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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: margmasson on Sunday 09 March 14 01:09 GMT (UK)
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I am trying to find exactly when Ann Healy came to Australia. When she married Nicol Mercer in 1862 her age was 23.Ann died in 1901, aged 61, She had been in South Australia 1 year and Victoria 45 years. This would make her birth abt 1839, her age on arrival 15/16. Ann Healy was born in County Clare, Ireland. I have been trying to find her arrival in South Australia. The only "Anns" I can find are considerably older. Has anybody any ideas that might help me find her?
Marg.
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I am trying to find exactly when Ann Healy came to Australia. When she married Nicol Mercer in 1862 her age was 23.
Do you have her marriage certificate and if so who are her parents and what was her father's occupation? Did she sign her name or mark with a cross?
Marriage
MERCER Nichol
HEALEY Ann
1862 Reg#2054
I not there are variations on the spelling of Ann's surname on the birth registrations from HALY to HALAY This suggests to me that she may possibly have been illiterate.
I did read 'somewhere' that immigration lists in SA the surname ELY was often written incorrectly as HEALY/HEALEY.
Bear in mind that the information on death certificates is not always accurate. Are the parents the same as her marriage certificate? Who was the informant on her death certificate?
Death
MERCER Anne
Father HEALEY Nich Mother Mary HOGAN
At Echuca 62 years 1901 Reg#5520
Cheers
Cando
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Not helping finding Ann's arrival but an obituary for her husband.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0yd5/
The Riverina Herald 30 Oct 1917
OBITUARY.
MR. NICHOL MERCER.
Mr Nichol Mercer, an aged and respected resident of the Echuca district for many years, died after a very short illness al his home in Koyuga on Saturday. The late Mr. Mercer had been ill since Thursday when he attended the special sale of sheep and cattle at Echuca. He left apparently in good health, but on reaching home he complained of a sore throat, and sent for a doctor, who diagnosed the trouble as quinsey and heart affection. As he was not improving, the doctor was again sent for, but Mr. Mercer grew weaker. and died an Saturday morning.
The deceased, who was in his 83rd year, was a native of Melrose, Scotland, and came to Australia in the early fifties, following mining for some years, and latterly farming at Mount Pleasant and Torrambarry. He came to Koyuga in 1888, and had been there ever since except for a period of seven years which he spent in Echuca.
The late Mr. Mercer, whose wife died some 16 years ago, leaves a family of four daughters and three sons - Mrs. Branton, Kannyapella, Mrs. Stanworth, Koyuga; Misses M. A and J. Mercer, who reside at home; Mr. Alex. Mercer, Mystic Park; Mr. Michael Mercer, Quambatook; and Mr. Nicholas Mercer, who manages the farm at Koyuga.
The late Mr. Mercer was possessed of a large amount of property, both in this district and the Mallee.
The funeral, which was attended by a large number of mourners, took place yesterday to the Echuca cemetery, the burial service being conducted by the Rev. Canon Rowell on behalf of the Rev. H. T. Buntine
Do you have Nichol's probate file
http://prov.vic.gov.au/index_search?searchid=54
Cando
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The South Australia Register 10 February 1855, p. 3, and an unclaimed letter for Ann Healey.
The South Australian Advertiser 27 December 1858, p. 2, The Barque General Jessup clearing out for Melbourne with Patrick and Ann Healey on board. Can't locate them arriving in Melbourne, but someone may be able to check the ship out on microfiche/film if one exists.
Regards
Shirley
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There are a number of Ann HEALEY's arriving in South Australia however the survival records for SA shipping passenger lists is very poor. You are probably aware that many of the online passenger lists were compiled from news reports in The Register which listed ships arrivals along with the passengers on board.
I have a number of ancestors who arrived in South Australia as they were unable to procure passage to Victoria on the same ship from England. To date I haven't found any record of their arrival in either SA or Victoria but have my great great grandmother's diary which referred to her siblings travelling to SA and the family's anxiety waiting for their safe arrival in Melbourne. Two siblings had a long wait for passage to Melbourne as this was during the Victorian gold rush.
I have trawled through all the entries in the Biographical Index of SA for HEALEY and variations.
HALEY Johanna born c1833 arrived 1849 on the ELGIN.
HALEY Miss Arrived 1850 on the MIDLOTHIAN
I also wondered if she may have been one of the Irish Orphans
http://www.irishfaminememorial.org/orphans/ships/
INCONSTANT 7 June 1849 Adelaide 15 February 1849
ELGIN 12 September 1849 Adelaide 31 May 1849
You can have a search yourself
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0yd6/
Will have a look through some of my resources later.
Cando
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Cando and Shirley, thank you so much for your efforts. Much appreciated. It's a bit of a needle in a haystack ,job! Ann couldn't write. She made her mark "x". The informant on her death cert. was her husband, Nicol Mercer. Her sister, Mary arrived in Portland 1852, aged 15 years. She had two brothers, Denis and Daniel, who came to Victoria. May never find exactly when she arrived or the name of the ship. I appreciate your help very much.
Marg.
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It is possible that Ann arrived Portland as well and may have spent a year over the border in SA at sometime during her life. I notice that Ann's husband's given name was Nichol in the records.
Are these her brother's deaths? Different given names for the parents.
HEALEY Denis
Father John Mother Mary HOGAN
At Ballarat 84 years 1923 Reg#4038
AND
HEALEY Daniel
Father Nicholas Mother HOGAN
At Brunswick 75 years 1921 Reg#8698
Cando
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Thanks again, Cando. Yes they are her brothers. Father should be Nicholas not John. I have considered that she might have come to Vic first. Nicol Mercer seems to come from a long line of "Nicols" in Scotland. His father was Michael. Thus his two sons were Michael (paternal grandfather) and Nicholas (maternal)
Marg.
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Just to eliminate one clue...
Cando has given you "HALEY Johanna born c1833 arrived 1849 on the ELGIN."
This, as far as our family can confirm, is my mother's paternal grandmother.
She was from Cork, married Robert Wilson from Leicestershire sometime in the 1850s, somewhere in NSW, died as Johanna Macpherson at Drill Creek near Wellington, NSW, June 1905.
Cheers
Dawn M
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Thank you, Dawn.
Marg
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Hello Marg, Ann Healy and Nicol Mercer were my great grandparents. I have also been trying to track the elusive Ann. Relatives who have since died fed me stories some of which aren't true. Here goes: Ann arrived in Australia with her 5 elder brothers, she was about 7 and they had been orphaned, th father having been some sort of accountant in Ireland. Ann was fostered by a lord and lady somebody and grew up on the Bogong high plains (location has been proven to be fable as there were no white people there at that time, as to the fostering I don't know). Supposedly the 5 brothers went to Queensland and built the railway there. My grandfather Alexander Mercer had Healy relatives in Ipswich Queensland the true story of one of these relatives was George Healy who as eldest son went to work for the fire brigade to help support his family after his father died. George however had always wanted to go to University. He worked his way up to Fire Chief in Ipswich and eventually retired then went to Uni. He ended up with a PHD and wrote history of the Australian Labor party in Queensland. Ann however is still a mystery. The tales I have been told do not seem to match with the arrival in Adelaide that you seem to have found. Regards R.
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Hello Rosemary. Thank you for getting in touch with me re Ann Healy. So far as I know Ann, Mary, Denis and Daniel Healy and their sisters Ann and Mary came to Australia. I am descended through Daniel.I have heard the story about them going to Queensland and working on the railways,but I an not sure about that. Daniel and Denis both worked for the Railways in Victoria as did my grandfather, Nicholas, son of Daniel, and Daniels other sons
George Healy was my father's cousin. Son of John . He would have been a great nephew of Ann. He did go to Brisbane and was fire chief there for many years.If you google "George Healy Brisbane" you will find information about him.Also in Trove (Brisbane papers)
Rosemary, you and I are both descendants of Nicholas Healy and Mary Hogan from County Clare, Ireland. That makes us cousins. Nice to "meet" you.
Regards Marg
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Hello Cousin Marg, Thank you for the information regarding Ann Healy. and cousin George. I did google him and found that the story I had been fed although mostly true was not quite.
Regards
Rosemary
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Hello there.
Ann, Mary, Denis & Daniel also had a sister, Catherine (parents Nicholas Healy & Mary Hogan), who came to Australia.
I believe she arrived in 1854, aged 20, with her husband Patrick O'Loughlin.
I have more info if you are interested.
Michael.
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Hello, Michael.
Thank you for getting in touch with me, Yes please! I would love any info you have on Catherine. I have never heard any mention of her.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Marg
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Hello Marg
The short story…
Catherine ‘Kate’ Healy & Patrick O’Loughlin had one child, Bridget born 3.2.1855, baptised at St Kilian’s Sandhurst/Bendigo a week later.
Patrick died 5 months later.
Catherine remarried, Michael MacKeen/McKean, at St Kilian’s in April 1857.
They had six children between 1858 & 1875… Mary, Anne, John, Thomas, Kate, Nicholas.
Catherine & Michael remained at Bendigo, living at White Hills, for the rest of their lives.
Catherine died in 1907, Michael 1914. They are buried together in the White Hills Cemetery.
*I can find no record of the marriage of Catherine & Patrick O’Loughlin, in Ireland or Australia, so I’m just assuming that they may be the passengers, from Co.Clare, ages 20 & 22, named on the Prince Alfred in Feb 1854.
*I’m assuming also that they are from Ballynahown. The only Nicholas Healy in all of Co. Clare is there, in the early 1830s (Tithe Applotment records). Neighbours of this Nicholas were a couple of O’Loughlins & interestingly enough, a Thomas MacKeen.
Do you have proof/further knowledge to show that our Healys are from Ballynahown?
Michael.
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(http://)
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marriage to Thomas MacKeen
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Catherine's children
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Healy marriages - St Kilian's
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Hello. Michael. Thank you for getting back to me with all that info on Catherine, I was thrilled to find that my great grandfather, Daniel, his brother Denis and their sisters, Mary and Ann, had another sister in Australia, Daniel and Mary Kelly were married at St Kilians 1869. Their first child, Nicholas, my grandfather,was born at McCrae St White Hills, April 6 1870 He was baptised at St Kilians 24 April, 1870
by Rev H Backhaus Sponsors were Dennis Healy and Bridget O'Loughlin.Now I know who Bridget was.His cousin! Catherine's sister, Mary and several of her family are also buried at White Hills. Ann died at Rushworth and is buried at Echuca.. Daniel is buried at Fawkner along with Mary and children
Patrick, died aged 21 and Mary ,who never married. My grandfather Nicholas is also buried there.
Michael are you descended from Catherine?
Will get back to again soon
Marg.
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Hello Marg
Bridget is my partner's great grandmother.
Bridget married Patrick Frawley, also from Co. Clare, at St Kilian's in 1875.
Michael.
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Patrick (c.1842 – 1937) & Bridget (1855-1944) had 10 children between 1876 & 1898.
They lived for a short time at Echuca, then at a few places near Elmore, finally settling at Runnymede in 1906. They lived the rest of their lives & are buried at Runnymede.
* you might find a Frawley Runnymede search on Trove useful.