Family History Mysteries

George S Melville, nicknamed ‘Frenchy’, was born in about 1815 in Scotland. He was a convict who was involved in the famous McIvor Diggings gold escort robbery in July 1853.

The Murray Downs Homestead is a heritage-listed homestead at Moulamein Road, Murray Downs, NSW, just over the bridge from Swan Hill on the Murray River. In 1848 the Murray Downs Station was a vast expanse of land. Bell and Wilson applied to lease this from Crown Land. It was originally 150,000 acres. The Officer brothers purchased the property in 1862.

American Charles Sherwood Stratton, a small statured man, achieved international fame as a member of PT Barnum’s touring sideshow troupe and named himself Tom Thumb – he appeared in Melbourne in 1870 which encouragedAustralian versions. This episode covers the stories of two Australian 'Tom Thumbs'. *Warning – there will be terminology used in this episodethat does not reflect modern accep...

Born Thomas Henry Augustine Penney, Cecil Pierpont was one of a number of aliases he used in Australia. Others included Cecil Rowe, Professor Gordon Rowe and Cecil de Vere, Gordon Vane Tempest Simpson, Gordon Tempest, Gordon Burge, Gordon de Burgh, Cecil Royal Aubrey, Cecil Devine, John Soames, Sydney Bruce Burge. He was also married a number of times, including to several women at the same time.

Born Thomas Henry Augustine Penney, Cecil Pierpont was one of a number of aliases he used in Australia. Others included Cecil Rowe, Professor Gordon Rowe and Cecil de Vere, Gordon Vane Tempest Simpson, Gordon Tempest, Gordon Burge, Gordon de Burgh, Cecil Royal Aubrey, Cecil Devine, John Soames, Sydney Bruce Burge. He was also married a number of times, including to several women at the same time.

Percival George Whittall Percy was born into an English merchant family, educated in England, multilingual and employed by the large Far East trading company, Jardine, Matheson & Co. He came to Australia in 1879. He started off well but by 1895 was charged with imposition.

In a 1923 newspaper article, it outlined how William Mowbray under the title of Dr William De Vale, had slept with a number of his patients even though he was a married man with children.

Ethel Benn was an extraordinarily athletic thief who never learned from her mistakes.

Ethel Benn was an extraordinarily athletic thief who never learned from her mistakes.

Esther Eggers was born Esther Ann Reardon in Sydney in 1896. She first features in public documents as a 15 year old and was still committing misdemeanors in her late forties.

John Wagner was born in Canada in 1827. He emigrated in 1852 via California to Melbourne. During his travels, he recognized the difficulty of transport over long distances and in Australia developed a line of quality coaches and travel routes. He became a partner with Cyrus Hewitt of Hewitt & Co. and later joined A.W. Robertson to form Robertson & Wagner to purchase coach lines in Victoria...

Charles Thomas Scoringi Jnr was born in 1891 in New Zealand. He was in trouble with the law as a young boy, and committed crimes both in NZ and Australia. Interestingly, in all but one case, targeted Chinese to steal from.

In 1894, Albert and Vincent De Luca aged only 12 and 10 were charged under the Industrialised Schools Act in Sydney of leaving their home. Joseph De Luca, their father, wasthe complainant. What became of them?

May Eileen Wood was dubbed in the press as the ‘Notorious Woman Housebreaker’. She was born in Busselton WA in 1895 to John Wood and Ellen Thurkle.

Born into the Lindeman wine family, in Burwood NSW in 1892, Enid Maud Lindeman had an upbringing befitting a young lady, but she longed to escape colonial life. She was married four times. Enid's first husband was a shipping magnate, her second a general, her third a viscount, her fourth an earl.

In the early hours of Sunday 3 Nov 1913 Mrs Kate Fox wassavagely attacked in her home on the farm ‘Osborne Farm’ near Berrigan NSW.Her brother Alexander and niece Hilda were also set upon. *Warning there is graphic information contained in this episode*

Thomas Henry Hardinge was born in Hampstead Middlesex England in 1854. He married Kate Wild on Dec 15th 1881in Adelaide when he was 45 and Kate Wild nee Milnes. He was a hydraulics engineer and a commission agent. Kate divorced Thomas - Mrs Clara Parker was named as a co-respondent.

Joseph Dignum and George Comerford are considered the first bushrangers in the Port Phillip area (later known as Victoria), which was still part of New South Wales in the 1830s.

This is the first time that a person who has a jail record is linked to my family! Violet May Wiseman, born Violet May East, married Albert Wiseman in 1917. Albert was the son of Elizabeth Ann Maw, my great great grandfathers sister.

Muriel Goldsmith stated on her jail records that she was born in Tasmania on the 29 Dec 1890, however I cannot verify this. The trouble is that she went under so many aliases it is difficult to work out her true birth name and validate where and when she was actually born!

Audrey Ailsa Pointing and Glenore Joan Pointing were born in Sydney, NSW to Arthur Pointing and Elsie Vida Agnes Davis. Arthur Pointing owned several butcher’s shops in Sydneywhich had a reputation for high quality and modern cleanliness. Both sisters performed on the stage in England, Glenore under her stage name, Glen Alyn. Audrey became Lady Doverdale.

Eric Matthew Homer was born on 22 Dec 1907 at Rockdale, Sydney, New South Wales. He was the son of Ernest Homer and Florence Pritchard. He was a bigamist three times and married at least six times and used several aliases.

James Warwick Browne was born on 18 Nov 1864 at 'Kirgunyah" Station, near Yackandandah, Victoria to Wallace Browne and Emma Kilminster. He became a wealthy grazier and a processor and exporter of the giant maiden hair ferns that grew prolifically around the Woy Woy district. He exported to the botanical industry to Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland and the USA. He built a commodious t...

On 2 February 1907 Australian Winnafreda Yuillmarried Lionel Arthur Henry Seymour Dawson-Damer, the 6th Earl of Portarlington at Trinity Church, Chelsea, London. Upon the death of his father in 1900, Lionel became not only the Earl of Portarlington (Ireland Peerage), but also the 7th Lord Dawson and the 7th Viscount Carlow. Lionel served as one of the King's train-bearers at the Coronation of...

Margaret Greenwood was born Margaret Shanahan in Ireland in 1816. She was convicted of house burglary in King’s County at the age of 17 in 1832. She married William Greenwood in 1840, however after his death in 1867, things started going downhill for Margaret.