The Tree of Me

The Mercury , Tuesday 10 January 1871, p. 3 My great great grandmother Emma Dawson must have spent some time with Mesdames Walpole and Innes organising this bazaar. As a teacher librarian I'm pleased to see that she was part of the committee raising funds for the Mechanics's Institute Library in Franklin, Tasmania. Little did she know that five and a half months later she would be widowed at the age of 36 and would soon leave Franklin to live closer to her siblings in Melbourne.

The three photographs below are of a house in Franklin , Tasmania that my great great grandfather, Dr William Lee Dawson had built in 1861. Home of Dr William Lee Dawson, Franklin, Tasmania Side view of the home According to his diary, William Lee Dawson, his wife Emma (Seabrook) and their two eldest children Catherine Ellen and William Henry moved into the house on Wednesday 20th March, 1861. Two further children, Lousia and Robert were born while the Dawsons lived here. They continued to live in this house until William's death in 1871. Shortly after his death, Emma rented the property to a Robert Walker and moved to Hobart Town and later to Melbourne. The house cost a total of £236 3s 6d to build. From the ledger in William Lee Dawson's diary we can ascertain that the house had a green baize door. The baize would have been attached to the door that separated the servant living quarters from that of the family. Baize had the effect of quietening the noise. ( Wikipe...

Do you have ancestors who lived in Melbourne? If so take a look at the City of Melbourne iHeritage databas e. This database allows you to search for a specific address, browse suburbs, architectural styles and builders. When you have located the specific property you can see the complete heritage details for the property. Details include (if known): Architectural style Period Construction Date Architect First Owner Integrity Condition Original Building Type History Description/Notable Features Current photograph My great great grandmother Emma Seabrook (Dawson) died at No 1 Hope Terrace, Gipps Street, East Melbourne in 1885. At the time she lived with her sister and her husband Louisa and George Edward Lowe. Hope Terrace 161-165 Gipps Street, East Melbourne. Dec 2006. As you can see by the extract below, the description of the building is quite detailed. A row of three, two-storeyed houses, of which No. 165 possesses a porte cochere (I.e. a porch, large enough to accommodate wh...