Patrick John Keady moved to New Zealand about 1905 with his brother, Michael Thomas Keady (1869-1940).
Patrick and Michael grew up with their family at Koetong, Victoria, Australia. In their 20s they enlisted with the 3rd NSW Rifles to serve for Australia during the Boer War in South Africa.
The family story is that times were tuff on the land and so they both moved to New Zealand about 1905.
Patrick subsequently joined the New Zealand Army and served at Gallipoli where he was wounded in 1915. Shortly after being repatriated to New Zealand, Patrick married Janet Crawford (1894-1970) in 1916. They had only one child, Jean Elizabeth Keady (1921-1970).
The above photo of Patrick and Janet has been shared by Dean in New Zealand. It is a great find given there are so few photos of the early Keady family. Many thanks to Dean.
One interesting fact shared by Dean is that Patrick was a publican in the town of Orepuki where he seems to have spent most of his years in New Zealand. It is good to see Patrick kept up the family tradition, as his grandfather John Keady (1812-1884), his brother Michael, and some of his other siblings were no doubt skilled in pouring a beer.
Baptism of John and Mary Keady 23 April, 1840, Parish of Tisaron and Galen, County Offaly, Ireland.
Background
The first Keady family arrived in Melbourne on 29 November, 1841 on the sailing ship Frances from Liverpool.
John Keady (1812-1884) and his wife Hanora (1811-1892)(nee Kenny) arrived with four children; Thomas (8 years old), Patrick (5 years old) and twins John and Mary (18 months old). The shipping record confirms that John and Mary were twins.
Their origin is identified as Kings County, Ireland, later to be renamed Offaly County.
See more detail on family arrival. Click on link below.
The only record found until recently of the family (Birth, Deaths or Marriages) was the Baptism record for Patrick Keady, the 5 year old mentioned above. With the help of the East Galway Historical Society, Patrick’s baptism was tracked down to 8 April, 1837 at Laurencetown, County Galway.
New piece of the puzzle
A recent search through the Family Search web service, a free web service provided by “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”, hit gold. A record was found for the baptism of Joannem Keedy or Kiedy, with his parents being Joannis Keedy or Kiedy, father; and mother, Honorae Kenny. Screen shot below. (Website: family search.com)
For all those who have forgotten their high school latin, this Baptism record can be translated as John Keady(name of baby being baptised), father – John Keady and mother – Honora Kenny.
Unfortunately, the image of the original scanned page from the Parish Register cannot be viewed on “FamilySearch”. However, images of the scanned document can be viewed at the National Library of Ireland (NLI) website. Knowing the Parish name (Tisaron and Galen) and date, the original page can be viewed. The relevant entry from the Register is shown below.
Reading across from the numeral, “23” two names can be seen, Joannus and Mariam. In other words, John and Mary, confirming that this is indeed the record of the Baptism for the twins of John Keady and Honora Kenny.
While this record only shows the Parish name, and not a particular Church or Town, the Parish location is very close to Laurencetown where Patrick was baptised.
These Baptism records suggest that the Keady family were living in the vicinity of Ballinasloe, County Galway. This general vicinity is where the three Counties of Galway, Roscommon and Offaly(Kings) converge.
Further support for this location is demonstrated in John Keady’s naming of his properties in Australia as “Somerset”. This is the name of an Irish homeland just a couple of miles from Laurencetown.
Sad Endnote
Sadly, John’s twin sister Mary died in February 1842 only a few months after arriving in Melbourne. Mary was buried in the Old Melbourne Cemetery, which became the Queen Victoria Market carpark. There are no records available for the period when Mary was buried.
With the family spread far and wide it was rare for the children of Thomas Patrick and Lillian Keady to gather together. However, Lillian’s Eightieth Birthday in February 1961 was one exception. While most of Lillian’s children, their spouses and many grandchildren were there, a couple of exceptions were son Thomas and daughter, Mollie who lived in Western Australia at this time.
The photos below are a great reminder of the day, and with the collective help of a few cousins, everyone has been identified.
In 1961 Lillian was still living at the family house, 51 Cameron Street, Wonthaggi where she had raised her family with Thomas Patrick Keady. Thomas had passed away some 15 years earlier on 14 June 1946 at the age of 71.
Interestingly, the house still survives at 51a Cameron Street, although the large veggie patch which the boys toiled in under their father’s strict supervision has clearly been developed as another house many years ago.
John Keady (1812-1884) helps with the first “Campbellfield and Pentridge Steeplechase”.
John Keady had purchased a large parcel of land on Sydney Road in 1853, just 6 miles from Melbourne. It’s hard to imagine, but this was all farmland at the time. The parcel of land was 559 acres or 226 hectares.
Adjacent to his property on Sydney Road was the Wheatsheaf Inn which would have been a watering hole for those heading out of Melbourne to the Goldfields.
John’s land known as Somerset Estate had a frontage of nearly 1 mile on Sydney Road and a frontage along the Merri Creek of about 4 miles. (According to newspaper advertisements from 1854 when he tried to sell the property, shortly after purchasing it). It is understood that the Sydney Road frontage was opposite the current Fawkner Cemetery.
By advertisement in the major papers in July 1861 it is announced that, “The First Grand, Pentridge and Campbellfield Steeplechases will take place on Saturday, 20th July, 1861”.
Source: Trove
Of note is that J Keady, Esq. was one of the five Stewards for the day. Probably more interesting is that the 2 mile course which started near the Wheatsheaf Inn went across John Keady’s land.
There are some quite detailed accounts of each race provided in “The Argus” which can be found via Trove which is part of the National Library.
For those interested, “Happy Jack” won the first in a canter. “Fivey” took out the second after “Royal Charlie”, who was blind in one eye hit the last hedge and came in second. In the final race “Fivey” fronted up again and led all the way. Apparently it was a most successful day with no serious accidents.
John had already had some experience with horse racing as he had been a Steward for the Brunswick and Pentridge Races conducted on Saturday, 5th May, 1860. This event had a real local focus. Six races were conducted and in three of the races the horses needed to be owned by property holders in Brunswick and Pentridge.
Source: Trove
The most interesting race was no doubt the last. The “Cabmen’s Race” which was open only to horses used by local cabmen operating in the area. The horse had to be ridden by the cabman, who could not be under 9 stone. First prize was a full set of harness.
Comprehensive race descriptions were provided in local newspapers but are not in the best quality to reproduce. However, it’s worth noting that Mr Horsington’s “Smuggler” won the cabmen’s race over 1 mile. (Credential’s for Smuggler sound a little dubious.!)
While John Keady certainly played a role as a steward in these early race meets organised by the local community, conducted on informal tracks laid out on their farmland, he does not appear to have been a active participant. No record can be found of his name amongst the entrants nor results published for these events.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is starting to influence so many areas of our lives. Photoshop has introduced an AI module to its program which converts black and white photos to colour. The photo below is a colourised version of the photo of Fred, Thomas Patrick and Jack Keady which appeared in the most recent blog.
It really is like magic, so I thought it should be shared. It certainly seems to bring these family members to life.
The photos in the previous post had quite a few blemishes including dark patches, light patches and many fine scratches or dust spots.
Most of these have now been fixed with the help of Photoshop. While they can’t be returned to the original photo quality, the photos below are certainly an improvement.
Roy Keady(left), Thomas Keady,jnr (centre), Fred Keady Fred Keady(left), Thomas Patrick (Snr), probably John Dennis “Jack” Keady on right
Request: If anyone has the originals of these photos, or knows who has, it would be great to hear from you.
These two photos have popped up from various sources amongst the Keady cousins at different times. As with many photos, unfortunately there are no captions on the back, no date, no description, nor notes on the people in them.
Roy Keady on left, wearing footy jumper under jacket, right hand holding billy on top of swag. Fred on right, hand on bicycle crossbar. Person in middle possibly Thomas Keady holding handlebar of bike. Joan thinks it could also be Jack..
However, we can be sure of a couple of the people, and fairly certain that the photos were taken by Fred, who was an apparently an avid photographer, even doing his own developing. (Fred even took his camera when he was serving in the Army during WW II).
Fred Keady on left. Two others unknown. Joan thinks the person on right could be her father, Jack Keady. Man in centre looks a lot older than the other two. Could be Thomas Patrick Keady (snr).
What do we know for sure ?
Fred Keady is standing on the right, leaning on the bike in the first photo, and standing on the left in the second photo. This was confirmed by Fred’s daughter Veronica. Looking closely you can see he is wearing the same shirt and hat.
Roy’s son Michael confirms that it is Roy standing on the left in the first photo, wearing a footy jumper.
Identification of the other’s requires a bit of an educated guess as to when these photos might have been taken. They certainly look like they are on the road with their swags and billys. Realistically the only time they are likely to have had to hit the road was during the worst strike at the Wonthaggi Coal Mine in 1934. The strike lasted for 5 months from March to July, 1934. All accounts from the time suggest the miners had a terrible time just surviving.
In 1934, Thomas Patrick (senior), Jack and Roy were all working at the State Coal Mine. Thomas Patrick (jnr) had left the mine in 1929, Bob in 1933 and it is unclear what Fred was doing. (Fred’s employment record show he started in June, 1927, aged 14, but his termination date just says, “LEFT”. Sounds like he might have done a runner at some stage because all the other employment records for the Keady boys are very precise as to their termination dates.)
Unless someone has a marked up copy of this photo which will help with identification, let’s assume they are all members of the Keady family on the road trying to survive during the 1934 strike.
The middle person in the first photo is most likely Thomas Patrick (jnr) as he is a similar height to Roy and Fred and has a rounded face, as in the other few photos of Thomas. He looks a little older too. While not working at the mines, Thomas was still living at 51 Cameron Street, Wonthaggi, the family home.
In the second photo, the middle person is definitely quite a bit older than Fred, and may well be Thomas Patrick (Senior). Which leaves Jack on the right of the photo.
Note of Explanation. There a quite a few versions of these photos circulating amongst the cousins which caused a lot of head scratching. It turns out some of them are mirror images of the above photos. Fred must have been mucking around in his dark room as he developed them. The give away is the chain sprocket on the bike, it is always on the right side of the bike !
Happy to be corrected on anything above if someone is fortunate enough to have a marked up copy or the original of the above photos.
Irrespective of the accuracy of my detective work, it’s worth keeping in mind what a tough year, 1934 must have been for the Keady Family in Wonthaggi. All the older members of the family in all likelihood had no work, and at home Lillian was still looking after Kevin (16yo), Jimmy (15yo), Molly (12 yo) and George (10yo).
The Keady Family at Wonthaggi seemed to take great pride in the family car. The family Buick was a feature of some great photos. Without any knowledge of Buick’s of the time one can only imagine it was a fairly large car to fit the extended family of ten children.
One reliable source has reported that Thomas Keady used to keep his workplace, as the Engine Driver at the Wonthaggi Coal Mine meticulously clean. No doubt the Buick was pampered and polished with the same loving care.
Looks like the family has stopped on the side of the road for a picnic.
Thomas Patrick “Tommy” Keady and wife Lillian are sitting in the grass. Eldest son, John Dennis “Jack” sitting in grass by the front wheel with his younger brother Fred leaning on the bonnet.
Unfortunately there were no notes or captions with this photo so identification of the rest is an educated guess. Assuming the very small boy sitting on the bonnet next to Fred is George, born in 1924, this photo was probably taken about 1928.
This would suggest the other young boy on bonnet is Jimmy (b 1919) , and possibly Kevin (b 1918) standing on guard with his cricket bat next to Lillian. Roy (b 1915) is three years older than Kevin and would have been 13 years old at this time. (Perhaps Roy was taking the photo.)
Finally there is a small girl sitting in the grass behind Jack’s left arm, probably Molly. Molly would have been 6 years old. (You have to look hard to spot Molly)
Unclle Dan visits Wonthaggi
This classic photo with Thomas Patrick looking a bit like “Lurch” from the Addams Family is probably taken about the same time as the previous one, with younger boys of the family, Kevin, Jimmy and George missing.
The occasion is a catch up with Thomas’s younger brother, Daniel (2nd from left) and his wife Julia. Whether, the Keady family have travelled up to Tallangatta to Daniel’s farm or Daniel and Julia have travelled down to Wonthaggi is unknown.
Robert “Bob” spent many of his early years living with his Uncle Daniel and Auntie Julie, who had no children.
Again no notes came with this photo.
Going from left to right, Robert (or possibly Fred), Daniel, Julia, Francie, Roy, Jack, Molly, Lillian and Thomas Patrick.
There are also two mystery faces hidden in the shadows of the car. An adult is leaning out the driver’s window and there is a small boy leaning out the passenger window.
Three young boys on kickboard of Keady family car. Left, most likely Kevin Keady. Given the boys look to be of similar ages, others are likely to be Roy and Jimmy. Photo was probably taken about 1924-25 given the age of the boys.
Any feedback on identification mistakes or history of the car would be most welcome.
Update on the Family Car
The Family Car is confirmed as a General Motors, Buick Standard or Master Six model which were produced in America from 1925-1928. This was regarded as a luxury car of the time.
Sourced: Pinterest
It is pretty hard to pick the exact model without being able to see under the bonnet or the interior trim. However, Thomas’s car seems to have a soft-top which suggests it was the “Touring” model. There were quite a few variations on the standard model including a 5 seat and 7 seat version. I guess we can surmise that he went for the 7 seat model if he could afford it, given the size of the family.
For the motoring enthusiasts, this model had a straight six engine with either 4.2 or 4.5 litre capacity. The brochures of the time claimed it was capable of 70 miles per hour !
Martin was the eighth child of John Francis Keady and Margaret O’Leary, the younger brother of our Grandfather, Thomas Patrick Keady.
Our grandfather, Thomas Patrick Keady was 6 years old, when his younger brother Martin was born in 1880 at Kialla East, near Sheparton on 16 August, 1880. Martin had 6 siblings at the time, as John and Margaret had lost 2 children in infancy, John Henry in 1874 and Michael in 1878.
The only girl in the family, Mary Ann Keady was born a year latter in 1861 at Sheperds Flat, which is just north of Daylesford, Victoria.
Sometime in the 1880s John Francis and his family moved East to Koetong along with the families of his brothers, Patrick and James Henry.
Martin’s childhood and early life would have been on the fairly isolated farming community of Koetong. He is listed as a grazier in the electoral rolls of the early 1900s, through his 20s and early 30s.
On 9 March 1916 at the age of 35, Martin was admitted to the Royal Park Receiving House and Hospital for the Insane in Melbourne. Martin spent some 7 years as an inmate until he was transferred to the Beechworth Hospital for the Insane on 8 April 1923.
Martin’s condition was described as follows in a Doctor’s report prepared for an Inquest into his death in 1952.
“He was regarded as a case of schizophrenia with marked deterioration and his mental condition showed little change over the years”.
Sadly, Martin spent 29 years in Beechworth Asylum until his death, aged 71 in 1952.
At the time of his death he only had one surviving sibling, his older brother Daniel Keady who was living at Bullioh, near Koetong.
Martin died on 28 February, 1952 after spending a few weeks in the hospital ward of the Asylum.
It is highly likely that he had minimal or no contact with family members after he was admitted to the Asylum. Hospital administration records at the time of his death describe him as “Invalid, 70 years” and note that he had “No relatives” and there were “no friends” to defray the cost of a funeral.
No records can be found regarding his burial, but in the circumstances it is most likely that he was buried in a paupers grave at Beechworth Cemetery.
Clearly, Martin must have been a pretty tough character to survive some 36 years locked up in the Mental Hospitals in the first half of the 20th Century.
The photo below is the only known family portrait which includes the whole family. Given the youngest member of the family George, (standing centre front) looks like he is in his early teens, the photo was probably taken about 1935.
Keady family about 1935. Left to right back, Roy, Francie, Thomas, Jack, Lillian Crawford. Middle row left to right, Robert, Molly, Kevin, Fred, Jimmy, Thomas Patrick Keady. George standing centre, front. (Source: Brian, Molly’s son)
Neither the occasion or location are noted on the photo, although it sure looks like the front verandah of 51 Cameron Street, Wonthaggi.
The quality of the photo is not bad after some repair work to remove small scratches and dust, unfortunately it looks like Thomas and Jack in the back row have moved slightly when the photo was being taken. Their faces are a little blurred and this can’t be fixed.
Get in touch if you would like a high quality copy.
When Frances Lillian “Francie” Keady was 13 years old a younger sister finally arrived. Mary Margaret Keady, or “Mollie” was born at Wonthaggi on 30 June 1922.
Mary “Molly” Keady, about 1925-26
The photo below was sent by Francie to her Aunt Annie, on the occasion of her 15th birthday, a couple of years latter.
Francie Keady, 15th Birthday, 13 July 1925. Postcard to Auntie Anne in Albury.
The last child of Thomas and Lillian to arrive was George Keady, who was born in Wonthaggi on 10 December, 1924.
The age spread across the family is pretty obvious in the photo below. The occasion or location is unknown, but everyone certainly seems dressed up, even the youngsters, Molly and George standing on the deck of the yacht behind their older brothers Fred and Jack. (The older gentleman on the left has been identified as Mr Vesteine, by someone !!! Help with clarifying his relationship to the family would be great.)
Molly, George on the boat. Front Mr Vesteine, then Fred, Jack, Lillian, Thomas (L-R). About 1930
The photo below must have been taken about the same time or a little earlier; perhaps around 1930. George Keady is standing in front of his older brother Fred, with the background being the side of the family home in Cameron Street, Wonthaggi.
It’s worth noting Fred’s grubby hands. If indeed the photo was taken about 1930, then Fred was in his late teens and had been working at the State Coal Mine since he was 14. Perhaps he has just returned from a shift underground.
Or perhaps Fred and George were doing some work in their father’s famous vegetable garden because it looks like George has been crawling around on the ground given the dirt on his knees.
This is one of the few informal photos of family members. In most family shots everyone is meticulously groomed.
Fred and younger brother, George Keady at Wonthaggi.
Points of Clarification
The stories accompanying each photo are pure guesswork. There are very few, if any photos with any written explanation. We are just lucky that names are noted on a few.
The last photo of Fred and George was distributed a few years back with a caption of John Dennis “Jack” Keady and George. Some recent photos from the collection of Veronica Keady, Fred’s daughter clearly identify the older boy in this photo as “Fred”. So apologies for that mistake.
The following photo of a very young Roy Keady was taken about 1918. Roy was the sixth in the family of Thomas and Lillian Keady.
Roy Keady about 1918, source: son Michael
About the time the above photo of Roy was taken, James Kevin “Kevin” Keady was arriving in June, 1918. In quick succession, James “Jim” was born in November, 1919. (I’m sure there must be a story about how two boys in succession ended up with the same name, “James” ? Any suggestions would be appreciated.)
Following a long run of boys, a second daughter, Mary Margaret “Molly” Keady was born on 30 June, 1922.
The photo below of Kevin and Molly (about 1928) was taken and then developed by their older brother Fred who would have been 14-15 years. Unfortunately no photos have surfaced of young Fred.
Kevin Keady with younger sister Molly Keady. c. 1928.
Hectic Home Life for Lillian
Life at home must have been pretty hectic. About the time of the above photo, Molly and Kevin’s eldest brothers Jack and Thomas were 20 and 18 years old respectively, and had been working in the State Coal Mine for a few years. Their father Thomas Patric Keady had started at the State Coal Mine in 1912.
The older boys, Jack and Thomas had both started working at the State Coal Mine in 1923, Jack was 15 and Thomas 14 years old. A couple of years later in 1927, Fred started in June as a 14 year old and Robert shortly after in October, 1927 as a 16 year old.
This period in the early to mid 1920s must have been a crazy time for poor Lillian. Lillian was pregnant a lot of the time, there were todlers underfoot and the older boys and her husband were possibly coming and going at all hours according to the shifts they worked at the Coal Mine. Well done Lillian !
The following photos are from the early days in Wonthaggi, in the period from about 1912 as the family of Thomas Patrick Keady “Tommy” and Lillian Catherine Keady(nee Crawford) started to grow.
Francie, Tom and Jack, about 1912Thomas and Lillian’s children about 1913- Francie, Jack, Thomas and Robert
Birth dates
John Dennis “Jack”, born in Albury, NSW on 30 December 1907
Thomas Patrick “Tom” Keady, born in Powlett River, Vic on 2 June 1909
Frances Lillian “Francie” Keady, born in Powlett River, Vic on 13 July 1910
Robert William “Bob” Keady, born in Wonthaggi, Vic on 20 August, 1911
Note: The area surrounding the State Coal Mine was officially known as Powlett River until the township of Wonthaggi was proclaimed in August, 1910.
What’s the story behind the frilly collars on the boys ?
You might be wondering why the boys, other than baby Robert, are wearing such frilly collars. Initial thoughts turned to some formal occasion such as a first communion. This may well be the reason for the formal photography session, however it seems that this particular fashion style was common for boy’s school uniforms in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The uniform typically included a formal jacket and a frilly collar. It is most obvious on Jack in the first photo. This fashion was following trends in both England and America at the time.
John Dennis “Jack” Keady with Foxie about 1910, probably taken at Powlett River (Wonthaggi) because Jack looks to be about 2-3 years old. Jack was the first child of Thomas and Lillian Keady, born in Albury on 30 December, 1907.
This photo is on a postcard, undated, from Lillian Keady (nee Crawford) to her mother-in-law Margaret Keady (nee O’Leary) who was living at Koetong, near Corryong .
The original postcard was in the personal collection of Molly Keady.
Interesting to note that Lillian refers to herself as “Lilly” when signing off the postcard, and refers to her husband, Thomas Patrick Keady as “Tommy”.
Blogging has been a bit quiet lately. But expect a bit more action over the coming months, with a focus on the Keady Family at Wonthaggi. Some of you may well have seen these before, but it seemed like a good idea to share them around to the wider family.
Thomas Patrick Keady(1874-1946) and Lillian Crawford (1881-1962) moved from Albury to Wonthaggi or Powlett River as it was then called in 1908 or early 1909. Wonthaggi was not proclaimed as a town until 1 August 1910.
This family portrait of Tom and Lillian’s young family was taken about 1915 based on the age of Fred Keady who is the youngest, born in 1913. Fred is sitting on the tall table, 2nd from the left, next to his eldest brother Jack.
Left to right. John Dennis “Jack” born 1907, Frederick Ivan “Fred” born 1913, Robert William “Bob” born 1911, Thomas Patrick “Tom” born 1909, and Frances Lillian “Francie” born 1910 sitting at the front.
Old photos are rather rare, so this was a lucky find. Through a DNA connection a distant 3rd cousin was kind enough to share this great photo of Catherine Angela Keady (1846 -1925).
Catherine also known as “Kate” or “Agnes” was a younger sister of our great grandfather, John Francis Keady (1840-1902) and his older brother, Patrick Keady (1837-1923).
Catherine was one of the first generation of Keadys born in Australia.
Catherine Angel Keady (1846-1925
Catherine was born on 25th September, 1846, with the birthplace given as “Yarra, Victoria”. Formal Government registration of births did not commence until some years latter. The record below is a Catholic Church record of baptisms performed in the Port Phillip colony at the time of Catherine’s birth.
Baptism Record – Catherine Angela Keady
At the time of Catherine’s birth, the English colonial administrators must have still been having trouble with the Keady’s Irish accent. The Baptism records show Catherine’s name as “Cath Cady, and her father’s name as John Cady. This spelling is the same as that used in the shipping records when John, Honora and their first four children arrived in the Colony in November, 1841.
The meaning of “Yarra” is not all that clear, but her father John Keady was recorded as living at “Half Tree”, Merri Creek in 1847. It is probably a fair assumption that Catherine spent her childhood living on the Keady family farm at Merri Creek. The next record of the family location was in 1856, when John Keady was recorded as living at Pentridge.
The township of Pentridge referred to the location of the first stockade built in Melbourne and was to be developed over the following decades into the infamous, Pentridge Prison. Today, the area is known as Coburg and the old township roughly stretches from Sydney Road to the Merri Creek. (The exact location of the “Half Tree” on Merri Creek, remains a mystery.)
Catherine was the 8th child of John and Honora Keady.
Kate went on to marry Daniel Kenny (1843-1902) on the 13th August 1874 at St Patrick’s Cathedral Melbourne. Daniel’s residence is given as Dargalong, near Nagambie, and Kate’s father’s address is given as “Somerset House”, Carlton. (The exact location of “Somerset House” in Carlton is unknown.). It is worth noting that John Keady also named his house at Nagambie in latter years as “Somerset”. A copy of the original wedding notice is shown below, when Daniel and Elizabeth were celebrating their silver wedding anniversary in 1899.
Silver Wedding Anniversary 1899
Daniel and Elizabeth went on to have 7 children, all of whom were born around the same district, including Nagambie, Murchison and Katamatite.
In latter years they moved to the farming district west of Wagga Wagga in NSW. Their residence is recorded as Ganmain and Coolamon.
The following article from 1895 gives a little insight into life on the land for the family and their strong commitment to the Catholic faith.
Extract from Freeman’s Journal, Trove, 1895
Catherine’s husband Daniel Kenny died at Narrandera in 1902.
The last story gave an overview of the first few years of Thomas and Lillian’s early years together; from their marriage in Wodonga in 1907 to their move to Wonthaggi, and life in the Tent cities which housed the first workers moving to the coalfields.
Let’s take a step back to their marriage celebrations.
Thomas and Lillian’s Marriage Certificate. Source:Veronica Keady
At the time of their wedding on 10th June 1907, at St Augustine’s, Lillian’s place of residence is given as Corryong, where her parents, Robert Henry and Catherine “Kitty” Crawford(nee Gorman) were living. However, Lillian was most likely boarding in Tallangatta, where she was working. Thomas Keady is noted as living at Koeting on the road between Wodonga and Corryong, however he was also living away from home, working in gold fields at Sandy Creek, just outside Tallangatta. Thomas was 33 years old and Lillian was 26 years old.
Family Life at the time.
Thomas Patrick Keady
Thomas was one of nine children to John Francis Keady (1840-1902) and Margaret O’Leary. At the time of his wedding his father had passed away 5 years before, and four of his eight brothers had already died, two in infancy.
He only had one sister, Mary Ann Keady, the youngest of the nine. The whole family were working on the land at Koetong. Besides Thomas and his immediate family, Thomas had his Uncle Patrick, Auntie Mary and their twelve children. In addition another Uncle, James Henry KEADY, seems to have used Koetong as a base for prospecting and Tin Mining ventures around the Upper Murray area.
Koetong was quite a remote location at the time, just a couple of pubs, which served as a staging post for coaches travelling between Wodonga and Corryong to the East. It was 70 km west to Wodonga and about 50 km east to Corryong.
Koetong. Source:State Library of Victoria
(The above photo from the State Library of Victoria, although not dated was probably taken about the turn of the 20th Century). There were only two buildings in the town, both Pubs. The pub on the left was run by Hermann Gerecke, whose son and daughter both married members of the Keady family.)
The Keady’s were the biggest clan in Koetong. In 1903 there were only 61 adults on the Electoral roll living at Koetong, and 10 of those were Keadys.
Lillian Catherine “Lily” Crawford
Lillian was one of four girls in a family of ten. Lillian’s parents Robert Henry Crawford and his wife Catherine Gorman, or “Kitty” had married at Round Plain near Jindabyne in 1871. About 1895 Robert, Kitty and the family of ten settled in Corryong after Robert had tried his hand at various trades including Publican, prospector and the fur trade. (Extract from his own memoir)
Lillian would have been in her mid teens by the time the family moved to Corryong. The following family group photos shows Lillian in her early 20s standing at the back next to her father. (Lillian, 2nd from right standing)
Crawford Family – about 1900
The following photo has been taken a few years latter as Emma, the youngest in the family now looks like a teenager. Probably a year or two before Lillian’s marriage. (Lillian, back left, Ann on right, Kate, sitting with book, Emma at her side)
According to Thomas and Lillian’s son Robert, Lillian used to work at Hills Coffee Palace in Tallangatta, and possibly “popped the question” there.
Another son, George recounts that Thomas was working at the Sandy Creek Gold Fields when he met Lillian. The Sandy Creek goldfields are about 3-4 kilometres out of Tallangatta, where many alluvial gold claims were being worked.
What was a Coffee Palace ? Was Lillian serving Lattes and macchiatos ?
Probably the best description of a Coffee Palace is, “A pub with no beer”.
Through the latter half of the 19th Century and into the early part of the 20th Century there was a strong Temperance movement in Australia.
In the second half of the 18th Century until the Depression of 1891-92, immigration was extremely high from Britain for those still seeking to make their fortune on the Goldfields, and the more wealthy gentry who were keen to invest in the booming economy.
Accomodation was in high demand particularly in the major ports of Melbourne and Sydney.
The so called “Coffee Palace” was developed to meet this accomodation demand, without the temptation of Alcohol.
The term “Coffee Palace” came from England where such establishments had been common for some centuries. They provided a place where people could congregate and socialise without getting drunk. The only alternative drinks were Tea, which was highly taxed and very expensive, and the local water which at those times meant you risked sickness or death from any number of water borne diseases. Coffee was relatively cheap and used boiled water, so this minimised the chance of getting sick.
Most major towns had a “Coffee Palace” about the time Lillian and Thomas got married. There were Coffee Palaces in Corryong, Tallangatta, Wodonga and Albury. In the early part of the 20th Century, the term “Coffee Palace” fell out of use, and these establishments became known as “Motels” or “Guest Houses”.
About the time Lillian worked at the Tallangatta Coffee Palace it was quite a large establishment. A few years before the Wedding in 1899, the Palace was put up for sale; it had 16 rooms, 2 kitchens, bathroom, 2 buggy houses and 2 stables.
The Big Day
In the lead up to the Wedding Day, it is understood that Lillian’s dress was prepared by Catholic Nuns in Albury, where she also received instructions in the Catholic Religion.
It is perhaps more likely that the Catholic Nuns were living in the Convent which was adjacent to the Church where she was to marry, St Augustine’s Church, Wodonga.
St Augustine Church and Convent 1909
The Wedding and Reception certainly seemed to have been a low key affair. The Wedding was celebrated at St Augustine’s church on a Monday morning, 7 June 1907. After the Wedding Ceremony the Wedding Party moved down High Street a short distance, to Miss Moore’s Railway Hotel where a wedding breakfast was partaken.
Lillian and Thomas then caught the afternoon train to Melbourne for their honeymoon.
(The Railway Hotel was burnt to the ground a couple of years latter and replaced by a substantial brick built hotel, which after going through many owners and facelifts was demolished in 2020. Miss Moore sold up in 1909, and moved to take up a licence for a Hotel in Cootamundra.)
The best man was Martin Keady, Thomas’s younger brother and Maggie Keady (Margaret Teresa Keady), Thomas’s cousin acted as Bridesmaid. There is no mention of other family members in an article published by “The Border Morning Mail and Riverina Times on Wednesday, 12 June, 1907. Typically such newspaper reports of weddings would include a long list of attendees and describe the gifts each had given to the bride and groom.
The Best Man, Martin Keady
Martin Keady 1880 – 1952
The family “story” is that Lillian’s parents were not at the Wedding and the following letter from her father seems to confirm that story. An attempt has been made below the letter to transcribe the content. Punctuation was clearly not a strong skill for the writer, Lillian’s father Robert. He hasn’t done a bad job at all, considering he had no formal schooling.
While Lillian’s parents weren’t actually at the Wedding, this seems to indicate the strong feelings they had for her.
Corryong
June 17th/07
My Dear Daughter Lill
Don’t be … because I did not write you sooner we got your Post Card on Saturday night and I was too sleepy or lazy to write yesterday.
However I am glad you are married and settled down and wish you Both all the Happiness and Prosperity this world can afford you and that is a good deal if the fates treat you right which I earnestly hope they will
Mother says we should have sent you a wire this Morning but this will do as well for you know there is no one wishes you better than we do
I think Ann is writing you to night her and mother are up at ….pots(?) went to see some fancy work I think am writing Jack
Sent Slip with wedding report.
Writing on side.
Am addressing Plain Tallangatta don’t know such at ST: May God Bless your union is the earnest Prayer your Fond Parents R & C Crawford.
Our Grandparents, Thomas Patrick KEADY (1874-1946) and Lillian Catherine CRAWFORD (1881-1962) were married in Wodonga and moved to the new Coalfields at the Powlett River Coalfields in 1909.
Tent City at Powlett River Coalfields (Wonthaggi)
Thomas and Lillian married on the 10 June 1907 at St Augustine’s Catholic Church, Wodonga. It is not exactly clear where they were living at the time, but we do know from Electoral rolls that Thomas had been living at Koetong with his family in 1903 and Lillian had been been living at Corryong, just down the road with her family. It was probably a fair bet that they met at one of the pubs or staging posts at Koetong because the only road from Corryong back to civilisation at Albury/Wodonga was the road through Koetong and Tallangatta heading west.
In the period after their marriage, Thomas and Lillian must have stayed in the local district because their first child, John Dennis Keady was born in Albury on 30 December, 1907. Their second and third children, Thomas Patrick KEADY and Frances Keady were both born at Powlett River. Thomas on 2 June, 1909 and Frances on 13 July 1910.
In the early years of the 1900s Victoria relied heavily on coal from the Hunter Valley in NSW to supply its railways. After a strike at the NSW coalfields, the Victorian Government was determined to secure its own supply, which led to the development of the State Coal Mine and establishment of the town of Wonthaggi on 1 August 1910. The area known as the Powlett River Coalfields had already been operating in a limited way for a number of years, but the coal had to be carted by bullock wagons to Inverloch and then shipped to Melbourne.
A tent city sprung up in no time to accomodate the workers who flocked from around Australia and overseas.
The following extract from an article published in “The Age” in January, 1910 provides a fantastic description of the tent city that Thomas and Lillian initially called home.
The following pictures come from original postcards sent by my wife’s relatives, who were also attracted to the prospect of good steady work.
One of the Keady brothers in Boer War, South Africa, 1900-1902.
Two of the Keady Family joined the 3rd NSW Mounted Rifles and served in South Africa from May 1900 to May 1902. See earlier blog for a little more history. Click here.
The two adventurers were Michael Thomas Keady (1869-1940) and Patrick John Keady (1876-1951), sons of Patrick Keady (1837-1923).
Michael and Patrick were cousins of our grandfather, Thomas Patrick Keady (1874-1946). They would no doubt have shared many experiences as they grew up in Koetong through their teenage years and early 20s. The Koetong community about this time was quite small. On the 1903 electoral roll there were only 61 adults enrolled to vote, of whom 13 were from the Keady families.
The above photo has been discovered by Brian amongst the documents and photos collected by our grandmother, Lillian Keady (nee Crawford).
As is so often the case, there is no writing of any kind to help identify the person in the photo, however I think it is a fair bet to say it is either Patrick or Michael. You can see that the soldier on the horse is not an officer otherwise he’d be decked out in all his regalia. The photo is clearly a posed shot taken in the open by a professional photographer however this wasn’t enough to stop the blurred intruder who walks into the scene on the right hand side as the photo is being taken.
Unfortunately the only photos of Patrick and Michael are taken much latter in life when they are living in New Zealand and it is impossible to make any kind of comparison with the trooper in this photo.
In the absence of any other information coming to light I am quite happy to claim this trooper as one of the Keady family. Anyone seen any photos of similar vintage which might shed light on his identity ?
You might have noticed the roadblocks recently set up to limit travel between Victoria and New South Wales at Albury. The key checkpoint is located on Wodonga Place, just after the road crosses the Murray from Victoria. This is not the first time this location has been a critical checkpoint for travellers between New South Wales and Victoria.
The checkpoint is right in front of the Albury Regional Museum which has close family links to the Keady family.
Albury Regional Museum, Wodonga Place, ALBURY
(Sourced: “Turk’s Head at the Union Bridge: From Licenced Hotel to Regional Museum) Dirk HR Spennemann. Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University)
Originally the Museum building was developed as a Hotel in the 1850s, went through many developments and incarnations until it finally closed as a Hotel in the 1920s. One of its many names was the Turks Head Hotel.
Our grandfather’s Uncle and Aunt, James Oddie and his wife Elizabeth (nee O’Leary) were the licensees of this hotel from December 1885 – June 1891.
Refresher on the Keady connections
Mathew John “Barney” O’Leary and his wife Johanna (nee Lombard) arrived at Port Phillip aboard the “Enmore” from Cork, Ireland on 4 October, 1841 about a month before John and Honora Keady arrived. They brought their daughters Johanna who was 5 years old and Betty who was only 8 months old.
By 1845 the O’Learys were living at Merri Creek, the same location that John and Honora Keady had established their family home. We know the O’Learys lived at Merri Creek because they received some notoriety because of an incident near the corner of Little Bourke Street and Swanston Street in April 1845 when taking their triplets to be baptised. Barney hit a tree stump which tossed the three babies and their nurses on the side of the road. (Very hard to imagine a tree stump in Little Bourke Street>)
One of the O’Leary girls, Margaret O’Leary married John Francis Keady (our Great Grandfather) on the 1 November, 1869 at St Patrick’s, Kilmore.
Margaret O’Leary
Margaret’s sister, Elizabeth Mary O’Leary married James Oddie, an Englishman from Lancashire in 1868 at Beechworth. James and Elizabeth went on to have eight children.
Elizabeth Mary O’Leary
James Oddie
It would seem that the Oddie family moved from Beechworth to Albury in the mid 1880s. James was the licensee of the “Turks Head” Hotel from December 1885 to June 1891. At the time this was the main crossing point of the Murray River on the road from Melbourne to Sydney. The main clients were passing travellers who had to stop to pay a Bridge Toll when crossing the adjacent Union Bridge if heading south to Victoria, and those who had crossed the Bridge heading north had to stop for Customs Inspections.
The Oddie Family
You’d think there would have been quite a reasonable amount of interaction between the Keady family living at the fairly remote Koetong township in Victoria, upstream on the Murray, and the Oddie family at Albury.
The Oddie family maintained a strong connection with Albury with some of the girls living out their lives in the town.
In addition, Margaret and Elizabeth’s father, Mathew “Barney” O’Leary finished his days in Albury, passing to the other side in 1897 at the ripe old age of 102.
Source: Trove
So if you see the roadblock on the Evening News, or you are travelling past going north or south once the restrictions ease, you will be able to look at the Museum and take pride that a distant relative used to pour beers there for weary travellers !
Keady Family in Victoria 