How to solve a mystery
Well first up, I've got to assure you that really I have no idea how to solve this mystery so I am just going to steadily chip away at it and encourage you to chime in if you have any suggestions. Those of you who have read my blog lately will know that I have in my possession some very old letters from a father to his son; namely A.C. Keep to Henry F Keep in 1883. I would like to try and work out why they came into my maternal grandfather's possession.
The importance of timelines
Tonight, I am trying an experiment which is creating a comparative timeline of Henry F Keep, Walter William Forfar and Kate Amelia Ellis. The two latter individuals were my maternal great-grandparents i.e. Kit McLoughlin (nee Forfar's) parents. This is what I have created so far.
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Henry F Keep
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Walter W Forfar
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Kate Amelia Ellis
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1863
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Henry b. 27 January
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1872
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Kate b. 9 July Rye Victoria
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1878
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Walter b. 13 June
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1882
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Henry arrives Sydney with cousin? Albert E. in Sydney
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Kate aged 10
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1883
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Letters written to Henry by father
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1884
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1885
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Henry may have left Sydney for Kimberley excursion with Royal Geographical
Society. Mr Ellis is in charge of one of the supply groups. A newspaper article reports him to
have lived at East Kimberley for the next four years.
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Kate aged 13
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1886
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Henry is a storekeeper at Wyndham
Went to Darwin to get his finger amputated. At the time part of a company called Hedley
and Keep, packers at Kimberley
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1887
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Kate leaves Melbourne for Sydney aged 15
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1888
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1889
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Agent for the Adelaide Steamship Company at Cossack and living at
Roeburne.
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1890
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1891
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Appointed Govt. Resident at Roeburn
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1892
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Henry living at Broome for next two years
Magistrate at Cossak.
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1893
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W Forfar comes to Albany from London in August on Adelaide
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1894
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Henry is Agent for Adelaide Steamship Company and represented the
Pilbara in the Legislative Assembly
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1895
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Walter arrives Albany on SS
Cusco aged 17 in October
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1896
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Kate marries Alfred Doe aged 24
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1897
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Walter and Kate supposedly marry in Perth
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1898
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Henry takes over the management of Messrs Streeter and Company in
Broome
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1899
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Henry does big tour of gold mines in preparation for Paris exhibition
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Walter and Kate arrive Hobart on SS
Monowai
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1900
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February Ernest Henry is born to Kate and Walter
June Walter and Kate move to WA on
RMS Australia and set up home in Highgate Hill
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1901
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Walter and Kate leave Fremantle on Victoria RMS Victoria for Melbourne in April
Dorothy born Windsor
In June
November Walter pronounced insolvent
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1902
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Kate divorced from Alfred Doe
Helen Kate and Isabella grace twins born in Sydney in December
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1903
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1904
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Walter Jnr born 15 December
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1905
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Henry dies 26 September
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15 March Walter Junior dies
31 December Kate dies
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Yes, I realise I need to annotate all these "facts" with sources e.g. certificate numbers, links to newspaper articles etc. Bear with me. Early brush strokes at this stage.
Newspaper Article
Today I found this interesting article:
EXPLORATION IN THE KIMBERLEY DISTRICT. (1885, December 16). The Inquirer and Commercial News (Perth, WA : 1855 - 1901), p. 2. Retrieved August 31, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66035514
Now, of course, I have no idea if the Mr Keep in this article is my Mr Keep but given he did end up in the Kimberley, I think it is likely. And as for the Mr Ellis, I have no idea if he is at all related to my Kate Amelia Ellis but I think it is worth exploring/considering. Not sure what direction I go in from here. Do I contact the Geographical Society and see if they have details of who was on the expedition. Thoughts? Suggestions?
Views of the Kimberley District 29th June 1886 wood engraving by Samuel Calvert - Out of Copyright
Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/253907
Transcription of the second letter
Let's transcribe another letter shall we and see what it contains...I believe that Henry's father transcribed or copied letters from his other sons for Henry/Harry so he would know what they were up to. The handwriting is the same and he does refer to it in later letters.
Arthur Jany 14 1883
Thanks for your letter received yesterday. you only wanted 3 photos of Harry & I think one of Burnell & myself so I sent you all I ordered of them. I have still to send you one of the graduation group unless you want more the little ones. I'm glad mother finds herself so much improving - it must be the cooler weather suiting her better than the hot. The Edinburgh team who went to London & lost was an association one & so don't play the same rules as those played in the match between Scotland & Wales. In both cases, of course, the team was picked from different clubs. Since I last wrote I have played 2 matches for the Varsity & lost both by a goal & a try. We are not in as flourishing condition as last year. I think this is chiefly due to our old captain leaving & that the new one is nothing like so good a man. I was at the Blyths last Thursday evening for an hour & I am going again tonight to dinner if I can get any one to do my work for me. I had a case of scarlet fever in my ward this week. I suppose some of the patients' friends must have brought it in as the one who has it has been here 5 months. He was of course immediately packed off to the fever house. I should very much like to see Harry's letter if you have done with it.
Will Jany 10
Just a line to send you Harry's letter back. I am very glad to hear once more that he is getting on so well & still likes the place & his surroundings generally. It is quite wonderful how he has shaken down into the hard work & roughing it. I shall cease to work for Mr Macgregor on the 19th Jany but shall not get away from here for some time. I cannot tell yet how long after then as I want to make some experiments with my metal to get it all ready for the final specification. At present, I am at work preparing samples from a second box of lead ores from JSK If he does not pay me anything for what I have done & am doing it is a great shame. He could not have got it probably as I have done it for 20 pounds & I am quite sure I would not have done it in the ordinary way for any one under 10 pounds. I have been working at it constantly now for a fortnight & shall be quite another week - many nights I have worked after dinner till 11 & 12 o'clock & last night to get some things finished which had to be watched I stayed out there till 1/2 past 2 ....where I am to look for work I cannot tell - or how. Everything seems as bad as it can be. I have several more letters to write so please excuse more.
Will Jany 17
There is nothing to write about but the unusual occurrence of 3 fine days running - 2 of them without even so much as a gale but only a tremendous ground sea - which latter was so bad the night before......4 vessels ...their moorings & went aground............I have the cost sheets in hand .............(the bottom two lines of the letter have been torn off here, unfortunately)
Over the Page
metal to occupy the day /Here follow particulars of his metal/I think I shall get away from here about a week on Saturday (that will be the 27th) & have had a pressing invitation to to to Torquay which I have accepted as it is very likely the last chance I shall have of seeing them for a long time to come. I suppose I shall stay there a week or 10 days & then come home.e. I wish I could hear of something to do - the Crawhays place seems the most feasible at present & I am making what inquiries I can about it. I must take an early opportunity of visiting the School of Mines & seeing if they can do anything for me - perhaps I might induce Dr Percy to use his influence with Crawshay. I think I will also see Huntington. Howell never replied to my last letter Would it do for me to apply to Chas. Mackham of Slaveley again.
Arthur to Alice Jany 21
I hope father and mother were none the worse inwardly after C.W.'s dinner. I am to go to Bramwells tomorrow to dinner if there is nothing to keep me in. On Tuesday night there is an entertainment for the nurses here at which the residents are supposed to appear. If it is anything like the one they gave to the hospital servants last week it will be a very slow affair. Last Monday Edinburgh university beat Aberdeen University by 2 goals to a try to nothing. I was playing on Monday but yesterday being my waiting day prevented me going to assist in the victory (Note. there seems some confusion of dates here) The scarlet fever case is doing very well though I have not seen him since he was sent from here. We have had no more cases of it but we have had a lot of erysipelas (???) in the male wards which has obliged us to move into another whilst it is being cleaned out....
25th (and I think this is A.C. Crabb speaking -note from Alex)
We have a short note from Al this moring. She says they were just going off to the Crystal Palace and she was evidently rather shivering at the prosp...
For the way is long & dreary & the...morning ?? bitterly cold.
J.S.K. is not coming till Tuesday.
What a curious mix we shall...
in our guests on Wednesday nigh...
Said J.SK. Maggie Jackson Rev J.C. Beasly - perhaps...other guests to supper.
No fresh letter from Will
Thanks for joining me on this mystery. Until next time.
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