Mary Ann (Nankervis) Eddy (1827 - 1897)

Born 1827 in Carnyorth, St Just in Penwith, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Wife of John Clements Eddy — married 15 Mar 1845 in Saint Just in Penwith, Cornwall, England

Descendants

Died 1 Dec 1897 at about age 70 in 1 Portland Place, South Yarra, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

Information about Mary Ann has been obtained from her own death certificate and from the birth certificate of her son, Richard. Her parents were Thomas and Margaret Nankervis. It seems highly probable that her mother was the woman identified as Margaret Oats.

Mary Ann Nankervis was christened on 18 March 1827 in Saint Just In Penwith, Cornwall, England with her parents' names are recorded as Thomas and Peggy Nankervis ("Peggy" is commonly derived from "Margaret").^[1][2]

Mary Ann married John Clements Eddy on 15 March 1845, in St Just In Penwith, Cornwall.^[3][4][5]

John Clements Eddy and his wife travelled on the ship William Money to South Australia. With them was their one year old son. Their daughter Margaret Jane Eddy was born on board the ship but died on 27 January 1849, just a few weeks after arrival in South Australia. John's brother, sister-in-law were also on the ship while John's parents and two other brothers emigrated at the same time but travelled on a different ship. As noted below, another woman named Nankervis travelled on the ship and was, almost certainly, related to Mary Ann.

In 1850 the Eddys were living in South Australia, where their second son Richard was born. Mary Ann was the official informant of her son's birth and in the column for signature of informant is an "x" and the statement that this is "her mark", thus it can be concluded that she was not able to write, which was not unusual at that time.

Mary Ann's first child was born when she was about 19 years of age while the last was born more than 20 years later. The children of John and Mary Ann Eddy were :

• John Eddy (born 1847 in Cornwall). The Maryborough and District Hospital Admissions Register 1855-1907 show a "John Eddy", a blacksmith aged 23 years, who had arrived in Victoria on the Wm Money when aged 4, was admitted to the hospital on 10 September 1872. It is possible that the hospital reference is to another person of the same name who emigrated on a subsequent journey of the ship but it is also quite possible that the reference is to the eldest son of John and Mary Ann. Any further information on this would be welcome.
• Margaret Jane Eddy (born on the ship William Money on 22 October 1848, while her parents were emigrating to South Australia; died at age on 27 January 1849 just three weeks after arriving in South Australia)
• Richard Eddy born 3 April 1850 in South Australia. Other information provided separately.
• Margaret Jane Eddy(born 3 December 1851 in South Australia)
• Thomas Eddy born 15 February 1855 in Maryborough, Victoria.
• Elizabeth Eddy (born 1856 in Clunes and died 1858 at age 17 months also in Clunes)
• William Eddy (born 1858 in Creswick, Victoria),
• Elizabeth Eddy (1861-unknown)
• James Henry Eddy (1864-unknown)
• Edwin Eddy (1866-1866)
• Mary Ann Eddy born 1869 in Craigie, Victoria.

30 Ralston St., South Yarra.

Early in the 21st century, Alan Bellingham, owner of the house at 32 Ralston Street since 1981, advised that he believed the house was built about 1890. It was in a bad way as the rear section had been damaged in a fire. Whilst renovating he found the original lead gas piping for lights in the roof and some of the original cast iron lacework buried in the yard. His earliest record dates from 1928 when the property was mortgaged to a Glen Albion William Knight. Walter Augustus Attenborough owned the house from August 1928 until he died on 2 June 1941 after which the house was held by the Perpetual Executors and Trustees Association of Australia. Susan Cox had purchased the house in May 1953. She died in October 1958 and left the house to her son Donald Henry Cox who sold it in 1981. Alan reports that the original house consisted of a front parlour with cast iron fireplace, 2 bedrooms and a larger kitchen/living room at the rear with a large open fireplace. There would not have been a bathroom and the toilet was in the back garden. At the time of this communication, there were plans to demolish the house and build a modern townhouse on the site. Thanks to Alan Bellingham for sharing this information. Based on the above information, John and Mary Ann Eddy may have been the original occupants of this house but, until an exact date of construction can be confirmed, it remains possible that they lived in an earlier structure that was demolished to make way for the building later viewed at the location.

Some information about the first two children was provided by John Kimber whose web-site homepages.picknowl.com.au/sixtiesdj/ (no longer accessible) contained information about some Cornish migrants to South Australia. John's ancestor Maria Nankervis was also on the William Money and was almost certainly related in some way to Mary Ann Nankervis.

No 1 Portland Place, South Yarra - image 1

No 1 Portland Place, South Yarra - image 2

According to her death certificate, Mary Ann Eddy (former name Nankervis) died on 1 December 1897, at No 1 Portland Place, South Yarra, in Victoria and she was buried in the St Kilda cemetery, (Wesleyan section, compartment A, grave 47A), with a Wesleyan minister officiating at her funeral service.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NRM9-VHP : 11 February 2018, Mary Ann Nankervis, 18 Mar 1827); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 226,217, 226,218, 962,681.
2. ↑ Cornwall Parish Regs. OPC Database - baptism 18 Mar 1827 St Just of Mary Ann NANKERVIS d/o Thomas & Peggy of Carnyorth, father a miner
3. ↑ England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973, FHL Film Number: 246892, 246893, 246894
4. ↑ "England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGLK-9Q4P : 2 February 2018), John Eddy and Mary Ann Nankervis, 15 Mar 1845; citing Marriage, St Just in Penwith, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, Cornwall Records Office, Truro.
5. ↑ Cornwall Parish Regs. OPC Database - marriage 15 Mar 1845 St Just of John Eddy 19 of Trewellard bach a miner, father John a miner TO Mary Ann Nankervis 19 of Trewellard spinster, father Thomas a miner.
6. ↑ Victoria BDM Registry: Death Registration: Event registration number: 14670; Registration year: 1897; Family name EDDY; Given names: Mary Ann; Sex: Unknown; Father's name: Nankervis Thos; Mother's name: Margt (Unknown); Place of death: South Yarra; Age 68

Some information was obtained from www.alphalink.com.au/~tomluke/GROSE.wbg/wga5.html (no longer accessible).