Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Madeline/Marion Orr (1843-1881)

I don't like it when something doesn't match up and I don't have a good explanation for it, but such is the case for the name of the subject of this article.  The 1851 Census shows the John Orr family living in Drumbathie House near Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland.  One of the daughters is Marion Orr age 8 and therefore born approximately 1843.  As seen in Figure 1, there are no other girls in the family of similar age.  Ten years later, on Jan 30, 1861 an 18-year-old Madeline Orr marries a 24-year-old house painter named Adam Armour at Drumbathie, Airdrie (see Figure 2).  Given her age and that the marriage record clearly states she is the daughter of John and Madeline (Bird) Orr, I am forced to conclude that Marion and Madelene are the same person.

Figure 1: 1851 Scotland Census of Drumbathie House, East of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Figure 2: 1861 Scotland Marriage Record, Burgh of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland.



Adam Armour

Having very little information about Madeline's early life, I will tell her story through the lens of her husband.  Adam Armour was born on 03 May 1836 to Thomas and Helen (Galt) Armour in New Monkland Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland (see Figure 3).  According to Old Parish Birth and Death Records, Thomas and Helen had a previous child named Adam who died young.  The first Adam was baptized 18 Mar 1832 in Upper Fenwick and died 5 Dec 1833 in Kilmarnock.  Both locations are in Ayrshire.  It is possible that Adam's family was distantly related to Jean Armour, wife of the iconic Scottish poet Robert Burns.  Jean was from Mauchline less than ten miles from Kilmarnock.

Figure 3: 1836, Old Parish Birth Records, Airdrie or New Monkland Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Transcription: Armour: Adam Armour _ Son of Thomas Armour Waggoner Airdrie Toll & Helen Galt was born 3d May and baptiz'd 5th June 1836.

The family of Thomas and Helen Armour appears in the 1841 Census (see Figure 4) living on Graham St. in Airdrie.  Thomas is 35 and a Hostler (i.e. probably kept horses for an inn), Helen is 30.  Children listed are Robert (13), Adam (5) and Helen (2) Armour and  Ann (13) and John Barr (12).  There is record of a John Barr born to Walter Barr and Helen Galt on 16 Dec 1827 in Fenwick Parish, Ayrshire.  This leads me to believe that Ann and John were step-siblings of Adam through his mother.  It also probably means that Robert was an older step-brother through Adam's father by a previous marriage.

Figure 4: 1841 Scotland Census, Graham St., Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Thomas, must have died in the next decade since the 1851 Census shows Helen as widowed, age 48.  Although the writing is difficult, it appears her occupation was "Cofeehouse Keeper".  Living with her are: Ann (dau, 20 'Assistant'), Adam (son, 14, 'Confectioners Apprentice'), Helen (dau, 12, 'Scholar'.)
The 1861 Census shows Adam and Madeline married and living at 37 Stirling St. in Airdrie.  Adam is a 24-year-old house painter and Madeline is 18.  Living nearby at 31 Stirling St. was his mother Helen (59) his sister Helen (22) and his step brother John Barr, (33) who was also a house painter.
In fact it appears John Barr owned a shop on Bank St. in Airdrie in 1859 and Adam worked for him, as the following court drama asserts.

Figure 5: Glasgow Daily Herald, 29 Aug 1859, pg 5.

Living in Airdrie and at Drumbathie.

For twenty years, the family continued to reside in and around Airdrie.  The 1865 Valuation Rolls show  Adam Armour occupying (i.e. living at) 13 Broomknoll St. and maintaining a shop at 79 Stirling St., and a workshop at 80 Stirling St.
Around 1867 birth records of Adam's and Madeline's children show that they lived on South Bridge Street until 1870.  These were not the best of times for the family.  A daughter Jane was born in 1866, but died a year later on 1 May 1867 of measles.  A son, John, was then born in Dec of that year but he died in 1869 of "Hooping Cough."
Adam's business was expanding in 1870 with the following advert.  A glazier was an artisan that worked with glass including installation and painting of it.

Figure 6: The Glasgow Herald, 07 May 1870, pg 1.

The 1871 Census shows the growing family is living on Drumbathie Rd. with children Madeline (9), Ellen (7), Thomas (6) and Peter (1).  There is a servant girl Elizabeth Jarvis (19 living with them.  Adam occupation is still a painter and is apparently in charge of his shop since it notes that he employs 14 men and 7 boys.

Figure 7: 1871 Scotland Census, Burgh of Airdrie, Civil Parish New Monkland, Lanarkshire

The 1872, 1875, and 1878 County Directories show Adam living at Drumbathie so they were living in the farm house where Madeline grew up while he still maintained a shop in town.  Though he remained a painter by trade, he participated in farm life to some degree.  The 16 Jun 1869 Glasgow Herald reports on the New Monkland Agricultural Show where he won 4th place in the category "Riding pony under fourteen hands."

All of the children of Adam and Madeline were born in the Airdrie area between 1861 and 1874.  A summary of birth (and death) record record that Adam and Madeline had the following children.

ChildBirth date(Death date)Place of Birth (Place of Death)
Madeline1 Nov 186137 Stirling St
Helen/Ellen3 Oct 186311 Broomknoll St.
Thomas23 Feb 186513 Broomknoll St.
Jane16 Jun 1866 (d. 1 May 1867)13 Broomknoll St. (d. South Bridge St.)
John Orr14 Dec 1867 (d. 15 Apr 1869)South Bridge St. (d. South Bridge St.)
Peter/Patrick Orr4 Feb 1870South Bridge St.
John Orr4 Jul 1871Drumbathie Farm House
Adam12 Mar 1873Drumbathie Farm
Margaret Walton15 Jul 1874Drumbathie Farm

Although living back in the friendly confines of Drumbathie, all did not go well for Madeline.  Around April 1878 she began to have "attacks", was of "unsound mind and laboured under delusions."  On 10 Sep 1878 she was admitted to Bothwell Private Asylum, all this according to Gartnavel Asylum Surgeon's Notes available at the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Archives.  The 'private asylum' might have been 'Kirklands Asylum' which was owned by Dr. William Dean Fairless as a private asylum and was bought in 1879 and redeveloped as a public asylum to take care of overcrowding at Gartnavel.
On 31 December 1878 Madeline was admitted to Gartnavel Royal Lunatic Asylum in Partick, Glasgow, Lanarkshire as a "pauper patient chargable to New Monkland Parish."   She was described in the surgeon's notes as "obstinate" and refusing "to do almost anything asked of her."  "Although she had a demented expression of face she was able to answer some questions correctly, such as telling how many children she had etc."  Over the nearly three years of her stay she seems to have been a somewhat difficult patient, being uncooperative and speaking incoherently at times and refusing to eat and bathe on several occasions.
While Madeline was in the hospital, Adam carried on his work and apparently his mother Helen moved in to take care of the children.   In 1880 he (or his employees) worked on the Janet Hamilton Memorial on Bank Street in Coatbridge.  The monument and fountain are still standing at West End Park.  For his efforts he was paid a little over £1 according to the Glasgow Herald of 4 Dec 1880.  The entire memorial cost about  £250.

1881 - A Difficult Year

The year of 1881 was a tragic one for the Armour family .  On 14 Feb 1881, Adam passed away from "Acute Ideopathic Pneumonia" which he had had for 8 days. 

Figure 8: Lanarkshire Upper Ward Examiner, 19 Feb 1881, pg 2.

After Adam's death, the farm and workshop were not to be left idle for long, as can be seen in the following two adverts.

Figure 9: Lanarkshire, Upper Ward Examiner, 26 Mar 1881, pg 2.
Although Adam did not leave a will, his estate was inventoried and the inventory was filed 18 Apr 1881.  The estate was worth over £369.  Categories included

  • £59 for "furniture and effects at Drumbathie and Stirling Street"
  • £25 for "Farm Stock and effects at Drumbathie"
  • £90 for "Stock in trade and other effects in Shop Stirling Street Airdrie sold to James Conner, Painter"
  • £194 for "Debts due to the deceased"

According to the inventory, Madeline was still "residing at Drumbathie."  However there is little doubt she was at Gartnavel Asylum.

The 1881 Census, which had a census date of Apr 3, shows the children of the family still living at Drumbathie and with Adam's mother Helen heading the family.

Figure 10: 1881 Scotland Census, Drumbathie Farm, New Monkland Civil Parish, Lanarkshire

On 27 Jul 1881, Madeline (Orr) Armour died of "Phthisis Pulmonalis" (i.e. tuberculosis) at the Gartnavel Royal Lunatic Asylum at Partick, near Glasgow according to her death record.  The last two entries in the surgeon's notes for her case are:

  • 18 Nov 1880 - [She was] sent to the infirmary ward to see that she took her food.  She sits idly and never speaks.
  • 13 Jan 1881 - Seems quite demented will hardly give any reply when spoken to.  Requires to be assisted in everything.

Whether she had been told of her husband's passing or not is not noted.

More information on her case are available online at the Wellcome Library.  The surgeon's notes  are in item reference HB13/5/98, page 305-306.  They can also be researched at the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Archives; GB.

Saturday, December 9, 2017

Margaret Chalmers Orr (1836-1905)

Although I knew of Margaret's existence I would not have known her birth date and her emigration to Australia were it not for the book 'Ancestry of W. M. Richards and A. Elizabeth "Betsey" Gwinner' by Mary Beth Dunhaupt Figgins.  That book states that Margaret (sometimes called Maggie) was born 23 May 1836 in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland based on her research.  It also states that another Margaret was born two years before on 22 May 1834 and died young.  I have no parish or civil records to corroborate this, but it certainly fits with other records.
We first encounter public records of Margaret in the 1841 Census with the John and Magdalen Orr family at  Drumbathie where she is listed as five years of age.  Next we see her in the 1851 Census at 15, living outside the home and working as a "House Servant" in the household of William Motherwell at North Burn Cottage.  William is listed as a Builder/Joiner employing 9 men.
The cottage was approximately one-half mile west-northwest of Drumbathie so she wasn't far from home.  An advertisement in the 10 Jun 1853 Glasgow Herald indicates "William Motherwell, Esq, North Burn Cottage" was the "Proprietor" of about 21 acres of land at Blackwell and Woodmill.  It should be noted that Margaret was the only servant listed at North Burn Cottage and was likely there to help William's wife Christen take care of their two sons age 7 and 2.

Immigration to Australia

Times were hard in the Airdrie area and adventures abroad carried an appeal to the hearts of young people as well as their purses.  Various adverts appeared like the one in Figure 1 below.  So with the difficult economics at home, the promise of a 'free' trip to employment and probably the positive communications from John, her older brother who had immigrated in 1852, she chose to avail herself of the opportunity at hand.  F.Y.I. Melbourne and the state of Victoria were experiencing a gold rush that started in 1851.

Figure 1: Glasgow Herald, 23 Nov 1855, pg 1
There is a record of a Margaret's voyage to Australia.  It shows that the Gambia, a sailing ship vs. steam ship, set sail from Liverpool on 28 Dec 1854.  On board among the nearly 250 'government immigrants' was a 19-year-old housemaid from Lanarkshire Scotland named Margaret Orr.  She could 'read and write' and was 'Presbyterian'.  The ship arrived at Melbourne, Victoria, Australia nearly five months later on 22 Apr 1855.

Figure 2: Ship Arrivals -- Mount Alexander (Victoria, Aus) Mail, 27 Apr 1855, pg 2
She was traveling specifically to work for "Mr. Fulford of Howard St, N M."  If I have correctly interpreted the entry, she was to start work on Apr 27 for 3 months.  Wages were to be £25.  There is no indication of how or when that was to be paid.  According to the Melbourne City Directory of 1860, there was a Richard Fulford who ran a "hay and corn store" at 20 Howard St. North Melbourne.

Making a life in the Melbourne area.

I don't know how long she worked for Mr. Fulford, but a little over 3 years later the following announcement appeared in the local papers.


Figure 3: The Age (Melbourne, Vic, Aus) 30 Aug 1858, pg 5.
George Walton was born probably sometime in late July 1829 (he was baptized on 30 July of that year) in Bunbury, Cheshire, England.  According to his death record and obituary he was the third son of George and Margaret (Woodward) Walton.  George Sr. was a grocer.  His death record also indicates he had been in Victoria for 21 years so he probably immigrated about 1854 so he had also been in country for the same period as Margaret.
Life was perhaps not all rosy at the beginning of their marriage.  At Christmastime 1860, the following entry appears in a list of "New Insolvents.".  I interpret this as an equivalent to filing for bankruptcy.

Figure 4: Geelong Advertiser, 24 Dec 1860, pg 3
They may have been a typical struggling young couple with their first child on the way.  Below is a table of their children based on the list given in both George's and Margaret's death record and newspaper birth announcements.


George's Death Record (23 Aug 1875)Margaret's Death Record (19 Aug 1905)Newspaper Birth Announcement
Madeline age 14 Madeline Amelia age 44 dau 1 Aug 1861 at Great Myers St., Geelong (The Argus [Melbourne], 08 Aug 1861, pg 4)
George age 10 George Albert age 40 son 8 May 1865 at Skene St, Geelong (Geelong Advertiser 10 May 1865, pg 2)
William age 8William John age 39son 16 Dec 1866 at 38 Yarra St. Geelong (Geelong Advertiser 18 Dec 1866, pg 2)
Margaret age 6Margaret Jane age 34dau 29 Aug 1868 at Pakington St., Ashby, Geelong (Geelong Advertiser, 31 Aug 1868, pg 2)
Mary age 5 Mary Elizabeth age 35dau 27 Mar 1870 at Pakington St., Ashby, Geelong (The Age[Melbourne], 29 Mar 1870, pg 2)
Richard (no longer living)Richard Orr (no longer living)son 23 Aug 1872 at Pakington St., Ashby (Geelong Advertiser, 7 Sep 1872, pg 2)
son Richard died 16 Nov 1872 at Pakington St., Ashby (Geelong Advertiser 18 Nov 1872, pg 2)
Edward age 2Edward Orr age 32son 28 Oct 1873 at Pakington St., Ashby (Geelong Advertiser, 30 Oct 1873, pg 2)
Alfred age 4 monthsAlfred Ernest age 30son 07 Apr 1875 at Pakington St., Ashby (Geelong Advertiser, 10 Apr 1875, pg 2)

Assuming that the addresses in the birth announcements listed above are the family's place of residence, they moved around a bit before settling on Pakington St. but always lived in Geelong.
This creates a bit of a problem.  They were married on Victoria Parade, which is in Melbourne.  The 'insolvency' item lists George as living in Melbourne.  But they seem to have settled and raised a family in Geelong which is on the other side of Port Phillip Bay and even today is over an hour's drive away.  Normally I would postulate that they started out in Melbourne, finances became tight and they moved to Geelong to make a clean start.
However, there are many references in newspapers and city directories of a "Walton Bros., Chemists" at or near the corner of Gertrude and Napier streets.  This area of Melbourne was/is known as Fitzroy. There was at least a J. W. and T. H. Walton working there and there seems to have been George Walton living in Fitzroy in the 1870s (see at least the "Sands & McDougalls's Melbourne and Suburban Directory For 1870", pg 605) but he is not listed as a chemist.  One further complication is that there is a George Walton & Co., Chemists listed at 63 Collins St. East (Melbourne) in at least the 1860-62 directories (see at least Sands, Kenny & Co's Melbourne Directory For 1860.)  It makes it hard to figure what applies to the George Walton married to Margaret Orr and what does not, but below are some items that likely refer to him.
It seems that drugstores had a pretty broad set of items and services in those days as seen below.

Figure 5: Geelong Advertiser,  02 Mar 1867, pg 2
He also sold 'name brand' medicines that were recommended by various doctors.  I'm not sure I would want to purchase anything recommended by Dr. Coffin but perhaps he was an excellent guy for thinking inside the box.

Figure 6: Geelong Advertiser, 09 Aug 1869, pg 2

George Walton dies at age 46.

Only four months after the birth of their son Alfred, and three days before their 17th anniversary, George passed away at their home on Pakington Street.  His death record gives the cause of death as "Tubercular Cachexia" (loss of weight, weakness etc.) which he had had for 3 years, and "Tubercular Disease of the Brain" which was diagnosed post mortem.  The two funeral notices indicate that there might have been some sort of procession from his home to the cemetery.


Figure 7: Geelong Advertiser, 25 Aug 1875, pg 2
Figure 8: The Age (Melbourne, Aus) 24 Aug 1875.  


His will left everything to his wife and children.  I have not found an inventory, so I don't know the size of the inheritance other than the £200 insurance policy

Figure 9: George Walton's Last Will and Testament.

Charles Alfred Bourne

In 1878 the following announcement appeared in the local papers.

Figure 10: Geelong Advertiser: 05 Aug 1878, pg 2
Charles was born 1854 in Alvingham, Lincolnshire, England to Stephen and Jane Smith Bourne.  Stephen was a farmer by trade.  Charles had arrived from England onboard the Whampoa only two years earlier on 9 July 1876.  Like Margaret's previous husband, Charles was a chemist.  At this time she was a 42-year-old widowed mother of seven children ages 3-17 and he was a 24-year-old single man.
The marriage did not last long.  Less than four months later death once again visited Pakington Street.

Figure 11: Geelong Advertiser, 23 Nov 1878, pg 2


Hard Times


To try to survive, Margaret moved back to Melbourne and the familiar environment of Victoria Parade but with not much success.  In a column called "Town Talk" this article appeared.

Figure 12: Geelong Advertiser, 8 Sep 1881, pg 2
In an interview for an article for the Carlton (Victoria, Aus) Football Club, Margaret's granddaughter Celine Parkinson tells what was happening.  She recounts the story of her father, Alfred Ernest "Ernie" Walton who was an early captain of the Carlton Football Club.
Celine proficiently recalls the story of her father’s life, which in part took in his years as a Carlton footballer and later honorary treasurer. She knows Ernie was born in Geelong in April 1875, the youngest of eight children to George Walton from Bunbury, England, and Margaret Chalmers Orr from Lanarkshire. They had married in Melbourne’s Presbyterian church on Victoria Parade in 1858 and later relocated to an old Georgian mansion known as Fairfield Hall, since demolished.

Ernie’s father, a pharmacist, tragically died at 45 when the former was just four years old. Ernie’s mother later married a man who’d been her husband’s assistant in the pharmacy - a disastrous decision as he completely swindled her of funds. Circumstance forced the young Ernie (he was seven when Margaret remarried) to forsake his schooling and as Margaret tried to make ends meet managing a boarding house, he sold newspapers.

“Dad had to leave school before his time, but he had the brains all right - he was still very good with figures and he wrote very well, but he had to leave school before he would have liked,” Celine says.

“He knew what it was like to be poor because he had to earn money doing odd jobs, selling newspapers and that type of thing. He always loved music and going to the theatre and if he earned a sixpence selling papers he’d buy a seat up in the gods at the Royal Theatre.”

In 1883 A seemingly unrelated event happened to a man name George M'Ewan.

Figure 13: The Argus, 27 Sep 1883, pg 9
The case was ruled a suicide at the inquest.  But the connection is that for reasons unknown, he had named Margaret the Beneficiary and Executrix of his will.  The will, in part, reads:
This is the last Will and Testament of me, George McEwan of Dunolly in the Colony of Victoria, Farmer
After payment of all my just debts funeral and testamentary expenses I give devise and bequeath with Margaret Chalmers Bourne, All my Real and Personal Estate, Furniture and all money that I may be possessed of and all debts that may be due to me at the time of my death.And I hereby appoint Margaret Chalmers Bourne of Number 12a Victoria Parade East Melbourne in the Colony of Victoria as my Executrix.

Figure 14: The Argus (Melbourne, Aus), 05 Dec 1883, pg 12
'The Australasian' of 09 Feb 1884, reports that £20 was granted in the probate of the George M'Ewan will.  The will also indicate there was land involved (as one would expect of a farmer).  George M'Ewan was "a widower, about fifty years of age" according to the Bendigo Advertiser of 27 Sep 1883.  I have no record, other than the will and probate files, showing what his relationship was to Margaret.

Her Final Years

Eventually she went to live with her youngest son, Albert Ernest. He had married Anna Duke in 1904 and lived in Carlton, now a neighborhood of Melbourne.  It is there, on the 19th of August 1905 that she passed away.

Figure 15: The Australasian (Melbourne, Aus), 26 Aug 1905, pg 60
Her death record says she died of "Carcinoma of Uterus, Exhaustion." I will let the words of "Ernie" and his wife sum up Margaret's life.

Figure 16: The Argus (Melbourne, Aus), 18 Aug 1906

John Orr (1825-1891)

John could be called John Orr III, since we know his father and grandfather were both named John Orr but I have no indication that he used any generational suffix.  He was the oldest known child of John and Magdalen (Bird) Orr.  I am indebted to Mary Beth Dunhaupt Figgins for even knowing the existence of John.  In her book 'Ancestry of W. M. Richards and A. Elizabeth "Betsey" Gwinner' she sets out some facts about John based on her research.  In it she gives a birth date of 27 Jan 1825 and references him having an early work experience in Edinburgh. 
Early Life in Scotland
In the 1841 Scotland Census John is not listed with his father and mother and the rest of the family at Drumbathie.  Although only 16, it appears he had already left the home and was working as a servant in the household of Archibald Gerard as the clip shows below.

Figure 1: 1841 Scotland Census, New Monkland Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland (Rochsoles residence)

The occupation column shows "M. S." which I believe means Male Servant.  Archibald Gerard of Rochsoles, about 1.5 miles northwest of Drumbathie, was from a well-to-do family and lived by "independent means" as shown by the "Ind." abbreviation in Figure 1 above.  The Limerick Chronicle of 22 July 1840 page 2 reports that

"Archibald Gerard, Esq. who served in the 92nd has been appointed by the Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, to a lieutenancy in the Upper Ward and Airdrie Yeomanry Cavalry."

I do not know how long John worked for Mr. Gerard, but by 1847 he had apparently moved to Edinburgh.  The Figgins book states that

In a letter written on 6 June 1847 John was living at 27 Leith Walk in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.  He was still working in a shop and says he can live very well on eight shillings to eight shillings and sixpence a week.

What kind of shop is a mystery although later in life he is stated to be a carpenter or builder.  Figure 2 below shows people living and working along Leith Walk circa 1847.

Figure 2: 1846-47 Edinburgh and Leith Directory pg 241

Immigration

That John immigrated to Australia is not in doubt, but I have not found a specific record.  His death certificate holds a clue.  It states he died in 1891 and had been in Victoria, Australia for 39 years.  This would make his arrival about 1852.  More study is needed to establish an exact date.  The Figgins book mentions a letter received by his mother dated in 1860 from his sister Margaret who had also immigrated to Australia.  John is mentioned in the letter as living near so he was at least in Australia by 1860.

Marriage. 

In his marriage record, John (living in Sale, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia) married Ellen Cleary who was also living in Sale.  Ellen was the daughter of John Cleary (a farmer) and Margaret (Fox) Cleary and was born in County Cork, Ireland.  John was a 40-year-old carpenter and Ellen a 23-year-old domestic servant.  Apparently neither had been married before.  A Catholic priest, M. Hayes, performed the rite on 31 Oct 1868.  M. Hayes is probably Rev. Matthew Hayes (1841 - 2 Jan 1916) who served for many years in Victoria and is buried in Melbourne General Cemetery.
I have not been able to find an immigration record for Ellen.  Her death record in 1929 states she had been in Victoria 65 years.  This would put her immigration in about 1864.  There is indeed a record of an Ellen Cleary age 18 arriving on Jan 13 1864 aboard the "Great Australia." However this record also shows her traveling with John Cleary (24), Peter Cleary (22) and Eliza Cleary (17).  None of these companions seem to fit her family as  constructed from Catholic marriage and birth/baptism records.  These records show the family as follows.
Parents John Cleary and Margaret Fox married 7 Feb 1839 in Kildorrery parish.
Children:

  •   Mary (b. 1840)
  • Michael (b. 1842)
  • Margaret (b. 1844)
  • Bridget (b. 1845)
  • Ellen (b. 1846)
  • Bridget (b. 1848
  • Thomas (b. 1854)
  • James (b. 1857)

The place of birth of the children all agree with "Griffith's Valuations 1847-1864" that the family lived in a house in the village of Kildorrery with a small garden, and farmed 10 acres in Scart Townland, Kildorrery Parish, County Cork, Ireland.

Children of John and Ellen
The ancestry.com database "All Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922"  shows the following children.

NameRegistration
or Birth Year
Registration
or Birth Location
Parents' Names
John Orr1869Sale, VictoriaJohn Orr, Ellen Cleary
Thomas Orr1871Sale, VictoriaJohn Orr, Ellen Cleary
Magdalen Orr1873Sale, VictoriaJohn Orr, Ellen Cleary
Ellen Orr1875Sale, VictoriaJohn Orr, Ellen Cleary
Alexander Orr1877Sale, VictoriaJohn Orr, Ellen Cleary
Janet Orr1879Sale, VictoriaJohn Orr, Ellen Cleary
Alexander Orr1881Sale, VictoriaJohn Orr, Ellen Cleary
William Richard Orr1883Sale, VictoriaJohn Orr, Ellen Cleary
Note that there are two children named Alexander.  The first apparently died young and another named in his place as was a common tradition for these folk at this time.

Life in Sale, Victoria Australia

As we have seen, John already lived in Sale when married in 1868.  Many references to him place him on Macalister Street in that town (as early as 1871 as seen below) and Ellen continued to live on that street until her death in 1929 so it was the family hometown for over 60 years.
Sale, named for General Sir Robert Sale a British army officer, was a small town described in 1888 as follows

Figure 3: Victoria Post Office Directory for 1888-1889 (Wise) pg 190.

John seems to have been an active member of society.  There was a common practice for ratepayers (i.e. taxpayers) or burgesses (i.e. eligible voters) to sign petitions to call public meetings or draft candidates to run for local offices.  These lists of persons were then published in the newspaper.  John appears on several such lists, an example of which is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4:  Gippsland (Victoria, Aus) Times  6 May 1871  Page 2
John is also listed as a member of the Gippsland Caledonian Society in 1875-76 (according to Gippsland Times 7 Dec 1875, pg 2) and is noted as an active member in his obituary of 1891
The papers of the day did not publish much personal information at this time, but a few items seem to have been worthy of mention.  It is possible, of course, that these articles pertain to another John Orr, but I have not seen another John Orr in Sale and certainly not of Macalister St.

Figure 5: Gippsland Times 11 Dec 1876; pg 2

Figure 6: Gippsland Times ; 31 Mar 1879  Page 2

Figure 7: Traralgon Record (Traralgon, Vic, Aus) 10 Dec 1889; pg 2

The Death of John Orr

The following death notice and brief obituary occur on the same page and column but are placed together her for space-saving purposes.

Figure 8: Gippsland Times, 1 Apr 1891  Page 3
John's death record contains the following information
When and where Died :
1891 28th March ; Macalister Street ; Borough of Sale County of Tangil
Name and Surname, Rank or Profession :
John Orr ; Builder
Sex and Age :
Male ; 66 Years
Cause of death, Duration of last Illness, Medical Attendant, when he last saw Deceased :
Paralysis ; 2 months ; Dr. V. E. Browne ; 27th March 1891
Name and Surname of Father and Mother, if known, with Rank or Profession ;
John Orr Farmer ; Not Known
Signature, Description and Residence of Informant
L Jensen; Undertaker conducting funeral; Sale
Signature of Deputy Registrar, Date, and Where Registered
J Coverdale; 30 March 1891 ; Sale
When and where buried, Undertaker by whom certified
1891 28th March ; Sale Cemetery ; L Jensen
Name and Religion of Minister or Names of Witnesses of Burial
G M Conner ; Presbyterian Minister
Where Born, and how long in the Australian Colonies, stating which,
Airdrie, Scotland ; In Victoria 39 Years
Married, Where and at what age and to whom
Sale, Victoria ; 43 years ; Ellen Cleary
Iss, in order of birth, their names and ages
John 21 yrs, Thomas 20, Magdalene 18, Ellen 16, Janet 12, Alexander 9, William 7

Ellen's life after John

As mentioned, Ellen continued to live on Macalister St. in Sale after John's death.  She is shown on the Electoral Rolls database at Ancestry.com from 1905-1925 with her daughters Janet, Minnie Magdalene, and Nellie living with her at various times.  There are also several mentions of her children and grandchildren over the years making news and occasionally visiting her.  She died on 4 Jan 1929.

Figure 9: Gippsland Times, 7 Jan 1929, page 3
Transcript of the above image: "One of the oldest pioneers of the district in the person of Mrs. Ellen Orr relict of the late John Orr, passed away on Friday last at her residence, Macalister street, Sale, where she had resided for 61 years.  The deceased, who was an estimable citizen and very fond of her church, was the loved mother of Jack, Tom, Minnie, Nellie, Janet, Alex, and Will.  The funeral -- a private one -- took place on Saturday morning."

Ellen's death record contains the following information
  • Died: 4 Jan 1929 Macalister Street, Sale
  • Widow, 84 years old
  • Cause of death: Carcinoma of face (6 months) and Exhaustion
  • Father/Mother: John Cleary, Farmer/Margaret Cleary m.n. Fox
  • Informant: William Wilson, Authorised Agent at Sale
  • Buried: 5 Jan 1929 at Sale Cemetery
  • Minister: Patrick M ODonnell, Roman Catholic Clergyman
  • Born: County Cork, Ireland
  • Lived 65 years in Victoria [i.e. arrived about 1864]
  • Married to John Orr 23 years
  • Children
    • John 59 yrs
    • Thomas 58 yrs
    • Minnie 56 yrs
    • Ellen 54 yrs
    • Alexander Dec'd
    • Jannett 49 yrs
    • Alexander 47 yrs
    • William Richard 45 yrs