E. R. Warne & Sons, Undertakers

This photo was thought to have been taken in Tasmania, but it is very much Victorian. There isn’t a great deal of information about the business itself. E. R. Warne & Sons, Undertakers, operated in that name from 185x to 1900. The business was in son Walter A. Warne’s name from 1900. It was located at Barkly Street, Footscray, from its beginning, but also opened in Yarraville and some funeral notices mention Newport. Edwin Richard Warne was born in London in 1828. He married Mary Susannah Nash in 1849, before making the journey to Australia (Arriving in May 1853 on the Prince Arthur). He was a carpenter, an undertaker and former Councilor and Mayor (1878) of Footscray. He died on June 20, 1907. The photo of the business is part of the John Etkins Collection at the State Library of Victoria. If you would like the full sized image, Click Here (Tif, 5559 x 3968, 63.1m). That coach is a beauty.

Acknowledgement: State Library of Victoria.
Copyright status: This work is out of copyright.
Terms of use: No copyright restrictions apply.

Marriage:
Marriages Jun 1849 (FreeBMD)
WARNE Edwin Richard St. Geo. Han Sq 1 16
Nash Mary Susannah St Geo. Han Sq 1 16

Arrival: (Public Records Office Victoria) No children listed.

Deaths:
1899,05745,,Warne,Mary Susannah,Nash William,Wakelan Ann,Footscray,68,1907,04660,,Warne,Edwin Richard,Warne Richard,West Mary Ann,Footscray,78,Acknowledgement: Trove (National Library of Australia).

The Grave of Stella Marron

On my photographic wanderings, I came across this old photo of the grave of little Stella Marron, from the John Etkins Collection at the State Library of Victoria. Nothing was known about the grave location or the child in the description. So, it is the grave of Stella Veronica Marron, daughter of Patrick Ambrose Marron and Catherine McKeand. Born in 1900 at Booleroo Centre, South Australia, she died of epilepsy on May 14, 1903. Her grave, as shown in the photo, is located at Pekina St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Cemetery, corner of Booleroo Road and Bouda Hut Road. A much larger version of the photo is available from the State Library of Victoria. Click Here (Tif, 3896 x 5767, 64.3m).

Acknowledgement: State Library of Victoria.
Copyright status: This work is out of copyright.
Terms of use: No copyright restrictions apply.

Birth:
1900; 661/376; MARRON, Stella Veronica; Patrick Ambrose MARRON, Catherine MCKEAND; Frome.

Death:
1903; 294/379; MARRON Stella Veronica Catherine MARRON (M) Frome

Acknowledgement: Trove (National Library of Australia).

Doris Ethelance Robinson

Doris Ethelance Robinson (Doris Ethel) was born to Herbert Franklin Robinson and Nellie Douglas Scott Murray in 1900, at Coolgardie in Western Australia. The family later moved to Beechworth, Victoria. Doris married Lorenzo Mark Nugent on May 26, 1926, at the All Saints’ Church in East St Kilda. The reception at Carlyon’s Hotel.  Lorenzo passed away at North Brighton on February 28, 1945. They had three children. Doris remarried to Robert Dunn. She passed away at East Melbourne on June 15, 1983. The bridal photo below was taken on her wedding day, by Melbourne photographer Spencer Shier. A larger version can be downloaded from the State Library of Victoria. Click Here (Tif, 4080 x 5436, 42.3m).

Acknowledgement: State Library of Victoria.
Copyright status: This work is out of copyright.
Terms of use: No copyright restrictions apply.

Birth:
1900,404,,Robinson,Doris Ethelance,Herbert Franklin,Murray Nellie Douglas Scott,Coolgardie,

Marriage:
1926,03524,,Robinson,Doris Ethel,Nugent,Lorenzo Mark,,

Detailed article on the wedding in Table Talk. (Includes photo)
Another photo of Doris, also by Spencer Shier, in Table Talk.

Death:
1983,12997,,Dunn,Doris Ethel,Robinson Herber,Nellie Do,Emel,83,Date of Service: 16 Jun 1983.
Cemetery: Springvale Botanical Cemetery; Cremation; Ashes scattered.

Blanche Ainslie Nichol

Blanche Ainslie “Betty” Nichol was born at Ballarat, to Robert William Nichol and Ethel Coombe Hattam, on September 16, 1898. The family soon after resided at Clunes. She married Lionel Cuthbert Grimwade on September 3, 1924, at Christ Church in South Yarra. Betty passed away in Melbourne on August 6, 1973. She was buried at Clunes Cemetery on the 8th. The bridal photo below was taken on her wedding day, by Melbourne photographer Spencer Shier. A larger version can be downloaded from the State Library of Victoria. Click Here (Tif, 4080 x 5436, 42.3m).

Acknowledgement: State Library of Victoria.
Copyright status: This work is out of copyright.
Terms of use: No copyright restrictions apply.

Birth:
1898,23809,F,Nichol,Blanche Ainslie,Robert William,Hattam Ethel,Ballarat,Marriage:
1924,07450,,Nichol,Blanche Ainslie,Grimwade,Lionel Cuthbert,,

Detailed article on the wedding in The Argus.
Wedding photo in The Argus.

Death:
1973,19212,,Grimwade,Blanche Ainsley,Nichol Robert,Hattam Ethel,Melbourne,74,

Mrs W Duke Armit and Children

Here we have Mrs W. Duke Armit (Hester Christina Armit, nee. Mitchell) and her two eldest children, Mary Christina Armit (b. Sep 26, 1913) and William Fancourt Giffard Armit (b. Feb 15, 1915). Hester was born December 25, 1888, to Sir Edward Fancourt Mitchell and Lady Eliza Fraser Morrison. Her father was knighted June 3, 1918. (Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George – KCMG). She was also a granddaughter to Sir William Henry Fancourt Mitchell, a former President of the Legislative Council of Victoria. Hester married William Duke Armit, born about 1876, the son of Captain John Giffard Armit and Mary Eyre of Castle Jordan, King’s County, Ireland. His mother’s Eyre side from Eyrecourt Castle in Galway. The marriage took place at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne on December 11, 1912. William senior owned Bindi Station in East Gippsland. They had four children, Mary and William above and the younger two, Diana Margaret Fraser Armit (b. Aug 29, 1920) and John Edward Duke Armit (b. Aug 20, 1926). William junior died on active service (VX65186) in a POW camp in Burma on October 4, 1943. William senior passed away on August 25, 1945. Hester passed away on April 11, 1959. Mary married James Alexander Forrest on December 9, 1939. She passed away January 18, 1995. Diana married Raymond George Baxter on March 23, 1945. She passed away on December 13, 1999. John married Anne Lillias Murphy on February 1, 1951. He passed away recently on October 27, 2017. If you are related to the Mitchell/Armit family, a large version of this photo is available to download from the State Library of Victoria. It was taken by Melbourne photographer Spencer Shier on December 12, 1927. Click Here (Tif, 4080 x 5436, 42.3m).

Acknowledgement: State Library of Victoria.
Copyright status: This work is out of copyright.
Terms of use: No copyright restrictions apply.

Births:
1889,07922,F,Mitchell,Hester Christina,Edward Fancourt,Morrison Eliza Fraser,St Kilda,1913,32973,,Armit,Mary Christina,William Duke,Mitchell Hester Christina,Melbourne East,Article and photo of Mary, “Coming-out Dance at Grosvenor” (Debutantes)

1915,00170,,Armit,William Fancourt Giffard,William Duke,Mitchell Hester Christina,Ardale,1920,27474,,Armit,Diana Margaret Fraser,William Duke,Mitchell Helen Christina,Ardale,

John’s birth notice.Marriages:
1912,08985,,Armit,William Dake,Mitchell,Hester Christina,Dublin,
1912,08985,,Mitchell,Hester Christina,Armit,William Dake,St Kilda,reg(R)Bridal photo in The Australasian.
Bridal photo in Punch.
Wedding article in Table Talk.

1939,13491,,Armit,May Christina,Forrest,James Alexander,,
1939,13491,,Forrest,James Alexander,Armit,May Christina,,

Wedding article in the Weekly Times.

Diana’s marriage.Wedding photo in The Argus.

John’s marriage.

Deaths:
1959,05008,,Armit,Hester Christina,Mitchell Edwar,Morrison Eliza Frase,Malvern,70,1945,08674,,Armit,William Duke,Armit John,Eyre Mary,East Melbourne,69,William’s (on active service) death notice.

Estelle Mary Fullwood

The lovely photo below, is of Estelle Mary Fullwood (or Estelle May). Estelle was born March 31, 1903, to Edgar Fullwood and Edith Mabel Delves at Surrey Hills, Victoria. She married Robert Casley Normand at the Scots Church in Collins Street on June 4, 1928. Robert held a law degree and became senior Parliamentary Draftsman in 1935. Estelle was a very popular lady in floral arrangements. She passed away in October, 1985. The photo was taken by Melbourne photographer, Spencer Shier, on April 12, 1927. To download a copy of the full sized scan, Click Here (Tif, 4080 x 5436, 42.3m).

Acknowledgement: State Library of Victoria.
Copyright status: This work is out of copyright.
Terms of use: No copyright restrictions apply.

Birth:
1903,14000,F,Fullwood,Estelle Mary,Edgar,Delves Edith Mabel,Surrey Hills,Marriage:
1940,07742,,Gotch,Lois,Hamilton,Hugh Blayney,,Click Here for an article on the marriage and newspaper photo of Estelle with two bridesmaids (first page).

Date of Service: 22 Oct 1985.
Cemetery: Springvale Botanical Cemetery. Cremation. Ashes scattered.

Lois Gotch

Dressed splendidly in a harlequin costume, is little miss Lois Gotch. Lois was born on July 2, 1914, to Edward Speechly Gotch and Irene Alice Bickerstaff. She married Hugh Blayney Hamilton on April 23, 1940. Lois passed away on November 27, 1996, aged 82. If you are related to Lois, this photo is for you (small cropped version below). It was taken when lois was aged 10, by Melbourne photographer Spencer Shier, on September 2, 1924. Please use the following link to the State Library of Victoria to download a full size scan. Click here (Tif, 4080 x 5436, 42.3m -or- Jpg, 751 x 1000, 84.1kb).

Acknowledgement: State Library of Victoria.
Copyright status: This work is out of copyright.
Terms of use: No copyright restrictions apply.

Birth:
1914,24093,,Gotch,Lois,Edward Speechly,Bickerstaff Irene Alice,Melbourne East,Marriage:
1940,07742,,Gotch,Lois,Hamilton,Hugh Blayney,,Date of Service: 3 Dec 1996.
Cemetery: Springvale Botanical Cemetery. Cremation. Ashes collected.

Ruth Mary Madden

Ruth Mary Madden was born on Feb 6, 1898, to Henry Madden and Cecilia Mary Maude Henderson at South Yarra. Niece of Lieutenant-Governor and Chief Justice of Victoria, Sir John Madden. Ruth married John Leo Gavan-Duffy on Feb 8, 1923, at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne. It was, unfortunately, a short lived marriage. John died in a car accident near Port Fairy on May 3, 1925. Ruth formed and was President of The Legion of Mary. She was involved with the Red Cross and helped form and was President of the Badger Creek Red Cross and for some time was director of the Healsville Juvenile Gymkhana, an annual event. Ruth passed away, aged 66, on Sep 18, 1964. She is buried at the St Kilda Cemetery with her husband. If you are related to Ruth, this photo is for you. It is one of a set of three taken in 1921, by Melbourne photographer, Spencer Shier. A larger copy of this one and the other two are available at the State Library of Victoria. Click Here (Tif, 3070 x 5532, 48.6m -or- Jpg, 555 x 1000, 107kb).

Birth:
1898,06589,F,Madden,Ruth Mary,Henry,Henderson Cecilia Mary Ma,South Yarra,

Marriage:
1923,01143,,Madden,Ruth Mary,Duffy,John Leo Gavan,,
1923,01143,,Madden,Ruth Mary,Gavan Duffy,John Leo,,

Click Here, for the marriage details in the The Australasian.

Death:
1964,20840,,Duffy,Ruth Mary,Madden Henry,Henderson Lillian,Badg,66,
1964,20840,,Gavan Duffy,Ruth Mary,Madden Henry,Henderson Lillian,Badg,66,

Date of Service: 22 Sep 1964.
Cemetery: St Kilda Cemetery; Roman Catholic, Compartment A, Grave 789.

Rhona Mary McKellar

This pretty girl is Rhona Mary McKellar. Born Mar 3, 1907, to Thomas McKellar and Kathleen Rutledge at Colac. Judging by the material on Trove, she was a bit of a popular girl in social circles. On Nov 29, 1927, Rhona was married to Rutherford (Ford) Campbell Guthrie at Noorat. Ford was Australian born, studied at Cambridge, served in both the British and Australian military, was a grazier and a politician in local and state government, Liberal and Country Party president and treasurer, Commissioner of Crown Lands, member of numerous organisations in his local community and company director. On Jan 1, 1968, Ford was knighted and Rhona became Lady Guthrie. Sadly, Rhona died in a car accident on Sep 7, 1989. If you are related to Rhona, this photo is for you. It was taken some time around 1920, by Melbourne photographer, Spencer Shier. A larger copy is available at the State Library of Victoria. Click Here (Tif, 3184 x 5326, 48.5m).

Acknowledgement: State Library of Victoria.
Copyright status: This work is out of copyright.
Terms of use: No copyright restrictions apply.

Birth:
1907,09736,F,Mckellar,Rhona Mary,Thomas,Rutledge Kath,Colac,

Marriage:
1927,12604,,Mckellar,Rhona Mary,Guthrie,Rutherford Campbell,,

Click Here, for the marriage details in the Geelong Advertiser.

Burial: Macedon Cemetery.

Sarah Downes Chomley

Sarah Downes Chomley, younger sister to Patricia, whom I posted previously. Sarah was born on Jan 13, 1912 to Francis Charles Chomley and Mary Aileen Charlotte Anderson at Sale, Victoria. Sarah studied law and on Mar 2, 1945, the State Full Court on a motion, admitted her with another person as barristers and solicitors. She worked as a solicitor for a law firm that was acquired by another firm, Weigall and Crowther. She continued working for them and in 1955, she was admitted as a partner. Sarah passed away at the Baxter Village Nursing Home in Frankston, on May 11, 2004, aged 92. If you are related to this lovely lady, a large version of the photo below, taken by photographer Spencer Shier in 1933, is available at the State Library of Victoria. Click Here (Tif, 3677 x 5107, 53.7m)

Acknowledgement: State Library of Victoria.
Copyright status: This work is out of copyright.
Terms of use: No copyright restrictions apply.

Birth:
1912,06976,F,Chomley,Sarah Downes,Francis Charles,Anderson Mary Aileen Char,Sale,

Funeral:
Date of Service: May 19, 2004. Cremation. Ashes scattered. Bunurong Memorial Park, Dandenong South.