Hats in Time

Believed to be the wedding of Edith Bound and Eduard Geyer in 1886

 

In days of old, a hat did hold

A charm and grace, a tale untold.

Upon the head, it sat with pride,

A symbol of style, a dashing stride.

Eva Pilgrim (nee Blythman)

A gentleman's hat, so debonair,

Topped with feathers or ribbon fair.

A touch of class, a dash of flair,

A hat that spoke of savoir faire.

Bessie and Abel Bound with Mrs Excell and Ruby Bound
Estimated to be 1890

For ladies fair, a hat adorned,

With flowers, ribbons and lace adorned.

A fashion statement, a work of art,

A hat to captivate every heart.

Unknown Lady, Great Aunty Eve Walker and Great Aunty Madeline Walker

In times gone past, a hat was worn,

To shield from sun or bracing morn.

A protective shield, a shield of shade,

A hat to don on every escapade.

Great Grandparents Mary and Ambrose Walker with horses Buzz & Silver
We believe the child is Aunty Phyllis Walker - about 1930

Oh, hats of old, we long to see,

The elegance and grace you used to be.

Though fashion changes, trends may sway,

Your timeless charm will never fade away.

I love the way that my grandfather, Gordon Walker, is looking at my nanna, Rita
At the wedding of my Aunty & Uncle in 1965

So let us raise our hats up high,

To bygone days and days gone by.

For in those hats, a story told, 

Of fashion style, and stories old.

Caroline "Carrie" Warner

Inspired by Sepia Saturday Click to see more posts.

                                       

The Women In My Life

Agnes Scott, Rita Walker, Mary Jane Walker, Elizabeth Mottram,
Charlotte Drayton, Danielle, Ellen Walker
Mary Ann Scott, Me , Joy, Eva Scott
Jane Warrick, Mary Ann Pilgrim, Edith Geyer, Mabel Pilgrim

Girls commencing work today would not believe how things have changed in the past 30+ years!

When I started working, what we today know as "discrimination" was accepted as normal practice!

As a junior,  I made the coffee for all the men in the office every morning and afternoon.  It was an accepted part of my role to be the "gopher".  In the days before every branch had a photo copier, it was my job to run across the road to get any photocopying done!  I didn't mind as being a smoker back then, it gave me the opportunity to have a cigarette, as females were not allowed to smoke in front of customers (but the men could).  In the early years of banking,  I remember being disciplined for coming to work in trousers!

I was ambitious from a young age but had many doubters.............and they were not afraid to tell me either!  That just made me more determined!  When I was 20 , I was told that I could not have a supervisors role because "You are female and under age 21" even though I had been successfully relieving in the role for months!   Hard to imagine today!

A male colleague actually laughed at me one day and told me that I would never be a manager as I would "just get married and have babies".  I did get married and have babies but continued working! I achieved my ambition to be a Manager before I was age 30 and am proud that I was the first female branch manager in Gippsland.  How I hated playing golf after manager's conferences!  However, it was something that I needed to do to be considered an equal.  In reality,  I feel that I had to work twice as hard as my male colleagues to be considered equal!

I do not write this to complain but instead to highlight how things have changed. We have come a long way but unfortunately we still have a way to go until men and females are equal in the workplace.

However, I have had it easy compared to my female ancestors pictured above. Every one of the ladies above (except my daughter) has a story of adversity and courage.

My Great Great Great Grandmother, Jane Bound, was 39 years old with 8 children and another on the way when her husband died.  Jane was too old to come to Australia from England, but did not take "no" for an answer and successfully applied for a special dispensation from the Queen to bring her family to Australia in 1878.  That took courage!

When I chose to be a working mother, I did not realise that my Great Great Grandmother, Edith Geyer, was one of the first working mothers.   After her husband died of typhoid in 1899, she needed to work to maintain custody of her seven children.  The family faced further adversity and nearly died when the family went by wagon to Mildura to pick fruit.  You can read about it here.
Nurse Edith Geyer later built a successful private hospital business (with no formal education).  She was certainly an early survivor and entrepreneur.

March is Women's Family History Month and Tuesday March 8th is International Women's day. I would like to take this opportunity to remember and thank the strong women in my family.  I am proud to come from a long line of determined and resourceful women.  Maybe I have inherited my resilience, determination and work ethic from my fore-bearers?

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Too Much Death!

Evelyn  Edna Blythman

She is extremely young, but she looks so thoughtful, sad and knowing.  I wonder what she is thinking.  Does she know that she has been born into a family that has suffered bad luck, which will continue?

As I went through my grandmothers photo albums, looking for a photo to prompt this week's research and blog, the photo of little "Evelyn Blythman Herraman distant relative" caught my eye.  It was surrounded by other photos of young children, who are smiling and playful as children should be, which makes the soulful gaze of young Evelyn so noticeable.

Card from Blythman family to my Great Grandparents,
Jim & Mabel Pilgrim (circa 1913).
My Grandmother has also added notes.
Jim is a son of James Pilgrim so would
 have grown up with Carrie.

George Warner married Sophia Catherine Boeck in Winiam, Victoria, Australia on the 30th September 1886.  They soon had five children:

Maria Augusta Warner, born 16 July 1887

Caroline Sarah "Carrie" Warner born 13th December 1888

Jane Elizabeth Warner born 1890

Albert George "Bertie" Warner born 23rd January 1892

Robert James Warner born 2nd September 1893

On 18th December 1893, Sophia Warner died from "acute mania and exhaustion", which she had suffered for 10 days.  Was this Post Natal Depression?  Or Typhoid Fever, which was in the area at the time? Or something else?  We will never know.

An extract from the Nhill Free Press dated 22 December 1893;

"In our last issue we announced that Mrs Sophia Warner, wife of Mr. George Warner of Winiam, who had been suffering from acute mania, had been sent into the Nhill Hospital by Dr. Ryan, with a view of watching the case until events should indicate what further steps to take in the matter.  A day or two solved the difficulty in an unexpected manner.  The unfortunate woman died on Tuesday evening, the proximate cause being exhaustion resulting in a violent attack of acute mania". 

Three year old Jane died soon after on the 1st January 1894.  An inquest was conducted into her death as summarised in the Nhill Free Press  on 5 January 1894;

"A magisterial inquiry was held on Tuesday by Mr. J. Walker J.P., into the circumstances attending the death of a child named Jane Elizabeth Warner, aged three years, who was found dead in her bed at Winiam at 5a.m. on 1st January.  The evidence showed the child to have been suffering from measles.  She recovered but the disease left behind it a bad cough and inflammation of the lungs.  Dr. Mackenzie made a post mortem examination and subsequently stated that the cause of death had been broncho-pneumonia, followed by pericarditis, causing exhaustion and the magisterial verdict at the inquiry was in accordance with the medical testimony".

"To Jim and Mabel,
Wishing you a merry Christmas
and Happy New Year
From Maria and Carrie"

Within a fortnight (12 January 1894), the youngest child, 4 month old Robert James Warner, was also dead from "Bronchitis and Exhaustion", which he had been suffering for 10 days.

George was unable to care for his remaining children; 

Maria (6), Carrie (5) and Bertie (2), who soon went to live with George's sister, Mary Ann and her husband James Pilgrim (my Great Great Grandparents).   George died 22nd April 1902. His sister Mary Ann died soon after on 1st May 1902.

Carrie continued to live with the Pilgrim family  until her marriage to 24 year old farmer, Gilbert John Blythman, at the home of James Pilgrim, on Monday 30th September 1912.  I have previously written about a photo, which could be their wedding.

Physical Description of Gilbert Blythman
from 1916 enlistment papers
Source:  www.naa.gov.au

Evelyn Edna Blythman was born soon after on the 28th December 1912 in Nhill, Victoria, Australia followed by her sister, Irene Sarah Blythman, who was born 26 April 1915.

Gil was an accurate shot and member of the local rifle club and he likely felt that it was his duty to sign up for the Australian Military Forces, although his children were very young.  Ev was nearly four and Rene was only one when their father embarked on overseas duty on 6th December 1916.............never to return.  Gill was "Killed in Action" in France on the 4th October 1917.  There are no details about his death and his body was never recovered.  He is remembered at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, which I have previously written about.

Ev and Rene Blythman
From my Grandmother; Eva Jean Pilgrim

Source: www.nla.gov.au
Nhill Free Press, Friday 4th October 1918, page 2

Carrie's brother, Albert George "Bertie" Warner, was also killed in action shortly after her husband.  I have written more about Bertie here.

So much misfortune!  Carrie had lost both of her parents, her husband, three of her siblings and her brother.  And then her youngest daughter!  Irene Sarah "Rene" Blythman died 27th March 1921 at 6 years of age from Diphtheria and Heart Failure.

I am very grateful that Ev Blythman kept in contact with my Grandmother, Eva Pilgrim (they were 2nd cousins) as there are a number of photos in my grandmother's album, which she has marked "from Ev Herraman May 1972".  Ev Herraman (nee Blythman) died 23rd August 1980.  She was 67 years old and lived longer than many of her family members!

This post was inspired by Sepia Saturday.  Please click to see more posts.


Memories from Eva Pilgrim

"I was too young to know about Auntie Carries life but when she came to visit she was always happy and laughing the same as when we went there to visit.        She was like Myrtle Pilgrim (Bell) and would shake all over when she laughed an that was often.               She had Ev ( her daughter) who lived with her and then Ev married a Herraman and I think they lived with Auntie Carrie". 

You Tube

So what has You Tube got to do with genealogy research?

Do a search on Genealogy or Family History Research on You Tube and you will find that there are pages and pages of videos with hints and tips for your to view.

Even more specific searches will reap results eg. Genealogy Brickwalls, Pennsylvania Birth Records, Recording Family History etc etc etc.

If you want to know something, you will find it on You Tube.  Just be wary of the date.  A lot of the information doesn't go out of date and remains relevant but then again some things change so take this into consideration when viewing older videos.

Click to see more Y posts

Victims of War

Today is Anzac Day in Australia.

Although I have grown up knowing the significance of Anzac Day, I hate to admit that I really didn't appreciate the sacrifices of our young men until I started family history research.

Every Anzac Day and Remembrance Day, I research a family member who made the ultimate sacrifice.  They did not get the opportunity to have children or grandchildren to remember them, so I now feel a duty to do so.

Today I pay tribute to Albert George "Bertie" Warner, who was born 23rd January 1892 in the small farming community of Winiam, Victoria.

Bertie's mother, Sophia, died shortly before his second birthday from "Acute Mania & Exhaustion".  Her death was soon followed by the death of Bertie's four year old sister, Jane, and his baby brother, Robert.

My first cousins (3 times removed)
Caroline (Carrie), Albert (Bertie)
and Maria (Ria) Warner

It is hard to imagine the grief that would have been felt by their father, George Warner, who had lost his young wife and two children within a month of each other.  He was unable to care for his three remaining children (Ria, Carrie and Bertie) and they went to live with their Aunty and Uncle, James and Mary Ann Pilgrim (my Great Great Grandparents), who had 10 other children living at home.

George stayed living in the area but died  in 1902 when Bertie was 10 years old.

Bertie attended the Winiam State School and was a "prominent member" of the Winiam community.  Similar to many other family members he was a member of the Cricket and Rifle Clubs and played football with the Imperial Football Club.

After leaving school, Bertie became a farmer, like his father and many other family members.

On the 4th March 1916, at age 24, he joined the 38th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Forces.  On the 26th June 1916 he was aboard the HMAT Runic, on his way to fight in many notable conflicts, including at Messines, Ypres, Polygon Wood and the Somme.

HMAT Runic
Source: http://alh-research.tripod.com/ships_lh.htm

Albert George "Bertie" Warner was 26 years old when he died on 29th September 1918.  He was "killed while taking the Hindenburg Line in France".   He is buried at Unicorn Cemetery, Vendhuile, France.

Albert George (Bertie)Warner
Circa 1916

Albert George (Bertie Warner)
Circa 1917

Winiam State School Honor Roll
Includes the name of three family members
who lost their lives in World War 1

Unicorn Cemetery, Vendhuile, France
Source: www.cwgc.org

Lest we Forget

You can listen to the Last Post here (advert is only 10 secs before you hear it)

You can also read about other family members who fought in World War 1
Valiant Victims
Ypres

Click for more "V" posts