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Research in Other Countries => Immigrants & Emigrants - General => Topic started by: mich b on Monday 09 January 12 23:09 GMT (UK)
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This is my first time attempting to find relatives in Australia, I'm a member of Ancestry, but I haven't got "worldwide".
I stumbled upon a newspaper engagement announcement Nora BINI to William HOULAHAN. The article is below, the spelling was quite poor, so I've amended where I felt appropriate.
"HOULAHAN-BINI.--The Engagement ls announced of Nora, second daughter of Mrs. E. Gallagher, Quigg Street., Lakemba, and the late Austin Bini, of Sheffield. England, to William Houlahan. ex-A.f.P., only son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Houlahan, of Olenars, HOK'S'S (HOWES?) Valley. "
There was no date on the article, but I do know that the late Austin BINI and family were still in Sheffield, England in 1911. Nora was born in Sheffield in 1911, so I'm guessing it was after 1930 due to her age.
Nora had a sister, Olga b.1910, I don't know whether she went out to Australia, but I'm assuming she did.
I'd appreciate any help in finding them please?
Thanks in anticipation.
Michelle
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Hi Michelle
Given that the mother's initial was "E" and the girls were "N" and "O" then this is likely...
Victoria Passenger Lists
Aboard the "Makarini"
Arrived 14th Jun 1914
BINI Mrs E aged 30
BINI Miss O aged 3
BINI Miss N aged 2
NSW Marriage Index
Granville 1923
GALLAGHER John V
BINI Edith
Cheers
Karenlee
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Wow, thanks Karenlee, that's brilliant and very helpful.
I've managed to get on Ancestry emigration records, but without paying more, it wouldn't let me see the ship's name or date of passage.
I found Nora and Olga on electoral rolls, 1937, in NSW, in a place called Reid, but that's as far as it'll let me see.
My great grandad's brother is Austin BINI, but I can't see any passage or death for him in this country. I know he joined the York and Lancaster regiment from Sheffield in 1908 and was discharged "at own request" in 1911, but after the 1911 census I don't where he went.
I wonder why he wasn't on board with his wife and daughters.
Thanks again.
Michelle
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Australian Electoral Rolls
NSW Lange Lakemba
1943
BINI Nora 5 Quigg Street, Packer, Female
GALLAGHER Edith 5 Quigg Street, Home Duties, Female
NSW Reid Auburn
1937
BINI Nora 15 Mona Street, Packer, Female
GALLAGHER Edither 15 Mona Street, Home Duties, Female
GALLAGER John Vincent 15 Mona Street, Railway Employee, Male
NSW Reid Auburn
1936
BINI Nora 15 Mona Street, Packer Female
BINI Olga 15 Mona Street, Packer Female
GALLAGHER Edith 15 Mona Street, Home Duties Female
GALLAGHER John Vincent 15 Mon Street, Railway Employee Male
NSW South Sydney Refern
1933
BINI Nora 38 Walker Street, Packer Female
BINI Olga 38 Walker Street, Packer Female
GALLAGHER Edith 38 Walker Street, Home Duties, Female
GALLAGHER John Vincent 38 Walker Street, Labourer Male
NSW Reid Belmore
1933
BINI Nora 20 Belmore Avenue, Packer Female
BINI Olga Marian Teresa 20 Belmore Avenue, Packer Female
GALLAGHER Edith 20 Belmore Avenue, Home Duties Female
GALLAGHER John Vincent 20 Belmore Avenue, Labourer Male
Cheers
Karenlee
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Thanks so much Karenlee.
You are a star!
Michelle
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NSW Marriage Index
Auburn 1936
BINI Olga Marion
DONNELLY Francis
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Thanks again!
Michelle
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The Engagement Notice appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday 12th Feb 1946
This is interesting
NSW Death Index
Bourke 1922
BINI Austin
Father = Austin BINI
Mother = Ellen BINI
Could that be him?
Karenlee
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Victoria Passenger Lists
Aboard the "Seydlitz"
From Antwerp
Arrived Sydney 10th Jan 1912
BINI Austin
Nationality English
Karenlee
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It wont let me look any further, but I've just found Olga Marion DONNELLY on the electoral roll in 1968 in Blaxland!
Couldn't have done it without you Karenlee.
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Sands Directory Sydney and NSW
1919
BINI Austin Sheehy Street Glebe
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Aw, thanks Karenlee, that is him on the Death Index :-[. He wasn't even 40 years old. I wonder what he died of, his brother my great grandad died of pernicious anaemia, but his father out-lived him. His parents were my 2x great grandparents.
Edith didn't wait long to remarry.
I wonder why he went out there more than two years before his wife. Edith may have still been pregnant when he left, either way Nora would have been very young when he went.
So many questions.
Thanks for the date on the announcement.
Michelle
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The Ryerson Index shows..
DONNELLY Olga late of Greenacre Death Notice Sydney Morning Herald 23rd Aug 1975, death date 22nd Aug 1975
HOULAHAN Nora late of Muswellbrook died 4th Aug 1998 Muswellbrook Chronicle 14th Aug 1998
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Have you seen Austin BINI's WW1 Service Record and the mention of his application to join the Australian Armed Forces ?
www.naa.gov.au
Search as a guest and simply search for Austin BINI
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Karenlee,
What an amazing resource. I've printed off all the stuff relating to Austin. I'm always incredulous when I find stuff that's still "out there" about my family. I guess that's why genealogy is sooo addictive.
M x
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Here is the death notice of Olga Donnelly from SMH aug 23 1975
regards,
Ros
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27916035
And this is the link to the engagement notice that you mentioned. If you look to the right you can see the actual newspaper article - on the left is an attempt by a program to convert it to searchable text (electronically translated text) which is why it has poor spelling.
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Ros,
Thanks so much for that. Its certainly bringing our family history alive and also vindicating anecdotal evidence i.e. we had relatives who went to Australia.
From the death notice it doesn't appear that Olga had any children, which is disappointing. Any idea how I'd find out whether Nora and Bill Houlahan did?
Thanks again for your interest and help in this thread.
Michelle
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Hi Michelle,
In the Ryerson Index
http://ryersonindex.net/search.php
I cannot find death notices, only probate notices for the pair and these were in the Musswell Brook Chronicle. The Ryerson Index has a volunteer lookup service so you could request a lookup (but I wonder how easy it is to access the Musswellbrook Chronicle ...?).
The other option is to search through trove http://trove.nla.gov.au/
digitised newspapers up until 1956 and look for birth announcements and/or engagement/wedding notices for the children (warning - it is addictive :))
But hang on I see Edith Gallagher (late of Lakemba) died 31 Jan 1957 with a death notice in SMH. I will hunt that down (between blue screen crashes)
regards,
Ros
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Hi Michelle,
Here is Edith's death notice from 2 Feb, 1957, SMH. She had some grandchildren :)
regards,
Ros
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Here is a message from Bill (William Alphonsus) = W.A. Houlahan to his mother as a POW during the war over Saigon Radio
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17952965
I do find these snippets so interesting (but it doesn't advance your family history)
regards,
Ros
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Oh my goodness, not only did she have grandchildren, but it appears she had a third daughter, Marie.
I wonder if Marie was Austin BINI's child or John GALLAGHER's?
Now to guess at the children's surnames. As Olga's obit didn't mention any children I assumed she died without any although it did say beloved aunt and great aunt (or similar).
I guess Marie was too young to be named on the electoral roll up to 1943. If that is the case she must "belong" to John GALLAGHER as Austin died in 1922.
I've not done too well with Trove so far, but I may be using it wrong.
That www.naa.gov.au was amazing, I found out how tall Austin was, his eye colour, his body condition, amazing.
Thanks again Ros, this information is brilliant.
Michelle
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That is very interesting. Do you think W.A.Houlahan is "my" Houlahan? I saw something else among my searchings for W. Alphonsus Houlahan.
I find all this interesting and as you say, addictive.
Michelle x
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Yes I think he is yours as in the Ryerson Index there were several William Houlahan's but William Alphonsus was from Musswell Brook (as was Nora) and the engagement notice said the family was from
Howie Bay
(corrected) Howes Valley (which the POW message said)
I don't know how brave you are but the white pages
http://www.whitepages.com.au/resSearch.do?subscriberName=houlahan&givenName=&location=2333
gives the addresses of a couple of Houlahans in Musswell Brook (postcode 2333)
cheers,
Ros
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And you could order a transcript of Austin Bini's death certificate
http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/howToTraceYouFamTree.htm#TranscriptionAgent
which is cheaper than the official one (costs about $16) and can order online and they send it by e-mail.
It can be even cheaper if you just select certain fields or columns that you want from the certificate.
cheers,
Ros
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Hi Ros,
I don't know how reliable the electronic copy re: the engagement from SMH was, but I thought the notice said the Houlahan's were late of Olenars, Howe's Valley.
I'm fairly brave, I've messaged several random HOULAHANs I found on facebook, hehehehe. Unfortunately they probably think I'm barmy as they haven't replied.
I may write the Houlahans in the white pages a letter. I think its quite an unusual spelling as its often spelt HOULIHAN. What a pity Austin and Edith didn't have boys, I reckon BINI would have been easier to find. They're aren't many in the UK.
Thanks again for your help.
Michelle x
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hi Michelle,
I don't know what this website is as I haven't come across it before but it says you can request details about William Alphonsus Houlahan - not sure if they are going to ask for money ...)
http://www.namessite.com.au/names/William-HOULAHAN.html
And you're right (my mistake) it was Howes Valley not Howie Bay.
Here is a probate notice (death of his father?) with him being one of the grantees.http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17265706
cheers,
Ros
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And by the way William Alphonsus Hoolahan died in 2000
HOULAHAN William Alphonsus Probate notice 13OCT2000 Publication late of Muswellbrook Muswellbrook Chronicle 13OCT2000
I think this is his war record
http://www.awm.gov.au/research/people/prisoners_of_war/person.asp?p=619395
cheers,
Ros
Edit to add: And in electoral rolls it is William Alphonsus Houlahan who is living with Nora in Musswell Brook
at 116 Hill St and is a grazier. But no others appear at same address. Only have access to 1980.
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You're a one woman mine of information. And it looks like you're right, it looks like Nora's husband was William Alphonsus. I wonder if the fact that he was a POW delayed their marriage.
I assume he was a POW of the Japanese. I read a book recently about the Australian's at war in and around the South Pacific. Our history books don't give enough credit to the atrocities suffered by the Australians at the hands of the Japanese in the S.Pacific. Until I read the book I hadn't realised either.
I think Bill HOULAHAN was lucky to have survived.
I'm probably off to bed shortly, but I'll be checking out the links again tomorrow.
Cheers Ros.
Michelle x
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Blimey in 2000, so recently, his children and grandchildren are likely to be still alive.
An obituary might give a list of relatives and give me an idea if I'm writing to the correct people.
Are you on any genealogy websites in Australia? If you are please let me know if you come across anyone searching for BINI from Sheffield, England. My 3x great grandad was born in Lucca, Italy in 1804.
Cheers mi dear!
Michelle
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Hi Michelle,
And there is a summary of William Alphonsus Houlahan's war record on that site that you found Austin's war record. http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/
HOULAHAN WILLIAM ALPHONSUS : Service Number - NX37496 : Date of birth - 01 Jun 1913 : Place of birth - SINGLETON NSW : Place of enlistment - PADDINGTON NSW : Next of Kin - HOULAHAN ANN
But the details have not been digitised yet :( (However you can request a copy).
I haven't found anything useful on the next generation ... (have been trying)
I am on ancestry with UK/AUS coverage - I will have a look
cheers,
Ros
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I couldn't find a marriage for Marie Bini so I don't think she was Austin's daughter. There are a number of Marie Gallaghers being married but from Enid's death notice we can guess the one.
http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/IndexSearch?form=IndexingSearch&SessionID=31428436&event=marriages&sname=&gname=&fname=gallagher&mname=marie&frange=1920&trange=1950&place=&submitBtnOnce.x=57&submitBtnOnce.y=4
And they are living in Belmore in 1980 electoral roll (and he is a postal assistant). No others of same name living at that address.
cheers,
Ros
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Hi Michelle,
Harold Ronald Trefoni also served in second wold war.
TREFONI HAROLD RONALD : Service Number - NX42727 : Date of birth - 07 Jul 1921 : Place of birth - PETERSHAM NSW : Place of enlistment - PADDINGTON NSW : Next of Kin - TREFONI LILLIAN
http://www.naa.gov.au/
And one of Enid's grandchildren to be married ... (SMH sep 4 1969)
cheers,
Ros
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By the way if you go to http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/ and just type in Bini then you will find over a 100 entries, many of them are immigrants from Italy so you may find other offshoots of your family.
cheers,
Ros
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Hi Michelle,
Here is a link to the family history group of Musswell Brook
http://www.muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au/About-Muswellbrook-Shire/History/Family-history-society.htm
where they offer 2 hours free research to overseas/distant people.
You may well get an obit for W.A.Houlahan there.
cheers,
Ros
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Wow Ros, I got up this morning and found you've been so busy whilst I've been sleeping.
I remember seeing a Trefoni on one of the family announcement notices you sent me.
I've been doing general searches for Houlahans in Muswellbrook and I've found quite a few especially connected with sports, maybe they're relatives.
Thanks for all this.
Michelle x
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You're welcome Michelle. :)
I'm afraid that I didn't find anymore on the direct Bini line - I was hoping that more would emerge indirectly from following the others ...
It still sends shivers down my spine thinking of the mother receiving a message from her son in POW camp via Saigon Radio. What a dreadful time it must have been for her (as well as him of course).
cheers,
Ros