Family History Mysteries

Stephen Hart was once one of the most infamous bushrangers in Australia. Now he is often an afterthought, as the “other Kelly”. According to an article in the Evening News, Sydney, 14 February 1879, “Ned Kelly is looked upon as a hero all over the North-eastern district, and Steve Hart is second only in popular esteem.”

I had the pleasure of recently interviewing my great uncle, Jim Maher, who turned 100 years old in April. He talks about growing up in Wanganella in southern NSW and rearing his family in Ballarat. It is a little more informal than my other episodes, where we are having a good old chat!

Simon Fahey Porter was a 28 year old teacher who loved poetry when he enlisted in WW1.

On 24 October 1831, Isabella and her sister Rosannah were convicted of housebreaking and aged just 19 and 17, were sentenced to transportation for seven years to Van Dieman's Land.

The Radnells were a large family of 14 from Tarnagulla Victoria. Two of their sons fought in WW1 - neither came home. The youngest son, George was only 16 when he enlisted, his father stated he was 18 years and 5 months old to sign him up.

Michael Perry Stowell Dicken died whilst on a RAAF training flight over Mildura Victoria on the 17th August 1943, aged only 20. His sweetheart, who he met whilst in training in Deniliquin NSW, attended the erection of a memorial plaque in 2004 - 61 years later.

In December 1920 in Sydney, Claude John Tozer, an unmarried doctor was having an affair with a 32 year old married woman, Mrs Dorothy Mort, who was his patient. Dorothy murdered Claude.

Mary Hallett was a convict who was the first paid teacher in Tasmania. This is her story and the story of her family.

James Lowe’s family have passed a story down, saying that James Lowe enlisted in WW1 without his fathers consent. From that time on, James’ father Isaac refused to talk to him.

‘Bill’ Edwards was born Marion Edwards. He scandalised Melbourne in 1906 when tried for burglary and found to be a female.

In 1907, Perth woman Alice Mitchell was arrested for the murder of five-month-old Ethel Booth. During the inquest and subsequent trial, the citizens of Western Australia were horrified to learn that at least 37 infants had died in Mitchell’s care in the previous six years. It became clear that she had been running a ‘baby farm’, making a profit out of caring for the children of single mothers and...

Willie, Jim and Frank Elliott were from a large family of 12 from near Lismore NSW and they enlisted in WW1. Only one of the brothers returned.

This episode centres around explorer Hamilton Hume and his family.

In 1875 Hugh O'Ferrall was convicted and jailed for the largest embezzlement of government funds in Australia up to that time.

An Italian immigrant, Eugenia Fallini, lived as a man for years, ‘married’ and was convicted of her ‘wife's’ murder in Sydney in the 1920s.

Minnie Hornblower featured in the newspapers in the late 1880s and mid 1890s in Melbourne for two reasons – child desertion and a bigamy case.

Alfred Henry Bisset Raingill had two aliases: George Shaw and Joseph Yates. He had been jailed in England twice prior to arriving in Melbourne in July 1879. He was also convicted for larceny, a bank robbery, uttering counterfeit coins and the murder of a police constable. His life ended in an unexpected way in 1902 - it was widely published in newspapers across Australia.

Edward and Grace Ford featured in a series of newspaper articles in 1895 - one article titled it the ‘Ford V Ford Scandal’. Edward Ford was a publican in Echuca in the 1870s and 1880s.

In 1849 an inquest ruled that Henry Marchant died from the effects of poison administered to him by his wife Charlotte. Charlotte was sentenced to be hung but was reprieved by Queen Victoria and transported to Van Diemen's Land for life. This is her story.

It was discovered in 1879 that Edward De Lacy Evans was in fact a woman. Edward de Lacy Evans was born Ellen Tremaye and lived in the Bendigo region for at least 22 years working, dressing and living as a man.

Granny Morgan was born Ann Collins, the daughter of Edward John Collins, a convict and Elizabeth Adams, a free settler. Ann was born at sea just off the Heads at Sydney, on board the ‘Admiral Barrington’, a ship that was part of the 3rd Fleet. When she died in 1885, she was the oldest surviving person who came with the early Fleet voyages.

I came across an article in an 1894 Victorian newspaper outlining how a young unmarried woman had a child that police suspected had been murdered. The police commenced investigations and found the remains of an infant buried in the family’s backyard. This is the story of the Crozier family.

In 1917, John Burston featured in a newspaper article in reference to payments for an illegitimate child. His story got even more interesting when I discovered he enlisted in WW1 under an alias!

Captain George Johnston Dorward was a Scottish born paddle steamer captain who captained a range of steamers on the Murray River and its tributaries. He was also a storekeeper, a publican, a partner in a brewery and a farmer! This is the story of George and his family.

Thomas Brewerton, known by the sobriquet 'Velvet Ned', was a skilled lock-breaker, and was one of the main instigators of the Cornhill London robbery in 1865. He was convicted and sent to WA as a convict in 1866 and continued with a prolific criminal career in W.A, Victoria, SA, NSW and Qld!