Ancestors by place of birth 3

This is the last in this series.
Jenny posted a template for six generation charts so I had to have a go.
I created the one chart in Excel but have reproduced the results here in two sections.

The above chart is of my father's side of the family - family members born in
Australia -
peach = Victoria
light blue = New South wales
Six members of the family were born in the Hawkesbury River area.

Other countries -
dark blue = Scotland
red = England
green = Ireland

NB: the parents of the sixth generation member born in Windsor were born in Cornwall, England and Severn Stoke, Worcestershire, England. 

The above chart is of my mother's side of the family - family members born in
Australia, a number of states  -
peach = peach
mauve = Queensland
light blue = New South Wales
orange = Tasmania
dark green = South Australia
fawn - Norfolk Island

Other countries -
dark blue = Scotland
red = England
green = Ireland

Ancestors by place of birth 2

After posting yesterday's post on this topic I decided to try and further refine the chart to distinguish when several people can from one region in Australia or one city in the UK.

I added an addtional column next to the existing columns of cells and then reduced the width of this new column until it was a small square next to each cell. I could then add colours to show same regions or towns as required.

The above section of the chart highlights family born in the Hawkesbury region of NSW as well as family from Glasgow in Scotland. Lots of time could be spent playing with variations of charts. They do provide a way of showing the range of locations members of a family can come from.

Ancestors by place of birth

Chart showing birthplace of family for five generations - by country
yellow = Australia
blue = Scotland
pink = England
green = Ireland

Chart showing birthplace of family for five generations - coloured sections show states in Australia
yellow = Victoria
blue = NSW
green = Tasmania
red = Queensland
orange = South Australia

The charts were made using Excel and result from a post in Australian and Local History Bloggers Facebook page providing a link to a post in GeniAus showing how to create the charts.

It is interesting to see the different states in which the branches of the family have lived as well as the countries from which they came.

More horses in the family

A previous post in 2014 recorded the story of Poitrel, a horse owned by Bill and Fred Moses winning the 1920 Melbourne Cup. Since then I have discovered that another family member trained winners of five Melbourne Cups - Archer in 1861 and 1862, Tim Whiffler in 1867, Chester in 1877 and Calamia in 1878.

Image from South Coast Register

The trainer of these horses was Etienne de Mestre (1832-1916). His father, Prosper de Mestre was born in France and had spent time in the United States before settling in Australia. In 1821 at St Phillip's Church in Sydney Prosper married Mary Ann Black, daughter of Mary Hyde (1779-1864), my great x3 grandmother. Prosper and Marry Ann had ten children - their third son was Etienne Livingstone de Mestre who was born in Sydney on 9 April 1832.

Prosper, a merchant, had property named Terara (Terarra) near the Shoalhaven River. In the 1850s Etienne established a horse stud, stables and racetrack on this property. Etienne had been a jockey and later had considerable success as a trainer. However he also he was not always successful and in 1883 the property was sold to cover his debts.

Etienne had had some success racing horses in Melbourne so in 1861 he took two horses, Archer and his own horse, Inheritor, by steamer to Melbourne for the race which in later years was to become known as The Melbourne Cup. Archer returned the following year and won the race again. Etienne intended that Archer would run in the 1863 race but officials said his application arrived late.

Archer with jockey, John Cutts - ABC

After the refusal to let him race Archer in 1863 Etienne refused to take other horses for the race until 1867 when he entered Tim Whiffler in the race.

Tim Whiffler - ABC

In 1877 Chester was the winner of the Melbourne Cup.

Chester with jockey, Paddy Piggott - ABC

Etienne's final winner in the race was Calamia in 1878.

Calamia with jockey, T Brown - ABC

Winning five Melbourne Cup races as a trainer was a record that Etienne held until the recent successes of Bart Cummings. Etienne de Mestre was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame on 12 September 1992 and Australian Racing Museum Hall of Fame in 2002.

Additional information on the web about Etienne de Mestra:
Etienne Livingstone de Mestre - Australian Dictionary of Biography
Archer, first Melbourne Cup winner - Progroup Racing
Australian Connection - de Mestre family tree
The horse that started a legend - Alison Stuart-writer
De Mestre family history
Etienne de Mestre - De Mestre Family story

Books:
My Australian Story: Archer's Melbourne Cup by Vashti Farrer (children's book)
Horsemen of the First Frontier (1788-1900) by Keith Robert Binney

Simeon Lord (horse)

Family history can produce many surprises and puzzles. Recently I read that my great (x3) grandfather, Simeon Lord, had been involved with the early days of horse racing in New South Wales. This will be discussed in another blog post. However when exploring Trove recently I found reference to a racehorse named, Simeon Lord. Needless to say this had to be investigated.

[1] Telegraph (Brisbane) 2 July 1945

Simeon Lord appears to have been raced originally in Queensland in 1945 and later, in 1946, in New South Wales. There are a number of reports, often in country newspapers, listing details of race meetings including the names of horses involved and / or the results. The newspaper article [2] below lists E McKell as the jockey and he rode the horse in many of his races.

[2] Daily Examiner (Grafton) 1 July 1946

This newspaper also provided additional information about the racing career of Simeon Lord.

[3] Daily Examiner (Grafton) 1 July 1946

The results above in newspaper article [2] provide information about the sire and the dam of Simeon Lord. The sire was a horse named Simeon's Fort which further research revealed had been imported from Ireland. In 1928 Simeon's Fort won the AJC Doncaster Handicap and years later sired the 1942 winner of the Doncaster Handicap, Tuhitarata. The dam was a horse named Bachelor's Petal and her pedigree is also available online. Simeon Lord was listed as a four year old. The article refers to the horse as being a "Richmond River owned galloper".

[4] Sydney Morning Herald 21 April 1943

In April 1943 both the Sydney Morning Herald and The Argus announced that at a thoroughbred sale Mr W J Lloyd of Risdon Stud in Warwick had sold four horses sired by Simeon's Fort. One of the horses was by Bachelor's Petal and was sold for 100 guineas. This horse was possibly the horse later named Simeon Lord. The buyer of the horse was R Ramsay.

The newpaper article [1] above discussing the naming of the horse stated "it is in memory of an ancestor that the youngster got his name". Simeon Lord's eldest daughter, Sarah Ann Lord, married Dr David Ramsay in 1825. They had eleven children with ten living to adulthood. If  R Ramsay purchased and named the horse Simeon Lord and was related to this Ramsay family, it would explain the choice of the name.

[5] Daily Examiner (Grafton) 20 May 1946

The above race result in newspaper article [5] provides additional information as the name of the owner is given as R B Ramsay. Searching Trove and Google again I located Mr and Mrs R B Ramsay living on Cheviot Hills Station near Drake in the Richmond River region in the 1940s. R B Ramsay was secretary of the Tabulam Graziers' Association. The Australia Pastoral Directory 1954 in Ancestry has R B Ramsay on Cheviot Hills, Drake, where the property has 1311 head of cattle plus 36 sheep. Articles in Trove show that he was also a veterinary officer. In the above newspaper excerpt the jockey was listed as Alvos. Tommy Alvos rode many horses in races in this region in the 1940s and 1950s until his death from a fall from a horse at Casino in 1958.

I still needed to find out more about R B Ramsay and whether he was a descendant of Simeon as claimed in  newspaper article [1]. I knew that Belinda Cohen had carried out extensive research on Simeon Lord and Mary Hyde and their descendants, especially the Ramsay and de Mestre families, so I checked if Belinda had a Ramsay family tree on her website. I hit gold. I then looked for a member of the Ramsay family with given names beginning with the initials R B who lived in New South Wales during the twentieth century and  I located Roderick Biddulph Ramsay. A Google search for Roderick Biddulph Ramsay and Cheviot Hills, the property owned by R B Ramsay, confirmed that this was the right person. A further search in Google showed that Roderick was born in New South Wales in November 1912. In 1939 he married Dorothy Smith and they lived on the Cheviott Hills property. Roderick died in July 1996. Roderick Biddulph Ramsay was the great, great grandson of Simeon Lord and Mary Hyde.

Purchasing in 1943 a thoroughbred racehorse whose sire had a name that included the name Simeon provided Roderick Ramsay with the opportunity to name the horse after his ancestor who came to Australia in 1791 on the Third Fleet. Simeon Lord was a successful businessman (most of the time) who made the most of the opportunities he came across in the colony. Simeon Lord, the horse, appears to have raced for only two years however, as newspaper article [3] noted he had some success on the race track.  

NB: I can find no substantiation for the statement in newspaper example [1] in this post that "Forebears of the owner arrived in Australia back in 1880".  Roderick's great grandfather, Dr David Ramsay was born in Scotland and married Sarah Ann Lord in Sydney in 1825. Other family members in this line were born in New South Wales. I suspect an error was made in the date or the reference is to a member in another line of the family.

The Portuguese Connection

Philippa of Lancaster

Philippa of Lancaster
Almost a year ago I wrote a general post on the children of John of Gaunt (1340-1399). The eldest child of John of Gaunt and his first wife, Blanche of Lancaster was Philippa of Lancaster (1359-1415).

Philippa was born  at Leicester Castle on 31 March 1359. She was one of seven children of John and Blanche, however only her sister Elizabeth and her brother, Henry, survived childhood. As a grandaughter of Edward III Philippa had a royal upbringing. She appears to have had a good education. Her governess was Katherine de Roet (later Swynford) who eventually became her father's third wife. Katherine's brother-in-law, Geoffrey Chaucer, and the theologian, John Wycliffe, are quoted by some sources as being involved in the education of the children of John and Blanche. Philippa later ensured that her children also received a good education.

Marriages in royal households were often arranged marriages planned to cement political alliances. France and Spain had formed an alliance against England so it was considered wise for England to form an alliance with Portugal. The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance remains today.

As part of this Alliance, in 1387, Philippa married Joao I of Portugal (also known as John I) (1357- 1433).  Joao becoming king was the beginning of the House of Aviz in the Portuguese royal family.
Philippa and Joao had nine children - six lived to become adults.
Blanche (1388-1389)
Alfonso (1390 - 1400)
Duarte (Edward) (1391-1438) - Became King of Portugal in 1433
Pedro (Peter) (1392 - 1449) - Duke of Coimbra and Regent during the minority of his nephew Alfonso V
Henrique (1394 - 1460) - Duke of Viseu (Known by the English as Henry the Navigator)
Isabella (1397 - 1472) - married Phillip III of Burgundy
Blanche (1398 - 1398)
Joao (John) (1400-1442) - Constable of Portugal, Lord of Reguengos
Ferdinand (1402-1443) - the 'Saint Prince'
The children of this family were referred to as the 'Illustrious Generation'.

Philippa ensured that her children were well educated while Jaoa also ensured that the boys were skilled in riding and hunting. Events in later life show their interest in law, science and religion.  Duarte wrote a number of books and during his short reign as king edited collections of law and required written opinion from his councillors before making decisions. Henrique became known for his interest in discovering new lands and, although he did not go on any of the early Portuguese voyages of discovery and certainly was not a navigator, he funded many of the voyages discovering unknown sections of the west coast of Africa. Henrique was also responsible for the beginning of the Portuguese involvement in the African slave trade.

Using her connections with England, Philippa was able to influence both the Portuguese and English courts and was able to improve diplomatic and commercial bonds between the two kingdoms.

Blanche, Philippa's mother had died in 1369 after contracting bubonic plague. On 19 July 1415 Phillipa also died from the plaque. Initially she was buried at the Convent of Odivelas. Eighteen years later when King Joao died, her body was reburied next to her husband at Founder's Chapel at Batalha.

Portuguese explorers
It was during the reign of Joao I that Portugal began to seriously investigate Africa leading eventually to seeking an alternative route around the coast of Africa to India and the spice trade. Up until this time it was necessary to travel through many, often hostile, countries to gain access to the spice route. Portugal had a good navy and was prepared to build additional ships to aid the exploration of the African coast.

1415, the year Philippa died, was the year that the Portuguese began their campaign to make in-roads into Africa. Joao and three of his sons, Duarte, Pedro and Henrique, led Portuguese troops in  a fleet of 200 ships to capture the seaport of Ceuta, the gateway to Morocco. The expedition was planned so that the Portuguese had some land in Africa but it was also a 'battle of fire' for the three princes to prove their capabilities as military leaders. King Joao knighted his three sons shortly after their participation in the battle. It was at Ceuta that the princes saw for themselves the riches that abounded in the city from the spice trade. This was to be the beginning of Portuguese expansion to the New World. Other countries controlled the Mediterranean Sea so for Portugal the decision was made to establish a sea route around the coast of Africa to India.  
                                                                                    
As well as trading in spices, the search for gold was part of the plan. This was also the time of battles against Muslims who inhabited the north of Africa. Consequently religion, desire for trade, riches and new trade routes and defeat of Muslim lands were some of the goals behind the exploration plans. Colonisation of areas discovered was part of the plan and this led to the development of the slave trade.

The first expedition sponsored by Henrique was to the Atlantic Islands of Porto Santo (1418-1419). The where abouts of these and a number of other island groups in the Atlantic had been known for many years but now the Portuguese rediscovered the islands and established colonies. The Azores became Portuguese territories in 1439 and the Cape Verde Islands 1455-1460. Meanwhile the coast of west Africa was gradually being explored and mapped. Expeditions were also being made into north Africa, not always with success. The attempt to capture Tangiers in 1437 was a failure and Henrique's brother, Fernando, was taken hostage. Fernando died at Fez in 1443.

When Henrique died in 1460 the Portuguese had developed the desire for further exploration. By 1460 1,500 miles of African coast had been explored, a number of settlements established with African coastal rivers explored. The explorers had travelled and mapped as far south as Sierra Leone. Trade with people living along the coast of Africa resulted in large supplies of gold. They also had access to some of the African spices and, of course, the slave trade had begun. The Portuguese had also obtained the rights to further explore and colonise the African coast in their search for a route to the 'Indies'.

The exploration continued, much of it during the reign (1481-1495) of King Joao II, the great grandson of King Joao I. Exploration of the Afican coast continued with stone pillars being left on the land to show that the Portuguese had been there. There were a number of explorers but it was Bartolomeu Dias in 1488 who located the southern tip of Africa and sailed home to report the discovery to report his discovery.

In July1497 Vasco da Gama, with a fleet of four ships, sailed from Lisbon to locate the route around Africa to India. They did not travel all the way along the African coast as they took a detour into the South Atlantic Ocean to avoid unfavourable winds before sailing east to the southern tip of Africa. They then travelled north to Mozambique and then to Mobassa before crossing the Indian Ocean to Calicut on 20 May 1498. When the ships returned to Lisbon in 1499 only 55 of the original crew of 170 men had survived the voyage.

In March 1500 Pedro Alvares Cabral set out with 13 ships to follow da Gama's route to India. When taking the detour to avoid the unfavourable winds he sailed further west than da Gama had and discovered the coast of Brazil which became another Portuguese colony. Regular trips to India followed including a second and then a third expedition by Vasco da Gama.

So by 1500 the Portuguese had established trade routes to India, established new colonies in Africa and India and now also had a colony in South America.

Websites and blog posts about Phillipa of Lancaster:
Famous people - Philippa of Lancaster
English monarchs - Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal
Freelance history writer - Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal
Medievalists.net - Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal

Website about King Joao 1 of Portugal:
Encyclopaedia Britannica - John 1 King of Portugal

Websites about Prince Henrique (Henry) often referred to as the Navigator:
Encyclopaedia Britannica - Henry the Navigator Prince of Portugal
Bio - Henry the Navigator Prince
Encyclopedia.com - Henry the Navigator

Websites about King Joao II of Portugal
Encyclopaedia Britannica - John II King of Portugal
Mad Monarchist - King Joao II of Portugal

Website about King Manuel I of Portugal
Encyclopaedia Britannica - Manuel 1 King of Portugal

Websites about Portuguese explorers
Encyclopaedia Britannica - Bartolomeu Dias
Encyclopaedia Britannica - Vasco da Gama 
Encyclopaedia Britannica - Pedro Alvares Cabral

Simeon Lord

A select biblography 

Books

Simeon Lord by D R Hainsworth - a 30 page booklet published in 1968 by Oxford University Press as part of the Great Australians series.

The Sydney Traders: Simeon Lord and his contemporaries, 1788-1821 by D R Hainsworth published in 1972 by Cassell Australia (264p). 2nd edition published in 1981 by Melbourne University Press.
 [This book was based on a thesis submitted for degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History at the University of Adelade in 1969]

 A merchant prince of Botany Bay: the story of Simeon Lord by E C Rowland published in 1944 (44p). Originally published as an article in Royal Australian Historical Society Journal, vol. xxx.

A likely lad: the story of Simeon Lord by Nelse Cay published in 1989 by the author. (173p) "This is written as a story rather than a documentary to try and give flesh and blood to the dry bones of history" - quote from author. It contains a number of historical inaccuracies.

These publications were written some time ago and additional information has been uncovered since their publication.

Also
Simeon Lord 1771-1840 by D R Hainsworth - article in Australian Dictionary of Biography

Nothing but gum trees: textile manufacturing in New South Wales 1788-1850 by Eve Stenning - article in Australasian Historical Archaeology vol. 11 1993 pages 76- 87

A quick search online provided a number of  titles with relevant information:

Horsemen of the first frontier (1788-1900) and the Serpent's legacy by Keith R Binney published in 2005 by Volcanic Productions (542p). This history of early horse racing in the colony includes a section on Simeon Lord pages 148-150 - available online via Google books

Debt, seduction and other disasters: the birth of civil law in convict New South Wales by Bruce Kersher published in 1996 by Federation Press (238p) - sections available online via Google books
In the Tables of Cases section the list of litigation in which Simeon was involved is provided

Sealers: William Tucker, Simeon Lord, Jonas Poole, James Weddell, Thomas Edge, John Boultbee, Thomas Marmaduke, John Davis, William Smith published in 2010 by General Books (48p) (no digital copy)

Taka: a vignette life of William Tucker 1784-1817: convict, sealer, trader in human heads, Otago settler, New Zealand's first art dealer by Peter Entwisle published in 2005 by Port Daniel Press (157p) - sections available in Google books

Selection of reports and papers of the House of Commons: Prisons ... vol. 51 Google books - references to Simeon Lord as a magistrate including the disapproval of Ellis Bent

Most books written on the early European history of Sydney will contain references to Simeon Lord.

Books about Todmorden, England, where Simeon Lord lived before his transportation to Australia and also about his mother's family:

Fieldens of Todmorden: a nuneteenth century business dynasty by Brian R Law published in 1995. (302p)

 The Fielden Trail: a ramble through Todmorden's past by Jim Jarratt published in 1988 by Smith Settle. (105p)

These are only a few of the many available resources with information about aspects of the life of Simeon Lord. Other titles will be added as located.

Sepia Saturday 318: Elsa Stralia

Family history research can lead in many directions. Two years ago when investigating the lives of the families of the siblings of my great grandfather (George Moses) I located the following family story.The image for this week's Sepia Saturday, encouraged me to check my notes and write this post on what I had previously found.

Program held in National Library of Australia collection - online on History Bucket post

The above image is the cover of an eight page program prepared for the tour of Australia and New Zealand by the opera singer, Madame Elsa Stralia, in 1925.

Elsie Mary Fischer was born in Adelaide on 1 March 1881. Her parents, Johannes Hugo Fischer and Annie Christina Clausen, were both musicians - her mother was a pianist while her father was a baritone and Secretary of the Adelaide Liedertafel. In 1889 the family moved to Melbourne where Elsie went to school. She then studied at the Conservatorium of Music directed by Professor George Marshall-Hall where she was awarded two annual scholarships to study with Mme Elise Wiedermann. Her studies completed, Elsie travelled with W C Williamson's Comic Opera Company and in Sydney studied with Gustave Slapoffski who, in 1909, presented her at a concert of the Sydney Philhamonic Orchestra. Elsie's music career was underway.

William Mountford Moses was born on 18 May 1875 and was the son of William Moses (1844-1923) and Elvina Mountford (1851-1935). William and Elvina had twelve children (one died when a baby). The family was known in the Windsor district for their musical abilities and they regularly arranged and performed in concerts. One of their sons, Stanley Mountford Moses, a violinist, was performing in concerts in Europe when he died at the age of 23. William Mountford Moses played the flute and also organised a district drum and fife band. In 1899 William married Linda May Beatrice Conlan. In August 1906 William and Linda had a son, Jack, who died on 29 November. Linda died a week later on 5 December 1906.

At St Stephen's Church, Phillip Street, Sydney, on 24 December 1908, William Mountford Moses (eldest son of William Moses of Windsor) married Elsie Mary Fischer (eldest daughter of the late Hugo Fischer of Adelaide).

Shortly afterwards the newly married couple set off for Europe so Elsie could further her musical career. But first Elsie started to make changes to her name. At one stage she performed as Elsa Adela but as another singer was using Adelaide as a name she finally decided on Elsa Stralia. Australian singers at the time seemed to favour the trend set by Dame Nellie Melba in selecting Australian related names as stage names.

Elsie performed in some concerts in London before travelling to Italy to become a pupil of Falchi in Milan. In 1912 she performed at Genova Teatro Carlo Felice before returning to England. In 1913 she made her debut at Covent Garden as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and performed there again the following year.

The Advertiser 12 July 1913

Then war came to Europe. During the war years Madame Elsa Stralia performed at the Drury Lane Theatre with roles in Thomas Beecham's opera seasons. She also toured with with a concert party to South Africa, was soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Society as well as touring with violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, pianist Vladimir de Pachmann and with (Dame) Clara Butt. Many of these performance raised funds for the war effort. Two of Elsie's brothers, Harold and Frank, were killed in action during the war.

Newspapers in Australia, including the Windsor and Richmond Gazette, provided short reports of the success of Elsa Stralia (Mrs W M Moses) including the following:

A great concert was held in London in honor of the magnificent feat of arms by the Australasians in the landing at Gallipoli. The singers represented the different dominions of the Empire. Madame Stralia (Mrs. W. M. Moses) sang tor Australia, and was accorded a wildly enthusiastic reception. (Windsor and Richmond Gazette 13 August 1915)

Many of the newspaper reports mention that Mr W M Moses was accompanying his wife but there is little additional information except for one report that mentioned that he was working in the munitions industry in England during the war. This was confirmed in William's obituary published in Windsor and Richmond Gazette 8 November 1940:

...during the Great War played his part as manager of a munitions factory in England, having a number of memorable experiences in the bombing raids of that period, when the Zepplins were attempting to score a hit on the factory with which he was connected. As a result of his employment in this work, however, he contracted, through regular contact with certain of the materials used in manufacturing explosives, an illness which left him a semi-invalid for the remaining years of his life, though he bore his ill-health with an habitual cheerfulness which was an inspiration to his friends.

After the war Elsa Stralia continued to perform in England and Europe and in 1921-22 she was a soloist in twelve concerts for the New York Symphony Orchestra.  Returning to London she began her recording career with the Columbia Gramophone Company. In 1925 Elsa Stralia made a successful tour of Australia and New Zealand. Another tour was made in 1934 for the Australian Broadcasting Commission. She also toured New Zealand. From 1925 to 1934 she spent much of her time in the USA, often doing radio broadcasts, while in 1929 she made another concert tour of the United States.

I am not sure when William decided to return to Australia. An article in Windsor and Richmond Gazette 16 January 1920 states that he had applied for transfer of a wine licence to the new Hawkesbury stores.  I have seen other references suggesting he was still in England:

A letter was recently received by Mr. and Mrs. W. Moses, of Lawson, from their son, Mr. W. H. Moses[W M] , husband of Mme. Elsa Stralia, who is regarded as one of the greatest singers of the present day. They are in London. Mme. Elsa Stralia has been engaged by the Beecham Opera Company, and is to give 76 operatic performances, commencing on September 27, and finishing at the end of July. At the end of her operatic season this Australian nightingale will probably make a tour of Australia.  Windsor and Richmond Gazette 24 September 1920.

However William certainly remained in Australia in 1925 after his wife returned overseas after her Australasian tour. On her return to Australia in 1934-1935 Elsie Mary Moses filed for a divorce from her husband, William Mountford Moses, in Sydney in April 1935 on the grounds of desertion. The divorce was not contested and we only have Elsie's side of the story. According to Elsie, William returned to Sydney in 1920 'to prepare a home for her'. William did not reply to her letters and when she announced to him in 1924 that she wanted to retire 'he refused to do anything for her'. When in America in 1933 she became ill and had to be assisted back to Australia. She then stated that she saw her husband in a cafe, but he would have nothing to do with her. (Canberra Times 16 April 1935). The divorce was granted.

In Wellington New Zealand 29 April 1935 the announcement was made of the engagement of 'Miss Elsa Stralia, the well known singer who arrived here from Sydney by the liner Monowai today' to Mr Adolph Christensen, a sheep farmer, of Patea, New Zealand. 'Mr Christensen met Miss Stralia on her arrival, and in an interview both confirmed the engagement. (The West Australian 30 April 1935)

Madame Elsa Stralia  and Adolph Christensen were married in Sydney on 14 November 1935. The newspaper reports at the time stated that the couple had met after Madame Elsa Stralia had sung a concert at Patea and they were engaged three days later. The Advertiser (Adelaide) 15 November 1935 provides a detailed description of the wedding including the dress of the wedding party. After the wedding the couple returned to New Zealand. When her husband died in 1943 Elsie returned to Australia and lived in Belgrave until her death on 1 September 1945.

Money from the estate of Elsie Mary Christensen was used to fund a scholarship  for young female singers.

William Moses died at Windsor, New South Wales on 1 November 1930. His obituary stated that his health had suffered from the effects of working in the munitions factory in London during the First World War. The electoral roll entries show that he lived in Manly for a time but spent most of the rest of his life in Windsor. The entry for 1930 provides his occupation as 'invalid'. Occupation is blank for other entries. In Windsor he would have been close to a large circle of family and friends.

References
There are many references to and articles about Elsa Stralia in Trove including photos, sheet music and gramophone recordings. Among the photos there is also an image of a pendant presented to Elsa Stralia on her arrival in Sydney in March 1925.
There are also a number of articles available online including:
Elsa Stralia (1881-1945) - Australian Dictionary of Biography
Elsa Stralia - Forgotton Opera Singers
Elsa Stralia - History Bucket

Sepia Saturday 317: Another Golf Foursome

Golfing Foursome is the title of the Sepia Saturday post no. 317 .

The above image of a Golfing Foursome is one of my favourite family photos.It was probably taken in the 1920s or early 1930s. The golfer second from the left is my grandfather, Reg Moses. Unfortunately I do not know the names of the other three golfers. No names were written on the back of the photograph and there is no-one that I can now ask who might know. The young caddie in front of the golfers may be my father but as he is almost hidden under the large hat it is difficult to be certain one way or another. I do know that my grandfather enjoyed playing golf and in his obituary it was stated that he was a member of the Manly Golf Club and The Lakes Golf Club. From the newspaper paragraphs below he appears to have played much of his early golf at Killara.

A quick look in Trove showed some articles mentioning golf scores made by my grandfather in the early 1920s:
The scoring at Killara in the four ball best-ball against bogey was remarkably good, no less than four pairs returning cards of 6 up: C. E. F. McKay (16) and R. J. H. Moses (13) ... (Referee 2 November 1921)

R. J. H. Moses (17) won at Killara with 77. Moses has not been playing very long, but is a rapidly improving player, and is very keen. He should develop rapidly.  (Referee 18 January 1922)

At Killara...in the four-ball best ball the Press scored remarkably, well, C. E. F. McKay (16) and R. J. H. Moses (12) winning with 7 up. They only won, however, by one hole, for J. Kell (5) .and V. G. Fisher (6) and E. Yule (18) and E..C. McKay (5) came second with 6 up.(Referee 19 April 1922)

IN BROILING HEAT. Saturday was a distressing day, with very humid heat. Golfers, notwithstandinging, went forth for a game as usual, though one would have thought the harbor or surf much more enticing. Every week some Killara man or other puts up a splendid score. On Saturday it was R. J. H. Moses.- Last week he romped home an easy winner in the B Grade with a 4 up from the 11 mark. This week he won the A Grade with a 67 while rated at a reduced handicap of 8. The score, which represents 7 up on bogey in his handicap, was  Out — 3 6 4 6 4 3 3 5—38 ; in— 4 5 3 5 6 4 4 4 5 —40 — 78. The first 6 was due to a missed putt, the second to nursing his drive and finding the ditch, the third to again diffing his drive. Moses is a powerfully built man who, until recently, played with a pronounced crouch, which made it impossible for him to be accurate. This he evidently recognised, for he now stands in an orthodox manner. With practice he has the makings of a really fine player, provided he is temperamentally sound.(Referee 14 March 1923)

The Referee was a sports newspaper published in Sydney.

The C E F McKay mentioned as playing with my grandfather was Claude Eric Fergusson McKay (1878-1972), one of the proprietors of the newspaper, Smith's Weekly, where my grandfather worked as a journalist and literary editor. He is possibly one of the other men in the photograph. His biography in ADB describes him as 'an enthusiastic golfer, he belonged to the Killara and Elanora Country clubs in Sydney.' E C McKay was also listed as playing in the same competitions but have not, in a quick search been able to find out anything else about hime except that he played golf for many years.

Some years later a paragraph in the Referee 18 January 1934 suggested that my father also played some golf when he was a teenager, probably with his father or encouraged by his father:
KEN MOSES, 'The Little Boy from Manly,' aged 15, 5ft 10 in in height, and 12st 5lb in weight, has been vacillating in his choice of golf or swimming as a sport on which to give his serious attention. Maybe swimming will win for he won the 220 yards swimming handicap at the Manly carnival on Saturday, beating a big field of youngsters who never saw his heels for spray. A disinterested outsider, however, might suggest that in view of his bulk wrestling would be more in his line.
I am not aware of my father playing golf later in his life but swimming continued as a favourite activity.

My grandfather also wrote a book about golf entitled Fore which was published in 1937. R J H Moses died in 1936. My grandfather was known for writing about humorous aspects of life and the book was written to entertain ordinary golfers in the 1930s. The name of the author on the original publication was given as Pa Golf and the illustrations were said to be by Mel - Syd Miller. The book section of Trove shows that the book was also published in Sydney. Investigating newspapers in Trove I found two reviews for the book:

Golf Humor 

Usually the man who regards himself as a born humorist, and insists on trying to be funny, is an infliction, but Mr. R. J. H. Moses, who writes humorously about golf in "Fore" (Eyre and Spotttswoode, London), is that extreme rarity, a funny man who is really amusing. "Personally, we have always been in favor of girl caddies," he writes, in a chapter on how to run a golf club. "The club could dress them like they do the usherettes at the picture palaces. What, we mean is the costumes would be appropriate to the season, and the event in progress — open necks and backless for the open events, high neck and button-up gaiters for the close championship, fur trimmings in January, and mesh net in June, of course, it will be argued that this would inevitably lead to the abandonment of the mixed foursomes; but we're not worrying about that. Who wants to take his troubles to the golf links anyhow? And pay green fees for her?" In the same strain, Mr. Moses writes about tho professional golfer, the new member, the oldest member, club secretaries, the art of putting, golfng temperament, and other things, The text is illustrated with a dozen clever and amusing drawings by "Mel."

 The Age Literary Supplement 24 July 1937 

Author Sees Fun of Game

In a succession of new books on golf it has been left to an Australian, R. J. H. Moses, to provide humour. In 'Fore' (Messrs. Eyre and Spottiswoode) there is as much pleasure as may be obtained in years of keen observation of the frailties of golfers and the incongruities of the game. 

Writing from the point of view of the ordinary club member the author, aided by clever illustration by Mel, does not ridicule the game, but finds fun in it. 'The driving mashie was a club invented long ago for women, but not for golf.' he says. 

Chapters on 'A Lesson from the Pro.' 'Mixing it in Mixed Foursomes.' 'Playing Behind a Slow Four,' 'The Oldest Member,' and 'Golf Cuckoos' reveal in a new light trials and tribulations familiar to every golfer. The book can be confidently recommended.

The Courier Mail 27 August 1937

Once again it shows how useful  Trove can be in providing information that can add to or back up (or sometimes disprove) a family story. 

Sepia Saturday 316 - Movie cameras

The Sepia Saturday Post 316 shows a cameraman on Bondi Beach in 1951 shooting film. This brought back memories of my father, Ken Moses, and his adventure with his 8mm movie camera which he brought back to Australia in 1956 after a trip to the USA.

Ken Moses at Olympic Park 7 Nov 1956

This photograph appeared in The Argus on 8 November 1956 (thank you Trove) and shows Dad, with camera over his shoulder, having a discussion with an official at Olympic Park, Melbourne. This was three weeks before the Olympic Games and Dad, as a sports' journalist for The Argus, had gone to Olympic Park to cover a training session. He took his new toy with him and was told people carrying movie cameras attempting to enter Olympic premises would not be admitted unless thay carried a pass permitting them to enter with a camera. The Olympic Committee had hired a firm to make an official (16mm) film of the Olympic Games and other cameras were not allowed.

Needless to say this incident became the feature of an article written by my father and published in The Argus. A footnote stated that: "The secretary of the Australian Olympic Federation, Mr. Edgar Tanner, in a recent letter to the president of the Federation of Amateur Cine Societies, said every facility would be given to amateur movie fans to take films in training."

My father did contine to take his camera with him and filmed a number of the events that he covered during the Olympic Games.

Dad also used the camera to take a film of a holiday on my grandparents' farm in Queensland. I can remember him filming us swimming in the creek and also of my younger sister plucking a chook. My mother recalled a section of the film showing my sister on a horse while she was mouthing the words, "let me off". Film nights when Dad showed his movies on the projector were part of family entertainment.

Good family memories however the family film has disappeared. Dad lent it to someone who was out from England to show him what the Australian bush was like. The film has not been seen since. I guess that this story illustrates how important it is for us to keep copies / back up our files.

Postscript: I have just visited my sister who says that there are cans of film in a cupboard and she is sure that one of them contains the Olympic Games film. If so, we will have a DVD made from it. She confirms that the family holiday film has definitely gone.