Kerry, this has been so much typing, Thank you. It's a great start for us and our ever enlarging list of Canadians. regards Denise ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kerry" <kerryb@austarnet.com.au> To: <AUS-VIC-HIGH-COUNTRY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 6:22 PM Subject: Re: [HC] Memories of Oxley and Fitzgerald > Oh well may have to sell the memories back to you (g :-) > > At last I can email you the Fitzgerald stuff, we have lightening all day > haven't been able to turn the puter on. > > James Fitzgerald was born in 1833 at St John's, New Foundland, Canada. In > 1852 he arrived in Sydney with other Americans (the 49ers) and they walked > to Beechworth arriving there in early 1853. He came to the Buckland in > November 1853. He was a compatriot of Henry Pardue who was the first to > find gold in the Buckland. Fitzgerald and his party selected the third > claim on the Buckland and he spent the next 60 years of his life in the > valley. James married 21 year old Margaret Kane from Galway, Ireland in > 1857. When first married the couple started off with a living room, a > bedroom and a detached kitchen. As the family grew they added a girl’s > room and a boy’s room and built a dairy. The dwelling was built of slabs, > standing on end, and lined with hessian and paper. Later in the 1870's > they added a large room on the front of the house. Grandson Percy Weston > tells us “it was used for social gatherings and dances. It had a polished > floor” James was eighty when he died at Wangaratt! > a hospital in 1913. Margaret died at the family home in 1817 and both are > buried in the Buckland cemetery. The Fitzgerald’s had nine children. > > > > John Keane Fitzgerald (1858-1898) was a miner and did not marry. He was > killed on the 17 December 1898 in a fall of earth at the Fairly Creek > Company’s gold mine on the Lower Buckland. The accident also claimed the > life of another miner William Batt. > > > > Sydney Fitzgerald (1863-1882) was unmarried. He died as a result of a > fight after an accident in a foot race at Brookside on the 26 October > 1882. > > > > James Reeves Fitzgerald (1869) also unmarried was a lifelong resident of > the Buckland where he carried on farming and grazing pursuits. He died at > Bright Bush Nursing Hospital on 18 July 1948. > > > > Mary Ellen Fitzgerald (1861), Edward (1862), and Anna Lesley (1873). No > other details known. > > > > Percy Maurice Fitzgerald (1875) Prior to joining the army in World War 1 > Percy worked on the dredges at Buckland. He was also an enthusiastic > cricketer who played for a number of years for the Buckland team as a slow > bowler and punishing batsman. During the war he was a victim of a ‘Gas > Attack’ which severely affected his health and employment in post war > years. He died at Mont Park Sanatorium in November 1928, after a long > illness. All the above family members are buried in the family grave at > the Buckland cemetery. > > > > Ada Fitzgerald (1862) married William Bruce Shepheard (1879) from Western > Australia. There is no record of children. Ada died 22.7.1942; William > died 9.7.1962 both are buried at Bright. > > > > Catherine Ester Fitzgerald (1870-1965) married George Charles Western who > worked on the dredges and did contact harvesting before purchasing a > property ‘Coniston’ at Eurobin. For some years he conducted a butchering > business with his brothers Alf and Bert before developing grazing > interests. In 1885, with his brother Bill, he blazed a track on the > Northern end of Mount Buffalo which was the forerunner of the present > road. He grazed his Hereford cattle on Mt Buffalo from 1898 to 1925 when > licenses were revoked. From 1920 he and his son Eric ran cattle on the > Bogong High country during the summer. (My uncle Mick Culhane worked for > Eric on the cattle). > > George was a very community minded person involved in local sports and the > Eurobin School. Together with his brother in-law Hon Robyn Cook MHR, he > was instrumental in promoting the pine plantations on the dredge tailings > in the area. He married Catherine Fitzgerald at Myrtleford 27 November > 1900. They would visit her parents with the children every month by horses > and buggy. After her husband’s death she spent the remainder of her years > with her daughter Verna at Sunbury. > > Their children were Ursula Western (b 1901 m Frederick Mommsen) Percy > George Western (b 1903 m Monica Bradley) Eric Adrian Western (b 1905 m > Patricia Higgs) Mervyn Gerard Western(b1909). > > > > Kerry > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Denise > To: AUS-VIC-HIGH-COUNTRY-L@rootsweb.com > Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 1:54 PM > Subject: [HC] Help please > > > I knew I shouldn't have sold my Memories of Oxley book (g) > > Has anyone ever indexed "There was a Time" by Graham Jones? > Most of the books I've read of Graham's are not indexed, which makes > looking for one name only a woeful job. > > In Memories I know Page 76 has an entry and wonder if anyone (g) could > please send me the reference to Alex Rodgers - most likely some sort of > engineering reference. If too long, a short outline would be very > acceptable. > > Tungamah is another place I need to find this Alex Rodgers and I know > there are a couple of books available. Apparently Colin Campbell wrote > one - Alpha to Omega, Shire of Tungamah 1878-1994 and Alan Dunlop - Wide > Horizons - Storey of Yarrawonga, Tungamah and Cobram Shires 1978 > > > regards > Denise > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.14.13/221 - Release Date: > 4/01/2006 >