Mary Ellen (McNamara) Fairbairn (1881 - 1955)

Born 9 Aug 1881 in Paris Creek, South Australia

Ancestors

Died 25 Jul 1955 at age 73 in East Keilor, Victoria

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Biography

Mary McNAMARA was born 9 Aug 1881 in Paris Creek, South Australia. Her parents were James McNAMARA and Bridget KEANE^[1].

She was the 3rd eldest of six children.

At age 7, Mary moved with her family to Broken Hill, New South Wales. His father James was employed at the Round Hill mine, about 9km north-east of Broken Hill.

In October, 1888, Mary's older sister Kate/Catherine died after four weeks of illness from Pneumonia at age 9^[2].

Five days after Kate's death, Mary's sister Bridget is prematurely born.

On the way to or from Broken Hill to register Kate's death, the family was travelling in a horse and jinker, there was an incident, the horse bolted and Mary's older brother Laurence was injured.

After being ill for two weeks, Laurence died on 8 Oct 1888 at age 10 only three weeks after the death of his sister Kate. The cause of death was recorded as inflammation of the lungs ^[3].

After such tragedy in the family, the family moved back to Adelaide, South Australia in 1890.

Mary's father James was admitted on 22 Jun 1890 to Adelaide Hospital with Plumbism (lead poisoning), he was discharged on 28 Jun 1890^[4]). Later in the year of 1890, Mary's mother Bridget suffered a decline in her mental health.

Mary's father James later returned to Broken Hill to work leaving Bridget and the children in Adelaide. On 10 Oct 1890, Bridget was admitted to the Adelaide Parkside Asylum^[5].

After their mother was admitted to the asylum on 10 Oct 1890, A telegram was sent to Mary's Uncle Thomas McNamara, brother of James who then travelled from Goolwa to Adelaide and bought the children back to live with his family^[6].

At the end of Feb 1891, Thomas appealed to the SA Children's Department for assistance as he could no longer support the children. He advised the authorities that James was in hospital in Broken Hill and Bridget was in Parkside Asylum^[7]

On 13 Mar 1891 all four children were admitted to Magill Industrial School, they had been sentenced to one year as destitute children by T.W. Goode JP and J.T. Underwood JP (This sentence was to be later extended).

On 4 Apr 1891 all four children were placed with Mrs Bridget Davoren/Daverns, Roman Catholic, wife, of Kapunda. Bridget's husband John died on 27 Dec 1891 and on 30 Jan 1892, after nearly nine months with Mrs Daverns, the children were removed from her home by Inspector Honigrave because of reported ill treatment and were returned to Magill.

On 22 Feb 1892 Mary Ellen, aged nine, was then placed with Ann Tully, Roman Catholic, widow of Gawler.

There is a gap in the records but it is recorded that on 2 Aug 1899 Mary Ellen, aged 18, had been readmitted to Magill from the service of Mrs C.H. Houlgrave of Kensington who returned her as unsuitable. Mary Ellen's sentence had been extended until 19 years of age, on 5 Sep 1900 she was then placed ‘in service’ (household servant) to J.J. McCabe, Malalla^[8].

Mary Ellen briefly worked in South Australia as a Domestic Servant but then travelled to Western Australia in the early 1900's where a maternal Uncle, Patrick Keane and both a maternal and a paternal Aunt were living, Mary Ann (nee Keane) Lydon and Catherine McNamara. Also two cousins were living in Western Australia, Mary Agnes Casey (later Mrs Yuille) and Margaret Ann Casey (later Mrs Hay).

It is believed that prior to her marriage Mary Ellen was employed as a ship's cook travelling regularly to Western Australia from South Australia and back.

After Bridget was admitted to Parkside Asylum her children were told that she had died in the Asylum. This was a common practice in the 19th and early 20th centuries, in the belief that the children were saved from further trauma as they would eventually recover from the news of their mother's death, rather than live with the forlorn hope that they would be reunited sometime in the future, as most people admitted to institutions in those days were never released.

Mary Ellen, John and Helena did not find out that their mother had been alive until 1944, until after her death. They were very distressed and angry in the knowledge that she had been alive while they were growing up, and while they were raising their own children (Information provided by Bridget's grandchildren, the children of all three surviving children).

She married Henry Hunter Fairbairn, son of Thomas Fairbairn and Margaret Grant, on 5 Dec 1906 at Scots Church, Fremantle, Western Australia. Their marriage was conducted by Presbyterian Minister, the Rev Robert Hanlin; the witnesses were Frederick Charles Foster and Isabella Fairbairn, the groom's sister.

The following details were recorded on their Marriage Certificate: Mary Ellen, age 25, Spinster, occupation - Domestic, Present address - Fremantle, Usual address - Adelaide, SA. Henry, age 31, Bachelor, occupation - Stockman, Usual and present address - South Fremantle (Copy of WA Marriage Certificate, Reg No 211, supplied by their daughter, Thelma McKinna).

Mary Ellen & Henry were recorded as living at 265 Mandurah Rd Beaconsfield in the WA Directory for 1907, it is known that early in 1907 Mary Ellen and her husband Henry travelled to Victoria where their first two children were born (The Western Australian Directory (Wise's) 1907, State Library of Western Australia, online database).

In 1908 Mary Ellen's sister Helena was visiting from SA and staying with the family at Craig Park, Hurtle St Ascot Vale, Victoria. Helena had been ill with pneumonia and wrote to the SA Children's Department requesting her wages be paid to her as she only had a few shilling after paying 6 pounds for a Doctor. Helena decided to stay with the family for some time as Mary Ellen was not well (Correspondence contained in SA Children's Department, Series GRG27/1, copies supplied by Judy Smith, email dated 26 Nov 2008). When Helena's health permitted, she worked as a domestic servant in large houses in the Prahran area (Information provided by Judy Smith, email dated 3 Aug 2008).

Around 1910 Henry and Mary Ellen, with their children Lachlan and Margaret, moved back to West Australia as they did not approve of the compulsory smallpox vaccination for their children, their third child Thelma was born in Jul 1911 in South Fremantle (Information provided by their daughters, Margaret Rackstraw and Thelma McKinna c1980). The family was recorded as living at 249 Mandurah Rd, Beaconsfield, West Australia, in 1912 (This road has been renamed and appears on current maps as South Terrace) (The Western Australian Directory (Wise's) 1912, State Library of Western Australia, online database).

n the early 1950s Mary Ellen suffered from a heart related illness and was very sick, during her illness she was cared for by her daughter, Thelma McKinna, after her recovery she returned to live with her oldest daughter Marge. Later Mary Ellen went to live with her youngest son, Tom and his sons, after his separation from his wife, Dorothy (Personal memories of her grandson, John Rackstraw).

Mary Ellen died of Hypertension and arteriosclerosis on 25 Jul 1955, aged 73, at the home of her son, Tom, at 19 George St, East Keilor, Victoria. The city coroner, Mr J.R. Burke, ordered burial without inquest or post mortem. It was recorded on the death certificate that Mary Ellen had lived in Victoria for 47 years, for 18 years in South Australia and for 8 years in Western Australia (Vic Death Certificate No 8969). She was buried on 27 Jul 1955 at Coburg, Victoria, with her husband Henry and three of their children, Annie, Henry David and Jean Mary. The grave is located in the Presbyterian Compartment A Grave 684 (Fawkner Crematorium & Memorial Park, website).

Mary Ellen was always willing to provide a home for members of her family who were in need of help and she is remembered with great fondness by her grand children, she loved a bit of a gamble and would travel into the city to a venue above a shop in Swanston Street where she would play euchre, she wore an eyeshade (like tennis players wore in the past) and looked like a professional gambler. Her grandson John Rackstraw remembers travelling with her to Footscray to play Housie (Bingo), he also remembers that when he was naughty she would chase him through the house with a broom, so angry that she would shout Lockie, Tommy, Jimmy until she got to the right name, Johnny (Memories of Mary Ellen's grandchildren including John Rackstraw).

Sources

1. ↑ SA Births, 1842-1906, Book 265, page 489
2. ↑ NSW Death Certificate 1888/013957
3. ↑ Information from Birth and Death Certificates SA Births, 1842-1906, Book 206, page 242 and the Death Certificate for Lawrence and information provided by descendants of Mary Ellen and Helena Lillian
4. ↑ Adelaide Hospital Admissions Register Index, provided by Judy Smith, email dated 11 Aug 2007
5. ↑ Correspondence contained in SA Children's Department, Series GRG27/1, copies supplied by Judy Smith, email dated 25 Nov 2008
6. ↑ Correspondence contained in SA Children's Department, Series GRG27/1, copies supplied by Judy Smith, email dated 25 Nov 2008
7. ↑ Correspondence contained in SA Children's Department Series GRG27/1, copies supplied by Judy Smith, email dated 25 Nov 2008
8. ↑ Information extracted from SA State Archives Series GRG29/9, provided by Judy Smith, email dated 29 July 2008