Stories Of My Irish Families

Irish Native/Planter Stories

Monday 16 April 2018

Why I blog!

So, I'm now officially overwhelmed (and yes...infatuated) with a Maternal historical connection to the Founding Father's of America.
It has now completely changed how I see history, in particular with - how it's been taught today.

The story and its never ending continuance, revolves around that fella again - Sir Edward Newenham.
He is,  here, there and everywhere. Everytime I research something out of the way, he somehow always seems to come into the fray at some point. I cannot escape him and his dealings with history.

Lets get one thing right from the start and I'll be blunt - in Sir Ed's earlier days, I'll admit, he was a champion of the people of Ireland. Though as time went on - around the early to mid 1780's, Sir Edward got a bit more centered on protecting his Protestant social standing / beliefs and had much different opinions with the Catholic community.
As time went on, he became more into debt, distanced himself from his direct family and by 1800 ended up in debtors prison in the infamous Kilmainham Gaol (A prison he had dealings with the building of). Understanding that, along with Irish Politics and his patriotic drive with the Irish Volunteers, you get quite a mixture of drama. As I said, I'll be blunt.
The hardest thing for me to understand, was his views against Catholics and their rights in Ireland, during the late 1700's and very early 1800's. This was a turning point, in my thinking of how history was written and how it played out.

So, with this history and learning of his life, coupled with the history of his eldest male child and heir - Edward Worth Newenham, I've seen quite the 2 sides to how history played out for this Father and Son. Some good, some bad.

Many references to Sir Edward, in these recent times, are mainly based on his communication with the Found Father's of America. That is, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Jay. There are many others involved in this story - including Lafayette, but I'll keep to the these 4 men.

Among many websites using Newenham as a historical point of reference, 2 website blogs recently wrote about Sir Edward's story on "communication with Washington".

Edward Lengel's Blog on Sir Edward and Washington's communications.

Robert O'Byrne documents on the Newenham Family of Coolmore - Co. Cork and Sir Edward

Now, on a recent part of my research, one letter by John Adams - dated in March 1780, has totally blown my mind.
I believe it is the first known document by any of these 4 men, to reference Sir Edward Newenham.
It wasn't addressed to Sir Edward, but rather the President of the Congress at that time - Samuel Huntington.
At the time he wrote this letter, John Adams was in Paris, France with Benjamin Franklin. If you know part of John Adams's story, this is the period where John was in discussions of a Peace Treaty with England. And just a few months before his discussions of a "loan" from the Netherlands.

This letter shared some very strong and deep thoughts on how history could have played out.
In particular with, the Volunteers and their will power to overcome a dominant force.
It depicts, Adams learning of a scene in Dublin, Ireland in what I think is Feb 1780. He does not tell the year, but if it' is 1780, he writes this letter about 4-6 weeks after the event.
He writes that this event could have ended, just like the Boston Massacre. I suppose, it's maybe almost his own lament, on what the resultant could have been and what he learned from the "Boston Massacre" episode. The irony of writing this letter, basically marks the 10 year anniversary of the massacre in Boston. This would explain why, Adams was so animated on his letter back to the Congress.

He describes "3 bodies of Irish Volunteers" in Dublin City, that they were marching along Barrack Street (after their review), where these Volunteers met with the Royal Guards, coming from the opposite way. Adams, names one of these commanding "Volunteers" as Sir Edward Newenham.

The Guards and the Volunteers, entered a standoff between who "owned" the pavement - defining on who had right of way to march - without any deviation and who had to give way.
Both parties said that they had "right of way" and weren't giving in.
Both sides had firearms and were affixed with bayonets. The commanders or captains, went into a discussion with the Royal Guards. As this was happening, the Volunteers went into "prepare for battle" mode. They were at the ready and very much prepared for a standoff and what may have ensued. They also armed themselves with stones. With this determination on board, the Royal Guards stood down (because they didn't want a "scene of blood" - very smart choice) and allowed the Volunteers to proceed with out any deviation.
Adams remarked that owing to America's experience with the Boston Massacre, the Dublin Volunteers showed some "great confidence in their strength", to put themselves up for a fight that could have ended, just like it had in Boston.

I don't know how Adams got this information, but he was in France at the time of writing this letter.  Was the knowledge of this event strictly from verbal sources and Adams was the first one to document it? Either way, this event struck a huge chord with how Adams deconstructed the event and filed it in the "More Blood Split in Ireland" history" folder.

As far as I am concerned, if this had of gone just like the Boston Massacre and "Blood was split - on Barrack Street", would the history be noted as the "Volunteers gallantly defending Ireland's Freedom / Liberty". Or would no-one batter an eyelid?

It isn't known if Sir Edward's eldest son - Edward Worth Newenham was there as well.
This son, was also a Captain of the Dublin Liberty Volunteers. If he was there on this day, he would have been approx 17 years of age. But I think Edward Worth was either in, France or Switzerland at this time (school studies).

This letter of John Adams to Congress, can be found here at the "John Adams Papers" :
John Adams Letter about the stoush with the Volunteers & Royal Guards



The New Annual Register: Or General Repository of
History, Politics, Literature 1780 (Pg. 27) 
As a 2nd source to this story, this image paints the picture.








On a 2nd note, my wife has connection to West Point (being Born there), her relatives worked just a few hundred metres away (Water Street) from George Washington's Newburgh Headquarters. Also, there maybe a suspected family connection (by marriage) to a tavern near Blooming Grove, owned by a George Galloway, where George Washington stayed at.

Why I blog!

Read More
by Stories Of My Irish Families Monday, April 16, 2018 No comments

Monday 12 March 2018

Bards - Lady Gregory & the ANZAC (Initial Writeup 12-03-18)

Well, I am at a point in my research that has taken me to, far deeper levels of my ancestry than I had expected. A connection to 2 relatives, that have given me a "library of information", much more than anyone could've given me at school or even at an academic level.

This is an initial post with very basic details - but gives an insight to where research has taken me.
It is again, another interesting family story that crosses between my Paternal & Maternal lineages, that go between Ireland and Australia.

The whole concept of this blog post, is to touch on these 2 people's lives, showing a complete "juxtaposition" of each other during the exact same time. Each person's story carries pure passion and patriotism but also carries the issue "which side are you on". I cannot emphasize enough, the importance of these 2 people, into understanding ones allegiance to ones country and how sometimes the real meaning of "patriotism" can lead you astray.

I cannot emphasize enough, if ever you are researching the WW1 era with an Australian perspective, you must research the Easter Rising, Dr Daniel Mannix (Archbishop of Melbourne) and the Australian / Irish Catholic perspective on the conscription/plebiscite debacle.
These items are absolutely essential, to understanding the motives of people's "agenda's" and explains how the Easter Rising, dramatically affected Australia, both politically and personally, 1/2 a world away. Anything to do with the above history, is always provocative, depending on your viewpoint.





  • Lady Gregory - Maternal 2nd Cousin - tells us a lot of WW1, The Easter Rising and how history has been told about her son - Major Robert Gregory, with how he served and died in WW1. Robert's legacy is immortalised in the W.B Yeats poem "An Irish Airman Forsees His Death". Her poem's and plays are very deep in culture. Born in Galway, under a Protestant upbringing, she changed her Anglo-Irish ways and went into a nationalist mode, the Easter Rising period is essential reading. In 1892, her husband - Sir William Gregory died and I believe this is the point where she found herself in books and cultured into the native Irish ways, including her way of expressing the English language in Gaelic form, by usage of "Kiltartanese". This form of nationalised culture (maybe coined as Romantic Nationalism), extended into the Easter Rising period.
  • Paternal Great Great Uncle - James Sebastian Sheehan, an Australian born Catholic, tells us a lot during the initial phase of the WW1 Gallipoli campaign, from an Australian perspective. He served in the 1st Australian - Light Horse Brigade Train as a driver, but then went on to other areas. It is hard to define what other jobs he did (Camel Corps come up), but in numerous newspaper articles, that he is mentioned in, shows he was right in the middle of the battle zone. He laments about a young boy, who died in his arms on the battleground and how he heard the boy asking about the welfare of his mother, just before he passed. James came back to Australia, affected by shell shock. He put his hand up for being a "recruiter" and soon became acquainted with the British Born - Australian Prime Minister - Billy Hughes. It was then, we see a change in James, for what I can interpret, it's almost as if he was being groomed as a Politician, with supporting the Empire. He became quite the writer of poems, recitals and some were performed in a choir like voice. His pen use, was "mightier than the sword". One of his poem's, was based on "The Blind Poet" - Thomas Skeyhill

This insight and complete "juxtaposition", to these 2 Bard relatives, is unparalleled.
More later!

Read More
by Stories Of My Irish Families Monday, March 12, 2018 No comments
Mystery of the Marysville Pitman's -Newenham Pitman

(Not written yet - just a placeholder)
Hoping to write this in a few weeks.
Read More
by Stories Of My Irish Families Monday, March 12, 2018 No comments

Sunday 28 January 2018

Mystery of the Marysville Pitman's - Gwendoline's Tragic end (Updated 22-03-18)














GWENDOLINE
DE BURGH
PITMAN

LOG CABIN - Marysville, Victoria






It's been a while since I posted another story. I've been working quite a bit since the middle of last year, which has taken its toll to my research time and thoughts. I have been writing this post since I think November. There was a lot of detail to Gwen's story, which I had to write down and come back to it later. And just this past few days, I've had to re-edit this story (again), because I had just received an email, with the details of the inquest into Gwen's tragic end. Thanks again to the Marysville Historical society, who helped me out with Gwen's story.

Since learning of Gwen's Sister - Olive's untimely death, I found more details to the siblings lives, that shares such a similar sad ending. From a research point of view, it's hard to not feel for this family, because they all could have lived a lot longer.

As from the previous post on Olive's disappearance, Gwen took over the reigns of the Kooringa Guesthouse in Marysville. Around the same time, Newenham (brother) had been running a Metal Manufacturing company (Minerva Metal Products) in Melbourne City.
The published change of "Hostess" at Kooringa, following the disappearance of Olive, was quite slow. Olive's name, had still continued to be published as the "Hostess" of Kooringa, even to well after she had disappeared.  Maybe they were waiting for official confirmation of her death? Though that never happened until many years after her original disappearance, a court case was held in 1929, declaring her dead.

Gwen was single (from what I know of) and ran the Log Cabin across the road from her Sister's Guesthouse "Kooringa". The Log Cabin was her residence and was also listed as a Business, selling Trinkets or the like and had also catered for Photographer's needs as well.
I haven't been able to establish, if the Log Cabin was owned by Gwen or just a place of residence, as by Inquest details, it could be that her business partner owned the cabin and the "trading business".
So Gwen, may have been just residing there as a home/storekeeper, but not as an owner.
 
By various news articles, both Olive and Gwen shared some sort of mental health issues, where I believe, contributed to their untimely deaths. Reporters of the news, must of felt that it was also of a contributing factor to note about it. It also took it's toll on Newenham as well, or atleast played a part on him. It is one of the reasons, why I have documented these Pitman's, to find out if there was any Family medical history that I needed to know about.

On a side note, just to add a bit more drama to the mix, the only sibling to be unscathed by such a tragedy, was sister - Rosalind Stringer (nee Pitman). Well, so I thought. I was so hoping Rosalind escaped this family tragedy. But there was one twist to Rosalind's story. She lived to be in her early 70's and mental affliction was not the case here, but she was involved in a car accident that killed an elderly man - no fault of her own. Just unfortunate, that Rosalinda was driving along the road as you do and a man walked on to the road. He wasn't watching where he was going and stumbled into the path of her car.

Various news articles suggest that Gwen also was a bit of a "folklorist" and was into old stories of mythology, which also hints to an ancestral Irish family link.
The family was connected to the Persse family of Co. Galway, via their Mother Caroline and by both Caroline's Parents - Henry Hood & Annie Persse Newenham.
This connection leads to a close cousin relative, who also had a similar story of mythology and folklore. This cousin was the Co-Founder of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin - Isabella Augusta Persse (Lady Gregory).
I am pretty certain, that Lady Gregory's stories and her eventful life, was known by this family and I believe that her eventful life transpired into the minds of this Pitman family. In particularly from events both here in Australia and Ireland during the 1916 Uprising.

Notice the similarities between Gwen and her Maternal 2nd Cousin (1x removed) Lady Gregory -



I don't have much details of Gwen's life - outside of what is written about her eventful death. Her death is where the details come from and discusses her family ties both here in Australia (Melbourne, Blairgowrie, Marysville and Geelong) and Ireland (relates to the Persse / Newenham lineages and their related families of Galway, Cork & Dublin)

So we come to the part of, Gwen's tragic death. There are several news articles about her death. The details of this tragedy, went nationally - in an almost same fashion of her Sister's disappearance (Olive). I think the newspapers seen that this was quite an eccentric story, as it was very mysterious and difficult to explain.

27th Nov 1931- The Argus





          26th November 1931

The basic story of her death, is that she was found outside of the Log Cabin, in her garden about 20 metres (or another report of 100 yards?) from the Log Cabin and in a very badly burnt state from fire. The reporter assumed that she was using the stove, but the inquest findings were quite different.
20th Dec 1931 - The Sun


I will list the details of the inquest, rather than some of the news reports, as the reporter's slightly misinterpreted the findings. In the recent few days, I found an article, which is probably is the best "reported" interpretation  of the inquest, which I'll show here.
The inquest findings, did change my thoughts on what actually happened, from previous details.
So obtaining the inquest, took many questions out of the equation.

By the findings of the inquest :
  • Gwen suffered from a lot of mental stress (maybe today's version of "anxiety")
  • Gwen had been handed, some of her Brother's estate, just prior to her death
  • A family heirloom was handed to her, just prior to her death - a George Washington letter - addressed to Gwen's 3rd Great Grandfather - Sir Edward Newenham
  • Her business partner of the Log Cabin - Peter from Melbourne, visited her the day before her death and the day of her death. Peter noted on the day before her death, that Gwen was in "normal appearance and good health"
  • News reports had published that a person had left Gwen's residence in a hurry, on the night before her death. They assumed that "dinner for 2 was set at the table" and placed a scene where someone else was involved, maybe of romantic nature. The person that was there on the night, was her business partner, Peter (as noted by him at the inquest). No mention of an romantic interlude, but it was just purely on business terms.
    (The inquest dilutes some sensationalised news reports that their may have been a romantic interlude or tiff of sorts)
  • Peter arrived back in Marysville on the morning of the 26th November and noted that Gwen wasn't there. He assumed that she was out, possibly taking photos and maybe back in a short while. He put the stove on and made 2 cups of tea. He realised she was nowhere to be seen and odd that she wasn't around.
  •  Peter went out and started to look for her, he went and visited a neighbour and noticed that no-one had seen her.
  • Peter then went to the Police and reported her missing, where a search was undertaken.
  • Police Constable found Gwen about "100 yards" from the house, on a bank of a creek. He noticed that she had been badly burnt from the waist upwards 
  • Gwen was found alive but very badly burnt. She was taken to the house and then off to hospital
  • Gwen was asked a few times, on what had happened - she did mention "Petrol" and that "it was the only way out". It had now highlighted the fact, that it was of her own doing
  • Gwen was badly burnt about the face
  • Gwen died of her injuries (shock from burns), just a few hours of being placed at the hospital (1:30am on the 27th November 1931 - aged 40) 
  • It was noted by the Medical Doctor, that he had seen Gwen on the previous week and noticed that she was in a very nervous state
22nd Dec 1931 - The Herald (Melbourne)
23rd Dec 1931- The Age

Gwen seemed a very highly strung individual. And her Brother's recent news regarding her standing - of his estate, was the most probable cause of her being too stressed and it ended in such a tragic way.

The one thing that I've learnt through these multiple stories of different lineages and I suppose, in my own family, is that storing or handling of "wealth", has not been a forte. It seems to be, that my DNA didn't inherit the "Wealth Gene", but most of all, how to handle wealth.


20th Dec 1931 - The Sun - Sydney


26th Dec 1931
Healesville & Yarra Glen Guardian
By some news reports and a key part to this whole tragedy, I am trying to identify "why" a letter of a very historical nature, has some apparent bearing to her death. I have done extensive research on this letter, to find it's history and most of all, why it landed here in Melbourne.
This letter had been passed around the family a few times but had been kept by the Pitman Family when it was handed to Gwen. The letter was indeed genuine and was written by the one and only George Washington in 1789. It was addressed to Gwen's 3rd Grandfather - Sir Edward Newenham MP and was a "letter of introduction", advising Sir Edward of Gen Montgomery's Widow and her future visit to Ireland.
The family had kept this letter as an heirloom and for some reason, Gwen's tragic death, promoted the fact, that this letter may have had a "curse" about it?
As far as I know and have tried many hours to interpret, if there ever was something in the letter, that suggests a curse to the family. However it doesn't.

I think it may relate to the "handling" of such a letter and it's historic nature, where care is needed. Just to add more to such a story, another news report mentions or assumes, that there may have been some form of family tension (involving a few families), into the safe keeping of this letter. Either way, it looks like the "possession of the letter", was key to understanding Gwen's anxious nature.

Around the late 1930s or early 1940s, it is believed that the letter became part of a US collection, due to it's historical nature. Unsure how or if it was sold off or not.


Unfortunately the Log Cabin was destroyed in the 2009 Bushfire's that ravaged Marysville.

Google Earth Image of Post 2009

My image April 2017

My image of the Garden April 2017


Information Sign at the Site of the Log Cabin



What the Log Cabin used to look like (Pictures are via the State Library of Victoria)

http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/81583

http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/61436
http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/61005

http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/62225
http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/59789






Read More
by Stories Of My Irish Families Sunday, January 28, 2018 No comments

Bookmark Us

Delicious Digg Facebook Favorites More Stumbleupon Twitter

Search Our Site

Pages