Ann (Grey) Willis (1843 - 1895)

Born 1843 in County Leitrim, Ireland

Wife of Edward Willis — married 9 Sep 1864 in Mohill, County Leitrim, Ireland

Descendants

Died 6 Apr 1895 at about age 52 in Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia

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Biography

Ann Grey was born in Leitrim, Ireland. Her father, Owen Grey was a farmer at Lough Rhynn, Her mother was called Mary. ^[1]

Edward Willis and Ann Grey with their son Charles

Ann married Edward Willis in Leitrim, in their daughter Jane’s birth registration, the marriage of Edward and Ann is recorded as Mohill, Leitrim, Ireland on the 9th September 1864. Shortly after they emigrated to Australia. No shipping record has been found yet, but we do know that their first child, a daughter called Ann was born and died in Maryborough, on the coast north of Brisbane, Queensland, on the 7th August 1865.

Edward was at first engaged in surveying work around Maryborough, but lost his camp and equipment to fire in Brisbane making a report. Without his surveying gear, Edward was forced to give up his contract work and went gold mining instead. Gold had just been discovered north of Rockhampton and Edward and Ann moved up to Morinish where their second child Margaret Ann was born on the 14th April 1867 Their next child, Robert was born on the 30th November 1870 about 10 km further west at Ridgelands where the information Ann gave to the Registrar in Ridgelands tells us that Edward was a miner.

About 1872 Edward moved his family to Ravenswood where they lived in Nolan’s Gully. Ravenswood was North Queensland's first major inland town and Edward set up in business as a carrier, carting timber and mining supplies for gold miners at Ravenswood and later to Charters Towers. Edward and Ann’s family increased in Ravenswood. An unnamed son was born and died in 1872, then Jane was born on the 24th June 1873, Charles in 1876, and Ann Mary on the 5th September 1879.

From 1887 to 1895 they lived in Sandy Creek, Charters Towers near the Mary Louisa Mill where Ann and her daughters ran a boarding house and Edward carried on his carting business. Records show that Edward and his children, Charles, Robert and Jane each held an adjacent 5acre homestead lease on Louisa Road.

Ann died in Charters Towers in 1895. Her grave is one of the 5000 unmarked graves in the Pioneer Cemetery there. Shortly after her death, Edward moved with his family to the gold fields of Western Australia. Ann's death registration records her mother as Mary Grey and tells us that she was aged 52 years and born in Ireland.

Sources

1. ↑ Queensland death registration record

• Queensland Deaths - 1895 / C2014 - Ann Willis (parent : Mary Grey) - born Ireland; death aged 52 years
• Family History "Ballynamony to Boulder" by Eric Meacock