As far as I know, there are only two artefacts still remaining from the home of our Boughyards ancestors. A shawl belonging to my great-grandmother, Ellen and a lampbase. The lampbase was given to my father, so has been in the family home for many years. However, the shawl has only just been unearthed and returned, ready to be donated to the Heathcote Historical Society. Both items have survived for nearly 150 years.
I find it hard to describe the feeling I had when I, ever so carefully, put that shawl around my shoulders. To me, it is more than something that has survived from the past. It is a physical connection to Ellen McCarthy (nee O’Sullivan) (1841 - 1925), whose life I have come to know through my family history research. Finally being able to hold it has made the past feel very real. I hope that by donating it, the story connected to it will be preserved for generations to come.
Ellen was born in Country Kerry, Ireland. She married Patrick McCarthy (1843 - 1925) in theearly 1860's.
Patrick followed his brother, John, to Australia in 1864 and sent for Ellen and their two children,,John and James, in 1866.
The family settled at Golden Gully where Patrick and older brother John were goldminers. They supplemented their income carting goods to and from Melbourne.
When land opened up for selection Patrick applied for and was granted 119 acres on theWarrowitue Road approximately 10Kms from Heathcote. The property was named ‘TheBoughyards’.
Patrick and Ellen raised a family of ten children, with only one, Patrick (1871 - 1877) not surviving to adulthood. They died within six months of each other in 1925, aged 72 and 74 respectively.
What treasures from a distant past are in your family and how do they make you feel? Let me know in the comments.
