The Tree of Me

Recently, I was in Canberra for a meeting and a conference so I took the opportunity to visit Cooma in an attempt to locate the burial place of my ggg grandparents James and Ellen Agnew. James died on 14 th July 1864 at Countegany and his death certificate states he was buried at  Cooma.   Ellen died on 13 th May 1891 and was buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery Cooma. Unlike his brother Henry who died in 1884 and has a headstone at Mittagang Cemetery, there is no headstone for James or Ellen there. The only real clue I had came from Monumental Inscriptions Monaro.   1. Christ Church is an Anglican Church just out of Cooma on Church Road and was an early burial place for the Cooma district. Christ Church Maneroo 1845   Christ Church Although Anglican, early Catholic burials took place there. Thanks to transcribers in 1977 I had two clues. Graves 106 and 107 were for a Patrick Agnew and James Agnew. The remainder of the h...

This week my Trove Tuesday post revolves around James Agnew - son of James and Ellen (Alicia) Agnew of Cooma. The first mention of James Agnew in Trove occurs in a list of emigrants arriving by the ship Waverley from Dublin in 1847. He is one of the 2 sons of Alicia (who was know as Ellen in Australia) Agnew. Alicia and her family joined her husband James Snr in Australia in 1847. Her sister-in-law Catherine who is also mentioned below did not arrive on the Waverley but came the following year on the Success . Sydney Morning Herald, 9 November 1847, p. 3 Some time between 1847 (when he was about 13) and 1885 James Agnew left Cooma and headed south to Sandhurst in Victoria. His family lost track of him there and the following advertisement was placed in The Argus in 1885 by his younger sister Matilda who was anxious to contact him. The Argus, 24 Aug 1885, p. 1 Reading this now, I would have loved more detail. When did he leave the Monaro and when did the family last h...

I have previously written two blog posts about Elizabeth Flynn which can be read here and here . Elizabeth was a young girl who went missing in 1861 near Cooma. I have just received an email with more of the puzzle revealed. This answer has been sitting on my bookshelf for more than 10 years. The email gave reference to "in those days..." Numeralla-Countegany-Peak View and surrounding areas which was compiled by the Numeralla and District Community History Group. I have had this book for many years but have only read some sections - obviously not the significant one which pertains to Elizabeth Flynn. Like all research, it answers some of my questions but it raises further issues to be investigated. The following extract is from p. 66 of the publication and was written by a J.W. Evans. George Scott an Englishman came to the Kydra area around 1911. One evening at the home of Mr and Mrs P O'Neill, George was invited in for afternoon tea and while having his 'cup...

I am fortunate to be spending a few days in our national capital Canberra. So naturally where does a genealogist spend one day? At the National Library. I had one main goal yesterday and that was to find out what happened to who I'm sure was Elizabeth Flynn . The reference I had to her was from  The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW: 1843 - 1893), Thursday 7 March 1861, p. 4. It quoted the Cooma correspondent from the Alpine Courier.  What didn't I do before I arrived? I    didn't check that the NLA actually had microfilmed copies of the Alpine Courier. They had 1860 but not 1861. Although The Manaro Mercury and Cooma and Bombala advertiser began production in 1860 early copies do not survive. I was advised to check the Perkins papers. According to the Society of Australian Genealogists, the Perkins Papers are a collection of typescript papers illustrating the social history of the electorate of Eden-Monaro  and the towns of Tu...

Elizabeth Flynn (1855 - 1861) I found this story several weeks ago by trawling Trove as I often do searching for random surnames in my database. Elizabeth Flynn was the daughter of Jeremiah Flynn who lived at Count-a-Guinea, near Cooma, NSW.  My great great grandfather John Mylan was sent to live at Count-a-Guinea (now Countageny) to live with his godfather Jeremiah Flynn after the death of his father Thomas Mylan some time after 1838 when he was 5 years old. John Mylan grew up with Jeremiah Flynn's son Jeremiah. Elizabeth, the 7th child of Jeremiah Flynn and his wife Margaret Roche, was born on 20th July 1855 at Count-a-Guinea. She had always been one of the people who I could not trace after birth. When I came across this story I realised that Elizabeth was the child lost in the bush. LOST IN THE BUSH A little girl about five years old, a daughter of Mr Jeremiah Flynn, of Count-a-Guinea, has been lost in the bush about three weeks, and although thirty horsemen have been ...

Where are you Marion? or Why haven't I checked message boards for years? At the moment I am kicking myself. Years ago (and I mean many years ago) I would often post on or search message boards. I now wish I hadn't stopped the habit. Last week I came across this message from Marion dated 2004. I am searching for my great grandfather James Agnew born derry ireland. abt 1827 died in Australia 1907. He married Elizabeth Jane Bone in 1888 in Melbourne Australia. He also married Bridget Cahill in 1854, Ann McCartney in 1858, and Harriett Meadows in 1859. I have this James Agnew as a possible but highly probable member of my family. Ellen (Alice) Agnew arrived in Australia from Castledawson, Londonderry aboard the Waverley in 1847 with her four children to join her husband James in Cooma, NSW. Much research which can be found on the internet, only mentions 3 Agnew children, John, Rosanna and Matilda. James, the eldest seems to have moved from Cooma very early on. Research my au...