Treasure Chest Thursday

 

Transcribing Letters to solve a mystery

Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis will know that I am steadily going through my family archives.  I wish I could say there was a method to the madness.  There isn't.  I'm a frog after all.  Jumping from one treasure to the next.  Today's task which may take me a few weeks at this rate will be transcribing at least one of a bunch of about ten letters.

These letters are dated 1883. Crazy huh?  These were with other papers relating to my grandfather so I can only assume he kept them for some reason.  They are not addressed to him.  They are addressed to someone called Harry from someone who signs themself as Your aff father A.C. Keep which I interpret as your affectionate father A.C. Keep. But what do you think? 

A.C. Keep writes from Wollaston. I do not have the envelopes in my possession so do not know if the letters are from within Australia or from overseas

The reasoning process

I'm going to describe my modus operandi and expect your full and candid constructive criticism thereof.

To determine who might be writing and who might be receiving I intend to do the following:

• transcribe the letters in the hope of finding more identifying information
• check my grandfather's records in the hope of finding a FAN club e.g. Friends and Neighbours
• Research places called Wollaston
• Enter search terms like Keep (not an ideal name to be researching) and Wollaston into Trove and see what comes up
• Search Ancestry and other similar databases to see what I can find out about Keep families

The importance of place

Wikipedia advises me that there are quite a few places in the world called Wollaston.  

• one in Antarctica
• three in Western Australia
• five in Canada
• one in Chile
• three in the UK
• one in Greenland
• two in the US
• one on the Moon

Assumptions

That Harry also bears the surname Keep.

That A.C. Keep was not writing from the Moon in 1883.

Sources checked so far (Don't discount Google!)

My first go to places were Trove and the Ryerson Index.

A search for Keep on the Ryerson Index produced the following possible suspects:

Harry Albert Keep died 28th April 1936 aged 46 late of Hurstville.  I have to discount this Harry because he was born in 1890 and I doubt his father would be writing to him seven years before he was born.

Henry Carey (Harry) Keep died 8 Oct 2013 aged 94 - and the same conclusion for this chap born in 1919.

I could not find anyone who fitted the bill with initials A.C. in the Ryerson index.

Trove produced an obituary for the Harry Keep who died in 1936.  His mother and father were listed as Sarah and William in the funeral notice. I checked his Military record for WW1 as well.  He worked at the GPO in Sydney.  As I said, I think he's too young.

In sheer desperation I googled Keep and Wollaston and came up with these two interesting websites - Wollaston Heritage Society which then led me to this site.

Hmmmm....food for thought.

So contenders for A.C. Keep could be Adam C Keep who according to the 1871 Census on Ancestry had 4 children, one of whom was Henry F Keep.  Adam was 50 years old in 1871.  Henry was 8 years old in 1871 which would mean he was born in 1862 or thereabouts. Adam also had a son called Adam C Keep who was 9 years old in 1871.  By 1883 he would be 21 years old. Could he be the one writing the letters? Other children included: Margaret and Alice aged 17 and 16 respectively.  Adam Snr's wife was called Eliza. 

If we go back to the 1861 Census three children are listed to Adam and Eliza - Margaret, Alice and William aged 4.

I checked witnesses to my grandfather's wedding but they were his brother Vincent McLoughlin and Helen Reily, presumably a friend of my grandmother's. No Keeps listed here.

The first of many steps - Letter One - the transcription

Let's transcribe the first letter and see if we can find any more identifying information.

The first letter is very badly damaged.  It's written on both sides of the paper and half of the paper is missing. Here goes...

Page 1

Wollaston Sunday eve Jany 21

My dear Harry

As usual my letter to you begin.....

pleasant way (at any rate to me/ of...

which the folk are at Church.......

self - are I am glad to say all well.....

very much the better for the coller....

still if she could get out more but....

winter does not admit of a comfort....

You will see from Will's letter that h....

New Lucy (or Quay ??? - Alex's note) & it gives me much concer....

for I believe there is very little demand...

I would gladly see him turn to something...

if he were so inclined.  Arthur you see...

of his way". I.S.K. wrote the other d....

his lathe for Ralph to use & Arthur....

describes as very concise & which I ...

complimentary messages to the fam...

Tuesday to visit your uncle. IPW &...

to London with her.  We had the ...

of CJKW's that I have seen for many a d...

life I saw & tasted boned turkey & ice p....

wore a white choker - so you see Even at...

something new.  The guests were E Sharman...

& their several wives.  W & Mary W G Burshaw wife of S Sen 2 an& Ma...

& we were all "very well satisfied".  Mrs Will..

& wonderfully dressed & with her hair dyed of a light....

more like a Frenchwoman that the mother of ....

About a week ago Eddie & John Sharman ...

us & on leaving, Johny had to be lifted on to ...

much the taller of the two.  They had not...

pleased to see them.  About the same....

came to tea with us & much of our enter...

Christmas cards & riddles.  Since th...

stay a few days - the elder one - Nell...

in some potentalis family.  She & the g...

Balls on Wednesday - it being FB's....

went to a musical entertaintment...

Mr Nunnily of Orlingbury gave a bu...

& Owen S. went -but since then thing...

Page 2

...dancing again for a while for Miss Leete has

...me affection of her foot & Owen has come to 

...ld. His horse sent him flying over a 

.....ed field into which he shot straight like

....ong gun & with such impetus that though

...clay, the getting out of his ht was a

....sequently he has had to lie by for a few

...the is no great harm done. Mr Hawkes

....lar accident - but his is a more serious

....some remarkably good runs with the

...exceptionally heavy that the horses

....eir fe??with the needful spring

...ay to look at a hunter of Whitehead's

...ecause according to his usual luck

...this costly hunter will be of no ..

...ost I whish for & not that Joseph should

...I saw W Harris on a new horse the 

...ilal crest & forehead but to my think-

...you ever written to him yet? If

...Arthur Perry was to sail for New Z.

...(18th & must have had a rough

...channel if the wind blew there as it

...amily will go out by the Shannon on the

...has a very pleasant letter from Frank

...speaks about you n the kindest & most 

...whether you are likely to come a crop

..???That young Mr Foster who mar

..managed to pass his primary exam.  The

...all things considered is a creditable thing to do

unk in a general way that honeymooning is

...you are going in for exams. Our Doctor Orr

...for the degree of M.D. in one respect i.e. that

...get patients enough at the price will soon

...as Dr Andrew Clark.  His wife has been

...& for anything.  I know to the contrary

..unting field.  No I have no more to say

...ington was asking about you the other 

...hear that you like your occupation

...make my respect to Master Harry.

a visit from the Revd T C Beasley & his

...day with us.  The Revd brought with

Page 3 

(These pages are somewhat better though there is still some missing segments)

his violincello & practices at much length various pieces

wtih Margy on the piano/ which they are going to play together 

ata a concert on the 31st here.  If the big fiddle went as well as

the piano it would do very well - as it is I hope for the best but

JCB is a happy man who has no misgivings & would not be par

ticularly put out of his way if he were to break down altogether

Jany 23 This morning the hounds met here & whilst they were 

in the plantations a fox stole by our house across the paddock &

down Whiteheads field where a man turned him & he came back

over the paddock & (as we thought/up the Izchestr road. It turned

out that he had climbed on the roof of the Bell & there he sat

awaiting the course of events.  These soon followed for the hounds 

got on his scent & came pouring by your house - horseman & foot

in numbers & the poor wretch being dislodged was mobbed to death

at once by the 20 couple of hounds....

roughs.  His remains were tak....paddock & dealt with.

by the park so that not a speck of them remained.  I have not

seen so many folks there since the bazaar.  After that they

were running near here all day but I have not heard the result.

Soon after this was over Al set off to the Midland Station on her

way to London with Marian Sauders (sic) & they will travel together

to Kentish Town.  It has been a nice sunny day & I hope it may

so continue as long as she is in town.  I see it is proposed to in-

troduce mongooese or mungees into Australia to destroy the

snakes & rabbits.  Do you know what a mungoose is for I have

no idea whether it is a beast or a bird

Jany 25 Mail day.  Yesterday was one of the few mornings when 

there has been a frost & a very cold day it was - of which your mo-

ther availed herself to walk more than 9 miles altogether.  Margy & I

went to Wm & it being Wednesday came back to Will & I spent the

rest of the day there whilst he came home.  Wellingbro was in a ra-

ther uproarious state, being invaded by the Rusk???? in a body of 500

or 600 people with band & many banners.  Somebody had been preaching

to them the doctrine of anti-vaccinations & they are such zealous con-

verts that they will never have their children vaccinated nor will they

pay the consequent fines inflicted by the bench.  So their good never?? been

taken in distraint??? - and as they could not be sold at Ruskden??? because

of public opinion they were brought for sale to Wello. market - but

public opinion followed them with music & plays & expreped?? it 

self out of a wagonfull of ??? & at last Tom Pindred was obliged

Page 4

to succumb & the sale never took place.  And so their martyrs took

joyfully the spoiling of their goods & at 4pm marched home in pro-

cession to the relief of quiet people who did not relish so much combust-

ible matter in their midst.  I confess such exhibitions do not 

increase my desire for the county franchise.

In a letter today from Percy he mentions that Albert has been 

in a railway accident & most happily & rather wonderfully escaped

I wonder whether you have heard of it.  I think it reads as just

more a sort of suburban line that runs to Hawthorn.

Be sure when you write to say for your mothers satis-

faction what sort of state your clothes are in.  She has

sad misgivings on the subject & it will be a relief to her 

to know the worst.  I suppose it will be a tale of many

.....buttons....arning required.   Can you re-

plenish your.....ifficulty or great expense.

I wish the mail were 2 days later so that I might have

finished this on your birthday.  All good wishes that I 

have sent you already - I repost now.  & if possible give

you many more besides - also I shall not forget to

deposit the usual present of the ovation??with your bank er AC

We shall like to know whether you made your bosses

aware of the day & whether there was a plum pudding

or any other way taken to signify the ??

I suppose your summer is now passing by its height & the

autumn making its first signs & your leisure time will

soon become a busier one again  I hope you have had

the chance of making further acquaintance with the pleas-

antest of your neighbours & that you have kept clear

of the undesirable, in any such there be.  Do the folk

out there play much for money - they used too much too

much some of them. NB. these two things to be avoided as care-

fully as if they were poison.  You see I must fire off

a little charge of counsel - but it's out of the

fullness of the heart & because I am 

Your aff father 

A.C. Keep

Possibilities

Gosh.  Sorry.  That must have been pretty excruciating to read.  If it's any consolation it was pretty excruciating to transcribe.  The writing is very very tiny and difficult to read without torn paper as well.  But you can see that we have gained quite a bit from that first letter.  Family members referred to are Will and Margy and Al which match the siblings names on the Census.  Other people mentioned may be servants so it's worth going back to the 1881 or 1891 census and checking for names there.  We seem to have names of neighbours or friends chiefly the Whiteheads and the local vicar Revd Beasley.  All these could be checked to confirm whether or not it is Adam C Keep of Wollaston.  Percy and Albert are also mentioned.

I did find an article in Trove in the Sydney Evening News about the deceased estate of Edward Keep dated 21 January 1902.  It mentions a Henry F Keep and a Percival P Keep.  There is also an A W Keep.  In another article about the same estate from the Sydney Morning Herald the A W Keep is referred to as Arthur rather than Albert, but I wonder if this is a mistake?  At any rate I think this is our family.

Stamp Duty. (1902, January 21). Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931), p. 3. Retrieved August 27, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article113867785

Further research on Ancestry reveals that a Henry Frederick Keep is buried at Karrakatta Cemetery.  His birthdate is listed as 27 January 1862, Wollaston, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England.  He died at the age of 42 on 26 September 1905.  Remember A.C. Keep talking about his birthday.  I think this is further proof that this is our man.

According to the entry on Find A Grave (via Ancestry) Henry Frederick Keep was a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1894 - 1897.  His biography is here on Wikipedia and on the W.A. Biographical Register.

As he was unmarried, I really am dumbfounded as to how these letters ever came into my family's possession.  My grandfather was born in 1898 so it is unlikely that he ever knew Henry Frederick Keep.  And I can't see how his family would have known him either.  

The only person I can suspect (for want of a better word) is my very troublesome great-grandfather Walter Forfar.  He and his wife spent some time in Perth.  They were the parents of Kit Forfar who married my grandfather Thomas McLoughlin. Again - how these letters would have come into their hands I have no idea. Although Walter did come to Perth before he met Kate Amelia Ellis, Kit's mother, so maybe he had something to do with Henry.  I will check shipping lists and the like for any possible connection.

Here is another biography of Henry Keep.

WELL-KNOWN RESIDENT (1905, September 27). The Evening Mail (Fremantle, WA : 1905 - 1910), p. 1 (LAST EDITION). Retrieved August 27, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article256533877

The mystery needs further investigation but I must get to my bed before I faint from sheer exhaustion.

What would you do with the letters?  Will I keep transcribing?  Or just pack them of to W.A.'s State Library or Parliamentary library?