Moses family notes

MOSES, Mrs. Elizabeth.— Relatives and Friends of Mrs. E. J. Bablngton, of Campbell Terrace, Nundah, and Mr. G. V. Moses, of Pennant Hills, Sydney, are invited to attend the Funeral of their beloved Mother. Mrs. Elizabeth Moses, of Campbell Terrace, Nundah, to leave the Funeral Chapel, 17 Peel Street, South Brisbane, This (Wednesday) Afternoon, at 3 o'clock, for the Toowong Cemetery. No flowers, by re quest. JOHN HISLOP & SONS, Funeral Directors -  Courier Mail 16 September 1942

Ernest James Benjamin Babington
BABINGTON.— Relatives and Friends of Mr. Ernest James Babington, of Campbell Terrace, Nundah. are invited to at tend his Funeral, to leave the Funeral Chapel. 17 Peel Street, South Brisbane, This (Monday) Morning, at 11.30 o'clock, for the Mt. Thompson Crematorium. JOHN HISLOP & SONS. Funeral Directors. Courier Mail 31 August 1942

The above paragraphs were taken from Trove - http://trove.nla.net.au
On 15 March 1930 Ernest James Benjamin Babington married Constance Henrietta Harper

The next challenge was to establish how this couple relate to Elizabeth Moses. Elizabeth was living / staying with them when she died.

A search in Ancestry.com.au for a family tree containing Ernest James Babington was successful.
Constance Henrietta Harper who married Ernest James Benjamin Babington in 1930 was born Constance Henrietta Moses, daughter of George and Elizabeth Moses.
Constance originally married Frederick William Barclay Harper born 22 August 1874 at Armidale NSW and died 28 December 1926 at Katherine, Northern Territory (Katherine River)
Constance and Frederick had a son, Neville Barclay Harper (6 February 1904- 27 November1969), born in Sydney and died in Brisbane.
They also had a daughter, Martha Elizabeth born 1905 and died in 1973

Constance's name was not included in the list of children of George and Elizabeth Moses as listed in the book - A rich inheritance which was why I did not have her listed.

Constance may have been born 1 September 1882 and died in 1974. No record of her birth found so far but this date is provided in a couple of Ancestry family trees.
However the marriage certificate for Constance and Frederick gives her age as 21 when married on 13 January 1902 at the Annandale Congregational Church. The certificate confirms that her parents were George Moses and Elizabeth Pendergast.

Ernest was born in 1880 in Camberwell Surrey, England
1881 census he was still living in Camberwell
1891 census the family was living at Newington, London
1901 census Ernest was in the Royal Navy and was stationed at Kent

His parents were William Henry Babington (1812-1886) and Catherine Hanley Stenson (1812-1891) and he had many brothers and sisters.

Most of the trees only cover his early life in England, but not his life in Australia. A couple of the trees only have information on his life in Australia.
The Harper Family Tree has photos of Constance with her husband and son as well as a photo of Neville Harper as an adult.

Searching the electoral rolls for the Constance, Frank and Ernest added another dimension to the story.
Constance
1903 - Burketown, Queensland - age 21
1905 - Charters Towers (Boundary Street) Queensland - age 23
1908 - Brisbane South (Linton Cordelia Street) Queensland - age 26
1913 - Brisbane South (Linton Cordelia Street) Queensland - age 31
1919 - Brisbane South (275 Vulture Street) Queensland - age 37
1925 - Brisbane South (275 Vulture Street) Queensland - age 43
1937 - Brisbane South (Osterley, Graham Street) Queensland - age 55
1943 - Nundah (Campbell Terrace) Queensland - age 61
1954 - Cooparoo (Shire Street) Queensland - age 72
1958 - Cooparoo (25 Shire Street) Queensland - age 76
1963 - Zillmere (37 Kyetta Street) Queensland - age 81

Frederick
1903 - Burketown, Queensland - age 29
1905 - Burketown, Queensland - age 31
1905 - Charters Towers (Boundary Street) Queensland - age 31
1908 - Brisbane South (Linton Cordelia Street) Queensland - age 34

Ernest
1881 - Camberwell England - age 1
1891- Newington, England - age 11
1901 - Royal Navy, Kent - age 21
1913 - Brisbane South (Linton Cordelia Street) Queensland - age 33
1919 - Brisbane South (c/- Mrs Harper, 275 Vulture Street) Queensland - age 39
1925 - Brisbane South (Mrs Harpers, 275 Vulture Street) Queensland - age 45
1937 - Brisbane South (Osterley, Graham Street) Queensland - age 57
There are a few gaps in the above data which pose questions.
How long was he in the Navy?
When did he come to Australia? Sometime between 1901 and 1913
Linton in Cordelia Street was a boarding house. There is a record in Trove about a fire at the establishment around 1930.
Ernest and Constance were at Linton at the same time.
The references to Mrs Harpers in the 1919 and 1925 electoral roll entries for Ernest in Vulture Street suggest that Constance was taking in one or more boarders, Ernest being one.

From 1908 there is no record of Frederick until his death in 1926.
A search in Trove for Harper Katherine 1920 -1927 produced the following accounts of Frederick's death and also what he had been doing in the years prior to his death.

KATHERINE BRIDGE

Claims its First Victim

Frederick Barclay Harper, while walking across the Katherine Bridge on the 29th ultimo fell through the opening between the rails and the side of the bridge into the water below The Katherine River was in a flooded state at the time, said to be about sixty feet above dry season level. The body has not been recovered.

Deceased was in the early forties and is said to be a native of Queensland having for many years been book keeping in the Gulf country and of recent years at the Katherine and on western stations

Northern Territory Times and Gazette 7 January 1927 p4

FATAL ACCIDENT.

DARWIN, January 2

Frederick Barclay Harper fell from the Katherine railway bridge when the river was in flood. Every endeavor was made to recover the body but the chances are remote. Mr. Harper was well known in Charters Towers and Townsville. He was a married man and was formerly book keeper for McAdam and Gill, store and hotelkeepers, Katherine.

Townsville Daily Bulletin 3 January 1927 p9

DROWNED IN KATHERINE RIVER

On Wednesday, December 29th, Frederick Barclay Harper, fell from the Katherine railway bridge into the Katherine River, which was in. flood. Every endeavour was made to recover the body, but the chances: were so remote, that it was not surprising that they failed. The deceased was well-known in Darwin. Formerly he was employed by Messrs. McAdam and Gill as a bookkeeper and prior to coming North was employed on stations on the Barclay Tablelands in a similar capacity. He was also well-known in Charters Towers and Townsville, and it is understood, was a married man.

Northern Standard (Darwin) 7 July 1927 p6

(NB date in article looks like 26th but the Wednesday was the 29th and another article also gave 29th as the date)

Another article provides further information about Frederick's life.

Valueless Cheque.

At the police court, on Wednesday, a gentleman named F. B. Harper, book keeper, was charged with obtaining goods and cash by means of a valueless cheque.

Accused pleaded guilty. He said he had been drinking heavily, and did not know what he was doing. He would, if given a chance, make restitution.

Mr. Lovegrove, who conducted the prosecution, said accused went to Yuen Sep Kee's store and said he represented McAdam and Gill of Katherine, and ordered a large quantity of fodder to be sent to the Katherine. He asked for some tobacco and tendered a £2 cheque in payment and received cash in change. Accused was well aware that his account at the bank was exhausted and had been informed to that effect by the manager some time previously.
Accused was sent to jail for four months with hard labor.
Northern Territory Times and Gazette 11 July 1924 p6