Jack Armitstead's family

Now for more of the stories of my grandfather Jack Armitstead. After marrying in Liverpool, Lancashire in September 1910 he and his new wife Edith left Liverpool on December 25 1910 on the SS Medic of the White Line  bound for a new life in Australia.
Edith's brother, Louis Samuel Blackledge had already arrived in Brisbane Queensland Australia having left Liverpool on 25th February 1910 on the SS Essex. Perhaps he encouraged the family to come for a better life.  So when the Armitsteads accompanied by Edith's mother, brothers Herbert and Ernest and her sister Elsie arrived in Sydney on the 6th February 1911 they needed to get to Queensland to join Louis.
 The next record we have of the Armitsteads is when Dorothy Florence is born is Mackay, Queensland on  March 24 1911. Perhaps they travelled steerage to Mackay on a coastal service as I have not found a record of their travel to Mackay yet. At that time Mackay did not have a port so the ship would be offshore and passengers were transferred by sling onto the small craft to take them to land. Can you imagine a 7 month pregnant woman enjoying the sling?

Jack, Edith and daughter Dorothy Florence

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Jack, Edith, Dorothy Florence, and baby Elsie Kathleen

Edith, Dorothy Florence and Rene Helen

After moving to Warwick  another daughter, Elsie was born on 20th May 1913. Unfortunately she contracted meningitis, gastroenteritis and asthma and died on November 27 1913. From all the official records she was Elsie but family had it that she was Kathleen. The only  record to have Kathleen included in the name was the burial record card on familysearch.org.
In May 1914 Rene Helen arrived to make it a joyous time for the family.



By 1917 it was time for a holiday at Redcliffe.

Edith with Rene and Dorothy and her mother in the background at Redcliffe

Life was prosperous as seen by this lovely rocking horse that Dorothy and Rene were riding.

Dorothy & Rene

Harley

Harley

Then in October 1917
at last, a son, John Harley Leeson
( known as Harley)
was welcomed to the family. Doesn't he look like he's going to be a tough character? By the way he's holding the hammer he probably isn't going to be a carpenter.


The family enjoyed picnics at local creeks and this started a family tradition as we all like picnics even to this day.

Dorothy, Harley and Rene about 1920 on a picnic at Deuchars Creek

Rene, Harley and Dorothy at Deuchars Creek about 1920

Rene & Dorothy with family friends Allan and Ethel Durante at the Washpool

Rene, Dorothy, Aunt Elsie and Harley

Now tragedy struck Jack's family in November 1920
 when Edith died leaving Jack with 3 children under 10.
 Fortunately Edith's mother and sister Elsie came to
 Jack's rescue and helped look after the children for some time.




The Etheridges, family friends, purchased a Buick and all got aboard for a Sunday outing. What a treat that was.

 In July 1922 Jack married Florence Janet Gillie in Sydney and they welcomed a daughter Elizabeth in April 1923.

Florrie, Rene, Harley and Dorothy 1922

Harley, Betty, Dorothy and Rene 1923

 Now with 4 children they had fun times on more picnics

Dorothy, Harley and Rene perhaps near Stanthorpe

Harley, Jack & Betty 1927

 Notice no 4WD's in the bush

Armitstead with Durantes, about 1928

By 1930 the children were growing up and Florrie's brother Ken Gillie and his family lived in Sydney so the Armitsteads drove to Sydney for a visit and no visit would be complete without a visit to the beach and Taronga Park Zoo.

Betty at the beach-possibly Cronulla

Elephant ride at Taronga Zoo

 and  another trip to Sydney in 1935. Life continued for the Armitsteads but they were growing up and needed to leave home and that will be another installment.

Harley, Jack, Dorothy and Betty in Sydney 1935

 

Z is for names beginning with or containing Z AtoZ challenge 2016

Z, of course,  is a difficult letter to use as a prompt.
I looked in my family tree to see how many times I had names  with a Z in the beginning or within the name and I was quite surprised to find the following:
  Zac-1
  Zachary-3
  Zed -1
  Zoe -1
  Kezia -1
  Elizabeth - 120( and I didn't count the times it occurred as a second name)
  Eliza- 20
  Eliza Jane Hepzebah-1 ( 2 Z's-Wasn't she lucky?)

and I had one family name beginning with Z
    Zeitler
and others containing Z
  Blizzard-1
  Fitzgerald-1
  Fitzwilliam-1
  Geizer-1
  Hazelden-4
  Menzies-1
  Meszaros-1
  It's been great participating  in the challenge and I've made it to the end again. Yeh!

Y is for You. AtoZ Challenge 2016

Have you written your story for your descendants? Wouldn't it have been nice to have your great grandfather's story written down for you. It would have saved you a lot of time and trouble trying to work out which "John Smith" he was and did he really steal the pig. Be kind to your descendants and write your story now.
Where were you born? Is the place still there? If so take a photo.
Where did you go to school? Do you have school photos?
What did your parents do? Did you live in different places?
What about funny family stories. These are the things that records don't give you. Help your family out.
When & where did you get married? Do you have photos of the wedding and some of the relatives that attended?
I hope I've given you enough questions for you to think about for your descendants. Perhaps you have some other information that they might like to have.
Don't delay, start today.

X is for names beginning with X AtoZ challenge 2016

I was really scratching my head to have something to write for this one. Then I remembered I should look to see if any of the family had names beginning with X. I knew I had a Xanthin but I also found Xavier. There are only 2 X's in the whole tree.
When the organisers' said write short blogs well here is a short one.

W is for William Blackledge

William Blackledge is one of my great grandfather's younger brothers. He was born on August 20 1866 (1) in St Helens Lancashire. In 1881 he was apprenticed to the sheet and plate glass manufacturers Pilkington Brothers of St Helens. It is interesting to read the apprenticeship indenture papers to see the conditions of the day. He was apprenticed for 6 years and one calendar month.
As part of his conditions  he shall obey the company's reasonable commands and will not waste, neglect, embezzle or spoil their goods and he must not frequent taverns, inns or alehouses nor play cards, dice or any other unlawful game.(1)

His conditions  and pay rates are set out in great detail.

He'll be paid 7/0 per week for the first month  and then 8/0 per week for the first year, 10/0 per week for the second year, 12/0 per week for the third year, 14/0 per week for the fourth year, 16/0 per week for the fifth year and 18/0 per week for the sixth year as long as there is enough fuel for the pits. If not, then he will be suspended from work and paid two-thirds of his wages. If he is not able to work at any time then he will not be paid.

Another interesting bit is that his father must "provide good and sufficient meat, drink, lodging, and washing. And also sufficient wearing apparel and medical and surgical attendance when necessary". (1)

He continued to work at the glass works as in the 1891 census he is listed living at home with the family at  112 Peter St Eccleston St Helens and working as  a glass works warehouseman (2) and in 1901  he was married, living at 248 Dentons Green Lane St Helens with wife Elizabeth and a 2 year old daughter Doris  and listed as Manager, glass works (3)

By 1911 he is living at 23 Hard Lane St Helens and is manager of the warehouse of the sheet glass manufacturer. (4)

 Sadly he died aged 58 on January 3 1926  (1) and is buried in the St Helens Cemetery.

(1)Contract of Service: William Blackledge with Pilkington Brothers, St Helens  20th July 1881)

(2) 1891 census of England, 112 Peter St, Eccleston, St Helens, Lancashire, folio 79, page 7 , William Blackledge; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com.au : accessed 24 Apr 2016); citing PRO RG 12/3021

(3) 1901 census of England, 248 Dentons Green Lane, St Helens, Lancashire, folio 50, page 22, William Blackledge; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com.au : accessed 24 Apr 2016); citing PRO RG 13/3519. 

(4) 1911 census of England, 23 Hard Lane, St Helens, Lancashire,  William Blackledge; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com.au : accessed 24 Apr 2016); citing PRO RG 14/22760

V is for Variations AtoZ Challenge 2016

On my trip to Boulia I took many many photos of the Variations in the Channel Country. I was amazed at the Channel country. I had never been out that way before so was eager to see it especially as they had had some summer rain after many years of drought. Here are just a few-well quite a few.

Quilpie to Windorah

Between Quilpie and Windorah

Windorah to Birdsville

Windorah to Birdsville

Windorah to Birdsville

Windorah to Birdsville

Birdsville to Bedourie

Birdsville to Bedourie

Bedourie to Boulia

Bedourie to Boulia

Bedourie to Boulia

Bedourie to Boulia

Bedourie to Boulia

Now you can see why I had to take so many. It really varied quite a bit.

U is for Up the creek

In Aussie speech "up the creek without a paddle" means you have no hope of doing whatever you planned. (1)
For me up the creek means going to the creek for a swim and a picnic. Our favourite spot as  children was the Washpool at Sandy Creek just west of Warwick. Even grandfather Armitstead was a frequent visitor but he also visited Iron Pot at Sandy Creek nearby.

Betty, Harley, Jack & Rene Armitstead at Iron Pot

 Harley, Betty & Jack Armitstead at Iron Pot

Walking up the creek

At the Washpool 1953

Both these spots are now covered by water from the Leslie Dam but the Washpool name is still used as there is now a Washpool recreation area.

Washpool Recreation Area 2016

(1) See https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/up_the_creek for a better description

T is for Throupe sisters

Mary Ann Throup was my great,  great grandmother and she left her home in Yorkshire after she married John Holmes. However this post is not about her. I was given a photo of her sisters. Trying to work out who's who is great fun. The 3 sisters on the right are married as  you can make out their wedding rings under magnification. One sister Jane Ann did not marry so I think she is on the left. Mary Ann had  6 sisters but one, Elizabeth died in 1856 so the ones that could be in the photo are Hannah, Jane Ann, Margaret Caroline, Martha Selina and Maria. I suspect that these are the four younger sisters of Mary Ann- from Left to right. Jane Ann, Margaret Caroline, Maria  and  Martha Selina. The labels with the photo are not mine but I concur with the bottom set of names but add Maria as the one not named on the album as she looks younger than the rest and Maria was the youngest daughter. Isn't it great to have a photo of your great great grandmother's sisters even if I can't be sure which one is which.

S is for Stump AtoZ Challenge 2016

Most Australians will talk about "beyond the black stump" as being as far away as possible.
In Boulia they have to be different as they have the red stump and beyond it you will find Simpson's Desert. Travellers are warned to take supplies with them if proceeding beyond the RED STUMP.

Boulia's red stump

R is for resolving a change of name AtoZ Challenge 2016

At last we have a resolution of a name change. Amelia  Cook Richardson ( sister to my GG Grandfather William Frank Laws) changed her name to Amelia Richardson Cooke somewhere between 1851 English census  and her younger sister's marriage in 1860.
In a previous blog http://familytreeblossoms.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/i-is-for-ida-emilie-robertshaw.html  I detailed the reasons why I thought she had changed her name.
Now we have it  resolved.  I have DNA matches with a descendant of Ida Emilie Robertshaw and a descendant of Amy Hannah Cleverdon(Ida Emilie's sister). Yay!

Q is for Quilpie AtoZ Challenge 2016

On my recent trip to Boulia I flew via Quilpie. It is one of the little towns in Western Queensland and I mentioned it in my blog post http://familytreeblossoms.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/a-is-for-arrival.html  where I have a map. The population of the shire in 2011 was 1034

Aerial view of Quilpie

Wind sock at Quilpie airport

 All the stops we made on this trip from Brisbane to Boulia except Windorah and Charleville we had to stay on the plane as they were just stops to pick up or let down passengers or freight. Hence they are aerial shots or photos of airports.

Note the sign for the airport.

Channel Country between Quilpie and Windorah

More of the Channel Country between Quilpie and Windorah.