This is my Gt. G.Mother. She left England from Plymouth, in Compta 1882., HAVING REDUCED HER AGE WHEN BOARDING THE COMPTA. ARRIVING IN ROCKHAMPTON/COOKTOWN QSLD, AUSTRALIA.
She met HENRY MUSGRAVE (Originally FROM Cork, Ireland who arrived QSLD IN 1863 AS BABE IN ARMS) on sailing ship The Light Brigade.....with HENRY/JULIA MUSGRAVE - PARENTS; CHILDREN - MARGARET, BRIDGET, JOHN, JOHNANNA, MARY, CATHERINE, WILLIAM, JULIA, HENRY (INFANT).
HENRY was 9 years younger than Kate... AND OUR CATHERINE McELROY, SET UP HOME AND HAD...
VERA INEZ LUCY MUSGRAVE 1883 - 1885;
HERBERT CECIL MUSGRAVE 1885-1963; MARRIED HILDA J. HARDING;
ALICE MURIAL MUSGRAVE 1886 - 1947 MARRIED WM. McGRATH;
GERTRUDE IDA MUSGRAVE 1889 - 1983 MARRIED WHYLIE HARDING.
CATHERINE (KATE McELROY) MARRIED HENRY MUSGRAVE, AFTER THE BIRTH OF THEIR LAST CHILD GERTRUDE IDA, IN 1889, AND SHE DIED TWO YEARS LATER IN 1891.
IT LOOKS LIKE OUR HENRY MUSGRAVE MAY HAVE MARRIED EMILY J. GALBRAITH IN 1897. THERE WAS A MENTION OF A HOUSE FIRE IN TROVE ARCHIVES AFTER SHE DIED....
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO SPONSORED OUR KATE McELROY IN PLYMOUTH, TO GO TO QSLD AND MORE ABOUT HER LIFE WITH HENRY MUSGRAVE, AND ANY STEP CHILDREN TO HENRY'S SECOND WIFE.
OUR KATE LEFT HER FIRST ILLEGITIMATE SON, BACK IN ENGLAND WITH SHIELS, THE ADOPTIVE PARENTS, SHE LODGED WITH; AND HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE TRUE FACTS SURROUNDING HIS MOTHER. IT BEING SURROUNDED IN THE ODD FACT; LOTS OF FICTION, LIES AND MYTHS...
IT TOOK US A LONG TIME TO PIECE HER JOURNEY; to FINDING THE ERRANT FATHER OF HER FIRST BORN SON...... (GEORGE WILLIAM BEST McELROY ...ADOPTED INTO SHIEL FAMILY - HE IS MY MATERNAL GRANDFATHER);
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW SHE DIED., AND HOW HENRY MADE HIS LIVING DURING THEIR MARRIAGE - TO PUT MORE DETAILS INTO THE SKETCHY FACTS WE HAVE NOW UNEARTHED.
WE KNOW SHE IS BURIED IN BUNDABERG CEMETARY AND LINKS HER BACK TO HER BIRTH IN NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, NORTHUMBERLAND, ENGLAND. HER FATHER ORIGINATES FROM CO. MONAGHAN, IRELAND.
HER PARENTS PETER AND CATHERINE McELROY (NEE SMITH) CONFIRMED
OUR KATE'S D.O.B 2/12/1854 NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND. D.O.D. QSLD 24/9/1891.
BUNDERBERG. CATHOLIC CEMETARY. PLOT 2 -92C
MEMORIAL ID 176214095
MEMORIAL ADDED 13/02/2023 250554172.
ANY LITTLE DETAILS ABOUT THEIR OR EXTENDED FAMILIES WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED, AS I WAS ALSO ADOPTED....AND TRACED MY BIRTH MOTHER
WITHOUT KNOWING MY BIRTH NAME OR ANY DETAILS, AND NO CHANCE OF OBTAINING IT....SO SET ABOUT CHANGING THE LAW....I FOUND MY INFORMATION BY BREAKING THE RULES, AND THE LAW BEFORE IT WAS CHANGED IN 1975. MY MOTHER BEING(a granddaughter of Catherine McElroy and daughter of George Wm. Best, McElroy Shiel - the first born son of Catherine...and who was left behind in England with no information about his background.
The women in the family were formidable and resolute characters. Fascinating people and lives.
Thank you for reading my Branch of family tree. I hope you may be able to help, if only a few or small facts to put more pieces of information and colour into my personal family history.
