Sydney Rental Records - mid 1930s to mid 1940s

[PeterProg]

My understanding is that he spent a relatively short time in Brisbane to catch up with family after his years away - his mother and a couple of siblings were living there at this time - and then returned to Sydney to resume his work.  He was certainly stilled listed as a salesman in both 1939 and 1943.  He may well have been working for the same import-export company, which appears to have been thriving by this time, that sent him to the UK in the first place, though I have not confirmed this.

Ethel and William had a son born in 1922.  I wonder if the accommodation was just getting a little cramped by then with a growing teenage lad about the place for Francis to fit in comfortably?  But I'm also struck by the fact that he moved back in with Ethel and William in 1939 after several years boarding separately (or so I assume)!

Peter

[judb]

Likely to have been more room at O'Brien St after 1942 which is when the son Francis Boyd enlisted in the army.

Now you know many of us who dabble in genealogy are inveterate stickybeaks (and I'd certainly put myself in that category  ) so just wondering if William and Ethel had two children  born in the same year, although hardly possible as the son Francis gives his birthdate on enlistment as May 1922.  Perhaps it's incorrect.
NSW BMD shows these records:
21890/1922  BOYD FRANCIS W, parents: WILLIAM H, ETHEL L, registered WAVERLEY
29420/1922 BOYD ETHEL J, parents: WILLIAM H, ETHEL, registered BALMAIN NORTH

Judith

[Jennaya]

Back in the day, widows often took in boarders after their husband's death. It was a good way to earn an income.
Also, the front bedroom of houses was often the " best room" that was used for guests. So potential lodgers would know they were getting a nice room.

[maddys52]

There are 2 marriages on NSW BDM:

William H BOYD and Ethel L McCRAY at Waverley (12265/1921)
William H BOYD and Ethel GRAHAM at Sydney (4103/1915)

I would guess that Ethel J BOYD born at Balmain was the daughter of William BOYD and Ethel nee GRAHAM. 

[judb]

Well found, maddys!
There are 2 marriages on NSW BDM:

William H BOYD and Ethel L McCRAY at Waverley (12265/1921)
William H BOYD and Ethel GRAHAM at Sydney (4103/1915)

I would guess that Ethel J BOYD born at Balmain was the daughter of William BOYD and Ethel nee GRAHAM

Just goes to show how difficult it can be to unravel family histories. 

Judith

[PeterProg]

I did do a double take when I saw those two Boys births in 1922.  The father in both cases was a William Henry Boyd, but two entirely different men as it turns out - one born in 1892 and the other in 1893.  Family history research does keep you on your toes!

One last question re Francis in his lodging years, 1935 - 1938-9 that goes to the lifestyle norms of the day.  Would a professional man of reasonable means boarding or lodging in the sort of accommodation that Francis might have had typically engage a cleaner to come in and clean his room/rooms periodically?  Or would this fall to, maybe, a landlady or, heaven forbid, Francis himself?

[sparrett]

My thoughts on the question.

In that between wars era the employment of domestic staff was still very usual.
 It would be understood in offering board to “gentlemen" that the room cleaning would be a part of the package.

As the establishment at Darley Rd was quite large, I would suggest the proprietor would engage servants to take care of the rooms, cleaning, airlng dusting etc. as well as the 3 meals a day aspect.

These may include family members of course and many such places were family operated where the daughters might clean and cook.

Bathrooms were communal, there usually being just one or a most two shared. The WC would almost certainly be outdoors. 

Examples
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/147851102
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/265338656
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/194130175
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/139790615
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1144628   

Sue

[PeterProg]

Thank you Sue - that’s really helpful.

Peter

[PeterProg]

There's an article on Trove from May 1929 (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16555501?searchTerm=francis%20mccray) covering Francis' farewell dinner at Adams' Cafe prior to his departure for the UK.  The dinner was organised by his boss, George G. Clarke, head of George G. Clarke Ltd and The Paraffines Companies Inc.

I don't know for sure, but is more than likely I think that Francis resumed working for Clarke's import-export business on his return from his posting.  I'm wondering how likely it might be that records might survive of Francis' employment with the company from this mid-1930s period.  Unlikely I suspect, but you never know!  There might just be some reference to his residential address if there were any such records.

In the years after Francis' passing in 1945, the George G. Clarke Ltd business seemed to go from strength to strength judging by various Trove references through the 1950s and early 1960s.  In September 1964, the company was taken over by Kolotex Holdings - just a month or so before George Gladstone Clarke himself passed away suddenly at his Sydney home.

Kolotex was then taken over in 1976 by JGL Investments Pty Limited.  JGL Investments is still going strong apparently, a consumer goods company located at 161 Collins Street, Melbourne.

I very much doubt that JGL would have any resources that related to Francis' employment 90 years ago with a long-ago subsumed company.  But might any such records have survived in some other form of corporate database?  This is well outside my family history research expertise, but just thought I would ask the question to see if anybody had any suggestions.

Peter