Week 16/52 #52Ancestorsin52Weeks Sarah Stores - Negatives?
Sarah CARRETT (nee STORES) – 1856-1934
Ahnentafel Number 21
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 month is Check It Out and this week is Negatives?
Amy says:
“There are some negatives to family history... Discovering something "negative" about an ancestor, not finding what you were expecting, and even film negatives. This week, explore one of those negatives.”
Sarah was my 2nd great-grandmother.I'd show you a picture of her here but it's not mine to share. I have asked permission from the picture owner on Ancestry and await a response eagerly :)
So, I don't have any film negatives obviously but I have found a newspaper article that does contain some information that could be viewed negatively. Given Sarah is now deceased and the accusation was denied by her husband, we can see it as an interesting item from the times and think about why this was important at the time. More of that later
STORES is not the easiest name to look for on Trove or a newspaper search. You can imagine that it will be confused with STORER and of course, stores or shops. Variations on spellings have included STORRS, STORES and even SPORES!
This side of the family has caused great confusion on many counts. The Carrett side of the family insisted on calling the firstborn sons George Henry Charles and they were all bricklayers so that gets very confusing. And then the Stores seem to be fond of calling their eldest sons Edward.
Dates written in Red are collated from the following sites: Project Gutenberge Australia, Wikipedia and National Museum of Australia, Studocu, Australian Constitution Centre
Childhood
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| Extract of map of Port Jackson and City of Sydney 1867 showing Newtown in relation to the Cooks River, published by James AC Willis out of copyright courtesy of State Library of New South Wales |
In 1854 first steam railway line opens in Melbourne and NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia each obtained new Constitutions and responsible governments.
In 1856 Van Diemen’s Land changed its name to Tasmania and secret ballot was introduced. All adult men were given the vote.
Birth Date/Place:
Sarah was born on 22nd August 1856 in Newtown, New South Wales.[i] Her father was Edward and her mother Mary Ann (nee NOBBS). Sarah was the second eldest of eight children.
Sarah’s grandparents were some of the earliest white settlers in Australia. Edward was the eldest son of Edward Stores born in 1802 in Sydney.[ii] Edward Stores Snr’s wife Sarah Parkes was born in 1809 in Sydney. The Parkes family were sawyers and their land on the Cooks River was known as Parkes’ Camp.
On her mother’s side of the family, the Nobbs family was also well known in the area. Mary Ann was the youngest daughter of John Nobbs. Joseph Nobbs purchased 60 acres on the Cooks River, which became known as Nobbs Flat, in 1830. [iii]
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| Plan of a Subdivision of C Tyrrells 60 acre Grant State Library of NSW 027 SS/PC8/27 |
The Nobbs side of the family has also caused us great confusion – due to Nobbs often looking like Hobbs in written records which led my father on a merry dance many years ago. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I read that the convict Joseph Nobbs, who I believe is an ancestor of Sarah’s had three families – one in England and two in Australia and just to make things trickier, his son John Nobbs came out to Australia too. So, lots of untangling to do.
Baptism Date/Place:
Sarah was baptized on 7th September 1856. Her father, Edward, is recorded as a sawyer living in Newtown.
She had an older sister Mary born on 12th August 1854 (baptized 10th September 1854 in the Parish of Camperdown where Edward was listed as a Sawyer living at Cooks River) and a younger sister Eliza Ellen born 26 December 1858. Eliza’s baptismal record showed Edward as a Publican and living at Spring Creek, St Georges.
In 1858 Edward has a license for the Foresters’ Retreat on the Wollongong Road in the District of Sydney.[iv] But this seems to have been a short-lived affair as he advertised the business for lease due to illness a year later. [v]
In 1858 Sydney and Melbourne were linked by electronic telegraph and New South Wales men achieved the right to vote
1859 Colony of Queensland proclaimed
1861 Introduction of Robertson Land Acts in New South Wales which allowed for the legal purchase and occupation of Crown lands.
Sarah's other siblings included Lucy born in 1862, John in 1865, and William in 1867.
In 1869 the following appeared in the NSW Police Gazette:
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| 10th March 1869 NSW Police Gazette courtesy Trove, National Library of Australia |
So we learn that Edward Stores is now a dairyman, living in Egan Street Newtown. And we also learn something about his family's wardrobe! There were six children in the family when this happened ranging in age from Mary, 15 to little William, just two years old.
Two more siblings, Mary Ann and Edward Thomas were born in 1870 and 1873 respectively.
Edward was a dairyman, a store owner, and offered agistment for cows as well according to this article.
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| 6th October 1871 Sydney Morning Herald page 2 courtesy of Trove, National Library of Australia |
Sarah's younger brother John died on 28th November 1872 after a long illness and was buried on 30th November.[vi]
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| 28th November 1872 Sydney Morning Herald Death Notice Page 1 coursty of Trove, National Library of Australia |
John’s father Edward was described as a storekeeper according to the burial register.[vii]
1868 end of convict transportation
1869 children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent are removed from their families for the next 100 years
The family seems to have moved from Newtown out to Canterbury from 1859 to 1869 and then back to Newtown for the birth of Mary Ann and Edward Thomas.
The Bailliere’s New South Wales Gazetteer and Road Guide of 1866 describe Newtown as follows:
NEWTOWN (Co. Cumberland) is a large and important suburb of Sydney, in the parish of Petersham, and police district of Sydney. With its neighbourhood, it forms an electorate, and returns 1 member. It lies on elevated land to the S. E . of Sydney, adjoining the city boundary, and has a municipal council of its own. Newtown is the first station from Sydney, on the S. and W. line of railway. The suburb of Waterloo lies on the S.E., Marrickville on the S.W., and Camperdown on the N. W. With the two first the communication is by main road, and with the latter, as with Sydney, by train. 'Busses also run to Sydney throughout the day. Newtown is a favourite place of residence for gentlemen having business in Sydney. It has a school of arts, a post office, and a municipal chamber. The hotels are the Terminus, Masonic, Webster's, Bricklayer's Arms, Daniel Lambert, Union, and White Horse. There are branches of the Commercial Banking company and of the Victoria Insurance company ; also a Masonic lodge (lodge Newtown Kilwinning, S. C. ), and an Odd Fe1lows lodge (St. John's lodge, No. 3392). The surrounding country is slightly undulating,and is composed of clay and shale over sandstone. The population numbers between 6000 and 7000 persons.[viii]
1870 British troops withdrew from Australia and each Colony responsible for its own defense.
Married Life
Marriage Dates/Places:
Sarah married George Henry CARRETT II on 20 April 1878 at 145 Foveaux Street Surry Hills, NSW according to the rites of the Congregational Church.[ix] Sarah’s father was described as a Labourer. George was a bricklayer, like his father.
I did write about Sarah and George's marriage here but it bears repeating.
George and Sarah were married by Thomas Gainford according to the rites of the Congregational Church and their marriage was witnessed by George Preston and Mary Stores (I'm assuming that Mary Stores was Sarah's Mother).
So, why did they get married at 145 Foveaux Street in Surry Hills?
The Sands Directory for 1879 shows that Rev.George Preston lived there. Remember he was one of the witnesses? Maybe Sarah was a servant in his household. Maybe we will never be able to confirm that but it's a thought.
From a number of articles found on Trove, it seems that George Preston was learning how to officiate at marriages under the tutelage of Thomas Gainford. And Thomas Gainford himself was an interesting chap. Keep in mind that I am trying to work out why my ancestors would have married this way or chosen this minister to marry them. Let's go back a bit again.
Sarah's paternal grandparents were Edward (called Ted) Stores and Sarah Parkes (yes it is very confusing - there are two Sarah Stores, three George Henry Carretts, and two Edward Stores) and her maternal grandparents were John Hobbs and Mary Boswell. These people were not insignificant players in the region of Earlwood or Undercliff where my father grew up.
Sarah Stores' grandmother, Sarah Parkes, was the second daughter born to Margaret Southern and John Parkes - both ex-convicts. John Parkes was from Worcestershire's Black Country - named after its iron-ore. He was a nailer by trade and worked at the Government Dockyards for many years before moving on to the land.
One of twelve children Sarah and her husband Ted Stores lived at Parkes Camp (now Earlwood) - a "timber-gatherer's Camp..destined to become the vanguard of three generations of sawyers." according to Ron Hunt. Her brothers William, Isaac, and Thomas were boxing champions; Bill earned the title of Australian middleweight champion in 1845 before traveling to England to fight Nat Langham the middleweight champion there.
Madden and Muir's history advises us that the 1870s were the beginning of a building boom for Sydney and that the Parkes and Nobbs families made their money from supplying sandstone from the Canterbury Quarry in River Street.
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| All the George Henry Carretts ! |
So the Stores and the Carretts really were a match made in heaven, all things considered. Reading Gainford's biography in the Australian Dictionary of Biography and a lengthy obituary in the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners Advocate, we learn that he seemed to share many of the Parkes/Stores and Nobbs's interests and life experiences. Born in Workington, Cumberland in 1823, by the age of 19 he was a champion wrestler for Cumberland - a couple of years before Bill Sparkes (the Parkes family has many monikers from Parkes to Perks to Sparks) was fighting Nat Langham.
Thomas Gainford then went on to study shipbuilding and became a master mariner. His experiences at sea, witnessing the uncertainty of life, motivated him to convert to Christianity and he became variously known as the "praying sailor" and the Black Preacher because of his physical appearance and his fortitude in all weather.
In 1853 he migrated to Australia and co-owned a sawmill on the banks of Duck Creek on the Parramatta River. It was so successful that another branch was formed on the Richmond River. He sojourned to the Victorian goldfields and then to Newcastle before he returned to Sydney in 1867 and then became minister of the Mariners Church in 1870.
So whilst it seems strange that a bricklayer and a servant would be married by a preacher in the Mariner's Church, I feel certain that their paths would have crossed somehow given their shared interests and Gainford's concern for those who felt isolated through their occupation or the trials and tribulations of life.
1879 first congress of trade unions held
1889 completion of the railway network between Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney
1895 women’s enfranchisement in South Australia and the beginning of the worst drought in Australia’s history, the Federation Drought 1895-1903
1899 Second Boer War – NSW and Qld troops participate
Children’s Birth Dates/Places:
Sarah and George Carrett had nine children over a period of 20 years:
- George Henry Charles Carrett III was born on 9th January 1879 in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia (my great-grandfather)
- Ethel May was born on 4th March 1881 and died 25thJanuary 1882
- Mabel Blanche Rose was born on 1st August 1883 in Petersham
- Harold Edward Stephen Carrett [x] was born on 29th December 1886 in Petersham. According to Peter Brian Carrett’s family history they lived in Brixton Villa, Fairfowl Street, Marrickville (is this from Harold’s birth certificate?)
- Ernest Albert Victor was born on 10th November 1888 at Marrickville and then baptized on 6th January 1889 – George Henry and Sarah's parents living at Avoca Smithfield – father a bricklayer. [xi]
- Charles Arthur Stanley Carrett was born 7th March 1891 at Seaview Street, Dulwich Hill, Marrickville[xii], and baptized on 26th April at St Stephen’s, Newtown[xiii]
- Edith Sarah Cecilia was born on 25th January 1894 in Dubbo
- Lester Irving Claude born on 14th June 1896 in Dubbo
- Herbert John Lawrence was born on 14th June 1899 and then baptized on 10th September at All Saints, Petersham[xiv] His parents were living at Charles St Petersham.
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| 8th July 1902 courtesy of Trove, National Library of Australia |
So we have Sarah charged with selling adulterated milk.
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| 8th July 1902 Evening News, courtesy of Trove, National Library of Australia |
In this article, we get the name of the inspector of nuisances AND we find out that Sarah's husband George appears for her stating that he purchased the milk. Fascinating huh? We know Sarah's father was a dairyman and a storekeeper. We know that George is a bricklayer. Whilst the older children have probably left home by now I think it is fair to say that at least six would still be at home so Sarah is a mother to at least six kids at home, selling milk in Charles Street Petersham and her husband is working as a bricklayer.
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| 8th July 1902 Maitland Mercury courtesy of Trove, National Library of Australia |
This article seems the same but again has another small piece of information which says that Sarah was charged with selling milk adulterated with water. It also mentions that milk vendors say they will be unable to supply all their customers unless rain falls soon. Keep in mind this was towards the end of a very long drought.
With scientific advances, two issues arose with respect to the population’s diet – one positive, the other negative.On the positive side, science was seen as providing the tools to understand better human biology and the role nutrition plays in human health......Early wage cases in Australia included evidence on nutrition in determining a fair wage by reference to the amount of energy and protein required by a man and his family..... The other side of the coin with respect to science and food was suspicion about the contribution of science to food production. Adulteration of foodstuffs was of great concern as scientific advances were seen as providing manufacturers with means for cutting corners and deceiving the consumer. It was these concerns that drove reformers to push for food safety regulation.
(Food regulation: Public policy approaches and issues, University of New South Wales, 2006)
It was quite common for Sydney dairymen to adulterate pure milk with added water, justifying their claims that they could not make a profit without adding water. In 1875 there was an outcry from NSW Medical Gazette about this practice
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| The Bulletin 2nd February 1905 Vol 26 No. 1303, courtesy of Trove, National Library of Australia |
1900 Bubonic plague arrives in Australia
1901 Australia becomes a federation and Edmund Barton first Australian Prime Minister. The White Australia Policy is enshrined in law.
1902 Franchise Act guarantees women the right to vote in federal elections but excludes most non-European ethnic groups including Aboriginal people.
Australian Electoral Rolls
1903-1904
Sarah Carrett is recorded as living at Nobbs’ Flat (NB the maiden name of her mother) – domestic duties as is Daisy Mildred Carrett (her daughter-in-law).[xv]
Note that Sarah and Daisy are listed with other women on the Supplementary General roll of persons entitled to vote for Members of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales. Scrolling back through this roll we find George Carrett also living at Nobbs Flat, Canterbury – bricklayer.
1905 death of Sarah’s father Edward Stores [xvi]
1906 Australia takes control of south-eastern New Guinea
1907 Harvester Judgement set first Australian minimum wage standard
1908 legislation introducing national age and invalid pensions
1909 Compulsory military service instituted in Australia
1912 maternity allowance introduced
Old Age
I imagine that Sarah's old age or retirement years might have been filled with worry for her sons if they participated in the Boer War or WW1 - certainly George Henry and Charles went off to war as per my blog post here. Then there were the grim years of the Depression lying ahead.
1914 – 1918 WW1
1919 influenza pandemic reaches Australia
1924 compulsory voting in federal elections introduced
1927 Opening of Federal Parliament by the Duke of York in Canberra.
1928 Bert Hinkler flies from England to Australia
On the 20th of April 1928, the family celebrated George and Sarah's Gold Wedding Anniversary at the George Hall, Canterbury Road Canterbury. There is a picture of all the relations gathered and there are easily over 100 people there including lots and I mean LOTS of children.
Golden Wedding Anniversary for George and Sarah CARRETT at George Hall, Canterbury Road, Canterbury 20 April 1928
The following year, George Henry Carrett II died. I need to obtain this certificate.
1932 Opening of Sydney Harbour Bridge and height of the Great Depression – 32% unemployment.
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| Sydney Morning Herald, 2nd February 1934 Page 9, courtesy of Trove, National Library of Australia |
Date and Place of Death
Sarah died on 1st February 1934 at Sutherland, New South Wales. I need to obtain her death certificate.
Buried
She is buried at Woronora Cemetery, Sutherland, New South Wales, Australia. You can see her gravestone on FindAGrave here.
Conclusion
Peacefully sleeping
Resting at last
Life's weary pain
And suffering past
The very telling inscription on Sarah's gravestone.
Like many women of her era, Sarah had her work cut out for her and very little relief from domestic duties, mothering, and working to survive. Let's not forget on whose shoulders we stand.
My deepest thanks to cousin Heather Eggert for allowing me to share the photo of the Carrett's Golden Wedding Anniversary.
I hope you have had a good week family history-wise I have been visiting friends on the Sunshine Coast and discovered a new knitting shop and am enjoying knitting some cozy cowls.
References
[i] Ancestry.com. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. The New South Wales Pioneers Index: Pioneers Series 1788-1888
[ii] Family Notices (1853, July 8). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 3. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12947130
[iii] Madden, Brian J and Muir, Lesley, A History of Earlwood, Undercliffe and Clemton Park, NSW https://issuu.com/canterburylib/docs/earlwoods_past/30 , p. 11 accessed 24 April 2022
[iv] QUARTERLY TRANSFER MEETING. (1857, December 17). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13004093
[v] Advertising (1858, December 27). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13016110
[vi] Family Notices (1872, November 30). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 12. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13322116
[vii] Sydney, Australia, Anglican Parish Registers, 1814-2011 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017.Original data:Sydney Diocesan Archives, Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
[viii] https://archive.org/stream/baillieresnewsou00bail/baillieresnewsou00bail_djvu.txt accessed 24 April 2022
[ix] Ancestry.com, Australia Marriage Index 1788-1950 and Marriage Certificate
[x] Sydney, Australia, Anglican Parish Registers, 1814-2011 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017. Original data:Sydney Diocesan Archives, Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
[xi] Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, St. John's
Parramatta, Baptisms, 1790-1916 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Original data:Parish Baptism Registers. Textual
records. St. John’s Anglican Church Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. Reference
Number: REG/BAP/5; Description: Vol 05, 1883-1916 (No
3603-7054);
[xii] Birth Certificate,
[xiii]
Sydney, Australia, Anglican Parish Registers, 1814-2011 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2017.
Original data:Sydney Diocesan Archives, Anglican
Church Diocese of Sydney. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
[xiv] Ancestry.com, Sydney, Australia, Anglican Parish Registers, 1814-2011
[xv] 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].
[xvi] Family Notices (1905, February 8). The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), p. 381. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164038352
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