Catholic Cemetery Peterham/Lewisham NSW

[CassT]

Hi I am wondering if anybody has a copy of a book

"St Thomas a' Becket's Churchyard, Lewisham"
 a transcription of remaining headstones by Errol Lea- Scarlett on 25.4.1955

I am trying to establish if there was a headstone  for my G G G Grandmother and her daughter who were buried at St Thomas  in 1871/1872

They are Honora Teresa GAHAN died May 1871 and her daughter Catherine THOMAS died  April 1872

Regards    Cass

[maddys52]

I can't see any reference to this publication.  The Australian National Library does not have it in its catalogue:
https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog?q=%22Lea-Scarlett%2C+Errol%2C+1932-%22&search_field=author

neither does the NSW State Library:
https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/search?search=errol%20lea%20scarlett&offset=20

[CassT]

Thanks for the reply,

I recently inherited my late cousins family history files. Amongst the papers were photostat copies of pages of a book "Petersham Cemetery" by Kevin Quinlan. The pages tell the story of the history of the cemetery, there is a page of References, which includes
"St Thomas a"Becket's Churchyard, Lewisham NSW", transcription of remaining headstones by Errol Lea-Scarlett on 25.4.1955. Society of Australian Genealogists (SAG) Primary records 4/6232 (copy in Marrickville Library, Local Studies Section).

There is also a page which appears to be from a index of burials at Petersham/ Lewisham. which include the names of my G G G Grandmother Honora Teresa Gahan who died in May 1871, and her daughter Catherine Thomas died 1872, and indicate there was a headstone recorded in Mr Lea-Scarletts book. I have been in contact with Marrickville Library and they have no record of Mr Lea-Scarlett book,so I though I would try Rootschat as the resources of the Chatters is unbelievable. Before I put the post up I tried Mr Google, and could find no reference to this publication. My next step will be to contact SAG. I would like to find out if the book gives any other description of the headstone.

I think my cousin must have obtained the photostat pages from Burwood NSW Library, they indicate that The Burwood-Drummoyne and District Family History Group where involved on the project.

This is my first confirmation that there was in fact a headstone on the grave. I have always been told that all graves where moved when the Rail line was widened, I went to Botany and Rookwood back in the 1980's with no luck. Goodness knows how long my cousin had the pages. Thankfully her family passed them on to me, and did not bin them.   Sorry for the long story.  Regards Cass

[maddys52]

Very frustrating for you, strange that there doesn't seem to be any references to the publication now. I did check on the Society of Australian Genealogists website, but again, not listed in their library:
https://catalogue.sag.org.au/resbyfield.jsp?term=Lea-Scarlett%2C+Errol&field=author&searchtable=&displayFormat=TABLE

Have you tried Marrickville Library?

Modified to add:
I know my local library has boxes of un-indexed papers and documents relating to all sorts of things which the librarians helped me with when I was looking for something history related.

[CassT]

Yes I contacted the Marrickville Library and they cannot find it. As it appears 20 years may have passed since Kevin Quinlan wrote the book  I can understand that it has gone missing

thanks for your interest

Cass

[JANICELEEDALE]

Hi Cass, how interesting, I was at St Thomas yesterday enquiring about the graves. My 4 GGM was oringally interred there and excumed and reinterred in Rookwood. I went to Rookwood a few weeks back and found her.
The priest said the cemetary was at the back of the churh, there is now a plot of grassed area as rememberance, no monuments.
Theoretically all were exhumed and went to Rookwood.
He also said the graveyard was exhumed to build a school but my first thought was the railway that runs along the church, maybe both were the reasons.
Either way the church is magnificant and the surrounding area historic houses wonderful, it seems the area was a good place to live.
Did you find the plots at Rookwood where they were reinterred. Jenny

[CassT]

H Jenny

many thanks for your message, I am so glad that you have found you relative, we have no luck in finding Honora or Catherine. We went out to Rookwood years ago and the ladies in the office checked their records but could not find them, also walked the Lewisham headstone without success.

I have never been to St Thomas, must have been passed it in the train thousands of times.

Regards  Cass

[JANICELEEDALE]

Hi Cass,I don't know a lot but what is the complete names and dob if possible of your rellies?
Did you find headstones at St Thomas? Jenny

[CassT]

Good morning, Jenny, Many thanks for your interest.
The ladies are
Honora Teresa GAHAN died 24 May 1871 Aged 63yrs and her daughter
Catherine THOMAS died 3 April 1872 aged 27 yr.

The Papers that we found in my late cousin collection indicate that the headstones and remains where still intact at Petersham on 25 April 1955 when they were transcribed by Errol Lea-Scarlett for the SAG.

In March 1988 in response to my enquiry I received a letter from the Little Company of Mary Provincial House stating that "we understand all remains from Petersham cemetery were transferred to Rookwood Cemetery," and suggest that I contact St Marys' Cathedral, which I did, they confirmed that Honora and Catherine were buried at Petersham. When I visited the Cathedral, a lovely man gave me a copy of the details in a really old register that had survived a fire, however he was unable to advise me if and where they were transferred. Rookwood also had no record.

In my late cousins pages of the History of Petersham it mentions that in 1937 the western corner of the cemetery remained untouched, and this area was still intact in 1955 when the remaining stones where transcribed. After a few more years this remnant was destroyed to become a carpark and later the site for the high school. My guess is that Honora and Catherine, were never moved.
I have never visited St Thomas,

Cass