Hi List Re Lorraine's comments about not liking your ancestor was a barmaid, I have had the general impression from my research that being a barmaid in these country pubs in the last part of the 19th century was not a "rough" occupation. I'm only taking about an impression, but it seems as though these women were accomplished cooks and housekeepers rather than rough barmaids, as we might think of them in tough Sydney pubs in the early part of the twentieth century. Can anyone out there confirm my impression? Jill ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lorraine" <lorraine@compassnet.com.au> To: <AUS-NSW-WEST-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, 25 October 2003 10:41 PM Subject: Re: [NSW-W] Hotels 1865-1900. > Dear Rusheen, > Congratulations on completing you project. It is these activities that make > it all worth while, seeing the results of so much hard work. You probably > aren't ready for questions and lookups yet, especially if you are going to > put your list on the web page... but......could I prevail upon you for just > one favour...? > I have "family story" that my great grandmother, Norah Lyons, who was a > barmaid in Silverton, took up that profession because her father owned(?) / > ran(?) a hotel. Could be a sanitized version because the relevant aunt from > whence the story came, might not have liked the idea that her ancestor was > behind the bar....but there could have been a modicum of truth too. I have > exhausted the usual sources and am now looking at other alternatives. > > Norah's father was Thomas Lyons and he came from South Australia. Norah and > her husband ( James Flood, the local policeman!) were around the far west > and spent some time at Wentworth, Hay, Deniliquin, Tupal Berrigan etc > between 1889 and 1906. I suppose that it is possible Norah had family in > this area too but I cannot find any BDM references for the rest of the > family. > > Just wondering if the Lyons family name appears anywhere in your lists. I > suppose there is always the chance that he was a yardman or something along > that line too. > Many thanks in anticipation > Lorraine > > > > ==== AUS-NSW-WEST Mailing List ==== > To search posts to the list, even back to 1999, go to > http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl > and, when asked, enter the list name as AUS-NSW-WEST > >

Thanks Jill, for your comment. Personally, and from my mothers recollections, her grandmother was a very accomplished woman, who, on the death of 2 of her daughters in the 20's, after raising 6 children of her own, took on both young families of the aforementioned daughters and raised another generation of 7 grandchildren, all in a 2 bedroom timber cottage with a "sleep-out". As the wife of the local policeman she also had to cook meals for the prisoners in the local jail and supervise the women prisoners. - all unpaid, just part of being the wife of the Lock-up keeper! I wonder if she ever had time to just "smell the roses". No doubt the skills she acquired "at the bar" stood her in good stead in all she undertook. She was a barmaid in Silverton in 1888/9 when she married my great grandfather and life in an early mining town must have offered a great learning curve! Good on ya' Gran! Cheers, Lorraine ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nelson & Livingstone" <panjil@bigpond.net.au> To: <AUS-NSW-WEST-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2003 12:54 PM Subject: Re: [NSW-W] Hotels 1865-1900. > Hi List > Re Lorraine's comments about not liking your ancestor was a barmaid, I have > had the general impression from my research that being a barmaid in these > country pubs in the last part of the 19th century was not a "rough" > occupation.

hi list, A different perspective on barmaids. My lovely, refined, fastidious, imaginative NANA was a barmaid in an inner city Sydney pub in the early part of C20. Her husband had left. There were no pensions. She had a child to support. I would never be ashamed of her. She did what she had to, and did it with style. Gretta ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nelson & Livingstone" <panjil@bigpond.net.au> To: <AUS-NSW-WEST-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2003 12:54 PM Subject: Re: [NSW-W] Hotels 1865-1900. > Hi List > Re Lorraine's comments about not liking your ancestor was a barmaid, I have > had the general impression from my research that being a barmaid in these > country pubs in the last part of the 19th century was not a "rough" > occupation. I'm only taking about an impression, but it seems as though > these women were accomplished cooks and housekeepers rather than rough > barmaids, as we might think of them in tough Sydney pubs in the early part > of the twentieth century. Can anyone out there confirm my impression? > > Jill > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Lorraine" <lorraine@compassnet.com.au> > To: <AUS-NSW-WEST-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Saturday, 25 October 2003 10:41 PM > Subject: Re: [NSW-W] Hotels 1865-1900. > > > > Dear Rusheen, > > Congratulations on completing you project. It is these activities that > make > > it all worth while, seeing the results of so much hard work. You probably > > aren't ready for questions and lookups yet, especially if you are going to > > put your list on the web page... but......could I prevail upon you for > just > > one favour...? > > I have "family story" that my great grandmother, Norah Lyons, who was a > > barmaid in Silverton, took up that profession because her father owned(?) > / > > ran(?) a hotel. Could be a sanitized version because the relevant aunt > from > > whence the story came, might not have liked the idea that her ancestor was > > behind the bar....but there could have been a modicum of truth too. I have > > exhausted the usual sources and am now looking at other alternatives. > > > > Norah's father was Thomas Lyons and he came from South Australia. Norah > and > > her husband ( James Flood, the local policeman!) were around the far west > > and spent some time at Wentworth, Hay, Deniliquin, Tupal Berrigan etc > > between 1889 and 1906. I suppose that it is possible Norah had family in > > this area too but I cannot find any BDM references for the rest of the > > family. > > > > Just wondering if the Lyons family name appears anywhere in your lists. I > > suppose there is always the chance that he was a yardman or something > along > > that line too. > > Many thanks in anticipation > > Lorraine > > > > > > > > ==== AUS-NSW-WEST Mailing List ==== > > To search posts to the list, even back to 1999, go to > > http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl > > and, when asked, enter the list name as AUS-NSW-WEST > > > > > > > ==== AUS-NSW-WEST Mailing List ==== > The Home Page for this List is at > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~surreal/NSWW/ > >