Margaret (Casey) Hansen (abt. 1840 - 1905)

Born about 1840 in County Clare, Ireland [uncertain]

Ancestors

Wife of William Patrick Fitzpatrick — married 18 May 1863 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Wife of Patrick Hurley — married 15 Feb 1873 in Geelong, Victoria, Australia

Wife of Charles Hansen — married 12 Jun 1895 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Descendants

Died 4 Jul 1905 at about age 65 in Richmond, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

Margaret Casey was born around 1840 in County Clare, Ireland. She was the third daughter of James Casey and Maria Coffey. She had seven siblings. Two of her brothers, James and Nicholas, came to Australia. She sometimes called herself Teresa rather than Margaret. Margaret was widowed twice and married three times. Margaret died in Richmond, Victoria in 1905.

Margaret came to Australia in 1861, possibly on the "Great Britain". By 1863 Margaret was living in Melbourne and married to her first husband, William Patrick Fitzpatrick. William, their first born, was born here. Soon after that William's work with the Post Office took him and his family to Ballarat where James and Bartholomew were born. Sadly, husband William died in August 1872. Times were tough for the young widow. She had three young children to contend with; William was 8, Bartholomew 5 and James only 8 months old.

Six months later Margaret married Patrick Hurley. Together they had three children, Mary, Jeremiah and Julia. By 1885, Margaret is a publican in Bulla. Five years later, in 1890, Patrick died and Margaret is again a widow.

Margaret waited another five years until in 1895 she married Charles Hansen. Together they ran the Bulla Hotel on the corner of School Lane. They had no children. When she died Margaret owned Dean's Hotel at Bulla on the corner of Bulla and Wildwood Roads. There is no hotel building there today. From around 1900, Margaret also had a house at 12 Miller St, Richmond. That is where she was on 4 July 1905 when she died aged 64.

Margaret's granddaughter, Ann Andersen, said that Margaret Casey was known as one who took no nonsense. Even when James (her son) was a man, dressed in a suit at the time, she threw a bucket of dirty sudsy water over him when he dared to disagree with her. It seems she was a resilient woman, a classic Irish woman, small but fiery. Margaret smoked a clay pipe. Clay pipes were inexpensive and commonly smoked by old timers of the day. They didn't last long but were easily replaced.

Margaret's resting place is Melbourne General Cemetery, Roman Catholic Section, Compartment Z. No. 929. There are three others also buried in this plot but not mentioned on the headstone. One is her second husband, Patrick Hurley. The others are infant grandchildren.

Margaret's third husband, Charles Hansen, outlived her by only seven months. Margaret's first husband, William Fitzpatrick, is buried in the Ballarat New Cemetery.

Sources

• PROV Unassisted Passenger List. Fiche number: 197; Page of list: 6
• "A Brief History of the Coffeys of Munster Ireland", compiled by Alfred Coffey, unpublished, 1938
• First-hand information from family members.
• "Argus" 22 May 1863 Marriages, Fitzpatrick-Casey
• Marriage Certificate No. 1645/1863. - to William Patrick Fitzpatrick
• Death Certificate of husband, William No. 6161/1872.
• Marriage Certificate No. 700/1873. - to Patrick Hurley
• Marriage Certificate No. 2664/1895 - to Charles Hansen
• Various registrations of Margaret's children.
• "Argus" and "Age", July 5, 1905, Deaths [Margaret] Hansen
• Her will, 9 June 1904.
• Her Death Certificate No. 10509/1905.
• Register of Burials in the Melbourne General Cemetery - held at the GSV, run date 18/02/1987