Nancy Casey (nee Dempsey) was renowned for her lemon meringue pies and this recipe comes from her handwritten recipe book
1 can condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
grated rind of 1 lemon
2 eggs separated
2 tbsp granulated sugar
baked pie shell
Blend together condensed milk, lemon juice, grated rind and egg yolks.
Pour into baked pie shell.
Cover with meringue made from egg whites.
Bake in moderate oven 10 minutes or until brown.
Photo source: Depositphotos.com
Annie Edenborough was born on 16 July 1888 at Paddington, New South Wales, the fourth of eight children born to Edwin and Teresa Edenborough (nee Persiani).
Annie’s paternal grandfather was Arthur Edenborough who worked for many years as a tidewaiter for the New South Wales Customs Department, an occupation that was to see him forcibly carried away aboard an American vessel, the Emerald Isle, in January 1851. He was finally released in Honolulu, and with the help of the British Consul there, was returned back to Sydney via New Zealand in June 1851.
Annie’s maternal grandfather, Peter Persiani, was also involved with seafaring: family lore being that he was a sea captain who went down with his ship! He certainly disappeared after his daughter Teresa (Annie’s mother) was born in Sydney in 1862 but whether he perished at sea or deserted his family remains a mystery.
Prior to marriage, Annie Edenborough remained at home assisting her mother with younger children and other domestic duties required in a large household instead of obtaining a profession for herself. She eventually met and married James Dempsey at Paddington, New South Wales, in 1910.
James Dempsey and Annie Edenborough on their wedding day
Throughout their courtship, James sent many beautiful greeting cards to Annie and, as was the common practice of the day, Annie faithfully stored them in a postcard album that had been an eighteenth birthday present to her from her older sister Jessie and Jessie’s husband, Frank Booth.
Annie & James Dempsey at Taylors Bay, Sydney
Catherine Medway, (nee Dempsey)
Catherine, the eldest known child of James and Jane Dempsey, married Henry Robinson, a mariner of Sydney, at her father’s residence, Clarence Street, Sydney on 12 December 1849.1 Catherine’s brother James acted as one of the witnesses.
![Register of marriage for Catherine Dempsey and Henry Robinson, 12 Dec 1849. [NSW Registry of BDMs Entry 226/1849 ]](https://edenborough.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Catherine-m-1849.jpg)
Register of marriage for Catherine Dempsey and Henry Robinson, 12 December 1849.
A little more than a year later, Catherine and Henry’s only child, Henry Jnr, was born at Balmain on 18 January 1851.2 However, in June 1851, the news that gold had been discovered on the Turon was announced, and like so many other men, Henry Robinson, took to the goldfields to make his fortune.
Henry had been mildly successful fossicking at Golden Point when disaster struck in December 1851. While working at Golden Point a freak storm hit the Turon causing flash flooding and resulting in the loss of Henry’s life.
THE FLOOD AND LOSS OF LIFE ON THE TURON
Erskine Point, December 19: Yesterday afternoon we were visited with a storm of no ordinary description … it appears that a large quantity of rain must have fallen on the mountains in a very short space of time, and more particularly on those from whence the waters are conducted by gullies and tributary streams into Oakey and Little Oakey Creeks., so sudden and unexpected was the rush of waters down these places, a considerable loss to the miners, and I am sorry to say loss of life, was the result … a Captain Robinson (who formerly had command of one of the Sydney coasters), and two other men, were at in a tunnel on Little Oakey Creek, about a quarter of a mile from its junction with the Turon River, when the waters rushed in upon them before they could make their escape. It appears that Captain Robinson was carried by the stream to the junction, and from thence about 500 yards down the Turon River … his body was taken from the water in a dreadfully bruised condition from coming in contact with the trunks of the trees, rocks, &c., &c., no part of his clothing remaining except a leather belt; he was Immediately carried into a tent occupied by the miners in the employ of Messrs. Trappitt and Co., and every means was used by two medical men to restore life, but without success.3
Henry’s body was interred in the grounds of the Episcopalian burial grounds at Sofala.4
Grave of Henry Robinson, Sofala, NSW
Catherine eventually remarried but not for 31 years – at the age of 60, Catherine married Matthew Medway, a widower. The marriage was performed on 9 December 1882, at Medway’s residence in Laura Street, Newtown.5 Medway’s daughter Elizabeth and her husband Rowland Pawley were witnesses to the marriage.
Matthew Medway, a builder by trade, was an Alderman of Newtown Municipal Council from 1886 until his death in 1892. He is buried with his first wife, Elizabeth, and their daughter in the Church of England section of Rookwood Cemetery.
Catherine Medway (née Dempsey) died from cancer of the liver four years after her husband Matthew on 9 December 1896,6 and is buried in the old Wesleyan section of Rookwood Cemetery with her mother and father – James and Jane Dempsey.
Handwritten will of Catherine Medway (nee Dempsey) dated 11 December 1895
1 NSW Registry of BDM 1849 V84 No. 226
2 NSW Registry of BDM 1851 V56 No. 195
3 Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday, December 23, 1851, p2
4 Baker, RGV. The Second Rush: A Story of the Second Goldrush to Sofala in 1851, 1986, Centre Pak Research, Cronulla, p19
5 NSW Registry of BDM 1882 No. 2622
6 NSW Registry of BDM 1896 No. 15252
Working on the Casey family tree over Easter I came across this wonderful photograph of Mary Jane Cushley who was married to Daniel Casey (see post of 28 December 2015) among a collection of family photographs we had received from an aunt and forgotten about.
The photograph was taken by the L Herbst photographic studio which operated from 28 Oxford Street, Sydney between 1890-1905. My guess is, the photograph would have been taken in the early 1890s.
Now if only we knew why she was dressed like that?
I recently spent 18 wonderful days combining my two favourite passions – cruising and genealogy.
Participating in the 10th Unlock The Past Genealogy Cruise I boarded the Celebrity Solstice in Auckland, New Zealand and sailed to Fremantle, Western Australia visiting the Bay of Islands, Tauranga, Wellington, Akaroa, Dunedin, Dusky, Doubtful and Milford Sounds, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, along the way.
 The magnificent Celebrity Soltstice |
 Our Unlock The Past team: |
The concept is wonderful – each evening after dinner a talk was presented, then on sea days you could attend all, or as many, conference presentations as you wanted while also enjoying the opportunity to visit travel destinations on the port days.
The team at Unlock The Past put together a terrific mix of 75 lectures plus 3 one-on-one research help zone sessions covering an eclectic mix of research strategies, case studies, techie and general interest presentations.
I especially found the number of 50+ participants to be a good size allowing more flexible and friendly dining and activity options than is available at land-based conferences.
 Louis Kessler, Alona Tester, Judy Russell and Helen Smith – great dining companions |
 More dining options were available than land-based conferences |
Our conference room located on Deck 14 was amazing, with a floor to ceiling glass wall that allowed us the opportunity to search for marine life while listening to our speakers. So important was this feature, in fact, that the order was given by Judy Russell to disrupt her talks should a whale or any dolphins be seen!
Judy Russell – preparing to speak
Judy Russell is better known through the genealogical world as The Legal Genealogist and based on her humour, knowledge and presentation of her talks, I would loved to have seen Judy in action in the courtroom.
Covering such topics as copyright law for genealogists, women under common law, DNA and ethics of genetic genealogy, circumstantial evidence and reconstructing life-changing events, Judy had a full room of participants completely enthralled from go to whoa.
Our other international speakers were: Paul Blake from England who delivered several informative presentations covering British probate records, Irish research, the English manor and tithes and crime and punishment; Louis Kessler from Winnipeg, Canada, opened our eyes to improving our research with source-based genealogy, making the most of our genealogy software, organising our computer files and using life events to solve genealogy problems; and Jan Gow from New Zealand enlightened us with new gadgets and better ways to internet search, prepare for research trips as well as new ways to look at familiar procedures.
Our #10th Unlock The Past Cruise speakers: (Standing, l-r) Eric Kopittke, Shauna Hicks, Paul Blake, Judy Russell, Jan Gow, Louis Kessler. (Sitting) Rosemary Kopittke, Diane Foster, Helen Smith, Geoff Doherty, Marg Doherty
Our Australian presenters – Helen Smith, Geoff & Margaret Doherty, Diane Foster, Rosemary & Eric Kopittke and Shauna Hicks – also covered an amazing range of topics, too numerous to mention here.
I’m already booked and looking forward to meeting up with the UTP team for the #13th Unlock The Past cruise – Brisbane to Papua New Guinea – on board the Pacific Aria 28 July to 7 August 2017.
Mud Slide – official drink of the #10 UTP cruise
This week I made one of my rare visits to Homebush Bay for the Sydney Royal Easter Show. I say rare, because I still miss the old Moore Park showgrounds!
The Sydney Royal Easter Show is run by the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales and for two weeks each year, obviously around Easter, country people descend on Sydney to display and judge rural produce and livestock as well as various competitions for cookery, photography, arts and crafts.
Originating in 1823, the Show had its beginning in Parramatta before first moving to Sydney’s Prince Alfred Park, in 1869 (where it became an annual event), and then moving on to Moore Park in 1881. It would have a final move in 1998, when it became part of the Olympic Park site at Homebush Bay.
For me, as a child growing up, Easter wasn’t all about receiving chocolate from the Easter bunny, it also heralded a much anticipated visit to the Show as well as how many showbags I could talk Mum into buying.
Back then, Mum would take us kids to the Show on its last day, always a Tuesday, and which was then known as Children’s Day. The truth is, being the last day of the show it was the cheapest day to take us. Adults got in for half price, children received free admission and everything was discounted including the rides and, more importantly, the showbags! Back then the showbags were actually sample bags of products from various producers unlike the exhorbitantly priced showbags of today. Of course, Mum always packed our lunch and drinks which meant the only food item that had to be purchased was the fairy floss. And once we were through the gates, the lost children’s room was dramatically pointed out so that we were in such fear of getting separated from mum that, fortunately, that never eventuated.
The day would be spent wandering around the livestock stables where we’d stand in awe at the cattle and horses but hold our noses looking at the pigs and goats. Lunchtime was spent sitting in one of the grandstands to watch whatever was being paraded at the time and no visit to the Easter show was complete unless you had visited the industry halls and, in particular, the district exhibits. Sideshow alley was another “must do” with the main aim being to win a Cupie doll on a stick.
There were rides to be had and strange people walking on stilts to be stared at, and there was a lot of walking. The Moore Park showgrounds covered an area of 40 acres and the buildings were surrounded by a maze of meandering lanes and streets.
At the end of the day we would pile on to a bus, clutching our goodies, to return home totally exhausted.
The following story of Francis Edenborough was reported in The Morning Chronicle of 6 October 1859 under the heading:
POLICE INTELLIGENCE – Marylebone
Francis Edenborough and his partners in crime were brought before the Central Criminal Court on 25 October 1859 whereby the jury returned a verdict of guilty against Alfred Grantham Snr, William Bland and Thomas Mead, recommending Bland and Grantham to mercy, and acquitting Alfred Grantham Jnr and Francis Edenborough.
Henry Edenborough, fifth child of Samuel & Sarah Edenborough (née BOLTON) was born on 14 May 1812 at Bruce Grove, Tottenham, Middlesex. At the age of 15 he was employed by the Honourable East India Company in the Mercantile Marine Branch as a midshipman, per Lord Lowther (1827-28), and Abercrombie Robinson (1829-30).
By late 1833, Henry had left the employ of the HEIC and had made at least one voyage to Sydney as captain of the schooner Emma. Then in 1834, he took up the position of master of a newly-built 380-ton barque part-owned by his father Samuel. This first voyage, as the newly installed master of the Augusta Jessie, was to Tasmania, arriving 22 Jan 1835 with a cargo of 210 male convicts.
Several more voyages to Australia followed before Henry married Margaret Stedman in London in 1836. They eventually travelled to Australia, on board the Elphinstone in 1840, to take up residence at Wollogorang in the Goulburn district of New South Wales. It is believed that the impressive homestead that still stands today was built by Henry in 1846.
The first of Henry and Margaret’s six children, Henry Bolton, was baptised in Sydney shortly after his parents arrival in the colony in 1840; the remaining five children though – Charles Allen (1842), Bishop Reynold (1843), Margaret Annie (1845), Edith Jane (1846) and Spencer Neville(1848) – were all born at Wollogorang. The 1841 census of New South Wales shows that Wollogorang supported four ticket-of-leave men, five shepherds, eight gardeners and stockmen, and four domestic servants.
Wollogorang Homestead as it appeared in 2008
As if running a large sheep and cattle station wasn’t enough, Henry also involved himself in the local community; gave an acre of land for an Anglican church as well as a further acre for a cemetery and became a Justice of the Peace before being appointed a Magistrate of the Territory in 1844.
Henry is often quoted as being a colourful figure who owned a racehorse. But this statement is incorrect. It was, in fact, Henry’s younger brother, Horatio, who spent some time in New South Wales and who was the racehorse owner.
The Goulburn Herald of 17 Jan 1849 stated that Governor Fitzroy, Deas Thompson (the Colonial Secretary) and party “partook of luncheon” at Wollogorang and “were much gratified at the off-handed and unpretending hospitality of Mr Edenborough, for which the gentlemen of the district know him to be so remarkable”.
In 1854, Henry sold Wollogorang and all stock to his neighbour, J W Chisholm, and with his entire family returned to England arriving there at the end of 1854. Henry died at Chesham Lodge, Surrey, on 6 Feb 1855, aged 43 years. Margaret survived her husband by 14 years dying at Sheffield Gardens, Kensington on 26 Oct 1869.
In 1992, Henry was honoured for his participation in the development of Australia by having his name affixed to a plaque located near the Overseas Shipping Terminal on Sydney Harbour.
Wow!
Having just arrived home following an Unlock the Past genealogy cruise from New Zealand to Australia I have found, waiting in my inbox, an email from a person who may be connected to our Dempsey family from Derrykeighan.
His information certainly fits with my information.
And as for the cruise … more to come!
The son of a railway guard, Alfred Thomas Edenborough was born 12 January 1857 at Paddington, London, MDX.
The 1871 census shows the then 14-year-old Alfred Thomas working as a telegraph messenger in the postal service where he remained until joining the London Metropolitan Police at Great Scotland Yard on 3 June 1878. He was subsequently posted to K Division (Stepney) as a constable.
The Metropolitan Police was established in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel, the then Home Secretary, by an Act of Parliament. It must have seemed to be a worthy occupation, as within a year of establishment the force numbered 3000 men from an initial recruitment of 895 constables, 88 sergeants, 20 inspectors, eight superintendents and two commissioners of police.
By the 1881 census, Alfred Thomas had been posted to Y Division (Highgate) where he was to remain for two years before being moved on to A Division (Whitehall) for eight months.
Following his eight-month stint as a constable at A Division, Alfred was then transferred to T Division (Kensington). He would remain at T Division until his retirement on 29 April 1901 at the age of 44 years following 22 years, 10 months and 25 days of service.
Attached to his service number were the letters TR which means that Alfred Thomas was part of the Reserve Force. The Reserve was the top class to which a constable could aspire without taking promotion. Many older officers achieved this and they would be used on all the prestigious London events and had to maintain a higher standard of dress, conduct and turn out than other officers.
His pension record provides the following physical description of Alfred Thomas:
Height: 6 feet 0 inches
Hair: Fair turning grey – bald on top
Eyes: Grey
Complexion: Fresh
Never injured
Alfred Thomas married Mary Ann Smith, the daughter of a butcher, at St Peter’s Church, Paddington, MDX, on 24 May 1882. Over the next 15 years they were to have seven children: Alfred E, Annie M, Lizzie J, Matilda G, Daisy, Rosa A and Harold T.
Among the many cases that Alfred Thomas was no doubt involved in, was the following murder/suicide reported in The Times of 5 February 1879:1
Alfred Thomas Edenborough died at 26 Perrymead Street, Fulham, on 19 September 1923 aged 66 years and was buried at North Sheen Cemetery five days later.
1 “Murder And Suicide”, Times, [London, England], 5 Feb 1879, p11.