Off course he did – otherwise we wouldn’t be here !
Various newspaper reports in late February 1872 recount a somewhat weird story that Mr John Keady (John Francis Keady, great grandfather) was severely injured with the contents of a shotgun lodged in his stomach !
Even made the Melbourne daily newspapers of the time.
Sourced from Trove.
Certainly paints a grim picture with both the local Doctor and Priest rushing to the scene. In 1872 John was living just north of Kilmore, at Moranding with his wife Margaret and two young sons, Francis William “Will” Keady (1870-1926) and John Mathew Keady (1871-1889).
Fortunately John recovers as reported in the Kilmore Free Press a week or so latter.
Margaret O’Leary arrived at Port Phillip aboard the “Enmore” on 4 October 1841 with her parents Timothy and Johanna and 8 month old younger sister, Betty. Margaret was 5 years old when she arrived.
Margaret seems to have spent her early life in Melbourne and then moved to the Kilmore area where she married John Francis Keady at Saint Patrick’s Church on 1 November 1869. Both John and Margaret were 28 years old at the time of their wedding.
Margaret had nine children all of whom were born around the Nagambie and Sheparton areas. Sadly two children died in their infancy.
Margaret and John moved with their family of seven in about 1890 to the small township of Koetong which is on the Murray Valley Highway between Tallangatta and Corryong.
Life must have been tough for Margaret as two sons died quite young, John Mathew Keady in 1889 and Denney Keady in 1905. To make matters worse both of her youngest children were committed to the Asylum at Beechworth. Mary, her only daughter was committed in 1906 and died in the Asylum in 1912. Martin her youngest son was committed to Mont Park Hospital in 1918 and subsequently transferred to Beechworth Asylum where he died some 30 years latter in 1952.
In her later years Margaret seems to have lived with her son Daniel who was a farmer at Bullioh not far from Koetong. Margaret was living with Daniel when she died on 16 August 1923 at the age of 88. Margaret is buried at the Albury Pioneer Cemetery.
John arrived with his twin sister Maria when he was only 18 months old on 28 November 1841. His parents, John Keady and Honorah Kenny left Liverpool on 20 August 1841 and arrived at Port Phillip over 3 months latter with sons Thomas, 8 years, Patrick aged 6 and the twins, John and Maria.
They sailed on the Barque, Frances which carried 97 sponsored immigrants of English and Irish origins.
Early Life as young child
John’s early life was spent near the Merri Creek adjacent to the Pentridge Stockade which was being built at the time and which would eventually become the Pentridge Prison .
Once settled in this area now known as Coburg, the family expanded with John and Honorah having five more children, 3 boys and 2 girls.
Patrick Keady (1837-1923) arrived in Melbourne with his parents as a 4 year old in November 1841. Patrick married Mary Ann Quinlan at St Patrick’s Church, Kilmore in 1865. He seems to have moved from the Nagambie District to Koetong in the 1880s.
Keady Family in Victoria 