Was he really dead or legally on that date?

[McGroger]

G’day JM,

(Donald was way ahead of his time in the Harold Holt business.)

JM, this keeps getting curiouser and curiouser. In Julia Kable’s book, mentioned in my last post, she describes Donald as a building contractor in the Ryde-Paramatta area and mentions the same Sands entry you do. His army record calls him a bridge carpenter.

But, when I just now went to check the Sands entry, in the image of the page he is indeed described as a Grocer (!?) of Beattie Ave (and Blaxland St) - halfway down 2nd column of page 837.

(I think I need a beer and a lie down.)

And there is precedent. This, from Julia’s book, is about Donald’s father:

“He was granted early retirement from the Railways in 1914 (he would then have been about 62 years of age.) Apparently, his backyard at Dumbleton was so successful that he was able to commence a fruit and vegetable run, made possible by the acquisition of a horse and cart.”

You could have just opened up a chink in the wall.

I really, really appreciate your continued interest in this.

Thanks,
Peter

[majm]

My sighting is from page 1683 of Sands 1930   (part 15 from the City of Sydney site ie the Alphabetical section rather than the Suburb section).

 

Have you looked for Effie in Sands as Mrs E McGregor or Mrs E MacGregor etc 

JM

[McGroger]

I didn’t even know there were two different Sands. I think the street one came up for me first (through ancestry) because in it he’s Donald and in the alphabetical one he’s Don.

Can’t see Effie anywhere in them, although she’s in plenty of electoral rolls. Changed address by 1936 - same suburb.

But that’s got to be him as the Ryde grocer. Same suburb they lived in. No other Donalds close by.

Perhaps he couldn’t get enough work building, helped his father with the market garden and decided to open a shop. It probably failed, along with most things he touched and it all got too much for him.

And maybe - if it’s him - he had another unsuccessful go in West Wyalong?

A lot of coincidences: the times match. Donald disappears from Ryde, appears in West Wyalong. He has some background in groceries. Riverina. Did he try other work around that area then give up altogether?

Have to have another look at those unknown deaths and inquests. Tomorrow - normal life intervenes.

Thanks again, JM.

Added: In the electoral rolls for West Wyalong in 1930 and 1932 there is one Donald McGregor, a labourer. From 1932 until 1937 there are two Donald McGregors: one labourer, one carpenter. That carpenter’s got to be him.

Peter

[majm]

Sands Directory 1930 perhaps 2000 pages.      I am not sure if Ancestry has uploaded all the pages, but the City of Sydney uploaded the Sands directories 1858-1933 to their own website, and it has an excellent search engine and is free to search  and the pdfs are downloadable too. 

City of Sydney http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/learn/search-our-collections/sands-directory

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=369703.msg5267800#msg5267800

JM

[Jamjar]

The West Wyalong library holds the burial records for the cemetery. You may like to give them a call and ask for them to look for his name or an unnamed burial at that time.

Give them the short version of the story, as they very likely couldn't cope with the full version.

Jamjar

[majm]

Trove

West Wyalong Advocate including a cyclist who was alive in October 1938.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/188527936 10 March 1936 D McGregor and Digger
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/188528862 21 April 1936 A debate, "Disarmament is conducive to Peace"  Don McGregor led the opposition.   it was his first debate, he was complemented 
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/188530967 24 July 1936 Don McGregor "Flying Scotchman"
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/185781087 7 October 1938 Don McGregor donates a Cup.

JM

[McGroger]

Been out half the day, so late in sending these thank yous.

Thanks, Jamjar,
I’ve sent an email to West Wyalong library care of the council.

Thanks, JM,
I’m trying to sort out the different Don MacGregors in West Wyalong. There were a carpenter, a grocer, a labourer, a debator, a cyclist and a donor. Additionally, there was a young Don (father not called Don) who came from Lismore in about 1933, went to war and lost his life in 1944 aged 21. And there was a death of a Don in 1951 aged 80, no parents’ names.

The young fellow was probably the debater. The young fellow was probably also the cyclist (the race winner, Les Sheedy, is not in the electoral roll, while a married couple of Sheedys were, so Les and Don were probably boys). The shooter in the Diggers Cup sounds like ‘our’ Don, the carpenter and grocer (unless he was the labourer). The donor at the cycle club is more difficult. The boy cyclist would have been about 15, and the donor was not named as a race participant - so probably not the young bloke. Perhaps the donor was the labourer (thereby creating a coincidence of two unrelated Dons being interested in cycling - not that far out). The 1951 dead Don might have been the labourer.

Donald’s partner in the grocery shop - Herbert Cornelius Uhr - came from Qld, spent only a few years in West Wyalong, married into Tumbarumba, went to war and returned to Tumbarumba. Always described himself as a farmer or labourer. No sign of taking Don with him to Tumbarumba.

So nothing proves or disproves that it was ‘our’ Don in West Wyalong. So he probably, possibly, I dunno, couldabeen - and I think he was.

And then Trove was down for the count.

Peter

[brigidmac]

Am following this story with bated breath

I like endings with a twist  but this story may never end unless the body is disinterred + given DNA test !

[sparrett]

Further for your files

The Donald McGREGOR who died in 1951 (who has been mentioned above) is the only one of the name recorded on my database as being buried in the Riverina district.

Donald McGREGOR, bur. 13/7/1951. At west Wyalong.
Section- Pres. Row H. Lot 09. Unmarked Grave.

The "Riverina District" is a loose kind of  term and so this resource may not be entirely comprehensive.

He is clearly the only one of the name at  West Wyalong.
 
ADDING
Hang on, just found another one
Bit odd

Don McGREGOR. Died before 3rd November 1967
EXR (Ex Riverina Resident)
Riverina NSW
No further particulars.

Sue