Annie Mary (Hill) Hillier (1866 - 1950)

Born 18 Feb 1866 in Breakfast Creek, Queensland, Australia

Ancestors

Wife of James William Hillier — married 12 Feb 1889 in Botany, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 4 Oct 1950 at age 84 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia

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Biography

The master version of this biography is maintained at http://dorneyfamilyhistory.net/famtree_web/History_maternal.pdf

Annie was born on 18 February 1866 at Breakfast Creek in Brisbane, Queensland, to Michael Hell, a blacksmith, and Margaret Schubert, recent German immigrants to the state. She was baptised a Catholic on 19 August 1866 at Saint Stephen's Cathedral. The baptismal register records her godparent as Kate Sheehan and her parent's address as near Ice House, Breakfast Creek.

Her parents moved around within Brisbane after her birth, with her next siblings being born in Petrie Terrace and Fortitude Valley, but her family moved out to Eagle Farm in about 1870, where they stayed until about 1876. Her family moved to Sydney in 1876, initially to Five Dock, but then out to Robert Street, Saint Peters. This was the outskirts of Sydney at the time and her father had a vineyard there.

Annie was living with her parents and working as a domestic servant when she married James Hillier on 12 February 1889 in North Botany at Tunbridge’s Buildings. It was a Congregational ceremony and James’ parents were the witnesses. They were to have a total of ten children. They were Elsie Maud (1889), Ada Emily Francis (1891), Arthur James (1893), Ernest Albert (1896), Violet May (1898), Vera Irene (1900), William Michael (1901), Reuben (1903), Stella Margaret (1909) and – finally – Stanley John (1912).

They lived at a number of location in Sydney, the fine details of which can be found in her husband’s chapter.

In around 1897 they moved to the Coolgardie goldfields in Western Australia. From at least 1901, but possibly earlier, they lived in the locality of Burbanks, about eight kilometres south of Coolgardie.

While living in Burbanks Annie appears in the newspaper record a small number of times. She came first in a married ladies race at the School Sports day in June 1910. She also entered recipe competitions a number of times in 1912.

In September Annie received an honourable mention for her Gluten Layer Cake and won second for her English Plum Pudding recipe. The prize was a half dozen electroplate afternoon teaspoons with handsomely engraved handles.

In October her Stuffed Tomatoes recipe received an honourable mention and in December she received fourth prize and an electroplated ivory handle pickle fork for her Apple Dessert.

Annie’s most appealing recipe, Kidney Toast for Invalids, regrettably only received an honourable mention, but deserves displaying here.

Annie lived in Burbanks until 1916, at which point they moved to King Street in Coolgardie.

Some time between 1919 and 1922 Annie and her family moved to 110 Piesse Street, Boulder. Her sons William and Stanley lived with her for part or all of this time. Anne and James lived here until August 1932, when an auction of the “whole of her handsome household furniture and effects” was advertised. It was noted the house had already been sold.

Some of the items listed included a Rexonola Gramophone and Records, Violin and Case, first-class order, and a Singer Sewing Machine, drophead.

In 1934 the Electoral Roll finds Annie, James and Stanley at 36 McMillan Street, Victoria Park. From 1936 until her death Annie lived at 504 Hay Street, East Perth. Her granddaughter Joyce, from her son Arthur James, apparently lived with her for a while at Hay Street.

Annie’s husband James died in 1947.

Annie’s grandson Alan, via her son Reuben remembers visiting her about five times in what would have been the mid 1940s.

He remembers that she was a large breasted woman who always dressed in black, even before her husband passed away. It’s thought that she wore black in memory of her son Ernest who was killed in World War One. They lived in a small flat with a small kitchen and bathroom off to one side. When Alan visited Annie would lift up one of the floorboards to get some pennies for his sister to go buy cakes with.

Her husband James would take Alan aside and give him threepence behind the woodheap. It had to be done on the sly or Annie would give her husband a blasting.

Alan said that they had about five ounces of gold to last out their retirement and that as they were very anti-social it would have lasted.

Alan remembers her as a good natured woman, but that both Annie and her husband suffered from dementia and malnutrition later in life.

His comment about dementia may place this 1948 newspaper article in a different light, as it doesn’t paint her in a positive light.

The events could well be explained by dementia, but we also know what a deeply nasty person her daughter Ada was, so you have to wonder.

It may be relevant that only one of her numerous children was named in her death notice.

Annie died on 4 October 1950 at the Royal Perth Hospital. She was about 85 years old.

Newspaper item mentioning Annie can be found at http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?l-publictag=Annie+Mary+Hillier+nee+Hill&q=

Sources

• Marriage: Certificate (attached)
• Death: Certificate (attached)