Quelch / McKeon - Auckland??

[Janette]

Yeee haa Bunny,

Your ears must be bouncing

Cheers Janette

[kiwihalfpint]

That is awesome Bunny ..... another carrot has been planted



Cheers
KHP

[Infobunny]

Dear Janette and KHP,

Currently wearing a big buck-toothed grin and my ears are all awhirr (if that is a word)! 

Everything is possible with wonderful helpers like you both around!

Hugs
Bunny

[hernebay]

Hi All
I am also interested in finding out who my Grandmother's mother was (a bit of a mystery). Yes I am the granddaughter of Myrtle May McKeon/Lynch/Filmer she lived in Auckland at Arthur Street, Ponsonby and retired to Port Waikato with my grandfather Harold Filmer.  She died in December1979 and was buried at Tuakau.
My grandmother Myrtle was born 1 January 1900 and had 4 children to William John Lynch who died a couple of years after my birth.  My mother was the eldest of the 4 children, her name was Alma Joan Lynch (Deceased) and she had 2 other sisters and 1 brother.  The sisters were Eileen Katherine Lynch, (Deceased) Betty May Lynch (Elizabeth Marie Whyte) (don't know if still alive) and William John Lynch (Deceased).
My grandmother's father was a McKeon but unsure of his first name and I know he never married.  He had 2 sisters that lived together called Aunt Mary Ann and Aunt Cecilia (I believe Cecilia was married at one stage) and there were a couple of brothers as well. I remember Mum talking about them and the name Arthur kinda rings a bell with me. I know that my grandmother was educated at a private girls school in the South Island that her father paid for.  Apparently he was quite well off.
By the way the family were catholics.  My grandmother had all of her children educated at St Patrick's School in Auckland located next to St Patrick's Cathedral.
Have to go now......will keep in touch

Well folks the mystery continues. 


 

[maggie49]

Hi HerneBay

So pleased to see your message appear on the website.   Myrtle May McKeon/Lynch/Filmer was my father"s 1/2 sister, born Myrtle Eva Quelch on 31 December 1899 according to her birth certificate.  Her mother, Harriet Ellen Quelch, married my grandfather Frederick Harry Jenner, and Myrtle used to visit them and my father in Devon St Auckland where they lived.  According to the information I have from the Registrar-General of BDM in NZ Myrtle was brought up as Myrtle May McKeon by Arthur Joseph McKeon and Cecelia McKeon (nee Quelch).  We have not been able to find any information on Cecelia McKeon - maybe you can help?  We have wondered if this was a name used by Harriet in helping to bring up Myrtle, as she was know by her family as Sis/Sissy.   
After I got a copy of Myrtle's death notice I was able to contact your mother Alma Joan, (Known as Joan), but she wouldn't see me until she had spoken to her daughter in Australia, and I never heard back from her.  I guess you are that daughter? 
Eileen Katherine (Palmer) is buried at Purewa Cemetery in Auckland, Elizabeth Marie (Betty Whyte) is buried at Waikumete Cemetery in Auckland, and I have been unable to find any information on William John.
I have been to Myrtle's grave at Tuakau cemetery, and was able to take my father to see it before he died - he always remembered Myrtle visiting Harriet their mother, before his mother died in 1927.  He also visited her when she was married to William Lynch, after he returned from WWII.  William & Myrtle were married at St Patricks Catherdral in Auckland.
Would love any information you have on Myrtle, as Dad could remember how much she looked like their mother.
Hope this information is of help - have a number of family photos, including Harriet at about 13? yrs old, and her wedding photo to my grandfather; also of some of her brothers and her parents.

Hope to hear more from you soon.

[hernebay]

Hi Maggie
Great to hear from you.  I was wondering if I would get a response. 
I was unaware that my grandmother had a half brother, but I do recall the name Jenner been spoken about on a few occasions.......now the puzzle fits. 
Yes I am the daughter of Joan and I have lived in Sydney, Australia since 1979. I am surprised that mum never mentioned that you had contacted her. I would say maybe she didn't won't to open old wounds (who knows).
My grandmother left William Lynch because he treated her badly along with the children. My mother was sent to live with 2 aunts Annie? and Mary Ann McKeon.  She would go back to the family home daily to get her siblings ready for school and cook and clean for them and her father. During that period I don't know where my grandmother resided.  I am wondering if Annie who I know was married and lost her husband is the missing link in this puzzle as my grandmother was very close to both aunts.
I loved my grandmother dearly.......and I was very fortunate to have a great relationship with her.   I loved her humour and wit. She was a very wise and caring soul (No fool though). 
My mothers brother William Lynch, got mixed up with a religious cult and married a woman called Jessie. Not long after the marriage they disappeared of the face of the earth and none of the family ever saw them again.  I did a bit of research and found that they lived at Taumaranui and he died 21 Sept 1968 aged 41yrs.
Mum's sister Eileen Palmer died at an early age also, if I recall she was 50 when she passed.
Looking back, I wished I had asked more questions about the family, but life was so different then.
I have some pictures of my grandmother that I will send to you and if possible could you send some of the ones you have of her family.  The pictures are packed away so will have to do a bit of a hunt.
Look forward to the next instalment.
Thanks for replying

[KaeDee]

This mystery has been fantastic to follow... thank you everyone.
I have followed hoping someone would turn over another mystery and resolve it.

Thomas QUELCH had a daughter Mona Edna Kate Quelch. Known as Edna Kate - she married Frank COLLEDGE in 1921 and later divorced in 1938. Edna married Jackson BOURDOT in 1933.
Something is wrong with those dates.

I need to know more about Frank COLLEDGE.  He is born about 1894 and died 15 may 1959. Cremated at Purewa. He is Anglican.

[maggie49]

Hi

So pleased to read your reply - I think you have some (a lot!) of information about Myrtle that I would love to know, and I can help you with the family history that you may not know.
Myrtle used to visit Harriet (her mother) reasonably often from what my father told me, but William John Lynch was never allowed inside the house - obviously my grandfather didn't like him and I know William was an alcoholic, but Myrtle seemed to be quite welcome. Dad could also remember William Lynch. Your comments about him explain this!!!  I knew Myrtle had left William Lynch, but didn't know when, but she was living with Harold Filmer when William Lynch died.  William Lynch died on 17 March  1958 and Myrtle and Harold married on 21 May 1958 in the Registrars Office in Auckland.  They were both living at 10 Arthur St, Ponsonby at the time of their marriage.  William Lynch is buried in the Soldiers Area at Waikumete Cemetery.
On Myrtle and William's marriage certificate her parents are shown as Arthur Joseph McKeon (Bricklayers labourer) and Cecilia Quelch formerly McKeon, maiden name Cross.  This is the person we have not been able to find any trace of, maybe you can help?
Dad and Mum also visited Myrtle when he returned from WWII when the Lynch family were living in Arch Hill in Auckland but lost touch with her after that, but told me about Myrtle when I was 16 and pregnant - his comment was "that I wasn't the first one in the family for it to happen to".
It is interesting about William Jnr, as your mother made a comment that he had got mixed up in some strange religion and they had heard nothing more of him.
I would love to see pictures of your grandmother, and I will send ones that I have - I don't know if Myrtle had any of Harriet, but you will at least see what she looked at - Dad always thought they looked very alike.  I am so glad to hear a little of what Myrtle was like - that has been one of my dreams since I first knew about her - to be able to talk to someone who knew her, which was why I contacted your mother. 
Harriet (your ggrandmother!) is buried at Hillsborough Cemetery in Auckland, but we moved the plaque from her grave to Waikumete and placed it on the Jenner family grave as the area she was buried at Hillsborough had started to slip.  This whole area has now been repaired, so the grave is still intact and in good order.
Under most of our user names is a little green scroll.  I think it becomes active after three postings and then you are able to send private messages to board members and sensitive items like email addresses, so after your next post we can email with our address etc to send photos.
Look forward to your next reply.

[maggie49]

Hi KaeDee

Thomas married Eva Finey, and had 4 children - the eldest was Mona, then Madeleine, then Hilda, then a son William born later.  Infobunny on this site is related to Thomas through Mona.  I have Thomas and Eva's wedding photo, also a photo of Thomas, Eva, and the three girsl taken (we think) when Thomas returned from WWI - he is in his uniform.

Cheers
Maggie