................................................. Labourer

Age...................................................................... 34 Years

Date of Marriage to Mother ...................................... No Record/Perhaps DeFacto Relationship

Place ................................................................... No Record/Richmond,Windsor Area, Sydney?

Name.................................................................... Mary White

Age...................................................................... 30 Years?

Birthplace.............................................................. Ireland?

Baptized .............................................................17th May 1840

Minister .............................................................. Joseph Platt  R.C.

1839 - Birth in County Cumberland

     It appears that Michael's father, William Brophy, may have stayed in the Richmond District after receiving his Certificate of Freedom in 1835 and worked as a Labourer to support himself.  He would then enter into a relationship with a Mary White and Michael was their first child, born on the 11th of April 1839.  The birth was recorded in Sydney at St James Parish, Co. Cumberland.  This is the first record that shows his father's surname as Brophy and not Broggy.  Michael was baptized on the 17th of May by the Catholic Minister, Joseph Platt.  No record can be found of his parents marriage banns.  Four years later, Michael had a sister who was born in 1843 and named Margaret Brophy.

     William, Michael's father, died in 1844 and his mother would then remarry two years later.  Using her maiden name of White, Mary married John Callanan.  Mary must of moved at some time to the West Maitland District, Co. Northumberland as this is where her marriage took place on the 1st of July 1846.  Mary and John would have a daughter Catherine on the 16th of April 1847.  Mary and John then moved North-west and in 1849 they had a son John, who was born in the Singleton area. By 1852 the family was somewhere on the Liverpool Plains when their second daughter, Mary Jane, was born at Frazer's Creek.

     Mary and John Callanan, it appears, may have moved to the Murrurrundi District around Blandford where John took up farming. I've assumed this as records show the death of a John Callinan from Bronchitis on the 22nd April 1858 and he was attended by a Dr Chopin.  He was buried in Haydonton on the 24th of April by the Undertaker Abraham Wilde of Blandford and witnesses to the burial were John Piggott and Archibald Allingham.  It is strange though, that the death certificate shows no record of marriage and children born to John.  But, as records will show, Michael and Margaret, married in Murrurrundi two years later and were living in nearby Wallabadah and both using various spellings of John's surname rather than Brophy and Mary was living in Wallabadah in 1860 and in a position to remarry.

     Micahel continued to grow up in the fast growing Colony of New South Wales during the Governor-Generalships of Sir George Gipps, Acting, Sir Maurice Charles O'Connel and Sir Charles Augustus Fitzroy.  The 1840's saw a general depression and the 1850's saw the first major gold rushes.  Michael grew up in the quickly developing Liverpool Plains District opened up by Squatters and The Australian Agricultural Company. 

     Cockies and Squatters 1859 -1860

1859 - Married in Murrurundi N.S.W.

     Michael was living in the Wallabadah District and probably working as a Labourer on 'Wallabadah Station' in 1859 when he married a young girl employed as a house servant by the name of Catherine Kelly.  They were married on the 2nd of February 1859 in Murrurundi, by the officiating Minister Mr J. Hanly in the presence of John Mullens and Elizabeth McDonald.

     Catherine was born in Wollombi N.S.W. on the 30th of December 1840 to Charles Henry Kelly and Mary Ann Kelly [Smith].  She was the first of seven girls and three boys in the Kelly Family.  The family was living in the Murrurundi District at the time of Michael's marriage to Catherine.

MARRIAGE DETAILS: *

Date......................................................... 2nd February 1859

Place........................................................ Murrurrundi N.S.W.

Religion..................................................... Roman Catholic

Name........................................................ Michael Calnan

Conjugal Status.......................................... Bachelor

Birthplace.................................................. Not listed

Occupation................................................ Labourer

Age.......................................................... Not listed

Usual Place of Residence.............................. Wallabadah

Father....................................................... Parents Not Listed

Mother...................................................... Not Listed

Father’s Occupation.................................... Not Listed

Name....................................................... Catherine Kelly

Conjugal Status.......................................... Spinster

Birthplace.................................................. Not listed

Occupation................................................ House Servant

Age.......................................................... Not listed

Usual Place of Residence.............................. Wallabadah

Father...................................................... Not Listed

Mother...................................................... Not Listed

Father’s Occupation.................................... Not Listed

Witnesses.................................................. John Mullins, Elizabeth McDonald

Minister..................................................... James Hanley

*Details taken from Marriage transcription.

     As can be seen above, the birthplace, age, parents and parent's occupations for both parties has been omitted on the Marriage transcript. Michael's surname has been spelt as Calnan, which shows that he had adopted his step-father's surname, though spelt incorrectly, and this would continue to be an issue on his children's birth certificates for years to come.

     The Minister, Mr James Hanly, was based at Singleton and served the Murrurundi District between 1857 - 1861.  During this time a new stone church was built, but as it was not dedicated until 1860 it is not certain if Michael and Catherine were married in it or its predecessor.

     Michael's mother Mary remarried, as records show a Mary Callinan [Spelling change], widow, marrying a John Hearn, a Shepherd, on the 12th of November, 1860 and both were living in Wallabadah.  The Minister was John Nash and the Witnesses were Bernard Regan and Bridget Jordon.

Modern day map showing the area associated with the lives of Michael and Catherine from 1859 to 1880.

1859- Birth of 1st Child

     Micahel and Catherine appear to have left Wallabadah as locating the birth details of Micahel and Catherine's first child, Catherine, proved to be a bit of a quandary as the only locatable record conveys a little confusion and may not be a correct record.  Michael, up to this point, has used a variation of his step-father's name, Callanan, in that he used Calnan on his wedding certificate [could be a clerical error] but now the Surname, on this particular birth certificate shows the surname of his first child Catherine as Brofee, and indicates she was born on 'Gulenduddy,' north-west of Gunnedah, on the 19th November 1859. Other details seem correct in some details but not in others.  Michael seems to have been the informant.  Confusing!  I have never been able to find anymore about Catherine except rumors that she married an Englishman and he was found dead later in a cave with his horse and Catherine was under suspicion, though acquitted.  I've never been able to substantiate the claim.

1861 - Birth of 2nd Child

     The family was on the move again and a second child was born on the 1st of September, 1861 on the property 'Bomera' on the Liverpool Plains and named Mary Ann Margaret.  Again the Surname varies, this time recorded as Calahan.  Mary Ann Margaret died of Croup at twenty months in Tamworth on the 11th of April, 1863.

1863 - Birth of 3rd Child

     On the 17th of November, 1863, Micahel and Catherine's first son and third child was born near the foothills of the Liverpool Range on a property called 'Spring Station.'  this property was, according to the Government Gazette in 1848, shown as Lease 89, an area of 24 square miles named 'Cattle Creek' and 'Spring Station' leased by Edward Hamilton and capable of grazing 4000 sheep.  The Lease expired in 1863 and was purchased by the Darby family who were well known in the area.  The property was sold again in 1890 to H. C. Taylor of 'Turanville,' Scone for a little while and eventually was divided into five portions.  These are known today as 'Welton Dale,' 'St Almo,' 'Brenand,' 'Glen Oak,' and 'Fariview.'  The boy was named John and probably after Michael's step-father and again there is a variation in the Surname.  Calnen.  John married Annie Mary Wynn in 1886 in Cobar and they would have four children.  Annie died of Tuberculosis in 1897 and John then married Mary Jane Donnelly in 1900.  They would have ten children of their own.  John died in Inverell in 1922 and Sarah in Glen Innes in 1945.

1866 - Birth of 4th Child.

     It's not certain where Michael was working when Michael Thomas, his fourth child and second son, was born on the 4th of April, 1866, but the place of birth shows Gunnedah, N.S.W. and again the Surname is recorded as Calnen.  Michael married Georgina Laraghey in 1893 at Tamworth and they would have six children.  Michael died in Lidcombe, Sydney in 1936 and Georgina in Bondi, in 1946.

1868 - Birth of 5th Child.

     The fifth child, another son, was born on the 11th of June, 1868 and named Charles Henry after Catherine's father.  The surname, Calnen, on the birth certificate appears to be a consistent feature now.  The place of birth is shown as Wallabadah, though Charles' marriage certificate shows that he was born on 'Bando Station' though Michael was working on the property when their next child arrived.  Charles married the widow Ellen Langan [nee Howe] in 1913 in Inglewood, Queensland.  They would have two children.  Charles died in Brisbane in 1935 and Ellen in Goondiwindi in 1950.

1870 - Birth of 6th Child

     Michael was now working on 'Bando Station' which originally ran from Mullaley to Tambar Springs, but was eventually broken into smaller holdings and for many years owned  by the White family and presently owned by the Bishop Family.  The sixth child to Michael and Catherine was another son named Daniel William, born on the 18th of May, 1870 at Tambar Springs.  It is at this time that the Surname Callaghan appears on a birth certificate and becomes the Surname the family would use from that point on. Daniel married Mary Rainbow in Goondiwindi in 1892 and they would have two sons.  Daniel and Mary separated and Daniel then married Minnie Burns in the mid 1930's.  Minne died in 1953 in Goondiwindi and Daniel died there in 1955.  

1872 - Birth of 7th Child.

     Micahel and Catherine's seventh child, born on the 4th of April, 1872 at Tambar Springs was named George Smith.  Smith being Catherine's mothers maiden name.  The Surname, Callighan, is again recorded though with a spelling variation.  George married Elizabeth Zehner in Goondiwindi in 1892 and they would have four children.  George died in Rockhampton, Queensland in 1943 and Elizabeth there in 1950.

1874 - Birth of 8th Child.

     The eighth child born to Michael and Catherine was again born at Tambar Springs and on the 19th May, 1874.  He was named Peter Mullen.  Michael's half sister, Catherine had married Peter Mullens, a brother to John Mullens, who was a Wintess at both Michael and Catherine's wedding and Catherine and Peters.  The use of a family surname, included as a middle name seem to be the norm around this time.  Peter married Kathleen Cornford in Rollestone, Queensland in 1900.  They would have nine sons.  Kathellen died in Evans Head, N.S.W. in 1858 and Peter died in Benalbo in 1959.  Both are buried at Evans Head.

1876 - Birth of 9th Child.

     After a string of boys, the ninth child to Michael and Catherine was a girl and name Everell Summers.  No trace can be found of the birth certificate of this child, but her name appears on the birth certificate of their next child and Everell Summers is shown as deceased.  Everell's middle name of  Summers seems to be linked to Michael's half sister Catherine.  Her first husband Peter Mullens had passed away and Catherine had remarried an Everitt Summons and I believe they had a child around the same time and named him Michael Everitt Summons.  It would appear that Michael and Catherine then used a derivative of Everitt and named their daughter Everell and the middle name is a misspelling of Summons.  No death certificate was locatable either.

1878 - Birth of 10th Child.

     Queensland became a separate State in 1859 and had been in it Southern border areas, squatted on as far back as the 1840's.  Carriers often traveled from Maitland to the border town of Goondiwindi with various merchandise and then camped at the popular area known as the sand hill and worked on various properties until the wool clip was ready and then loaded for the return trip south.

     Going on the information supplied on their tenth child's birth certificate, it appears Micahel too was involved in the occupation of Carrier.  Records also show five of the boys were enrolled at the Goondiwindi Primary School in April, 1878 and then left in August the same year.  During this time, Michael and Catherine's tenth child, William, was born on the 18th of may 1878 and was my great grandfather.  The Surname Callaghan was recorded on the certificate.  William married Violet Maud Hughes in 1901 in Goondiwindi, Queensland.  They would have nine children.  Maud died at Cobba-da-manna in 1948 and William died in Inglewood in 1961.  Both are buried in the Inglewood cemetery. 

1880 - Birth of 11th Child.

     It is uncertain just as to where Michael and Catherine went after leaving Goondiwindi, but records show the birth of their eleventh child took place at Willow Tree, N.S.W.  The child, named Patrick, was born on the 18th of May, 1880, though no certificate was located.  It appears Micahel and Catherine had returned to the Liverpool Plains District.  The Surname recorded was again Callaghan.  Patrick married the young widow Margaret Coss [Nee Spencer] in Warwick, Queensland in 1903 and they would have ten children.  Patrick died in 1930 at Texas and Margaret in later years married Dan Casey.  She died in 1958.  

1882 - Birth of 12th Child.

     Indications are that Michael may have take up the profession of Kangaroo Skinner and began to travel into new areas such as North-west New South Wales and South-west Queensland, pursuing his trade.  Though no birth certificate can be traced, family records indicate that their twelfth child, a daughter, was born in Roma, Queensland on the 2nd of February, 1882 and named Sarah Jane.  Callaghan the Surname recorded.  Sarah would have her first child out of wedlock, but then married John Ferdinand Frey in Goondiwindi in 1903.  They would have eleven children of their own.  Sarah died in Wynnum, Brisbane in 1944 and John died in 1954 in Inglewood.

1888 - Back in Goondiwindi

     By 1888 Michael and Catherine had returned to the Goondiwindi District as the Primary School Register showed the three younger children enrolled in February that year.  It is uncertain where the eldest girl Catherine was at this time, but John was married at Cobar N.S.W. in 1886 and moved to Port Macquaire by 1888.  Michael Thomas was living in the Tamworth District, while the rest of the boys were apparently still with the family in the Goondiwindi District.

1890 - Death of Michael in Yetman.

     Michael was about fifty years of age when he was still working in the Goondiwindi border area and probably still shooting for skins or doing stock work.  In July of 1890 he was in the Yetman District.  One of his granddaughters, through Patrick's family, relates how how in later years her mother would always go mad at her when they played with the Oleander trees and advised her how poisonous they were and how they had killed her grandfather.  The story hinted that Micahel was in the Yetman District working and was most likely camped there and boiled the billy and made tea.  It appears that he may have stirred his tea with an Oleander stick broken from a tree and fell ill.  He was taken to the Codfish Hotel at Yetman where he died within the hour.

     He was buried in the Yetman cemetery on the 11th of July, after an inquest held by Mr R. W. Crocker, J.P., on the 10th of July, 1890.  It appears his son twelve year old son William was one of the Witnesses at his buriel.  Michael's grave is unmarked and records cannot be found dating back to this period.

DEATH DETAILS:

 1895 - Catherine Living in Beebo District Queensland.

     Catherine continued to live in the Goondiwindi District for a while and two of her sons, Daniel and George, married in Goondiwindi in 1892.  It is uncertain where daughter Catherine was, but John was in North-west New South Wales on 'Currygundi' and Michael Thomas was living in Tamworth and married there in 1893.

     By 1895, George was living at 'Strathleven' in the Beebo District when his second daughter was born.  The nurse was Mrs Callaghan and appears to be his mother Catherine, as she was known as The Grand Old bush Nurse in the District, riding to help with the birth of many children in the area.

     Peter would go his own way and marry in 1900  in Rolleston. William married in Goondiwindi in 1901 and Patrick would marry in Warwick in 1903.  Sarah Jane would marry in Goondiwindi also in 1903.

     Catherine purchased a block of land, portion 13 V in the Beebo District in May, 1902 for Five Pounds, ten schillings and eleven pence. In 1903 the land was transferred to her son Patrick.  The Electoral Roll for Canarvon shows Catherine and her two sons, William and Patrick living on this land in 1906.

1908 - Death of Catherine at Sivler Spur.

     By 1908, Catherine was living at the mining town of Silver Spur just east of the town of Texas.  It appears she may have been living with her niece, Elizabeth Charlotte Stephens, who was the daughter of Catherine's youngest sister, Charlotte Kelly, now Bourne.  On the 5th of September, at nearly sixty-eight years of age, Catherine passed away.

DEATH DETAILS:

Date ..................................................... 5th September 1908

Place of Death ....................................... Silver Spur

Name ................................................... Catherine Callaghan

Occupation ........................................... Domestic Duties

Sex ..................................................... Female

Age ..................................................... 67 years 9 months

Cause of Death ...................................... Apoplectic seizure.  Senile decay.

Medical Attendant .................................. Thomas P. Allen

Father .................................................. Charles Henry Kelly

Occupation ............................................ Labourer

Mother Maiden Name ............................... Maryann Smith

Informant .............................................. Elizabeth Charlotte Stephens. Niece, Silver Spur.

When Buried .......................................... 7th September 1908

Where Buried ......................................... Silver Spur

Certified by ........................................... W. A. Sheenan

Minister ................................................ Jeremiah Healy

Religion ................................................ Roman Catholic

Witnesses ............................................ M Bourne, Maryann Tait

Registrar .............................................. Marcus Gallagher, 28th September 1908 Warwick

Where born .......................................... Wollombi N.S.W.

To Whom Married .................................. Michael Callaghan

Where ................................................. Murrurundi N.S.W.

Age .................................................... 19 years

Issue Living ......................................... Catherine 49, John 45, Michael Thomas 42, Charles Henry 40,     

                                                           Daniel William 38, George Smith 36, Peter Mullens 34, William 31,

                                                           Patrick 29 and Sarah Jane 27.

Issue Deceased .................................... I Male 1 Female  [Actually 2 Females Maryann Margaret and 

                                                           Everell Summers]

     Gravesites of Percival Stephens and Adult  [Catherine Kelly?] Siver Spur Photo-Merv Webster

     The location of Catherine's grave site at Silver Spur is one of uncertainty as there are no records or headstone.  Upon visiting the cemetery site there are a few graves that are still discernible.  Records show that most deaths recorded were those of children and only a few adults were buried there. A small gravesite surrounded by a wooden picket fence with a piece of tree as a headstone show the inscription, Percival Stephens.  This child died in 1907.  It may be that this child was related to Catherine's niece, Elizabeth Charlotte Stephens and next to this grave is an adult grave with a steel picket fence.  It is unmarked, but as these two graves are away from the others, it may be that the adult grave is that of Catherine's and the two, if family, may have been buried near to each other.  This one can only presume.

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Margaret Baker [Brophy]1843 -1925 with husband William Photo - Patricia Leslie

BIRTH DETAILS: *

Name........................................................ Margaret Brophy

Date......................................................... 1843

Place........................................................ Country Cumberland

Sex.......................................................... Female

Name......................................................... William Brophy

Profession................................................... No record

Age........................................................... No record

Birthplace................................................... County Cumberland

Date of marriage to Mother............................ No record

Place......................................................... No record

Previous Issue

Name........................................................ Mary White

Age.......................................................... No record

Birthplace.................................................. No record

Baptized................................................... No record

Minister.................................................... No record

* Details taken from Certificates and other documents.

     It appears Margaret’s father William Brophy/Broggy may have stayed in the Richmond District after receiving his certificate of Freedom in 1835 and worked as a Labourer to support himself. He entered into a defacto relationship with a Mary White and they had a son Michael who was born in 1839. Then in 1843 Margaret was born.

     Margaret would lose her father only a year later as he died in 1844 and three years later her mother would marry a John Callanan, using her maiden name of White. The couple were living in the West Maitland District, Co Northumberland when they married on the 1st of July 1846. Margaret would have a half sister come into her life called Catherine, who was born on the 16th of April 1847.

     Margaret’s parents, Mary and John would then move further North-west and they would have a son John, named after his father, and born in Singleton in 1849. Then some three years later another daughter, Mary Jane was born in 1852 at Frazer’s Creek on the Liverpool Plains. By 1858 the family appears to have moved to the Blandford area where John was now farming, but died in April of that year from Bronchitis. He was buried in the Haydonton cemetery.

The family then moved to Wallabadah and her brother Michael married a Catherine Kelly on the 2nd of February 1959 at Murrurrundi. Margaret had met a Labourer by the name of William Baker and though only sixteen years of age her mother gave consent to the wedding and Margaret married on the 19th of September, 1959 at Murrurrundi.  Like her brother it appears that Margaret was using her step-father's surname though spelt incorrectly.  Her mother, Mary was also using that surname.

MARRIAGE DETAILS: *

Date......................................................... 19th September 1859

Place........................................................ Murrurrundi N.S.W.

Religion.....................................................

Name........................................................ William Baker

Conjugal Status.......................................... Bachelor

Birthplace.................................................. Not listed

Occupation................................................ Labourer

Age........................................................... Not listed

Usual Place of Residence............................... Wallabadah

Father....................................................... Parents Not Listed

Mother.......................................................

Father’s Occupation.....................................

Name......................................................... Margaret Callain

Conjugal Status........................................... Spinster

Birthplace................................................... Not listed

Occupation................................................. Not listed

Age........................................................... Not listed

Usual Place of Residence............................... Wallabadah

Father........................................................ Parents Not Listed

Mother.......................................................

Father’s Occupation.....................................

Witnesses................................................... John Mullins, Jane Mullins.

Minister....................................................... John James Nash

Mary Callain, mother of the bride, gave consent to the marriage.

*Details taken from Marriage transcription.

     William was born on the 19th of September 1838 in Turnbridge Wells, Kent, to parents Richard and Sarah Baker. He emigrated to Australia on the ‘Washington Irving’ and arrived in Sydney on the 27th September 1857.  William took up duties as a station hand in the Moree-Inverell district before moving on to Mussellbrook where he was employed as a maintenance man. But station work being more to his wishes he resigned and moved to Wallabadah, there to be employed by Messrs Wills, Allen and Higgins, at the then famous Wallabadah Station. The station changed ownership several times and he was a loyal employee for more than 40 years up until his voluntary retirement. William built a house next to the Wallabadah Hotel.

     Margaret was a cook and midwife and was greatly respected by everyone, she was often away from home traveling on her horse and sulky, she could be gone for days even weeks, depending on the circumstances of her patient.

     Margaret and William’s first child was a daughter named Mary Eliza Baker and she was born on the 20th of November, 1860 in Wallabadah. Margaret’s mother, recently remarried to John Hearn, was also living in Wallbadah at this time with her daughters, Catherine and Mary Jane and her son John. Margaret’s brother Michael, now married to Catherine Kelly, was also living in Wallabadah and their first daughter, Catherine was born in 1859.  Mary Eliza married Samuel Hines in 1883.  they would have nine children.  Mary died in Quirindi in 1932.  Samuel died in 1935.

     Sarah Esther Baker was born on the 1st of September, 1862 in Wallabadah and was the second child of William and Margaret Baker. Margaret’s brother, Michael, had a daughter Mary Ann [Surname shown as Calahan] on the 1st September 1861. Michael had moved to work on Bomera Station west of Wallabadah.  Sarah married David Hines in 1885 and died on the 20th April 1936 in Wallabadah.  Sarah married David Hines on the 28th January, 1885 at St Pauls Church, Tamworth.  David died in Quirindi in 1931.  Sarah died on the 20th April, 1936 at Wallabadah.  

     The third child born to William and Margaret Baker was Catherine Ellen Baker, born on the 8th of August, 1864 and probably named after Margaret’s sister -in-law Catherine. Margaret’s Brother Michael was now working on Spring Station west of Willow Tree and at the foothills of the Liverpool ranges and they had a son John, born on the 17th of November, 1863. [Surname listed as Calnen]  Catherine married August Usfeller on the 2oth of February 1888 and died tragically  on the 11th April, 1891.  Catherine died tragically at the age of 24, her clothing caught fire while cooking over an open fire. although immediately driven by horse and sulky to the nearest doctor and hospital at Murrurundi, she died within a few days.  She left two young children.  Frederick aged 2 and Florence 6 months, they were raised by their aunt Caroline along with her own 7 children.  August died on the 4th of November, 1945.

     It seems that daughter’s were the order of the day for Margaret and William, as their fourth child was another girl name after her mother, Margaret Elizabeth and she was born on the 26th October, 1866. Margaret’s half-sister Catherine would marry Peter Mullins in Wallabadah on the 31st of May the same year and Michael her brother would have another son, Michael, born in Gunnedah on the 4th of Apirl the same year. [Surname listed as Calnen]  Margaret  had a daughter to a Charles Mitchell in 1886 abd later married James Mahoney in Wallabadah on the 6th June, 1894.  Most of the children's birth records show their mother as Elizabeth. Margaret Elizabeth died on the 12th of February, 1947 in Willoughby.

1869 - Birth of 5th Child

     Girls continued to be run of things with William and Margaret as their fifth child would be another daughter and named Jane and born at Wallabadah on the 25th of January, 1869.  Sadly Jane died as an infant, just before her first birthday on the 16th of January 1870.

1871 - Birth of 6th Child.

     At long last William and Margaret would have their first son named William George who was born on the 21st January, 1871 at Wallabadah.  William married Mary Sweeny in 1901.  They would have five children.  Mary died at the Quirindi district Hospital on the 16th of February, 1942 and is buried in the Wallabadah cemetery while William George died in 1956.

1873 - Birth of 7th Child.

     Agnes Emily was born on the 6th of December, 1873 in Wallabadah.  Agnes married Patrick McArdle in 1899.   They would have five children.  Agnes' daughter Bertha was the last descendant to live in the old Baker home next to the Hotel in Wallabadah [1994].  Patrick died on the 7th of November, 1950.  Agnes died on the 29th May, 1957.  Both are buried in the Wallabadah cemetery.