Old Melbourne Cemetery - Pauper's graves

[clancam37]

Hi Chrissy,
I'm searching for a grave of a John Boucher interred at the Old Melbourne Cemetery about 3rd June 1853.  According to your letter he must have been an early burial.
His headstone was later re-erected at Fawkner Cemetery in January 1900.  Not sure if his remains are as well.
I'm trying to get a photo of the headstone as it has a reference to Tasmania on it.
Can you help me.
Kind regards
clancam37
Tasmania.

Hi next time I am at our library I will look up the indexes for you.
meanwhile thought I would give some info on Old Melb Cemetery and its replacement

Many people assume the first cemetery in Melbourne was the Old Melbourne Cemetery, whereas in fact it was Burial Hill, today's Flagstaff Gardens.

Willie, the child of James Goodman was the first person to buried in Melbourne, Port Phillip District. He was buried on 13th May 1836 at Burial Hill. This site was only used for about 6 burials.

It is not possible to visit the Old Melbourne Cemetery either, because it is located UNDER the present day Queen Victoria Market.

Bounded by Queen Street to the east, Peel Street to the west, Franklin Street to the south, and Fulton Street (which no longer exists) to the north, the Old Melbourne Cemetery was established in 1837 in West Melbourne. The first person to be buried on this site was also a child. He was Frederick William Craig, the infant son of Skene Craig. As Melbourne grew, this site was recognised as being too small and the Melbourne General Cemetery (or new Cemetery), that we know today, in Carlton, was established by an act of the New South Wales parliament in 1850 and was opened on 1st June 1853.

The Old Melbourne Cemetery was divided into areas according to religious denominations. Two acres each were given to the Church of England, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics and one acre each was given to the Jews, Quakers, Methodists and Independents. Later, half of the Quaker area was given to the Aborigines. The history of the Old Melbourne Cemetery ties in with that of the Queen Victoria Market, which was adjacent to it, and when the latter first expanded in 1878, it was the Quaker/Aborigine area near Fulton Street which it acquired first. A Crown grant was passed providing land for a general market on 4th March 1867. Today's meat hall dates back to 1869. The next 2 grants that provided more land for the market, were dated 1878 and 1880 (see Queen Victoria Market Lands Act 1996 - Act No. 78/1996 at www.dms.dpc.vic.gov.au), and in the 1880's legislation was passed requiring all bodies in the Old Cemetery to be exhumed.

Identification of the burial plots was made difficult because the register of burials prior to 1866 was lost or destroyed. Many graves were unmarked. Others had 'headstones' of red gum, which had weathered away. From 1920-22, 914 graves with identifying monuments were re-interred at Fawkner, Kew, St. Kilda, Cheltenham and the Melbourne General Cemetery. Many of the headstones crumbled when shifted. At this stage, the cemetery was in a terrible state of neglect, with very long grass. The cemetery had been closed in 1854, re-opened in 1864 for the sale of new plots, re-closed in 1867, with the final burial taking place in 1917. It was closed permanently in 1922.

As there were about 10,000 burials on the site, there still remain approximately 9,000 people buried under the sheds and car park of the Queen Victoria Market. Every time work is carried out at the market, bones are disturbed. A memorial to these people stands on the corner of Queen Street and Therry Street. In 1996, the previous Crown grants were revoked and the Queen Victoria Market Lands Act 1996 came into being.

There are several books of interest to be found on the Old Melbourne Cemetery. Marjorie Morgan's own book, "The Old Melbourne Cemetery 1837 - 1922" published by the Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies in 1982, has names of people buried there. These came from transcriptions of legible headstones made by G. P. Townend in 1913-14. As a gentleman in the late 60's he saw the importance of making a record of these markers.

Isaac Selby wrote a book called "Old Pioneers Memorial History of Melbourne" in 1924, whilst the Royal Historical Society of Victoria's Historical Magazine, Volume 9, No. 1, pages 40-47 has an article on the cemetery. Another book, "Melbourne Markets 1841-1979, the story of the fruit and vegetable markets in the City of Melbourne" (Footscray, 1980), edited by Colin E. Cole has material on Melbourne markets.

Hope this helps a little

If i find anything I will let you know


cheers

chrissy

[cando]

You have quoted a date of Jan 1900...that appears to be the default entry if the date of the service is not known.

From GMCT website

The Old Pioneers section at Fawkner Memorial Park comprises 220 graves dating from the 1840s transferred from the Old Victoria Market cemetery site in 1922.

This chatter offers to take photographs at Fawkner
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=675531.0

Cando

[giblet]

Hi Chrissy,
I'm searching for a grave of a John Boucher interred at the Old Melbourne Cemetery about 3rd June 1853.  According to your letter he must have been an early burial.
His headstone was later re-erected at Fawkner Cemetery in January 1900.  Not sure if his remains are as well.
I'm trying to get a photo of the headstone as it has a reference to Tasmania on it.
Can you help me.
Kind regards
clancam37
Tasmania.

clancam have you read the replies on your other threads as yet? Just you havent acknowleged them and there could be some useful information in them.

[clancam37]

Hi Cando, Thanks for your offer to photograph the headstone.  Much appreciated.
I did find the headstone on ancestry.com.auLibrary Edition at Hobart Library -- but could not enlarge my copy back home and could not re-read it.  When I re-visited the Library I was unable to obtain the photo again.  Locked out!
Thanks for your help.
Kind regards
clancam37

You have quoted a date of Jan 1900...that appears to be the default entry if the date of the service is not known.

From GMCT website

The Old Pioneers section at Fawkner Memorial Park comprises 220 graves dating from the 1840s transferred from the Old Victoria Market cemetery site in 1922.

This chatter offers to take photographs at Fawkner
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=675531.0

Cando

[clancam37]

Hi giblet,
My apologies if I did not thank you for your reply.  As "courtesy" is almost non-existent these days I do try to send notes of apprecation for all replies.  My hyperlink facility often locks-up my computer, and need to ctrl-alt-delete to rectify.  Will be more responsible in future.
I have had a look at your sites you referred to, they are very helpful.
However retrieving a photo of the old grave now at Fawkner eludes me, and so I was delighted when cando wrote to me.  Thanks again for your help, and also the assistance you've given in the past re other "brickwalls" of mine.
Kind regards
calncam37
 

Hi Chrissy,
I'm searching for a grave of a John Boucher interred at the Old Melbourne Cemetery about 3rd June 1853.  According to your letter he must have been an early burial.
His headstone was later re-erected at Fawkner Cemetery in January 1900.  Not sure if his remains are as well.
I'm trying to get a photo of the headstone as it has a reference to Tasmania on it.
Can you help me.
Kind regards
clancam37
Tasmania.

clancam have you read the replies on your other threads as yet? Just you havent acknowleged them and there could be some useful information in them.

[cando]

The offer has not come from me   I do not live in Melbourne.

This chatter offers to take photographs at Fawkner
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=675531.0

The only headstone photo I can find on the subscription website is for John [1860-1896] and Fanny BOUCHER [1863=1940]in the Dunolly Pioneer Cemetery, Victoria. 
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ausvsac/Dunolly.htm

The text on the headstone is difficult to read and I have taken the details from the research on several online trees.

Cheers
Cando

[clancam37]

Sorry Cando,
Misread your letter, my apologies.  have now written to Jillianstella re Fawkner grave photo.
Kind regards
clancam37

You have quoted a date of Jan 1900...that appears to be the default entry if the date of the service is not known.

From GMCT website

The Old Pioneers section at Fawkner Memorial Park comprises 220 graves dating from the 1840s transferred from the Old Victoria Market cemetery site in 1922.

This chatter offers to take photographs at Fawkner
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=675531.0

Cando

[cando]

Ah now I see from your request for a photo at Fawkner that it is not on Ancestry but Billion Graves .

http://billiongraves.com/pages/record/JohnThomasBoucher/2299127

Illegible text
WILLIAM
IN MEMORY OF HIS FATHER
JOHN THOMAS BOUCHER
WHO DIED 2ND JUNE 1853 AGED 57 YEARS
LATE OF TASMANIA

Civil registration commenced in Jul 1853 however there is this parish record but the age is not a match.  Only John BOUCHER death in 1853.

Death
BOUCHER John
Parents not recorded
At Melbourne  45 years  1853  Reg#21654
Denomination Church of England  Parish St Mark's, Collingwood  Fiche#332

Cando

Edit to add index entry of transcribed parish record.

[majm]

May I butt in please, and perhaps following from giblet's post and Clancam37's reply

clancam have you read the replies on your other threads as yet? Just you havent acknowleged them and there could be some useful information in them.

and reply

Hi giblet,
My apologies if I did not thank you for your reply.  As "courtesy" is almost non-existent these days I do try to send notes of apprecation for all replies.  My hyperlink facility often locks-up my computer, and need to ctrl-alt-delete to rectify.  Will be more responsible in future.

Clancam37,  may I please mention that on several of your current threads you have missed answering some questions that may have helped you with your John BOUCHER and his wife, Catherine MCDONNEL (and variations).  I have contributed to some of those threads, and of course, I am curious as to if the info I posted has been of use .  As you have not yet acknowledged those contributions, I and others reading the thread have no way of telling if YOU have read the info and if that info has been of help to you.

On one of your current threads, I referred back to comments you made less than four months ago on a thread that Cheran commenced.  You wrote “I’d be happy to look up these names for you as I regularly visit the Hobart City Archives twice weekly for a Genealogist friend……. Quite voluntary”

Here’s a live link to one of those current threads:   
MCDONNELL 63rd Regiment http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=684542.0 


May I add, that I find that if the poster  acknowledges my posts, then in turn I am encouraged to continue to strive to help them.  I am sure that there are many RChatters who like me, simply like to know whether the information has been useful (or not).  So,  I find  the courtesy of an acknowledgement of the contribution serves to indicate that is useful  or not, and that courtesy of course extends not just to the person who searched for the info, but to others, now or in the future, as RChat threads are in the public forum and so very easily found via google searchings.   Of course, it is best to acknowledge the contributions on the thread rather than by PM, as not only does it save  you typing many thank you notes, but everyone can see that the OP is courteous, and appreciative of the efforts our fellow RChatters made.

Clancam37, may I commend you for your twice weekly visits to Hobart City Archives.    May I please ask for you to find the spare moments and go back over your earlier threads and when you have the moments, please comment as to if the info I and others posted there has been helpful or otherwise.   I am not looking for notes of appreciation, I am simply wanting to know if the info I am providing is of value to advancing each particular family history quest.  The courtesy surely is in your willingness to provide that acknowledgement, and my willingness to learn where my own resources are less than adequate.

ADD 
Vic BDM   John BOUCHER, aged 19, registered in 1853, rego number #749. 

Cheers,  JM