Crossed letter sections - need some help please.

[Peter L. Mitchell]

Hi folks.

I have a crossed letter that was written by an ancestor in the 19th Century. It really requires a professional to decipher it, but I have the most important pieces in the attached screenshots.

The first is an address. It looks to me like 67 Queensberry Street, then possibly Cheltenham. The date is June, but the day and the year are too difficult for me to work out.

The second is the beginning, which looks like "My darling Marion."

If anyone is able to help me with this I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,
           Peter

[wivenhoe]

possibly.....June 9** / 84             so the 9** would be ...9th.......but it does not look like...th....?

[goldie61]

Date of ........ 9th /84 - possibly just a little squiggle for 'th' . I know I don't write 'th' clearly when I write the date!

The number of the house could be 51.
The top of the '5' making the '1' look like a 7.

[Peter L. Mitchell]

Thanks wivenhoe. That looks pretty good.

Thanks also to Goldie61. Your suggestion would make sense to me because the writer's grandfather was French.

[goldie61]

Was she definitely called 'Marion'? Or is that what you're trying to find out?
Certainly 'My Darling.............'



So who was living at 67, or 51, Queensbury Street, Cheltenham in 1881 and 1891 Censues?
Maybe not Cheltenham then - the word looks too short?

[Peter L. Mitchell]

Hi Goldie61.

I'm reasonably certain that it's Marion, but I'm prepared to be wrong. The letter was passed down from my great-grandmother, Marion, who was born in 1857. The only others family member whose names started with M were her mother (Matilda) and her grandfather, Meshack. The thing that casts doubt in my mind is what looks like a dot at the end of the name. This could just be the writer's style to dot the "i" to the right, but I'm really not sure.

The 1884 date would make sense because Matilda re-married after her husband died, and she died in 1887. The only puzzle for me with this is that as far as I know she spent all her life from 1857 in Victoria (Australia), and she died in Wallan. I had initially thought the address might have been Carlton (Melbourne) as I can't find a Queensberry Street in Cheltenham.

There are a lot of gaps I'm trying to fill.

Thanks,
            Peter

[a chesters]

There is a Queensberry Street in North Melbourne.

There is also a Queensberry Street in Carlton, with several premises in line for heritage as per: https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/city-north-heritage-review2.pdf

A Chesters

[josey]

Could the place be Chelton?

[Peter L. Mitchell]

I think it might be Queensberry Street in Carlton. She had a son who lived at that time at 321 Station Street, North Carlton, so I think it's reasonable to assume that it was Carlton.

Thanks for your suggestion, Josey. The surname is Menere, and the death certificates show that all three died in Victoria: Marion in 1954, Matilda in 1890 and the son (Henri) in 1891.