Clearys Ireland to Australia

 

“OUR CLEARY CLAN IN AUSTRALIA :

the first and second generations”

The following document contains extracts from research substantially compiled by Paul Box, and with some additions by Ross Cleary.  Paul and Ross are 3rd cousins, being great-great grandsons of Thomas Cleary.

   

 

Our Cleary heritage can be traced back to Ireland to Thomas Cleary and his wife Bridget Heffernan.  …  Thomas Cleary was born in County Clare, Ireland around 1816-1818.  He was from good Catholic farming stock.  The marriage of Thomas and Bridget took place on 16 September 1847 at Doora in the Diocese of Killaloe, County Clare in Ireland. Doora is just east of Ennis, the principal town of County Clare.

 

Bound for Australia.

    A little over 12 months after they were married they were to say their farewells to the country of their birth and begin a new life in a new but distant country - Australia!

The decision to leave would have been an easy one to make. The Cleary's were farmers.

Ireland was in the grip of "the great potato famine" (1845 - 1848). In 1845 the failure of the crop was bad. In 1846 ii was a total failure and struck a population already exhausted & starving.  Thomas & Bridget set off on their journey from Plymouth on 9 November 1847 aboard the "Lady Peel". According to the Passenger List - Thomas was listed as age 29 and Bridget 22.

………

Arrival

    On Wednesday 16 February 1848, after a journey of around 13,000 miles and taking 3 months to complete, the ship arrived in Port Phillip Bay and docked at Melbourne. The "Lady Peel" was commanded by 51 year old master, Robert Lawrence Frazer. Thomas was said to be 29 years old (Le.be. 1819) and Bridget 22 (i.e.bc.1826). Both it was said, could Read and Write. They were described as "General Servants".

………………….

    In 1841 William Rutledge had obtained  5,210 acres of  land and named it Kilmore,  after his Irish birthplace in County Cavan. It was located near the "Sydney Road" a well known link between  Sydney  &  Melbourne for those moving their cattle & sheep.  The first Inn was the Kilmore Inn. It was established around 1841.  In 1945 the Licence transferred to Henry Morris and his wife. In 1847 Henry Morris became the first Postmaster at Kilmore. Henry & his wife carried on the hotel until 1856. Their daughter, Judith Morris succeeded her father as licensee.  The hotel was a going concern in 1848 when Thomas & Bridget  arrived to work there.  Thomas & Bridget's assistance to come to Australia came from Henry Morris.  They  were employed  by him as general  servants at a combined income of £45 per annum plus rations. [Sources: Ron Heffernan, Vic and Joan McDonald's notes - SAG, Sydney.

    By 1886 Thomas, Bridget and some of their children had made their way further North to a place called Piney Range.  While living around the Albury area a number of Thomas & Bridget's children married:

Son Michael [b. 1849 Kilmore] married Maria Madden in 1880

Son Patrick John [ b. 1851 Kilmore] married Barbara Flinn in 1878

Son Thomas Francis [b. 1854 Kilmore] married Elizabeth R Walsh in 1881

Daughter Bridget Mary [b. 1859 Kilmore] married Patrick Alfred Madden in 1878.

All the weddings took place at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Albury. 

Their remaining two children  were married in Grenfell. John James (b. 1862 Kilmore) married Margaret Hennessey in 1914 and Margaret Mary b.1864 Kilmore married John Robert Flinn in 1887.

 

 

PINEY RANGE

 

    Piney Range is some 20 Km west of Grenfell, on what is now the Mid Western Highway connecting Grenfell and West Wyalong. This area was originally part of Bogolong Station which had been opened up for purchase.  Thomas Cleary was 70, and wife Bridget 63, when they finally settled at Piney Range. According to the Grenfell Historical Society this was around 1886.

    They were to spend their remaining years there on their property which they called "Pinedale".  According to The Sands Directory of 1907, the property consisted of 12 Horses, 15 Cattle and 993 Sheep.

The Cleary and Flinn families at the opening of the Piney Range Catholic Church. 1896

 As a testament to their undoubted Catholic faith the Piney Range Roman Catholic Church was built on a portion of the "Pinedale" property. The Church was dedicated by Dr Gallagher, Bishop of Goulburn, in 1896. The Bishop stayed with Thomas Cleary and his family for 3 days and on the Sunday blessed & opened the church in the presence of a large congregation.

   Speaking as one who knew the county in those days, there was nothing attractive about Piney Ridge, being an impenetrable scrub used for sheep only; no ring-barked tree, no permanent water, what an undertaking. Surely they must have had stout hearts, setting to work with a will they soon made their presence felt and working year after year, it was not long till Piney Range became one of the most beautiful and picturesque districts west of Grenfell. Thomas & Bridget built their property up with cattle & sheep. According to the 1906 "Sands Directory",  on their property they had: 1O horses; 12 head of cattle and 787 head of sheep.  By the following year, this had increased to: 10 horses; 15 head of cattle and 993 head of sheep.

 

DEATH OF THE PATRIARCH OF THE CLEARY FAMILY IN AUSTRALIA

 

    It was at his "Pinedale" property that Thomas Cleary died of a Cerebral Haemorrhage on 5 October 1909 aged 93. He was survived by his wife Bridget and children: Patrick, Thomas, John & Margaret. Pre deceasing him were son Michael (who died in 1895) and daughters Mary (1856) & Bridget (1896).

The "Grenfell Record" carried the following Obituary of Thomas Cleary  dated Saturday  9 October 1909:

    "One by one, and it would seem with increasing rapidity old residents are passing away. no less than three, full of years and honour, crossing over to the majority within a week.  The last to go was Mr Thomas Cleary Snr. one of the pioneers, as he was also the Patriarch of Piney Range, who passed away about 6 O'clock on Tuesday evening at the advance age of 93.

    Mr Cleary who was a native of County Clare, Ireland came to Victoria in the year 1847 (actually it was 1848), prior to the discovery of gold, in the excitement of which he was shortly to participate, continuing a sojourner in the southern colony for many years after the subsidence of the fever (Gold) of the roaring fifties.

    After 40 years, he crossed the border and settled in Albury. Ultimately coming over to Grenfell, making his last abode at Piney Range, 23 years ago.

Here with his sons & daughters, he remained and saw a settlement grow up which has since become a noted locality, in the famed Grenfell district.

    About a fortnight ago while cutting wood (fancy cutting wood at age 93!) Thomas Cleary passed away suddenly. Why, many people in this country are cutting work 30 years before that age, if indeed, some of them ever commenced at all! Mr Cleary was cutting wood when he was seized with paralysis and the end came swiftly. He leaves a widow Bridget, age 84 and 3 sons and one daughter namely, Mr Thomas Cleary Jr. of Cowra and Patrick & John Cleary and Mrs Margaret Flinn all of Piney Range.

     There are 45 Grandchildren and several Great Grandchildren.  Notwithstanding her advanced age, Mrs Bridget Cleary came all the way in from Piney Range and with the calmness and resignation, followed the body of her deceased husband to the grave in the Catholic Cemetery. The funeral was largely attended and we noticed many from far district centres.  Reverend Father Lynch officiated and the arrangements were in the hands of Messrs Thompson &McCallum".

       

       Great Great Grandmother, Bridget continued to live at "Pinedale" for another 8 years until she died of senile decay in January 1917, possibly around the same age as her husband - 93.  Thomas & Bridget are buried in the same grave at the Roman Catholic Section of Grenfell Cemetery, along with their grandson - Joseph Bede Cleary (son of John James Cleary) who was only 5 years old when he died.

 

       Bridget's passing was recorded in the following Obituary in the Grenfell Record and Lach/an District Advertiser on Tuesday 23rd January 1917:

 

"On Thursday afternoon, at the residence of her son-in-law, Mr John Flinn, J.P; "Bellevue", Piney Range, passed away, at the age of 92, Mrs Cleary, widow of the late Thomas Cleary, who predeceased her in 1909, at the age of 93. There also predeceased her two sons, Michael and Thomas, and two daughters, Mrs P.M.Madden and Mary, an infant.  Those who survive are Mr P.J.Cleary, of "Warangla"; Mr John Cleary, J.P; Pinedale, and Mrs John Flinn,"Bellevue".

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Cleary's who owned property at Piney Range/Grenfell:

 Thomas & Bridget - Their property was called "PINEDALE"

 Patrick & Barbara - Their property was called "FAIRVIEW" runs through property known as "Cleary's Creek".

Bridget & Patrick (Madden) - Their property was called "SUMMER HOUSE'' - Next    door to other 2 properties. Public school built on their property. Property eventually split in two.

All 3 properties are now [2012] owned by the Clifton family who live on the original "Pinedale" property.

 

John James CLEARY, great grandfather of Ross Cleary.

  John was the 6th of 7 children. As with his brothers & sisters he was born into a farming family at Kilmore in Victoria.  By the time John was 7 or 8 his family had moved across the border into NSW to a place called Huon not far from Albury.  John was around 23 when he moved with his parents to Piney Range outside of Grenfell. There he helped on their property "Pinedale".

 

  Within 3 years of settling at Piney Range, John had met and married wife Margaret (Hennessy). The marriage took place in the Catholic Church at Grenfell. Witnesses to the Marriage were Thomas Beazley & Kate Mary Anderson. Margaret, born at Blakeney Creek (near Yass) was the 3^rd child of Irish Immigrant farmer Richard, who hailed from Ardmayle, County Tipperary. Margaret’s mother, Mary Anne Toohey, was the youngest daughter of Irish convict John Toohey, who had lived in Nenagh, County Tipperary.

John & Margaret continued to live around Grenfell following their marriage.  The marriage was to produce 9 children in all: 6 sons & 3 daughters.

 

 

   In good Irish tradition, and along with his brothers & sisters, John called his first son Thomas, after his father, and his first daughter Bridget, after his mother!

The last of their children, son Joseph was born in 1909. That same year John's father Thomas passed away.

   John was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1912 according to a listing in the Sydney Morning Herald dated 26 June 1912. His address was given as "Pine Dale" Piney Range,NSW

John & Margaret initially lived with John's parents. He was listed in the 1908 Sands Directory as living at "Pinedale", which in 1908 is shown as having 15 horses; 15 cattle & 1,308 sheep. Two years later the majority of sheep had been sold leaving only 200. Their sheep holding fluctuated over the years dropping to around 100 in 1916 before increasing again to 576 in 1926.

 

  John Cleary was the informant of his father Thomas' death. John's address at the time was shown as "Piney Range".  It is assumed that he and his family were living there at the time and looking after his mother, who was then in her 90's.  John buried his  father and also his 5 year old son Joseph Bede, who passed away in 1909, together in the Old Roman Catholic Section of Grenfell Cemetery. Later, in 1917 when his mother died, she was also buried in the same grave.

 

According to notes from Mrs Joan McDonald (Soc Aust Genealogists, Sydney), John and his family moved back down to the Albury area where they had a farm at "Dead Horse Creek" at Germanton (now Holbrook). Their great grandson Ross Cleary believes this is unlikely, as family lore has it that when John and Margaret left “Piney Range”, they moved to the Sydney suburb of Granville. John & Margaret are listed in the Sands Directory as living at Pinedale until at least 1926, and the Electoral Rolls of 1930 record John & Margaret as living at 14 Clarke St; Granville. John was then retired. What we don’t know is why this move was made. John passed away at their Granville home in September 1937. John was survived by his wife Margaret. She continued to live at Granville with her family tor some years.

 

   Margaret was the executor of John's will (No. 228607) which read:

 

"Profits & Income from my Estate to my wife during her lifetime, so long as she remains a widow. Thence to my children who survive me. Each son to receive 3 times the amount received by each daughter''. The value of his estate was £1,281 shillings & sixpence.

 

Margaret passed away in Sydney in 1950 aged 88.

 

 

The above summary was extracted from a 16-page extensively footnoted family history document entitled “OUR CLEARY CLAN IN AUSTRALIA” researched and collated by Paul Box, great grandson of Patrick John Cleary (1851-1929) and generously provided to accompany the Mary Bridget (Dawes) Cleary story for the Cleary/Dawes descendants. It has been amended minimally by Ross Cleary, with a correction of details about Margaret (Hennessey) Cleary, wife of John James Cleary. Ross is the great grandson of John James Cleary, who was one of the brothers of Patrick John Cleary. Thus Paul Box and Ross Cleary are 3rd cousins.

[Paul Box email :   boxpaul@optusnet.com.au ]