Samuel Lane and Catherine Maria Parker
Grahame Thom grthom@bigpond.comSam Lane
At Warrah Creek NSW about 1923
Kate Lane
Catherine Maria Lane nee Parker
| SAMUEL LANE AND CATHERINE (KATE) MARIE PARKER
Written by Gaye Gibbs (nee Jessep) and Bob Wilson, edited by Grahame Thom. Samuel (Sam) Lane was born in Windsor on 22 June 1852, the eldest child of John Lane, a bootmaker, and Margaret Anderson. He married Catherine (called Kate) Maria Parker at the Methodist Church, Windsor, on 14 May 1879. The Rev. Joseph Oram conducted the service. Sam was 26 and Kate was 32. Kate's father and sister Emily were the witnesses. Kate was the fourth child of John Parker, a storekeeper and orchardist at Parramatta, and Ann Cock. She was born in Parramatta on 1 May 1847. Click on the link below to see the story of John and Ann, and their families. Sam suffered from asthma, which kept him from working regularly for many years. The couple ran a series of shops, over which they lived. They moved from one shop to another, though they tended to keep to the Windsor area. For a time, around 1886, Sam worked as draper's assistant in George Street, Windsor. It was while they were living in Windsor (before moving to Albury), when Blanche (Birdie) was a baby, that Kate thought the house was haunted. Things would be moved around at night, e.g. ornaments on the mantelpiece, and thumps would be heard. Later they lived for a time (1890's) in Townsend Street, Albury - Wodonga where they had a fruit shop. Kate supported her family for much of the time by running the store, taking in boarders, washing and generally working extremely hard with four children to raise. She took in foster girls from time to time because she liked doing it, plus it provided a bit of extra money and some help in the house. Sam was not a tall man, he looked a bit like his mother Margaret Anderson (see photo) but with dark hair and a heavy moustache and beard. He smoked special cigarettes for his asthma. He liked wild birds and would call them down to feed on his hands in all the country areas in which they lived. Kate was a tiny woman, only about 5' tall and slightly built. Her wedding dress survived until the 1950's when it fitted her great grand-daughter Susan Rowe as a girl. Their children were Eppie Alice (12 March 1880 at Windsor), Alfred Oram (10 July 1881 at Lambert St. Windsor), Arthur Wesley (14 May 1883 at Molong where Kate's sister Emily lived), Blanche (19 April 1886 at Windsor) and Wesley Moulder (5 January 1891 at Wodonga, died aged 10 months). Kate was 44 when she had Wesley. Blanche was called Birdie because of her lively chirpy nature. Birdie recalled her childhood as a country one. She learnt to trap and skin rabbits, and could also shoot them very efficiently. They always kept a nanny goat for the milk and when there was a kid they would eat the meat. Birdie hated to think the young goat had to be killed but she ate it anyway. Birdie was raised on goat's milk as her mother did not have enough milk for her- Kate was 39 when she had Birdie. In her later years, her granddaughter Joy recalls Birdie complaining of the hard life she had as a child. They were getting ready for a birthday party and Birdie said that as a child there had been no parties or presents. She had to do a lot of ironing with a heavy iron heated up on the stove top. Birdie's daughter Thelma told Joy that she felt her mother had been rather spoilt as the baby of the family. Children did not usually get parties or presents in those days and it was common for them to have to help with chores such as ironing. Her mother took in washing and so it was not unreasonable to get Birdie to lend a hand. Birdie loved horses and was a good rider. The family made pets of them. On one occasion a horse got into the kitchen and ate all the lettuce soaking on the table. They couldn’t get it out the back door and had to lead it down the hall and out the front door. He was a real pet. Once when Birdie was a small girl she wandered off and was lost. Eventually they found her out in the paddock, asleep, curled up in the horse’s neck. Her parents were concerned the horses might tread on her and left her to wake up undisturbed. She was all right. They had a horse and cart and as she got older she would help harness the horse up. When she was about 6 or 7 she had her foot trodden on by a horse and she reckoned it was never the same again. Birdie was never to forget this love of horses. She even wanted her daughter Thelma to buy a horse when Thelma bought a home in Maroubra. However it was too expensive with the feed etc. Kate also had a partiality for tortoise shell cats - even though this meant they were female and would have kittens regularly. She loved their pretty dappled colours. The Lanes all had a special whistle which they would use to herald their arrival. When Birdie was married and her brothers visited her, she could always tell they were coming by their whistle - especially her brother Arthur. By 1909 the family had moved back to Windsor, at Hinton Cottage, The Terrace. Kate fell over an old black retriever dog in the hallway and hurt her hip. She was sent to bed but developed pneumonia. On 7 September 1909 she died aged only 62 years. She was buried at St Matthew's Windsor. Birdie had to find places for the two foster girls aged about 14 years old, who were living with her. Sam was only 57 when Kate died. He went to stay at first with his son Alfred Oram. Urbane wouldn't have him since he was already looking after his brother Jabez and since Sam was hard to live with. Sam's asthma improved and he was able to work as a floor walker at Grace Brothers. Birdie gave him 5/- a month to help and he was able to live for a time in rooms. When he was elderly Sam again went to live with his son for a time but eventually moved to an old men's home The Outlook at Lagoon Street, Narrabeen. He died on 26 January 1932 at the Home of Peace Marrickville from cerebral thrombosis and hempleger (10 days) and cardiac senile myocardia (3 days) at the age of 80 years. He was buried at Rookwood Methodist Cemetery, Sydney. Samuel and Kate had five children:- 1) Eppie Alice (12 March 1880 at Little New Street, Windsor) a spinster. She had a weak heart as a result of having rheumatic fever as a child. She was going to be married and had made her clothes for her trousseau, including her wedding dress with satin slippers. She kept them in an old tin trunk at her sister Birdie’s home. She would get out her trousseau and show her niece Thelma. It was all beautiful hand work. The wedding was called off suddenly – it may have been her poor heart which made marriage a risk. She would say to Thelma when Thelma was being picked on by bigger kids Good things are wrapped up in small parcels - this was very appropriate since Eppie herself was a tiny woman like her mother. She and Birdie worked as servants. Eppie also helped out with her brother Alfred's children and in his turn he helped look after her when she was sick. Eppie supplemented her income later in life by knitting baby clothes for David Jones. She was excellent embroiderer and knitter of lace. Two beautiful knitted round doilies survive with tiny stitches. She died aged 43 years on 26 February 1923 at Parramatta Hospital and was buried at St Matthew's Windsor. 2) Alfred Oram (10 July 1881 at Lambert Street, Windsor) He was named after the minister who married his parents Sam and Kate, and was always called Orrie. He married Ruby Lillian Russell at the Presbyterian Church at Annandale on 20 January 1916. They had three boys and two girls – Merle Lillian (born 1918), Oram Trevor (born 1919), Arthur Edgar (born 1920), Noela Jean (born 1921), and Eric Victor (born 1922). Merle's son Grahame Thom, being a keen genealogist, came to see Harry Jessep in the 1970s. His small son played in Harry and Thelma’s backyard. Thelma cooked marmalade while he played. From Grahame we know about his mother Lillian Merle Lane (known as Merle). She was born 4 February 1918 in Annandale, Sydney and married on 6 January 1940, Sydney to Robert Alexander Thom. Her second marriage was in 1969 to Alexander Gibson at St Leonards, Sydney. Her third marriage was in 1972 in Chatswood, Sydney to Hedley William Hunter. She took the surname Gibson after her divorce from Hedley Hunter. She died on 22 October 2005 at Brisbane, Queensland. Her children were Grahame and Carole. Orrie was a school teacher and taught at many country schools from 1897 to 1945. His salary from 1900 to 1906 was £83 pa. He kept strict discipline in his home. The children would sit around an oblong table at tea. He kept a cane pointer beside him and if they mucked up he would tap them on the head and tell them to go to their room. As a result he had no trouble with them. Thelma and Ray visited Orrie and Ruby for holidays. Thelma didn't like her Uncle Orrie as much; Aunty Ruby was much nicer and kinder. She and Ray would catch the steam train down to their weatherboard home. They would stay a few weeks in the school holidays. Thelma hated the steam puffing out the back unexpectedly. Uncle Orrie would meet them with the car. On a Sunday though they could not all fit in to go to church. Some of the kids would sit on a hump in the road and wait for a passing car to pick them up. Orrie would cut out trousers for the boys and Ruby would sew them up. She didn’t make dresses but liked to do some craft work, sew doilies etc. She would show Thelma how to do some of these. In her last years she cross stitched a supper cloth for Gaye Jessep. Ruby was a good cook – once they ran out of meat but Birdie Rowe quickly went out and shot a few rabbits and all was well. Water was from tanks and the children had to be careful not to waste it. Once they were very short so they all went down to the dam for a wash. Thelma came out covered in leeches. She wouldn’t go back again. Orrie died at Loftus on 3 January 1951 aged 70 years and was cremated at Woronora Cemetery. Ruby lived to a great age (96 years) and was good natured and lively to the end. She died on 24 May 1978 at Manly, Sydney. She was very interested in family history and was one of the forces who got Gaye interested and spurred on Harry Jessep Senior to start his research. 3) Arthur Wesley (14 May 1883 at Molong) He was enlisted in the Australian Medical Corps in the First World War on 22 December 1915 aged 32 years and 7 months old. He was described as born in Molong, married, Presbyterian, a sanitary inspector, and had served in the Merchant Navy. He was 5 feet 7 inches tall with chest measurements of 32-36 inches, grey eyes with 6/6 eyesight and black hair. He served in England and for a time was acting sergeant in charge of a laundry. He married Jean E. I. Broadfoot McPherson at St Leonards in 1916 just before he embarked to go to England. She was the daughter of William and Emma. They lived at Shirley Road, Wollstonecraft. He left Sydney on 10 February 1917 and disembarked in Plymouth on 12 April 1917. However his career in the Navy was short lived as he returned early due to ill health. Thelma thought he was gassed and as a result his lungs were affected and he did not enjoy robust health. The truth is he had mumps (admitted sick to the hospital on 13 April 1917) soon after he arrived in England and this developed into an abscess in the scrotum (27 July 1917). He was discharged on 7 February 1918 as medically unfit (tubercular testicle phthisis) and returned to Australia. His sister Birdie was always very concerned about boys getting mumps. When Thelma’s son Harry caught mumps she couldn’t understand her mother’s concern. Arthur was very fond of his wife Jean and when she died in 1919 of kidney trouble, he was shattered. He was a fitter and turner, and after Jean's death led a wandering life, moving from one job to the next, all over the world. He visited Cuba at least twice. Thelma remembers as a child he took her and Ray down to the beach near where he lived and they watched the little crabs going to bed – it was a magical moment. Arthur and Birdie were very close. All the Lane’s had a special whistle to herald their arrival and he would give this whistle as he came up the road. Urban did not have a lot of time for him – he called him a rolling stone. Arthur met Violet L. Brant in England and brought her home to marry her in 1928 in the Woollahra Congregational Church. They went to Bundaberg, Queensland for a while where he worked as a mechanic for the cane field trains. Violet couldn't stand the climate and they returned to Sydney where he worked at Cockatoo Island. He would go out to help pilot large boats as they came into Sydney Harbour. They had two children – one was the little girl Birdie (named after Birdie) who became a school teacher. She was Thelma’s flower girl at her wedding. The other was a little boy, Bryan (?), a bit older than Harry. Lola (Ray Rowe's wife) recalls that Arthur was working on the boats before the war. He lived on the opposite side of Grafton Street at Bondi Junction where the Rowe’s lived for many years. But he and his wife parted. He had two children. He didn't get on well with Birdie Rowe. He was very quiet. In 1938 Arthur gave his address as 73 Hargrave St Paddington Sydney. He had lost his discharge papers - “stolen amongst other documents on my first visit to Cuba. I have verification of this by the British Consul in Karama, Cuba October 20th 1924.” He continued to give Birdie Rowe’s address for official correspondence with the Navy – in 1948 he lost his discharge papers again and needed them for repatriation purposes (probably lost “during spring cleaning spasms that frequently took place”). This letter indicates he was staying with the Rowes then but that his wife was living separately in “Lochiel” Shirley Road Wollstonecraft. Thelma believes she later lived up the Blue Mountains. Arthur’s medals were also delivered to the Rowe’s in 1948. Arthur was very crippled with arthritis and sometime after he retired he was killed crossing Old South Head Road by a car, on 18 April 1952 aged 69 years. It was on the intersection where the trams turned from Bondi Junction to go down to Bondi Beach. Harry Jessep had to go to the morgue to identify the body. 4) Blanche (19 April 1886 at George St Windsor) called Birdie. She married Urbane Rowe on 18 July 1908. They had two children; Thelma Catherine Marie (1911) and Urbane James Raymond (1913). She died on 29 November 1964 aged 78 years. 5) Wesley Moulder (May 1891 at Albury). He died on 7 March 1892 aged 10 months at Townsend Street, Albury, Wodonga and was buried there. He died from Hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and convulsions (3 hours). He was a difficult baby and cried a lot. The name Moulder is after his Uncle William Moulder who had no children of his own. References - NSW BDM Certificates, National Archives of Australia WWI records and the recollections of Thelma Jessep (nee Rowe) Email address for Gaye Gibbs - pj.gl.gibbs@optusnet.com.au |
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Parker, Cock, Buscombe, Rogers, Allen
Anderson family in early NSW
The poems and writings of Alfred Oram Lane
The story of Blanche Lane and Urnane Rowe
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