Tracing Family Branches

 The second death registration transcription that I received this week from NSW Family History Transcriptions was one for my great grand Aunt Bridget Donnelly.  Bridget was the daughter of James Donnelly and his wife Mary nee Gallagher and the twin sister of Mary Donnelly.  According to her death registration transcription (see below) Bridget was born at Cooyal in New South Wales in about March 1870. Source: Death registration transcription for Bridget Donnolly.  NSW BDM Death Index No.1872/5011. Received from NSW Family History Transcriptions  https://nswtranscriptions.com.au/ Bridget's death was registered as Bridget Donnolly in Mudgee on the 2nd February 1872 with the informant being her father James Donnolly who was a farmer from Cooyal, near Mudgee.  It is stated that she died on the 31st January 1872, aged one year and ten months at Cooyal from a cold that she had since birth and that her mother was Mary Gallagher.  She was unsurprisingly unmarr...

I came across the following newspaper article on Trove and believe that it may involve my second great aunt Mary Donnelly.  Mary was twelve years old in 1882 and lived in Cooyal.  One of twin girls born to James Donnelly and his wife Mary nee Gallagher in 1870, she never married.  Mary lived in Cooyal on the family property for many years with her parents, then she moved with her mother to a house in Lewis Street, Mudgee.  She died on the 3rd March 1937 at the Mudgee District Hospital and was buried at the Mudgee General Cemetery, in the Roman Catholic section on the 4th March 1937 (see here ).  I have previously mentioned her in blog posts  here , here , here , and  here . Returns of criminal cases heard at the Quarter Sessions at Mudgee on 2nd of August 1882 show that James Garbutt plead guilty to Indecent Assault and was sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour in Mudgee Gaol for eighteen months.  NSW State Records have a gaol photograph an...

My great great uncle Edward Donnelly was born in 1868 the son of James Donnelly and his wife Mary nee Gallagher.  He was destined to follow his father into farming until he suffered a life altering bout of rheumatic fever when he was sixteen.  With hard manual labour ruled out for him, a change in career direction was needed so he returned to school and eventually passed the examinations to become a teacher. In 1885 he was appointed as a House To House teacher at Bourbah and Merri Merri. Source: Government Gazette Appointments and Employment (1885, September 4). New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), p. 5774. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219876834 In 1886 he was instructed to act as teacher at Bundemar Provisional.  According to his teachers records in 1887 he was severally reprimanded for ill-treatment of a female pupil and was to be removed to another school without delay.  Then on the 23rd February 1887 he w...

Well you could definitely say that this year has got away to a flying start ahead of me, with me playing a poor game of catch up! My first post for 2015 involves my Great Great Grandmother Mary Donnelly.  This advertisement from 1912 has her putting the family farm up for lease as her husband had died and she and her daughter had moved into Mudgee. Source: Advertising. (1912, April 11). Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954), p. 18. Retrieved February 6, 2015, from  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article157640288

I am so happy that FindMyPast have the NSW Wills Books 1800-1952 as a part of their searchable records now!  The wills give me new insight into deceased members of my family and their personal circumstances and relationships.  Reading through the will of James Donnelly (my great great grandfather) was very interesting.  He appointed his wife and daughter as his executors rather than his three living sons and in the event of his wife Mary's death her portion of his Estate was to go to their only surviving daughter Mary.  His sons Edward, James and John (or their heirs) were only to get £30 each and this was only if or when Mary and/or her daughter Mary chose to sell the Estate property and only ' if any after the proceeds of the sale '.  James who was a Farmer died at Cooyal on the 27th August 1900 leaving an Estate valued at £530 net.  James was buried at Mudgee General Cemetery (see here ) and Probate was granted to his Executrices, Mary Donnell...