52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks : Extending the Branches - Eleanor Eliza Conner (nee Cook) 1874-1943

 

 

Eleanor Eliza Conner (nee Cook) 1874-1943

Ahnentafel Number 9

Context for discovery:

This biography was written as part of the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks exercise devised by Amy Johnson Crow.  You can join in too here. The theme for this week/month is extending the branches.  Eleanor was my paternal great-grandmother.

Birth Date/Place:

Eleanor was born 21 September 1874 at 58 Orange Street, Portsea. Her father James Cook, was a gunner on HMS Monarch.  Her mother was Caroline JEFFERIES and lived at 25 Orange Street.[i]

Eleanor was the eldest of 11 children that I can find. Her father James says in the 1911 Census that they had 12 children but I cannot find the 12th child.

According to the 1891 Census they were living in 120 Queens Road and the children were listed as follows:

1. Eleanor Eliza aged 16
2. Emily Maud aged 14 (born 22 November 1876 and baptised 10 August 1879 St Botolph)
3. Beatrice Louisa aged 10 (born 7 May 1880 and baptised 6 February 1889 – father Warrant Officer living at 71 Maun Road)
4. Mabel aged 9 – cousin June’s grandmother was born 26 May 1884 and baptised on the same day as her sister Beatrice
5. James Thomas Vernon aged 8 (born 17 June 1882 and baptised same day as his sisters Beatrice and Mabel)
6. Walter Douglas  aged 7
7. Albert Henry aged 3
8. Frederick W. aged 2
9. Winifred Jane - aged 1 – (born 16 August 1889 and baptised 29 September 1893 – parents living at 21 Claremont Road).  We visited Aunty Win when I was a baby in the UK – she is featured in this blog post here.

According to the 1901 Census there were two more children:

10. Grace Lily aged 9 (born 14 September 1891 and baptised the same day as Winifred and her brother John)
11. John Frank aged 7 – cousin Geraldine’s grandfather (born 14 June 1893 and baptised 29 September 1893)

I am well aware that the ages on the census don’t seem to match up with the birth dates given.  I think if I had 12 children I’d be forgetting how old they were too.

I have been unable to find a Census record for the Cook family in 1881.

Baptism Date/Place:

Eleanor was baptised 25^th July 1875 at Parish of Saint Botolph, Bishopsgate in the city of London.[ii]

Schooling

I have been unable to find a record of any schooling.

Marriage Dates/Places:

Eleanor married Edwin Conner on 24 May 1892 at the Parish Church in the Parish of Portsea. 

Children’s Birth Dates/Places:

Edwin and Eleanor had three children:

Constance Nellie born 26 July 1893 Portsmouth, Hampshire, England[iii]

Lilian Ada born 18 September 1897 Portsmouth, Hampshire, England[iv][v]

Edwin Arthur James born 10 June 1900[vi]

 

 

Eleanor and son Edwin (Ted)

 

 

 Immigration/Migration Dates/Places: 

The family emigrated to Australia on the "Omrah" arriving in Melbourne May 6th 1912.[vii] 

Timeline (including Residence Dates/Places):

**I have created a map plotting all the addresses here**

UK 

1873 – born 58 Orange Street but family living at 25 Orange Street Portsea

1889 - 71 Maun Road according to sister Beatrices baptism

1891 Census – 120 Queens Road, Portsea

1892 marriage – 3 Queens Road[viii], Portsea

1894 – 18^th October Garrison Church Malta – baptism eldest child Constance. Family living at 58 Strada Fossi Floriana

1897 10^th November Baptism Lillian Ada in the Wesleyan-Methodist Chapel Portsmouth – 53 Aylesbury Road [ix]

1901 – 32 Connaught Road Portsmouth with Constance, Lillian and Edwin Arthur

1903 Her husband Edwin’s father Edward dies

1910 Her husband Edwin’s mother Rebecca dies

1911 – 140 Chichester Road North End Eleanor is living with Constance aged 17 a music teacher,  Lillian and Edwin Arthur – scholars and two boarders William Lowes and Thomas Miller – engine fitters. Eleanor’s husband was in China at the time with the Navy.

AUSTRALIA 

Melbourne

1912 9 March - 10 Park Avenue, Glen Huntley, Victoria[x]  according to Edwin’s Naval Record

1914 26 Forster St Williamstown, Melbourne[xi] (Edwin's electoral roll continues to show him at this address until 1925) - 4^th August Prime Minister Joseph Cook announces we are supporting Britain in WW1

 

 

1914 Williamstown Chronicle courtesy of Trove NLA

 

30 April 1927 Williamstown Chronicle Page 3 courtesy of Trove NLA

1915 Daughter Constance is engaged to Claude Morrison[xii]

1916 69 Murray Street Caulfield [xiii] - a 6 bedroom timber home and Eleanor is described as home duties and an Owner Occupier with 6 people living there.

1917 67 Murray Street Caulfield [xiv] but now the owner is described as Mrs Annie Peterson of Mornington.  The neighbours appear to be the same H.B. Mitchell at 67 and Mrs Janet McCulloch next in the register but now HB Mitchell seems to be at 65 so maybe the previous year’s record was incorrect.

1918 daughter Constance marries Claude Henry Morrison – a dental mechanic and WW1 ends 11 November

1919 4 Spencer Road Camberwell [xv] - this is described as a timber home with 5 rooms let for £700 with 2 people living on the property – presumably Lillian and Eleanor.  Eleanor is described as a musician

1920 March -122 Asling Street Garden Vale, Melbourne according to Edwin’s Naval record[xvi]

Sydney

1920 Eleanor and Edwin Senior move to Fitzwilliam Road Vaucluse according to Edwin’s Naval record

 

 

Eleanor with son Edwin

 

1921 6^th October daughter Lillian Ada Conner marries Clarence Russell Williamson in Victoria[xvii] at St Andrew’s Church Brighton and by 1922 is living in Echuca[xviii]

1923 31 October Salisbury Street Vaucluse – according to Edwin’s naval record

1924 – son Edwin Jr marries my grandmother Ethel CARRETT in Bondi

1927 Eleanor’s husband Edwin died in the Greycliffe disaster in Sydney Harbour 3 November 1927 at the age of 58. See blog post here.

1928 Death of her father in January and then her mother in September in the UK

1929 Lillian Ada and Clarence Russell Williamson divorce in Victoria

1930 Eleanor is living at Regent Flats, Hopetoun avenue[xix] together with Lillian

Lillian has also charged Clarence with wife desertion and says she is of 54A New South Head Road, Vaucluse[xx] - this seems to be a dressmaker’s shop according to local advertising.

1930 NSW Police Gazette

2nd September 1935 Sydney Morning Herald Page 18 courtesy of Trove

22nd June 1938 Daily Telegraph courtesy of Trove

1931 Lillian seems to be living with her brother-in-law John at 22 Linlithgow Road in Melbourne.  There is a Stella and Albert living at 15 Linlithgow Road – her in-laws perhaps? No sign of Clarence.

1931 Eleanor is now living at Main Western Road, Blaxland[xxi]

1932 Lillian is registered on the electoral roll as living at 148 Hopetoun Avenue, Vaucluse[xxii]

1934 Eleanor is living at Bennett Street, Glenbrook[xxiii] together with Lillian

 

Photo taken 1935/38 L to R Eleanor Conner, Mrs MacDougal?, Ethel Conner, EAJ Conner and John Morrison

1936 Sydney Morning Herald ad

1936 Eleanor is living at 148 Hopetoun Avenue, Vaucluse[xxiv] while Lillian is living at Main Road Springwood as a storekeeper[xxv]

 

 

Ad for shop for rent in Springwood in 1936

 

1937 daughter Lillian is still on the electoral roll as living at Main Road Springwood but must go to the UK at some stage because she leaves the UK to return to Australia according to a shipping list[xxvi]

1938 Lillian returns from the UK[xxvii] giving her address as 148 Hopetoun Avenue, Vaucluse

1939 3 September Prime Minister Menzies announces we are at war

1942 Japanese submarines attack Sydney harbour

1943 Eleanor dies 16^th April at 12 Fitzwilliam Road Vaucluse just before Easter. Lillian is living there at the time and describes herself as a dressmaker[xxviii]

Military Service Dates/Places:

Not applicable but Eleanor’s husband Edwin was in the Navy. For more about Edwin’s service see these blog posts

Occupation Dates/Places:

Home duties according to Census and musician

Organizations/Associations Dates/Places:

Unaware of any.

Death Date/Place:

Eleanor died 16 April 1943 at 12 Fitzwilliam Road Vaucluse.

Burial Date/Place:

Eleanor is buried at South Head Cemetery as per funeral notice[xxix]

FAN CLUB (Friends and Neighours)

Baptism sponsors/godparents – none recorded

Marriage Witnesses Officiants –

Accompanying passengers on shipping list

Census – other lodgers/neighbours

City directories – others living in household/on street

Land Deeds – witnesses/buyers/sellers

Maps – neighbours

Military – unit members

Death – informant/undertaker ? check

Obituary – 

 

Sydney Morning Herald death notice

 

Probate – executor/Heirs/Witnesses- unable to find any record

Cemetery – others in plot – her husband Edwin.

CONCLUSION

What did I learn from this exercise?

The things that stood out for me were how many children Eleanor’s mother had in comparison to Eleanor – 12 as opposed to 3.  Edwin being away in the Navy would have helped in this regard. 

I am also much struck by how many “homes” Eleanor had over the course of her life.  As a child or before she was married, I have been able to determine that she lived in four different homes. During the course of the rest of her life, she lived in at least 17 different homes over the course of 50 years.  That’s moving house about every 3 years.  I suspect this is because they rented.  Indeed, that is how my grandmother met my grandfather, Eleanor’s son.  She was collecting the rent for her father. 

Edwin’s career in the Navy meant Eleanor was on her own to raise her family sometimes for years at a time.  And of course he would have been in active service during WW1. 

My father has shared some very interesting articles with me which I urge you to read here if you have time about what it was like for wives of men in the navy at the time.  Support for families was next to non-existent.  I would also like to find out more about what life would have been like for them in Malta and find out how long they stayed – possibly up to 3 years.  This publication is probably a bit romanticised and on a different social rung on the ladder to my ancestors but is nevertheless fun to read. This article is also useful.

I am intrigued by the photo of Eleanor with her son Edwin - the one that looks very formal.  They strike me as though they are in some kind of uniform.  Religous?  A band uniform? Sing out if you recognise anything.

My father’s memories help paint a picture too despite his tender years.  He remembers going to Vaucluse when Eleanor died.  She was lying in state in an open coffin and he was expected to kiss her - a request he flatly refused.  They stayed the night with the family and he woke later very much afraid and screamed, seeing what he thought was a headless corpse advancing towards him - the ghost of his grandmother - only to be told it was Lillian's dressmakers dummy standing in the corner!  

Apart from that, he has many fond memories of being with his aunts.  The family was very musical – Connie was a music teacher.  He remembers Lillian being deaf.  How did that happen and how long was she deaf for? There were many nights where he fell asleep under the dinner table while the grown ups talked and then was lifted on to his father's shoulder and taken home on the tram or if they were lucky, Claude's 1926 Essex.  He used to stand on the roof of their house I think and try and spot Japanese planes flying over during the war.

This image was originally posted to Flickr by GPS 56 at https://flickr.com/photos/91807507@N03/17403537034 (

Last but not least, Edwin Senior had older sisters living in Queensland – Clara Rebecca and Harriet.  Did he ever find time to catch up with them?  If he didn’t, I can kind of understand why.  It sounds like he had a pretty busy life, as indeed did Eleanor.  There was eleven years between Clara Rebecca and Edwin but only 3 between Edwin and Harriet.  So there’s a bit of me that wonders if he did try and see them while he was out serving on the Australia station.  There’s a whole other post plotting his time then on HMS Pioneer and HMS Psyche.

How has your family history week been?

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit and comment.

---

[i] County of Hampshire, Parish of Portsea, Birth Certificate Number , Cook, General Register Office London

[ii] Ancestry, London, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906 London Metropolitan Archives, St Botolph without Bishopsgate, Register of Baptism, P69/BOT4/A/01/Ms 4519, Item 8

[iii] "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XSFQ-6WK : 20 May 2019), Constant N Connor in household of Eleanor E Connor, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing North End And Buckland subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.

[iv] "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XSFQ-6W2 : 20 May 2019), Lilian A Connor in household of Eleanor E Connor, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing North End And Buckland subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.

[v] Ancestry.com. Victoria, Australia, Divorce Records, 1860-1940 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2017.Original data:Divorce Case Files, 1860-1940. VPRS 283 (Supreme Court of Victoria Divorce Files) and VPRS 552 (Ballarat Divorce Case Files). Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria.

[vi] Country of Porsmouth, North End and Buckland Sub-District, Birth Certificate Number 73, Edwin Arthur James Conner, General Register Office London

[vii] Ancestry.com. UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; BT27 Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and Successors: Outwards Passenger Lists; Reference Number: Series BT27-108782

[viii] County of Hampshire, Parish of Portsea, Marriage Certificate Number 319, Conner, General Register Office London

[ix] Find My Past, Hampshire Portsmouth Baptisms, Buckland

[x] CONNER EDWIN : Service Number - 2103 : Date of birth - 25 Dec 1869 : Place of birth - PORTSMOUTH ENGLAND : Place of enlistment - Unknown : Next of Kin - CONNER ELEONOR NAA A6770, CONNER E

[xi] Ancestry, Australian Electoral Rolls, 1901-1936

[xii] NOTES OF THE WEEK. (1915, April 14). Williamstown Advertiser (Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 3. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87748477

[xiii] Ancestry, Victoria, Australia, Rate Books, 1855-1963 - Public Record Office Victoria; North Melbourne, Australia; Series Title: 2334/P3 Microfilm copy of Rate Books, City of Caulfield [copy of VPRS 8354] [1857-1955]

[xiv] Ancestry, Victoria, Australia, Rate Books, 1855-1963, Public Record Office Victoria; North Melbourne, Australia; Series Title: 2334/P3 Microfilm copy of Rate Books, City of Caulfield [copy of VPRS 8354] [1857-1955]

[xv] Ancestry, Camberwell and Waverley, Australia, Rate Books, 1857-1927

[xvi] CONNER EDWIN : Service Number - 2103 : Date of birth - 25 Dec 1869 : Place of birth - PORTSMOUTH ENGLAND : Place of enlistment - Unknown : Next of Kin - CONNER ELEONOR NAA: A6770, CONNER E

[xvii] Ancestry.com. Victoria, Australia, Divorce Records, 1860-1940 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2017.Original data:Divorce Case Files, 1860-1940. VPRS 283 (Supreme Court of Victoria Divorce Files) and VPRS 552 (Ballarat Divorce Case Files). Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria.

[xviii] Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Original data:Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].

[xix] Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data:Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].

[xx] Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1854-1930 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.
Original data:New South Wales Government. Police Gazettes. Series 10958, Reels 3129-3143, 3594-3606. State Records Authority of New South Wales. Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia. © the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales and is used under licence with the permission of the State Records Authority. The State of New South Wales gives no warranty regarding the data's accuracy, completeness, currency or suitability for any particular purpose.

[xxi] Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Original data:Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].

[xxii] Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data:Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].

[xxiii] Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data:Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].

[xxiv] Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data:Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].

[xxv] Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data:Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].

[xxvi] Find My Past, Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960

[xxvii] Find My Past, Australia, Inward, Outward & Coastal Passenger Lists 1826-1972

[xxviii] Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data:Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].

[xxix] Sydney Morning Herald 17 April 1943 page 16