Fromelles missing - CURRAN (b NSW, enlisted Brisbane)

[majm]

Bit More,

Coonamble would have been very logical place for any cook wanting work on a shearing plant.  Travelling Stock Routes from say Ballarat Vic, north to say Grenfell NSW, north west to say Bourke nsw, and then onwards to say Charleville Qld, to Blackall, Longreach, Winton, Charters Towers.  These were where my shearing forebears travelling regularly, over and over from say about 1875 until 1920's.  Coonamble right there, on those TSR's.  Kate Curran - mother of this Fromelles-missing - was there, perhaps even cooked a meal or three for my grandfather, great grandfather, great uncle, and their families.  TSR routes still exist.  Was on the main Bourke to Winton New Year's this year.  

Little Hartley, western foothills Blue Mtns NSW on way to Lithgow.  This was aggistment staging point in 1860's, as well as gold rush and district court house location.  

JM

JM

[majm]

Hi Liverpool Annie,

This probably has nothing to do with anything ... but I found this !

Inscription List for Coonamble Old General Cemetery

Curran James 15 Nov 1891 32y parents unknown

http://cemindex.arkangles.com/cemetery-inscriptions.php?id=21

Could well be lots to do with this family. 

JM

[Andcarred]

Hi All,

Kris kindly did a lookup of the Police Gazette for Kate Curran.  No saying which one this was but a check of the Darlinghurst Gaol records might now be in order.  Our Kate Curran had a child in Maitland in 1887 so would have to be a short sentence.

Apprehensions 20 May 1885

Kate CURRAN alias WOODS charged with feloniously forging a check for £11 9 Shillings purporting to be signed by C G Warberton and uttering the same to Messrs Farmer and Co has been arrested by detectives Cocking and Clough Sydney Police. Committed for trial at quarter sessions.
1898

Jewelery and Watches reported stolen 27 Feb 1898

CURRAN Kate Servant - 12 Macleay St - Ladies 9 ct Gold keyless geneva hunting watch No 102349 minus glass, gold fob chain, rope pattern, slide in centre, with small gold cup[ as trinket, plain gold band bangle, snip fastening, hinge at back, guard chain missing.

Andcarred

[deeiluka]

Ok,

Just bear with me here and see what you think.......

I thought that for a single mother (Catherine Curran) to go to a small town like Coonamble, it would seem likely that she had family already living there.

A check of births at Coonamble revealed a series of children born to a woman named Rose A Curran between 1880-1900 (but no father listed).   Could this possibly be Catherine's sister???   I then checked for Rose's birth and found it in 1857 to Francis and Rose Curran at Hartley NSW (a long way from Coonamble).

Finally, checking for all the children of Francis and Rose, I found seven.   One of these was named Catharine Curran born Hartley NSW in 1865.  (Note the spelling of Catharine

Could this be Joseph James Curran's mother.   The link to Coonamble is certainly there and I wonder if Catharine had gone to stay with her sister for a while but later moved on.

Cheers,
Tim L.

P.S. And just to confuse everyone further, I just posted this as Sandra cos' I couldn't get on.

Been following Tim's post up, and have checked out the Hartley Currans on GR. There are two tree owners with all of the Hartley Currans, including Catharine, on their trees. A third tree owner has Rose A Curran born 1857 on her tree. None of them have a Joseph Curran born Maitland listed on their tree, however this doesn't mean there is not a connection. Some people, me included, don't put all their tree on the site.

My question for Tim or Sandra is....shall I try for a contact on the off chance that this is the case with these tree owners?


Dee

[Auimfo]

Please feel free to do so Dee.   I think I found the same trees on GR and another site but noticed that there was no-one listed on any of them as descending from Catharine.   I took this to mean the tree owner had no further information about Catharine but perhaps you are right and they just haven't posted it. (fingers crossed)

I have located another possible avenue of enquiry regarding the Hartley Curran's but need to establish contact with someone who invariably seems to never be home when I ring!!

Cheers,
Tim L.

[Andcarred]

Hi Dee and Tim,

I think the Curran connection at Coonamble needs checking out but I also think that as Joseph Curran said he was born at Maitland and gave his age and that a birth at Maitland is registered to a Catherine Curran at the correct time with no father listed, there is a very strong case for Catherine Curran to be the child of Michael and Anne and the mother of Joseph and also the Catherine Curran who died at Brewarrina.  There are no more illegitimate births to a Catherine Curran registered in New South Wales at the correct time apart from the one above.

The name of the place that his mother was living as given on the War Records is not Coonamble but Cumambie Dubbo which I assume is the name of a property out there.  However there is nothing to say that the Curran family at Coonamble are not related in some way.  There are also lots of Curran families around the Dubbo area.  If Michael was the brother of the other Currans who came on the ship there would be heaps of relatives all over rural New South Wales.

Andcarred

[Auimfo]

Thanks Andcarred,

You're point about Joseph being born in Maitland is well justified and certainly needs looking into as well.

However, I am almost certain that the address given for Catherine in his service file is meant to be Coonamble.   Only on one later document was it spelt 'Cumambie' but everywhere else it has been spelt either Cunamble or Coonamble.   In fact on one of the attestation forms it is written Cunamble but then had the 'u' crossed out and 'oo' written above.   Although Coonamble is a little way north of Dubbo, it wasn't unusual for soldiers to define their small country town by proximity to the nearest major town.  i.e. Coonamble via Dubbo.

Cheers,
Tim L.

[deeiluka]

Thanks Tim and Andcarred,

At this stage perhaps I shall just contact the three GR conributors and ask if they have any further information on Catharine Curran, and if they know if she had any children. At least then we'll know if this avenue is worth following further. 



Dee 

[deeiluka]

I've sent messages to the two GR tree owners who have Catharine Curran and Rose A Curran on their trees. It's a long shot but you never know .......we may get information that helps to identify or dismiss this family.


Fingers crossed.....


Dee