Following on from those last posts about how hard these workers had toiled, I have been trying to trace my GG-Grandfather and his/my Family's Journey from Paisley, Scotland and around his working and living areas here. I have had some success, but many stones are still left to turn and be found.
I went back to Jane Ewing's letter she wrote. She stated that her Father was working essentially right up until he died. Well, he was 72yrs when he died! She said he last worked on the Inglewood line. So I went looking and found him sure enough working in 1906 on the 55mile, Thane to Goondoowindi Railway Extension. Well, the Warwick to Thane line was completed in 1904, but the Thane to Inglewood was completed in 1907. That's when he died. She was right!
I googled 'Thane' because it sounded like a warrior's name or at least a Star Trek creature from another planet. Well, coincidently it said, 'In Scotland a man, often the chief of a Clan, who held land from a Scottish King'. John Ewing, the chief of our Clan from Scotland, that'll do.
I had to know more, what happened to him to suddenly stop? had he finally had enough? too old to be out in the blazing sun at his age? Yes! Surely he wouldn't just give up when the line was all but completed? We don't give up! No Way! Please let it not be another horrible accident like his son James Alexander endured.
I thought and felt the worst. I bought his Death Certificate and downloaded the original image. I didn't open it up. Suddenly for whatever stupid reason, I baulked and left it unopened for some 30-40 minutes. Crazy? Yes. Plenty of people will back that up. I waited for my wife to come home. Yes, I'm a BIG sook as well. I poured 2 glasses of Wither Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and we toasted to good fortune for John Ewing. Yes, I needed a bit of his courage right now and maybe celebration.
But alas, it wasn't what I expected and indeed he deserved. I know life isn't meant to be easy, but for some it's harder than usual. A lot of us today have and are still standing on this man's broad shoulders and are and will be forever grateful through thick and thin.
As I opened the ageing brown coloured original file, the first thing that hit me was the elegantly written long hand writing in the document. Sadly another dying art and it was an art back then and probably still is. Even I now print. My eyes scrolled across to the 'Cause of Death' column.
We both read silently and then said 'WHAT!' Who dies of chronic appendicitis. Well little if anyone these days, but apparently there was no operation or treatment back then, well at least in Warwick, Queensland. Then underneath it also said, Marasmus, Asthenia. Duration: Some months.
We googled these old medical terms and soon realised he was in a lot of pain and his body was wasting away and became very frail until heart failure. He suffered badly and died aged 72yrs and worked hard all his life right up until he could no longer. RIP.
Strangely or not so now, my brother and I have both had our appendix removed. We had the sharp pain for a few days, diagnosed and quickly removed. Anyone who has had it knows all about the pain that doubles you over. That is the garden variety apparently, but chronic back in the day goes on for weeks and sometimes many months. He would have been working with it the tough old Scotsman.
*** If anyone is related to the John Ewing family in any way and would like the Certificate I would happily send them a copy.
*** If anyone from Wither Hills in Marlborough, NZ read this post, please send, well, two dozen bottles ought be just enough for the free plug, Sauvignon Blancs to .... ME
care of Rootschat.